Welcome back to another week of Life Lifters. Today we're going to be looking at Psalm 1:1-3, and we're going to be talking about how you find true happiness. Now, we'll read about the word "blessed" from this verse in a moment. The word blessed in Hebrew, ashrê, actually means "happiness". So let me ask a question: how do we get happiness? This is what the passage says: "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked nor stand in the path of sinners nor sit in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaves do not wither and in whatever it does, he prospers."

So here's the first thing I see in this first verse. It says, "how blessed is the man..." That word "blessed" there means happiness. "How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers." What is that? He's saying, be separate from the world. Yes, be in it, but don't be *of* it. Don't stand in the counsel of the wicked. Don't be with the sinners. Don't hang out with those who mock you. Don't do that.

The second thing he says in verse two is be saturated with the word, versus to be separate from the world. "...but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law, he meditates on it day and night." He's thinking about it all the time. He's being constantly encouraged and reminded. So, be separated from the world, but be saturated with the Word of God.

The third is this be situated under God. "He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields in its fruit and its season, and its leaf does not wither, and in whatever he does, he prospers." Be separate from the world, be saturated in the word, be situated under God in His presence.

Now, if you want to ensure a life of doubt, unhappiness, and despair, simply just reverse these things and see what happens. Allow others to ridicule you and to mock you. It starts affecting your thinking. Disconnect from the Word of God and cut off your supply of nourishment, you will dry out and pull yourself away from God Himself. This simply brings you a life of despair. We know that's not what God wants for you, but to do as we talked about—separate yourself from the world, be saturated in the word, be situated under God.

Let me pray for you. Father, I pray that we would understand what it means to have and find true happiness. Being separated from the world, being saturated with your word by meditating on your law, and be situated under God. And Father, whoever's watching or reading this right now, I pray that they would find that encouragement and be able to just dive deep into that, so they would find what true biblical happiness means. We thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.