…FOCUS ON GETTING YOUR DAUGHTERS TO SCHOOL IN THE US.” Those were the words from my brother, Kevin, three years ago. After that conversation, your girl here was focused, man. The arguments with hubby ended. I became the best wife ever to try and persuade him that the girls should leave Nigeria and finish their high school education in the US. And today, I’m proud to officially announce I have two high school graduates, baby! To God be the glory! God Himself has been walking with us and guiding us along this path every step of the way. It has been the most challenging thing ever because it meant splitting our family into two, with the girls coming to the US with me, and our sons staying in Nigeria with my husband. “HARD THINGS ARE HARD!!!”
But what I really want you to know is that the same God who clearly walks with us is also walking with you. Julie and I have a little argument sometimes when I tell her that I’m God’s fav, but she says, “Everyone is God’s favorite.” I then reply, “Yes, that’s true, but He still loves me a little bit more than the rest of you guys.” (HUGE SMILE) I loved listening to these lyrics from Kanye West today:
“To the hustlers, killers, murderers, drug dealers even the strippers
(Jesus (God) walks with them)…
I ain’t here to argue about his facial features
Or here to convert atheists into believers
I’m just tryna say the way schools needs teachers…
that’s the way I need Jesus (God)”
I need Him, too! I love the way Dr. Charles Stanley explains it:
“”I’m going to be with you.”
So, the important thing is that we recognize that God is going to guide us in whatever He tells us to do. You think about all the decisions you have to make in life and think about decisions that pop up that you and I don’t even plan on, things that we don’t even have any details about. But He says, “I will guide you.”
That’s a promise that belongs to every single child of God, that you can’t bring up any issue that He doesn’t know all about it. You can’t bring up any question He doesn’t have an answer for…”GOD WANTS TO BE PERSONALLY INVOLVED IN EVERY SINGLE AREA OF YOUR LIFE.”
It’s just for us to invite Him in! And I promise you, you don’t have to get all cleaned up for God. Even at my lowest moments, I feel His Presence with me helping me to get back up and continue on with Him. It’s just a constant recalibration of where we are and seeking His guidance to get everything back on track, little by little and one step at a time, with our eyes back on the prize. I can boast of my weaknesses because those are the times I see God’s strength coming through to help me more than any other time. Even if I make one million mistakes, HE HAS MY BACK!!! That’s the love I want you know for yourself!!! His mercies are new every second, and He loves us all unconditionally. He even can use all our “bad” for such good! He is pretty amazing at that!
Tell God that today is the day you want to walk more closely with Him. He has the best plans for us, we just need to learn His voice and continually ask Him, “God, what would you have me to do here?” The more you practice listening and spending time with Him, you will get better that on a moment-by-moment basis you’ll be able to discern what God is saying specifically to you and only you. You’ll begin to feel Him directing you in your spirit or through many signs (lately, He has been using ducks to remind me that He is my strength!) and messengers like Kevin.
“The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” – Psalms 32:8
That’s His promise to each of us!