Watch Over
Helps you stay infomed
“The Relationship Between Technology and History: A Focus on AI”
One of the fascinating things that I am passionate about is the relationship between technology and history, and how they shape each other. Throughout human history, we have seen a spirit of creativity that has advanced our civilization from the stone age to the industrial revolution, and now with the information age, particularly with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
AI is a remarkable and powerful technology that has the capability of performing tasks that are beyond human capabilities, or performing them more efficiently and effectively. However, the existence of AI also raises concerns about its potential threat to humanity, as it may challenge our position and identity in the world. Some people worry that AI could become more intelligent than humans, take over our jobs, or even pose a danger to us. Nevertheless, whether AI is genuinely dangerous or not is yet to be seen. The future of AI remains unknown, and its impact on us remains to be explored.
Despite this uncertainty, we cannot stop the progress of AI as it is already a reality and is growing stronger each day. AI is transforming various aspects of our lives, including communication, work, and education. However, we can work towards ensuring that AI is used in a way that aligns with human values, and regulations must be put in place to prevent the misuse of this powerful technology.
OpenAI is one organization that is leading the charge in encouraging innovation while ensuring that AI is used in a way that benefits people. OpenAI is a research lab whose goal is to create artificial general intelligence (AGI), which is AI capable of performing tasks that humans can do. Unlike other labs,
OpenAI is not driven by profit or competition, but by a vision of creating AI that can be aligned with human values and shared with everyone. This is a significant endeavour, but it is the best place to start to ensure that AI is a force for good.
Despite the potential dangers of AI, there are many advantages to this technology, particularly in regions such as Africa and other third-world countries. Having lived in Africa for most of my life, I am familiar with the daily struggles that people face there, such as poverty, disease, hunger, and a lack of education.
However, I am also enthusiastic about the prospect of AI improving the lives of so many people. For instance, AI can help us diagnose diseases faster and more affordably, offer personalized learning opportunities for students, optimize transportation systems and reduce traffic accidents, and provide farmers with better crop management and weather forecasting. These are just some of the ways that AI can assist us in addressing some of the most pressing issues facing humanity.
In conclusion, although AI can be both a blessing and a curse, it is evident that it is here to stay. As we continue to explore the possibilities of this powerful technology, we must do so responsibly and with a focus on human values. By doing so, we can ensure that AI is a force for good in the world.
Managing Money
In one of the group discussions, a colleague asked. “How can someone handle three M’s of Money in life”?
1. Making Money
2. Managing Money
3. Multiplying Money
Those are brilliant questions, which get a node of distinct answers and responses. I will give my answers relating to my own experience and things I have come to learn and appreciate over the past few years, of my quest. It must be known that all three should be deliberate, do not come by accident.
- Making money
Of the three, making money is the easiest in that it is not a secrete. You must have worked and get paid. Sell something, a product, skill, and begging! Lol
The later one is not guaranteed though. Bottom line being, at one point in one’s life a person will have some money. Here are some of the things you can do to earn money.
• Start a business/ Physically or Online
• One that will give you quarterly dividends or Annual dividends.
• If you have a skill, use it to earn money. Use FB, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok to market yourself
• You can learn new skills on YouTube to increase the capacity of making money
2. Managing money
This is what most of us struggle with, the abstract way to managing money is to invest in financial education. Learn basic skills of budgeting, monitoring spending habits, finding creative ways to saving more, and Increasing money.
Use tools such as spreadsheets to monitor income and expenditure and Charts for making financial projections. Very useful to use these available tools as they give you a glance into your financial future, that you could see what it could be.
Find out laws about taxation and how you can save from paying excessive tax. On a more advanced level, learn financial markets and basic economics.
Surround yourself with people that are motivated to do this. Join investment groups on FB and other financial tabloids. Most importantly find a financial advisor.
Last but not the least, make it a priority to teach your family member’s financial discipline. This point seems to stand on its own, but it is very important as this has a direct effect on how you will manage your money. If you have family members that depend on you for everything from soaks to caps, that is a potentially tough to manage money.
3. Multiplying money
This is equally difficult as everyone is striving to it, but this is also attainable. Ways of multiplying money include.
• Investing in stocks, Bonds, ETFs, and Real Estate. You have options to choose from ones that give you quarterly dividends or Annual dividends. Getting the right investment portfolio powered with compounding interest will be a right pass to your passive income.
While some of these skills come naturally in certain people. You must always seek to speak to a financial advisor. You can find these people in most banks and DON’T shy away from making appointment with them.
Computer Network Security
With all of the vital personal and business data being shared on computer networks every day, security has become one of the most essential aspects of networking. No one recipe to fully safeguard networks against intruders exists. Network security technology improves and evolves over time as the methods for both attack and defense grow more sophisticated.
Physical Network Security
The most basic but often overlooked element of network security involves keeping hardware protected from theft or physical intrusion.
Corporations spend large sums of money to lock their network servers, network switches and other core network components in well-guarded facilities. While these measures aren’t practical for homeowners, households should still keep their broadband routers in private locations, away from nosy neighbors and house guests.
Widespread use of mobile devices makes physical security that much more important. Small gadgets are especially easy to leave behind at travel stops or to have fall out of pockets. News stories in the press abound of local residents having their smartphones stolen in public places, sometimes even while using them. Be alert to the physical surroundings whenever using mobile devices, and conscientiously put them away when done.
Finally, stay in visual contact with a phone when loaning it to someone else: A malicious person can steal personal data, install monitoring software, or otherwise “hack” phones in just a few minutes when left unattended.
Password Protection
Passwords are an extremely effective system for improving network security if applied properly. Unfortunately, some don’t take password management seriously and insist on using bad, weak (meaning, easy to guess) passwords like “123456” on their systems and networks.
Following just a few common-sense best practices in password management greatly improves the security protection on a computer network:
• set strong passwords, or passcodes, on all devices that join the network
• change the default administrator password of network routers
• do not share passwords with others more often than necessary; set up guest network access for friends and visitors if possible
• change passwords when they may have become too widely known
Spyware
Even without physical access to the devices or knowing any network passwords, illicit programs called spyware can infect computers and networks, typically by visiting Web sites. Much spyware exists on the Internet. Some spyware monitors a person’s computer usage and Web browsing habits and reports this information back to corporations, who use it to create more targeted advertising. Other spyware attempts to steal personal data. One of the most dangerous forms of spyware, keylogger software captures and sends the history of all keyboard key presses a person makes, ideal for capturing passwords and credit card numbers. All spyware on a computer attempts to function without the knowledge of people using it, thereby posing a substantial security risk.
Because spyware is notoriously difficult to detect and remove, security experts recommend installing and running reputable anti-spyware software on computer networks.
COVID-19 and AI Solutions
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the global economy, leading to a rise in inflation rates across many countries. Canada is no exception, and the pandemic has contributed to an increase in inflation, which has had a significant effect on people’s lives.
According to Statistics Canada, inflation in Canada rose to 3.4% in March 2022, its highest level in nearly a decade. The primary factors driving this increase are higher energy prices, supply chain disruptions, and increased demand for goods and services due to the pandemic.
The rise in inflation has affected the purchasing power of Canadian households, with prices of many goods and services rising faster than wages. For example, according to the Canadian Labour Congress, the average hourly wage in Canada was $25.13 in 2020, a 2.7% increase from five years ago. However, the inflation rate during the same period was 8.5%, meaning that wages have not kept up with rising prices.
This disparity has had a significant impact on the majority of Canadians, with many struggling to make ends meet. The rising cost of living has also led to an increase in poverty levels, as those on fixed incomes, such as seniors and people with disabilities, are finding it increasingly difficult to afford basic necessities.
One way to address this issue is through the use of AI. AI has the potential to improve economic productivity, create new jobs, and increase overall economic growth. For example, AI can be used to optimize supply chains and reduce the costs of production, leading to lower prices for consumers.
AI can also be used to create new jobs, particularly in the tech sector, which has seen significant growth in recent years. This growth has been driven by the development of new AI technologies, such as machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision.
One example of an AI tool that is currently being used to improve economic productivity is Robotic Process Automation (RPA). RPA is a technology that uses software robots to automate repetitive tasks, such as data entry and invoice processing. By automating these tasks, RPA can reduce costs and increase efficiency, leading to higher productivity and economic growth.
Another example is the use of AI in healthcare. AI-powered healthcare solutions, such as telemedicine and virtual assistants, can help reduce healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes. For example, AI-powered virtual assistants can provide patients with personalized health advice, reducing the need for costly in-person consultations.
In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the rise of inflation in Canada, which has had a significant impact on people’s lives. However, AI has the potential to improve economic productivity, create new jobs, and increase overall economic growth. By leveraging the power of AI, we can create a more prosperous and equitable society, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
No Stranger in Her Eyes
Rarely do I get to share personal stories on my blog, but on this edition, I thought of sharing this one with you all my readers. More to this, is a simple fact that it is one that I would not want to elude my calling to mind. You may have undergone through this or somewhat more reminiscent of it.
Without further due, let us dive into it. I was a 21-year-old student in my second year, most times I used to walk from school to home. My school was located within downtown about 5km north west of the place I used to live. It used to take me an hour plus walking from school to home, that is if I take the highway route and a little less when I used the interior routes.
The interior route navigation entails, going down the trench, cutting through the woods to the creek before getting to the roadside and inhabited.
Though this used to be a lot quicker than taking the highway route, it was extremely risky especially in rainy season, with thick bushes and tall grass. The overgrown becomes denser when going down the creek or stream. With this route the scare of getting beaten by snakes, is as real as becoming a victim of attack by criminals.
When approaching the creek, you hear this gentle stream sounds, giving you a sense of both peace and fear. Certain times you could hear and see movements in the grass, an occurrence able to send a chill down your spine.
If you are lucky you get to see, insects that belong to the suborder Caelifera hopping, frogs and monitor lizards near the water. For those of you in love with such kind of adventures, you may find this thrilling.
As far as rumor surrounding this area, it was often reported to be a hiding place for robbers with a handful of stories of people getting assaulted and mugged. Some stolen items and goods used to be recovered from this site. Others would term this as a storage location for the criminals.
For me, this was a point in time when school was getting into the overdrive, preparing for exams, and winding up on group projects. During this stressful period, we used to leave school a little late than usual. So, on this rare occasion, after school I went home and used my preferred interior route.
I gathered pace, in the hope of passing through the woods before sunset. Unfortunately, it was getting dark fast, also given the amount of light that gets through the wild. Immediately after crossing the stream, something clutched my legs from behind. I lost conscious momentarily, though not literally. I could image all possible things, right from the things that I had seen to the unseen.
“Could it be a vicious animal, or a crocodile, monitor lizard or a bandit” if there was an option, I could choose the latter.
I held my own, looked around and thought to myself, “What the hell in God’s name a four-year-old damn girl doing in the woods alone?”
“Hey girl who are with?”
“What are you doing here all alone?” I asked?
The response was a speech that was not clear enough to be understood, just word muttering. Like someone speaking under one’s breath. She looked scared, uneasy, and tensed up but relieved to have met me. She ran towards me and held me and called me uncle.
That did not take long to figure out the child was lost and needed help. So, I took her by my hand and started walking towards the roadside to the residential.
I checked a couple of blocks near the residential to see if they would recognize her, but no one could identify her. I went down the market and asked people around, this too was not helpful.
Now, the night was falling, and with full cognizant of being a student, short of a place of my own. I was compelled to report the matter to the local police station of a missing person.
In the station, I got to the front desk and narrated to the officer the circumstances which I found the girl. I had my details jotted down alongside the statement. As I was about to step out, the girl cried “Uncle! Uncle take me! take me!”.
Her face was drowning in tears. The shrieks and screams attracted the attention of onlookers. It was quite uncomfortable for me, at the same time getting overwhelmed with emotions too.
I decided to take her to the nearby confectionery store, I got some old-fashioned treats and sweets for children. Then we went back to the station, this time she accepted to remain behind with a promise of me coming back.
I then requested the police officer to phone me if anyone comes to pick the girl up the following day. I was now going home feeling a little relived but sick to the stomach with a thought that she might have fallen in wrong hands.
I took a bus when going home, this time around a solitude walk was never an option. it was way too late in the night. I got home and narrated the story, it moved people almost to tears. Each time I retell the story, it always carries this profound effect.
The day that followed I never received any phone call from the police regarding the incident. So after school I decided to follow it up and check on her. I was told the girl was released picked up by her mom mid-morning. She never left any reference or contact details.
Ultimately, it is my belief we that we were all content with the final outcome as the alternative could have been worse.
Perceptive
I would like to share about a very familiar word “perceptive”. There are several words and phrases that could mean the same as perceptive. This include but not limited to; clever, observant, sensitive, responsive, insightful, or discerning.
Perceive means “to see”; so, perceptive is a word to describe someone who is good at seeing. Perceptive is derived from the Latin word percipere which means “to obtain or gather.” A perceptive person is good at gathering information and using her senses to take in the world.
If you are upset but trying to hide it, a perceptive person is the one who will notice. If you describe a person or their remarks or thoughts as perceptive, you think that they are good at noticing or realizing things, especially things that are not obvious.
While there are many competencies to develop strong social awareness, a great one to start with is perception.
A great deal of our existence involves managing relationships. Could be sibling relationships, work relationships, business relationships, manager employee’s relationship or Family relationships.
Anyone who has experienced any kind of relationship can attest to the fact that not all relationships are easy to handle. Many of the failed relationships can be attributed to poor communication.
We all know the value of communication. In fact, when things go wrong, one of the first things we attribute our failures to is miscommunication. That means strong communication begets success.
Most of us think of verbal communication when we think of communicating with others. But research shows that as low as 7% of any given message is delivered through words, meaning 93% of a message’s meaning is delivered through nonverbal channels.
Consider this scenario: a manager walks into the office and greets the employees. “How are things?” they ask an employee. “Great,” the employee replies.
Interpreting only verbal communication, we get the sense that the employee is doing great.
But when we add nonverbal cues, maybe an eye roll, or an unenthused tone as the employee says “great,” we get the sense that things may not be so great.
Perceptive people understand the need to look for nonverbal cues when they communicate. They also pay attention to every aspect of how something is communicated, to recognize the true emotions that underlie questions and statements.
How to Change Your Mind
A friend of mine recently told me a story I thought you’d like to hear…
Growing up, a certain family didn’t have much money, but the mother LOVED to window shop (look in the windows at stores) and imagine buying the lovely things she saw.
However, she always felt guilty… “We’ll never afford these things, so why bother looking?” she often told her son.
A lot of how we are today comes from patterns of thought we learned from our parents when we were young.
And if we heard that we’re the kind of people who don’t have/can’t do X, we naturally believe it.
But, as the son of this woman grew, he began to open his mind to what could be possible if he changed what he believed.
One day, as a young man, he decided that even though he didn’t have much money, he’d enter the most expensive hotel in town.
He couldn’t yet afford a room, but he could afford a coffee in the hotel’s fancy cafe.
The coffee itself wasn’t important, but by sitting there, the young man told his mind, “I AM the kind of person who can be in one of the nicest hotels in the world, and that I DO deserve the best.”
All of a sudden, he became someone who could recommend the coffee at an expensive hotel, and he felt wealthier.
Later, he took this a step further and told the front desk staff that he was interested in seeing one of the rooms.
He told the staff that he would have many clients coming to visit him, so he was looking for potential hotels. Of course, he didn’t yet have anyone coming to see him, but he could feel he would in his future.
(It’s a pretty common thing for hotels to show rooms to people for reasons like this.)
When he was finally standing in the elegant room people usually spend over $1000 a night for, he again told his mind that he was the kind of person who could be in an expensive hotel room.
Today, this man IS wealthy, and travels the world.
He also sends LOTS of clients to expensive hotels.
But he began by changing his mind.
Once you know something is possible, your mind has a way of making it a reality… Just like believing the opposite guarantees something will NOT happen.
Right now, YOU can do the same thing with your learning…
A Helping Heart
In as much as people think Nursing is all about giving oral drugs and injections ( medication) in a more appropriate way than they would, there’s more to it than just hands on, its an art and a science which aims at professional excellence ,improving compassionate, holistic,comprehensive,culturally,spiritually and socially sensitive care to clients under the scope of nursing practise. I personally find it both spiritual and physical because it’s the spiritual that manifests into the physical and that is what makes me so passionate about it. To begin with a nurse embraces compassion,empathy etc which are not taught but come from ones inner being.
Nursing is dynamic and knowledge on its own attained from which ever school cannot make you the best nurse there is but God because he is above everything ,the ultimate healer,giver of life,comforter etc and I as a nurse am only a but a vessel reaching out to people, so I find my work a lot more easier when I make Jesus the centre of it all because I know my ability is not of me but of GOD,come to think of it no one wakes up in the morning and plans on the number of clients he or she is going to attend to and the kind of nursing interventions he or she will implement.
Being an infant in the proffesion,I have worked from minimum to maximum pressure nursing different walks of life ,religious beliefs,values and practises,gender etc and I have managed to respond to their need for care respecting the uniqueness of each client so it is vital to come to the realisation that we are able to do all things when we allow God to take the wheel.
On the other hand it is also very important to acknowledge those that are higher than us were we are limited so as to regularly maintain and update our knowledge and skill just like it is also vital for any Christian to have a spiritual father (Romans 10:14) when a child remains under the umbrella of his or her mentor,he or she will not succumb to failure.
So as we uphold the standards of Nursing let us also remain Loyal to God.
By: LMB
Thankful Heart
Considering the skies, hearing sounds of the birds of the air and being greeted with nice cool morning breeze. Observing the plants, tiny, small and great, this is all wonderment of God; the most amazing thing is that he created all that for you. How mindful of him?
Many times we expend our energies in pursuing so many different things in life, work, careers, marriages, professions, sorting out family uproars and many more similar activities. At times these happenings may poise a huge toll on our lives especially if we don’t get any sense of approval or accomplishment.
Such activities are there for human beings and are part of us. On the other hand there are not there to last forever. Even in such stressful conditions God want us to enjoy life and have complete peace of mind.
If we can only allow him for 5 minutes to hear what he wants to tell you, forget your requests for a while and concentrate on his word and promises. See goodness in the things he has created, thank him; see the possibility of him fulfilling your heart desires, perceive that you are a reason he created those things that exist.
He will definitely speak to you. Whatever you will hear from him follow and do it diligently, that will significantly change your life. Do not always push for your own agenda; seek to know his agenda for your life.
Overcoming any problem begins with a thankful heart. Those are words to a song I heard years ago. When I first heard them, I thought, “how could that be true?” I wasn’t convinced that the writer of the song knew what she was talking about so I began to check the words out against my problems. Sure enough, no matter what it was I was challenged with, I really did not begin overcoming the situation until I began to look at what I had to be thankful for in it.
Thankfulness adjusts our attitude. Does anyone out there need an attitude adjustment? I remember my mother telling me at times to adjust my attitude. She would do so with her hands on her hips which meant I better adjust it quickly.
I Thessalonians 5:15 is our prescription for an attitude adjustment and just what God orders for His kids. It says, “Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (NIV) God is too good to tell us to do something and not provide what we need to do it. Our job is to obey and He will supply. Our job is also to ask Him for what we need and admit we cannot do it without Him.
Sometimes overcoming begins with simply thanking God because He is good. Psalms 107:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good and his love endures forever.” When we can’t think of anything to be thankful for, we can always start with thanking God for his love. No matter what we are going through, we can rest in the fact that we are loved by the creator of the universe. We may not always feel loved and actually be rejected by people, but nothing can separate us from God’s love for us. His love has comforted me on many a difficult day as I simply made the statement, “God I thank you that you are good and you love me.” Those words help me adjust my attitude and remind me of the truth. I have prayed this prayer to help renew my mind when it has battled looking at all I have lost in the death of my mother. No matter what my circumstances, He is good and He loves me.
Gratefulness is my quick access to the presence of God, especially on the difficult days. His presence is what comforts me, gives me hope, helps me and is my anchor. Some days I do better than others, but scripture says in Psalms 95:2 , “Come into his presence with thanksgiving…” (KJV) If you need more of His presence, try thanksgiving. It works for me.
I sometimes talk to God like this; “God, I need your help. Your word says to give thanks in all things so all I can think to thank you for is what I will learn in this situation. Thank you for the experience I will gain. Thank you for helping me through this.” God is faithful but often times we must wait on Him and trust Him.
I do not believe God just gives us patience but He will help us to be patient. As we grow in that character, we learn the benefit of trusting His timing. God doesn’t just give us longsuffering, but He will help us endure difficult things if we look to him. I know this from personal experience as I have walked through the valley of the shadow of death. Anyone can quote a scripture or pass a written test, but character is developed in the soil of difficulties.
Colossians 3:17 states how we are to conduct our lives. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Thanks is an expression of gratitude and gratefulness. Thankful is an adjective that means pleased or relieved. How thankful are you? Do you have an overall feeling of being pleased and relieved? I personally could do better at being thankful.
I know sometimes I have to simply pray, “God change my heart.” to develop an attitude of gratitude. According to this scripture, all our words,our job and actions should be done like we were doing it just for Jesus and with a beautiful attitude of thankfulness.
At the end of the day, all of us have plenty to be thankful for. James 1:17 says,
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” All that we have that is good, is a gift from God. That is plenty to be thankful for. May God grant you grace today to see and perceive beyond circumstances and be thankful.
Mindset Fallouts
Mindset-Part 3
Spies Sent into Canaan
Numbers 13:1–33
13 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 g“Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, everyone a chief among them.” 3 So Moses sent them from hthe wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the Lord, all of them men who were heads of the people of Israel.
17 Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan and said to them, “Go up into lthe Negeb and go up into mthe hill country, 18 and see what the land is, and whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, whether they are few or many, 19 and whether the land that they dwell in is good or bad, and whether the cities that they dwell in are camps or strongholds, 20 and whether the land is nrich or poor, and whether there are trees in it or not. oBe of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.” Now the time was the season of the first ripe grapes.
From the Bible story we learn about God’s desire to change his people’s lives and make them better. He commanded the leader Moses to send spies to the Promised Land. The spies that where sent were not just ordinary people but leaders of each tribe. It can be associated to what we now call member of parliaments or diplomats.
These elders were assigned with a specific mandate; among them were Joshua and Caleb. After a 40-day exploration of Canaan, the explorers reported, “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there” (Numbers 13:27–28). This report frightened the people (Numbers 13:31–33).
We could see how our minds can be deviated to only focus on one aspect, Israelites where coming with a strong background of miraculous victories among them God seeing them through the mighty Egyptian army as well as parting the red sea. All those things where quickly forgotten in the glimpse of an eye and they opted to pick the mindset of defeat. Moreover the same God who sent them on that mission was the same God who delivered them from the mighty Egyptian army.
This is also true to our daily lives; God has given us a lot of promises and prophetic words over our lives but we still languish in pain, deficiency, sorrow, bitterness and resentment. Just because there is a promise of God does not mean there will be no difficulties. In fact God want to reveal himself in difficulty situations. It’s very difficult to see the work of God in situations where there are no hardships and difficulties.
The instructions to the Egyptians were that they should keep courage; God is still repeating this same statement to us. If you find it difficult to keep courage, just remember where God has picked you from. That is called mindset; readjusting and aligning your mind to think in a way you will obtain victory, remember you are just getting what is rightfully yours which is in the enemy’s territory or hands.
One disheartening thing about the story was that when the report was given, all the 10 leaders presented disturbing news to the people. That people there are huge and mighty they could not measure up with their strength, they looked like grasshoppers. When Joshua and Caleb mentioned that with Gods on our side we can still get people threaten.
Caleb had a different Mindset from the other spies. Verse 30 records, “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, ‘We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.’” When the people complained that they could not go up to conquer the land, both Caleb and Joshua responded strongly: “Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh . . . tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, ‘The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them’” (Numbers 14:6–9).
Sometimes the majority is not always right, despite Caleb and Joshua insisting on victory amidst major setback like sons of Anak (believed to have been very tall and huge people) as well as fortified cities. The whole Israelites people refused to see things in that perspective, instead they wanted to stone and kill Joshua and Caleb. Occasionally, what is in your mind might not generally be accepted by the majority of people. That should not mean you should give up, develop the growth mindset and go on and do it. God does not necessary disregard prayer but He demands that our minds be renewed and be conformed to His own standard and will. He demands his people to see things his way, so that they can get whatever they require from Him.
Joshua’s leadership qualities can be seen in his rock-solid faith in God. When the Israelites were on the edge of the Promised Land in Numbers 13, God commanded Moses to send out twelve people to spy out the land, one from each of the tribes of Israel. Upon their return, ten reported that the land, while bounteous as the Lord had promised, was occupied by strong and fierce warriors dwelling in large, fortified cities. Furthermore, the Nephilim (giants from the Israelites’ perspective) were in the land. However, Joshua and Caleb were the only two who urged the people to take the land (Numbers 14:7-10). Here we see one thing that sets Joshua (and Caleb) apart from the rest of the Israelites—they believed in the promises of God. They were not intimidated by the size of the warriors or the strength of the cities. Rather, they knew their God and remembered how He had dealt with Egypt, the most powerful nation on the earth at that time. If God could take care of the mighty Egyptian army, He could certainly take care of the various Canaanite tribes. God rewarded Joshua’s and Caleb’s faith by exempting them from the entire generation of Israelites that would perish in the wilderness.
When God saw what the Israelites did to Joshua and Caleb he was deeply sadden, he told Moses that he will punish his people. Moses went to plead with the Lord almighty, God changed his mind.40 years later the Israelites embarked on the same mission with Joshua now the leader. He was given similar promises like Moses by God to be strong and courageous. Chapter 2 of the book of Joshua; He secretly sent two spies to look over the land specifically the land of Jericho which was fortified.
Interestingly, when God gives you something he means it. Look at the perceptive of the enemy when the Israelites where considering themselves as small as grasshoppers in the land God set them to occupy. The hearts of the enemies melted down in fear because they heard what the Lord did to the Israelites when they came out of Egypt, drying up the Red Sea and they knew that the Lord God has given the land to them. They feared what might become of them if these people come and occupy the land. Joshua 2:8…
8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea[a] for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.[b] 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.
What more do you need? If God be for us who can be against us? Romans 8:31. What is it that is bothering you? What is it that has made your whole life miserable? What is it that you have always wanted to have and it does not see to come your way? What is delaying upon your life that you feel resentful? In all ill situations know that the Lord is good and his mercies endure forever. Decide to change your mindset and follow the mindset of God. All situations are set before you so that he may reveal his glory. By nature we are very difficult people to believe, we even refuse to believe in Him even after looking at His creation which he has setup in his own wonderment.
Therefore God want to deal with your mind, the longer you accept to believe in him the longer it takes for you to conquer and recover. Difficulty and complicated situations will always be there for us but our conformity with Gods mind will always see us through. Israelites 40 years wait was not set for them as the time they will conquer but came as the result of people’s strong resolve to believe in the progressive mind of God and His desire to give them rest.
God has a very strong desire to give you rest in whatever situations be it economically, financially, physically, families, nations, in your careers and in all your wellbeing. God knows that you are physically weak but He will ask you to gather courage and be strong. He knows that you need marriage he ask you to gather courage and stay strong. He knows that you are broke he still demands us to believe him as a provider. In essence God knows all our weaknesses and frailties and requires us to have firm trust in him.
Now that we know the desire of God and how committed he is towards his plan. We need to adopt one mindset, and that is a progressive mindset of God. Whatever limitation is set before you, you will overcome. Paul shows us the mindset guidelines in a letter he wrote to the Philippians;
Philippians 4:8 (ESV):8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
With your mind you can create wonderful and adorable things man has ever seen on earth; you can make the world and with the same mind you can destroy yourself to such an existent that the world would be miserable place to live in. See how man’s mind is able to create endless wars and hate speeches. We now know how powerful our minds are and the need to correctly aligning them with appropriate guidelines. Make a strong resolve today to align your thinking to whatever is honorable, fair, pure, lovely, commendable, praise worthy and excellent. In whatever you do let this be your benchmark, in your careers, families, nations, works and your entire life.
Watch Over 
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