THE BARGAIN 1

"In ancient times, there was the bride price—a man paid the father based on the woman's beauty or inheritance. We condemn it as awful. 

But today, we've made it democratic: men and women evaluate partners like investments—what assets do they bring? We say 'She's on the market' or 'He got a bad deal.' In Timothy Keller's The Meaning of Marriage, this reveals a consumer mindset. 

Lesson: True marriage isn't transactional—it's a covenant of selfless love, mirroring Christ's unconditional commitment to us."

GREATER GLORY

Dy

Take that walk, friend.

You may be slow like a turtle on the path, but strive to be steady as an anchor in the storm.

The height is towering—like a mountain piercing the heavens—but never take your eyes off the prize, that glorious mark above.

Let it be your North Star, your unwavering aim.

Nothing truly good comes easy.

No matter how beautiful your current valley shines, there's a higher peak waiting...

a place even greater than your wildest dreams."

TRUE LOVE

Many think love is just affection... warm feelings and beauty.

But true love goes deeper. It's not mere words—it's backed by action.

Jesus said it clearly in John 14:15:

'If you love Me, keep My commandments.'

Real love shows in loyalty, trust, sacrifice, compassion, and discipline.

It chooses obedience, even when it's hard.

That's the love that lasts—the love that honors God."

LIFE HAPPENS

"You can't catch a giant falling from a great height with your hands, just as you can't hold back water rushing down from a hill.

There are many things we simply cannot do.

Sometimes life happens in ways we can't change—no matter how hard we try. At times, God intervenes and changes things by His power. 

But other times, He permits things to unfold as they will, according to His greater purpose."

I'M COMING HOME

Home, sweet home—after so many years away.  

I still taste the dust of that long road on my tongue.

Where do you really call home?  

What even is a home?  

Is it the place that comforts you when the world goes quiet?  

The patch of earth your parents chose and never left?  

A rented room with peeling paint and someone else’s ghosts?  

Or the house you poured your own sweat into—  

in the country stamped on your passport,  

or in some foreign land that finally said yes?

I’m coming home.  

Back to where I belong?  

Maybe.  

Maybe belonging is just the moment  

the key turns without thinking,  

and the air inside smells like it remembers you.

So tell me—  

where do you belong?  

Where is your home?  

I’m listening.

THE SCRIPT

It’s not part of the script.

Internet fraud, fornication, stealing, smoking, alcoholism, fighting, cultism—name it.  

None of that was ever written in the story God wrote for you.

Your days were penned before one came to be (Psalm 139:16).  

You were born to do His will.

So ask yourself:  

Are you living for Him… or still reading someone else’s lines?

The Author is still holding the pen.  

Today He can rewrite every page, turn every mess into a message, and bring you home.

Drop the fake script.  

Run back to Jesus.  

The real story—the one that ends with you free, forgiven, and on fire for God—starts the moment you say “Yes, Lord.”

He’s waiting.  

Come home. ❤️

One Faithful Step

Trying to stay focused, but things from left and right keep knocking me off balance.  

They say slow and steady wins the race, but my road has been rough—too many stops: regrets, disappointments, fear, anger…

Yet I hear the Lord say: My grace is sufficient for you; My strength is made perfect in your weakness.

Those stops weren’t failures; they were where God held me and refined me.

So I’ll keep going—one faithful step at a time.  

The race belongs to those who endure, and my finish line is already secure in Christ.

Peace over my heart, joy rising again, every weight falling off in Jesus’ name.  

I’ve got this… because He’s got me. ❤️

JOSH'S WAKE UP CALL

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Josh’s Wake-Uphuyuuuuuuyuuuuu7uuuuyuuuuu7uu Call

Josh was a vibr yy yhvvvvvvhhyyant teenager, always dressed in the brightest Ankara outfits, exuding confidence and charm. He was the life of the youth group at church, quick with a joke and always scrolling through Instagram for the latest trends. But when it came to spiritual matters, Josh had a different approach. Despite hearing countless sermons on **Joshua 1:8**—“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it” (ESV)—Josh remained unmoved. 

“I don’t need to cram scriptures,” he’d say, rolling his eyes during Bible study. “Google’s got my back. I can search any verse faster than you can say ‘Amen.’ Why fill my head when I’ve got a search engine?” His friends laughed, but his youth pastor, Sister Grace, warned, “Josh, the Word of God isn’t just data—it’s life. You need it in your heart, not just your phone.”

One night, after a long day of scrolling through Instagram reels, Josh fell into a deep sleep. In his dream, he was lounging in a dimly lit hall, his phone glowing as he watched a funny video. Suddenly, the air grew cold, and the screen flickered. A shadowy figure emerged from the darkness—a demon with glowing red eyes and a menacing grin. Fear gripped Josh’s heart like a vice. The demon’s laugh echoed, chilling and wicked, as it glided closer.

Instinctively, Josh tried to rebuke it. “The Bible says… uh… something about resisting the devil!” he stammered, fumbling for the right scripture. James 4:7 popped into his mind—“Resist the devil, and he will flee”—but he couldn’t recall it accurately. The demon cackled louder, its voice mocking, “Is that the best you’ve got, boy? Where’s your Google now?”

Panicked, Josh grabbed his phone to search for the verse. His fingers trembled as he typed, but the screen froze with a dreaded message: **“No Network Connection.” He refreshed desperately, but the signal bars were empty. The demon was now inches away, its claws gleaming. Josh’s heart raced as he tried one last time to load the page. A faint signal appeared, but the loading icon spun endlessly. “Out of data!” he gasped, realizing his phone plan had run dry. Before he could look up, the demon’s cold hand struck him with a stinging slap across his face.

Josh jolted awake, drenched in sweat, his cheek burning as if the slap had been real. He rushed to the mirror and gasped—a faint red mark marred his face, a chilling reminder of the dream. Shaken, he grabbed his dusty Bible from the shelf, his hands trembling as he flipped to **Joshua 1:8**. For the first time, the words sank in: meditating on God’s Word wasn’t just about reading—it was about letting it live in his heart, ready for any battle.

The next morning, Josh showed up eajrly to church, his Ankara shirt vibrant but his demeanor humble. He shared his dream with the youth group, his voice cracking as he admitted, “I thought Google was enough, but when the enemy came, my phone failed me. I didn’t have the Word in me to fight back. I’m done relying on search engines—I’m starting to memorize and meditate on scripture.”

Sister Grace smiled and added, “Josh’s story reminds us that! FfGod’s Word is obur sword (Ephesians 6:17). Technology t tttttftf fail, but the Word in your heart is always accessible. Like Ankara fabric, it’s woven into your life, giving you strength and identity to face any challenge.”

~ Ojo Ikponmwonsa Sunday

Woman Of god

She erupted, 'This is unprecedented! Gather 'round, everyone, and witness this abomination! Do you want to drive away all the demons, gods, principalities, and mermaids from our community? How can you allow sewage to flow into the river and right in front of the shrine? This is an affront! It must stop!' She began issuing directives on how to rectify the situation. 

I stood there, taken aback, yet not surprised by her fervor. The scripture came to mind: 'Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you... Kings shall walk in the light of your dawn' (Isaiah 60:1-3).

#Warri #DeltaState #darkness #light #EkuredeItsekiri

SLAY QUEEN

She looks so beautiful, her countenance radiant as the lily of the valleys, her eyes like doves beside streams of water (Song of Solomon 2:2, 5:12). The slay queens, with their fleeting charms, stand ready to slay you for free, their allure as deceptive as a passing shadow. "Keep the change," she says, her voice dripping like honey from the comb (Song of Solomon 4:11), "for your destiny is more important to me than your money." 

"I don’t understand," he said, his brow furrowed in confusion. "You must be very naive," she replied, her words sharp yet tender, like apples among the trees of the forest (Song of Solomon 2:3). "Don’t you know one night is enough to destroy all you have laboured for years? He that is wise will learn from Esau, who traded his birthright for a fleeting gain." 

Her gaze, steadfast as the towers of Damascus (Song of Solomon 7:4), held him captive, urging him to heed her counsel. "Choose wisdom, my beloved," she whispered, her breath fragrant as myrrh and frankincense (Song of Solomon 4:14). "Guard your heart, for it shapes your eternity. Let not a moment’s folly unravel the legacy you’ve built, but stand firm like the cedars of Lebanon (Song of Solomon 5:15), rooted in discernment." 

With that, she turned, her presence lingering like a garden sealed, a fountain of living waters (Song of Solomon 4:12). He stood in silence, her words a beacon guiding him toward a path of enduring purpose, far beyond the fleeting treasures of the world.

--- 🖋️ 

Ojo Ikponmwonsa Sunday