GUARD YOUR COUNSEL GATE

The first Psalm opens the entire book of Psalms with a lesson about counsel. It describes a man who is blessed, and the very first thing said about him is what he does not do: he does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Before we discover what God wants us to follow, we must be clear about what we must refuse to follow. Your destiny is shaped as much by the voices you decline as by the voices you accept.

Notice the progression: walking, standing, sitting. A man first walks in the direction of ungodly counsel, then he stands in the way of sinners, and eventually he sits in the seat of the scornful. Nobody wakes up one morning as a scoffer. The journey begins with small compromises, casual listening and gradual agreement. What we tolerate in our ears eventually settles in our hearts and appears in our lives.

The blessed man is not isolated; he is selective. His delight is in the law of the Lord, and he meditates on it day and night. The Word becomes his filter, so every opinion that reaches him is measured against it. The psalm says he is like a tree planted by rivers of water, bringing forth fruit in season, with a leaf that does not wither, and whatever he does prospers. The ungodly, by comparison, are like chaff that the wind drives away.

Take time today to audit your influences. Who speaks into your decisions? What do you watch, read and listen to? Which friendships pull you toward God, and which pull you away? Keep and strengthen what agrees with the Word, and lovingly distance yourself from what does not. Guarding the gate of your ears is not pride; it is wisdom.