“MOMMY, YOU’RE VERY CLOSE TO GOD”

That was from my little nine-year-old sweetie, Joshie. In his mind, he said he had noticed that nothing bad ever seems to happen to me. That God protects me, and I don’t get hurt. Psalm 91, baby:

“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.””

Speaking of this Joshie, can you believe He is the one teaching the God geek here how to love? Yup. He is. He shows such genuine love that I say if no one else in the world loves me, I know my son, Joshie, does. Now, I’m about showing the love that I’m learning from him and God to the people in my life. I read this in an appointment with God while sitting in a hospital room last night:

“What I want in you is a spirit of love and humility, one that is constant and independent of created things, freed from the earth and ready for heaven at my first call. Joyously ready. Without joy the departure would be without love. Joy is the song there was also the invisible cross of all the days of My life of thirty-three years. Haven’t you yours too, My beloved children?” – He and I

Yes, I certainly do have my crosses, but I’ve made up my mind to carry them joyously, all for the love and glory of God. The separation from my husband and boys in Nigeria has been tough on me this year, but I sent my hubby this text yesterday:

“All I know and all I need to know is that God found me the best husband in the world. My love for you is unconditional. Thank you for being my best friend, best husband, and best baby daddy. Ride or die chick forever.”

Whatever I do, boring God nerd and all, this husband sticks with me, and just like Joshie, HE SHOWS me his genuine love. In a world of fake love, I know I have someone by my side to go through the good and bad times with until death do us part. Thanks, boo, and thank You God for my beautiful life.

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
_ bind them around your neck,
_ write them on the tablet of your heart.
_ Then you will win favor and a good name
_ in the sight of God and man.
_ Trust in the Lord with all your heart
_ and lean not on your own understanding;
_ in all your ways submit to him,
_ and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:3-6

God, I’m putting You at the forefront of all my actions. Amen!

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“THIS LIFE IS ROUGH”

This was me yesterday to someone waiting downstairs at a hospital. To be honest, I didn’t have the courage to go up to the room. The person I went to see was having a procedure done, and I wasn’t brave enough to go and see them, but I called the nurse to check on how it was going, and I’ll go early this morning for a visit.

So, I get it. The heaviness of life is no joke. But that’s where God comes beautifully in:

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

Whenever situations are getting too hard for me, I automatically know that I’m taking on too much of the burden and not relying on God. And this depending on God is something we have to begin each day again trying to go even DEEPER in our dependence on Him.

This hospital situation is doing exactly that for me. There is only so much the hospital and doctors can do, but my confidence and hope are in God, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. “Setbacks are opportunities to display God’s power.” Whatever He does, like my brother, Kevin, taught me, is well done. I trust Him completely. Our job is simply to walk with Him as He shows us the way, taking life one step at a time, asking, “God, what should we do here?” Going with the decisions that bring us peace when we think about them. Like having this procedure brought us peace when we considered it. Holding on to His hands SUPER TIGHT.

“Put your hand in the hand of the man
_ Who stilled the water
_ Put your hand in the hand of the man
_ Who calmed the sea”_

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CLAIM IT WITH ME: 2020 WILL BE MY BEST YEAR YET

I’m feeling it, BY THE GRACE OF GOD. I’m going NEGATIVE on all the NEGATIVE, baby! Sorry, guys, you can’t hold down your girl over here any longer!!! I’ll be using you and all the drama, pain, hurts, challenges, obstacles, disappointments, and all the other miseries that have EVER come my way as FUEL to be the best, happiest, and fiercest ever version of me in 2020. Woohoo!!! Are you with me?

I got a special, special message from God, and I’m taking it as my KEY WORDS for 2020: SHINE BRIGHT!!! This God wink began the other day when my friend, Danny, sent me a Whatsapp message, “Hey girlie. How are you?” We ended up having one of our sacred conversations, and I said, “Let’s keep SHINING my sweetie. What anyone else does is between them and God. Let’s get even BRIGHTER. Let all this junk make us happier.” EXACTLY 2 MINUTES LATER, I checked my Facebook notifications, and unbelievably they told me that SHINE BRIGHT (Wink! Wink!) had liked my post. This was no coincident, it was God letting me and my friend know that once again He is intimately involved in ALL the details of our lives.

And the wink didn’t stop there! Fast forward the next day, I was telling my nephew, Duro, that I couldn’t play the entire song he introduced me to to his mom because of what I thought would be inappropriate lyrics. He replied, “My mom listens to songs like that. She likes that song ‘Diamonds In the Sky.’ For some strange reason, I went right away to Apple Music to look for that song to play as I drove him home. The song amazingly began:

“SHINE BRIGHT (Wink! Wink!) like a diamond”

After dropping him off, I continued playing the song, really feeling it was INDEED a message from God to me. Then, I noticed some bright lights in the sky. The more I drove, the BRIGHTER they got. Then stopping at a red traffic light, I saw they were a part of a Christmas light show from a shopping center. Right there at that traffic signal, I finally got the message from God: Nik, this is how I want you shining in the world! As Rihanna sang in the background: SHINE BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND. Wink! Wink!

Wow! I was just telling Duro how I feel that I’m God’s FAVORITE girl and He goes to all this trouble to orchestrate a whole light show and song for me with that vital message. What kind of love is this? Forget you negativity, I’ll be too busy shining brightly for God:

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16

CLAIM IT WITH ME: 2020 WILL BE MY BEST YEAR YET

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GOD SHOWS UP IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM

This God wink started some months ago. I’ve been BEGGING my brother, Kevin, to PLEASE start some inspirational voice messages for me to share on WhatsApp. He’s seriously helping me to get my mind together – even coaches need coaches! And I finally got the first recording yesterday morning. Here’s a little of WHAT K HAD TO SAY:

“It’s all a Divine plan. Be it joy. Be it greatness. Be it happiness. Be it anger. Be it sorrow. Be it hurt. It’s all apart of His plan. Down to baby ANTS ON THE GROUND that pick-up crumbs of bread that we don’t even see. Don’t even know is there. It helps them to live. It helps them to feed their nest. It helps them to survive in this world of jumbo jets, and they being just little ants. Everything in this world is Divine. Everything is here for a reason. A purpose. And there is only one Divine Power that makes this clock tick.”

Fast forward to that evening. I played this message for someone I was with at the emergency room, of all places. As I listened with them to my brother talk about an ANT, I gazed down, and unbelievably saw an ANT CRAWLING ON THE GROUND (Wink! Wink!). Believe it or not, this was no coincident. That little ant was a glimmer of God’s Presence there with us during that difficult time, saying, “Don’t worry. I’m here.” That gave me peace the entire night thinking that there is no way that my brother decided to speak about an ant, and I’m there playing his message, and that ant showed up as if right on cue.

On my way to that room, I opened my meditation book on my phone, asking God to hear from Him and this reminder showed up:

“Yet I am always with you.”

I want us all feeling God’s sweet Presence with us as He comforts and strengthens us during the difficult moments of life that we all have. Like my brother said, “It’s all a Divine plan. Be it joy. Be it greatness. Be it happiness. Be it anger. Be it sorrow. Be it hurt. It’s all apart of His plan.” That ant showed up right on cue to play his part and remind me and you, hopefully, that we’re not going through life alone: God is with us.

“Your face, LORD, I will seek.”

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“CAN WE COME TO SEE YOU?”

That was me to my brother, Kevin, yesterday. He replied, “Of course, Neeks!” I thought it was my mom who needed to see him, but as he started talking to her, I realized his message was for crazy lady over here. He was saying how we could be our own worst enemy. ME!!!!! I’ve been going insane beating my head with a stick, but still fall back into negative thinking. I’ll catch myself, and ten minutes later, I’m right back there AGAIN. I’ve sadly allowed a situation to steal my joy and my peace. But, God knowing everyone I need in my life, sent my brother to talk some sense into me. Even coaches need coaches. At one point, I started crying and had to go and hug him because I needed to hear that strong talk from him.

God doesn’t want us sad. He knows the experiences and people we need to get us to grow, mature and become the people He would have us to be. He also sent Kevin another message from me: “I am with you always.” It was the exact message and verse from a bracelet I purchased on a sad day to remind me that I’m not going through life alone and God is always with me. I accidentally broke it, but God had my brother to come and show me a picture on his phone with the same message.

From there, mom and I went to a restaurant to sit outside, relax and enjoy our fav Cuban breakfast. We both took some time to read from our meditation book, God’s Promises For Every Day. It was this verse that gave me my high five from God:

Most importantly, love each other deeply, because love will cause many sins to be forgiven. – 1 Peter 4:8

That melted away all the anger and bitterness I’ve been carrying around. I want to control people and situations, and God said, Nik, your job is only to love deeply. Kk, Boss.

Can we all do that for God’s glory? Love each other deeply. Everything is between God and us, not between us and anyone else. His wisdom has led my life on a beautiful path, despite the occasional frustrations. Let’s look to Him in every moment asking, “God, what would You have me to do here?” being His representatives to a watching world.

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8

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“I COME TO NICE UP THE WHOLE NATION” (REPOST)

With some vital information that we can live the best lives with God as an excellent Guide and Partner helping us in every moment:

“God wills that we should push on into His Presence and live our whole life there. This is to be known to us in conscious experience. It is more than a doctrine to be held, it is a life to be enjoyed every moment of every day.” – The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

Are you having a conscious experience of Him? Let me tell ya, I’m having constant conversations with Him and He has led my life to a beautiful place.

Yesterday evening we had a conversation about why I allowed myself to get so upset by my hubby’s comments that I’m not working hard enough. It was a reminder that I’m not genuinely dead to the world. I want to be unflinching/unshaking and calm, no matter the situation I find myself with my focus on God and what He would have me to do.

Which is what I did around 3 am this morning when the topic came up again with hubby. I calmly and respectfully stated what I felt God wanted me to explain to him. I said, “You know you hit the jackpot with Nikki, and Nikki has hit the jackpot with you.” I told him all about the yin and yang and how are differences as a couple are what make us stronger together. We see life from two different perspectives. His focus is on some important areas and my focus is on other important areas, which makes us a stronger team. We balance each other out!

I also read him an important message from my book:

“The faithfulness was a big one that day. We’re called by God to be loyal, dependable, and trustworthy, no matter what anyone else is doing.”

Letting hubby know that’s my calling from God; to always be a faithful and loyal wife to him no matter what.

And that’s the conscious experience of God I guide my life by; doing what He would have me to do. The human Nik could have gone entirely in the other direction, ‘Oh, he doesn’t appreciate me! Why do I have to always give my best to him!’ But God would have me to give my best, anyway!

And when I live my life doing what God would have me to do, things always go extremely well. Like coming home late, I met hubby waiting for me to eat a beautiful meal he had prepared for us. He actually waited for me to eat with him!

Stick with God in every moment, every example and every experience, doing what he would have you to do. That’s the vital info for today! I’m talking the best life here!

Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me. – Isaiah 30:15 (MSG)

KEEP CALM—YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD

‘GOD, WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO I DO?’

That was me yesterday, desperately seeking God’s help on a situation that’s making your girl over here very ANGRY. It has stolen so much of my peace and joy, and I needed some advice from God Himself. I began reading my meditation book, He and I, but nothing there answered me. I then decided to read my book, Keep Calm, You’re Rolling With God, and believe it or not, I felt this was His answer:

“Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Is what I keep in mind whenever I’m tempted to be unforgiving towards anyone. If Jesus can ask God to forgive the people who nailed Him to a cross, I can certainly forgive those who wrong me in any way. “Be at peace with everyone.”

I said, Ok, God, I get it. Forgive. Can you believe, though, God even went as far as confirming that this is what He wanted me to do? He’s too much, let me tell ya! Minutes after reading about Jesus saying, “FATHER FORGIVE THEM FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO,” I go to listen to Wayne Dyer’s podcast’s latest entitled ‘Let Go’ and here’s amazingly what he had to say to a caller who found herself carrying around lots of anger towards family members for years:

“I suggest you practice what one of the great teachers of all times, Jesus of Nazareth, on Golgotha, on the cross. There he was being crucified, probably the worst form of killing someone and his words were, “FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO.” Wink! Wink!

Do you see how intimately God is involved in our lives? I desperately wanted to hear from Him, and He magically shows up through my book and Wayne Dyer with the same message: NIK, FORGIVE. What kind of love is this?!? God stoops down to my little life to guide me! I feel so much lighter, freer, happier, and focused on being an even better wife, mother and person, all for God’s glory. Phew! Others may hurt and disappoint us, but we can immediately shake them all off, hand them over to Him, and simply move forward in peace, joy, and love. God Himself will be our reward. Wink! Wink! HE DOESN’T DISAPPOINT!

Just saw my girls off to school in their soccer and basketball jerseys, which they must wear for the entire day whenever they have a game. I’m hoping to take my sons to support them leter. The blessings of God in action, baby!

God, May we have MANY opportunities to be pleasing to You. Amen.

WEROLLWITHGOD.COM

THE BEST GOD WINK EVER!!!

Just in case you’re not familiar with God winks, they’re when things line up TOO perfectly to be some ordinary occurrence, AKA coincidences. They are God’s SWEET way of revealing His invisible Presence with us.

This one began from Sunday when I told the kids we should listen to some Gospel music since we were headed to church. I selected Tasha Cobb’s song, For Your Glory, and I sang these lyrics to God:

I wanna be where You are
Gotta be where You are
I wanna be where You are
Gotta be where You are

For Your glory
I will do anything
Just to see You
To behold You as my King

I wanna be where You are
Peace is where You are
Joy is where You are
And Love is who You

Since then, I’ve played the song over and over and over again, begging God to please let me be where He is. Driving to work today, AGAIN, I played the song for the entire drive. Even getting all emotional about some silly stuff I have going on right now. Begging God to take my mind away from the stresses of the world and to be focused on Him.

Fast forward maybe 30 minutes later, I’m sitting in my office, and I felt the need to hear from God through my meditation book. Continuing from exactly where I had last left off from my appointment with God first this morning, this incredibly shows up after me begging God the entire drive to work for me to where He is, He says:

“Wherever you are, there I am.” – He and I

It doesn’t get any sweeter than this!

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“ARE YOU HAVING ANOTHER MENTAL BREAKDOWN?”

That was my son, Emmie, to me yesterday! LOL! He heard me talking to his dad about a month or so ago when I was feeling extremely OVERWHELMED. I was simply EXHAUSTED from taking on too much, and was venting to my husband, not knowing he had me on speakerphone with our sons listening. It’s ALL good, though. I got to show them that life is difficult sometimes, but we can bounce back KNOWING and confident that God is with us.

Yesterday was another rough day. I needed to recalibrate and talk to God this time about some stuff that went down. After running around with my mom and the kids, I stayed back in the car to have some alone time with God. I decided to read through some of my old posts, with this one being my high five from Him:

“When I feel weak, tired or out of sorts, You’re right THERE TO PUT YOUR ARMS AROUND ME (HUG!), to comfort me and tell me that everything is going to be okay. You reach out and soothe my ruffled nerves, melt away my worries and fears and blow away the confusion that seeks to surround me.”

Then coming home very late and tired, my daughter had left a bag on the kitchen counter, which I had never seen before, saying, “FREE HUGS.” Another wink from Him! To be honest, sometimes I wonder if I’m crazy in thinking that these are really glimpses of God. Like, why would the Creator of the entire universe care so much about me. But at around 3 am this morning, unable to sleep due to a bad stomach ache, I decided to hang out with God, and this message from Him showed up in one of my meditation books:

“I’ll be there, though unseen, and you will feel the sweetness of my Presence.” – He and I”

After reading that, I get back in the house, and there, on top of one of the kitchen stools, was that bag again, “FREE HUGS.” “When I feel weak, tired or out of sorts, You’re right THERE TO PUT YOUR ARMS AROUND ME (HUG!). The sweetness of God’s Presence. That gave me the courage to keep my head high, STAY HAPPY, BELIEVING GOD IS ALWAYS WITH ME.

Don’t be afraid; BELIEVE.

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GOD, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME TO DO HERE?

This is the constant, constant, constant question I want us asking Him! I can’t get over how He just spoke to me about a FRUSTRATING issue I’m dealing with this morning. I started to type this post, asking, “Are you enjoying God?” But then, I changed my mind and said I’ll reshare an old post. I go to my email and start scrolling back to dig up, and old one and I come to one with the same question I wanted to write about today, and look what showed up:

When I vented about A FRUSTRATION to Him, wanting to tell someone off about it, with one glance at God, I knew how to respond: LOVE, FORGIVE, and IGNORE. No more fighting useless battles! And I replied, “YES, MY LOVE!”

I’m talking exactly where I am this beautiful Sunday morning – DEVIL YOU CAN’T STEAL MY JOY! But again, God shows up with the best advice: LOVE, FORGIVE, and IGNORE. Yes, Boss! (SMILE)

But speaking of these useless battles, I’m so thanking God for my brother Kevin who sent me a message months ago telling me where I SHOULD have my FOCUS instead of on the crazy battle I was fighting. I will be thanking him forever! Thanks, K! This is now my new strategy for LIFE. Looking to God in every moment, asking Him to tell me the battles He would have me to fight and the battles He would have me to IGNORE. This is key to living our best lives. Otherwise, we will look back on YEARS wasted trying to climb up the wrong ladders fighting the wrong battles. (Hello!)

I got some beautiful report cards from my smart sons yesterday. It was a couple of months ago when my son, Emmie, asked me, “Mommy, why are you not here to study with me?” I took that such to heart that for his next set of tests, I got on a flight to Nigeria from Florida to study with them.

It was many conversations with God as to whether to go or not to go, and I finally woke up at 5 am one morning to call the airline to make that reservation. I happened to ask the representative where he was and he said, “Manila.” The next day, I’m watching CNN, and there s a map of the world where there honed in on one city: “Manila.” Believe it or not, that was God confirming that it was OK for me to travel and leave my daughters and mom in the US while I went to visit hubs and the boys. The trip was a complete success! I came back with a renewed strength to continue being the supermom, superwife, and superperson God is calling me to be.

This is just another example of how God is very much involved in our lives. We just have to seek Him constantly asking, ‘God, what would You have me to do here?’ Don’t miss out on the BESTEST life with God!!!! (HUGE SMILE!!!) Off to church!!!

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