“I WANT TO JOIN YOU!!!”
I excitedly told a friend concerning fasting for Ramadan. That ONE decision has changed my life DRAMATICALLY, and I astonishingly see God’s hands ALL over it!
As I was running out to an event at my kids’ school, the zipper on my dress popped open. Aye Carumba! I had to rush and quickly put together a completely new outfit. Arriving late, I ended up sitting next to this friend who told me about the fasting. And I KNOW this was totally God’s planning for His baby girl over here to be HAPPIER. (SMILE)
Honestly, eating was a distraction to get me away from tackling the reasons why I was so unhappy. With the constant chewing chewing chewing out of the way, I ran to GOD and not FOOD. These moments with Him changed EVERYTHING. I realized I needed to stop all the depressing and crazy thoughts I had going on in my head all day.
The crazy lady who wanted to keep track of her husband 24 hours a day has been replaced by a wife who LOVES and ENJOYS her hubby. In fact, the enjoyment level is SUPER HIGH! It’s like I have a new man, baby! (Wink! Wink!) Even my kids are like the SUPER BEST KIDS in the world now. I suck every moment of enjoyment out of them. I’m enjoying so much that I ate two plates of dinner last night with hubby and my sons.
Right from work, hubs joined the new cook in making a vegetable stew we love. When I asked if there was fish for me, hubby quickly asked her to take some fish he had grilled on Sunday out of the freezer, and he promptly placed it in the pot to heat, even though I told him not to bother. He wants his wife happy, too!
My new attitude is when I’m with my husband, he’s my husband. And other than that, I free him to live HIS BEST LIFE WITH GOD. The constant tracking was TOO much!!!
My new FOCUS is on stepping up my game to be the wife, mother and person GOD HIMSELF would have me be in every moment. Anything I do, I do for His glory. Today, He told me not to worry so much about pleasing others; I’m to keep my focus on Him, following His will for my life, which not everyone will understand.
“Have faith. Everything becomes simple then. It will be simple to love Me (God), simple to serve Me, simple to be happy to suffer for Me. What progress, what riches to exploit, when you speak to Me, when you tell Me that you love Me.” – He and I
God, I LOVE YOU!!! Don’t miss out; Make God a PRIORITY in every single moment!
KEEP CALM—YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD
“MY PAPA, THANKS FOR SCREAMING AT ME YESTERDAY!”
Honestly, sometimes you just need someone to say, “What the bleep are you doing?” After I got royally fussed out by hubby, I went to bed super embarrassed over my behavior, lately. Then, this morning, I sat my butt down to have a serious talk with God. Can you believe this showed up in a meditation book:
‘Those I love, I reprove and chasten (humiliate)’ (Rev 3:19).
Therefore, my friend, our supernatural reaction to this humiliation should be an act of deep gratitude: ‘I thank you, Lord, for you have humbled me.’… your soul soaked in humility and will give greater holiness to your life – and very probably an unsuspected effectiveness to your activity…now you have the opportunity to know some defect in your character, in your formation or in your attitudes. You are not worse; or at least you are in the best position to set about being better… You will now know where the evil lies that you should eliminate, you know the defect you should fight against, and you know what you should avoid…”
Can you believe how intimately God is involved in our lives! There was no coincident that I opened that particular meditation book this morning. It was God speaking to me and revealing His sweet and wonderful Presence with me.
“When I am weak, then I am strong.”
I was weak going into that appointment but with God revealing His Presence I left the house feeling like SUPERWOMAN – the world may turn against me, but my God is always with me! Heehaw!
Now that I am aware of my weaknesses (TURNING INTO CRAZY LADY!), I will use God’s strength and guidance to be better. Amen.
KEEP CALM—YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD
I’VE SPENT TWO DAYS COMPLETELY AGITATED (REPOST)
That’s how it be sometimes, my peeps! Not every day is all
In every moment, the tough and not so tough one’s, CONTINUALLY GIVING GOD OUR HAND as we go bravely and joyfully with Him as our Partner and Guide. I don’t know about you, but I need His wisdom, help, love, and protection EVERY MINUTE. No shame in my game – God, I NEED YOU!
I’ve decided to make Him a BIGGER priority this year! Just how I wake up and say my exercise is a must, well, my time with God is a must! I will discipline myself to spend one hour with Him every morning reading my meditation books and asking what He has to say to me.
Lately, He’s asking me to work on my personality a little, being more joyful, gentle and humble so that people can feel His love through me. He’s asking me to go further in my kindness, seeking to please Him in everything I do and seeing everything looking through His eyes first. OK, Boss.
”Make an impact,” is another message I’m picking up from Him. Even
Honestly, though, these alone times with Him just give me the courage to face life courageously knowing I have Him with me. And it’s OK if we let go of His hand every once in a while because He never lets go of ours.
KEEP CALM–YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD
GOD TAKES ALL THE GARBAGE THROWN MY WAY AND TURNS IT INTO GOLD, BABY!
That’s my testimony for sure! All the challenges, disappointments, hurts, pains, frustrations, rejections and insults are ALL a HUGE part of what He has used to help me become the Nikki I am today. I’m grateful for them all!
HERE’S THE DEAL:
Anything “negative” that comes up is what I use as opportunities to RUN to God. These alone times with Him then give me His perspective on things. And it’s like He says, “Come and rest on my chest for a little bit, my little girl, away from this crazy world. Let me share my wisdom and LOVE with you.” And let me tell ya, God’s ways are not our ways, they are WAY BETTER.
Let’s take the insults as an example. One day, wondering why someone was around talking bad about me, my meditation book asked something like, “If 10,000 words are thrown against you, did they remove one strand of hair from your head? Keep going as if you were deaf to what was said.” And I’ve taken that advice so many times to the point that I’m a PROFESSIONAL ignorer (kindly and respectfully, of course). If something is said about me, I now see what is it that I can improve from and do better. So what was meant to hurt me is then turned to useful feedback to help me be a better person. With my focus on God, I hold my head high, and I confidently move forward REMINDED that MY GOD IS WITH ME.
The fact that I randomly get to pick up a random book and get such excellent feedback as to what specifically is bothering me at that moment is NO coincident. They’re God revealing His intimate Presence with me in every moment.
I’ll never forget one day when I wondered if I was getting overconfident about a challenge I was in the midst of. Going to the bathroom, only a few minutes later, I opened my meditation book, waiting for my turn, only to read as if God was speaking:
“You have every reason to be confident because My Presence accompanies you all the days of your life—and onward into eternity.” – Jesus Calling
Again, no coincident. Another God orchestrated moment to say Nik, I am with you. I’m ALWAYS WITH YOU.”
That’s why I say God helps me turn all the garbage to gold – I KNOW I HAVE HIM WITH ME no matter what comes my way. In fact, I expect disappointments so that when they come up, I immediately shake them off. I place them in God’s heart, and I confidently move forward with Him. I have such peace and joy that I can relax and LIVE IN GOD”S HEART no matter the junk thrown at me. I forgive endlessly, and I keep my FOCUS on God. He’s with us and for us!
KEEP CALM—YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD
MARRY HIM! MARRY HIM! MARRY HIM!
That was the Holy Spirit (God’s voice within me) giving me some pretty awesome advice. I had only known my then to be husband for one week when I gave him a book with this written inside:
“I know and I know and I know we were meant to be together and we’ll be the world’s most perfect couple.”
Five months later we were married. And 18 years, I’m claiming that title of the world’s most perfect couple! Ain’t nothing perfect, but after this weekend giving my mother-in-law her final farewell and seeing the people who traveled to her burial to show their respect was indeed a testimony as to why my Spirit said, “MARRY HIM! MARRY HIM! MARRY HIM!” My hubby is a super great guy!
HERE’S THE DEAL:
We don’t know the future, but God does. Don’t ask me how He keeps track of every single one of us! All I do KNOW is that His guidance has led me on a beautiful life track. When I listen to His voice within me, things go BETTER than expected. But when I say, “God, I don’t want to hear from You!” that’s when things go a little bit crazy and out of hand.
SO, the WISER Nikki is learning to TRUST the Holy Spirit within me to help me make the ultimate best decision in EVERY circumstance. GOD KNOWS WHAT WE DON’T KNOW AND HOW EVERY DECISION WILL TURN OUT. I’m talking current, up to date, advice in every unique situation.
Take
“I BLESS AND KEEP YOU… Those who come to Me find not only My approval but also rest for their souls.”
And in my Spirit (you may call it gut or intuition), I felt this was God saying that I must NOT give hubby a hard time because He (God) was ultimately the One taking care of me. I replied, ‘Yes, Father,’ and I went back to being the loyal, going the extra mile in love, wifey.
Every situation is different. You can’t be focused on the past or base your decision on what has worked for someone else. You must listen to what God is saying to you and especially to you before you make any move.
I FORCED MYSELF TO SIT DOWN TODAY FOR ONE HOUR TO HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH HIM BECAUSE I WANT AN EVEN CLOSER WALK WITH GOD. I switched up reading several meditation books, and I was very happy I did. These times give me such PEACE and COMFORT knowing that I can TRUST in God’s UNFAILING LOVE and GUIDANCE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week FOR ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE. Our job is to pay attention to His Spirit’s nudges and cues pointing us in the direction HE WOULD HAVE US TO GO, AND TO BE OBEDIENT TO HIM.
There’s never a moment when we are not in God’s Presence. As far as I’m concerned, I live within His heart where He blesses and keeps me WELL WELL despite all the negativity the world wants to throw my way! Will you join me there?
KEEP CALM—YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD
‘HOW COULD YOU BE LATE FOR YOUR MOTHER-IN-LAW’S FUNERAL!!!’
That was me beating myself up for showing up an hour late! ‘Nik, how rude and disrespectful can you be?’ But like I always say, I can boast of my weaknesses because those are the times God seems to show up for me. Driving to her burial site, I quickly opened my meditation book, and the most amazing messages showed up from God about His unconditional and unfailing love and approval of me. That nothing can separate me from His love, even my mistakes
HERE’S THE DEAL:
It’s all right to be human, my guys! We’re all sinners and Saints in one body. I loved what Jessica Alba said about a lawsuit her company faced and how it forced them to grow up
Rolling with God doesn’t mean He expects perfection from us in every moment. Nobody’s perfect. But it does mean we can drop the shame, pain, fears, sadness, and rejections from the past and continually work on being BETTER. God’s grace (forgiveness, favor, approval, and love) IS BIGGER than all the negativity the world can throw our way.
The trick is not to be overly focused on what people think of you. Humans will continue to judge us according to standards that they don’t live by. WITH MY EYES FIXED ON GOD, I’m learning to look for His approval. God’s love is steady and unfailing. Unlike humans, He’s always there encouraging me to be all that I’m capable of being, not condemning everything I do. If we’re at Z, He LOVINGLY calls us to Y. I love how He even uses all our mistakes for our good! Like the person picking me up LATE from the airport, I just said, “It’s OK.”
So, no more beating ourselves up. We can ALL keep our heads held high looking to God. If you can make amends, make them, and if not keep moving forward, paying attention to God in every moment as to what He would have you to do. That’s how He keeps us on the best track for our lives, close to Him. Let’s be gentle and patient ourselves and on others.
I try to ALWAYS pay attention to His Spirit within me nudging me as to what He would have me to say and do, seeking to always please God. The Holy Spirit is indeed our BEST FRIEND, and will guide us specifically as to what God Himself would have us do in every situation
Therefore, no more carrying around negative feelings, I put them in the heart of God where I seek to spend my entire life, unconditionally loved and approved of by Him, KNOWING HE IS ALWAYS WITH ME.
I use my weaknesses to run to Him, and little by little I love the Nik He is helping me become. I look to His standards, but even though I miserably fall short, I still know that there is NOTHING I can do that will ever separate me from His love!
“YOU ARE A BEAUTIFUL WORK IN PROGRESS” Heads held high, everyone!
KEEP CALM—YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD
“WHY DID YOU USE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS?”
My hubby asked me yesterday morning. I needed a Hotmail account, and he doesn’t have one, so I used my own to set up a new laptop I purchased for him. He had asked me to help with something else, and as I opened it, I was pleasantly surprised to see the desktop background from my email account also appear on his. I called his attention to it. “Honey, this is a special message here. Whenever you see this background this is God reminding you:
“I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS””
Fast forward to that night, right before sleeping, I decided to have an appointment with God and amazingly look what showed up in my meditation book, Jesus Always, written as if God was speaking directly to me:
“I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS”
I took that as another God wink, and I went right off to sleep.
Fast forward to waking up this morning, I opened an entirely different meditation book and look at what astonishingly showed up on the very page I selected to read for my first check-in with Him for the day:
“I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS”
For this exact message to show up three separate places was no coincident, it was God showing me His love. That’s why I say I’m addicted! In this crazy world where we don’t know what will come up from one moment to the next, God’s intimate Presence with me gives me the confidence to be happy and joyful despite the unfavorable circumstances I have going on.
And because of God’s love for me, I want to love others the way He loves me. My hubby just called me a short while ago asking what I was doing, and I said I was washing my hair and getting pretty for him. I finally got a BIG lesson God has been trying to teach me about covering the faults of others. A movie on the plane where a wife was accepting a Grammy award and the husband came on the stage with her drunk. He peed himself, and the wife rushed in front of him and used her dress to cover him. I said to God, ‘I get it.’ I’m not to reflect my husband in a negative light. When he’s weak, I’m to be strong and vice versa. We’re to cover for each other. Nobody’s perfect! The two shall indeed become one!
Are you feeling God’s love? Notice my appointments with Him just reading one sentence sometimes is enough to touch base with Him and be reminded that HE IS ALWAYS WITH ME. Check out those two meditations books I mentioned by Sarah Young and get to know God’s love for yourself! HIS LOVE IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE; I’M ADDICTED!!!
KEEP CALM—YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD