That was me to my daughter, Ember, a short while ago. I wanted to call her from Nigeria, but thought to myself that I didnāt want to wake her up in the US, and unbelievably, within one minute, my sweetie daughter called. She is a big part of the reason that Iām keeping my eyes on the PRIZE – Godās blessings, love, and favor over my life. Let me tell ya, GOD EXCEEDS MY EXPECTATIONS. Even right after talking to Ember, my husband invited me to share his brunch with him in his office. I first declined, but then when he put it that it would be nice to enjoy a meal with his wife, I couldnāt say no. It was such good food that I ate every little bit of it! God, Youāve AGAIN blessed me with more than I can ever ask or pray for. To be back in Nigeria (COVID FREE!!!) with hubby and my sons, Iām feeling EXTREMELY GRATEFUL ā everyone is safe, healthy, and happy. ALL GLORY GOES TO GOD!
So much so, I have to continue these posts telling you guys the GREAT NEWS about God, DESPITE EVERYTHING I HAVE GOING ON. But Iām learning that even the difficulties, challenges, problems, and stresses are from the hands of a loving God who knows what we need to help us become the best versions of ourselves. I was so excited that my nephew, Duro, told me about this appointment with God he had WITHOUT me from our meditation book, Jesus Calling:
āBE PREPARED TO SUFFER FOR ME, in My Name. All suffering has meaning in My kingdom. Pain and problems are opportunities to demonstrate your trust in Me. Bearing your circumstances bravelyāeven thanking Me for themāis one of the highest forms of praise. This sacrifice of thanksgiving rings golden-toned bells of Joy throughout heavenly realms. On earth also, your patient suffering sends out ripples of good tidings in ever-widening circles.
When suffering strikes, remember that I am sovereign and that I can bring good out of everything. Do not try to run from pain or hide from problems. Instead, accept adversity in My Name, offering it up for my purposes. Thus your suffering gains meaning and draws you closer to Me. Joy emerges from the ashes of adversity through your trust and thankfulness.
āConsider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ā James 1:2-4
It was such a joy getting on my knees to pray with family last night with Joshie saying, āGod, thank You.ā Iām thanking God for the good, bad, and ugly because everything helps draw me so close to Him. I also loved an appointment with God on Tumblr.com reading these posts
āThank You for the pain, it made me raise my game.ā
āJust because things couldāve been different, it doesnāt mean theyād be better.ā (Give thanks in everything!)
āDonāt sell the sun to buy a candle.ā For me, the sun is a strong relationship with God that we sell distracted by other things, plans, pursuits and people (ME INCLUDED!). Letās all commit our lives to a closer walk with God, doing His will. Have your appointments/alone times reading or listening to anything spiritual that connects you with Him. I promise you, THE BEST LIFE IS ONE LIVED CLOSE TO GOD filled with peace and joy where He personally directs You with His wisdom, love, and strength! āDonāt sell the sun to buy a candle.ā Wink! Wink!
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
GUESS WHO IS BACK RUNNING?
Me, baby! Canāt let a little cold get me down! And I had the best time with my Nike Running Clubās Coach Cory jogging up and down the stairs of our home in Nigeria. He kept reminding me that I was powerful and strong. Yes!!! I have a big project I need to complete, and most importantly theses runs are the way I start my day KNOWING that Godās invisible Presence is always with me. Instead of thinking worst-case scenario, I think best-case: If my God is with me, who can be against me! I love this old post:
GOD, YOU KNOW EVERY THOUGHT I THINK
That was me freaking out over God, as usual. I strangely wasnāt having the regular doubts and fears about a big challenge that was going on with me at the time. Suddenly, a thought came out of nowhere, spooking me out: āMaybe youāre too confidentā! I thought of how Iām always fussing my daughter, Julie, for being overconfident about her school work and refusing to study. Then 15 minutes later or so, I needed to use the restroom, but it was occupied, so I had to wait. I opened my meditation book, Jesus Calling, on my phone, and unbelievably read:
āYou have every reason to be confident, because My Presence accompanies you all the days of your lifeāand onward into eternity.ā
Wow! God is so intimately involved in all our lives. I opened it to the perfect sentence for me at that very moment. Hereās what else He had to say about all those worries and anxious thoughts:
āDo not give in to fear or worry, those robbers of abundant living. Trust Me enough to face problems as they come, rather than trying to anticipate them. Fix your eyes on Me, the Author and Perfector of your faith, and many difficulties on the road ahead will vanish before you reach them. Whenever you start to feel afraid, remember that I am holding you by your right hand. Nothing can separate you from My Presence! For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.ā Isaiah 41:13
And this message was confirmed in my other meditation book that I opened for a brief minute when I needed to grab something from my handbag:
God: āI will go before you and level the mountainsā (Isaiah 45:2).
Our Father, thank You for Your intimate Presence in every aspect of our lives. May we always trust You and follow Your guidance. Amen.
KEEP CALMāYOUāRE ROLLING WITH GOD
āWHAT WAS THE BEST PART OF YOUR DAY?ā
That was me questioning my Emmanuels (hubby and two sons) while we ate dinner last night. I told them how I was feeling so sick (a cold), discouraged, and overwhelmed by some big balls I have in the air, when my son, Joshie, came and asked me if I would like to have an appointment with God with him. I said, āThatās a great idea! I need one right now!ā
It was exactly 4:00 so I said let’s read post number 40 from our āPurpose Driven Life Devotional For Kids.ā It was the perfect message:
āEyes on God
āBut the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer.ā ā Genesis39:21
…A good example of suffering because of other people is Joseph of the Old Testament (Genesis 37-50). After being sold by his brothers into slavery, Joseph found himself in a foreign country, alone and hurting. He had every right to ask, āWhy me?ā How was Joseph able to hang in there?
First, Joseph recognized that God has given everyone free choice. No one is a puppet or a robot. We can choose to ignore what is right, and God does not force his will on us.
Second, Joseph knew that God saw everything he went through. He never doubted that God cared about him. There is an important phrase that is found five times in the story of Joseph, each time after a major crisis or defeat: āBut the Lord was with Joseph.ā Even when everything was going wrong, the Lord was still with Joseph.
Remembering these truths allowed Joseph to survive the pain and forgive his brothers in the endābecause he kept his eyes on God.
Prayer: Lord, I need to remember that you are with me through sadness and joy, just as you were with Joseph. Thank you for caring for me and caring about me.ā
And thatās been my testimony! No matter the challenges and problems I face, God stands with me. The best solutions would pop to mind when I know Iām not that smart. People I need will magically show up to assist me. Godās total guidance, strength, wisdom is always there as my back up no matter what comes my way. I just have to show up with my eyes on God, listening to His direction in every moment as to what He would have me to do.
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
āWHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THE KINDNESS OF MY HUSBAND?ā
That was me to my hubby last night as he served the boys and me the most delicious dinner. He didnāt eat with us because he was entertaining a guest, but we enjoyed ourselves without him. Then, this morning, they woke me up to eat a big breakfast with them, and even though Iām not a breakfast eater, I said, āNik, you must eat!ā after hubby said they werenāt eating without me.
With all this love Iām receiving from hubs and the boys now that Iām back in Nigeria, my assignment from God showed up in a Bible verse:
āHonor those leaders who work so hard for you (that’s my husband!)ā¦ Overwhelm them with appreciation and love.ā 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13
Watching a Whatsapp message this morning about how a country has forgiven another country for an atrophic war act, I was reminded that this is where God wants us all, going overboard with love and forgiveness for everyone. Godās love, mercy, and faithfulness are renewed every day for us, and thatās where we should be with everyone. In fact, Iāve promised God to be that loving, kind, and forgiving person He has called me to be in every moment, seeking to please Him in everything I do and say. Everything is between God and us, not between us and anyone else.
Instead of worrying, Iām handing over the difficult parts of the battles with God knowing I handle nothing alone. My strength, wisdom, and guidance come from the Lord! God exceeds my expectations and gives me even more than I can ask or expect from Him. Letās all commit to a stronger relationship with God, aiming to make everything we do, say, and even think pleasing to Him as we enjoy the sweet (even though difficult sometimes) with Him as our loving Partner. He said to me in an appointment with Him, say anything I want to Him, but to others, I should be silent. I should hide all my ugliness in His heart (it’s a hospital!). God, done.
āBut the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.ā – Galatians 5:22-23
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
THE PERFECT ADVICE FROM MY TEN-YEAR-OLD SON, JOSHIE
My spiritual guy blew me away when I asked him for some direction yesterday. I had told him about what President Trumpās doctor had responded when asked about the timeline of him testing positive for coronavirus. He said something like, he was not going backward to discuss the past, but he was moving forward. Can you believe my little son remembered that and when I asked him what he thought I should do about a situation, he said, “Mom, do what Trump (meaning his doctor) said, āLeave the past in the past and move forward!ā Thanks, my sweetie! Your mom will definitely take your advice!
Especially after watching the Vice-Presidential debate from Nigeria at 2 am with my daughter, Julie, watching it in the US. My husband came down and joined us later into it. We ended up calling Julie together, and I was reminded that Iām to keep my eyes on the prize ā Godās plan for my family. I MUST ignore the distractions that want to pop up and take me off my groove. Like someone correctly advised me, sometimes you must say, āForget you and the horse you rode in on!!!ā To get anywhere in this life we must become PROFESSIONAL IGNORERS, (kindly and respectfully, of course), otherwise we waste time fighting useless and unnecessary battles. My eyes are on the prize, baby!
Iām leaving the past in the past, my Joshie, and Iām moving forward confidently with my hope in God, while learning some extremely important lessons for us all. These showed up last night in an appointment with Him:
āAbove all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.ā – 1 Peter 4:8
āDo you love me enough that I may be weak with you? Everyone loves strength, but do you love me for my weakness? That is the real test.ā – Alain de Botton
And when we love deeply, trust me, our reward is with God. I loved what God also had to say through my meditation book, He and I:
āDonāt you know that I give far more than you expect. Havenāt you noticed this spiritually, materially?ā
Yes! God, Yes! And why Iām soooo sticking with You doing whatever is pleasing to You in every moment because you give me FAR more than I could even ask or think – protection, health, wisdom, guidance and LOVE!!! God, I’m on your team for LIFE, LOVING DEEPLY and covering LOTS of offenses, all for Your honor and glory! Amen!
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
ENJOY YOUR LIFE
Thatās the reminder for all of us today. I type this as I sit in a beautiful lounge in Londonās airport remembering a great friend, Lucky, who is now with God. But to be honest with you, we were the Lucky ones who got to know him on a personal level.
Lives of great men all remind us, we can make our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
.
One message I want us to take from his life was his constant conversations with God. And he did some extraordinary things based on paying attention to his gut/instincts/spirit. His conversations were with God as to what to do, what to say and where to go. He was incredibly wise, generous, loving, and kind on an out of this world level. Thatās where I want us, going to God in the 1,000 decisions we make every day asking what He would have us to do and then listening for His cues, nudges and direction. Itās like living life with one foot on earth and one foot in heaven being continually guided and directed by God to a successful life.
And that success could mean something different for everyone. Jay Shetty blew me away when he talked about being a billionaire, not in terms of money but in terms of the number of people who he would like to positively impact during his life. Sounds like success to me! Whatās your definition of success? May Lucky inspire us all to enjoy life fully following Godās will and direction in every moment. May our conversations take place in heaven asking God for His will to be done in our lives. Lucky, we miss you!!!
āOur citizenship is in heaven.ā – Philippians 3:20
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
I WILL JOYFULLY CARRY MY CROSSES FOR GOD
Thatās been the message of my last two YouTube videos that I didnāt get to write about recently. Iām feeling like Godās little superhero and anything that I can do to please Him, Iām with Jesus saying, āNot my will God, let Your will be done in my life.’ When I’m weak, God’s strength comes lovingly through. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Amen!
God EXCEEDS my expectations in every aspect of my life, and itās my honor to live my life pleasing to Him. The last few days have just been Him and me, with Him constantly revealing glimpes of His Presence with me, and Iāve been asking myself:
āCan there be anything more wonderful than going through life with God as your Companion? ā¦No greater happiness than to be in a continual reunion with the Diety (God).ā ā Yes, Father
Iāve made God my life Partner, and I want you to do the same. Know that He is with you in every quarter of a second, guiding you with His love and wisdom. His invisible Presence is always with us. I loved an appointment with Him yesterday:
āHide all your ugliness in My heart. Itās a hospital, you know, and doesnāt one sometimes come out of a hospital cured? Trust in Me with all your heart since I am your great friend. You remember the keynote for the year, āHope in Me.’ My help never comes to an end, and I never cease to watch over you. I am infinite and I am love. So lose yourself in Me, trusting Me to guide you. Be the little blind child who skips joyously because he is holding someoneās hand. Oh learn to be joyous since you are Mine and open your heart to everything you lack. You donāt ask. Above all, donāt be afraid of wearying or annoying Me. What could you lack when you live in His friendship?ā ā He and I
