Important note: Please read your Bible to fully grasp each scripture in its entirety. Do not just run with the scriptures I have stated in this message, I used these to corroborate and portray the message being shared with you all. I am not a prophetess or pastor but just someone who wants to share this message because this was also a part of my life. At some point, you are supposed to come to your senses and ask yourself “What am I doing?“

I will dissect this scripture to understand what these words fully mean. It is straightforward but why is the author saying “Blessed is the man who” and lays out exactly how it can be achieved in the following lines. Why would this make someone be considered blessed? This leads us to the verse “Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly” Who are the ungodly and why is it so important not to take counsel/advice from them?

The ungodly would be anyone who opposes and does the opposite of God’s words, teachings and law. This person is apart from God, their ways do not mirror his, and they constantly glorify themselves. An ungodly person is not just someone who does evil things to others and thinks evil thoughts, do not be mistaken, that is why I said anyone who opposes God such as constantly lying, gossiping, being envious of others, refusing to forgive, displaying arrogance and pride, being greedy or aimlessly partying and drinking without any care in the world, to name a few. Even if none of the above pertains to how you live your life, it still doesn’t mean you are not doing things that oppose God, that is why we must thoroughly examine ourselves asking God for his help to search us and reveal things about ourselves that don’t align with his teachings.

“Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, And lead me in an everlasting way.” Psalms 139:23-24  (AMP)

“But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. ³² Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.” 1 Corinthian 11:31 NIV

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Romans 1:21 NIV

Understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 1 Timothy 1:9-10 ESV

Or do you not know that the unrighteous^[b] will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,^[c] 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  1 Corinthians 6:9 ESV

Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind so that they do what ought not to be done. ²⁹ They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. ³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. 1 Romans: 28 – 32 NIV

The above verses, paint a clear picture of who is considered ungodly according to the bible. This answers the other question, we should not take any advice from the ungodly because they will lead us to a path of destruction, do not let anyone tell you that you can do the above actions and be a follower of Christ. This is why this verse in the bible always seems to have a lot of people either incensed or afraid

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²² Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV

but there is no need because if you truly want to follow Christ you have to “die to self ” every day and pick up your cross daily,

“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Roman 6 :4 NIV

 “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,^[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷ because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” Roman 6 :6-7 NIV

“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 16: 25 NKJV

²³ And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23 ESV

and when you don’t have the strength or discipline to do so call on Jesus he will gladly help.

Proverbs 1:10- 19 gives us an idea of what ungodly counsel is and serves as a warning to avoid it at all cost. Evil/ungodly counsel can be subtle or blatant, it can be given by a friend, neighbour, or even a family member ( the devil can use anyone to derail you from the right path) the devil’s only goal as stated in the bible is to kill, steal and destroy (“The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 NIV” )and how does he accomplish this, by telling lies( he is the father of it), by telling half-truths all of which is his way to deceive you into thinking that the path he is leading you on is good and that there is no harm in it. The devil tried to deceive many in the bible but the two notable ones would be, when he was able to deceive Eve in Genesis, “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.  “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5 NIV and his failed attempt to deceive Jesus in the desert not once but thrice. I hope you know that he will keep coming at you to see what you will do, whether you will fall into temptation or deny yourself standing firm, easier said than done but Jesus, setting a perfect example knew better. Therefore we should strive to be like the latter not the former.

Shun ungodly counsel

If the counsel you receive contradicts what the bible says, and thus encourages you to be lukewarm ( one foot in the world and one foot out) then I don’t know what bible they are reading but not the one I try to read daily. To be clear, I never said to “judge” someone because they are living a worldly life compared to yours which then leads you to feel the need to cut them off and shun them. This can occur only if you feel their influence would make you want to revert to your old habits, then that would be the best option according to the bible. The following verse always seems to be taken out of context.

²⁹ If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your right-hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. Matthew 5:29-32 NIV

The purpose of this verse was meant to be as brutal and graphic as it is portrayed to cement the message even further, so if the following activities you are engaging in cause you sin ( a particular television show/social media) stop doing it or do a content cleanse. Of course, you would not gouge out your eye, if you do so it would defeat the purpose. I would say the same for the other line of the scripture if you are prone to doing certain things for example masturbation, deny yourself that few minutes of pleasure instead of leading yourself to eternal damnation due to selfishness. These examples were used to explain my point but in general, it is better to deny yourself “all worldly desires” such as wild parties and fornicating etc…. than lose out on everlasting life with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This was a perfect way to emphasize how dangerously living a life of sin is and why we should try to refrain from certain actions, words and thoughts. Remember to repent and ask for forgiveness. Well, we all fall short at some point but the true test is if you remain there or you decide to fight against your flesh, denying it which leads to further change.

We cannot escape the (ungodly) because we are in this world but do not accept their counsel/advice. However, through understanding and love, you can impart your advice to them with scriptures to corroborate what you say and how you live your life behind closed doors and in public which would influence them and plant the seed.

Important note, according to the bible you can judge each other but righteously not with self-righteousness and arrogance so that we can be other’s keepers being brothers and sisters in Christ, especially the ones who claim to be deep in their faith with God but are constantly falling short in secret/in public.

This leads us to the following scriptures :

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 NLT

“It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 NLT ( this scripture was placed here to show that you cannot serve two masters.

When reading Proverbs 3, I noticed how perfectly it aligns with Psalm 1 showing us what is meant by “Blessed is the man who” which is Proverbs 3: 13, ” Happy is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding.” which would be through godly guidance and fear of the LORD. Proverbs 9:10 NKVJ ” states that the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding”. We are aware that Wisdom is the Key followed by understanding and knowledge. To prove further how important having wisdom is Proverbs 3: 19 NKJV says ” The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, By wisdom he established the heavens; By knowledge, the depths were broken up and clouds drop down the dew.”

What is meant by this next line in the scripture “Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful” Proverbs 1: 15 NKJV ” My son do not walk in the way with them, keep your foot from their path; for their feet run to evil and they make haste to shed blood.” This gives us imagery of what standing in the path of sinners means and why there is emphasis on avoiding it. The funny thing is we all know what is right from wrong and even if you don’t, you will eventually realise sooner rather than later when you are disciplined for it through a parent, teacher or the law of your country. However, some things are blatantly known as wrong for example, stealing and killing.

On the other hand, there is partying and drinking which is “fun” I know, I have been there (please see my blog on “examine yourself and repent!” and read my testimony.) I cannot relate to the following where people engage in sexual acts with many men ( as a women) and many women ( as a man) thinking that couldn’t possibly be a “bad thing”, technically not according to society and worldly thinking. “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” 1 Romans:32 NIV

I would like to think that morals would come into play preventing you from doing as such but who am I to tell you what to do? It is still frowned upon with regards to how many sexual partners a woman has as opposed to a man but to me, it should be the same for men. One sexual partner outside of marriage is a sin according to the bible but having 50 – 100 is just wild. I don’t even know that amount of people much less to lay with them. To be transparent, I had sex before marriage with four men ( too many), three were my then-boyfriends and one was an ex, but when it happened we were not together. I decided I would stay celibate until marriage and that is what I will continue to do. I am not saying I don’t have thoughts or feelings but I have to deny them for the greater good which is for myself, out of respect for my future husband and God because my body is his creation and a temple which should be respected. P.S. I will write a celibacy blog soon.

Society will tell you having sex is a way to express yourself and don’t let anyone make you feel guilty about the amount, or gender (male or female) continue to live your best life, that is all that matters. Sex before marriage is widely accepted as a “norm” encouraged according to today’s society and this generation. Marriage is no longer sacred because people get divorced over the sightliest inconvenience or proudly commit adultery and “some” wives are taking them back willingly..

Ungodly counsel will pressure you into doing it because everyone around you is and you don’t want to stand out or draw attention to yourself because you choose to be different. It’s okay to be unique, a “weirdo” in this sense or as the bible says set apart and that is what we should all strive to be and not mindless sheep following the “trend”.

“Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of the wicked, Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on.’ Proverbs 4:14-15 NKJV

“Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones.” Proverbs 3: 7-8 NKJV

“Do not be envious of the oppressor and choose none of his ways; For the perverse person is an abomination to the Lord. But His secret counsel is with the upright” Proverbs 3: 31-32 NKJV

” Nor sit in the seat of the scornful” which in other words would be the ridiculers. The ones who do not believe in God, the Bible, the teachings and the law. They think it is fictional, and nonsense and can’t seem to comprehend why we follow the bible so religiously believing in its word and believing in its power. They are the ones who scoff at anyone who preaches God’s word and heavily debate it with their logic and theories trying to debunk what the word says. It is common sense to know not to be associated with such people in a literal and hypothetical sense of the word “sit” because then you would be considered a part of their beliefs by association. No one would know you are a follower of Christ unless they know you personally. Therefore be aware of the company you keep, and surround yourself with like-minded people who believe in what you believe which is in the Lord our Savior Jesus Christ. The more you are around them the more their theories and false narratives may start to appeal to your flesh making you question certain things and slowly pull away from the Lord, falling right back into a worldly life because it is the easier route. Some things in the bible are not meant for us to understand. That is why God said to lean not on your understanding which pertains to his words and your life and wherever it leads you, but know this, if it is God who is leading you, you can trust that guidance 100% because he will never cause us to stumble or lead us astray.

“Trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths”

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

P.S. I am far from perfect. I was questioning God today about many things and my unanswered prayers. It has been a rough few days battling my thoughts which plague me with the what ifs, remembering things that make me cringe and mentally beating up myself for allowing my shyness to take over and lose out on opportunities. I had a mini panic attack today which I don’t get but I was so overwhelmed with sadness and emotions ( it is that time of the month, well it was by the time you read this). Even though that was the last thing I wanted to do, I just started to praise the Lord.

” Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV