“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

This verse is only one of many that point out the difference between the righteous and the wicked.  The man who is not involved with the ungodly, the sinner or the scornful will be blessed.

Note the ever increasing involvement here — first walking beside the ungodly, then standing with sinners, then sitting with the scornful.  That is the way it is with sin; the farther we go the deeper into it we find ourselves.

This is why believers are admonished to be in the world but not part of the world.

Unbelievers can have a powerful influence on a child of God if given an opening into a weak faith.  The unbeliever’s influence can affect a believer’s character and faith; pulling them deeper and deeper into sin, farther and farther away from God.

Psalm 1:2 carries on the lesson of where a righteous man should be looking to: “But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

The man who is blessed will read and study God’s Word and focus his mind on it throughout his day.  Only then can he be equipped and strengthened to fight off the influence of the ungodly in the world.

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil….And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”  Ephesians 6:11&17