The Word: Psalms 1: 1 – 2(KJV)
1 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. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
Dig Deeper: Psalms 1: 3(KJV)
3 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.
Think about it
5 BLESSINGS OF STAYING IN THE WORD
Every believer ought to try and cultivate the habit of staying in the word. Everyone in the house ought to make up their minds to take up a challenge of spending more time in the scriptures this month. You will just need to either wake up earlier or go to bed later or during the day somehow find the time to read. Our lives are already over busy but by somehow creating time, out of no time to read and meditate, you will gain inspiration on other activities that you need to do and you will find out that you are more effective because you don’t have to waste time on certain things. It is actually better to take a pause, read, meditate and get inspiration than just to work around the clock non stop because of the volume of things we need to do. In the midst of our busy schedule, we must somehow create time for the word.
Let’s get back to our text:
Psalm 1: 1
1 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
So this blessed man does 3 things:
1 – He doesn’t follow the advice of ungodly people. Someone doesn’t necessarily have to be mean or very bad to be ungody. The word ungodly means they don’t have a mindset after how God thinks. Their value is different. They can cut corners or find a way to do certain things that God will not be happy with. So this blessed man does not listen or follow advice from ungodly people who do not have Christ like values.
2 – He doesn’t stand in the way of sinners. Some people are Christians officially but they sit on the fence with both believers and unbelievers. When people are criticising a man of God, you don’t ideally join in saying something bad, but you stay on the fence, you listen attentively, backbiters and gossipers feel comfortable in your presence. This blessed man doesn’t do this.
3 – He doesn’t sit in the seat of the scornful. Some people scorn – Holy Jest it’s called, all for the laugh. This blessed man doesn’t join in holy jests or holy scorn.
This is what he does instead:
Psalm 1: 2
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
The amplified bible puts it this way:
But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And on His law [His precepts and teachings] he [habitually] meditates day and night.
So this blessed man has formed an habit of constantly reading at any free time he has: At lunch break, in the bus, early in the morning, before he goes to bed…. He consciously goes out of his way to develop a reading habit. Because he has a reading habit, he is constantly thinking about what he reads. Because he is constantly thinking the word, his predominant thoughts are those things that are good, pure, honest, virtue, praise worthy etc And that is what also comes out of his mouth. As a result of this conscious life style, he enjoys a 5 fold blessing:
1 – He is like a tree planted by rivers of water.
Note the word rivers…. That is talking of the Holy Spirit. So this blessed man is never bereft of Divine inspiration. He is always connected to God’s Spirit. He gets clarity, leading and directions all the time
2 – He brings forth his fruit in his season
Note the word in his season…. There is a right season. This blessed man is flowing with God’s agenda and timing. He is not running behind or running ahead of God. He is enjoying the grace of what we call: ontime. Everything is clicking by itsef at the right time for him
3 – He brings forth his fruit in his season
Fruit also refers to the fruit of the Holy Spirit. So his life continues to reflect the fruit of the Holy Spirit: Love, patience, gentleness etc because of the word he is meditating on
4 – His leaf also shall not wither.
The word leaf refers to your glory just like leaves cover or clothe a tree. So the word leaf refers to the aura around you, God’s presence around you. So this blessed man carries freshness around him. He is constantly rejuvenated and refreshed by the word
5 – Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Because he is led of God through the word, he doesn’t waste his time on what God is not involved with. So anything he gets involved with prospers.
Above are the do’s and don’t of the blessed. He avoids 3 things completely. Instead he focuses on the word. That focus on the word brings him 5 clear blessings. You and I can be like him if we would avoid what he avoids and do what he does.
Nuggets:
A conscious decision to focus on the word will totally change our lives
Our memory verse for April 2018
Psalm 119: 130
130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Let’s take a few moment to learn our memory verse for this month by heart. It can be memorised in 2 lines:
Line 1: The entrance of thy words giveth light;
Line 2: It giveth understanding unto the simple.
Once you say it a few times it will stick.
Prayer focus: Our next level prayers:
Lord help me to focus on the word from now on
On the word: Recommended book
The Bible Study Methods – Rick Warren
The Word: Deuteronomy 2: 2 – 3(KJV)
2 And the Lord spake unto me, saying,
3 Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.
Dig Deeper: Daniel 43: 18-19(KJV)
18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Think about it
REVISTING THE PROMISES FOR THIS YEAR
As we have come to a weekend of seeking God and in a month of focus on God’s word, it is important to appreciate that God’s prophecy or promises are equally as powerful or potent as the scriptures.
The bible is documented promises or words inspired by the Holy Spirit. A direct word to the house is a Rhema (word in real time) which is equally as powerful and relevant for our year.
Our father said this year is our year of NEXT LEVEL and we said NEXT LEVEL is changing position upwards, moving to the next stage spiritually, physically, maritally as a Church and in every spect of our lives. But for many of us and the church does it look like next level right now? Perhaps many will answer: NO
For some people it might even look like a lower level. But we must not forget that God said we should be expectant of four things.
– New things. He will do New things
– Restructuring. Our lives will need to be restructured and reorganised
– It’s OK to take a step back in order to leap forward
– He will take away all reproach.
Remember Haggai 2:9 The glory of the latter shall be greater than the former. It may not yet look like NEXT LEVEL but God’s word is settled forever. That is what he said. Let’s key in and align ourselves to this.
Nuggets:
God’s word is like the rain and the snow. It will accomplish what’s it’s been sent to do
Our memory verse for April 2018
Psalm 119: 130
130 The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.
Let’s take a few moment to learn our memory verse for this month by heart. It can be memorised in 2 lines:
Line 1: The entrance of thy words giveth light;
Line 2: It giveth understanding unto the simple.
Once you say it a few times it will stick.
Prayer focus: Our next level prayers:
Lord help me to align myself to your word of prophecy
On the word: Recommended book
The Bible Study Methods – Rick Warren
