There is almost nothing we want more; and yet it always seems to slip through our fingers. The truth is the bible tells us how we can be happy. The question is if we are willing to hear what it has to say.

When we turn to that section of the bible that is referred to as the “Wisdom books” (Job – Ecclesiastes) we encounter Job first. Job shows us the tormented man. Proverbs shows us the wise man. Song of Solomon shows us the loving man. Ecclesiastes shows us the philosophical man. And the book of Psalms shows us the happy man.

Psalms begins with the word, “Blessed” which means, “Happy”. When Christ began his earthly ministry, he sat down with his disciples and began his largest sermon with the exact same words, “Blessed is the man”. The implication is very encouraging – God is concerned about your happiness.

This is a short series that will share the instructions the bible gives us on how we can be happy. I hope you will find it helpful. So where do we start? Let’s go to Psalm chapter one and take a peek at verse one.

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

Psalm 1:1

The bible, here, begins with what we shouldn’t do. Why is that? I think it is because the bible is a very realistic and practical guide. And, I can only speak for myself, God usually finds me in a mess and shows me how to get out of it. That is where this passage finds us. So here is the first clue.

1. Happiness avoids the counsel of the world.

The bible says we are listening to the wrong people. We can see the obvious progression here.

• walk, stand, sit
• counsel, way, seat.
• ungodly, sinners, scornful.

It begins with some seemingly harmless counsel. That leads to the choice to stand (trust) in the way of sinners. Before we know it we are seated at the scorners table. At this table we hear a different kind of chatter. It has gone from counsel to a boastful mocking of God. This progression is heading in the opposite direction of happiness. And that is the story of man. As C.S. Lewis once said,

“Human history is the long, terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy”

C.S. Lewis

Psalm 1:1 reveals something startling – Satan is a soul winner! He shares his counsel and entices you to trust in his “Way” and he continues until you have take a seat at his table scorning God on his behalf.

It is important to realise that Satan, through the system of this world, is constantly trying to win your soul over to his way. And he is very good at it. He has a pulpit on every screen and we are constantly tuning in to hear him preach.

If we want to be happy we have to make a radical shift in our thinking. The world’s counsel, primarily through media is everywhere and it is here to stay. But that’s okay. Technology can actually be a blessing if we approach it the right way. We have a simple rule at our house that helps us in our pursuit for real happiness – the kind of happiness we find in the Bible. Here is our rule which is based on Psalm 1:1.

House Rule:

You can watch and listen to media (Okay, obviously excluding anything which clearly dishonours Christ). You can watch and listen to media, BUT YOU CANNOT BELIEVE A SINGLE WORD THEY SAY! You cannot believe anything they say until you have the chance to confirm it with the Bible.

This passage asks us to consider the source of our counsel and where it leads. Where is your counsel coming from? The happy man does not walk according to the counsel of the ungodly or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of scornful. If we want to be happy we must avoid the counsel of the world.

This is a good first step, but it does not solve the problem. This is a necessary step, but it won’t actually make us happy. Next time we will see how we can actually take a positive step toward biblical happiness.

Until then.