So, I began to explain to you one of the three keys David mentioned that makes a man a default recipient of God’s blessings. I was able to deal with one of the three last week. This week, I’d be sharing on the other two. This means you are starting the month on a note of blessing.
“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” Psalm 1:1
So, you see the other two things mentioned by David, walking not in the counsel of the ungodly and standing not in the way of sinners. These I’d be taking together as one.
When this scripture is read, what comes to mind immediately is usually an advice from an unbeliever or a counsel that totally goes against what is popularly referred as holy.
Counsel of the ungodly is what makes a man stand in the way of sinners. And such counsel is anything that is not in tandem with the will of God. Hence, this is not necessarily an unfair advice but what is not being presented as God sees it.
After the anointing had departed from Saul and David by the anointing defeated Goliath, he naturally became an enemy to Saul. Saul sought to kill David at every opportunity he had. David fled for his life from one country to the other each time he learnt Saul was coming after him. This was the routine of David’s life. That can be totally frustrating!
On a fateful day, Saul was returning from following the Philistines, he heard David was in the wilderness of Engedi. He took three thousand men out of Israel to go after David and his men. This was a mission to eliminate David like he had tried at many other times which was not successful. As Saul got to a cave, he took a nap. David and his men were around the cave. Immediately, David’s men counseled him with words from the scripture…
“And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day which the Lord said unto thee, Behold I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s privily. And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt.” 1Sam 24:1-5
“And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my minister, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.” v6
The counsel from David’s men was a good one and it was from a heart of love for David. These were the men the scripture described to be totally dedicated to all that David represented. They loved him and such a counsel was absolutely fair and reasonable as that would bring an end to their flight from place to place. However, that wasn’t the way of God; it was an ungodly counsel, even though not necessarily from an ungodly man.
Ungodly counsel comes most of the times from those who truly care about us but cannot read the plans of God for us because they are clouded by their definition of what should amount to victory for us.
Peter just gave a powerful revelation of the person of Jesus and this attracted commendation by Jesus saying to Peter that flesh and blood did not reveal the mystery to him. Not too long from then, the same Peter was overtaken by his desire to seeing Jesus close to them physically, not understanding that all Jesus came to do was to die; he made another statement and Jesus rebuked him, calling him a “devil”(Matt 16:23). It was a counsel that had ungodliness in it- not the way of God.
Blessings follow a man who understands the sound of the spirit. As you advance in the year, be mindful of counsel that comes from those closer to you as the devil knows you won’t give a listening ear to an advice that is obviously against moral appeal or not in tandem with express instructions of God; he brings the counsel in a form of concern and genuine interest. Those who follow good ideas don’t go far; do you remember the young prophet? (1king13:11-24). It must be God!
To be blessed, sieve every counsel; it makes you stay inside of God’s plan. No matter how comforting anything outside of this is, it is ungodly.
You will go far!
Be Innovated
Olufemi Ibitoye
Weldone sir..
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