S4 Ep. 227 Life Principles: Wisdom Beyond Age

Speaker 1: Yep, yep, yep. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, Good everything. Welcome to the Word Cafe live show, to the Word Cafe podcast, to the Word Cafe. Ah, yes, world, how are you? How are you? I'm not asking that question for the fun of asking. I'm asking because I really want to know and someone may say okay, if I tell you, what will you do? You never can tell, you never can tell. Yes, excited being here with you. We are in a lovely, lovely season. A lot has been going on, uh, both here in nigeria, globally, you know, we're celebrating the women, our women, our sisters, our mothers, our wives. A lot has been going on, good things, good things and, uh, so happy. And at the world cafe, yes, four good years it's been, and all these years, sitting, talking, sharing and all of that . It's been amazing. What are we going to be doing today? I guess you're wondering. You're asking what exactly are we going to be doing today? Well, I told my videographer when we were planning for today and I said it's going to be more of a reflection for me. I would like to share some principles I've been walking by over these years that God has helped me, because somehow, if you're not careful, in the beat of trying to build. You know, trying to succeed, working to succeed you might pick up some old or bad habits and, before you know it, what you call success may just be a defective success. But before we go on, I'm going to read some things, then we'll pick it up from there. Hope you don't mind. Okay, they say two things define us Our patience when we have nothing and our humility when we have everything. Did you hear that Two things define us Our patience when we have nothing and our humility when we have everything? The person that we will become in five years is defined by the people we spend time with today and the books that we read today . That's why who we associate with, who we spend time with, who we absorb our energy with, will really define what's on our mind. Yep, I felt to start the show with that. There's a scripture that has been my guiding light principle. I got to know that scripture quite early, mm-hmm, quite early . I say it practically every day trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding in all your ways. Acknowledge him and I end it like this and he, god, will direct all your path. I say this practically every day of my life, even when I'm faced with challenges and all of that. I have my phone with me because I wrote most of these things down like points and we'll pick it up from there and we'll talk. Money how I view money. Yes, how do you view money? My mom was always my late mom, always growing up. Then she was always hard on me when it comes to money, the the way I view money, the way I see money. Something happened once in church. A brother was in need and a prayer was raised and I walked up to my pastor then and I said the answer is here, let's not pray. I think I was in secondary school, I think. So I did a vac job, then a vacation job, and I had some money. I took the brother home and brought out the whole money as in what I was paid then and my mom was looking at me. She was so, so, so cross with me, like you don't value money and how would you give all of this and all of that? And I was just looking at her as a teenager and I was wondering why is she so? So? This is how I view money. Money is meant to be spent, but spent wisely. That's how I view money. It is one material or value on earth that creates a lot of friction amongst people. If you investigate most of the problems on earth, most likely it's not unconnected with money. Money, yes, money. When you encounter people, when you want them to do something with you or for you, the first thing that comes is how much money? But I always say this money is meant to be spent, and spent wisely. That's what money is for for spending, but you spend it wisely. That's what money is for For spending, but you spend it wisely. So wisdom comes into play. How do I spend this? And when it comes to that spending, you come to see the value, the essence. You're being held accountable. Sometimes people look at ah, this guy spends lavishly. No, go closer and ask he spends wisely. Is it worth it? Money is not meant to be stashed away, in my opinion. Even if you stash it away, whether you like it or not, it will be spent. But what are you spending it on ? What are you spending it on? So it drives you. You come to look at things. You come to ask one or two questions. So in school, I will always tell you a story. I think that was JS1, junior Secondary School, one or so. My results came out and the remark my teacher put there was a carefree boy. And when I took it home, my dad saw it and he said even your teacher is confirming this, that you're carefree. And I was like, okay, I'm carefree. Okay, I'm carefree, but I'm not careless. Yes, that's the principle. I'm very carefree, I'm playful, as in, but I'm not careless. I pay attention to things that pertain to life, godliness, but I don't take things so hard that I can't fly. My dad was really your teacher, see. Now, no, I can be carefree, but I am not careless. Right, my trust is in God and in him I put my trust. My wife told me once you trust people too much, you're too trusting, not really. So this is it for me. I don't trust people. I will explain. Neither do I trust in people, because the arm of flesh will fail. Yes, trust not in man. But there's something when you trust God and you put your total confidence in God, when God responds to you, he sends men. When you trust God and you put your total confidence in God, when God responds to you, he sends men. So that's why I open my arm, even when the enemy wants to strike. When the devil wants to undo you, he sends men. So I know I don't trust men. Those of you who have encountered me, you've witnessed or you've been in my space, you may think this guy is so. He trusts people and all that. No, I trust God, not you. So if you think you come around me and undo me, sorry, the one I trust will deal with you and that's why I walk away from a lot of things. Just walk away. I can walk away from a billion dollars. Yes, do you know why? I trust in God, not in you, not in that man. So when I do business with people and they want to like undo me, I know you want to undo me and I trust God to guide me. Yes, the possibility of a thing makes it easy. That's one principle I walk by. You know I don't approach things from the point of it's difficult, I approach it from the point of is it possible? The answer is yes, it's possible. So if something is possible, then it makes it easy. Having that knowledge that this thing is possible gives me that ease to approach it. So, even if I go and I fail, I go back. I go, I fail, I go back why it's possible. With God, all things are possible and those who trust in him walk possibilities. That's how I see it. Have you heard this word opposites? I guess you have. We were trained or taught in school opposites. There are things that are, would I say, different, but they look alike. Right, I don't believe there are opposites Like you hear, things like they'll ask us in school the opposite of man is what Woman? The opposite of a boy is what A girl? Well, for the purpose of inference and reference, we're taught that. But this is how I see it. This is how I view it, in my opinion, because we try to put value matrix on these things, the opposites, and it's like it creates this quality checks for us. This is how I see it. Somebody say the opposite of good is evil. No, evil is what good is not. You can't compare evil with good, just like somebody said the opposite of god is the devil . That's not true. The devil is what god is not. There are two different things. So that's how I view life. When you do things and I look at you, that's not who I am. If I fight with you, it's like I'm bringing myself to be like an opposite. I'm not. No, somebody will say, ah, he's a nice guy. I'm not. No, somebody will say, ah, he's a nice guy, or he's doing this so that we're going to call him a nice guy. I don't need you to call me a nice guy, I'm a nice guy. I know I'm a nice person. Yes, so I do things because that's my nature. These are principles that have guided me, you know, and I said I have to share this with you. Have you heard this word? There's love in sharing. Yes, they teach us that growing up. There's love in sharing, you know. But you know what there's love in sharing, especially when what is shared is not yours. Have you realized that To be a giver is very sacrificial? You hear people say these things there's love in sharing but really ask people share with me when it's theirs? It's very difficult, but when you know that you are a giver this is the secret about being a giver the seed and the bread is given, like Paul said in 1 Corinthians. Where is that scripture? Now, when they were arguing and Paul said to them Apollos, I planted, apollos watered. God gave the increase. What's your problem? When you know who gives increase, then giving becomes easy. Yeah, it is not in human nature to give nature the fallen nature of man. We're very selfish, very. We always want to receive. We always want to receive, receive. Okay, I am never in a hurry. That's another, another principle For your information my middle name. You look at my name Amakri Isubwe. But there's another name. I have like four names, officially, I put it there Amakri Isubwe, afaya Garibaldi. Afaya is my language, which means I am never in a hurry. I'm never in a hurry. You understand, never in a hurry. But I have a sense of urgency in executing projects. Those who have been around me will know that I'm a stickler for time Because the human life is expressed. A stickler for time Because the human life is expressed on the scale of time and those who understand it command the season . I know when something, this is it. I just have it in my knower, I just know it. We must do this now. Sometimes, you know, my wife will be like why are you so much in a hurry? I say no, it's a sense of urgency, just like the children of isaac who understood the times and knew what israel should do. They were never in a hurry, but they had a sense of urgency. If it's not done now, this window will close on us and it may never come again. Alright, it's a principle. I walk by. I don't borrow money and I don't lend. I don't, no, I don't do it. I don't borrow and I don't lend . I don't do it. I don't borrow and I don't lend . I'll tell you why. Like I said earlier, so many of life's problems infighting and all that is as a result of money . So there was a time in my life I give like like, ah, borrow me. When it's time to repay, it's always a fight Growing up. Yes, I saw it. So I told myself I don't, I wouldn't rather continue this as a principle I don't borrow and I don't lend. So this is what I do. If you come to meet me, please, I need help. Can you borrow me? I have this project. Blah, blah, blah. It will cost me one billion to execute the project. Can you borrow me half a billion? Okay for us not to fight at the end of the project. Can you borrow me half a billion? Okay For us not to fight at the end of the day. I will give you my contribution For the project. Please don't pay me back. Go, this is all. I have $10,000 here. You're not repaying me. This is me Giving to your project. I don't borrow and I don't lend . You're not repaying me. This is me giving to your project. I don't borrow and I don't lend , because you know why the borrower is slave to the lender. I hope you know that you didn't know that I'm telling you, or I politely decline. I tell you, sorry, I won't be able to support this. I walk by it. My wife knows that even when you go meet her, like I want to meet your husband, she says my husband doesn't borrow money. I won't. Okay, how I manage my anger if anybody tells you oh, this guy is an angel, he looks blah, blah , blah. Forget it. Sometimes we get angry. Yeah, I know what I'm telling you about myself. I don't know about you. So this is how I manage my anger. I tell myself these two words Never forget who you are and whose you are. Never forget who you are and whose you are Because you represent divinity. So no matter when you get into that. Somebody got you angry and all that. Calm down, calm down, calm down . Who are you and who do you belong to? It helps me and most times when I'm angry at something, I become extremely quiet and I walk away. I take a walk Because the minute you speak or take decisions, when angry, most of the time foolishness is what comes forth, not wisdom. So don't forget who you are and whose you are. I don't believe in coincidence, it's just. For me, coincidence, that's another principle. Coincidence is like a word we used to describe things we can't explain happening. But I don't believe in coincidence, I believe in his leading. In my life I have seen things that english will call coincidence, like chance, like what we call luck. No, I have a plethora of examples, but I'll pick some. Like my wife. If I met my wife, my wife and I went to the same school, secondary school. I mean the same school, secondary school. I mean I was some, obviously years, ahead of her, but I didn't know. I didn't know. It was when we met and she started describing and talking about us. So you went to UDSS. She said yes, there's a friend of mine, okosua Den. I think I've talked about this on my show. I wrote about it in my book, my first book, how we Met we back in school, uniport. He was in physics, I was in biochemistry. When there was this particular day or week at the cafeteria, it's either the week it's either I'm going into the cafeteria and he's coming out, or I'm coming out and he's going in. We always meet. So he now said I think the fourth time he said no, no, no, no, no. This is a coincidence. I said well, there's a slim line between fate and coincidence. He looked at me and said where did you get that from? And in course of our exchange we realized we've seen the same movies, we've read the same books. Let me tell you the truth okose is still in my circle. We spoke like three days ago before this shoot. So I don't believe in coincidence. I believe in god guiding me. The skill to do comes by doing. Yep, that's a principle. I think I saw that in my SS or JS1 or 2, the skill to do comes by doing. Nobody was born an expert Nobody. And the good thing is, the fall is part of the dance. Yeah, when you're doing something and there was a mistake or something is part of the process. So you're writing your process, it's part of it. But the minute you stop because something did not work well, that might just be the end If you had pushed further, just like the invention of the electric bulb with Thomas Edison and his team, latima and the rest of them. They kept pushing. So this space I wasn't born doing podcasting and all of that is a journey. I've had my fair share of failures and all of that, but I didn't stop. I didn't stop. I kept pushing, I kept pushing, I kept pushing. The next principle is one that I have seen. If you ask my videographer, he will tell you. If you ask a couple of people who know me very well, there are only two parts to it, only two parts. In everything you do, it's either a yes or no, start or stop. These two parts are always with us. Yes, so we were doing my City and His DNA. That was two years ago now, or three, two years ago, I think. So we're doing my City and His dna, the city of abuja. So I picked up certain things. That's the way it happens with me the minute an idea hits me, I just begin to put them down. I call my team, this is what we want to do, and they will look at me like I say see that of two things, yes or no. So we went around Abuja to meet certain I won't mention some names, let it not be like. So World Trade Center. I went there, introduced myself . They said, yes, you can come. Couple of other places we went to they said no, no offense. So is that a yes or no? If you say yes to me, so that's to say no is out of the way. If you say no to me, that is to tell me that maybe you're not meant to be. Start, stop. You must stop some things to start some things. You must start some things to stop some things. Two parts yes, yes, all right, this one. Yes, yes, alright, this one. This one is a big one. Sometimes we we get angry at God as a people. Maybe we've been praying about something and we feel there's no answer. We get angry. We just, in that rage, we say things. But let me tell you what I've come to realize in God's sovereignty the way God answers human disobedience. Two ways he answers our disobedience substitution or by elimination. Read the story about the children of israel. Read the story about the children of Israel. A journey of 40 days took 40 years. God systematically eliminated a whole generation. He didn't substitute them, he eliminated them. Only two of the originals, even Moses, did not enter the promised land. The one who led them. God eliminated him. God took him out. There comes a time God substitutes Mercy. Go and ask Nebuchadnezzar, he will explain to you the theory of substitution. When God substituted, humbled him and he came back. So you're a leader, political leader, you're sitting in a place of authority and you think you can do things and get away with it. Well, maybe for a season. But the law of elimination or substitution comes into play, and that's why we have it in mathematical principle. You know that simultaneous equation, two principles you substitute or you eliminate. Simultaneous equation, two principles you substitute or you eliminate. And I know that within me. So that's why I don't fret, because when God wants to balance the equation, pray, he doesn't eliminate you, maybe substitute you mercy, so he teaches us humility with that. He doesn't eliminate you, maybe substitute you mercy, so he teaches us humility with that. And that's why he says humble yourself that he may lift you up . I'll end with this one. There are so many principles, but I felt I should share this and I'll tell you why I'm sharing this, you know. The last one is wisdom does not come with age. Wisdom comes with exposure. Wisdom doesn't come with age. You know the african adage or proverb that says you respect the gray hair and all that. Well, some gray hairs are very stupid and foolish. That's why the age of Methuselah has got nothing to do with the wisdom of Solomon. Solomon was how old? How old was Methuselah? But Solomon was exposed to divinity and he asked, when God asked him what he wanted. He said you know, solomon didn't ask God for wisdom. Go and read your Bible very well. He didn't. He said to administer. Ask God for wisdom, go and read your Bible very well. He didn't. He said to administer. That was what he said. Go and read that Bible, that portion of scripture. And God said I will give you wisdom, I will give you wisdom. So the more you expose yourself to any form of energy, the wisdom behind that energy is revealed to you and you begin to administer. So, whatever you're doing, you know. So, whatever you're doing, you know in this life that God has given. Expose yourself to the truth. The wisdom of the truth will become your strength. It's not about age. No, it's not. Yes, it's a function of time. It is not a function of age. But have you heard that the finest of them all wine I mean gets better as they age? I just celebrated my birthday and I think I shared it earlier. It coincided with the four years of the World Cafe, so I just said to come and distill this. It's been with me. I walk with it every day. Yeah, every day of my life. All right, guys, that's what I came to do on the show today these principles to guide you. Know it's free. I'm sharing it because I got them working with god freely. They will help you. They help you as they have helped me too. Yep, so how do I end this episode? It is God who arms me with strength. It is he who makes my ways perfect. As for God, his ways are perfect. The word of the Lord is knowledge, and he is a shield to all who take refuge in him, to all who take refuge in him. So go ahead, embrace him. Embrace him. All right, guys, I need to run Before I go out. Yes, I'll say that, don't forget, follow us. We're there on all the social media platforms Facebook, twitter. No, it's now called x, I beg your pardon, tiktok. And uh, yes, our youtube channel. Go, follow us. We have amazing content. And uh, there's this thing I have within me. I know that soon we'll be seeing more of it some creative aspects from the world cafe that you begin to experience. Yep, all right, guys, thank you . Thank you till I come your way again. My name is amakri. Amakri is away. Bye for now.