Daily Devotionals

“Stay hungry, stay foolish,” was one of Steve Jobs’ most famous quotes. It was also a motto that followed him through life. A hungry person continues to seek out a fulfilling meal. A foolish person continues to seek out knowledge and wisdom. While this is a great quote, it is hard to practice. A hungry person soon finds satisfaction in something. A foolish person soon claims mastery over something. The only way to remain hungry and foolish is to embrace a mission. Your life should centre around a mission. A mission centered life will humble you. As long as you remain committed to a mission, you will remain hungry and foolish.

Mark Zuckerberg is known for his obsession with his mission. A mission to make the world more open and connected. His company controls some of the biggest communication platforms in the world. That is the reason he is one of the wealthiest people on the planet. If his main motivation was to make money, he would have stalled long ago. These guys don’t work for money. They are on a mission. Mark Zuckerberg continues to look for new technologies to help in his mission. That is why he transitioned from desktop to mobile, and now building out the “metaverse”. That is what it means to stay hungry and foolish.

A man on a mission is always hungry for more success. And the way to get more results is to continue to seek fresh knowledge. It is hard to remain motivated by making money in the long run. Human beings are wired to find meaning and purpose. Without this sense of purpose, we are conflicted inside. You must embrace your mission as a watchman. Your mission will force you to continue to grow. There are fires to be extinguished and mountains to be moved for the greater good. This is the key to a rich and meaningful life.

Your role as a watchman tasked with steering your world towards where God wants, requires you to be creative. You should not just focus on the things you want to uproot, destroy or eliminate from your world. You also have to consider the things you need to create, plant and nurture. It starts with picking one clear problem you want to solve. Some research will help you understand the problem better. You want to get clear on root causes. The root causes must be eliminated. Then you can focus on the things you need to create.

The modern world is full of distractions. It takes the strongest of wills to focus. If you want to come up with a brilliant idea that is impactful, you must maintain a consistent focus on what is important. As you think about the problem you want to solve, you will see where things have gone wrong. You will also see what you need to create. Your energy will always follow your attention. If your attention is divided, your energy will be divided as well. And you will lose your ability to impact. Can you concentrate enough to uproot the ideas holding back your world?

The problems you want to solve are more complicated than what appears on the surface. That is why passion is important. Without a strong desire for results, nothing gets done. Control your ability to uproot and eliminate problems by training yourself to focus for the long-term. Your passion and desire to get results will sustain you. As you work to eliminate the problem, you also consider what you must create to fill the space. Given sufficient time and resources, you can solve any problem. And create something new to fill the space.

You might think certain emotions strengthen your relationships with others. This is because building a relationship with someone else would mean becoming emotional with them. However, if emotions lead us away from the truth, and towards falsehood. Then such relationships would be dangerous. In relationships, you must proceed with the truth tightened around your waist as a belt. You love, with truth and justice at all times. God gave us emotions for a reason. And emotions can be useful. But you can never win in the real world if all the relationships in your life are centered around emotional sentiments.

Do not be that person that will break the law, just to avoid confrontation with a loved one. Exodus 23:1-2 (NLT), says, “You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand. You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice”. You are compromised by your emotions when you cannot maintain an objective view when dealing with loved ones. With truth, in love. Let your spouse, associates, mentors, protégé and friends understand that you value truth over everything else. Including your relationship with them.

You need to break free of any relationship with anyone that centers around emotions as the main driver. It might seem sensible to desire relationships that bring you happiness. And shields you away from sadness, fear and anger. But you should understand that any happiness you cling to, at the expense of the truth, will be more harmful in the long run. At other times, there might be no running away from a sense of loss and sadness. The bottom-line is that you are ready for anything, as long as it is the truth. Demand the truth above emotional support from everyone in your life. You want answers, not a pity party. You are not a baby, you can handle the truth.

One of the most powerful tools for self-reflection is the idea of “What Would Jesus Do?” (WWJD). It will help you in your quest to lead a life that is driven by truth. You should use it as a behavioural guide, and as a standard for living well. There is no denying that asking and answering this question can have a positive impact on all aspects of your life. Your ability to answer the question depends on the extent to which you know the Lord. You need to become so intimate with Jesus, that you know what the master would want in this situation.

The Roman Catholic Church emphasizes the concept of Imitatio Christi (Imitation of Christ), which is well summarized by the English phrase “What Would Jesus Do”? As we imitate Christ and grow in intimacy. We get to that place of knowledge and truth. You ponder “What Would Jesus Do?”, because you are trying to operate as Jesus would. In 1766, John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, proposed the concept of Christian perfection. This is a point in a Christian’s life when the Holy Spirit’s regeneration results in a “perfection in love”. Which means that you are motivated by the love of God and neighbour. With no taint of sin or ulterior motives in effect. In this state, you are able to access the truth hidden in every situation. It is the single most powerful emotion killer.

Intimacy will lead to imitation. We imitate the people that are closest to us. It often happens without our conscious efforts. There is a need to highlight the fact that it is the Holy Spirit within us that brings us into intimacy with the spirit of Christ. When you embrace your mission of imitating Christ, emotions will no longer drive you. You will no longer crave the reward associated with the happiness emotion. You will not attempt to avoid punishment (the sad emotion). Additionally, your stress levels, which are fuelled by fear and anger, reduces.

When your loyalty is to the truth, nothing but the truth. You experience a different kind of freedom. The kind of freedom that comes with the knowledge of the true state of things. And a contentment with the outcomes. John 8:32 (ESV) says, “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”. If you want real freedom, you must be bound to the truth. Therefore, you must seek out the truth at all times. No matter the situation, you must prefer the truth to your emotional comfort. When you align with the truth, the forces of the universe will work for you. Everything the God of Truth created aligns with the truth. And you suffer when you go against it. 

Whatever you do, never build a web of lies around yourself. It might be comforting and empowering to you in the short-term. But you are soon going to get into serious trouble when the lies fade away. If you build your world-view on lies and self-deceit, you cannot win. If you desire freedom, bind yourself to truth. The truth will set you free from sin, failure, your appetites and the cruelty of people. You can never lose if the truth is settled in your heart. The truth will build strength and substance in your spirit. There is no mission you cannot complete if you make truth your ally. 

The Universe was set fair by the God of Truth. Creation and the forces of nature will not bend to allow your falsehood. It is your job to maintain the correct perspective about your life and mission at all times. You need an honest evaluation at every step of the journey. If you are unable to be truthful with yourself. Be honest enough to set a watchman over your soul. You need feedback from the real world without any emotional contamination. Once you make the truth your ally, you will enjoy greater momentum as you go about your mission. 

Emotional sentiments are a disadvantage in matters of business and economic growth. Your living conditions will not improve just because you cried about it. Neither tears nor laughter can change your condition. The key to a positive economic turnaround begins with seeking the true state of things. You must be ready to operate without sentiment. And think long-term. The economy improves when productivity increases. You must be able to move away from areas of lower productivity to areas of higher productivity. You can steer your world towards a prosperous future.

It is dangerous to play politics with economic matters. Politicians can play word games and try to twist the English language anyway they see fit. This could trigger a positive emotion from the people. But as long as it isn’t true. One is postponing the inevitable. For example, despite the release of government data showing a contraction for the second consecutive quarter. A traditional benchmark for a recession. U.S. President Joe Biden and members of his administration were called out by experts and the press for avoiding the “R word” — recession — to describe the country’s economy.

It is irresponsible for politicians to prey on gullible citizens by ignoring the truth. They choose emotional sentiments over truth and logic. This is the reason many Africans, like Nigerians for example, believe their country is a rich country. And with the right leadership, they will be swimming in wealth. When in reality, their country is a poor, mismanaged and underdeveloped country. If you want a more prosperous future for yourself and your world. You must choose the truth over emotions. When you embrace the truth about your economic situation. The God of truth will shine a light upon your heart. When you build a bubble of lies around yourself, you will attract darkness.

You will not accomplish much if you will not get your emotions under control. Our emotions are useful. God gave them to us for a reason. However, if your life is ruled by your emotions, you will fail. You must be ready for the truth. Nothing but the truth at all times. Regardless of how you feel at the moment. Without any care for your ego. You must not continue to empower your ego and emotions with lies. Lies will comfort you in the moment, but in the passing of time it will get worse. There will be little or no truth in your soul. As a result, you will lack the spiritual substance you need to do great things.

Proverbs 16:32 (ESV) says, “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city”. This verse compares giving in to anger (a stand-in for emotions) with might. It makes a case that it is better to rule over your own spirit (self-control) than to have political power. In your quest to steer your world towards where God wants. You must begin to empty your emotions. Your emotions must lose their grip over your soul. You cannot wield the might of the Lord if your soul is dominated by your own natural emotions.

Your work, mission and relationships could all use a little more truth. When you get emotional with people, candour is the first virtue you toss outside the window. Emotions and the truth cannot coexist. Emotions and sentiment creates a false reality that is sustained by lies. This is dangerous. It accomplishes nothing more than a descent to lawlessness and hell. This is because lies lead to disorder. Truth moves you towards orderliness and reality. Do some soul searching and consider whether your life is driven by emotion. Major emotions to watch out for include: happiness, sadness, fear, and anger. Your life should be driven by the truth, not these emotions.

Your life will change forever the day you begin to value truth over emotion and sentiment. The quality of your results will improve when the truth matters more to you than your emotions. You recall that the Almighty is referred to as the God of truth in the Bible. The Universe, our reality is governed by things that remain consistent without regards for our emotional state. The world will not adjust to your viewpoint, just because you feel things should be in a certain way. If you are serious about steering your world towards a better future, the objective truth matters.

A wise man once said, “You’re being emotional. It’s understandable, but unnecessary. Look for what’s there, not what you want to be there. You’ll see the truth soon enough”. The fallen human being is an emotional creature. Your emotional attachments separate you from spiritual realities. The Bible does not hide its hatred of attachment to physical things. Such attachment produces emotions and sentiment. Emotion will take you further away from the truth. You will begin to see what you want to see, rather than seeing things for the way they are. And the way God wants you to see them.

You must train yourself to rise above the limitations of the fallen human being. A fallen state that means that you run your life on emotion and sentiment. You cannot run your life based on how you feel about things, even if those things are not true. You cannot choose to be led by a “mushy” good feeling you have on the inside. We must honour God by seeking the truth at all times. It might be understandable to be emotional about things, but it is unnecessary. Emotions will pull you away from the true state of things. It takes you to a place where you cannot please the God of truth and justice.

You are a creator. Every day, you create something with your thoughts. Your words and actions are creating something every single day. You may call yourself a pastor, entrepreneur, marketer, change agent or watchman. In fact, you are a creator. You are tasked with drawing upon your ability to create. And using that ability to make things that did not exist before. Every sermon, every meal, every business plan you make is a manifestation of your creative ability. You need to come to terms with the idea that you are creative. Then you need to educate your creativity. When you embrace the education and discipline required, your creativity will blossom at a higher level. You will unlock a higher level of consciousness.

The word of God in your mouth is potent and powerful. You can speak it over any situation with full confidence that something will happen. You can change your future, creating a new timeline that is desirable. You can create a new future for your world by the power of your words. The Prophet Ezekiel was taken to a valley of dry bones. He was not sure about the possibility of the dry bones ever walking again. As he observed that the bones were very, very dry. Nevertheless, as he began to speak the word of God in his mouth. The dry bones became a mighty army. (Ezekiel 37:1-10)

Your untrained and undisciplined thoughts are creating words that destroy hope of a better future. Your careless thoughts lead to actions that wreck your life and contribute to the problems in your world. Every human being has a deposit of creative energy that is dissipated every single day. There is no genius inventor or creative entertainer that possesses more creative grace than you. They learned to channel their creativity in a way that creates value. And they have captured the value they create. Someone who speaks and creates the future has embraced the responsibility and discipline required.

There is a clear path towards having good relationships. It is about making a commitment to ensure the relationship works. Nothing happens in a relationship or marriage without someone making a commitment to making things work. A great relationship or marriage requires work (Just like any venture worth your time). There will be sacrificial demands on both sides. And you will not always have it your own way. You have to make sure that you have a strong, compelling reason for wanting this relationship. Maybe you need the mentorship. Or you know there will be opportunities for growth and abundance in the future. Without such reasons, you might never justify the time, energy and resources required for this.

This is not in any way a means to accept a high maintenance relationship. Working towards making your relationships and marriage work should not be a trap. There is a difference between slaving out for nothing, and two parties going out of their way to support each other. It is a red flag when one party wants to be the sun that everything revolves around. Avoid dealing with people that are insensitive to the needs of others. You can love them with the love of God, but you want them at an arm’s length. You cannot justify the energy requirements of high maintenance relationships.

A proper understanding of biblical principles will educate you that relationships and marriage help us achieve more. One purpose for marriage is to create a spiritual, emotional and physical fortress that helps each person to achieve more. The benefits of a good marriage are often produced over a long period of time. You cannot rush the process. You help yourself by maintaining a proper perspective at all times. God brought you together with these people because he wants a certain outcome. The purpose of a relationship or marriage might not be clear for the first ten years of the relationship. So, you must embrace a long-term view of relationships in your life. And commit to make them work.