This morning we continue our series entitled, “Refined Focus”, with a mini-series within it entitled “Focusing on the Word”. We have dealt with Psalm 1 for well over a month and today is the last message from this passage. Let’s read it one last time.
(Psalm 1:1-3 KJV) “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
(Psalm 1:1-3 ERV) “Great blessings belong to those who don’t listen to evil advice, who don’t live like sinners, and who don’t join those who make fun of God. Instead, they love the Lord’s teachings and think about them day and night. So they grow strong, like a tree planted by a stream—a tree that produces fruit when it should and has leaves that never fall. Everything they do is successful.”
When you live the way the psalmist describes in this psalm, he calls you a “blessed man”. People can have their own idea of what being “blessed” looks like or of what “success” looks like, but this passage provides us a glimpse into the mind of God concerning the matter.
So what does this mean to you today? Let’s seek to glean a few golden nuggets as we take one final look at God’s picture of success. As a note, I am going to use the theme, “A blessed man”, for this message, but when I say “man” my message is for both men and women.
1. A blessed man knows what counsel to accept and more importantly, what counsel to reject.
a. A blessed man only accepts counsel that lines up with the Word of God.
b. A blessed man operates with divine discernment and makes decisions that are in sync with heaven.
2. A blessed man chooses his friends wisely.
a. A blessed man knows that both wisdom and foolishness can be transferred by association (Prov 13:20), so he uses divine discernment concerning whom to connect with.
b. When you surround yourself with the right people you will experience the right influence; both TO you and FROM you.
3. A blessed man maintains Godly standards of conduct.
a. In a society where an “everything goes” mentality is prevailing, a blessed man does not minimize the importance of conduct or character.
b. A blessed man lives his life by God’s standards and he never succumbs to the pressure to call WRONG, RIGHT.
4. A blessed man has a Godly and disciplined thought life.
a. A blessed man knows that he will never go beyond his level of thinking. Therefore, he renews his mind to think like God.
b. A blessed man understands the importance of meditating and medicating on God’s Word day and night.
5. A blessed man lives a fruitful life.
a. The life of a blessed man produces fruit and others are able to benefit from the fruitfulness of his life.
b. A blessed man adds value to the lives of others everywhere he goes.
c. A blessed man lives his life in sync with God, His Word and His ways. Therefore, everything he does is successful.
*** When you live the way the psalmist describes in Psalm 1, the Bible calls you “BLESSED!”
Closing Confession: Father, this is a season of refined focus for me. I bring my life into focus in 2016 by developing my character IN You and by aligning my conduct with Your standards. I meditate and medicate on Your Word day and night. I allow myself to be deprogrammed and then reprogrammed to think like You. As I go through this process I learn what counsel to accept, and what counsel to reject. I learn to connect with the right people. I learn to keep my mind and heart fixed and focused on You. I learn to hear Your voice and I refuse to follow any other. And while I am learning all these things my life is producing fruit. I am like the tree You describe in Psalm 1. I add value to people daily. People can come up to me and pick fruit from my life. I am so blessed that my life produces an overflow that winds up blessing others. Everything I do is successful, because I live in earth, in sync with heaven. Living this way I experience heaven on earth and the Bible calls me “BLESSED!” I I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
