Dearest friends, it is no new thing that death rate is on the increase these days. Inasmuch as we can’t stop it, there are still some little things we can do to help ourselves or at least live a pressure free life.
In all your doings, guard your heart, thoughts and emotions first.
Decide in you to be happy no matter what. The rate at which people breakdown and die these days will make you understand that allowing so many negative emotions, feelings and thoughts in your heart has a way of breaking your walls gradually, before you know it you begin to sink.
Don’t blame yourself if you don’t have the best life or if others are doing better than you, don’t curse your life either, but always ask yourself this” what can I do to improve? How can I do better?” Insights will come, ideas will come, it will all shape your focus and help you stay positive.
Do not strive to be like anyone but work hard to be a better version of yourself. Set targets for yourself, it’s ok not to meet them at once, but you’ll see how it will help you go farther. Try as much as possible to take your eyes off things that will put you under pressure, your peace of mind matters. It is not enough to live, but the most important is to live a peaceful and pressure free life.
Above all, be contented, be prayerful and remember this. “. YOUR PRESENT SITUATION IS ANOTHER PERSONS PRAYER POINT.

There is grief in accepting someone won’t change!" (Nedra Tawwab)
In the quiet depths of the heart, there lies a profound sorrow in the realization that someone may never change. It is a poignant acknowledgment, a tender letting go of hopes for transformation or growth in another.
This grief is not loud or dramatic but a subtle ache, a gentle mourning for the possibilities that may never come to fruition.
Accepting this truth requires a deep well of strength and resilience, a willingness to release expectations and embrace the reality before you. It is a bittersweet journey of acceptance but within it lies the opportunity to learn the art of detachment.
Detachment does not mean indifference or lack of love; rather, it is the gentle practice of releasing the need to control or fix others, allowing us to embrace reality as it is.
By cultivating detachment, we free ourselves from the weight of expectations and the pain of disappointment, creating space for acceptance and peace. It teaches us to love without attachment to outcomes, to honor our own well-being while holding compassion for others.
In learning this art, we transform grief into wisdom, finding strength in surrender and serenity in embracing life’s impermanence

A PASTOR'S BETRAYAL
PART 4
The house was too quiet.
Grace sat at the edge of the bed, her fingers tracing the rim of her morning coffee cup, the steam long gone. Michael had left early again—another "business meeting." But this time, something felt different. Her stomach twisted in knots, and no matter how hard she tried to shake it off, the feeling clung to her like a shadow.
She picked up her phone, scrolling mindlessly until a message notification popped up.
It was from an unknown number.
Her breath hitched as she opened it.
"Your husband and his secretary look so cozy together at the Silver Spoon Café. Thought you should know."
Attached was a photo—Michael sitting across from his young, beautiful secretary, their heads close together as they smiled over documents.
Grace’s hands trembled.
She didn’t remember driving to Michael’s office.
All she knew was the burning in her chest, the way her pulse roared in her ears. She burst through the doors, ignoring the startled receptionist, and marched straight to his office.
And there they were—Michael and her—standing close, the secretary laughing at something he said.
Grace saw red.
"Grace? What are you—" Michael started, his eyes widening as she stormed in.
"Who is she?!" Grace screamed, pointing at the secretary.
The young woman stepped back, her face paling. "Mrs. Thompson, I—"
"Grace, calm down!" Michael moved between them, his hands raised. "This isn’t what you think!"
"Then what is it?!" Her voice cracked, raw with betrayal. "Another business meeting? Another late night? How long has this been going on?!"
Michael’s jaw tightened. "Nothing is going on! We were just going over contracts!"
Grace let out a bitter laugh. "Contracts? Is that what you call it now?"
She lunged forward, shoving him hard. Michael stumbled back, shock flashing across his face.
"Grace, stop!"
But she couldn’t. The rage, the hurt, the months of loneliness—it all erupted. She grabbed the nearest thing—a glass paperweight—and hurled it at the wall. It shattered, the sound like a gunshot in the tense silence.
The secretary screamed, scrambling out of the room.
Michael grabbed Grace’s wrists, his grip firm. "Grace, enough! You’re acting crazy!"
"*Crazy?!" She wrenched free, tears streaming down her face. "You’ve been lying to me! You’ve been cheating on me!"
"I haven’t!" Michael’s voice broke. "Grace, please—just listen to me!"
But she didn’t want to listen.
She couldn’t.
The ride home was a blur.
Michael followed her, pleading the entire way, but Grace barely heard him. All she could hear was Pastor Gideon’s voice in her head:
"If you stay, you will die."
When they got home, the children were there—their three beautiful babies, their faces filled with confusion and fear as they watched their parents scream at each other.
"Daddy? Mommy?" little Sarah whispered, her eyes wide with tears.
Grace’s heart shattered.
But she couldn’t stop.
She packed her bags that night.
Michael begged on his knees, his voice broken. "Grace, please… Don’t do this. I love you. We love you."
The children cried, clinging to her legs. "Mommy, don’t go!"
Grace closed her eyes, her hands shaking as she zipped up her suitcase.
Pastor Gideon’s words echoed louder.
"God wants you free."
She turned away, walking out the door without looking back.
When she arrived at the church, Pastor Gideon welcomed her with open arms.
"Sister Grace," he said, his voice dripping with false warmth. "You’ve done the right thing. God is pleased."
He patted her back, his smile wide. "This is your new beginning."
Grace nodded, but deep down, beneath the numbness, a voice whispered:
What have I done?
That night, alone in the small apartment the pastor had arranged for her, Grace sat on the edge of an unfamiliar bed, staring at her phone.
There were 17 missed calls from Michael.
32 messages from the kids.
And one voicemail—Sarah’s tiny, broken voice:
"Mommy… please come home."
Grace pressed a hand to her mouth, choking back a sob.
For the first time, she wondered—had she made the biggest mistake of her life?
TO BE CONTINUED...

*THE RESTORER'S DAILY GUIDE*

DATE: WEDNESDAY 11TH JUNE 2025

THEME: *STAND OUT!*

MEMORIZE
John 15:19
If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

READ
1 John 2:15-17
[15]Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.
[16]For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one's own resources or in the stability of earthly things]–these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself].
[17]And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
*Loving the world is proof of lack of love for the LORD.*

MESSAGE
God did not call us to like the world or to be liked by the world, He called us to be His light to this dark world; and we do that by standing out as godly people.

We are not called to fit into this world but to stand out and stand tall enough to make a difference with our Christ-like lives.

We can not be pleasing to this world no matter how much we seek its validation and approval.

This world hates Jesus Christ our Lord, we should never love the world that killed our Saviour. To love the world is to betray our dear Lord and Saviour.

A world that crucified a perfect man like Jesus Christ will stop at nothing to destroy all who follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

We should, therefore, not be looking for anything else from this world other than to save its lost souls for the LORD.

If you live seeking the acceptance of this world, you will die suffering from the rejection of the world.

God's approval and applause are all you need to win in this life and be graciously accepted and celebrated in the world to come.

The only difference between us and this "sin-infested" world is Jesus Christ in us and the "Christ-lessness" in the world.

Therefore, my beloved, do not seek validation from the world that hated our Lord and Saviour enough to crucify Him.

If the world does not want my Saviour, I do not want the world either. It is strange to love the world that killed our Saviour and Lord and still claim to be following Him...

Who is on the LORD'S SIDE???

STAND OUT NOW!!!

ACTION STEPS
1. Prayerfully meditate on today's devotional guide.
2. Be determined to make a difference by strictly following the ways of the LORD always. Damn any consequences for following the LORD.
3. Fear nothing and no one else if you truly fear the LORD. He is the ultimate in the universe.

REMEMBER
*Loving the world is proof of lack of love for the LORD.*

PRAYERS
Dear heavenly Father, Thank you for today's devotional guide. I receive grace to truly follow you acceptably and faithfully to the end in Jesus' name. Amen.

AUTHOR: JEDIDIAH DAVID

DAILY READING: 2 Chronicles 12-14; Psalms 115-117; Proverbs 14; Matthew 24-25; Revelation 12-14;

HYMN
Arise and follow Me !
Alas, my Lord, I hear Thy word,
But Thee Thyself I can but dimly see ;
Help me to rise and follow Thee.

2
Arise and follow Me !
But I am bound to earth's cold ground
By many a tie : Come, Lord, and set me free,
Then I shall rise and follow Thee.

3
Arise and follow Me !
The way is rough, but 'tis enough
That through my life Thou wilt my
Leader be ;
And I will boldly follow Thee.

4
Arise and follow Me ! [tomb,
In mist and gloom, through tears and
Up golden streets and by the crystal sea,
I shall forever follow Thee,

PLEASE SHARE

*SOME NIGERIAN NEWSPAPER HEADLINES+, 11/06/2025*

Tinubu returns to Abuja, inaugurates rehabilitated ICC

Deadly flood: Niger communities battle stench from decaying corpses

Mokwa flood: Borno, Taraba donate N350m to victims

NiMet workers finally receive minimum wage

NSCDC debunks fake recruitment on social media

Naira appreciates to N1,600/$ in parallel market

Trump unveils $1,000 investment accounts for newborn Americans

US to restore some medical research grants, says Trump official

17 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes near Gaza aid site

Seven dead, schoolchildren missing as storm hits South Africa

World Bank projects three-year steady economic growth for Nigeria

Saudi’s Aramco delays Nigeria’s crude-backed $5bn loan

Lagos court jails nine Chinese for cybercrimes

19-year-old Nigerian artiste beaten to death in Ghana


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*DID YOU KNOW?*

* Octopuses have three hearts and blue blood. Two hearts pump blood to the gills while one pumps oxygenated blood to the rest of the body. Their blood is blue because it uses copper to transport oxygen unlike the red blood of humans which is transported with iron.

* Joal-Fadiouth, a district in Senegal, has an island and a beach entirely made of seashells.
---------------------------

Tinubu mandates MDAs to pay for Abuja conference centre

National Assembly mulls extension of 2024 budget capital vote

Senate pushes to move presidential inauguration venue from Eagle Square to N’Assembly

Petroleum subsidy was a scam, Nigeria can’t go back – Orji Kalu

Alleged N5.2b fraud: Court rejects ex-JAMB Registrar’s no-case submission

Court to hear suit on proposed sale of Lafarge

Court jails Afriq System’s CEO, Michael, over alleged $854.4m, N590m fraud

Indian, Dangote workers arraigned for diverting N4bn diesel

Court jails three for vandalising IKEDC cables

Woman jailed three years for child abuse in Ekiti

Family, lawyer urge EFCC to release CBEX promoter

Army kills terrorist kingpin, Jidda, others in Yobe, Borno

NAF probes death of detained corporal

Army celebrates troops battling insecurity in S’East

Divestment key to oil sector growth- Lokpobiri

FG to train 100,000 youths annually in forex trading

FG budget cut leaves 1,500 health workers without pay

FG eyes private capital for infrastructure at PPP summit

SEC directs firms to honour unclaimed dividends

Maritime bank to upgrade major shipyards – CEO

Wike Renames International Conference Centre After Tinubu

UNIJOS ready to host 2025 NUGA Games, says VC

Gregory varsity inducts 83 medical doctors

Ugosimba chieftaincy title for First Lady Tinubu in Enugu

90% of Yoruba kings don’t believe in Yoruba gods — Seun Kuti

My business collapsed after public criticism of pastors – Daddy Freeze

No prayers can erase six million Igbo deaths, group tells Gowon

Youths kick as gunmen kill 58, burn 82 houses in Plateau

June 12: Ijaw youths ask Tinubu to restore democracy in Rivers

Tinubu has failed to improve governance after Buhari’s era – Baba-Ahmed

Diesel, petrol to cost more as four depot owners raise prices

TAJBank signs agreement for N20bn Mudarabah Sukuk bond issuance

Accion MfB opens new branch in Ilorin

Local telecom operators spend $350m annually on diesel – Report

Edo Line retruns 15 years after

10 startups emerge winners of JusticeTechNG

i-Fitness boosts expansion plan

Reconcile or face impeachment, Rivers APC warns Fubara

Obi, Otti responsible for our crisis, not Fed Govt, says LP

We will police our votes in 2027, Obi vows

Saraki, PDP reconciliation committee meet Makinde

Power play: PDP convention caught in Wike-Makinde camps crossfire

Ajayi, PDP set to appeal tribunal’s verdict affirming Aiyedatiwa

Makinde, Speaker mourn Adefope

Adeleke commiserates with Oke-IIa monarch over wife’s death

Sanwo-Olu urges parents to instill values in children

Ododo warns against politicising insecurities

Mokwa flood: We don’t know where waters are coming from – Niger gov

Residents seek intervention as erosion sacks nine Anambra villages

Low turnout in Kano as civil servants resume

Many escape death as petrol-laden tanker explodes in Oyo

Pastor Adeboye visits Alaafin of Oyo

Ondo traders get N43m, 150 solar lights to boost business

1 Killed, 3 Abducted As Gunmen Invade Cashew Warehouse In Kwara

Two Truck Drivers Gunned Down, Vehicles Set Ablaze In Imo


---------------------------

*TODAY IN HISTORY*

* On this day in 1994, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola declared himself as Nigeria’s president in what is now known as the Epetedo Declaration. This was a year after the June 12, 1993, which it is now cofirmed he won, was annulled by the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. Less than 24 hours, he was arrested by the military government led by General Sani Abacha and detained without trial. He remained in custody till July 7, 1998 when he died under suspicious circumstances, just days after Abacha died.

---------------------------

Put all excuses aside and remember this: YOU are capable. – Zig Ziglar

*Compiled by Hon. Osuji George osujis@yahoo

“Peter Obi is the leader that we need for Nigeria but not the politician that we need for us”

“They benefited from free education but we don’t have that”

~ Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour

*Today, I pray for you a heart free of sadness, a mind free of worries, a life full of gladness, a body free of illness, and a day full of God’s blessings. Good Morning *

God is greater than any sorrow. Ask Him to free you from depression. Pray for His help & remember He has overcome the world. You're not alone; ask friends to pray for you. He will bring light & joy to your heart.

God is greater than any sorrow. Ask Him to free you from depression. Pray for His help & remember He has overcome the world. You're not alone; ask friends to pray for you. He will bring light & joy to your heart.

WHO ARE YOU TO TRUST.
Have absolute trust in your self, think of what to do and what you can freely do to change your life.
Never depend on anyone, but anyone helps you, fine.
Do not believe the world, for they will not give you Paradise.

Dear Parents

One of the best gifts you can give to your children is a good home. Creating a positive environment involves supporting their physical, emotional, and psychological development. Nothing stresses a child more than a home where parents are in turmoil.

Provide your child with a safe haven.
Ensure the home is safe and free from hazards, addressing both physical safety (like childproofing) and emotional safety (offering a non-judgmental space for self-expression).

Parent together as a couple to model teamwork. Children learn by observing, so demonstrate values you want them to adopt, such as honesty, kindness, and responsibility.

A PASTOR'S BETRAYAL
PART 2
Grace sat in the front pew of the church, her fingers nervously twisting the hem of her lace scarf. The air smelled of polished wood and faint incense, and the stained-glass windows painted colorful patterns on the floor. She had come early, hoping to speak to Pastor Gideon before the service began.
Her heart pounded as she rehearsed what she would say. "Pastor, my marriage is falling apart over small things. Michael doesn’t talk to me anymore. We used to be happy, but now… I don’t know what to do."
When the pastor finally emerged from his office, his smile was warm, his eyes kind. He looked like a man who carried the wisdom of God in his voice.
"Sister Grace," he said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You look troubled. Come, let’s talk."
Inside his office, Grace poured out her heart—how Michael was always busy, how they barely spoke, how she felt like a ghost in her own home. She expected comfort, maybe even prayer. But Pastor Gideon leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard as if God Himself had whispered a revelation into his ear.
"My daughter," he said, his voice smooth as honey, "sometimes what we think is a trial is actually God’s way of redirecting us."
Grace frowned. "What do you mean, Pastor?"
He sighed dramatically. "Perhaps… this marriage is not God’s will for you anymore."
Grace’s breath caught. Not God’s will? After eighteen years?
The pastor continued, his voice dropping to a whisper. "A man who neglects his wife is not a man of God. And you, Sister Grace, are too precious to waste your life waiting for love that isn’t there."
Her hands trembled. "But… we took vows. What about forgiveness? What about trying?"
Pastor Gideon shook his head sadly. "Some people are sent to test us, not to stay with us. Maybe God is calling you to let go."
Grace felt dizzy. This wasn’t what she had come for. She had wanted hope—a way to fix her marriage. Not… this.
The church doors closed behind her, and the bright sunlight felt like a cruel joke. Grace stumbled down the street, her vision blurred by tears.
"Leave him?"* How could that be God’s plan?
Yet the pastor’s words slithered into her mind, whispering doubts. "Michael doesn’t love you. You deserve better. God wants you free."
By the time she reached her house, her chest ached as if someone had reached inside and ripped out her heart. She barely made it to the bedroom before collapsing onto the bed, sobbing into the pillow.
Downstairs, Michael sat at the dining table, flipping through contracts. The sound of Grace’s cries floated down the hallway, but he didn’t look up.
When she finally came downstairs, her eyes red and swollen, he barely glanced at her.
"You, okay?" he asked absently, not waiting for an answer before turning back to his papers.
Grace stared at him, her heart breaking all over again.
He doesn’t even see me.
Pastor Gideon’s voice echoed in her mind: "You’re wasting your life."
For the first time in eighteen years, Grace wondered if the pastor was right.
That night, she couldn’t sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw two paths:
1. Stay and fight for her marriage—but what if Michael never changed?
2. Leave and trust "God’s plan"—but what if the pastor was wrong?
Meanwhile, miles away, Pastor Gideon sat in his lavish home, counting the offerings from Sunday’s service. His phone buzzed—a message from a wealthy widow in his congregation. He smiled.
Then he thought of Grace. Vulnerable. Heartbroken. Married to a rich man.
Perfect.
He sent her a text:
"Sister Grace, God laid you on my heart tonight. Remember—He never closes a door without opening a window. I’m here for you."
Grace read the message in the dark, tears rolling down her face.
She had no idea the window the pastor wanted to open… led straight into a trap.
TO BE CONTINUED...