“ALL 4 GOD” (REPOST)
That’s the tag/license plate frame that got me screaming yesterday! We were driving back from a tourist market buying some items for the kids upcoming Nigerian Independence Day celebration, and I immediately thought, That’s the post for tomorrow!
This is where I seriously want us, doing EVERYTHING for the glory of God. In every moment, every example and every experience, asking, God, what would please you here? and BEING OBEDIENT to His wishes.
I talked with a staff yesterday who when asked to do something, said it wasn’t his job. I told him how taking my mom’s advice is paying off for me. I always heard her say, “If you’re a street cleaner, be the best street cleaner.”
On Sundays, she took me to work with her to clean her boss’ office. She was not the janitor, but she went the extra mile in her work, and at 85 I see her healthy, more mentally alert than me, strong and happy. She sent me an email saying how much she is missing me this week and she loves calling my husband on WhatsApp.
She is my shining example of someone who gave her absolute best and God is rewarding her. She didn’t so much believe in going to church, but the entire world is her church, and everyone knows her for her kindness. I’m blessed to have her as my mom. All her lessons of working hard, going the extra mile and being kind have led me on a path to a beautiful life. Thanks, momma!
Like I told the staff yesterday, God is our Ultimate Boss! Let’s go to the MAXIMUM doing all 4 Him because He is the one to reward us. I loved an argument I had with my hubby this week. He criticized me on my point of view in regards to some business dealings, and I politely told him, “I see it this way, you see it another way, but at the end of the day, I’m here at the service of the President.” He’s the President of our family and business, and I’m his loyal and faithful Vice-president. I loved the argument because I was strong, stating my thoughts without getting offended by his tough criticism (like I usually do), but at the same time humble, calm and respectful. We went down after that to enjoy our dinner.
God is teaching me wisdom, baby. And I know that when I go the MAXIMUM in being the wife, mother, and person God would have me to be, He is in the background of my life working out everything in my favor, including fighting battles on my behalf in the spiritual realm. Wink! Wink! I can, therefore, RELAX (not in a lazy way) and enjoy my life, constantly reminded of His Presence and love for me, even though I might not always get it right.
Off to study with the kids, AKA my future world leaders.
“ALL 4 GOD”
KEEP CALM—YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD
JULIE, I’M TRYING REALLY HARD TO KEEP QUIET!!!
My fifteen-year-old, very wise daughter said that both of us should learn a precious lesson: knowing when to speak and when not to!!! But it ain’t easy!I told her, though, I also feel it’s God who is also trying to teach me this. In fact, this even showed up in my appointment with Him today:
“Every effort for Me (God). WHEN YOU HOLD BACK A WORD, when you put on gentle manners, when you do something against your own will, when you humble yourself, when you forget a discourtesy (impolite gesture), when you sacrifice a pleasure to help a neighbour. Everything for me (God).”
Can we all be about doing these things for Him who does so much for us? God, this is super difficult! I want to be rude and crazy, saying and doing whatever I want, when I want!!! But if it pleases You for me to do these things you mentioned, I will do my best with them. Like hubby wants to take us to that restaurant I hated last Sunday, but God, to PLEASE YOU, I will go against my will, and joyously go. (SMILE)
Let me tell you, when you seek to please God He goes out of His way to please you. Wink! Wink!
As I type this, I’m here with my wonderful and great son, Emmie, preparing for some British exams he will take on Monday. We’ve come a long way from me PRAYING for an entire year for God to give me a son to 11 years later and he’s about to enter secondary school. I’m very proud of this young man. God exceeded my expectation when I prayed for him! God, I’m soooo grateful!
And we all have so much to be thankful for! Just to be alive is a blessing! That’s reason enough to wake up every day praising and thanking God and having the discipline to follow His will for our lives. I’m learning to be content in every moment, trying to hold my tongue and go to God asking what He would have me to do. I still get it wrong ALOT, but I’m learning to look at the mistakes with God and hash out where I can improve. Not running from my weaknesses, baby!
Let’s please God today, shall we?!? This is how He leads us on the beautiful paths He has planned out for us! Wink! Wink!
KEEP CALM-YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD
DO YOU MIND IF I TALK TO YOU?
Just to tell you about this incredible love I’ve found in having a relationship with God. He is intimately involved in every aspect of our lives, and if you want the BEST life possible, you MUST get to know Him better.
Take for example my family’s recent summer trip to London. Honestly, we wanted to go to Dubai, personally one of my fav places to go, but we felt God saying we should travel with some friends instead. From the moment I got on the flight, I felt God’s Presence AND throughout the ENTIRE trip. My fav time was when I felt Him singing to me. I wrote about it in this old post:
“This God wink began yesterday morning when I had an appointment with Him reading an old post entitled, ‘NIK, I WON’T LET YOU DOWN.’ To be very honest, the God maniac here was a bit anxious going into that alone time with Him, wondering if He was going to remember to help me with a certain challenge I have, and that post was exactly the reminder I needed; I got my high five from God: ‘NIK, I WON’T LET YOU DOWN.’
Fast forward later that day, we’re at the mall shopping when I saw a beautiful dress in a store I liked for my friend. I persuaded her to get it, and because she had to run to another store she wanted to give me the money to pay for the dress for her, but this friend, who is like more than ten great friends in one, I refused her money, and I went in line to pay for it. As I’m standing there waiting, I’m listening to the lyrics of the song playing in the background, and they astonishingly say:
“Girl put your love on Me _
Cause I WON’T LET YOU DOWN _
I WON’T LET YOU DOWN” – Love On Me by Galantis & Hook N Sling
Wink! Wink! The happiest, most blissful feeling came over me! I knew without a doubt this was God singing to me again saying that HE WON’T LET ME DOWN.”
And HE NEVER HAS! No matter the BIGGEST challenges that have shown up in every aspect of my life, God has remained faithfully by my side, like, “Who’s messing with my Nik?”
My husband asked me before sleeping last night, “What would you change about your life?” I answered, “Absolutely nothing.” I asked him, and he replied the same thing. God has truly led us on the path to a beautiful life.
“How can they hear about Him, if nobody tells them?” This is where I take my life’s calling. To tell you about the God Who is not only singing to me, but also to you. You just have to start paying attention and listening to His voice. He pretty much communicates with us wordlessly all day long through our feelings. If it feels good (peaceful) deep inside when I think about making a decision, I go with it, and if it doesn’t (uneasy, stressful), I take it as my cue from God to NOT go in that direction. And following His guidance all day every day, in every moment, I’m happy, relaxed and at peace KNOWING He is always with me.
KEEP CALM—YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD
“AM I TRYING TO WIN THE APPROVAL OF HUMAN BEINGS, OR OF GOD?”
That’s the question I had to ask myself AGAIN after just making another video telling one of my God stories. If I’m trying to please human beings, I can nitpick all the flaws and think it’s not good enough, and not release it. But if I’m trying to win the approval of God, I will say, “God, let Your will be done.” Which I know would be to share the imperfect video (Ain’t nothing perfect, girl!) and not worry who will like it or not. I’m following Jesus, making my entire life a close walk with God, and having the COURAGE to do what He asks of me.
And let me tell ya, it’s NOT always easy following His will. God takes me on some very treacherous paths at times. But that’s where WARRIOR NIKKI has to come out and say, “God, let’s do this!” and tackle whatever situation that comes up. That was the conversation I had with someone yesterday on a matter: “We got to man up and be brave about this KNOWING God is on our side, and He’s going to help us. He’s an expert in everything!”
“As for me, my hope is in God!”
I’m back fasting, seeking an even closer walk with God, and yesterday that included spending some extra time alone with him hanging out on our rooftop. I had a talk with Him about the video I wanted to shoot today and the story I wanted to tell about the time he spoke to me through a song playing in the background of a London store. I felt STRONGLY that He agreed that this would be the story to share.
But before leaving, I didn’t feel that appointment was complete. I felt in my spirit to read an old post, and I searched my email for “KEEP CALM” to read an old write up there. Rereading my past experiences with God GREATLY increases my faith and confidence in Him in a terrifying world. And out of ALL the posts, the one I selected, was one entitled, “Can I talk to you?” Can you believe it was me retelling the exact story I felt STRONGLY God wanted me to share in the video today? Talk about confirmation! God, high five!
KEEP CALM—YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD
GOD FREAKS ME OUT, AGAIN!
So today, I’m thinking about how God changes all my BAD stuff to such GOOD. Like, I would RUN to Him complaining about my little life drama’s, ‘God, why me?!?’ He must laugh at me a lot because afterward, I’m then THANKING Him for the experiences! Go figure!
Even with a recent event, your girl here is like a new person. NEW, I SAY! I have NEW thoughts, a NEW focus on my life and my mission from God to bring YOU closer to Him, and most amazingly a NEW love and respect for everyone.
Even some embarrassment I felt actually turned out to be so good! After hubby fussed me out one evening about how silly I’d been acting and I went to bed feeling all bad, ‘Like yes, Nik, you have been a crazy lady, lately.’ Can you believe the very next morning as I sat having an appointment with God, He showed up with a pep talk for me through one of my meditation books? He said that I should thank Him for my humiliations because He has revealed a defect in my character that I needed to work on. God shows me such love, guys!
Since then it is like I have NO more sense of embarrassment. If something “humiliating” comes up, I smile and say, ‘Thanks, God, you’ve revealed another thing I can improve in!’ LOL! I think the Nikki that cared way TOO much about her appearance and what people thought or said about her needed to GO! I don’t need to be boxed in by anyone other than GOD! That right there was TOO stressful! Now I’m free – World, THIS IS ME, like it or not!!! I want to simply work on being more genuine and loving in every moment seeking to do what God would have me to do. ‘Stay centered in God,’ is what I consistently say to myself now!
It also taught me that people and possessions should be held sensibly. And sometimes things you hear you pretend you didn’t hear, and some things you see, you pretend you didn’t see them.
So right after thinking about this bad stuff being turned into good right before sitting to have my one hour with God, this post incredibly showed on Tumblr.com where I go to hear from Him:
“Generally speaking, we regard discomfort in any form as bad news. But for practitioners or spiritual warriors—people who have a certain hunger to know what is true—feelings like disappointment, embarrassment, irritation, resentment, anger, jealousy, and fear, instead of being bad news, are actually very clear moments that teach us where it is that we’re holding back. They teach us to perk up and lean in when we feel we’d rather collapse and back away. They’re like messengers that show us, with terrifying clarity, exactly where we’re stuck. This very moment is the perfect teacher, and, lucky for us, it’s with us wherever we are.” —Pema Chödrön
No coincident! GOD KNOWS EVERY THOUGHT WE THINK! This one hour with Him every day is my confidence builder in a world where we don’t know what’s coming at us from one moment to the next. Are you making time for Him?
God, I trust in your UNFAILING LOVE FOR ME. Amen.
KEEP CALM—YOU’RE ROLLING WITH GOD