Read Psalm 1 in your Bible.
A common psalmic theme is the juxtaposition between obedience to God and disobedience to God, obedience resulting in rewards and disobedience resulting in judgement. "Blessed is the man" — being blessed is the state of one who places their trust in God and lives according to His commands. First, let's define whom "the wicked" are. Simply put, the wicked are unrepentant sinners, whether they are unbelievers or false Christians — wolves in sheep's clothing. By fake Christians I mean those who call themselves Christians but their actions don't reflect true Christianity. Greg Groeschel has dubbed these types of people as "Christian Atheists" — those who claim to be Christian but live as if He doesn't exist. With these types of people, it is impossible to distinguish them from true atheists by their actions alone. The wicked come in a myriad of shapes and sizes.
Moving on, to "walk in the counsel of the wicked" is to spend a significant amount of time with them. Such high exposure puts one in danger of "standing in the way of sinners," which is to live in a sinful lifestyle while unrepentant. Such examples of this would be sexually active homosexuals and homosexual marriage, the practise of premarital sex, committing adultery, being a compulsive liar, a thief, verbally and/or physically abusive, and the list goes on almost infinitely — doing any of these sins and others without repentance and without rebuking them (changing your ways). Lastly, to "sit in the seat of scoffers" is to be in the comfortable disposition of contempt. What does this mean? It is the act of hatred — allowing hate to boil deep within your soul until it spills from your mouth. Many Christians face such contempt from militant atheists. Indeed, even some Christians are guilty of being scoffers, and perhaps from spending too much time among the wicked.
Rather than following these ways of the wicked, the Christian meditates on the ways of the Lord day and night. Not meditate as in the Buddhist practise, but rather to think deeply upon. I am at the point in my faith in that no matter what I'm doing, I'm almost constantly reflecting upon Scripture — determining my course of actions based upon God's approval or disapproval. I'm not perfect at it; I fail many times, because I'm a sinner. But when I do fail, I almost immediately change my course of action and/or repent. Take heed in your worldly associations; do not linger too long among ungodly influences, lest you be seduced.
Remaining cognisant of all these things and thus steadfast brings prosperity. Verse 3 does not mean solely financial prosperity, although God can choose to operate in that way. God has chosen to bless and sustain me financially multiple times. Not with wealth (after all, I'm a poor college student), but simply financial security. But He has blessed me more with inner peace (which comes from Christ — John 14:27), the joy of the Lord, and many more eternally significant things, though they be intangible. The wicked are blown away like chaff. Chaff is debris from the husk of wheat separated from grain that the harvester would toss into the air to be blown away by the wind. In stark contrast to this, the righteous remain rooted and fruitful, prospering in the ways of the Lord, never uprooted. Judgement will blow the wicked away, but the righteous will endure forever. Many sins may appear enticing, but they are infinitesimal compared to God's coming judgement that they'll be unable to withstand. The wicked may appear to prosper, but i's always temporary. If unrepentant, the wicked will be blown away in God's judgement, but the righteous will endure forever.
Psalm 1 Prayer
Father, keep me from walking in the counsel of the wicked. Keep me from their perishable ways. Help me to overcome my sin(s) of [list them here]. I can only overcome sin with Your strength. Help me to overcome it [or them] and to annihilate any hatred in my heart. Make the words on my tongue sweet, ridding the bitterness. Father, I know I sometimes act like an enemy, but in my heart You know that I am an ally — I am Your child. Guide me towards prosperity so that glory may be given to Your name, not just from my mouth, but any who witness Your prosperity. Thank You for all You have done for me already [feel free to be specific]. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.
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