Gopherwood Restoration Academy

16/09/2026

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐘
It was the first day of resumption, and we were taking a new route to our children’s school. This route required us to pass through a gated estate.

When we got to the estate gate, we were stopped.

“We can’t let you through. You’ll have to take another route", the security guards told us.

We were surprised and, at the same time, a little concerned. It was the first day of school, and the last thing we wanted was to start the term by arriving late. 😩

My husband got down from the car and tried to engage the security men, explaining why they needed to let us through.

Apparently, they were enforcing the estate’s payment requirements for residents. (Legally questionable, but that’s not the focus for today. 😉😂)

Now, here comes my favourite part👇👇

After speaking with the security men, my husband got back into the car.

Then our 8-year old daughter casually said:

“𝐃𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞.” 😯😂

WHAT?! 😯😯

We all laughed, but her statement got me thinking.

This little girl understood something about identity and positioning that many of us struggle to grasp 🙂‍↕️🤔🤔

In her mind, once they knew who we were, the situation would change🫡🤪

Of course, being a lawyer does not magically open every gate. But what fascinated me was her understanding that identity can influence how people perceive and respond to you.

And that got me thinking about something deeper: 👇👇

If you do not know who you are, you will not know how to leverage on it and how to rightly position yourself.

As believers, our identity is NOT ultimately defined by our profession, achievements, failures, background, possessions, or what people say about us.

𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬 YOU 𝐚𝐫𝐞.

📌YOU are His child!
📌YOU are loved!
📌YOU are accepted in Christ!
📌YOU have been called and given purpose!
📌YOU have an inheritance in Him!

When you do not know who you are, you may allow circumstances, people and even your past to give you an identity that God never gave you.

And when you accept the wrong identity, you may begin to make choices from the wrong place.

You may shrink when you should stand.

You may seek validation where God has already given you acceptance.

You may walk away from opportunities because you do not believe you belong there.

You may even keep knocking on doors while forgetting who sent you.

Knowing your identity does not mean becoming proud or feeling entitled, 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐝, 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨.

Know who you are.
Know whose you are.
Know what God has placed in you.
And position yourself accordingly.

Because when you understand your identity, you stop allowing every voice to tell you who you are.

IDENTITY IS NOT JUST ABOUT WHO YOU SEE IN THE MIRROR.
IT IS ABOUT SEEING YOURSELF THROUGH THE LENS OF GOD.

15/09/2026

A RENEWED AND TRANSFORMED MIND DOESN’T HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT.

IT IS BUILT BY DELIBERATE TIME SPENT WITH THE FATHER: IN PRAYER AND IN HIS WORD.

14/09/2026

14/09/2026

𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐒𝐄𝐓.

Imagine waiting and trusting God for an opportunity for so long and then the opportunity eventually comes, staring you in the face but you are oblivious of it.

That was the reality of the man at the pool of Bethesda who had been sick for years and waiting for healing.

When Jesus asked him if he wanted to be made whole, his response was not a declaration of faith. Instead, he began to explain why he had remained in the same position for so long:

“Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool…” John 5:7.

Interestingly, the man was oblivious to who was standing before him and the opportunity that had come his way.

Sometimes, opportunities are not always obvious. There could be potential clients, customers, mentors, partners, helpers or destiny connections around you, but how you position yourself can determine whether you recognise and maximise them.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞. You may not know what a particular relationship will produce today, but never underestimate what can come out of a seemingly ordinary encounter.

𝐀𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐲𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐫 “𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭” 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐥𝐲. But I remind myself that the person asking that question today could become a client tomorrow or could connect me to someone who needs my services.

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦.📌

So, reposition yourself and your mind.

𝐏𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! 𝐁𝐞 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞! 𝐁𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬!

Be intentional about your relationships. And, above all, ask God to open your eyes to recognise the opportunities He brings your way.

My prayer for you this week is that your eyes will be opened to the opportunities around you, and that you will be properly positioned to recognise, receive and maximise every good thing the Lord brings your way, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

14/09/2026

𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊!!!

𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊:
📌 I grow in wisdom as I pay attention to the voice of the Father.

📌 My feet are stayed on the path of good counsel. I shall not turn away from good guidance.

📌 I walk in my places of honour.

📌 My head shall not reject the crown of glory meant for me.

📌 I shall not live a wasted life. I declare that l live a fulfilled life on earth.

𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐃𝐎𝐌 𝐐𝐔𝐎𝐓𝐄
IF YOU LIVE A LIFE GUIDED BY WISDOM YOU WON’T LIMP OR STUMBLE AS YOU RUN

(Prov. 4:12)

13/09/2026

We specially welcome our newest followers
Owo Eja
Frances Abhadionmhen Irabor
Bukola Esther Daramola

We are glad to have you join us and we hope you find your time here valuable and worth it.

We love you 💗💗

13/09/2026

“𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡.” 😯😯

This was the surprising thing my pastor said today during our 35th Church Anniversary Celebration, and honestly, that statement stayed with me.

It takes courage for a leader to tell this to his congregation🙇

Especially in this time when some leaders are more 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡. It is refreshing to hear a pastor place the Gospel above the size of his congregation.

Here is the simple test he shared as gotten from 1Cor. 15:1-8, a test you should also apply in determining if your church is worth remaining in👇👇

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 🙌🙌

And what is the Gospel?

📌 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑪𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒔.
📌 𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒅.
📌 𝑯𝒆 𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒚.
📌 𝑯𝒆 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒔, 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚.

This is the foundation! This is the message! This is the Gospel!

If Christ and His finished work are not at the centre of what is being preached, then no amount of activities, programmes, entertainment, motivational speeches or impressive gatherings can replace what is missing.

The Gospel must remain the fulcrum.

And on your part, when you hear it, don't merely listen.

Receive it.
Stand on it.
Hold firmly to it.
Live it.

Because the goal is not simply to attend a church where the Gospel is preached.

The goal is to become a person whose life is built upon the Gospel and transformed by it.

So, will you be applying this test or I should mind my business???🙂😏😬

12/09/2026

By the time Apostle Paul came into the scene of apostleship, there were already 11 apostles (or 12 as it were), but his uniqueness separated him from other apostles.

While writing to the Corinthians, he said to them, "I might not be a trained speaker like your 'super apostles' 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 " (2Cor. 11:5-6).

And he leveraged on this unique knowledge that most of the epistles were written by him and still blessing lives today.

There was indeed no room for comparison or competition, everyone had their unique abilities and manifested it so, though they were all apostles.

The sky is big enough for you and a million others to fly.

Never limit yourself simply because you think too many people are already doing what you want to do.

I know I am talking to someone here🙌🙌🙇❤️

There is room for you! 📌📌

Your voice, your ideas, your gifts and your unique expression still matter.

You do not necessarily have to be the first, neither do you have to be the only one doing it. You just have to identify your uniqueness and leverage on it.

So find out that unique abilities the Lord has placed in you and make the most of the moment.❤️❤️👍

11/09/2026

𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐓𝐇 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅!
"They must be committed to the revealed truths of the Christian faith and must live with a clear conscience". (1Tim. 3:9).

This was Apostle Paul’s instruction to Timothy concerning the qualifications for those who would serve as deacons and bishops. They were to be firmly committed to the '𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡' of the Christian faith contained in God's Word.

You see, there are many truths contained in the Word of God, yet they all point us to the 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡🙌🙌🙇

There is something profound from the scripture above: 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 and for the truth to be revealed, it must first be searched out!

One of God’s greatest desires for us is not merely that we should be saved, but that we should come to the knowledge of the truth (1Tim. 2:4).

The Word of God contains treasures of truth, but we must be willing to search them out.

As we study the Scriptures diligently and yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit, He illuminates the Word, opening our understanding to see what we could not see before. What was once merely written on the pages of Scripture becomes revelation to our hearts and truth that can transform our lives.

So search the scripture for yourself and let the Holy Spirit illuminate your heart with the revelation thereof.

Remember: 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭, 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐬.

You have a duty to search out a truth from God's Word for the Holy Spirit to take the responsibility of revealing that truth to you📌📌📌

Do well to search out a truth in God’s Word today 🙌🙌

08/09/2026

More responsibility; More influence; More territory and greater blessings.

Hold on, and don't be discouraged 💪🙏❤️