“HERE’S TO THE GOOD LIFE WITH GOD”
That was me and my son, Joshie, toasting at dinner last night with two cans of soda. Let me tell ya, I only eat one cooked meal a day for dinner, so I don’t play around with it. I enjoy myself! Last night, hubs did the most delicious steaks for us, I made my favorite salad with fresh corn inside, and we ordered a big jumbo shrimp fried rice from the neighborhood Chinese restaurant. I’m talking the perfect combination! 10 out of 10 meal wise!
But that wasn’t the highlight of the night! It was sitting at that table with my husband, our four kids, our nephew, and my 88-year-old mom close by watching TV. To God be the glory, guys! This has been an extremely HARD year, but by the grace of God, we made it here TOGETHER, healthy, happy and thanking God. He has been good to us!
But I say, let no tragedy go to waste! This HARD year taught me some crucial lessons about rolling with God on the daily. This is something to be learned and I would be a terrible human being if I didn’t pass on what I’ve learned to you guys. I love how one of my fav meditations books, Yes, Father, puts it:
“Can there be anything more wonderful than going through life with God as your Companion? …No greater happiness than to be in a continual reunion with the Deity (God).”
That has certainly been my experience; nothing more wonderful than knowing God is my Companion as I journey through the ups and downs of life KNOWING His invisible Presence is ALWAYS with me. I’m talking the best life DESPITE the challenges, frustrations, hurts, disappointments, mistakes, failures, sadness, and tribulations that come my way. There is a reggae song by Bad English I sing to God:
“Sometimes I wonder
How I’d ever make it through,
Through this world without having you
I just wouldn’t have a clue
‘Cause sometimes it seems
Like this world’s closing in on me,
And there’s no way of breaking free
And then I see you reach for me
Sometimes I want to give up
I want to give in, I want to quit the fight
And then I see you, baby
And everything’s alright, everything’s alright
When I see you smile
I can face the world,
Oh oh, you know I can do anything
When I see you smile
I see a ray of light,
Oh oh, I see it shining right through the rain
When I see you smile
Oh yeah, baby when I see you smile at me”
That’s me! Especially this year where I saw many dark moments, but I would go running to God in my appointments with Him, and He will figure out some way to let me know that His invisible Presence was right there with me in those awful moments. No shame in my game, I can boast of the times I’ve fallen, because in my weakness, the Creator of the entire universe would show up and say, ‘Nik, what’s the problem? I’m right here with you.’ That would then give me the confidence to face the world again!
Like as I type this, I have my computer on top of a Minnie Mouse stool in a little, quiet corner of our home which is extremely full at the moment. But this stool has been my go to spot to meet with God whenever I’m having a rough moment and believe it or not, He comes to comfort me.
One of my most anxious moments this year, I sat there asking God for clarity and direction as to the next step when an awful thing happened. Sitting there, asking God for direction and clarity, a friend astonishingly sends me a message from Devon Franklin that said (BTW: this could be a message for you too right now!):
“Heavenly Father, we’re praying right now for anyone listening to (or reading) this prayer. There is so much confusion going on right now. There is so much worry. So much anxiety. So much uncertainty. And I’m praying right now that if you are listening to this prayer, that you will know that this prayer is for you.
There are so many people who are trying to figure out, ‘What are we supposed to do?’ …There are so many unanswered questions…You may be losing hope…You may be throwing your hands up. But I pray right now, as you throw your hands up, that you will begin to put your hands together. PRAYER DOES CHANGE THINGS.
I pray, Dear Lord, that you will provide clarity on what to do. If you’re listening to this prayer, MAY I SUBMIT FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION THAT THIS IS CONFIRMATION THAT GOD HEARS YOU. And if God has allowed you to hear this prayer, its because He has every intent to help you. So, I pray, Dear Lord, that you will send the help, you will send the clarity. You will meet the need as only you can do it. If you can feel God’s Presence through what I am saying, let that be confirmation to you that God’s not going to bring you this far to leave you. He will not take you to this moment and drop you. Have the faith to know that God is going to carry you everywhere He wants you to be…”
Is that unbelievable or what? I’m sitting on my little stool in that awful moment asking for clarity and direction from God as to what my next step should be and out of the blue, my friend sends me a message as I’m sitting there saying,
If you’re listening to this prayer, MAY I SUBMIT FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION THAT THIS IS CONFIRMATION THAT GOD HEARS YOU. And if God has allowed you to hear this prayer, its because He has every intent to help you. . If you can feel God’s Presence through what I am saying, let that be confirmation to you that God’s not going to bring you this far to leave you. He will not take you to this moment and drop you. Have the faith to know that God is going to carry you everywhere He wants you to be…”
And God did help! God took control. I didn’t have to do anything else, and the situation was resolved. That was His clarity. Nik, leave this battle for me! I got up from that stool, happy, knowing that God had promised to help me. I joined my daughters at a party we were to attend together, but because I was feeling so down, I told them to go without me.
So, that’s an important lesson I want you guys to get about rolling with God: He is pretty talkative!!! He will find a way to speak to you, but you must have ears to hear Him. Notice how in that rough moment, I went running to Him, ‘God, I need Your help!’ and figured out a way to get that message to me. So, an important part of rolling with God on the daily is learning to make space in your life to hear from Him. Jesus has been my example in regards to this. Notice how he always went aside to talk to God. In one of his most difficult moments, he went to God saying, ‘Not my will, but your will.’ And that’s where I want us all, continually asking God, what is His will for our lives. That will take a lot of going aside from the world and seeking Him. Every morning, I start my day reading our family’s website, werollwithgod.com. I go there to remind myself of the person God is calling me to be in the world. Not always easy, but I’ve come to know that this is the way God guides me on the path to the best life with Him. I love Isaiah 41:10:
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
That has been His promise to me, and repeatedly I see Him helping me with the toughest battles. I have to hold on to His hands super tight, but He gives me the strength to face the world. Yes, there will be difficult moments, but just how He showed up for me through that Devon Franklin prayer, He will be there for you too, to provide the solutions, the clarity and direction, the peace and the strength to take on whatever the world throws your way. The more time you spend with God, the more you will learn His voice so that when you’re back in the world, you will know with one glance at Him what He would have you to do.
Make God a priority! Start waking up early every day and seek Him. Then once you’re out in the world, I want us all keeping our eyes fixed on God. My brother Kevin said to me, Nik, I want you to work on being wiser. That for me means PAUSING before I say, do or go anywhere and going to God and asking what He would have me to say, do, or go and seeking His wisdom that is available to be 24/7. It’s a practice that I’ve learned through the experience of doing what I feel He would have me to do. The more I practice listening to God, the better I’ve gotten so that one glance at Him, I get it. ‘Nik, don’t say that. Nik, go here. Nik, do that.’ And I can confidently respond, ‘Yes, Boss.’ He really gives me the courage to take on life bravely and courageously knowing He is my Partner, Guide and Coach. In the 1,000 decisions, we make every day, I want us going to God, and being obedient to what we feel in our spirit He would have us to do. I don’t promise an easy life, but I do promise a life of peace, joy, hope and faith as we roll with God on the daily!
Will you invite Him into your heart and into your life as we go into 2021? Can we at least take that with us from 2020, that we committed our lives more fully to God. In everywhere we go, everything we say, and everything we do, we’re inviting God to be our Partner. And what greater job is that than having the Creator of the entire universe as your constant Companion. That He will be with you through the tough times, through the happy times. Like that dinner I enjoyed so much that I could look at the faces of my family, with everyone happy, healthy and TOGETHER, was a huge blessing that I don’t take for granted anymore. So, I see my life as a constant walk with Him, and you’re invited to join us. He is waiting for you to accept the invitation to be a part of your life. Don’t miss out! Say, “God, I want You! I want to roll with you on the daily!” He is like a shy person, waiting in the background of our lives. But I promise a life with Him is the best life. Knowing He has your back. He’s your strength when you are weak. He’s EVERYTHING and ALL we need.
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
