<script data-pm-proxy="intercept"></script><?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[With Love, From Love]]></title><description><![CDATA[Writing Love Letters Weekly 💖]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!I22u!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd60eff3d-4184-438b-958d-8d7aad85020b_1280x1280.png</url><title>With Love, From Love</title><link>https://anireokene.substack.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 03 Sep 2026 01:34:23 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="/__u/anireokene.substack.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Aniré Okene Publishing]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[anireokene@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[anireokene@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[anireokene@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[anireokene@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Colour Me Amber]]></title><description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ll give you your flowers while it&#8217;s still day.]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/colour-me-amber</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/colour-me-amber</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 30 Aug 2026 15:00:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w_K1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08307fb1-5e06-4676-86c8-796056df7a46_3648x4864.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w_K1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08307fb1-5e06-4676-86c8-796056df7a46_3648x4864.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w_K1!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08307fb1-5e06-4676-86c8-796056df7a46_3648x4864.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w_K1!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08307fb1-5e06-4676-86c8-796056df7a46_3648x4864.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w_K1!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08307fb1-5e06-4676-86c8-796056df7a46_3648x4864.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w_K1!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08307fb1-5e06-4676-86c8-796056df7a46_3648x4864.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w_K1!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08307fb1-5e06-4676-86c8-796056df7a46_3648x4864.jpeg" width="1456" height="1941" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/08307fb1-5e06-4676-86c8-796056df7a46_3648x4864.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1941,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1597721,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/213343806?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08307fb1-5e06-4676-86c8-796056df7a46_3648x4864.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w_K1!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08307fb1-5e06-4676-86c8-796056df7a46_3648x4864.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w_K1!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08307fb1-5e06-4676-86c8-796056df7a46_3648x4864.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w_K1!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08307fb1-5e06-4676-86c8-796056df7a46_3648x4864.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!w_K1!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F08307fb1-5e06-4676-86c8-796056df7a46_3648x4864.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@lisa_marie_theck?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Lisa Marie Theck</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/woman-with-braided-hair-accessory-iqUrsXhb5d0?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p><span>I&#8217;ll give you your flowers while it&#8217;s still day. I&#8217;ll handpick the best of roses while they&#8217;re in their brightest bloom. I&#8217;ll give you the best of the lilies while their scent fills the air with the fragrance of their aroma. I&#8217;ll circumnavigate the earth in search of the best orchids, just for you </span>&#129505;</p><p><span>I&#8217;m careful not to take you for granted; and appreciating your beauty in the purity of your elegance is the least I can do to show you that I truly honour you, deeply. Why should I be shy to say </span><em><span>you&#8217;re beautiful</span></em><span> &#128525;...or why should I act as though your personality isn&#8217;t better than sliced bread &#128523;</span></p><p><span>You take my breath away, not because I can&#8217;t contain myself whenever you&#8217;re near; it&#8217;s because you&#8217;re rare, priceless and a bundle of joy to be around. </span><strong><span>I love you!</span></strong><span> And you don&#8217;t have to force yourself to love me back. I&#8217;m glad I love you. I&#8217;m contented loving you and not expecting any reciprocity. I make bold to say that loving you is one of the most beautiful and meaningful experiences of my life; and I&#8217;m privileged to hold you dear in my heart. My love isn&#8217;t a feeling that demands satisfaction. It isn&#8217;t an emotion that can change by anything you do or choose not to. My love is an everlasting </span><em><span>ever-endearing</span></em><span> force, forged in the furnace of honour, respect and admiration for you. I see you how GOD sees you, because I see you through His eyes, and that&#8217;s why I&#8217;m so in love with you; because in GOD&#8217;s eyes, you&#8217;re the most beautiful Woman in the entire universe </span><em><span>in-and-out</span></em><span> &#9786;&#65039;</span></p><p><span>&#8212; With Love, From </span><em><span>Love</span></em><span> &#128150;</span></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Queen of Hearts]]></title><description><![CDATA[Your beauty is incorruptible, gentle and quiet.]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/queen-of-hearts</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/queen-of-hearts</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 23 Aug 2026 15:01:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5Gc!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc58be4cd-cfa8-435e-a242-7095df574376_3024x4032.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5Gc!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc58be4cd-cfa8-435e-a242-7095df574376_3024x4032.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5Gc!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc58be4cd-cfa8-435e-a242-7095df574376_3024x4032.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5Gc!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc58be4cd-cfa8-435e-a242-7095df574376_3024x4032.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5Gc!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc58be4cd-cfa8-435e-a242-7095df574376_3024x4032.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5Gc!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc58be4cd-cfa8-435e-a242-7095df574376_3024x4032.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5Gc!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc58be4cd-cfa8-435e-a242-7095df574376_3024x4032.jpeg" width="1456" height="1941" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c58be4cd-cfa8-435e-a242-7095df574376_3024x4032.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1941,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:929921,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/212377357?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc58be4cd-cfa8-435e-a242-7095df574376_3024x4032.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5Gc!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!C5Gc!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc58be4cd-cfa8-435e-a242-7095df574376_3024x4032.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@iamdetunji?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">ade</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/woman-in-black-and-white-stripe-spaghetti-strap-top-wearing-eyeglasses-B0q7eBuXKjA?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p><span>Your beauty is incorruptible, gentle and quiet. Your Spirit is very precious in GOD&#8217;s eyes and in mine. Your presence is comforting, refreshing and satisfying. Your breath is the sweetest taste in my lungs &#129729;</span></p><p><span>Who can find a virtuous woman in this day and age? Who is worthy to wield her and to wear her as a crown adorned with precious diadems from heaven? Who of nobility is worthy enough to kneel before her with outstretched arms, seeking a lifetime of endless adventures and conquest with her? Who is trustworthy to hold the hands of such a rare and endangered specie of a woman &#128141;</span></p><p><span>I count it all joy and a privilege to even be seen by you. I&#8217;m in awe of your awesomeness, captured by your aura and bound to you in fetters as a bond-servant of your love. </span><strong><span>The authenticity of your priesthood is sovereign</span></strong><span>. You are the Queen of my heart and the light that amplifies my light. In your light, I see the fullness and the effulgence of my life. I am your captive; a slave to your love and a victim of your existence &#129486;&#127997;&#8205;&#9794;&#65039;</span></p><p><span>&#8212; With Love, From </span><em><span>Love</span></em><span> &#128150;</span></p><p><em><strong><span>Side Note:</span></strong></em></p><p>There&#8217;s absolutely nothing wrong in telling someone we love them passionately. Love doesn&#8217;t always have to be romantic; and it doesn't have to be a game of <em>&#8220;what ifs and maybes&#8221;.</em> We shouldn&#8217;t let trauma dictate how we express love. Let&#8217;s not let the <em><strong>&#8220;fear of rejection&#8221;</strong></em> hold us back from telling someone we truly love that we love them. Strings don&#8217;t have to be attached to love. Maybe the reason we&#8217;re scared to let them know is because we&#8217;re in it for all the wrong &amp; selfish reasons. Maybe our love isn&#8217;t truly grounded in love. Maybe we just want them all to ourselves more than we love them; because if we truly loved them, we&#8217;d let them know without thinking about how it&#8217;ll make us look. Maybe our expectations of love aren&#8217;t based off of the Bible as we like to claim; maybe it&#8217;s based off of our lustfulness and the corruption that is this world. <strong>Love doesn&#8217;t have to be reciprocated</strong>. Love just has to be heartfelt, complete and <em>given.</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Hearth Of Hearts]]></title><description><![CDATA[I stayed up all night &#8216;cos I couldn&#8217;t stop thinking about you.]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/hearth-of-hearts</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/hearth-of-hearts</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2026 15:01:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!K4Bz!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3bfd74f-c2dc-4e38-b26f-25d7655788a6_4000x6000.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!K4Bz!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3bfd74f-c2dc-4e38-b26f-25d7655788a6_4000x6000.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!K4Bz!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3bfd74f-c2dc-4e38-b26f-25d7655788a6_4000x6000.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!K4Bz!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3bfd74f-c2dc-4e38-b26f-25d7655788a6_4000x6000.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!K4Bz!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3bfd74f-c2dc-4e38-b26f-25d7655788a6_4000x6000.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!K4Bz!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3bfd74f-c2dc-4e38-b26f-25d7655788a6_4000x6000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!K4Bz!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3bfd74f-c2dc-4e38-b26f-25d7655788a6_4000x6000.jpeg" width="1456" height="2184" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c3bfd74f-c2dc-4e38-b26f-25d7655788a6_4000x6000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2184,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:7727549,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/210679117?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3bfd74f-c2dc-4e38-b26f-25d7655788a6_4000x6000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!K4Bz!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3bfd74f-c2dc-4e38-b26f-25d7655788a6_4000x6000.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!K4Bz!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3bfd74f-c2dc-4e38-b26f-25d7655788a6_4000x6000.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!K4Bz!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3bfd74f-c2dc-4e38-b26f-25d7655788a6_4000x6000.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!K4Bz!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3bfd74f-c2dc-4e38-b26f-25d7655788a6_4000x6000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@alikarimibn?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Ali Karimiboroujeni</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-person-in-a-white-dress-standing-in-a-field-6cVU1DcG5dA?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p><span>I stayed up all night </span><em><span>&#8216;cos</span></em><span> I couldn&#8217;t stop thinking about you. It&#8217;s 4am and all I want to do, is see your pretty smile again. Your presence left an impression on me that I&#8217;ll never forget. Your laughter is the most beautiful cosmic event in all the universe.</span></p><p><span>There&#8217;s a sunburst in me that&#8217;s blooming with life and excitement. There&#8217;s a sunrise in my heart that&#8217;s breaking forth through my clouded soul. You&#8217;ve left an imprint on me that can&#8217;t be removed. </span><em><span>I&#8217;m in love with your name and the beauty you exude so effortlessly.</span></em></p><p>I'm like a man who found the greatest treasure in the whole wide world&#8212;hidden in a field and went off to sell all that he has, just so he can buy that field and secure <em>that</em> great treasure for himself. I'm like a child who's found the greatest adventure and can't stop telling everyone about it. I'm like a bee who stumbled on the most beautiful flower with overflowing nectar and the most beautiful scent. I'm that man, who's found the missing piece to his entire life.</p><p><span>I&#8217;m not afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day; what I&#8217;m afraid of is living the rest of my life without you. There&#8217;s a fire in your eyes that brings warmth to my hearth of hearts. You are lovely! </span><em><span>Truly, you are lovely...and I&#8217;d love to love you with all my heart &amp; with all my soul and with all my might, for the rest of my life...if you&#8217;ll let me...</span></em></p><p><span>&#8212; With Love, From </span><em><span>Love</span></em><span> &#128150;</span></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Faithful Till The Very End]]></title><description><![CDATA[Faithfulness isn&#8217;t up for negotiations.]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/faithful-till-the-very-end</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/faithful-till-the-very-end</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 09 Aug 2026 15:02:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qxqg!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba6669f2-8e86-4a53-b410-bd94d7303d0f_4000x6000.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qxqg!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba6669f2-8e86-4a53-b410-bd94d7303d0f_4000x6000.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qxqg!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba6669f2-8e86-4a53-b410-bd94d7303d0f_4000x6000.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qxqg!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba6669f2-8e86-4a53-b410-bd94d7303d0f_4000x6000.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qxqg!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba6669f2-8e86-4a53-b410-bd94d7303d0f_4000x6000.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qxqg!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba6669f2-8e86-4a53-b410-bd94d7303d0f_4000x6000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qxqg!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba6669f2-8e86-4a53-b410-bd94d7303d0f_4000x6000.jpeg" width="1456" height="2184" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/ba6669f2-8e86-4a53-b410-bd94d7303d0f_4000x6000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2184,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3228060,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/210410476?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba6669f2-8e86-4a53-b410-bd94d7303d0f_4000x6000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qxqg!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba6669f2-8e86-4a53-b410-bd94d7303d0f_4000x6000.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qxqg!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba6669f2-8e86-4a53-b410-bd94d7303d0f_4000x6000.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qxqg!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba6669f2-8e86-4a53-b410-bd94d7303d0f_4000x6000.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!qxqg!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fba6669f2-8e86-4a53-b410-bd94d7303d0f_4000x6000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@joeyy_anne?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Joeyy Lee</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-man-kneeling-down-next-to-a-woman-on-top-of-a-cliff-avSpL9xqe9c?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p><span>Faithfulness isn&#8217;t up for negotiations. It isn&#8217;t conditional. Faithfulness isn&#8217;t predicated on the other party holding on to their own end of the stick. Faithfulness is an integral part of a person&#8217;s integrity. To be faithful is to be true to GOD.</span></p><p><span>Being faithful to others isn&#8217;t a testament of your loyalty to them </span><em><span>per se,</span></em><span> it&#8217;s a pointer to the fact that we&#8217;re governed by a higher and purely righteous authority, </span><em><span>which is and who is</span></em><span> Christ Jesus.</span></p><p><span>I&#8217;m not the most well behaved person, nor am I the most morally upright, but because I&#8217;m fully surrendered and submitted to the Lordship of Jesus, I&#8217;m obligated by covenant to stay Faithful to GOD&#8217;s every instruction on how to live and treat people. </span><strong><span>Faithfulness is a fruit of The Spirit</span></strong><span>. It is a clear indicator that the hand of GOD is prevalent in the life of an individual.</span></p><p><span>Faithfulness transcends all areas of our lives. It&#8217;s easier to be faithful in a relationship when you&#8217;ve been faithful in keeping your daily prayer appointments, giving your tithe consistently without cohesion and being a person of utmost credibility. A faithful person wouldn&#8217;t entertain other people whilst in a talking stage with someone else, let alone harbour the thought of </span><em><span>cheating</span></em><span> on their (potential) life-partner. </span><strong><span>Faithfulness is an enablement that The Holy Spirit gives</span></strong><span>; and without the enablement of The Holy Spirit, faithfulness can be compromised &amp; become conditional&#8212;subject to feelings, emotions and external influence.</span></p><p>Without faithfulness, love is immaterial. It&#8217;s not a bargaining chip in marriage, neither is it a &#8220;favour&#8221; in any defined relationship. <strong>Faithfulness is the barest minimum anyone can bring to the table</strong>. It tells more about a person when their faithfulness isn&#8217;t tied to them benefiting anything whatsoever. Our faithfulness is a form of covenant between us and GOD. If we&#8217;re faithful in little, ABBA will entrust us with so much more!</p><div class="callout-block" data-callout="true"><p><em>It isn&#8217;t enough to be a fig tree that has only leaves. If we&#8217;re not hearing good fruit, we&#8217;re most likely going to be cut down and tossed into the fiery furnace.</em></p></div><p><span>Faithfulness is a non-negotiable as a Believer; and it&#8217;s one of the most important primary traits to lookout for in a potential life-partner. Faithfulness demands us dying to ourselves daily; and it isn&#8217;t easy, but it&#8217;s always worth it, in the end.</span></p><p><span>&#8212; With Love, From </span><em><span>Love</span></em><span> &#128150;</span></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bond Of Perfection]]></title><description><![CDATA[Nobody deserves to feel the brunt of our unhealed hearts and uncircumcised approach towards others.]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/bond-of-perfection</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/bond-of-perfection</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 02 Aug 2026 15:00:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j0E9!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa8049ce-a646-4c29-ae22-9920b7477c72_3813x5720.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j0E9!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa8049ce-a646-4c29-ae22-9920b7477c72_3813x5720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j0E9!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa8049ce-a646-4c29-ae22-9920b7477c72_3813x5720.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j0E9!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa8049ce-a646-4c29-ae22-9920b7477c72_3813x5720.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j0E9!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa8049ce-a646-4c29-ae22-9920b7477c72_3813x5720.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j0E9!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa8049ce-a646-4c29-ae22-9920b7477c72_3813x5720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j0E9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa8049ce-a646-4c29-ae22-9920b7477c72_3813x5720.jpeg" width="1456" height="2184" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/aa8049ce-a646-4c29-ae22-9920b7477c72_3813x5720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2184,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1872495,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/208966485?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa8049ce-a646-4c29-ae22-9920b7477c72_3813x5720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j0E9!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!j0E9!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Faa8049ce-a646-4c29-ae22-9920b7477c72_3813x5720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@visualsofdana?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">visualsofdana</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-woman-in-a-white-dress-standing-in-the-water-P6EnVN03VMo?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p><span>Nobody deserves to feel the brunt of our unhealed hearts and uncircumcised approach towards others. It&#8217;s not by force to be in a relationship, especially when we know for certain that we&#8217;re truly not ready for the responsibilities that come with dating, courting and marriage.</span></p><p><span>The lack of ability to forgive easily, is a clear indicator that we&#8217;re not ready to enter into any sort of romantic relationship </span><em><span>just yet.</span></em><span> Nobody wants to date someone who struggles to let go of offence. Nobody deserves to be in a relationship that feels like </span><em><span>&#8220;punishment&#8221;.</span></em><span> Nobody deserves to be with someone whose auto response is to withdraw completely into their shell and isolate themselves from their partner. Nobody deserves to date a broken flask.</span></p><p><span>If we love people, we&#8217;ll be patient. We&#8217;ll be kind. We&#8217;ll not be jealous of others. We&#8217;ll not be proud or boast. If we truly love people, we&#8217;ll be polite. We&#8217;ll not just want to please ourselves. We&#8217;ll not quickly become angry. If someone does something wrong against us, we&#8217;ll not keep it in our thoughts. If we love people, we&#8217;ll not be happy when wicked things happen. Instead, we&#8217;ll be happy when things happen that are right and true. If we love people, we&#8217;ll always accept their problems and be more accommodating. We&#8217;ll always believe them. We&#8217;ll always hope for what is best. We&#8217;ll always be patient in any kind of situation.</span></p><p><strong><span>It doesn&#8217;t take GOD eternity to do what is eternal</span></strong><span>. It doesn&#8217;t take so long for GOD to change our hearts. The problem isn&#8217;t really a heart thing, it&#8217;s a mindset thing; for though our hearts have been transformed when we received the Life of Jesus, our minds need renewing everyday! Choosing to maintain the characteristics of </span><em><span>&#8220;the old man&#8221;</span></em><span> is a mind renewal dysfunction.</span></p><p><span>How we respond, react and behave in our single season, displays our readiness or the lack thereof to be in any sort of romantic relationship. Our impatience and emotional decline when things aren&#8217;t going our way, only goes to show why GOD is still incubating us in our singleness. We desire to love and be loved, but love requires the ultimate sacrifice of perpetual </span><em><span>death to self</span></em><span> daily&#8212;something we&#8217;re unwilling to subscribe to, because past experiences have shaped us into believing that holding on to the fractured fragments of SELF and the dysfunctionalities that accompany it, are easier to cling to, </span><em><span>than letting go of the pain, hurt, pride, ego and fear of being vulnerable &amp; getting hurt again.</span></em></p><div class="callout-block" data-callout="true"><p><strong><span>Christ is our anchor</span></strong><span>. That&#8217;s why we must learn to live a life that pleases Him&#8212;which includes; </span><em><span>loving others, being peaceable with all men, being patient, kind and good without compromise, being accountable and credible with integrity, having self control (especially with our emotions and desires) and being a perfect representation of Jesus&#8212;who is Love&#8212;which is our bond of perfection towards all men.</span></em></p></div><p><span>Nobody deserves the worst versions of us. If we desire the best </span><em><span>of/from</span></em><span> others, the least we can do is to be the very best versions of ourselves&#8212;</span><strong><span>beyond our natural abilities</span></strong><span>. That idea of </span><em><span>&#8220;that&#8217;s how I am&#8221;</span></em><span> is lazy and selfish. Put in the work required to grow and mature emotionally, spiritually &amp; otherwise; and live a life that Jesus can be proud of. Don&#8217;t be the reason someone loses hope in love and don&#8217;t be discouraged when things don&#8217;t go your way either. Rather than wish for light at the end of the tunnel, why not shine as light in the midst of </span><em><span>that</span></em><span> darkness and show others the way out. Love is basically servant leadership and the best example of </span><em><span>true</span>&#8212;selfless&#8212;unconditional</em><span> Love, is Jesus.</span></p><p><span>&#8212; With Love, From </span><em><span>Love</span></em><span> &#128150;</span></p><p><em><strong><span>Side Note:</span></strong></em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aIN!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F46361504-c88d-4092-95bc-6fcf3be1bac3_1024x1536.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aIN!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F46361504-c88d-4092-95bc-6fcf3be1bac3_1024x1536.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aIN!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F46361504-c88d-4092-95bc-6fcf3be1bac3_1024x1536.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aIN!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F46361504-c88d-4092-95bc-6fcf3be1bac3_1024x1536.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aIN!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F46361504-c88d-4092-95bc-6fcf3be1bac3_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aIN!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F46361504-c88d-4092-95bc-6fcf3be1bac3_1024x1536.png" width="1024" height="1536" 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/__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F46361504-c88d-4092-95bc-6fcf3be1bac3_1024x1536.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aIN!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F46361504-c88d-4092-95bc-6fcf3be1bac3_1024x1536.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aIN!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F46361504-c88d-4092-95bc-6fcf3be1bac3_1024x1536.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1aIN!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F46361504-c88d-4092-95bc-6fcf3be1bac3_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>My 6th full-length Gospel album is out on Apple Music, Spotify &amp; everywhere else you listen to music and it&#8217;s titled </span><strong><span>A.D.</span></strong><span> </span><em><span>(Anno Domini&#8212;In The Year Of Our LORD&#8212;</span><strong><span>After the Death</span></strong><span> of Jesus Christ).</span></em><span> It starts off with a song titled &#8220;</span><strong><span>B.C</span></strong><span>.&#8221; and the entire album is fundamentally structured on one of the most important books in the entire Bible&#8212;the book of Romans.</span></p><iframe class="spotify-wrap album" data-attrs="{&quot;image&quot;:&quot;https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b273c237a45c7e4bcdb9cb2289c9&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;A.D.&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;Strings Of Worship&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Album&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.spotify.com/album/66AEcMp0GOPvU3uxiFJpJA&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;noScroll&quot;:false}" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/66AEcMp0GOPvU3uxiFJpJA" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" loading="lazy" data-component-name="Spotify2ToDOM"></iframe><p><span>The album is an evangelical masterpiece that preaches the Gospel to the unsaved and teaches the Believer </span><em><span>in-depthly</span></em><span> about the legalities and the liberalities of the Grace of GOD in the salvation we now have through Christ Jesus. It&#8217;s a </span><em><span>well put together</span></em><span> musical tapestry that pieces the truth of GOD&#8217;s Word in songs; which forms a mosaic </span><em><span>at the crescendo of the album,</span></em><span> titled &#8220;</span><strong><span>Living Sacrifice</span></strong><span>&#8220;. It&#8217;s a 10-track album I encourage you to listen to with an open heart...and please, do share this album with someone you love and want to see saved! Let me know what your thoughts are about this album and about this letter in the comments &#9786;&#65039;</span></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://lnkfi.re/a.d&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;&#127911; Listen to my new album \&quot;A.D.\&quot;&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://lnkfi.re/a.d"><span>&#127911; Listen to my new album "A.D."</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Scent Of Love]]></title><description><![CDATA[I see joy in you.]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/scent-of-love</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/scent-of-love</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2026 19:38:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TgAp!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cae8d47-85f4-4eae-8114-f9265327f401_4480x6720.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TgAp!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cae8d47-85f4-4eae-8114-f9265327f401_4480x6720.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TgAp!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cae8d47-85f4-4eae-8114-f9265327f401_4480x6720.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TgAp!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cae8d47-85f4-4eae-8114-f9265327f401_4480x6720.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TgAp!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cae8d47-85f4-4eae-8114-f9265327f401_4480x6720.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TgAp!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cae8d47-85f4-4eae-8114-f9265327f401_4480x6720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TgAp!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cae8d47-85f4-4eae-8114-f9265327f401_4480x6720.jpeg" width="1456" height="2184" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7cae8d47-85f4-4eae-8114-f9265327f401_4480x6720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2184,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1592206,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/208593509?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cae8d47-85f4-4eae-8114-f9265327f401_4480x6720.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TgAp!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cae8d47-85f4-4eae-8114-f9265327f401_4480x6720.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TgAp!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cae8d47-85f4-4eae-8114-f9265327f401_4480x6720.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TgAp!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cae8d47-85f4-4eae-8114-f9265327f401_4480x6720.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!TgAp!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7cae8d47-85f4-4eae-8114-f9265327f401_4480x6720.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@gift_habeshaw?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Gift Habeshaw</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/silhouette-of-couple-kissing-during-daytime-XUDnnqjL63k?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p><span>I see joy in you. Even in dark days and tough times you sometimes find yourself in, you still come out rejoicing. Even in the midst of tears and heartbreaks, you still come out swinging&#8212;hitting every curveball out of the park and beyond the constraints of your limitations.</span></p><p><span>I see strength! </span><strong><span>Strength beyond your human abilities</span></strong><span>. Beyond skill, beyond character development, beyond learning and adaptation; I see strength&#8212;not in the absence of weaknesses, but in the presence of them all.</span></p><p><span>I see love in you. A kind of compassion that no one can fake. A genuine love for people and their well-being. I see tenderness of heart in you&#8212;the kind that only Jesus has; an undeniable indistinguishable unconditional heart of GOD </span><em><span>towards</span></em><span> all men, regardless of their race, tribe and religious beliefs.</span></p><p><strong><span>I see Christ in you</span></strong><span>. If you asked me </span><em><span>what it was&#8212;what it is</span></em><span> that I see in you, that makes me fall deeply in love with you everyday, it&#8217;ll be this; </span><em><strong><span>that I see the fullness of Christ in you, being expressed expressly without any form of inhibition, everyday.</span></strong></em><span> I see the heart of Light in you...I see the heart of ABBA, of Jesus and of The Holy Spirit </span><em><span>packaged</span></em><span> as an incorruptible stream of Light in you.</span></p><p><span>I see heaven in your eyes, and a rainbow adorned as a crown all around you. I see rivers of living water flowing from within you, watering everything and everyone you come across&#8212;giving them life and healing their hearts. I see endless possibilities in you; I see a Woman born of GOD, sold out to Jesus and full of The Holy Spirit. I see my children in you, and my grandchildren &amp; my great-grandchildren...even to a thousand generations. I see the fullness of my life in you, and the completion of my destiny </span><em><span>with you. </span></em><span>That&#8217;s how I know it&#8217;s you I need to be with for the rest of my life...that&#8217;s how I know you&#8217;re the one I need to love, </span><em><span>forever.</span></em></p><p><span>&#8212; With Love, From </span><em><span>Love</span></em><span> &#128150;</span></p><p><em><strong><span>Side Note:</span></strong></em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JmtI!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa20e796e-72ad-4935-bbfe-1c624b626aa9_828x1131.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JmtI!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa20e796e-72ad-4935-bbfe-1c624b626aa9_828x1131.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JmtI!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa20e796e-72ad-4935-bbfe-1c624b626aa9_828x1131.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JmtI!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa20e796e-72ad-4935-bbfe-1c624b626aa9_828x1131.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JmtI!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa20e796e-72ad-4935-bbfe-1c624b626aa9_828x1131.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JmtI!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa20e796e-72ad-4935-bbfe-1c624b626aa9_828x1131.jpeg" width="828" height="1131" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a20e796e-72ad-4935-bbfe-1c624b626aa9_828x1131.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1131,&quot;width&quot;:828,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:64684,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/208593509?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa20e796e-72ad-4935-bbfe-1c624b626aa9_828x1131.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JmtI!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa20e796e-72ad-4935-bbfe-1c624b626aa9_828x1131.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JmtI!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa20e796e-72ad-4935-bbfe-1c624b626aa9_828x1131.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JmtI!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa20e796e-72ad-4935-bbfe-1c624b626aa9_828x1131.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!JmtI!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa20e796e-72ad-4935-bbfe-1c624b626aa9_828x1131.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Rumour has it on Twitter (now &#8216;X&#8217;) that I'm happily married &#128563;. Haven't been on the app since April 2024, so I wouldn't know! I hope my Wife sees it and tells me congratulations in the comments or in my DMs, so that I can actually meet her in person and actually do get married &#129401;. I pray my helper also remembers me the way this lady did, because my destiny needs major help &#129401;&#128557;&#128591;&#127997;</p><p><em><strong>Side Bar:</strong></em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7w8p!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7c3fbbaf-4578-44e6-8760-5a9d874481e1_1024x1536.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7w8p!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7c3fbbaf-4578-44e6-8760-5a9d874481e1_1024x1536.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7w8p!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7c3fbbaf-4578-44e6-8760-5a9d874481e1_1024x1536.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7w8p!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7c3fbbaf-4578-44e6-8760-5a9d874481e1_1024x1536.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7w8p!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7c3fbbaf-4578-44e6-8760-5a9d874481e1_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7w8p!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7c3fbbaf-4578-44e6-8760-5a9d874481e1_1024x1536.png" width="1024" height="1536" 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!7w8p!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7c3fbbaf-4578-44e6-8760-5a9d874481e1_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I had a prayer vigil at my place on Friday and it was beyond everything that I could've hoped for. GOD moved in our hearts and in our lives so mightily, that by the time morning came, we were all refreshed and had <em>each had</em> genuine encounters with The Holy Ghost. I want to say thank you to everyone who made it over to my house for this special vigil session and to the ones who took out time to join in online. For those who aren't aware, I steward a prayer room called &#8216;<strong>The 11th Hour Prayer Room</strong>&#8217; every Friday from 11pm&#8212;1am on Google meet and we've been meeting unfailingly since September 5th 2025. If you'd like to join us to pray this Friday, please tap the button below to join our WhatsApp channel.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6i8BOEquiSvgT2IU2X" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vQUo!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6f2c31f7-a8e0-4f15-b24c-3f3e0192ca36_1086x1448.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vQUo!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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/__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6f2c31f7-a8e0-4f15-b24c-3f3e0192ca36_1086x1448.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vQUo!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F6f2c31f7-a8e0-4f15-b24c-3f3e0192ca36_1086x1448.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6i8BOEquiSvgT2IU2X&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Join The 11th Hour Prayer Room WhatsApp&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vb6i8BOEquiSvgT2IU2X"><span>Join The 11th Hour Prayer Room WhatsApp</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Choosing Right]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of the most difficult decisions any adult can make in life, is choosing who to marry.]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/choosing-right</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/choosing-right</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 19 Jul 2026 15:05:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uPes!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F797de9ee-3f34-4284-ab32-c37652d9aa89_6336x9504.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uPes!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F797de9ee-3f34-4284-ab32-c37652d9aa89_6336x9504.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uPes!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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/__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F797de9ee-3f34-4284-ab32-c37652d9aa89_6336x9504.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uPes!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F797de9ee-3f34-4284-ab32-c37652d9aa89_6336x9504.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!uPes!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F797de9ee-3f34-4284-ab32-c37652d9aa89_6336x9504.jpeg 1272w, 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8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@capture_it?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Hector Reyes</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-silhouette-of-a-couple-kissing-in-front-of-a-sunset-Rl45a0qS-MY?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p><span>One of the most difficult decisions any adult can make in life, is choosing who to marry. It&#8217;s not as straight forward as people make it out to seem. I&#8217;ve seen amazing couples have great weddings, only to have disastrous marriages. I&#8217;ve seen people rush into marriage because of impatience and societal pressures.</span></p><p><span>I&#8217;ve had pastors, friends, strangers and </span><em><span>non-well wishers</span></em><span> tell me to </span><em><span>&#8220;pick any girl and marry&#8221;,</span></em><span> citing that at my age, I must be doing something wrong or there must be something awfully wrong with me. In my head, I&#8217;m like </span><em><span>&#8220;is it add to cart?&#8221;.</span></em><span> One of the craziest things about choosing a life partner is actually knowing GOD&#8217;s blueprint for your life. I&#8217;ll be 38 in September and my friends don&#8217;t let me hear the last of it. </span><em><span>&#8220;Anir&#233;, when will you marry?&#8221; &#8220;You&#8217;re getting old Ooooooooooooooo!&#8221;...</span></em><span>as if I&#8217;m not aware &#128530;.</span></p><p><span>One thing I&#8217;ve learnt to do, is to shut out the noise from outside and listen carefully for The Holy Ghost. GOD knows I&#8217;d have married wrong if I&#8217;d have gotten married earlier in life; not because the women I&#8217;ve dated weren&#8217;t amazing, but because </span><strong><span>I wasn&#8217;t the man GOD needed me to be at that time</span></strong><span>. I had generational curses and patterns to break that I wasn&#8217;t even aware of at age 35. I didn&#8217;t have as much clarity about my destiny as I have now. I didn&#8217;t even have a beautiful relationship with The Holy Spirit as I thought I did. I was a well packaged </span><em><span>mess</span></em><span> in designer clothes and expensive perfumes. I was unprepared for marriage...and that&#8217;s what a lot of people don&#8217;t realize; marriage isn&#8217;t vibes, it&#8217;s a lifelong blood covenant with another human being that has a different upbringing, ideas, ideologies and character traits. That&#8217;s not something you rush into with just head knowledge. That&#8217;s something GOD prepares us for&#8212;and everyone has their own timing according to GOD&#8217;s divine calendar.</span></p><p><span>One thing my family thought me early was not to compare my life with other people; and thank GOD for my siblings who don&#8217;t pressure me about marriage at all. My life has never been ordinary and it's never followed the regular trajectory of the status quo, so why force what GOD hasn&#8217;t approved of yet?!</span></p><p><span>Choosing the right partner takes discernment; first for your own destiny &amp; life, and then for the person&#8217;s destiny as well. </span><em><strong><span>Just because you can woo a lady, doesn&#8217;t mean you&#8217;re qualified to steward her destiny; and just because you can get any man you want, doesn&#8217;t mean you know how to help him fulfill his purpose in Christ. </span></strong></em><span>People marry for different reasons and the reason I want to get married is so that </span><strong><span>the plan of GOD for my Wife will be fulfilled</span></strong><span> with excellence, precision &amp; accuracy; and so that my destiny </span><em><span>as it pertains to the Kingdom of GOD being established on the earth in my lifetime</span></em><span> will be accomplished in partnership with my darling Wife.</span></p><p><span>Don&#8217;t let the world gaslight you and don&#8217;t gaslight yourself into thinking that you&#8217;ve missed your opportunity to fall in love and be happily married. GOD writes the best love stories and He isn&#8217;t done writing yours. Rather than complain, lament and be depressed because you&#8217;re 30-something and aren&#8217;t married yet, why not take this season of singleness to grow more in your relationship with The Holy Spirit; to become a well refined version of yourself and to put your hands fully on the plow of your destiny. Don&#8217;t let your emotions deprive you from enjoying each day as it comes. Everyday that goes by is a day you&#8217;ll never get back again. Don&#8217;t you know that what you might see as delay is GOD&#8217;s preservation for your life? Why can&#8217;t you trust GOD with your marital destiny?</span></p><p><span>Some questions I&#8217;ve found myself asking The Holy Spirit these days is;</span></p><ol><li><p><span>&#8220;Will my life live long?&#8221;.</span></p></li><li><p><span>&#8220;What role am I to play in stewarding my Wife&#8217;s glorious destiny?&#8221;.</span></p></li><li><p><span>&#8220;What names would you have me name my children?&#8221;.</span></p></li><li><p><span>&#8220;What do I still need to do, to prepare myself and position myself to be the kind of husband my Wife has been praying for?&#8221;.</span></p></li><li><p><span>&#8220;How can I be more loving, more patient, more kind, more tolerant, more forgiving, more endearing, more available to my Wife, my children and our family&#8221;.</span></p></li><li><p><span>&#8220;What would You need me to do, while I&#8217;m patiently waiting for my Wife?&#8221;.</span></p></li><li><p><span>&#8220;How can I love You more, LORD, now that all my focus is on You? How can I serve Your cause more effectively and efficiently, LORD?&#8221;.</span></p></li></ol><p><span>...Until we realize that </span><strong><span>marriage is about two whole people coming together as one</span></strong><span> and not two halves, we&#8217;d always feel like we need a spouse </span><em><span>feel</span></em><span> complete; and that just makes us have unrealistic expectations about marriage and unintentionally put too much pressure on another human being, who&#8217;s also trying to figure out their life. Until we realize that there&#8217;s a divine purpose for marriage, we&#8217;d keep pursuing marriage with our limited mindset, rather than GOD&#8217;s perfect blueprint for marriage.</span></p><p><span>I can&#8217;t wait to get married and I&#8217;m so looking forward to meeting my Wife. But until then, I&#8217;m going to enjoy everyday with The Holy Ghost, with my friends and with my family because life&#8217;s so much more than just getting married. A wholesome life is one filled with the Love of GOD in every area of our lives; and that&#8217;s what keeps me going strong everyday, unperturbed by what anyone has to say, respectfully. The only opinion that matters to me right now, is that of The Holy Spirit; and when He says it&#8217;s time, I won&#8217;t have to &#8220;force&#8221; anything. It&#8217;ll happen just as GOD has said it would &#9786;&#65039;.</span></p><p><span>&#8212; With Love, From </span><em><span>Love</span></em><span> &#128150;</span></p><p><em><strong><span>Side Note:</span></strong></em></p><p><span>Father, please teach me to steward my Wife's destiny. Teach me to always treat her with love, with honour, with respect, with reverence and with compassion. May pride not get the best of me and may my life reflect your love, always &#128591;&#127997;</span></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Newsflash]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of the greatest misunderstandings of unrealistic expectations, is when we expect that our partners won&#8217;t expect as much as we expect from them.]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/newsflash</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/newsflash</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 12 Jul 2026 15:02:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-vzL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0481fbb8-ed7f-4fd7-976e-dad082c1825d_3600x5408.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-vzL!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0481fbb8-ed7f-4fd7-976e-dad082c1825d_3600x5408.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@reecevandermerwe?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Reece van der Merwe</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-woman-with-a-red-manicure-on-her-nails-F_JclIZa4D8?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p><span>One of the greatest misunderstandings of unrealistic expectations, is when we expect that our partners won&#8217;t expect as much as we expect from them. Isn&#8217;t it wild how we&#8217;re always focused on what the other person should bring to the relationship, while we subconsciously settle for bringing </span><em><span>&#8216;not what our partners would expect or demand, or require or need&#8217;</span></em><span> but what we think is comfortable and convenient for us to bring.</span></p><p><span>We often (by human default) try to love people the way we like&#8212;the way that&#8217;s most convenient for us, and we think that because we love them, that </span><em><span>that</span></em><span> should be enough for them; after all, we genuinely love them, even though for many of us, our idea of love has been diluted by our traumatic experiences with our families, our past relationships and even our fears from what we&#8217;ve seen in other people&#8217;s relationships and marriages.</span></p><p><span>The &#8220;high standards&#8221; we desire in a partner might just be the tip of the iceberg of what their expectations are from us; and demanding high standards should be the barest minimum when going into a relationship, </span><em><span>because</span></em><span> we&#8217;re meant to spur each other on to greater works of genuine love. But if we&#8217;re always focused on what the other person has to be and to give, and we&#8217;re not willing and ready to give our ALL into being the kind of person they desire and deserve, then we&#8217;re just hypocrites and thieves, because what we truly want are people who can satisfy our desires while we give our barest minimum in return. That&#8217;s witchcraft. That&#8217;s wickedness!</span></p><p><span>The minute I realized that my desire to love </span><em><span>isn&#8217;t so that my desire to be loved should be satisfied,</span></em><span> was the very moment I began to learn what true love was truly about. In fact, by going all out to love others </span><em><span>unconditionally</span></em><span>, my desire to be loved is fully satisfied, because the fullness of love isn&#8217;t about receiving, it's about giving; and giving my all every time without restraint, manipulation and/or begrudgingly. Love is a privilege of continual selfless service; and until we&#8217;re ready to truly work on our self-centredness, we&#8217;ll keep getting it wrong and we&#8217;ll continue ending up being disappointed by our unrealistic expectations that are self-seeking and selfish; </span><em><span>because</span></em><span> these sort of expectations are predicated on SELF and not selfless SERVICE.</span></p><p><span>&#8212; With Love,From </span><em><span>Love</span></em><span> &#128150;</span></p><p><em><strong><span>Side Note:</span></strong></em></p><p><span>This isn&#8217;t a ploy to play down our desires to be truly loved. If two people who are genuinely selfless and are truly submitted to Jesus find each other, we won&#8217;t have to worry if our partners are playing their part to love us as Christ teaches us that love should be administered.</span></p><p><span>Love is the most beautiful thing on earth. I found myself half asleep, thinking on a sentence from </span><em><span>John 3:16</span></em><span>, and that&#8217;s the line that says; </span><strong><span>&#8220;for GOD sooooooooooo loved the world...&#8221;.</span></strong><span> Love </span><em><span>loves</span></em><span> with a picture of redemption in view and an expectation of reconciliation unaskewed. In love, there&#8217;s forgiveness, there&#8217;s patience, there&#8217;s kindness, there&#8217;s joy unspeakable, there&#8217;s peace, there&#8217;s clarity and there&#8217;s direction. Love keeps no record of wrongs and it does not boast based off of its own works. Love is neither malicious nor vengeful! Love is selfless.</span></p><p><em><strong><span>Side Bar:</span></strong></em></p><p><span>I&#8217;m rebuilding my prayer playlist and I thought I&#8217;d share it with you, because that&#8217;s what love does &#9786;&#65039;. Available only on Spotify.</span></p><iframe class="spotify-wrap playlist" data-attrs="{&quot;image&quot;:&quot;https://image-cdn-fa.spotifycdn.com/image/ab67706c0000da84cd6e2d5b51af7c0347bf8036&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;P.R.A.Y&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;By musicunitesafrica&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Playlist&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4TeUVVFRF4gIjGb1hKKGVx&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;noScroll&quot;:false}" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/4TeUVVFRF4gIjGb1hKKGVx" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" loading="lazy" data-component-name="Spotify2ToDOM"></iframe>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Withering Leaves]]></title><description><![CDATA[...Still Bloom In Season]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/withering-leaves</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/withering-leaves</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:00:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_4GO!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49368cdf-49e5-4cca-85fe-0e3d62c0fec6_4911x8732.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_4GO!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49368cdf-49e5-4cca-85fe-0e3d62c0fec6_4911x8732.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_4GO!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49368cdf-49e5-4cca-85fe-0e3d62c0fec6_4911x8732.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_4GO!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49368cdf-49e5-4cca-85fe-0e3d62c0fec6_4911x8732.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_4GO!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/49368cdf-49e5-4cca-85fe-0e3d62c0fec6_4911x8732.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2589,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:10141467,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/204920164?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49368cdf-49e5-4cca-85fe-0e3d62c0fec6_4911x8732.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_4GO!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49368cdf-49e5-4cca-85fe-0e3d62c0fec6_4911x8732.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_4GO!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49368cdf-49e5-4cca-85fe-0e3d62c0fec6_4911x8732.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_4GO!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49368cdf-49e5-4cca-85fe-0e3d62c0fec6_4911x8732.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_4GO!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F49368cdf-49e5-4cca-85fe-0e3d62c0fec6_4911x8732.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@farshadrezvanian?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Freddy Rezvanian</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/5P3xHEUkh7s?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p><span>There&#8217;s something about trying to pinpoint </span><em><span>precisely</span></em><span> what we want in a relationship, that paralyzes our thought process completely. I&#8217;ve realized that what I wanted in my 20&#8217;s isn&#8217;t quite what I&#8217;ve come to need now that I&#8217;m approaching 40.</span></p><p><span>The kind of Woman I desired in my 20&#8217;s, the qualities I desired, evolved as I began to know Christ more and to know myself more in Him. I realized that the peak of my desires were just the barest minimum for what ABBA truly wants for me.</span></p><p><span>Marriage isn&#8217;t something we jump into recklessly. Personally, I&#8217;m not capable of choosing a life partner by myself, </span><em><span>without and outside of</span></em><span> GOD. I&#8217;m not that wise. Jesus writes the most beautiful love stories and I trust Him to write mine. The One who saw and said that it wasn&#8217;t good for man to be alone, the One that brought a Wife to Adam, isn&#8217;t deaf or dumb, or blind. What if there&#8217;s still so much we need to unlearn and learn anew before GOD can entrust us with a spouse.</span></p><div class="callout-block" data-callout="true"><p><em><span>What if we&#8217;re not as ready and as equipped as we&#8217;d like to think. </span><strong><span>What if in our current state, we&#8217;re the weapon fashioned against someone else</span></strong><span>. What if we&#8217;re just too proud or too ignorant to see that it&#8217;s not about time running out, but more about us coming into full alignment with GOD. What if we're just still too selfish to see that marriage is a full-time ministry and it's not about us.</span></em></p></div><p><span>Can I be honest; marriage scares me. Not because of the responsibilities of being someone&#8217;s husband or father, but just the mere fact that I might not be well equipped </span><em><span>yet</span></em><span> to foster someone else&#8217;s destiny when I&#8217;m still trying to figure out mine. I don&#8217;t want to get married for the fun of it. </span><strong><span>Marriage is the first point of ministry, that as a man, I need to get right, in order to get right with GOD</span></strong><span>. Marrying the right person is so vital, but being the right person that someone marries is even more important. I&#8217;ll end with this train of thought; </span><em><span>do I want to get married because I desire certain levels of emotional, sexual and physical satisfaction, or do I want to get married because I&#8217;m ready to serve someone else and prioritize someone else above all else, including me for the rest of my life?</span></em></p><p><span>That&#8217;s the question I leave you with. I know most people desire </span><em><span>&#8220;their person&#8221;,</span></em><span> but in our waiting season, it&#8217;s time we make honest assessments of our mental, emotional, physical, financial &amp; spiritual wellbeing before we drag someone else into our lives, for life.</span></p><p><span>&#8212; With Love, From </span><em><span>Love</span></em><span> &#128150;</span></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[It's Not Me, It's You]]></title><description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m in awe of you, like a caveman beholding a shooting star...like a thirsty traveler finding a wellspring of a pure fountain in the middle of nowhere; that&#8217;s how you've captured my heart and my mind.]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/its-not-me-its-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/its-not-me-its-you</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 11:43:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W1eY!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5676bf99-f8f3-48fc-9fc7-653b7ffaa9a7_4160x6240.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W1eY!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5676bf99-f8f3-48fc-9fc7-653b7ffaa9a7_4160x6240.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W1eY!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5676bf99-f8f3-48fc-9fc7-653b7ffaa9a7_4160x6240.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W1eY!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5676bf99-f8f3-48fc-9fc7-653b7ffaa9a7_4160x6240.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W1eY!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5676bf99-f8f3-48fc-9fc7-653b7ffaa9a7_4160x6240.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W1eY!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5676bf99-f8f3-48fc-9fc7-653b7ffaa9a7_4160x6240.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W1eY!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5676bf99-f8f3-48fc-9fc7-653b7ffaa9a7_4160x6240.jpeg" width="1456" height="2184" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5676bf99-f8f3-48fc-9fc7-653b7ffaa9a7_4160x6240.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2184,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3403508,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/204257046?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5676bf99-f8f3-48fc-9fc7-653b7ffaa9a7_4160x6240.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W1eY!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5676bf99-f8f3-48fc-9fc7-653b7ffaa9a7_4160x6240.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W1eY!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5676bf99-f8f3-48fc-9fc7-653b7ffaa9a7_4160x6240.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W1eY!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5676bf99-f8f3-48fc-9fc7-653b7ffaa9a7_4160x6240.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!W1eY!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5676bf99-f8f3-48fc-9fc7-653b7ffaa9a7_4160x6240.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@stephot?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Ste Lorena</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-woman-sitting-on-top-of-a-rock-next-to-a-cactus-qPgWjk7WzaQ?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p><span>I&#8217;m in awe of you, </span><em><span>like a caveman beholding a shooting star...</span></em><span>like a thirsty traveler finding a wellspring of a pure fountain in the middle of nowhere; that&#8217;s how you've captured my heart and my mind.</span></p><p><span>I woke up this morning thinking about you, because in my dreams, you were all I was looking for. I awoke this morning praying for you; praying that you find perfect peace and rest in ABBA. I pray that the things troubling your mind will be troubled by how much ABBA truly loves you. I pray that your heart is fully given to trust Jesus even more, because there&#8217;s no safer place to be in, than in His rest.</span></p><p><span>For every tear you&#8217;ve cried, I see a river of joy flowing through your heart. For every time it seemed like </span><em><span>all that</span></em><span> ABBA had promised you wasn&#8217;t going to happen, I see The LORD increasing the measure of His Presence in and around you. Those moments Jesus feels farthest from you, are the moments He&#8217;s closest to you the most. He just wants you to learn to trust Him beyond sensorial perception.</span></p><p><span>I&#8217;m learning to love you from afar, as destiny draws us closer. I&#8217;m learning to honour and cater to your heart without wanting any sort of emotional satisfaction in return. All my life, I got it wrong. I thought finding love was all about me and my desires, but now my eyes are wide open to see that me finding love isn&#8217;t about me at all, or how I feel, it&#8217;s about you and how I&#8217;m meant to steward your talents into multiplications that barns will never be able to contain. My assignment in your life is to love you with an everlasting love and to keep you from falling, while you climb the highest business and career mountains.</span></p><p><span>Finding you isn&#8217;t about finding me a Wife, it&#8217;s about finding GOD&#8217;s purpose for my life, and that&#8217;s you. You won&#8217;t have to look back or look over your shoulders on this journey to fulfilling destiny. I&#8217;ll be </span><em><span>that</span></em><span> covering over you, fighting every battle with you. My desire is to serve you as your husband and to love you unconditionally without price. I&#8217;m fully committed to your success and progress, because I choose to put you first, </span><em><span>now and always.</span></em><span> You&#8217;re my priority! You&#8217;re my destiny. You&#8217;re my heartbeat.</span></p><p><span>&#8212; With Love, From </span><em><span>Love</span></em><span> &#128150;</span></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[My Secret Place]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of the most beautiful experiences I&#8217;ve ever had in my entire life, happened this weekend and it isn&#8217;t quite over yet.]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/my-secret-place</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/my-secret-place</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 28 Jun 2026 15:02:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kv_5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff81d9b8c-449f-4d9e-81ec-7e69a8abe04f_2731x1821.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kv_5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff81d9b8c-449f-4d9e-81ec-7e69a8abe04f_2731x1821.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kv_5!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff81d9b8c-449f-4d9e-81ec-7e69a8abe04f_2731x1821.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kv_5!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff81d9b8c-449f-4d9e-81ec-7e69a8abe04f_2731x1821.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kv_5!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff81d9b8c-449f-4d9e-81ec-7e69a8abe04f_2731x1821.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kv_5!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff81d9b8c-449f-4d9e-81ec-7e69a8abe04f_2731x1821.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kv_5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff81d9b8c-449f-4d9e-81ec-7e69a8abe04f_2731x1821.jpeg" width="1456" height="971" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f81d9b8c-449f-4d9e-81ec-7e69a8abe04f_2731x1821.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:971,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:960616,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/203962407?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff81d9b8c-449f-4d9e-81ec-7e69a8abe04f_2731x1821.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kv_5!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff81d9b8c-449f-4d9e-81ec-7e69a8abe04f_2731x1821.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kv_5!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff81d9b8c-449f-4d9e-81ec-7e69a8abe04f_2731x1821.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kv_5!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff81d9b8c-449f-4d9e-81ec-7e69a8abe04f_2731x1821.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Kv_5!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff81d9b8c-449f-4d9e-81ec-7e69a8abe04f_2731x1821.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo Credit: <strong>Rain Conference Abuja</strong>, Hosted by <strong>Pastor Ayo Ajani </strong>of Petra Christian Centre Global</figcaption></figure></div><p><span>One of the most beautiful experiences I&#8217;ve ever had in my entire life, happened this weekend and it isn&#8217;t quite over yet. I wish you were here with me to experience it all together. This has been one of the most defining weekends in my life and I really wish we got to experience it all </span><em><span>together</span></em><span>.</span></p><p><span>My heart is full of joy witnessing what ABBA is doing on earth in these times; and being a part of His move in our generation is humbling and exciting, and I really wish you were here to experience it all with me. We had our 2nd edition of </span><strong><span>Love &amp; Grace Conference LGC &#8216;26</span></strong><span> and I&#8217;m still in awe of what ABBA did in the lives of everyone who took out time to come, especially me. Something happened to me this weekend that&#8217;s changed my entire life forever...and I really wished you were here with me to witness it all first hand.</span></p><p><span>I&#8217;m excited about the future we&#8217;re about to have. I really can&#8217;t wait to meet you my love, but I&#8217;m in no hurry just yet because there&#8217;s so much work still to be done in me and so much work to do for Jesus. When we eventually meet, I&#8217;ll tell you all about our assignments. I hope you&#8217;re doing great and truly submerged in the Deep Waters that is The Holy Spirit. </span><strong><span>Jesus has turned it around for me</span></strong><span> and I&#8217;m a different man because of Him. I love you with all my heart and I&#8217;ll be praying for you tonight in my </span><em><span>Secret Place.</span></em></p><p><span>&#8212; With Love, From </span><em><span>Love</span></em><span> &#128150;</span></p><p><em><strong><span>Side Note:</span></strong></em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qz2c!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc305ba87-3104-4c52-8b09-1da4cdf6b35a_1024x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qz2c!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc305ba87-3104-4c52-8b09-1da4cdf6b35a_1024x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qz2c!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc305ba87-3104-4c52-8b09-1da4cdf6b35a_1024x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qz2c!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc305ba87-3104-4c52-8b09-1da4cdf6b35a_1024x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qz2c!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc305ba87-3104-4c52-8b09-1da4cdf6b35a_1024x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qz2c!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc305ba87-3104-4c52-8b09-1da4cdf6b35a_1024x1024.png" width="1024" height="1024" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c305ba87-3104-4c52-8b09-1da4cdf6b35a_1024x1024.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1024,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1888638,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/203962407?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc305ba87-3104-4c52-8b09-1da4cdf6b35a_1024x1024.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qz2c!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc305ba87-3104-4c52-8b09-1da4cdf6b35a_1024x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qz2c!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc305ba87-3104-4c52-8b09-1da4cdf6b35a_1024x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qz2c!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc305ba87-3104-4c52-8b09-1da4cdf6b35a_1024x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Qz2c!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc305ba87-3104-4c52-8b09-1da4cdf6b35a_1024x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><span>My 5th full-length Gospel album got released on Friday and it&#8217;s one of the most beautiful albums you&#8217;ll ever listen to. Check it out and let me know how it blesses you &#9786;&#65039;</span></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://lnkfi.re/secretplace&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;&#127911; Listen To My New Album \&quot;Secret Place\&quot;&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://lnkfi.re/secretplace"><span>&#127911; Listen To My New Album "Secret Place"</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Now, Until Eternity]]></title><description><![CDATA[Peace, that&#8217;s what I&#8217;m promising.]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/now-until-eternity</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/now-until-eternity</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2026 15:02:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aUkT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90e2294e-4157-4698-8f58-26a035056299_2400x3600.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aUkT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90e2294e-4157-4698-8f58-26a035056299_2400x3600.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aUkT!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90e2294e-4157-4698-8f58-26a035056299_2400x3600.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aUkT!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90e2294e-4157-4698-8f58-26a035056299_2400x3600.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aUkT!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90e2294e-4157-4698-8f58-26a035056299_2400x3600.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aUkT!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90e2294e-4157-4698-8f58-26a035056299_2400x3600.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aUkT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90e2294e-4157-4698-8f58-26a035056299_2400x3600.jpeg" width="1456" height="2184" 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/__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90e2294e-4157-4698-8f58-26a035056299_2400x3600.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aUkT!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90e2294e-4157-4698-8f58-26a035056299_2400x3600.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aUkT!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90e2294e-4157-4698-8f58-26a035056299_2400x3600.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!aUkT!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F90e2294e-4157-4698-8f58-26a035056299_2400x3600.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo: <a href="/__u/hephzibahobiora.substack.com/">Hephzibah Obiora</a></figcaption></figure></div><p><span>Peace, that&#8217;s what I&#8217;m promising. Not the type the world gives, but the one Jesus gave. I might not have the world to give you yet, but I promise to give you </span><em><span>peace </span></em><span>all the days of our lives together.</span></p><p><span>Joy, that&#8217;s something I can beat my chest and say you&#8217;ll enjoy with me. But in all honesty, I&#8217;ll be lying if I said I could do this all on my own. And as braggadocious as I sound, I genuinely put no confidence in the flesh. The joy that I promise is not a life void of challenges, but one where despite the storms of life we&#8217;ll certainly face, </span><em><span>that</span></em><span> I&#8217;ll be your captain every step of the way. With Jesus as our anchor, even if our ship wrecks, I won&#8217;t let you drown. We&#8217;ll build and rebuild...together.</span></p><p><span>Love, that&#8217;s the foundation and the roofing of our union together&#8212;the structural architecture of our lives. Not a love that quivers away when push comes to shove, but a love that&#8217;s willing to lay down its life for yours. I promise you </span><em><span>me</span></em><span>; all of me, unconditionally. I promise to always prioritize you and us, before me. I know promises seem cheap these days, but let my word be my bond; for better for worse, in sickness and in health, till death does us part. I vow to love you with an intentional, unconventional, uncompromising, unadulterated, understanding, unrelenting, unequivocal, unconditional love, </span><em><span>sacred and pure, </span></em><span>in Spirit and in Truth. I promise to love you from now until eternity&#8217;s dusk. That&#8217;s my promise to you and that's a promise I'll honour &amp; keep all the days of my life, so help me GOD.</span></p><p><span>&#8212; With Love, From </span><em><span>Love</span></em><span> &#128150;</span></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Sugar, Spice & Everything Nice]]></title><description><![CDATA[I used to think wild honey was the sweetest thing on earth until I met you.]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/sugar-spice-and-everything-nice</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/sugar-spice-and-everything-nice</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2026 03:19:43 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dHW_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F20ebf5c1-d801-4b4e-ac20-bfca05302212_4000x5000.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dHW_!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F20ebf5c1-d801-4b4e-ac20-bfca05302212_4000x5000.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dHW_!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F20ebf5c1-d801-4b4e-ac20-bfca05302212_4000x5000.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dHW_!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dHW_!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F20ebf5c1-d801-4b4e-ac20-bfca05302212_4000x5000.jpeg" width="1456" height="1820" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/20ebf5c1-d801-4b4e-ac20-bfca05302212_4000x5000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1820,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3402503,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/201660750?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F20ebf5c1-d801-4b4e-ac20-bfca05302212_4000x5000.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dHW_!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!dHW_!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F20ebf5c1-d801-4b4e-ac20-bfca05302212_4000x5000.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@farshadrezvanian?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Freddy Rezvanian</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-woman-with-a-hand-on-her-face-lB2xNmrxG0c?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p>I used to think wild honey was the sweetest thing on earth until I met you. Now, I&#8217;m convinced you&#8217;re the sweetest girl I&#8217;ll ever know &amp; love. You soothe so naturally &amp; sweeten so softly. There&#8217;s a scent of sweetness around you that perfumes so warmly with a fragrance that&#8217;s unmistakable. Your presence is like wild honey, <em>rare, untamed, and impossible to forget.</em></p><p>I love how honest you are. You don&#8217;t hide your feelings for anything. You don&#8217;t pretend. You&#8217;re you, unapologetically so. I love how spicy you are. There&#8217;s no boring moment with you. I love that I can be myself with you and not be judged. You accommodate my goofiness so well. I&#8217;m shocked that you&#8217;ve never been offended by my long voice notes and &#8220;sermons&#8221; masked as conversations.</p><p>One thing that endears me so strongly to you, is your heart of kindness and your gentle approach to life &amp; godliness. You&#8217;re a cloth cut out from scriptures. You&#8217;re a virtuous woman, a righteous soul and a holy vessel. You&#8217;re priceless in GOD&#8217;s eyes and in mine. You&#8217;re perfectly <em>perfect</em> for me.</p><p>&#8212; With Love, From <em>Love</em> &#128150;</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[My Wild Orchid]]></title><description><![CDATA[&#8216;Wonderful&#8216;; that&#8217;s one way to describe you.]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/my-wild-orchid</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/my-wild-orchid</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 07 Jun 2026 15:01:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s1oS!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F256b5cf2-e104-43a5-8dd0-3d4a0301b6e8_8026x10033.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s1oS!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F256b5cf2-e104-43a5-8dd0-3d4a0301b6e8_8026x10033.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s1oS!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F256b5cf2-e104-43a5-8dd0-3d4a0301b6e8_8026x10033.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s1oS!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F256b5cf2-e104-43a5-8dd0-3d4a0301b6e8_8026x10033.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s1oS!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F256b5cf2-e104-43a5-8dd0-3d4a0301b6e8_8026x10033.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s1oS!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F256b5cf2-e104-43a5-8dd0-3d4a0301b6e8_8026x10033.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s1oS!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F256b5cf2-e104-43a5-8dd0-3d4a0301b6e8_8026x10033.jpeg" width="1456" height="1820" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/256b5cf2-e104-43a5-8dd0-3d4a0301b6e8_8026x10033.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1820,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:6952969,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/200943149?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F256b5cf2-e104-43a5-8dd0-3d4a0301b6e8_8026x10033.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s1oS!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F256b5cf2-e104-43a5-8dd0-3d4a0301b6e8_8026x10033.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s1oS!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F256b5cf2-e104-43a5-8dd0-3d4a0301b6e8_8026x10033.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s1oS!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F256b5cf2-e104-43a5-8dd0-3d4a0301b6e8_8026x10033.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s1oS!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F256b5cf2-e104-43a5-8dd0-3d4a0301b6e8_8026x10033.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@farshadrezvanian?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Freddy Rezvanian</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/9vneG-TOWL0?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p><em>&#8216;<strong>Wonderful</strong>&#8216;; </em>that&#8217;s one way to describe you. You&#8217;re such a wonderful human being. Such a delight to be around. You light up every room you step into and your carry yourself with so much grace &amp; class. You&#8217;re a wonder to behold. Every single day with you is <em>top! </em>You&#8217;re a majestic representation of divinity in human form.</p><p><em>&#8216;<strong>Beautiful</strong>&#8216;;</em> it&#8217;s not just what you are, it&#8217;s who you are...inside and out. You&#8217;re a perfect blend of perfection and inspiration. Your beauty isn&#8217;t just something to behold, it&#8217;s what anyone who comes close to you <em>perceives. </em>Even a blind man can sense that your beauty is beyond the <em>perfect physique.</em> You&#8217;re a beautiful soul. The way you treat people shows how beautiful your heart is. The way you care for strangers shows the beauty in your soul. The way you love and pursue GOD shows the true beauty of your Spirit. You&#8217;re beautiful in every sense of the word.</p><p><em>&#8216;<strong>Funny</strong>&#8216;;</em> not in a hilarious way, but in a <em>cheesy&#8212;corny</em> way. You make me laugh so effortlessly. Even when you&#8217;re mad at me, I can&#8217;t help but love you even more. You make life so palatable. I love the way you laugh. On my worse days, just hearing you laugh sparks an avalanche of joy within me. You&#8217;re such a <em><strong>joy</strong></em> to be with. You&#8217;re <em><strong>amazing</strong>! </em>You&#8217;re <em><strong>incredible</strong>!!</em> You&#8217;re <em><strong>spectacular</strong>!!! </em>GOD truly blessed me with you, because you&#8217;re such a <em><strong>blessing</strong>. </em>You&#8217;re <em><strong>brilliant</strong>.</em> You intelligently outsmart the most brilliant minds. You&#8217;re a <em><strong>genius</strong>.</em> I love every facet of your personality. Thank you for choosing to love a Grinch like me, to honour me, to follow me wherever The LORD leads me; and to submit to my leadership. I don&#8217;t take any of that for granted and I don&#8217;t take you for granted. I love you with all my soul, with all my heart and with all my life...till death do us part.</p><p>&#8212; With Love, From <em>Love</em> &#128150;</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Diamond In The Rough]]></title><description><![CDATA[I&#8217;m totally & completely locked in&#8212;to you.]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/diamond-in-the-rough</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/diamond-in-the-rough</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 31 May 2026 15:03:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eo82!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F364c0213-f754-41ed-8607-873b5d52e6d5_6802x8502.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eo82!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F364c0213-f754-41ed-8607-873b5d52e6d5_6802x8502.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eo82!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F364c0213-f754-41ed-8607-873b5d52e6d5_6802x8502.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eo82!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F364c0213-f754-41ed-8607-873b5d52e6d5_6802x8502.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eo82!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F364c0213-f754-41ed-8607-873b5d52e6d5_6802x8502.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eo82!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F364c0213-f754-41ed-8607-873b5d52e6d5_6802x8502.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eo82!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F364c0213-f754-41ed-8607-873b5d52e6d5_6802x8502.jpeg" width="1456" height="1820" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/364c0213-f754-41ed-8607-873b5d52e6d5_6802x8502.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1820,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:9639899,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/199976709?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F364c0213-f754-41ed-8607-873b5d52e6d5_6802x8502.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eo82!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F364c0213-f754-41ed-8607-873b5d52e6d5_6802x8502.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eo82!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F364c0213-f754-41ed-8607-873b5d52e6d5_6802x8502.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eo82!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F364c0213-f754-41ed-8607-873b5d52e6d5_6802x8502.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!eo82!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F364c0213-f754-41ed-8607-873b5d52e6d5_6802x8502.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@farshadrezvanian?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Freddy Rezvanian</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-woman-with-an-afro-smiles-and-waves-gYNh40_XrGk?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p>I&#8217;m <em>totally &amp; completely</em> locked in&#8212;to you. I&#8217;ve made up my mind and decided in my heart that it&#8217;s you I want; not for a moment or a season, but for a lifetime. I&#8217;ve counted the cost while counting the stars and I&#8217;ve realized that I&#8217;d pay any price just to be with you <em>forever.</em></p><p>It&#8217;s more than feelings, it&#8217;s more than emotions. <strong>My love for you is a divine revelation</strong> backed with signs &amp; miracles and great wonders. You&#8217;re a wonder and a miracle to me. Your heart is as large as the expanse of heaven. Your soul is as beautiful as the rivers of Havilah, where the gold is good and the onyx stones are translucent &amp; captivating.</p><p>You&#8217;re a treasure worth dying for. You&#8217;re priceless in all your splendor. You are a fruitful field that is counted as a forest, because The Spirit of The LORD is poured out upon you from on high in measures <em>immeasurable.</em> You are a fruitful bough by the fountain of living waters, whose branches run over the city walls. You&#8217;re a fruitful grapevine, flourishing in my life and your fruits are like vigorous young olive trees around about our table. I will love you forever, and the gates of hell will not prevail over us.</p><p>&#8212; With Love, From <em>Love</em> &#128150;</p><p><em><strong>Side Note:</strong></em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pdwg!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfcfc23-724b-4ac6-bc68-369dd3a731c4_1024x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pdwg!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfcfc23-724b-4ac6-bc68-369dd3a731c4_1024x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pdwg!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfcfc23-724b-4ac6-bc68-369dd3a731c4_1024x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pdwg!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfcfc23-724b-4ac6-bc68-369dd3a731c4_1024x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pdwg!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfcfc23-724b-4ac6-bc68-369dd3a731c4_1024x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pdwg!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfcfc23-724b-4ac6-bc68-369dd3a731c4_1024x1024.png" width="1024" height="1024" 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/__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfcfc23-724b-4ac6-bc68-369dd3a731c4_1024x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pdwg!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfcfc23-724b-4ac6-bc68-369dd3a731c4_1024x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pdwg!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfcfc23-724b-4ac6-bc68-369dd3a731c4_1024x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Pdwg!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5cfcfc23-724b-4ac6-bc68-369dd3a731c4_1024x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I just released my 4th full-length Gospel album <strong>&#8220;Thy Kingdom Come&#8221;</strong> and I&#8217;m excited to share it with you. If you&#8217;ve been on this journey with me, you&#8217;d have seen by now that each album <em>thus far</em> is a step up the ladder of intimacy with Jesus. It&#8217;s intentional, it&#8217;s precise and <strong>it&#8217;s</strong> <strong>sound doctrine woven in sounds</strong>. Please listen with your heart &amp; with your ears, and if you&#8217;re moved to share it with someone, please do so! It&#8217;s important that the Gospel spreads across the nations of the earth. I love you so much &#9829;&#65039;. Have an amazing start to the month of June &#128591;&#127997;</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://lnkfi.re/thykingdomcome&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;&#127911; Listen to \&quot;Thy Kingdom Come\&quot; Album&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://lnkfi.re/thykingdomcome"><span>&#127911; Listen to "Thy Kingdom Come" Album</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[What I Want]]></title><description><![CDATA[You&#8217;re not a pastime to me.]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/what-i-want</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/what-i-want</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2026 15:02:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_ao6!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02c6c532-9e8c-43fc-8cd0-c41bd00e866b_6694x8368.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_ao6!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02c6c532-9e8c-43fc-8cd0-c41bd00e866b_6694x8368.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_ao6!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02c6c532-9e8c-43fc-8cd0-c41bd00e866b_6694x8368.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_ao6!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02c6c532-9e8c-43fc-8cd0-c41bd00e866b_6694x8368.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_ao6!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02c6c532-9e8c-43fc-8cd0-c41bd00e866b_6694x8368.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_ao6!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02c6c532-9e8c-43fc-8cd0-c41bd00e866b_6694x8368.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_ao6!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02c6c532-9e8c-43fc-8cd0-c41bd00e866b_6694x8368.jpeg" width="1456" height="1820" 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/__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02c6c532-9e8c-43fc-8cd0-c41bd00e866b_6694x8368.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_ao6!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02c6c532-9e8c-43fc-8cd0-c41bd00e866b_6694x8368.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_ao6!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02c6c532-9e8c-43fc-8cd0-c41bd00e866b_6694x8368.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!_ao6!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F02c6c532-9e8c-43fc-8cd0-c41bd00e866b_6694x8368.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@farshadrezvanian?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Freddy Rezvanian</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-close-up-of-a-person-with-an-afro-f5NLcpxRTCY?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p>You&#8217;re not a pastime to me. I&#8217;m not trying to play childish games with your heart. I&#8217;m truly interested &amp; fully invested in getting to know you more&#8212;who you truly are underneath the most beautiful smile I&#8217;ve ever seen, and what you&#8217;re really like underneath that pretty skin.</p><p>I love talking to you and hearing what you think about anything and everything. You have a perspective that&#8217;s beautiful and innocent. I&#8217;m hoping our mindset on Kingdom worldviews <em>align</em> because you&#8217;d make a great ally to my assignments as I hope I&#8217;d make a great partner to yours. I&#8217;m not really interested in your favourite food right now, even though you loving fried yam is a major turn on &#9786;&#65039;.</p><p>I&#8217;m here to see if you&#8217;re my Wife and I hope you&#8217;re also scanning to see if I&#8217;m your husband. I&#8217;m not in a hurry to jump into anything just yet, because I&#8217;ve made so many mistakes in my past and I really want to get this right this time. I&#8217;m growing more attached to you and I love every bit of you. I think you&#8217;re more amazing than you realize. What I want from you is a chance to love you...to show you the Power of GOD through intentional love. I don&#8217;t want you to let down your guard, no! I want you to open your heart to me without any fear <em>whatsoever</em>. I want you to grow in love and in trust with me, and I&#8217;m willing to wait till you&#8217;re ready to let your hair down again.</p><p>&#8212; With Love, From <em>Love</em> &#128150;</p><p><em><strong>Side Note:</strong></em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WF3O!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F40db9f87-3284-4ea3-9cdf-5741c5532be3_1024x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WF3O!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!WF3O!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F40db9f87-3284-4ea3-9cdf-5741c5532be3_1024x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>My new album <em><strong>&#8220;Marriage Supper&#8221;</strong></em> just dropped and it would mean the world to me if you&#8217;d listen, share it with your friends and also share your feedback with me. The reason I make these albums is to glorify Jesus and it&#8217;s not coincidence this particular album was released in Pentecost Sunday.</p><iframe class="spotify-wrap album" data-attrs="{&quot;image&quot;:&quot;https://i.scdn.co/image/ab67616d0000b27309054e7269571c6ec68fac5c&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Marriage Supper&quot;,&quot;subtitle&quot;:&quot;Strings Of Worship&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;Album&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.spotify.com/album/0j741rzKZPVPO4tUOo1Av5&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;noScroll&quot;:false}" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/album/0j741rzKZPVPO4tUOo1Av5" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen="true" allow="encrypted-media" data-component-name="Spotify2ToDOM"></iframe><p><em>&#8216;Strings Of Worship&#8217;</em> is the musical expression of my ministry, <strong>Love &amp; Grace Global</strong>. I spent so many years selfishly living in sin, but since Jesus rescued me and showed me His scars, I&#8217;m overtaken with the burden of spreading the truth of the Gospel across the world through every possible means, including <em>creative writing, music, prayer meetings and discipleship programmes.</em> That&#8217;s my <em>&#8220;why&#8221;.</em></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://lnkfi.re/marriagesupper&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Listen to \&quot;Marriage Supper\&quot; album &#127911;&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://lnkfi.re/marriagesupper"><span>Listen to "Marriage Supper" album &#127911;</span></a></p><p>So listen to this album because there&#8217;s another album dropping in 7 days titled <em><strong>&#8220;Thy Kingdom Come&#8221;.</strong></em> Every album is a step of ascension towards intimacy with Jesus; it&#8217;s intentional and carefully curated to guide you on a journey of total surrender to the One who died for our sins and who raised us up together with Himself in His resurrection unto righteousness and Sonship in GOD Almighty.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-B_N!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61f89444-81f3-4e0b-b323-2a641b39f2c7_1024x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-B_N!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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/__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61f89444-81f3-4e0b-b323-2a641b39f2c7_1024x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-B_N!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61f89444-81f3-4e0b-b323-2a641b39f2c7_1024x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!-B_N!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F61f89444-81f3-4e0b-b323-2a641b39f2c7_1024x1024.png 1272w, 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It&#8217;s a preservative that has kept me in alignment to GOD&#8217;s Will every time I was veering off course, but wasn&#8217;t aware or too stubborn to listen.]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/no</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/no</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 19 May 2026 15:45:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!caan!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde336875-15a0-4dd7-bf18-92ba743fc876_3648x5472.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!caan!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fde336875-15a0-4dd7-bf18-92ba743fc876_3648x5472.jpeg" 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8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@chiamaka?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Chiamaka Nwolisa</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/silhouette-of-man-illustration-uY_bycsYGzQ?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p>One of the most honest and well-meaning love languages I&#8217;ve ever experienced in my life, is <strong>&#8216;No&#8217;</strong>. It&#8217;s a preservative that has kept me in alignment to GOD&#8217;s Will every time I was veering off course, but wasn&#8217;t aware or too stubborn to listen.</p><p>&#8220;No!&#8221; has saved me more times than I can remember. <em><strong>&#8216;No&#8217; isn&#8217;t always an offshoot of rejection or a sign of bedevilment; &#8216;no&#8217; is a blessing disguised as disappointment.</strong></em> I remember crushing on the most beautiful girl my eyes have ever seen, and when I asked her out for lunch, she politely said &#8216;no&#8217;. My goodness, that hurt like hell, but I said thank you, <em>not sarcastically,</em> but honestly; because her &#8216;no&#8217; challenged me&#8212;maybe I wasn&#8217;t good enough, maybe I wasn&#8217;t her type...maybe she wasn&#8217;t just ready to go out on a date and needed time to rediscover herself from a past breakup or hurt; maybe she just needed to heal and to just <em>be.</em></p><p><strong>&#8216;No&#8217; isn&#8217;t always black or white. It&#8217;s not </strong><em><strong>&#8216;neither&#8212;or&#8217;</strong></em><strong>.</strong> The context for &#8216;no&#8217; might not suit our narratives at the time, but hearing <em>&#8216;no&#8217;</em> or even saying <em>&#8216;no&#8217;</em> shouldn&#8217;t define our identity. In a world where it&#8217;s either &#8216;yes&#8217; or nothing else, &#8216;no&#8217; helps keep us stay grounded and humble. <strong>GOD&#8217;s &#8216;no&#8217; has always been and will always be for my good</strong>. He might not show or tell me what&#8217;s ahead <em>(why He said &#8216;no&#8217;)</em> and He doesn&#8217;t have to&#8212;He is GOD all by Himself; but His <em>&#8216;no&#8217;</em> is a love language that keeps me at the centre of His Will per time and that&#8217;s perfect for me. There are <em>&#8220;no&#8217;s&#8221;</em> that demand a <em>&#8216;yes&#8217;</em> because <em>what&#8217;s this mountain before Zerubbabel;</em> but when GOD closes a door, it&#8217;s usually because we&#8217;re not ready for what&#8217;s on the other side, and that&#8217;s okay. Most times, it&#8217;s to protect us&#8230;other times, it&#8217;s to preserve us. <strong>Stay with Jesus! </strong>Don&#8217;t stay stuck on your own ways...because there&#8217;s a way that seems right to men, but the end thereof is destruction. Trust GOD&#8217;s timing and leading in your life and learn to discern <em>&#8216;no&#8217;</em> through GOD&#8217;s perspective.</p><p>&#8212; With Love, From <em>Love</em> &#128150;</p><div><hr></div><p><em><strong>Side Note:</strong></em></p><p>I&#8217;ve got two albums dropping this month and I&#8217;m excited for you to listen to them&#8212;not just listening <em>for listening sake,</em> but I really want you to experience GOD through them, because I truly believe they&#8217;ll help you experience GOD more intimately, especially in this season where we&#8217;re weary and our hearts are full &amp; heavy.</p><p><em><strong>Here&#8217;s the release schedule:</strong></em></p><h2><strong>Marriage Supper </strong>&#8212; May 24th</h2><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iEc3!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7caec4f0-599c-4f7f-aec0-7d740aefb766_1024x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iEc3!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7caec4f0-599c-4f7f-aec0-7d740aefb766_1024x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iEc3!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7caec4f0-599c-4f7f-aec0-7d740aefb766_1024x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iEc3!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7caec4f0-599c-4f7f-aec0-7d740aefb766_1024x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iEc3!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7caec4f0-599c-4f7f-aec0-7d740aefb766_1024x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iEc3!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7caec4f0-599c-4f7f-aec0-7d740aefb766_1024x1024.png" width="1024" height="1024" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/7caec4f0-599c-4f7f-aec0-7d740aefb766_1024x1024.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1024,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1949519,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/198418654?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7caec4f0-599c-4f7f-aec0-7d740aefb766_1024x1024.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iEc3!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7caec4f0-599c-4f7f-aec0-7d740aefb766_1024x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iEc3!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7caec4f0-599c-4f7f-aec0-7d740aefb766_1024x1024.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iEc3!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7caec4f0-599c-4f7f-aec0-7d740aefb766_1024x1024.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!iEc3!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7caec4f0-599c-4f7f-aec0-7d740aefb766_1024x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><div><hr></div><h2><strong>Thy Kingdom Come </strong>&#8212; May 31st</h2><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YHne!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44217867-dba8-4a6d-b7db-1572791b3f36_1024x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YHne!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F44217867-dba8-4a6d-b7db-1572791b3f36_1024x1024.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!YHne!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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2026&#8217;</a></strong> and it's a beautiful album. It's <em>a</em> <em>12&#8212;track album</em> that&#8217;ll take on a journey of intimacy with ABBA. I'll share a song from <strong>&#8220;Secret Place&#8221;</strong> just so you have an idea of what's coming!</p><div class="native-audio-embed" data-component-name="AudioPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;label&quot;:null,&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;c31f3d9d-d5e4-4416-b113-fe07753df564&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:335.8302,&quot;downloadable&quot;:false,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true}"></div><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v1GW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69e8155f-7b0f-4f89-bc98-863d45a3356b_1024x1536.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v1GW!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69e8155f-7b0f-4f89-bc98-863d45a3356b_1024x1536.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v1GW!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69e8155f-7b0f-4f89-bc98-863d45a3356b_1024x1536.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v1GW!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69e8155f-7b0f-4f89-bc98-863d45a3356b_1024x1536.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v1GW!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69e8155f-7b0f-4f89-bc98-863d45a3356b_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v1GW!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69e8155f-7b0f-4f89-bc98-863d45a3356b_1024x1536.png" width="1024" height="1536" 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/__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69e8155f-7b0f-4f89-bc98-863d45a3356b_1024x1536.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v1GW!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69e8155f-7b0f-4f89-bc98-863d45a3356b_1024x1536.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v1GW!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69e8155f-7b0f-4f89-bc98-863d45a3356b_1024x1536.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v1GW!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F69e8155f-7b0f-4f89-bc98-863d45a3356b_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Release Date: <strong>June 26th 2026</strong></figcaption></figure></div><p>In case you missed it or you&#8217;re new here, I released 2 albums earlier in April and you can listen to them on <strong><a href="https://music.apple.com/gb/artist/strings-of-worship/1879569354">Apple Music</a></strong>, <strong><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/15glpjBIyspKRY53PPUByC?si=1goJa2bNRfGINetw0hR0Dg">Spotify</a></strong>, <strong><a href="https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCyA6hoH_nqqLseG5DfcoWRQ?si=WwIp3vbNAYR6XD2N">YouTube Music</a></strong> or anywhere else you listen to music.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://open.spotify.com/artist/15glpjBIyspKRY53PPUByC?si=1goJa2bNRfGINetw0hR0Dg&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Follow 'Strings Of Worship' on Spotify&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/15glpjBIyspKRY53PPUByC?si=1goJa2bNRfGINetw0hR0Dg"><span>Follow 'Strings Of Worship' on Spotify</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Can I Be Honest?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Can I be honest with you? I love GOD more than I love you.]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/can-i-be-honest</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/can-i-be-honest</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 17 May 2026 15:01:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rnf-!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f1176b0-5de9-42cd-bc66-b3962502502a_3929x4640.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rnf-!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f1176b0-5de9-42cd-bc66-b3962502502a_3929x4640.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rnf-!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f1176b0-5de9-42cd-bc66-b3962502502a_3929x4640.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rnf-!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f1176b0-5de9-42cd-bc66-b3962502502a_3929x4640.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rnf-!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f1176b0-5de9-42cd-bc66-b3962502502a_3929x4640.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rnf-!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f1176b0-5de9-42cd-bc66-b3962502502a_3929x4640.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rnf-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f1176b0-5de9-42cd-bc66-b3962502502a_3929x4640.jpeg" width="1456" height="1719" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2f1176b0-5de9-42cd-bc66-b3962502502a_3929x4640.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1719,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1561864,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/197416213?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f1176b0-5de9-42cd-bc66-b3962502502a_3929x4640.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rnf-!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f1176b0-5de9-42cd-bc66-b3962502502a_3929x4640.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rnf-!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f1176b0-5de9-42cd-bc66-b3962502502a_3929x4640.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rnf-!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f1176b0-5de9-42cd-bc66-b3962502502a_3929x4640.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rnf-!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2f1176b0-5de9-42cd-bc66-b3962502502a_3929x4640.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@asiwn_arogyan?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Aswin A S</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/couple-silhouetted-against-a-vibrant-sunset-sky-FkR1I0Y2X3I?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p><em>Can I be honest with you?</em> I love GOD more than I love you. You&#8217;re not my No.1 priority; GOD is, and that won&#8217;t ever change. I love GOD&#8217;s Word more than I&#8217;ll ever love you and that&#8217;s final.</p><p>There&#8217;s a burden in my heart that I can&#8217;t carry alone. There&#8217;s an urgency in my Spirit that I can&#8217;t let go of. I can&#8217;t ignore this feeling that takes sleep away from my eyes at night. I can&#8217;t stop thinking about the billions of souls who need to hear the truth of the Gospel of Jesus&#8212;the Risen &amp; Living Christ.</p><p>I&#8217;ll always love GOD more than you, but I&#8217;ll never love anyone else more than <em>you.</em> In the hierarchy of my heart, you&#8217;re No.2, and no one&#8217;s ever going to take your place. I&#8217;m learning to love you <em>truly</em> and how not to idolize my feelings for you. I love you with all my heart &amp; my soul and my Spirit; and I vow to love you as Jesus showed His love for humanity; by laying down His life for us and loving us even when we didn&#8217;t deserve it. <em>I love you unreservedly and I&#8217;ll always prioritize you, as a Man is commanded by Jesus to love, honour and cherish his Wife</em>.</p><p>&#8212; With Love, From <em>Love</em> &#128150;</p><p><em><strong>Side Note:</strong></em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yu7y!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33ac334c-2cde-47b6-b081-7461100da89d_5093x6250.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yu7y!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, 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/__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33ac334c-2cde-47b6-b081-7461100da89d_5093x6250.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yu7y!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33ac334c-2cde-47b6-b081-7461100da89d_5093x6250.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yu7y!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33ac334c-2cde-47b6-b081-7461100da89d_5093x6250.png" width="1456" height="1787" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/33ac334c-2cde-47b6-b081-7461100da89d_5093x6250.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1787,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:16363759,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/197416213?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33ac334c-2cde-47b6-b081-7461100da89d_5093x6250.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yu7y!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33ac334c-2cde-47b6-b081-7461100da89d_5093x6250.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yu7y!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33ac334c-2cde-47b6-b081-7461100da89d_5093x6250.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yu7y!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33ac334c-2cde-47b6-b081-7461100da89d_5093x6250.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Yu7y!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33ac334c-2cde-47b6-b081-7461100da89d_5093x6250.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>I&#8217;m hosting a prayer retreat in Abuja, Nigeria on the 27th of June 2026. It&#8217;s the last Saturday of the month and it&#8217;s the 2nd time I&#8217;m getting to do this. Last year&#8217;s LGC was super amazing and I&#8217;m extending an invitation to you if you&#8217;re going to be in the FCT this June. It won&#8217;t be streamed and the venue won&#8217;t be announced publicly. Registration is free but necessary in order to help us plan and be able to send you venue details, should you choose to spend 12 hours in GOD&#8217;s Presence with my friends and I.</p><p><em><strong>Side Bar:</strong></em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Goat!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b9ea896-14f3-4b1b-ac07-245b6a7b5d16_2560x1920.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Goat!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b9ea896-14f3-4b1b-ac07-245b6a7b5d16_2560x1920.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Goat!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b9ea896-14f3-4b1b-ac07-245b6a7b5d16_2560x1920.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Goat!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b9ea896-14f3-4b1b-ac07-245b6a7b5d16_2560x1920.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Goat!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b9ea896-14f3-4b1b-ac07-245b6a7b5d16_2560x1920.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Goat!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b9ea896-14f3-4b1b-ac07-245b6a7b5d16_2560x1920.png" width="1456" height="1092" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8b9ea896-14f3-4b1b-ac07-245b6a7b5d16_2560x1920.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1092,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:6979391,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/197416213?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b9ea896-14f3-4b1b-ac07-245b6a7b5d16_2560x1920.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Goat!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b9ea896-14f3-4b1b-ac07-245b6a7b5d16_2560x1920.png 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Goat!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b9ea896-14f3-4b1b-ac07-245b6a7b5d16_2560x1920.png 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Goat!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b9ea896-14f3-4b1b-ac07-245b6a7b5d16_2560x1920.png 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Goat!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8b9ea896-14f3-4b1b-ac07-245b6a7b5d16_2560x1920.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo: <strong>LGC 2025 Abuja</strong></figcaption></figure></div><p><strong>I&#8217;m not trying to start a church.</strong> I&#8217;m just being obedient to what ABBA asks of me. There&#8217;s so much we miss out on when we go through life on autopilot and LGC is meant to give us an opportunity to <em>pause</em> at the middle of each year and rest in GOD&#8217;s Presence. I promise you, 12 hours isn&#8217;t enough time to spend with GOD at a stretch, but it&#8217;s enough time to reignite your devotional fire and kickstart your journey to fulfilling your yearly assignments as inspired by The Holy Spirit. <strong>Register and tell a friend!</strong> I can&#8217;t wait to fellowship with you this June.</p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://luma.com/cpqv46fs&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Register for LGC 2026&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://luma.com/cpqv46fs"><span>Register for LGC 2026</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Can I Love You Right?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Can I love you right?]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/can-i-love-you-right</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/can-i-love-you-right</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 10 May 2026 15:03:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v_pB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb967fab4-c89f-4d17-a2ab-13d3ada2237c_2865x4297.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v_pB!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb967fab4-c89f-4d17-a2ab-13d3ada2237c_2865x4297.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v_pB!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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/__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb967fab4-c89f-4d17-a2ab-13d3ada2237c_2865x4297.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v_pB!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb967fab4-c89f-4d17-a2ab-13d3ada2237c_2865x4297.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v_pB!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb967fab4-c89f-4d17-a2ab-13d3ada2237c_2865x4297.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v_pB!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb967fab4-c89f-4d17-a2ab-13d3ada2237c_2865x4297.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@jonathanborba?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Jonathan Borba</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/silhouette-photo-of-man-and-woman-under-clear-blue-sky-qRNctETJJ_c?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p>Can I love you right? Do I have your permission to love you the way you&#8217;d like? Can I hold you tightly, not in a sexually stimulating way, but to keep you safe in my arms and to reassure you that I&#8217;ll always be here for you.</p><p>Can I love you right? This is a question I&#8217;ve found myself asking myself lately and more frequently. Am I the right man for you? Can I love you the way Jesus commands me to&#8212;the way He promised you that you&#8217;d be loved? Can I set aside my pride &amp; my selfish ambitions to always put you first? Can I make you proud of choosing to be with me? <em>Can I be the answer to your prayers?!</em></p><p>Can I love you right? That&#8217;s the question I know you &amp; everyone around you is asking. <strong>The answer is YES!</strong> There&#8217;s no doubt in my heart that I&#8217;m the man for you; not from a cocky standpoint or from a selfish place, but from a sacrificial, loyal and kind heart. I&#8217;ll gladly lay down my life for you. I&#8217;ll always put you first. I&#8217;d rather die &amp; go to hell, than to betray your trust or break my covenant with GOD over you...and if you say yes to a lifetime with me, I&#8217;d die a thousand gruesome deaths before I'll ever betray my marriage covenant with you. I love you <em>and yes,</em> I can love you right, even more so now that I&#8217;ve been filled with The Spirit of GOD and His Wisdom. I&#8217;m not just made in GOD&#8217;s image alone, I&#8217;m also being transformed daily into His very likeness and nature. So am I the best man for you? A thousand times, YES!!! <em><strong>I&#8217;m GOD&#8217;s man for you and you&#8217;re GOD&#8217;s girl for me. I love you...</strong></em></p><p>&#8212; With Love, From <em>Love</em> &#128150;</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Naked & Unashamed ]]></title><description><![CDATA[How do you let go of a love you desperately want to hold on to? How do you love unconditionally, without demanding anything in return?]]></description><link>https://anireokene.substack.com/p/naked-and-unashamed</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://anireokene.substack.com/p/naked-and-unashamed</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Aniré Okene]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2026 15:01:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s-NY!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7205e75-aae6-4aca-b7f8-8dacad337ead_3355x4824.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s-NY!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7205e75-aae6-4aca-b7f8-8dacad337ead_3355x4824.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s-NY!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7205e75-aae6-4aca-b7f8-8dacad337ead_3355x4824.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s-NY!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7205e75-aae6-4aca-b7f8-8dacad337ead_3355x4824.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s-NY!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, 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data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a7205e75-aae6-4aca-b7f8-8dacad337ead_3355x4824.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:2094,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:2691310,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://anireokene.substack.com/i/195698721?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7205e75-aae6-4aca-b7f8-8dacad337ead_3355x4824.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s-NY!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7205e75-aae6-4aca-b7f8-8dacad337ead_3355x4824.jpeg 424w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s-NY!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_848, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7205e75-aae6-4aca-b7f8-8dacad337ead_3355x4824.jpeg 848w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s-NY!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1272, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7205e75-aae6-4aca-b7f8-8dacad337ead_3355x4824.jpeg 1272w, /__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!s-NY!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa7205e75-aae6-4aca-b7f8-8dacad337ead_3355x4824.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@qarqa_?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Reza Madani</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/a-couple-of-people-sitting-on-top-of-a-bench-mda2blIiX9U?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure></div><p>Love, is watching someone you&#8217;re <em>in love with,</em> be with someone else &amp; be genuinely happy for them, because they&#8217;re genuinely happy &amp; flourishing with the person they&#8217;re with. <em>Love isn&#8217;t self-centred. Love isn&#8217;t selfish. <strong>Love isn&#8217;t self-seeking</strong>.</em></p><p>There&#8217;s a misdirection of understanding that makes us believe that love has to serve us and our selfish interests. But that&#8217;s not love&#8212;<strong>infatuation isn&#8217;t love</strong>. Selfishness isn&#8217;t love. <em>Why does the idea of the person you love being with someone else, drive you crazy?</em> Is the person&#8217;s happiness really your priority or is it your own happiness you&#8217;re really worried about? Why do you feel bad when the person you claim to love blooms more brightly with someone else, other than with you; why aren&#8217;t you genuinely happy that they&#8217;ve finally found true happiness&#8212;in love?!</p><p>Genuine love is acknowledging that you might not be the best fit (partner) for someone you&#8217;re madly in love with, and that&#8217;s okay. Truth is, when we find happiness with someone else other than our ex&#8217;s or people we&#8217;ve been in situationships with, we really don&#8217;t consider their feelings because our selfish self-centred nature kicks in. But when the case is reversed, we get all emotional simply because our crush isn&#8217;t crushing on us the way we&#8217;re crushing on them, and that crushes us. Emotional intelligence and maturity is knowing that <em><strong>in love, we&#8217;re not the priority; the people we claim to love are.</strong></em> In love, we won&#8217;t always get things our way.</p><p>I&#8217;m genuinely happy when I see the girl of my dreams planning her wedding with someone else...someone she truly loves and brings out the very best in her. As long as she&#8217;s happy and being properly taken care of, I&#8217;m satisfied. Does it hurt knowing I&#8217;m not the one who&#8217;s at the centre of her life? No, not anymore...not at this stage of my walk with GOD. I&#8217;ve come to realize that I&#8217;m not the centre of the universe and the earth doesn&#8217;t revolve around me. It&#8217;s pride to think that everything has to go your way. I&#8217;ve seen people have emotional meltdowns just because someone they liked didn&#8217;t reciprocate their feelings.</p><p>As we grow in the revelatory knowledge of Jesus, we&#8217;re exposed to the true nature of love and that doesn&#8217;t look like anything we profess or claim to practise. This is a bitter pill to swallow, but it&#8217;s important that we tell ourselves the truth; when you&#8217;re in love with someone, you&#8217;re claiming to prioritize that person&#8217;s happiness &amp; growth and successes above your own personal ambitions. It means that seeing them be happy with someone else shouldn&#8217;t make you feel bad. It should make you appreciate the sovereignty of GOD and the beauty of love in its entirety.</p><p>Love without genuine compassion and selflessness, is nothing but lust disguised as infatuation and emotional instability. Love doesn&#8217;t cage or claim ownership over someone else. Love gives room to bloom and to <em><strong>choose</strong></em>, whether they choose you back or not. Love isn&#8217;t insecure and love doesn&#8217;t have low self-esteem.</p><p>Love grows&#8230;not just the emotions of it but person that wields it. Love is meant to groom you to a maturity of selflessness. Love will always bring us to a point of self reflection and evaluation. I used to be bad at lover; self-seeking, selfish and self-centred. But GOD healed my heart and began to teach &amp; train me on how to love&#8230;to truly love without biases and prejudices. To love as Jesus loves means to forgive without holding back, to let go without looking back and to always hope without feeling bad. Love keeps no records of wrongs and love isn't self-seeking. <strong>To genuinely love is to fully express the very nature of GOD that sought us out even while we blatantly neglected Him and scoffed at Him openly</strong>. If Jesus could love you enough to die for you, why can't you love someone enough to respect their desires to love someone else other than you? Why can't you love the fact that the person you want to do life with, wants to do life with someone else they feel they&#8217;d have a better life with? Why wish them bad when you&#8217;re meant to bless them from the depths of your heart? <em>Why are you sad that love hasn't found you when you're meant to love as Christ loves His adulterous church?! </em>Let me know what your views are in the comments &#129401;.</p><p>&#8212; With Love, From <em>Love</em> &#128150;</p><p><em><strong>Side Note:</strong></em></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N_WJ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F109c7f0d-4bd2-402c-a7de-1e11c0949901_1024x1024.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N_WJ!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_424, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_webp, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, 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/__u/substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!N_WJ!, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/w_1456, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/c_limit, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/f_auto, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/q_auto:good, /__u/anireokene.substack.com/fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F109c7f0d-4bd2-402c-a7de-1e11c0949901_1024x1024.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a><figcaption class="image-caption">Album Art <em>for</em> <strong>Strings Of Worship</strong></figcaption></figure></div><p>My 2nd full-length Gospel album is out! 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