By Karen Baloy
Scripture Reference: Psalm 1
Read Scripture. Listen to God. Be obedient. Have faith. Pray vulnerably. Meditate on His Truths. Repent quickly. Seek godly counsel. Surround yourself with Christ-like people. Fear not. Repeat. Psalm 1 perfectly captures my life before and after hearing, understanding and living these commands. “Like the chaff which the wind drives away,” I had nothing to stabilize me when adversity would come my way. I would seek ungodly counsel from family and friends who would tell me what I wanted to hear and feed into the lies of our broken world. I wasn’t good enough. I didn’t matter. I wasn’t lovable. They deserved it. I was better than them. I wasn’t worthy. Get them before they get me. Win at any cost. No one will be there for you. It’s you against the world. I believed these lies and lived accordingly.
Verse 6 ends by saying “the way of the ungodly shall perish.” The Hebrew word for “perish” means “to destroy, be ruined, be lost, fail.” I was perishing physically, emotionally and spiritually because of the enemy’s lies when God crossed my path with a Godly counselor whom He has used to teach me how to read Scripture and hear Him. She has also taught me the importance of praying for wisdom and discernment in all that I do. In addition, He has used her to plant seeds in my heart and encourage the vulnerability to reach out to other Godly people whom have been instrumental in shaping my walk with Him. As a result, I have come to “delight in the Law of the Lord” and meditate on it “day and night.” I now feel “like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season; Whose leaf also shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper.” To God be the glory!