Bible – Mimi's Thoughts

AI – Arrival Illusion

I logged onto the Elevation Church YouTube channel this afternoon for today’s worship experience. When the time came for the sermon, Pastor Steven Furtick shared a sermon titled This Time Around. It was a good sermon but one main thing he said stayed with me: AI — Arrival Illusion.

Not Artificial Intelligence. Arrival Illusion.

He talked about someone in his thirties, a friend, who was looking forward to being in his forties because, in his mind, life would somehow be better then. Pastor Steven is already in his forties, and so he could see something this young man couldn’t yet see.

Sometimes, we create an imaginary version of the future in our heads… We tell ourselves, When I get there, things will be better.

When I get married.
When I have children.
When the children grow up.
When I get that job.
When I make more money.
When I turn forty.
When I build my house.
When this particular problem is over.

Then we arrive… And there is another problem waiting.

That was the part that really got me.

He said; “No version of your life is frustration-free. No version of your future is struggle-free.”

There is no arrival point where everything suddenly becomes perfect.

He called it AI because sometimes the future we imagine is just that… an illusion. It looks beautiful and perfect from a distance, almost too perfect to be real. Like those strange, impossibly neat AI-generated videos or photos where everything seems to happen or look exactly as it should.

He referenced the book of Joshua, chapter 6.

The Israelites had arrived at the Promised Land, but there was still a wall by the time they got to Jericho.

There had been several hitches along the way for the Israelites…
Egypt > Wilderness > Plains of Moab > Jordan River > Promised Land > Jericho.

Every stage was not easy, and at Jericho, they had to walk around the city walls… Again… And again…. And again.

Seven times… And the walls fell.

There was no shortcut around the wall simply because they had arrived at the place God had promised them.

Whether it’s a wilderness or it is a wall, we must not assume we are lost simply because we have encountered another obstacle. We have only arrived at “another wall”…

What wall have you encountered? What wall are you currently facing? Fear, Depression, Anxiety, Addiction, sickness, Financial difficulties, Guilt, Self Doubt…

…Maybe the instruction is not to turn around or stand still… Maybe it is to keep walking.

144 hours of Bible Reading

I’ve been thinking about something.

It’s interesting how we often rally around record attempts involving entertainment or novelty. We celebrate marathon cooking sessions, unusual talents, and all sorts of remarkable feats. We show up, donate, cheer, and make them trend. I mean, really trend.

Yet when someone dedicates themselves to reading the entire Bible aloud for 144 hours, the response is often much quieter.

I don’t say this to diminish anyone else’s achievement. Every genuine accomplishment deserves respect. It simply makes me wonder what our loudest celebrations reveal about what we value.

I’m grateful that her church community stood by her and supported her throughout. Every person taking on a challenge needs people in their corner.

I may not be in Port Harcourt to cheer her on, but I’m encouraged by her commitment. It reminds me that some of the most meaningful acts are not always the ones that make the biggest headlines.

Now let me ask you, Have you heard about her? The Nigerian woman who recently completed a 144-hour Bible reading marathon?

Her name is Habibat Salawudeen Ihiovi-Jack, and she completed the six-day Bible reading challenge in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria as part of an attempt to set a Guinness World Record. She began on June 22, 2026, at the Novotel in Port Harcourt and concluded on June 29, 2026… six days of non-stop reading aloud.

The event, titled “144 Hours in the Word,” was not organized solely to break a record. According to the organizers, its main purpose was to encourage Christians around the world to develop a deeper habit of reading and studying the Bible.

Her senior pastor, Andy Osakwe, shared that the vision for the project began around 2022 and was inspired by a desire to exalt God’s Word above the pursuit of records or recognition.

It’s worth noting that although she has successfully completed the marathon, it is not yet an official Guinness World Record. Guinness World Records will first review all the submitted evidence to confirm that every requirement was met before making a final decision.

Whether or not the record is eventually approved, her commitment has inspired many people to spend more time in God’s Word. I played it in the background on some days as I went about my chores.

ABLE

Having recently concluded Holly Furtick’s six week study on the book of Ephesians, I thought I would share a thing or two about what I learnt.

The memory verse for the entire study was from Ephesians 3: 20-21

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than All we ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us…to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus through out all generations, forever and ever. Amen

I didn’t have to memorise it… thank God (I have never been too good with memorising verses). The reason I didn’t memorise it was because I already had it in my memory for about 25 years or so. They were the exact words to a song I learnt as a kid from an acapela mix tape.

The verse has always been a comforting one for me. Only, during the course of the study, one word seemed brand new to me; Able.

God is Able to do what ever I ask of Him. There are no limitations to His abilities. None. If He has not done or does not do a thing for me, it definitely isn’t because He can’t do it. He is ABLE.

In addition to the one word that got me, I learnt that the entire book of Ephesians has a guide for me for:

Immeasurably more Wisdom

Immeasurably more Grace

Immeasurably more Confidence

Immeasurably more Peace

Immeasurably more Love

Immeasurably more Strength

To learn more about the study, please visit http://immeasurablymore.com