Who are you? Who are we really…not who do we think we are or who do we want to be but who are we? What has made us who we are? What are our influences? Psalm 1 shares with us the differences in who we are by what we allow to influence us.

• How are we being influenced? What are we allowing to influence us? Have we fallen to the compromise of “ungodly” influences? Just what is this walk “in the counsel of the ungodly?” Walk speaks of the direction we are going. When we go in the direction of worldly wisdom, we are under ungodly influences. After we go in the direction of seeking advice from the ungodly, we then begin to identify with the ungodly. “Standeth in the way of sinners” speaks of how we are now identifying with the way of sinners. “Sitteth in the seat of the scornful” speaks of a resting place. We have landed on a position that we feel very comfortable with. We first just walked around some ungodly counsel, then we began to stand around in ungodly counsel, finally we adopt it for our very own.

What about a Godly influence? “Blessed is the man” …the person who makes the most of His Walk with God. How do you come to delight in God’s Word? If we are to be exposed to Godly influence, it will be found in the Bible. It’s not enough to just read words from the Bible; we must allow God’s word to get into our thinking and to shape our thoughts to be more like Jesus.

• What are you becoming? How we are influenced will reflect in what we become in character. Ask yourself, “What kind of person am I becoming?” The person who delights in the Bible will become like a tree planted by the rivers of water. That tree is fruitful, durable and prosperous. The ungodly are not so. They are like the chaff that the wind blows away following any whim or belief that comes their way.
  
• How will you be judged? There is a destiny we will all be a part of. The ungodly will not be able to stand on judgment day. The Lord knows the way of the righteous; but the way of the ungodly shall perish.To make the most of your walk with God begins by Godly influences. Godly character is what God is looking for…He’s looking for His own.
  

Enjoy your coffee.
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Love you all,
Pastor Gary

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to celebrate living in the greatest country in the world. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. This document declared that the thirteen American colonies regarded themselves as a new nation, the United States of America. We celebrate Independence Day as a day where this land shed its past and began life anew founded on the principles of God. While the United States may have issues that at times may seem insurmountable, I believe that this nation is ready for the Gospel message and for God’s people to stand tall and lead this nation back to God. I don’t know how you spent our nation's Independence Day but I would hope you spent part of that time thanking God for the opportunities he gives a believer to serve him in this great land.

Think how selfish it must sound to God when we complain, when we pout and refuse to take part or try to make an impact for him in this country. I think of Jonah and his running from God, returning to God, doing the will of God, and then pouting when God used his plan and did not do what Jonah expected. In Jonah 4, we read where Jonah became very unhappy with God and then he became angry. Jonah knew that God was kind and merciful and that was his excuse to run and hide in Tarshish. Jonah knew God did not become angry quickly and ultimately would choose not to cause harm. When Jonah did not get his way, he went into his selfish pouty mode and asked God to kill him. Jonah said in verse 3 “it is better for me to die than to live.” Can you imagine talking to God this way? Yet there may be times when we get discouraged with our lot in life and basically tell God the same thing. We tell God if we do not get our way we will shut down. Twice God asked in chapter 4 “Doest thou well to be angry?” I think of that phrase often when that emotion creeps in. God is asking “Do you think it is right for you to be angry?” Enjoy your coffee.
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Love you all,
Pastor Gary