Who tells America what to think? Well, many people believe that the greatest influence toward public opinion is the media. There is no doubt that most Americans are conditioned in their thinking by what they hear and see on the radio, television, and in print.
All of us are influenced in some measure by factors outside of ourselves. We are conditioned to think in certain ways by those whom we admire and hold in high esteem. Well, for the Christian, that influencing person ought to be the Lord and what He says in His Word.
In Psalm 1:1, God says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.” In other words, if you want to be truly blessed of God, then you shouldn’t allow yourself to be influenced by the world and its way of thinking. Rather, you should live your life on the basis of what God tells you in His Word.
The word “walk” here is a general Hebrew verb that means “walk” in a variety of applications. It can mean to literally walk around and go somewhere; or, in a figurative sense, it can refer to a lifestyle – how you behave as you go about life, or how you walk around in the course of life. Now that’s how the word is used in this verse. “Blessed is the man who does not live his life on the basis of counsel received from ungodly people.”
Now that doesn’t mean that unsaved people don’t have wisdom in certain things, and it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen to your doctor. What it does mean, is that God wants your philosophy of life and your orientation to specific things to come from His way of thinking – not from theirs.
For instance, a financial counselor can give you good counsel on the advisability of a particular mutual fund; but God wants you to listen to Him when it comes to your financial policy on stewardship and how you spend your money. It does one well to remember that God’s way of thinking is vastly different from the world’s way of thinking, in almost every area of life. That’s why the blessed man “does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly.”
Now you know the real meaning of the word. Hey – ungodly people may be smart, but they’re not wise. So, be careful!