Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. Psalm 1:1

I’ll admit it: it’s difficult not to take the advice and counsel from those who have lived in the world longer than I have. We all want to gain an advantage on the next guy or the next project or the next job in this life. It’s a highly competitive world in a very tight economy.

I think the true meaning of this first verse is deeper than that. There are certain people in this world who do not have your best interests at heart. They would seek to destroy you and tear you down any way they can. Sometimes they mean to; other times it’s just who they are. When it comes to your spiritual growth and satisfaction, we need to avoid them.

Who are these people? They are well-meaning friends who want to go out drinking and carousing with you. They could be parents of your children’s friends who constantly criticize and berate their mates. They could even be Bible-believing Christians who find fault in everybody and everything. Jesus himself walked among these types of people (and worse) but he didn’t hang around them regularly.

I guess the bottom line to this first verse is this: who are you getting your marching orders from?

The next few verses should shed some light on who we should be getting them from.