The Blessed Life | Ps Raju

At the outset, hearers are urged to listen beyond human personalities and discern what the Holy Spirit is saying. With Psalm 1 as the foundation, the path toward a blessed year is set out in three movements: live with discernment, live with delight, and live in dependence. Discernment means recognizing that sin advances by subtle steps—walking, standing, and finally sitting—and cutting off the “provisions” that feed temptation. Romans 13:14 and God’s warning to Cain in Genesis 4:7 expose compromise at the door before it matures. Discernment is not suspicion; it is Spirit-formed wisdom that refuses to nourish what will later enslave.

Delight directs the heart to the Word as living instruction, not mere information. The invitation is to “hold hands and dance” with God—an image of active, affectionate fellowship that reorders desires. Meditation turns Scripture into nourishment: the Word guides the path, gladdens the heart, and feeds the inner life until conviction, not convenience, drives choices. Desire is not denied but discipled; as one delights in the Lord, desires are refined and granted in his way and time.

Dependence pictures the righteous as a tree planted—fruitful in season, unwithered in drought—because the unseen roots are drawing from an unfailing source. The private life with God matters more than public leaves or visible fruit. A turbulent year will expose root systems; courage will be needed, not in noise or aggression, but in settled confidence that God completes what he begins. The fruit of the Spirit is His fruit, not self-manufactured virtue. Striving cannot produce it; surrender does. Yielding to the Spirit’s life within naturally bears love, joy, and self-control, as a tree bears fruit by remaining rooted.

This journey requires a decisive inner death: the crucifixion of ego, control, and sinful desires so that Christ lives through the believer. Dying to self is not self-hatred; it is liberation from the tyrannies of the self. From this place of surrender, communion becomes consecration for the year ahead, and shared grief is carried to the Comforter whose gentleness steadies the hurting. With discernment that refuses compromise, delight that feeds on the Word, and dependence that remains rooted in God, a blessed year is not wishful thinking but a Spirit-led way of life.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Refuse provision for the flesh. Sin is rarely sudden; it is staged by small permissions that harden into patterns. Identify and remove the “on-ramps” that keep failure close at hand—media, habits, places, and excuses. God’s grace delivers, but not while we subsidize our temptations. Shut the door where sin lurks and it loses leverage. [07:38]
• 2. Let the Word become delight. Treat Scripture as a living conversation, not a cold manual. Meditation turns truth into appetite so that obedience flows from desire, not duty. Delight reshapes what feels pleasurable, aligning the heart with God’s heart. Over time, pleasures change—and so does the person. [16:12]
• 3. Tend the roots in private. Public leaves can flourish briefly, but storms reveal the root. Invest in hidden practices—prayer, repentance, secrecy in generosity, quiet Scripture, honest confession—so resilience is built where no one sees. When the winds rise, rooted lives stand without spectacle. [27:14]
• 4. Bear the Spirit’s fruit by surrender. Love, joy, and self-control are not self-improvement goals; they are evidences of yieldedness. Striving can mimic fruit but cannot sustain it under pressure. Abide, listen, obey—and the Spirit produces what the flesh cannot counterfeit. [33:33]
• 5. Die to self to truly live. Ego must be crucified for Christ to be formed within. This death is the doorway to freedom from sin’s mastery and the birth of a new identity. Living “through Him” replaces anxious control with trusting participation in His life. [36:02]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:29] - Titles vs heart of ministry
• [04:02] - Longing for a blessed year
• [05:13] - Psalm 1 read and theme
• [06:39] - Ingredient 1: Live with discernment
• [12:18] - Walk-Stand-Sit: drift into sin
• [15:47] - Ingredient 2: Live with delight
• [16:35] - The Word as joy and guide
• [22:58] - Meditating: guides feet, rejoices heart
• [25:49] - Ingredient 3: Live in dependence
• [27:14] - Hidden roots and private life
• [28:14] - Courage for turbulent times
• [32:14] - Fruit of the Spirit, not ours
• [35:03] - Death to self, life in Christ
• [37:13] - Communion and fresh surrender

1. In Psalm 1:1, what is the step-by-step drift into sin, and who are the companions at each step?
2. In Psalm 1:2, what two actions describe the blessed person’s relationship to the Lord’s instruction?
3. In Psalm 1:3, list the images that show stability and fruitfulness. What do they tell you about the source of life?
4. “Delight” was pictured as “holding hands together and dancing together.” How does that picture help you understand what it means to delight and meditate? “holding hands together and dancing together” [18:04]

1. How does Psalm 1:1’s “walk-stand-sit” progression help explain why sin often starts small and nearby? How does this connect with “sin is lurking at the door”? “sin is lurking at the door” [10:10]
2. Discernment is needed to avoid the drift. What does it mean that discernment is Spirit-given wisdom, not suspicion? “Every believer can have discernment” [11:47]
3. If Scripture is a living conversation, not just a manual, what changes in how a person meditates “day and night”? “This is not just a book” [16:35]
4. Psalm 1:3 shows fruitfulness as the result of being planted. How does that fit with the truth that “It is the fruit of the Spirit, not our fruit”? “It is the fruit of the Spirit, not our fruit” [32:14]

1. “Make no provision for the flesh.” What is one “on-ramp” to temptation (a device, show, place, habit, excuse) you will cut off this week? What exact step will you take, and who can help you keep that door shut? “make no provision for the flesh” [07:38]
2. Where are you right now in Psalm 1:1—walking near it, standing with it, or sitting in it? Name one area. What is your first practical step to get up and walk away? “walk… stand… sit” [12:18]
3. What simple swap will help you delight in the Word—one TV block or scroll time traded for Scripture and prayer? When will you do it, and what will you read first? “spend more time with me than spending more time watching TV” [11:19]
4. What unseen “root” practice will you build for the next month—quiet Scripture, honest confession, secrecy in generosity, or unhurried prayer? What will your plan look like (time, place, length)? “If you learn to look after your private life, God will look after your public life.” [27:14]
5. Where are you striving to produce fruit by effort—patience, self-control, love? What will surrender look like today—listening, obeying one nudge, or pausing to yield before you speak? “The more you surrender to the Spirit, the more you’re going to get that fruit.” [33:48]
6. What part of “me” needs to die this week—ego, control, a sinful desire, a right to be right? How will you practice that crucifixion in one real situation? “Death of me is the starting point for Christ to be formed in me.” [35:03]
7. If you are carrying grief (loss of a person, health, job, season), how can this group come alongside you in a gentle way this week? What kind of comfort would help—presence, prayer, a meal, a check-in? “He is the Comforter.” [48:08]