PUSH BUTTONS
No Ghosting!!
There is a fascinating passage of Scripture that I find very instructive, especially as we get into the new year.
Jesus had just been raised from the dead with a glorified body and his disciples were at loss as to how to handle the new phase without their Master. Then 2 disciples who were initially on their way to Emmaus had an encounter with The Living Word Himself; by the end of that conversation, they were already headed back to Jerusalem. When they got there, Jesus appeared to everyone and initially, they were all afraid; so Jesus assured them that he wasn’t a ghost. His proof was his flesh and bones!
Look at my hands and my feet. It’s really me! Touch me and see, for a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones like you see I have. — Luke 24:39 CEB
Whilst this applies in context to the tangibility of the risen King, the principles stay the same in every other domain! Without flesh and bones, nothing in this realm can become tangible. Too many people enter into the year on the back of an encounter with a “ghost.” Ghost ideas, ghost visions, ghost concepts, ghost dreams, ghost projects… always in the ghost state! When are you going to give your ghost some flesh and bones? In this natural realm, fleshless and boneless entities don’t exist. Your legitimacy on this side of the divide is heavily tied to your tangibility.
If Jesus had to submit to the protocols of validity on the earth, understand that nothing can escape that hardwired security protocol. You can’t smuggle a ghost into reality without passing the tangibility test. The challenge sometimes with the way we process things, especially as Christians is that we often get ghost ideas, and leave them in the ghost state, and then turn around after a few years and say God didn’t bring the idea into reality. Spirit does what spirit does, and man does what man does. Spirit will not do what man alone can do. The flesh and bones dimensions belong to man!
Let’s zoom in a bit on the flesh and bones dynamics. Again, without flesh and bones, there is no tangibility to what you’re doing. It remains a ghost until you concretize it with flesh and bone components.
What is the flesh? And what is the bone?
The bones are invisible, but critical and essential to the mobility, structure and capacity of the flesh. The flesh on the other hand is the visible, touchable, and relatable component of the bones. Bones are the management structure, value system, ethics & governance, work culture and operational dynamics of an organisation, while the flesh represents the brand identity, public perception and likability of the business.
Many businesses have strong bones but weak flesh and vice versa. Whilst they will most likely maintain some form of stability over time, because of their strong compliance tendency, there might be no radical surge in market dominance that can only be sponsored by a wave of cultural shifts in trends and consumer behaviour. Consumer behaviour is engineered by flesh. This is why even if it makes no logical sense, major brands will continue to splurge millions on celebrities who neither use, need nor know the products they represent, to continue to market them. Their company structure, board governance, and value system (bones) may never attract a Gen Z buyer to come near their product, but a famous athlete (flesh) can give the product a good chance of being noticed.
On the other hand, when all there is to a business is the flesh — marketing, influencer mentions, branding, etc. while ethical lines are constantly being blurred, attrition is skyrocketing and financial compliance is repeatedly compromised… that business may not be around for much longer.
In all my years of living, I have never heard anyone compliment a person’s bones. “Oh, your fibula is spectacular!” Or “I’ve been meaning to say this, your femur is demure” You just never hear it, because the bones are hidden. But you see the flesh? Oh, it gets all the attention, especially the face. This is why some are tempted to overcompensate for boneslessness with so much flesh. You see this dynamic as well when a lady overcompensates for lack of virtue with loud make-up and revealing attire, or how a guy throws his weight behind his money and status rather than be a man of his word.
This applies to you as a God product — The Workmanship that you are! Are you all about principles and holiness and righteousness, but lack friendliness, love and joy? Or are you just the sugary icing of laughter, fanfare and excitement without the core, invisible but solid substance of integrity, honour and loyalty? Truth is, neither was designed to be in isolation. The flesh was made for the bones and vice versa. Skeletons are scary and a pile of flesh will ultimately rot. But the earth was made for human beings who have both flesh and bones. The way it is for humans, it is for businesses, for organisations and even Churches.
This year, you need to improve your flesh and bone components. If what you’re pushing is solid but not selling, then add some flesh to it. Tell people about it, market it properly, make it likeable, and connect with the emotions of the users. Let people be able to touch and connect with it. On the other hand, no matter how well you’re doing with your boneless flesh, don’t get carried away, put some compliance in place, be accountable, stay solid!
In your walk of faith, connect with people but stay grounded. Don’t err on any side; neither side gives an advantage when over leveraged.
On this earth, you don’t find ghosts, for a ghost hath not flesh and bones! In the year 2025, I pray The Lord will give you fresh wisdom to add flesh and bones to all your visions and dreams in Jesus Name.
God bless your heart.
Happy New Year
Dami Oguntunde
IG/X: @damioguntunde
Push Buttons is a weekly devotional of The Powerpoint Tribe.
