FEELING SKINTIGHT WITH GOD, BABY!

That’s what this fasting with the Muslims is doing for me – I’m feeling so close to Him! Like yesterday, I accidentally ran out with my daughter’s air pods in my ears. And instead of listening to music like I usually do, I decided to listen to Rich Roll’s latest podcast. I had a few errands to run, one being grocery shopping. Unbelievably, AS I WALKED DOWN A GROCERY AISLE, continuing to listen to Rich Roll through my daughter’s earphones, Rich says something like, “I WAS WALKING DOWN THE AISLE OF A GROCERY STORE (Wink! Wink!).

And this was another one of my God winks, where out of the blue, everything lines up a little bit too perfect to be a regular coincident. It was God Himself saying, ‘Nikki, MY PRESENCE IS ALWAYS WITH YOU. I SEE YOU.’

I thought about where I started listening to the podcast, from where I had last left off, where I was when I decided to switch off the music, to the EXTRA LONG line at the bank, to every traffic light I stopped at, every phone call I took and the perfect timing of every one of those calls, TO GET ME WALKING THROUGH THE AISLE OF THAT GROCERY STORE AS RICH SAID “I WAS WALKING DOWN THE AISLE OF A GROCERY STORE. I’m talking timing to perfection, just to let His girl here (and hopefully you too that He is with us all. I’m only the God maniac here paying attention and reporting them to back to you. (SMILE)

I want the title of my next book to be, ‘Let God Be The One To Love You.’ That God wink saying, ‘Nik,I see you,’ meant the world to me yesterday. Human love is fickle and unsteady, but God’s love is constant and unfailing. Even when He corrects us, it’s with such love. Like this message from Devon Franklin was God correcting me this week after I’ve been extremely distracted with my focus on the wrong things:

“The more FOCUS, the more FOLLOW THROUGH, the more FAVOR, the more SUCCESS. The more DISTRACTIONS, the more DETOURS, the more DEPRESSION, the more ANXIETY. In order for us to be who God has called us to be and do what He has called us to do, it requires FOCUS. We really have to start looking at our environment as to what is distracting us from being all He is calling us to be. Ask, “Lord, what is eating up my time?”

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…” – Hebrews 12:1

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“CRUSHING LIFE WITH GOD, BABY”

That was me on my morning run with Him. I was happy, dancing, singing, and thanking God for helping to get rid of the negative cloud that has been following your girl here around. No shame in my game, I cried out to God, ‘HELP ME!’ and as usual, He showed up, and it is another awesome testimony about God’s great love for us.

I got a feeling from Him to Watch Devon Franklin’s YouTube Bible study a couple of days ago. I watched it as if God was having a personal discussion with me alone. Devon perfectly articulated what I’ve been going, though: My heart was crushed into a million pieces, y’all. Which explained so many issues I had going on like the constant eating and running to sweets. The sadness, frustration, and stress of it pushed me to food as a relief valve to let out the steam. He also said something like you’re not getting your not work done. This was after I kept asking myself, ‘Nik, what is wrong with you?’ after I can’t seem to get a project completed. But, Devon reminded that God was close to the brokenhearted and He has a plan to rescue us when we cry out to Him.

That plan included fasting with the Muslims for Ramadan to stop all the constant, constant eating. Instead of running to food, I ran to God and had appointments with Him. Reading a lot of what the old Nikki had to say on my website, werollwithgod.com was great therapy. Even when I’ve been asking God to give up the posts and videos while I catch myself, He took me to a direct post that said the work for Him was to continue. ‘No problem, you’re the Boss!!’ But seeing such a specific response to my question made me feel so close to Him.

I also felt God nudging me to include a “NO SWEETS” rule along with the fasting. Even when the girls flaunted freshly baked cake in my face, I said, “No!!!” I know that’s one of my downfalls. I wouldn’t have a piece of cake, I would want the entire cake, and this fasting was about me going away from the old ways of sad and depressed Nikki and back to my joyful self.

Another story Devon told was about a potter and how he doesn’t just throw away a pot because its marred (damaged). That he would remake it into something else despite its faults. He said that’s what God does for us. No matter how many times we mess up, God doesn’t throw us out or give up on us. He keeps working with us, using everything, including our failings, to help us become the people He designed us to be. Not only is God still working on me, He is working on us all. I felt that was God’s message to me to go the extra mile in love (no judging other people’s sins), forgiveness, and patience because we all have issues He is working on. Again, ‘OK, Boss! Anything to please You.’ Fall one million times; Get up a million and one times with God.

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“DO YOU STILL THINK I NEED TO GO AND SEE A THERAPIST?”

I joked with the person who suggested I see one some days ago. LOL! No shame in my game, when I’m struggling with something, I go RUNNING to God: GOD, WHAT IS THIS? GOD, WHY ME?? GOD, HELP ME!!! And astonishingly, He ALWAYS shows up.

“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.” – Psalm 34:17

Like I felt Him in one of my alone times with Him say through my Spirit, ‘Nik, why don’t you fast with the Muslims for Ramadan?’ I paid attention! I called, Fatimah, our assistant in Nigeria, and asked, “When does the fasting start? I’m in!”

And God has been using this fasting to just draw me even closer to Him:

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” – Psalm 34:18

Like yesterday, I had an alone time with Him reading an old post from three years ago that said:

“I (GOD) BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU; I make My Face shine upon you; I turn My Face toward you and give you Peace.” – Jesus Calling

Fast forward to this morning, for an appointment with God,
I watched Steven Furtick who said that this is the blessing He says over his children almost every night:

“‘“The Lord bless you
and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”’ – Numbers 6:24-26 (NIV)

Of all the messages to show up at the very top of my YouTube feed for me to watch, this was no coincident, but God Himself confirming that message from the day before to me: “NIK, I BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU.” I went out on my morning run super happy dancing and jogging: ‘MY GOD IS WITH ME, BABY!’

And if that’s not enough for you, fast forward another couple of hours, having an appointment with God while waiting a few minutes for my daughter, I opened up my meditation book to incredibly read this from exactly where I had last left off:

“I will bless you and keep you, making My Face shine upon you graciously, giving you Peace.” – Jesus Calling

And God’s peace is not the world’s peace. His is the peace that passes all understanding even during the toughest trials. In this life you will have trouble, but when you know You have God blessing you and keeping you, that’s life on a completely different level. Are you riding with Him? Make sure you have appointments with Him being honest about your struggles. I want us hearing EVERYTHING God has to say to us!

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