A GOD WINK FROM MICHELLE OBAMA

This God wink began from a few days ago when me and my daughters were out on a run and I stopped both of them to say let’s finish strong by running NONSTOP home playing Drake’s song, NONSTOP. Fast forward to yesterday evening, we’re watching Michelle Obama’s documentary on Netflix, and they show her sitting at a table with her Chief of Staff, unbelievably listening to, our all songs in the world, Drake’s NONSTOP.

Call me Nikki so Crazy, but for me to stop my daughters out on that run to listen to THIS song was God setting us up for this wink from Him through Michelle Obama to remind us that His invisible Presence is ALWAYS with us. Are you paying ATTENTION to your winks from Him?

I’m hoping that as I share my God stories (no matter how crazy they might seem) that you will begin to feel His Presence in your life. That we can eventually go NONSTOP with our eyes on Him no matter the challenges and stress that come our way. Sometimes that may mean holding His hands super tight to make it through some of the difficulties, but no problem, like my sister just told me, “God got us!”

I just want us tapping into His wisdom no matter the situation we face praying for His guidance and His solutions. GOD, HELP ME! No shame in our games! And then start listening for specific steps through thoughts (whispers) that may pop into your mind, suggestions from other people, your feelings, and nudges from Him something you may read. God is pretty talkative once you get to know His voice. And His ways are not our ordinary human ways; they’re so much better!

“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!”

God is constantly taking me through new experiences just to get me to learn more and more about Him and to increase my FAITH. The paths may be treacherous at times, but He always brings me out tougher, stronger, more loving, and wiser. I want us going to Him in EVERY situation moving forward from a God perspective – God, what would You have me to do here? Doing our best in the physically and leaving the rest with Him in the spiritual realm where ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH HIM. Wink! Wink! Even if we start at nothing. Didn’t God create the entire world from nothing?

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GOD CAME TO HAVE A SIT-DOWN CONVERSATION WITH ME

Seriously! After speaking to my quarantine buddy for the longest last night about how we’ve not yet freed ourselves from mental slavery, God showed up this morning in my home office to say He totally agrees. This God wink went down like this:

So, back in January, I wrote this after we had an entire day talking off and on:

“At one point, I’m listening to Rob Bell’s podcast and his guest, Don Golden, talked about the slaves from Egypt being freed and how God is calling us ALL to be freed from anything that is holding us back from being the people He is calling us to be. I got so excited calling her back saying we have to free ourselves from our personal mental slavery and start thinking the thoughts that God would have us thinking not this JUNK we’ve been getting sad and depressed over. The words from Bob Marley’s song came to mind, “Free yourself from mental slavery.” After talking to her, I sent her a text, “Google Bob Marley’s song. Wow He is speaking directly to us.”

Minutes later, God reveals His intimate Presence with us. She walks past her nephew’s bedroom, and he is UNBELIEVABLY playing this very Bob Marley song, “EMANCIPATE YOURSELF FROM MENTAL SLAVERY.” Honestly, I can’t get over the sweetness of God, letting me and her know that He Himself is with us as we take on this superhero role for our families, all for His glory. This was His way of encouraging us both to continue joyously carrying the crosses He has assigned to us. God, ANYTHING FOR YOU!”

Fast forward four months later, we’re still mental slaves! No joke! For an appointment with God, I thought to search Rob Bell in my inbox, and incredibly this very post showed up at the top of my feed after our conversation late last night. Wink! Wink!

And to confirm that it really was Him, I was incredibly wearing the same Beyonce’s Ivy Park shirt I wore in the picture that accompanied that post. Honestly, I haven’t worn this shirt for a while, but after both daughters agreed to join me for my morning run today, I excitedly thought, ‘Bring out the Beyonce shirt, this calls for a celebration!” Not knowing this would be God’s way of confirming His invisible Presence with me. No coincident! God also had this to say through that post from January:

“And one other wink I had yesterday I have to tell you about! I read a prayer that morning that got me super excited to take on a challenging day I had in store, “Dear God, thank You for standing beside us as we journey through the difficult and good times. Amen.” Fast forward a few hours later, and NEEDING to have a moment with God, this astonishingly showed up exactly where I continued reading from: “I’m walking beside you.” God sweetly found a way to confirm that prayer. We all have our tough times, but know this is a message for you too from Him, “I’m walking beside you.”

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FEAR NO STORMS; OUR GOD IS WITH US!

With all the fear, anxiety, and worry in the world right now, it feels like we need Him MORE than ever – His wisdom, help, protection, guidance, strength, and LOVE to overcome anything!

I’m seriously thanking Him for the nudge to start the fasting with the Muslims for Ramadan. God, I need You! It’s bringing me closer to Him, where I constantly feel His Presence with me. Like I was discussing yesterday with my quarantine buddy (a close friend) that we have to be DEAF, DUMB, and BLIND and continually keep our FOCUS on God and not on the downward pull of the stresses around us, striving to be the people He would have us to be AT EVERY MOMENT (super tough sometimes!).

Fast forward a few hours later, I go to have an appointment with Him on WEROLLWITHGOD.COM, saying specifically I would go to page 19 to see what God has to say to me there. Out of 40 webpages, the top one on that page was entitled, “DEAF, DUMB, and BLIND.” Wink! Wink! With God letting me know He’s with me in every conversation. He had this to add, though:

“LOVE TO BE BLIND since it is I (God) who am leading you if you really want to put your hand in Mine.” – He and I

God, I do! I want to put my hands in Yours KNOWING You will never leave me or forsake me, DESPITE WHAT THE NEWS HEADLINES SAY.

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” – Psalm 91:1-2

“I have told you these things, so that in Me (God) you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you.]” John 16:33

Whenever I feel overwhelmed and overburdened, I again say to myself, “Hug, Nikki.” That’s my reminder that God has His arms wrapped around me (HUG) as we go through life together. Are you feeling His Presence? GOD, PLEASE BRING US ALL CLOSER TO YOU. AMEN.

WEROLLWITHGOD.COM

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HEALTH MATTERS
Fall a million times, get up a million and one! That’s my new motto! That’s life! The key is to keep getting back up when we fall. “Lord help me,” is the prayer I want us saying whenever we struggle with anything and need His help and take some time to FOCUS back on Him when the world becomes too much for us. Kk?

LET FOOD BE THY MEDICINE AND MEDICINE THY FOOD

ARE YOU GETTING TO KNOW GOD BETTER?

I am! I am! I am! So, I wrote this yesterday:

“You can’t beat God’s school of HARD LESSONS! It’s a constant struggle and a strong fight to be this person who I know He is calling me to be, but that’s the challenge for us all: For God to be the Guide of our hearts and to make some super tough decisions from His GOD IS LOVE perspective. He wants to remove the weeds from our hearts like bitterness, envy, jealousy, hate, greed, selfishness, temptations, evil thoughts, anger, doing and saying hurtful things and replace them with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience bearing with and forgiving each other, clothing ourselves ALWAYS in love. Phew! Did you get all of that?”

Again, THIS IS SUPER HARD! But I’ve come up with a little strategy with God to help me. When I see the crazy lady is making an appearance with all her evil thoughts, I quickly catch myself and say, ‘Hug, Nikki. Hug.’ I imagine that I’m getting a hug from God who I know doesn’t want me with dwelling on unpleasant things. I add in a little fun smile with Him, we laugh at the crazy lady, and she goes quietly away. It’s a constant struggle, but by God’s grace, I’m getting better every day. Thanks, Boss! That includes the worrisome and fearsome thoughts too. HUG! God is on our side!

I’m loving the constant God winks from Him, especially a fun one where He got my daughter, Julie, in on it. We were having a fun time laughing about something, and I asked her, “Your Muslim friends. What do they call their dads?” She said, “Baba!” And we had a little private joke having the best time laughing. Incredibly, a few minutes later, Julie comes in, and says, “Mommy, you’re not going to believe this. I wanted to see what homework I have for tomorrow and look at what was one of the questions:

“What were Amir and Hassan’s connection to BABA?”” (Wink! Wink!)

For that “BABA” to show up minutes later after our little joke, was no coincident, it was God’s sweet way of revealing His loving Presence with my daughter and me. God is quite funny, you know! Let’s live our entire lives, enjoying the pleasure of His company, even in the super tough moments looking to Him for His wisdom, taking a lighthearted view on our troubles. Like I’m having fun when the crazy lady appears, “HUG!!!” Are you getting closer to Him? Don’t miss out on the sweetest life with God as our Boss as we aim to be the best versions of ourselves, all for His glory! Where my superhumans at?

WEROLLWITHGOD.COM

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HEALTH MATTERS
I’m loving the fasting! I told my daughters that even after the Ramadan fasting with the Muslims, I want to get back to fasting on a regular basis. It’s healthy to give your body a break from digesting food all the time if you are medicaly able to do so. Let’s keep stepping up our games to be ALL God has designed us to be.

LET FOOD BE THY MEDICINE AND MEDICINE THY FOOD