“WHAT ARE YOU CELEBRATING?” (REPOST)

Asked a customer when I told him that we were having a BBQ. I replied, “We’re celebrating the glory of God where every day is a celebration with Him!” That’s my attitude, baby! Every day is a celebration with God when we focus on His BLESSINGS.

God got me all emotional today while exercising. I had placed the music on shuffle and said to God that He was my DJ. When the song, ‘I Gotta Be’ played, I stopped and just held my hand in the air, praising Him. I believe it’s God singing these words to me and you:

“I gotta be the One you love
I gotta be the One you feel
And I gotta be the One to fill your life with sunshine”

Let me tell you guys a secret: I LOVE DISAPPOINTMENTS!!! Because any disappointment is fuel and motivation for me to get CLOSER to God. That’s why I got so emotional when I heard that song play. After a BIG disappointment this week, I felt this coming up in my exercise playlist was God’s way of reminding me,

Nik, “I gotta be the One you love
I gotta be the One you feel
And I gotta be the One to fill your life with sunshine”

And when my eyes are focused on Him, who cares about the little disappointments! God has FILLED my life with such sunshine that all day long I’m just saying, ‘God, Thank YOU!’ This part of the song, I sing to Him:

“Is this real, what I feel
Could it be you and me till the end of time
Take my heart, hold it tight, its true love.”

And with God holding my heart, NOBODY CAN HURT ME. I shake off the frustrations, and I fix my eyes on God asking what He would have me to do in every moment.

I called hubs to say I was coming to the office to study with the kids and he said, “Come, I’ll grill fish for you.” I smiled with God, ‘You have filled my life with sunshine!’ Wink! Wink! As I type this, I’m eating the most delicious fish ever! Let’s reflect His love in everything we do and say, going the extra mile in forgiveness, kindness, gentleness, mercy, and faithfulness.

KEEP CALM—YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD

“GOD SAID WE SHOULD OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD” REPOST

I called a friend saying this a short while ago. I was telling her about a recent “negative” experience and how I opened up my Jesus Always to find the perfect message from God:

“When events in the world or your private life are threatening to unnerve you, grasp My (God’s) hand in trusting determination. Refuse to be intimidated by evil; instead, overcome evil with good. I am with you, and have won the ultimate victory…”

Heehaw! Got that? “Refuse to be intimidated by evil; instead, overcome evil with good.”

And God has even confirmed that this is exactly what He would have me to do with this issue. I came to work a few hours after speaking to my friend, and I decided to read my beloved calendar that God’s speaks to me through and unbelievably about the fifth date I turned to read:

“Forgiveness is the ultimate antidote to the poison of loss, harm, sin, and sorrow, even though it looks like the most bitter of cures.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. – Romans 12:21

Another God wink when everything lines up a little bit too perfect, and I know it’s God reminding me that His Presence is with me in every single moment of my life.

I’m so in love with God! He should be our first love and priority with us remembering that He is with us in every moment of our lives for support, comfort, love, wisdom, and help.

I really want us taking this overcoming evil with good seriously because whatever anyone else does is between them and God and whatever we do is between God and us. I don’t know about you, but I want to completely suck up to God, following His lead in every moment of my life because the blessings from God are off the chain. He’s so amazing! Every moment He is showing me such love, and of course, I want you guys in on this, too.

Last night when the crazy lady made an appearance, I went to God sadly asking, “What’s wrong with me???” And He had me read the perfect message in Jesus Calling this time:

“… you forget who you are and Whose you are.”

This was after my post last week was entitled:

“I KNOW WHO I AM AND WHOSE I AM”

KEEP CALM—YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD

NIKKI, WHAT’S GOING ON?!?

That was the upsetting question I woke up to this morning from my sister calling from the Bahamas – IN THIS LIFE YOU WILL HAVE TROUBLE!!! Luckily, though, I had just watched one of my old Youtube videos, where I reminded everyone to repeat these words with me to God:

WE’RE TOGETHER
WE’RE TOGETHER
WE’RE TOGETHER

And I calmly dealt with the situation, asking for His guidance. When I felt everything was OK, I went for my little run with Him around our neighborhood, and I felt Him saying to call somewhere and ask for some information. Can you believe the info I needed was already sent to my email since a couple of days ago? There I was thinking I had an original idea to resolve this problem of how to move forward, and God was already ahead of me, confirming I was on the right track. Thanks, God! Phew!

God is too much! He knew that I would be waking up this morning to that stressful call, and He already had the plans on what my next move should be. See the loving involvement He takes in our lives. There is an important verse in the Bible that says,

So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. – Zechariah 4:6

On that run, I felt God say to me in my spirit, ‘Nik, call ___,’ and I did. They then directed me to an email already sent with people that could help me. I’m telling you guys, we’re not going through life alone, God’s invisible Presence is with us and He wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives. We just have to learn His voice and LISTEN to what He’s directing us to do.

Are you having appointments with Him? I highly recommend them because this life gets crazy. Me taking that time to spend with Him before receiving that call this morning and being reminded that WE’RE TOGETHER, just helped me to stay calm knowing I wasn’t handling it alone. Through these times, I’m also learning His voice so that when He gave me the nudge to make that phone call for help, I immediately did. God always exceeds my expectations of Him – Nik, the info you needed was already sent two days ago! God, thank You for Your continual Presence with us and for being a God who cares. Amen,

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“THOSE WHO ARE SAD NOW ARE HAPPY, BECAUSE GOD WILL COMFORT THEM” – MATTHEW 5:4

That’s the verse that God revealed Himself through to me this morning in my alone time with Him. It was another one of my God winks when out of the blue, everything lines up strangely too perfectly to be an ordinary coincident. This verse just randomly showed up after I wrote EXACTLY this yesterday:

“WHEN I’M SAD, I GET TO LAY ON HIS HEART FOR COMFORT. He always finds some way of letting me know that He is right there. THE SADNESS THEN BECOMES JOY knowing that God, the Creator of the Universe, cares and is there with me.”

Phew, I’m not so crazy after all! The God who showed up thousands of years ago to comfort us, is the same God who still shows up today:

“Your faithfulness extends to every generation, as enduring as the earth you created.” – Psalm 119:90

As I debated about what to write about, I felt Him saying I should reshare a story of how a book randomly showed up with a prayer on one of the most difficult days for my family saying:

“Heavenly Father,
Please shine your light upon my family.
Give us strength to overcome all of the difficulties that we are dealing with now”

A priest had shown up just the day before with this book and nine others at my office as a gift to me. For me to read THAT one with THAT prayer was God’s way of comforting me as I laid in bed that night all sad and depressed. I’m sharing it again to say how God intimately cares about our lives, especially our families. He Himself arranged for me to have that book asking me to forgive. And if God asks you to forgive, you forgive! Which turned out to be the best decision – nobody’s perfect!

So, whatever you may be going through, KNOW that God is also with you. I have all these meditation books that I read and I hear from Him through. It’s like He’s just waiting to share His heart with us. Will you let Him in? Taking that time this morning to hear from Him totally changed my perspective for the entire day – My God is with me – Heehaw! May our lives be uninterruptedly with God – IN EVERY MOMENT WE HAVE HIM TO GUIDE, COMFORT, SUPPORT, LOVE, ENCOURAGE, AND TEACH US Amen.

WEROLLWITHGOD.COM

That was me to my fierce daughter, Ember, as we drove home from a Tasha Cobb’s concert last night. The God geek mom here was running on, as usual, about something to do with my work for Him. Thanks for putting up with me, my boo!

I’m also sincerely thanking God because He is the ultimate Putting Upper! LOL! He puts up with all of us, and He truly is our greatest friend who loves us despite our issues – whatever they may be. I showed Ember this picture for her approval before posting it. Honestly, it was just a time to talk to her about what it means to me to set my heart on God – THAT IN EVERY MOMENT I HAVE HIM TO GUIDE, COMFORT, SUPPORT, LOVE, ENCOURAGE, AND TEACH ME.

When I’m sad, I get to lay on His heart for comfort. He always finds some way of letting me know that He is right there. The sadness then becomes joy knowing that God, the Creator of the Universe, cares that and is there with me. It’s also an opportunity to hash out with Him why and what He would have me to do.

I’ll never forget like the most upsetting day of my life (and I’m not being dramatic!) when God showed up. This life gets rough sometimes, and it was a Catholic Priest who showed up with ten books a day before. As I lied in bed depressed, it was this prayer that showed up in one of his books:

“Heavenly Father,
Please shine your light upon my family.
Give us strength to overcome all of the difficulties that we are dealing with now and protect us against any future problems we may encounter in the future.
O Lord, bring us together as we are meant to be, May the love that binds us only grow stronger as we fulfill the destiny you have laid out for us.
Grant my family forgiveness for any sins we have committed. May we also forgive one another Lord, as it is sometimes difficult to do.
Bless us Lord, as we humbly and confidently pray in your name. Amen.” – Oremus: He Lives Well Who Prays Well by John Ifeanyi Okoro

For this Priest to show up with these books just the day before, and for me to read THIS specific book and THIS prayer that awful day, was ALL orchestrated by a loving God who cares and who is intimately involved in our lives. I took His direction and advice, did the forgiving He asked me to do, and I’m so happy I did. God’s ways are not our ordinary human ways; they’re so much better.

God, set our hearts on You. Amen.

WEROLLWITHGOD.COM

“I’M KEEPING A RECORD OF EVERYTHING YOU DO WRONG”

That was my husband to me some weeks ago. Really, boo?!? I responded, “I hope you’re also keeping a record of everything I do right, too, because I only keep a record of all the good you do and what a great husband and dad you are.” After that, though, he changed tracks, telling me how he tells everyone he married the best wife. “No, we ain’t perfect, but we damn close.” Til death do us part!

But this statement of keeping track of my mistakes is the complete opposite of how God looks at us:

“He has taken our sins away from us as far as the east is from the west.” – Psalm 103:12

“I, I am the One who forgives all your sins, for my sake; I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25

That’s the God who I want you to get to know. He is not at all like other humans who hold grudges and unforgiving thoughts against us, cuts us off, stop speaking to us, judges and condemns us. God is love. He said even if we have nothing (at our lowest), give Him that nothing. Didn’t He create the whole world from nothing? He loves us unconditionally no matter what we’ve done in the past, and He patiently waits in the background of our lives for us to invite Him in and show us His deep, deep love.

Working at our office here in Florida has been a huge challenge, but also a tremendous blessing. It’s pushing me even closer to God. I’m learning to go to Him in every moment asking what He would have me to do. Then, I listen to what He has to say to me through my spirit, specifically to me in that situation for His wisdom and guidance. He’s an expert in everything! A love like this can’t be explained, only experienced. My phone’s screensaver says,

“May your life be Mine (God’s)—uninterruptedly.”

I’m all Yours, God! Will you make your life His? Invite Him in. I promise the best life. Wink! Wink!

WEROLLWITHGOD.COM

GOD, EVEN WHEN I’M BRUSHING MY TEETH, YOU’RE WITH ME!!!

That was me to Him the other night in our bathroom. I’m feeling His Presence so intensely here in Florida, and I want you here, feeling His sweet, unconditional love. I had just come up to get ready for bed after tiredly sending out an old post. Of all the ones I’ve written in the last eight years of writing them, I got a feeling from Him to share one where I shared this verse, not once, but twice in the same post:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – John 14:27

So, after telling God, that I knew He was there with me while I brushed my teeth, I picked up a new meditation book I had recently purchased, and right there in my bathroom, I randomly opened it to unbelievably read this message from Him:

“I leave you peace; my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does. So don’t let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” – John 14:27

I went screaming to show it to my daughter, Julie! I showed her the post I had just shared with this verse quoted two times and for me to open right up to it in this new meditation book. It was NO CONINCIDENT, but entirely all orchestrated by God to answer my question to Him, ‘Yes, Nik, my invisible Presence is with you, even as you brush your teeth.’

What kind of love is this? That God would make His Presence known to me in my bathroom, of all places. I’m telling you, His love is like no other love that we can get from any other human. He comforts us, gives us strength, wisdom, guidance, unconditional love, security, and so much PEACE that the world cannot provide.

My job from Him is simply to show up as the best me possible. I gave my daughter, Ember, a little talk yesterday of how KINDNESS is working for me. Anything I do, it’s between God and me and not between me and anyone else. I may not get it right all the time, but I try to reflect on situations asking, ‘How can I be better next time?’ Nobody’s perfect, but we all can work on constant and never-ending improvement, giving God all the glory and praise, as we reflect Him and His values of love, kindness, humility, faithfulness, joy, goodness, peace, gentleness to a watching world. God is the one to reward us! Amen!

WEROLLWITHGOD.COM

“I’M NOT COMING WITH YOU!!!” (REPOST)

That was me to a very persistent person a short while ago. And I thought I was the persistent one! LOL! We had a great time hanging out on my bleisure (business/leisure) time here in Florida away from hubby and the kids. And even though I’m far from them, I feel so amazing that God is here with me and He never stops revealing His invisible Presence.

Like this morning, I woke up to watch Joseph Prince where he shared this verse:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – John 14:27

Fast forward to a few hours later, I went RUNNING to God when my heart became troubled (no shame in my game!) and unbelievably in a huge devotional of over 700 pages, the second page I turned to, this UNBELIEVABLY up:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” – John 14:27 Wink! Wink!

That was NO COINCIDENT, but my high five from God letting me know that HE HAD MY BACK! I then decided to go for a quick run with Him. I needed that confidence booster these jogs around our neighborhood give me, reminding me that I handle NOTHING alone. And as I turned on the song ‘Arms Around You’ which I wrote about recently feeling God was singing the lyrics to me:

“Arms around you
Te amo (I love you) mami, let Me hold you
Wrap Me arms right around you, girl, oh yeah
Good lovin’ got all around you
To make sure no one could harm you”

And just as I looked up from my phone, there was a car parked in a driveway with a plate beginning “HUG.” Got it? Arms around you is a Hug!!! I took it as a BIG HUG from God letting me know He was with me in this very troublesome world! Again, no coincident!

These were reminders orchestrated personally by God for His girl over here to let her know she might be far away from her family, but SHE IS ALWAYS WITH GOD. AND SO ARE YOU!!!

KEEP CALM—YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD

AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD! (REPOST)

God has been there with us through thick and thin and we want our family to be a testament of a family rolling with God. We have our share of difficulties, but astonishingly God always shows up as if asking, “Who’s messing with my people?”

I loved an appointment with Him a few minutes ago with my daughter, Ember. She came to work with us today to study for her upcoming exams. We read this, written as if God Himself was speaking to us:

“I want you to realize how intricately involved in your life I am. I delight in taking care of you—“tweaking” the situation you are in, to spare you from unnecessary hardship. Remember I am a shield for all who take refuge in Me. Your part in this adventurous journey is to trust Me, communicate with Me, and walk with Me in steps of joyful dependence. I will not remove adversity from your life, but I will widen the path you are traveling on-to bless you and keep you from harm.” – Jesus Always

And joyful dependence is where I’m at with God! As I’m typing this, Ember and I are enjoying my hubby’s BBQ. This is after I said I wasn’t eating chicken anymore! Honestly, my biggest complaint about my hubby these days is that he feeds me too much!!! But it’s all good, I thank God for him. He takes excellent care of us!

A customer I chatted with yesterday says that the economy is terrible and when he looks around he sees that businesses are not doing well. I told him to look up to God, instead; We’re going by God’s economy! And He owns everything!

But whether He blesses us with much or He blesses us with little, I want us focused on the Blesser (God), not the blessings. I’ve decided that whatever He wants for me is best for me. In times that I find myself complaining, I try to change my thoughts to the 10,000 things I’m grateful for.

And that’s why I want us seeking Him in every moment, and asking what HE would have us to do. He’s our ultimate Blesser and we’re depending on Him! Everything is between God and us, not between us and anyone else!

KEEP CALM—YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD

“WHAT IS GOD ASKING YOU TO DO?”

I asked a friend recently in regards to her marriage. She surprisingly responded, “He’s saying, ‘Be still. Be patient.’” I then asked, “As a family unit (including the kids because it’s not just about our happiness – kk?), from a year ago, have you guys made progress or are things getting worse?” She said there’s definitely an improvement. I encouraged her to keep sticking with God because He knows what we don’t know, and He won’t lead us wrong. I told her how patience has seriously worked for me. I thank God every day for my hubby. We’ve been through our stuff, but patience and God’s guidance is working for us. I’m thrilled where He has led our family – “we ain’t perfect, but we damn close!” A message from my God calendar had this to say:

“One of the vital components of love is patience—the kind of patience that endures and trust.
“But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” -James 1:4

God’s direction isn’t anything like the world’s – It’s far superior! Even when hubs does something now I may not like, I immediately forgive him because the good far outweighs the bad. In fact, I thank all the people who have disappointed me because they make me appreciate this husband so much more. He has stuck with this God geek here for almost 18 years, and I love our life together.

Are you going to God for His guidance and direction? I was so happy to hear that this friend was having her own conversations with Him. Yayy!!! Honestly, it’s my joy every day to just share with you guys God’s heart for every single one of us. He is intimately involved in everything concerning us.

Like I can’t get over how I was out for my morning run a couple of weeks ago, and I specifically heard Him saying I should go and talk with a neighbor. I said, ‘God, another time, please?’ because I wasn’t in a talking mood. But the nudging from Him stayed, and I ended up running back to speak to her. Long story short, she invited me to church, and it has been so positive.

The first Sunday I went, I rededicated my life to God, and yesterday I rededicated me and my family to Him, asking Him to help me be the mother, wife, and person He would have me to be. I’ve been running on empty, lately – emotionally, mentally, physically – and going to church has helped me bounce back. I literally feel myself getting on track and away from some bad habits I’ve picked up. God, help me be the person You would have me to be. Amen.

See how He had me to meet that lady, even when I didn’t want to? That was His way of helping me get out of the doldrums and cheer me up. That’s the heart of God I want you to KNOW and experience. As if He was saying, ‘Nik, I don’t like you being like this?’ And wherever we are, no matter how low, He wants to help us back up. No situation is beyond God’s power. It’s just for us to start having our own conversations with Him and being obedient to His leading. He loves us and will forgive us of everything no matter what. He’s not like other humans that carry grudges for years. He offers immediate grace and forgiveness. Start spending time alone with Him. I promise, you won’t regret a life close to Him!

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