Daily Devotionals

The difference between those who win and continue to win and those who lose comes down to mentality. Victory begins in the mind. Consider this exchange between Ange Postecoglou, manager of English Premiership club Tottenham Hotspur, and some reporters. Ange Postecoglou was asked if Manchester United could challenge Tottenham, despite being eight points behind. His response reveals his personality in a cute way. He responded, “Do you see us challenging Manchester City?” No? “They are eight points ahead of us.” With this answer, he was demonstrating the direction of his focus and drive; forwards!

Postecoglou’s assertion that Tottenham’s ability to close the gap with Manchester City should be viewed as realistically as Manchester United catching up serves as a reminder of the power of faith and determination. You must be completely persuaded within yourself that results will go your way, and you can make things happen. In our Christian walk, we are called to have faith in God’s ability to work miracles and overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The Bible is replete with examples of God’s faithfulness and provision for those who trust in Him (Hebrews 11:6).

In applying these principles to our lives, Christians are encouraged to adopt a mindset of faith and perseverance. Rather than being discouraged by the challenges you face, you are called to press on with unwavering confidence in God’s promises. Develop so much confidence in God that in your mind, you realize that failure is impossible. Just as Postecoglou focuses on the progress and improvement of his team, we should continually strive for growth and maturity in our faith journey. This may involve stepping out of our comfort zones, facing adversity with courage, and trusting in God’s timing and plan for our lives.

Understanding the limitless nature of ideas contrasts sharply with the constraints of time, energy, and resources. Understanding this truth is critical for realizing one’s full potential in life. Focusing on what is truly important requires dedication and perseverance. Often, we underestimate the amount of focus and concentration required to make breakthroughs. By acknowledging our limitations and focusing our efforts, we gain the ability to make significant progress towards our goals. Embracing the discipline of concentrated effort allows us to navigate life’s complexities with clarity and purpose, ensuring that our actions are consistent with our goals.

Elijah’s persistent prayer for rain, recorded in 1 Kings 18:41-46, teaches us the value of concentration and focus. He clearly stated the expected outcome (rainfall!) and, despite the lack of results, he persisted, praying seven times before the rain came. Sometimes, our most important work is left unfinished due to distractions and a lack of focused contemplation. Many things out there only serve to draw our attention away from the task at hand. Let us, like Elijah, cultivate the discipline of concentrated effort, putting aside distractions to pursue our goals with unwavering determination.

Consider this: can you muster the focus and persistence of Elijah? Focused for seven hours, days, weeks, or even months for the breakthrough you desire? In a world filled with distractions and short attention spans, staying committed to the place of prayer, study, and meditation is paramount. Just as Elijah’s unwavering determination led to rain after seven rounds of earnest prayers, your steadfastness in seeking God’s guidance positions you to experience breakthroughs and get things done. You need to cultivate discipline to develop your mind and spirit, and increase your attention span. You are not focused enough for the big things you want to do.

By faith, we share Abraham’s blessing. This blessing takes many forms in our lives. One can manifest as the stars of heaven or as the sand at the beach (Hebrews 11:12). Therefore, whether you choose to find your place among the stars or to settle down into the dust, you are still a partaker of the Abrahamic covenant. Congratulations. You have the potential to be a star, performing with excellence and being the salt and light of your work. You can have an impact at any level. Working in education, media, entertainment, business, and government.

You can bury your potential to make an impact in the business world. Choosing to play at a much lower level. You are fully within your rights. However, Matthew 5:13 states that if you are supposed to “salt” the earth and fail at that task, you are no longer good for anything. But to be thrown out and trampled on. Develop the strength and quality necessary to join the ranks of the business world’s elite. Develop yourself enough to light up the world. You should be wielding the power of God in the marketplace, and deep down you know this is true.

Are you being humble? Or have you just been mediocre at business? Humility is not the same as mediocrity. You possess the potential to shine brightly and make a significant impact in the world. Whether you choose to soar among the stars or embrace the humble path, you are a partaker of divine blessings. However, settling for mediocrity in the business realm risks squandering your potential. Strive to develop the strength and integrity required to excel in the marketplace. With diligence and God’s guidance, you can illuminate the world with your talents, fulfilling your calling and leaving a lasting legacy of positive influence.

Identifying the best result to validate your mission is crucial for progress. Fulfilling your mandate requires clarity on what truly matters. Understanding the reality that there will always be over two hundred things you could be doing; countless tasks vying for your attention, prioritizing wisely becomes essential. Our time, energy, and resources are limited, but ideas, and the things we could be doing are unlimited. This shows the importance of discernment. You have to figure out the major result you need right now. By focusing on outcomes that propel our mission forward, we ensure that our efforts yield meaningful impact.

David’s journey to kingship exemplifies the importance of identifying key results. After his anointing, becoming captain over 400 men marked a pivotal moment (1 Samuel 22:1-2). This transition from solitude to leadership propelled him forward, as his army became instrumental in fulfilling his destiny. Recruiting and training those 400 men was the most important result he needed. Similarly, the Apostle Paul’s admonition in Philippians 3:13 “this one thing I do” emphasizes the importance of focusing on what lies ahead. As David and Paul did, let us prioritize key results that advance our mission.

Just as Aliko Dangote strategically built an independent power plant to overcome Nigeria’s unstable power supply before venturing into manufacturing, we must identify the essential component necessary to power our mission. By focusing on this critical result—like securing reliable power for your factories—you lay the foundation for achieving your broader goals. Just as Dangote Group’s foresight enabled them to thrive in challenging conditions, discerning the main goal empowers you to overcome obstacles and seize opportunities. Through deliberate action and strategic planning, let us prioritize the key result that propels our mission forward, making all other endeavors possible.

Have you ever dreamt of making a difference in the world? The Bible is full of stories of visionary leaders who changed the course of history. But dreams alone aren’t enough (Proverbs 14:23). Just like a missionary dedicated to spreading the Gospel, true visionaries are relentless workers. They do not sit around talking up a storm. They understand that transforming dreams into reality requires tireless effort, unwavering commitment, and a willingness to get their hands dirty. So, if your heart burns with a vision, don’t just dream it – work it!

The Gospels paint a vivid picture of Jesus’ tireless work ethic. Mark 6:30-31 tells us of crowds so eager for His teachings that there wasn’t even time to eat. John 4:34 reveals a deeper motivation: “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” Jesus wasn’t simply busy; He was consumed by a burning passion to fulfill His God-given mission. This is the kind of dedication required to bring your vision to life. It’s about prioritizing your calling, embracing relentless effort, and finding fulfillment in the work itself, just as Jesus did.

One key takeaway from John 4:34 is that Jesus valued the mission as much as food. Getting things done every day was equally important as eating every day. Nothing will happen if you only visualise your glorious purpose without taking the necessary steps. Your dreams are only as valid as your work ethic. So, define your vision as clearly as possible, and then get to work. The goal is not to be busy. The goal is to be productive within the scope of the vision. The goal is to adopt a missionary mindset towards the vision that heaven has burdened you with.

Sir Isaac Newton, the renowned English scientist, once stated, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” The phrase “standing on the shoulders of giants” is a metaphor that means “using the understanding gained by people who have gone before in order to make faster progress” Newton drew on the ideas of those who came before him, claiming that his brilliant ideas were not developed in isolation. He was building on the work of those who had come before him. Newton, despite being a genius, recognised that his remarkable results were not solely due to his own understanding.

The Spirit of God empowers us with diverse spiritual gifts in different ways (1 Corinthians 12:4-6). These gifts, talents and abilities come from God. But to maximize them, you should learn to stand on the shoulders of giants. You are not the first person God has called to a particular spiritual office. And as long as the Lord lives and His spirit is alive, you will not be the last to receive the call. As a result, humble yourself and seek out the works of others who possess the same or similar spiritual gifts as you.

If you are a scientist, do not sit down on your own, attempting to rediscover principles and ideas that God previously revealed to Newton and his colleagues in the 17th century. Go study their work. If you are a prophet, do not dismiss your predecessors’ writings and documented works. Everyone builds on the works of others. This is not a sign of weakness. Our Lord Jesus did not discard Moses and the Old Testament in order to start from scratch. Look for role models and mentors that can help you as you seek to maximize your gift. Ademola Morebise is standing on the shoulders of Reverend Olufemi Ogundare.

2 Timothy 1:5 (ESV) states, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.” This is common: you see someone skilled, disciplined, and doing something admirable, and you can trace it back. You can always find someone who taught the person who taught them. Sir Isaac Newton taught us during the final stages of the Renaissance that an object remains at rest until an external force acts on it. It always takes an external force to get you to embrace the disciplinary requirements of life.

You might have preferred to have descended from heaven with fire and thunder. But, in the real world, everything we become is the result of others’ careful instruction and teaching. There are no spiritual giants whose journeys of faith cannot be connected to others. There is sufficient scriptural evidence to conclude that Moses received specific instructions and mentorship from Jethro, his father-in-law. Jethro was repeatedly referred to as THE priest of Midian. Gamaliel the Pharisee, Ananias, a disciple of Jesus (Acts 9:10-19), and, of course, Barnabas all provided Paul with instructions and guidance. Barnabas played an important role in Paul’s journey by validating his conversion testimony (Acts 9:26-28).

Fire Begets fire. It is a continuous chain from generation to generation. God has agents who are committed to teaching, training, and discipleship. Anyone who wants to build a solid spiritual foundation must submit to discipleship. You should have a trainer who helps with your spiritual development and evolution. It makes no difference whether you call this person Daddy, Mummy, Mentor, or Pastor. However, it is important that you spend enough time with them to light your inner candle. Hang around them to catch fire. Ademola Morebise’s faith and spiritual fire can always be traced back to the ministry of the revered Olufemi Ogundare. This is how the world works.

How beautiful it is to see the spirit of God moving in our days. Igniting an unusual kind of spiritual awakening. An awakening that will have far-reaching consequences not only for the country, but for the entire African continent, the black race, and, indeed, the world. A conflagration can be defined as an intense, extensive fire that cannot be controlled. A conflagration is a large and violent event, such as a war, involving a lot of people. Remember the words of Christ, “I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning!” (Luke 12:49 NLT).

A spiritual awakening lies at the core of every significant advancement in civilization. The spiritual awakening will spark intellectual curiosity. From there, an unprecedented era of prosperity begins. Think about the spiritual awakening that gifted the world an institution like Harvard University. An institute initially set up with a mandate to produce literate pastors. Consider the Renaissance, when people realized there was more to life than dying and going to heaven. That great things could be achieved on this side. This results in a period of increased creativity, particularly in the sciences and arts, as well as new thinking and ideas.

It is time for true disciples of Jesus to proclaim boldly, both privately and publicly, that “repent and change your thinking, because a great spiritual conflagration is here, and is close enough to touch”. It is a massive move of God, involving a critical mass of people. It will be strong enough to finally eliminate corruption and mediocrity. It will bring about the changes for which people have prayed for decades. The time is right to begin to ponder your role in all of this. Your prayer? Lord, whatever you are doing these days, please do not do it without me.

It is important to recognise that one’s future possibilities are limitless. There are numerous possibilities for how the future will play out. However, you must maintain a preferred picture of the future. This idealized image of your future is your vision. And you must start what you have finished in your mind. In your mind, you have the final picture of where all of this will lead. In the physical world, you must get it started. You have to start what you’ve already finished in your mind. You have to finish whatever you have started physically.

According to our theology, humans are made up of three parts: spirit, soul, and body (the physical). A kind of Trinity. This demands that we balance out all aspects of our existence. It is critical to understand that nothing happens in the physical world until you focus and complete the task. You can’t keep your head in the clouds, daydreaming about the great and mighty things you want to do someday, unless you get out there in the physical world and start. Once you start, you have to maintain focus, and make sure you finish.

In the realm of the spirit, you could wave your hands and perform magic. But in the real world, you have to sweat and work. There are no shortcuts, and you must commit to the task. Just because you speak in tongues and see visions of angels doesn’t mean you don’t have to work things out physically. Paul wrote to Timothy, explaining that unless he fully committed to the work, his progress would never be visible in the real world (1 Timothy 4:15). You must focus on the race that Jesus has set before you (Hebrews 12:1-2). A single race. Focus on one thing and do the work.

Within the confines of a mere 24 hours, our window for creativity and productivity spans only about 6 hours. Since the dawn of humanity’s fall in Genesis 3, productivity has been a challenge, often obscuring our true potential. Proverbs 31:1-9 emphasizes the importance of directing our strength towards noble endeavors. Rather than squandering it on fleeting pleasures like sex or alcohol, we are called to prioritize our work. Just like a king needs to focus on his duties, you should focus on your most important tasks. By dedicating your best energy to what truly matters, you can make the most of each day and glorify God with your talents.

You must ensure that your business receives the attention it requires to thrive and expand exponentially. Each new day presents an opportunity to fully invest in the tasks at hand, aligning with God’s plan for our lives. David famously stated that the king’s business requires haste. At the age of twelve, our Lord Jesus was discussing his involvement in his Father’s business. The apostle Paul instructed Timothy to devote himself completely to his tasks. We all have limited energy during the day, and it must be used wisely. If you are dissatisfied with the current state of your business, ministry, or career, evaluate your focus levels.

Feeling overwhelmed? Remember, even Jesus focused on specific tasks during his time on earth. By dedicating your most productive hours to what matters most, you can make significant progress. Learn to say no to matters not directly related to your business objectives. When things stabilize and you have tasted your first super success, you will have time to spare towards other matters. For now, don’t be discouraged by the limitations of a single day. God sees the bigger picture, and He values your consistent effort. So, prioritize, invest your energy wisely, and trust that God will bless your faithfulness!