DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR YOUTHS AND STUDENTS. Today’s devotional for 25th October 2026, inspired by the teaching of Apostle Arome Osayi. Topic: The Appetite That Destroys Great Men.
MEMORY VERSE: “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16, KJV)
TEXT: Galatians 5:16-26
TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL
Many people picture the downfall of a great person as a sudden, dramatic event. The Bible suggests something quieter. Before any public collapse there is usually a private appetite that was fed for a long time. Paul names a whole list of such appetites in Galatians 5 and calls them the works of the flesh. They are not random mistakes. They are the fruit of a nature that wants its own way.
One of the deepest cravings of our fallen nature is the hunger to control. We want to steer other people’s decisions, win their loyalty, and bend situations to our will. This is different from the dominion God gave Adam in the beginning. In Genesis 1:26 that dominion was over fish, birds, cattle and the earth. It was never meant to be dominion over other human beings. When a person reaches for power over people, they are reaching for something God did not hand them.
God’s kingdom works differently from the kingdoms of this world. It is not a king with a crowd of subjects, but a King who raises up many who serve under His authority. That means every assignment, every opportunity and every measure of influence you carry has limits set by Someone else. Authority in this kingdom is always borrowed. The moment a person starts treating borrowed authority as personal property, they step outside the covering that made them effective.
That is why Paul does not tell us to manage the flesh with willpower. He tells us to walk in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a force we switch on when we need help. He is a Person, and deeper experiences of Him depend on a willing, obedient heart. A believer can be filled and speak in tongues, yet still stall at certain levels because they have not passed the test of obeying Him in small, unseen matters.
To the student and the young person reading this: your appetite for influence is already forming. It shows up when you manipulate friends to stay popular, when you gossip to lower someone so you can look higher, when you cannot stand being corrected by a lecturer, a parent or a leader, or when you chase a position more than you chase character. It also shows up in shortcuts: copying in exams, flattering the right people, or hiding the truth to protect your image. These habits look small, but they are the seed of a bigger harvest. Ask the Holy Spirit this week to show you what you are hungry for, and be willing to submit to godly counsel and authority while you are still young.
Greatness that lasts is built on surrender. Joseph served in Potiphar’s house and in prison long before he governed Egypt. Jesus, who held all authority, took a towel and washed feet. If you learn to say no to the appetite to dominate, you will be safe to carry whatever God places in your hands. Feed the Spirit, starve the flesh, and let obedience be your daily habit.
KEY POINT: The flesh craves control, but a life led by the Spirit chooses humble obedience, and that is the only soil in which lasting greatness grows.
FURTHER READING: Genesis 1:26-28; Galatians 5:19-23; Romans 13:1-2; Philippians 2:3-8; 1 Peter 5:5-6
DAILY PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Spirit. Search my heart and show me every hidden appetite that could destroy my destiny. Deliver me from the desire to control, to impress, and to rise at the expense of others. Teach me to obey the Holy Spirit in small things, to honour the authority You have placed over me, and to walk humbly before You. Help me to bear the fruit of the Spirit in my school, my home and among my friends, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
