Unfazed Series Unfazed by Bad Influence – Part3 March 25, 2018   Ps 1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law, he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prosper. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. NIV Influence is a powerful force. Influence is an invisible print on us! One of my mentors, Doctor Richard Dobbins, who greatly influenced my life has said, “Throughout our lives, in both subtle and profound ways, we leave "invisible imprints" that influence the people around us for better or for worse. And, they leave their imprints on us. Some people call these "vibes" or "impressions." These unique imprints, planted firmly in our minds, and fixed in our memories, make a lasting contribution to our identity. They can be hurtful or helpful. They can lead us to success or failure.” True be told, good influence can be like spinach was to Popeye the Sailor and bad influence like kryptonite to Superman. That is the reason the Bible gives us guidance like it does in our text Psalm 1 God’s word teaches us that we can be unfazed and live with confidence in a troubled world when we … I.    Retreat from Bad Influence (Psa. 1:1) Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. Notice that there are three metaphors of posture mention in the verse. The first is “walking in the counsel of the wicked”. This means: a.    Bad Thinking – (counsel) Thoughts and thinking are powerful forces that influence us. Our minds are like supercomputers but like a pc, if you put garbage in you’ll get garbage out.  If it’s true we are what we eat, then it follows we become what we think. The second metaphor is, “standing in the way of sinners”, which is: b.    Bad Behaving – (the way we live) It might be said following the way or lifestyle of sinners.  The bible clearly means the works of the fallen nature             Gal 5:19-21 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. NIV The third metaphor is, “sit in the seat of mockers”, which is: c.    Bad Relationships (who hang with) God in his word has said, “Do not be misled: bad company corrupts good character.” I Cor. 15:33 Play the Video: The Wrong Crowd 2:27 Someone coined the phrase, “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action; reap a habit; sow a habit reap a character; sow a character reap a destiny.” Here is the point. To live unfazed by bad influence we must retreat from it, run from it – ask God and He will provide a way of escape. Then the text teaches us that we can be unfazed by bad influence and live with confidence in a troubled world when we … II.    Reflect on God’s Word (Psa. 1:2) But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law, he meditates day and night. Note not enough to flee or retreat must replace the bad with the good and power word of God. Many people read God’s Word at least once a week, fewer read several times a week, fewer yet 4 or more times.  The psalmist in our text is clearly talking about more that the casual and occasion engagement of the Word. He says to be unfazed (influenced) by bad character: a.    Delights