A SILLY STORY WITH A BIG MEANING
“Let’s have an appointment with God,” I said to my fantastic son, Joshie, before sleeping the other night. I snuggled next to him on his bed and asked him to pick a number from our A Purpose Driven Life Devotional For Kids that I’m so in love with these days. In the middle of him reading, though, he stops to tell me a cute story of a student in his class that’s always chewing on his pens. “Mom, I even loaned him my pen, and he started chewing on that one too. I told him he could keep it!” LOL! He then continued reading the day he had picked for us to read from the devotional.I told him that because I didn’t get a high five from God (something that reassures me that His Presence was with me) that meant we had to pick another day to read, but that I will pick it this time. I took my phone and just decided to scroll and select wherever my finger landed on, and astonishingly this showed up as the title for that very day:“CHEW ON THIS” Wink! Wink!See how God used Joshie’s silly little story of his friend chewing on pens to reveal His invisible Presence with us. Joshie and I were totally blown away by God’s closeness. Wow! For me to randomly pick that day with that title minutes after Joshie’s story about his classmate chewing on pens was just the high five from God I was looking for. Woohoo!!!The BIG meaning I want you to take from this is that God’s invisible Presence is with all of us ALWAYS. I’m just the God maniac who pays attention to any glimmer of His Presence – “Chew On This!” I also had the best time singing Justin Bieber’s song, ‘That’s What Love Is’ with Him today:”Ooh, and I can feel you Even though I haven’t touch You Yeah, that’s what love is”And honestly, God showing up for me at that moment with my son, “Yeah, that’s what love is.” The song also has an important line that I love, “Til You put it in perspective.” No matter the worries, challenges, burdens, once I put it from a perspective that God is with me as my Helper, Strategist, Partner in every moment – “My self esteem gets low, You lift it right up to the ceiling.” I know that TOGETHER WE CAN TAKE ON ANYTHING. Phew! Yeah, that’s what TRUE love is.WEROLLWITHGOD.COM |
MARRIAGE AND SINGLE MATTERS |
Check out my video about constant, constant conversations with God:https://youtu.be/YBqwqxvxjVALIVE IN GOD, LIVE IN LOVE |
HEALTH MATTERS |
PLANT STRONG, BABY!To be our best “warrior” selves, we must put the right foods in our bodies. For me, that means making my diet 80-90% from fruits, vegetables and beans. I start my days with whatever fresh fruits I have available with my morning coffee. I came just in time to Nigeria to enjoy fresh mangoes from our trees. Next, I try to have a veggie and fruit smoothie after my morning run. Next, it’s fasting, followed by a huge dinner plate of my one cooked meal for the day of mostly veggies with some ocassional seafood.“Let food be thy medicine!” |
GOD SHOWS UP ON A ROUGH DAY
I love how intimately God is involved in our lives and how He astonishingly finds these sweet ways to remind us of His Presence. Even during a very overwhelming and stressful day, He LOVINGLY showed up! I called my husband all emotional, telling him that I needed to cut my trip to Nigeria short because of some situations going on in the US. He said, “Calm down, we’ll talk about this when I get home.” And since hubs had no time for my drama, I then went RUNNING to God reading my children’s devotional:
“King David called God his hiding place. When the king was in trouble or afraid, he “ran to God” (exactly me in that moment! LOL!) and told God what was going on. Since God is everywhere, David COULD STAY RIGHT WHERE HE WAS. All he needed to do was start talking to God.” – The Purpose Driven Life Devotional for Kids
God is pretty amazing! He had that all lined up perfectly for me to read minutes after that conversation with my husband and getting those upsetting calls from the US – ‘NIKKI, STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE.’ And I did exactly what the book suggested, I started talking to God as to what He would have me to do. The book continued, “Thank the Lord that he is bigger than the things that make you afraid. Thank the Lord that he is a safe place.” Amen.
I know this might sound too good to be true that God is that much interested in my life. But He is. Like today I needed help wrapping my mind around some stuff from the past, and He again shows up through the same kids devotional with the PERFECT ADVICE: FORGET. I call my self a professional ignorer, but after today, I want to be a professional FORGETTER.
“Remembering is an important part of learning, but sometimes it is best to forget. Wait. What? Paul said he practiced forgetting. He didn’t want to get so stuck on the good times or bad times that he missed what was happening in the moment. He didn’t want the past to keep him from moving forward toward his goal of serving Jesus Christ every day. Yes, it’s good to remember the past for memories and lessons, but don’t let the past rule what you do today…Ultimately, we want to look toward Jesus and his plans for our lives so that nothing can hold us back—especially the past.
Prayer: Lord, it’s hard to forget the past, whether it’s good or bad. But today is a gift from you that I want to enjoy and make the most of. Will you keep me in the present? – The Purpose Driven Life Devotional for Kids”
Nobody’s perfect and we all should practicepractice being professional forgetters and enjoy people for who they are in the present, leaving the past in the past. Immediate and endless forgiving going the extra mile in love and support of each other. “And like my fav pajama reminds me, “BE HAPPY EVERYDAY.”
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“THIS IS A MESSAGE FROM GOD TO ME”
That was me to my fantastic son, Emmie, yesterday when I found a piece of paper where he amazingly wrote this:
“Preparation: Our Responsibility
Even in the most difficult battles, in the most ROUGH TERRAIN…the warrior who comes prepared will always defeat the enemy. Preparation is what it takes to succeed.”
I told him how I’ve been going through a lot lately (A ROUGH TERRAIN!) and how my runs every day with God are what mentally prepare me to manfully and bravely take on whatever hard battles that come my way. I’m reminded that I’m not going through life alone and that God Himself is always standing beside me.
Can you believe that less than 30 minutes later, God confirmed that this was indeed a message from Him? I had to peepee (TMI!), and I thought to see what God had to say to me in a 757-page devotional I keep in our bathroom, and this astonishingly showed up, written as if God was speaking directly to me:
“LEARN TO APPRECIATE difficult days. Be stimulated by the challenges you encounter along your way. As you journey through ROUGH TERRAIN (Wink! Wink!) with Me, gain confidence from your knowledge that together we can handle anything.” – Jesus Calling by Sarah Young
No way that could just be an ordinary coincident for me to find those words “ROUGH TERRAIN” written on a piece of paper by my 12-year-old son and for the same “ROUGH TERRAIN” to show up in this huge devotional minutes later. It was indeed God revealing His invisible Presence wherever I go and His DEEP, DEEP love for me.
“what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?”- Psalm 8:4
On the run today with Him, I enjoyed Justin Bieber’s song, Come Around Me, that says, “Let’s not miss out on each other. Let’s get it in expeditiously.” I feel that’s His message to all of us. Let’s not miss out on a life close to God. I don’t know about you, but I’m taking His hand like a little child crossing the street every moment of my life. Especially in the saddest and most difficult of times, as He finds these sweet ways of saying, “I am always with you.”
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I’M GETTING MY GROOVE BACK
Sorry I just disappeared on you guys, but I have alot going on right now. In this life we WILL have trouble, but this old post just reminded me that we can hold on to God’s hand to help us get through anything that life throws our way:
“HOW DO YOU MENTALLY DEAL WITH TOUGH SITUATIONS?”
Wow! That was the excellent question from a sweetie pie God has sent into my life! Here’s how:
God is my GREATEST FRIEND EVER! Anything I’m concerned about, He’s concerned about, let me tell ya. And He lovingly finds all sorts of ways to communicate with me (He’s quite talkative once you get to know Him!) Like yesterday, I was feeling seriously anxious about a situation, and when I finally went to Him to talk about it, I ended up balling crying like a little baby. This wink started from Sunday morning when I felt Him say this to me through my meditation book:
“When you were little you wanted someone to take your hand when you crossed the street. Ask me often to take your hand, because you are always little.” – He and I
I loved it so much, I immediately captioned it on this pic from the night before: God, Take Our Hands And Walk With Us. Amen.
Fast forward to the very next day, feeling so overwhelmed and anxious, I continued reading from where I had last left off in another meditation book:
“…My hand that never let’s go of yours.” Wink! Wink!
There I was in that moment saying God I need to hear from You, and He used that prayer of me asking Him to take hold of my hand like a little child crossing the street, and He sweetly says, ‘Nik, I never let your hand go.’ See the love I’m talking about! From one meditation book to a completely different one, He found a way to connect the two and remind me that His intimate Presence is always with me.
That’s what gives me a positive mindset to manly and bravely tackle whatever challenges come my way. I’m counting on God’s help! He continued speaking through Jesus Calling:
“Discuss everything with Me. Take a lighthearted view of trouble, seeing it as a challenge that you and I together can handle. Remember that I am on your side, and I have overcome the world.” Wink! Wink!
There is no situation too difficult for God! Do you have appointments with Him? See how I go from meditation book to meditation book, seeking His face, and He delightfully shows up as if saying, ‘I’m right here, Nik!’
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“THE DEVIL WON’T PUT US TO SHAME; WE’RE GOING TO PUT THE DEVIL TO SHAME”
That was me to someone this morning after they were having a challenge with something that wanted to humiliate them. We’re rolling with God! That means we can tap into His knowledge, wisdom, guidance, help, love, and strength 24 hours a day asking, “God, what should I do here?” Then start paying attention to His voice, which could be a strong feeling or a gentle nudge to do something, or an idea that may pop in your head as to what direction to take. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
Like today, I was feeling anxious about something. Immediately, when I feel this way, I RUN to God. The feeling from Him was to go and read my own book that I wrote, ‘Keep Calm, You’re Rolling With God.’ I just continued reading from where I had last left off and it was the perfect message:
“Do not give into 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.” – Jesus Calling
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: “I will go before you and level the mountains” (Isaiah 45:2).”
I was instantly reminded that God is my amazing Helper in every aspect of my life. As I do my best in the physical realm, He lovingly goes ahead of me in the spiritual realm to fight on my behalf. Wink! Wink! This frees me to enjoy His company 24 hours a day as I live holding onto His hands SUPERTIGHT enjoying the sweet life with Him. That’s FAITH, baby! Putting my complete TRUST in God.
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