By Chuck E. Tate

Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the LORD (Word of God), meditating on it day & night. —Psalm 1:1-2 (NLT)

The above two verses that David penned via inspiration of the Holy Spirit are power-packed with supernatural wisdom. Here are three takeaways from Psalm 1:1-2 below that will help you kick off the new year the right way!

1 — BE CAREFUL WHO YOU LISTEN TO

Our culture is constantly preaching to follow your heart and/or follow your feelings. The Word is clear in Jeremiah 17:9 that following your heart is not only dangerous, it’s destructive. As followers of Jesus we live by faith… faith in God and His Word. You have two choices in 2023: Listen to culture or listen to God. If you listen to God you won’t be deceived by lies that sound like truth.

2 — BE CAREFUL WHO YOU HANG WITH

While it’s important for you to have friends who are unbelievers—so you can establish common ground as a means to share the gospel—you need to be careful who you get close to. This age-old saying is true: “like produces like.” In other words, we become who we hang around with. Proverbs is packed with warnings about hanging out with fools and Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 15:33 that “bad company corrupts good character.” The Contemporary English Versions says, “bad friends will destroy you.” Ouch.

3 — DIVE INTO THE WORD OF GOD DAILY

Spending time with God will not only help us make better decisions, it will make us more like Christ. The Bible is a collection of 66 books that contain 1,189 chapters, 31,102 verses, and 783,137 words of God speaking to us. This means there is never a valid excuse for saying, “I pray, but God never speaks to me.” David hid the Word in heart. We need to do the same.

Power Point

How we respond to this passage (Psalm 1:1-2) will most definitely make or break us. Responding the right way—by leaning into Jesus and His Word—will not only reap lasting benefits in 2023, but will ultimately change the trajectory of your life.

Prayer Point

“Jesus, thank you for a clean slate and a new beginning on the very first day of this brand new year! Help me to choose you, to follow you, and to obey you. Help me guard my heart and help me choose wisely who I listen to and who I spend time with. Give me a new hunger and desire to spend time with you through worship, prayer, and your Word. I love you, Jesus. In your name I pray, Amen.”

Chuck E. Tate is a pastor, podcaster (Revival Town Podcast), and the author of ‘41 Will Come.’ A portion of this article was used with permission from Tyndale House Publishers.