“I’LL ACCEPT WHAT YOU ARE SAYING”

That was me to my hubby today, feeling this is where God wants me to be, on the high road with Him. How do I know that God is telling me to give my husband the benefit of the doubt in overlooking some things? I tell you guys often about how this “311” is my sign from God to stay on the high road, to be still and let Him fight my battles for me (God is pretty talkative once you get to know Him!). Well, yesterday, going to post a video to YouTube, it was precisely 3 minutes 11 seconds. When I saw the 3:11, I smiled with God, because I knew right away that this was Him winking at me to stick with Him, being my best, most loving, patient, and forgiving self. Even the reason why the video was shorter than usual was that my son, Emmie, was banging on our front door to let him in as I recorded it, which was all a part of God’s plan for me to see that 3:11.

Then, this message from Dr. Charles Stanley resonated with my spirit, incredibly recorded 25 years ago, but showed up at the very top of my YouTube feed this morning:

“Anxiety means distraction. That is, when a person is anxious, they become distracted. When a person is anxious, they begin to experience an emotion in their life that causes or is the result of some sense of insecurity or uncertainty that’s going on. We become anxious when we become uncertain about when we hear bad news, we find ourselves in a circumstance, and we don’t know exactly what to do next, especially if it’s some threatening circumstance. If we even perceive that it could be threatening or dangerous, we become anxious. Over and over again, Jesus said, ‘Don’t be anxious. Don’t be anxious. Don’t be anxious.’ because he knew he was talking to people who were very anxious about their life. And so his concern here is to encourage them not to be anxious…

We hear some difficult news. News that’s very heartrending and in those moments where something is threatening us or our family (EXACTLY ME!!!). In those moments, are you saying I’m not to be anxious? There are times when we suddenly hear something, and we may at that moment become anxious if we don’t know how to respond or even if we do, its so overwhelming it leaves me feeling anxiety for the moment. It’s not a matter of never experiencing anxiety; it is what we do with it. Will I let that dominate and control me, throw me into depression, or cause me some physical problem. Or will I have myself a pity party, OR WILL I RECOGNIZE WHAT IS HAPPENING AND RESPOND IN A GODLY FASHION? (I knew this was God’s way of saying I needed to stay on the high road with Him and not get all depressed and crazy.)

We’re focusing on earth, materialism, and things, not on the Father who says, ‘I will care for you. I will watch over you. I will watch over your going out and coming in.’ Which is His way of saying I will take care of you at all times. So, what good reason do I have to be anxious? Not a single good reason. What is my response to be?

‘Father today, I submit myself to You. I want to walk in Your will by the power of the holy spirit. I want to conform to Your likeness and whatever it takes to do that.’

And you know what He says? ‘Don’t worry about anything else. Don’t be anxious about anything else because I assume full responsibility not only for your needs but for every desire of your heart that fits into my plan for your life.’”

Like my brother, Kevin, taught me, “Neeks, I want you to work on being a wise woman.” An essential part of being wise is to know the battles to take on and the battles to leave with God. I need to focus on many significant battles, like raising the best kids and seeing them become all God has called them to be. To help my husband take our businesses to the next level for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren to enjoy. Then, my crucial work for God to be His Rockstar, like Dr. Charles Stanley, telling you the best life is close to Him. It’s time for me to leave that distraction behind and focus back on God, who I know has my back AT ALL TIMES. Nobody will love us better than Him! He is my Valentine every day! (HUGE SMILE)

GOD SHOWS UP FOR ME ON VALENTINE’S DAY MORNING

Wow! God loves me too much! Here I am sitting at my computer in our dining room, asking God a few minutes ago what He has to say to me about some awful comments from my wonderful husband that I’ve been carrying around with me for a couple of days. To boost myself up, I decided to go to our family’s website, and the first thing that came up, I decided to watch. Can you believe it was from over a year ago when my son, Emmie, was upset about some awful words that humiliated him? Incredibly, God used my own words to my son Emmie to encourage me:

“Don’t let anyone’s opinion of you get you like this. If someone says 10,000 words against you, look and see where you can improve.”

Then, that night, I asked Emmie to have an appointment with God with me, and the very page he randomly selected was about another time I felt humiliated, and God said:

“Those who look to Me, their faces are never covered in shame.”

It talked about God’s unconditional love for each of us. And I explained to Emmie that God didn’t want him feeling bad about anything anyone had to say to him. I told him that he shouldn’t let people’s opinions of him affect him like this and that we must look to God and His opinion of us. God loves us so much, no matter how many times we fall and mess up.

God, who am I that you love me so much? He met me exactly where I was at that moment. For me to go our website feeling so terrible about hubby’s comments, and for the first thing to show up, out of all the content of 122 pages, for this video from a year ago for Him to remind me that I’m to look to Him for my love and approval, just blows the God maniac here away. God is love.

I want God to be our Valentine’s every day as we look to Him for our love and approval. With such love, we can all hold our heads high as we keep our focus on Him no matter the disappointments the world throws our way, being the people He is calling us to be. I know that I’m God’s fav girl, despite my husband’s opinion of me at any given moment. I can hold my head super high, still striving to be the best wife, mother, and person, all for God’s glory. And about this husband who has a tongue like a razor, God had this to say through the very page I opened to in a meditation book right next to my computer:

“To bear wrongs in patience is the real meaning of love and only this has redeeming value. Am I prepared for such love?

Prayer: Eternal God, help me to suffer for others that I might obtain Your blessings for them and myself.”

God help us all! We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us! Amen!

WEROLLWITHGOD.COM

“IF YOU WANT TO DEAL WITH DIFFICULT THINGS IN YOUR LIFE…

…you have to set your focus on God. He is the One who has all the power. He s the One who loves you unconditionally. He is the One who has made promises He’s going to keep. He is the One who never changes. Great faith has focus on God that doesn’t waver.” Heehaw!!!

That’s from my guy, Dr. Charles Stanley giving me some excellent advice today in helping me deal with a frustrating situation. Thanks, Dr. Stanley, my eyes are on God and not this crazy world! I know that I’m His Beloved, and even though the love and approval from others may come and go, His love and promises remain steadfast. Our God is faithful! So, no matter what may be going on in your world today, keep your focus on God, doing whatever He asks of you, knowing there is nothing too complicated for Him. BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD!

With our focus on God, we can enjoy our lives knowing He is with us in every moment. I loved my day yesterday with my sons. I first woke up and went to sit next to Emmie, telling him how he had changed my life. The school here has engrained a substantial philosophy in him that he must work hard every day to get all A’s. I was sincerely thanking Him for being my influencer and that I’m following him by stepping up my game by working hard every day. So, I told you guys how Apple Music is God’s new way of talking to me, and incredibly a couple of hours after me thanking Emmie for setting the example for me to work hard every day, this song plays:

“I work hard every day-ay-ay-ay
I work hard, I work hard every day-ay-ay-ayy, yeah
But today is my day, it’s my day
And no matter what they say, it’s my day” – Everyday by Logic & Marshmallow

Believe it or not, this was God showing me His love and attention. For me to have that conversation with my son, thanking him for inspiring me to work hard every day, and for Apple Music to play this song hours later was all God coming through to let me know that His invisible Presence is always with me.

Then, out in the food store yesterday, I felt God nudging me to stop what I was doing and just listen to the lyrics of this song:

“The struggles I’m facing
The chances I’m taking
Sometimes might knock me down, but
No, I’m not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments, that
I’m gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going
And I, I gotta be strong
Just keep pushing on, ’cause

There’s always gonna be another mountain
I’m always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose
Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb” – The Climb by Miley Cyrus

I took this as a message from God Himself that He wanted me to lighten up and enjoy these moments more. Not so stressed out about what’s on the other side of the mountains but just enjoying the climb, knowing He has my back and He is with me every little step of the way. I came home with my sons so happy, deciding to enjoy every moment of my life, despite the disappointments, sucking up every moment of enjoyment, knowing that God’s Presence is always with me.

WEROLLWITHGOD.COM

“STOP TELLING EVERYONE YOU HAD A BAD DAY!!!”

That was my mom to me yesterday! I replied, “That’s my assignment from God! To share that He is with us through the good, bad, and ugly times.” Even at my lowest, He is there with me! I’m blessed, even on my worst days, as I feel God’s deep love surrounding, covering, protecting, and guiding me. The sweet life with God, baby!

Like when I think about a big, awful disappointment I’ve been going through lately, God beautifully has switched those thoughts of discouragements to ones of deep gratitude. It was God’s way of protecting your girl here from making a terrible decision and keeping me on track with His beautiful plans for my life. Let me tell ya, God is too much!

I want you guys here with me rolling with God on a moment-by-moment basis, where we look to His strength, wisdom, and direction to help us navigate through the most difficult, hurtful, and challenging of situations. It’s just for us to involve Him in the 1,000 decisions we make every day. Every circumstance. Every relationship. As we seek Him, we will find Him and learn His voice and direction. He is an expert in everything!

That’s the greatest news ever! That we don’t have to handle our lives alone. God is there! I’m amazed as I think back on the last dark two years of my life. God has been standing strong with me, even at my bottommost. I looked at my elder daughter, Ember, this week on a video call at her country club university in New York, looking so beautiful and happy, and I was like, ‘Wow, God, You made this happen for us!’ Even when my husband adamantly said, “Ember is not going to New York!!!’ we kept our eyes on the prize, looking to God for His strategy to get her there, staying on the high road with Him, and suddenly hubby gave his blessings for her to go. Nothing is impossible for God!

Then, my daughter, Julie, being interviewed recently by the top university in the world for possible admission, blows my mind about the greatness of God. His nudging me in my spirit in Nigeria that Julie should leave high school early and start college-level classes in the US was the game-changer. It brought up her class ranking significantly and showed this university that this young lady should be taken seriously. It was a huge fight convincing Julie and my family that this was the right step for her, but I kept telling them, “It’s not me saying Julie should leave high school, it’s God.”

I could go on and on with examples of God standing strong with me in my little dark time, giving me His deep wisdom for success in every aspect of my life, but I want you to develop a relationship with Him for yourselves. Start involving Him in every move you make by listening to Him in your spirit as you live a life close to Him. Amen!

WEROLLWITHGOD.COM

REALIZING YOU’RE WORTH DURING HARD TIMES

Hey guys! It’s Julie here. I’m taking over the post today because I feel I need to share this message with anyone who may be going through any hardship. And just to preface this message, whatever you may be going through, you are loved by God AND HE IS WITH YOU!

Anyway, I feel that God has added many frustrating challenges to my life presently, and it has been hard trying to juggle everything going on in the physical world and my little mental world. I find that I’m constantly associating how much I’m worth with how productive or how many tasks I can complete. By that, I mean, if I don’t finish my to-do list, I feel like a lazy failure. Or if I’m feeling down or overwhelmed, I see myself as a weakling who can’t handle the pressure of life. Maybe some of you may feel the same in your various endeavors, and guess what? It’s okay! Everything you are feeling right now is okay because its all a part of the journey with God to help us become all that He has designed us to be – STRONG, MATURE, NOT LACKING ANYTHING.

With that being said, think about all you have done for yourself. Even if you only completed one thing on your agenda, think about the fact that you achieved something today! We have to realize that the creator of the entire universe carefully created each of us lovingly and carefully. So, what does it matter if I feel a bit down or overwhelmed? What does it matter what someone thinks of me? That doesn’t change who I am! The almighty loves me no matter what.

The previous paragraph isn’t merely conjecture, I promise. God proves to us every day that he loves us. He puts these challenges in our lives to reaffirm our senses of self and ultimately find Him and ask for His guidance. I listened to a podcast today called “Girls with Goals,” They spoke about why you DON’T need to change. They talked about how we always feel that we need to keep transforming and “grinding” all the time, and yes, most of us have a lot on our metaphorical plates, but that doesn’t mean that we aren’t extremely amazing for all the little things we accomplish every day. They also explained that you shouldn’t view your best self as someone separate from who you are now; it’s just a different version. You’re already astounding in God’s eyes, and He is just making you even more wonderful. Just keep in mind that the only person you can truly rely on is yourself, so treat yourself better! Everyone in the world could treat you terribly, but it would be irrelevant if you took the time to nurture yourself. Think about all your body does for you, your mind does for you, your soul does for you! You are here! So, stop, and smell the roses because look how far you’ve come.

To conclude our time together: if you take any advice from this raw, angsty 18-year-old, don’t be so hard on yourselves, dudes. I promise you, if you take some time for yourself, the earth won’t stop spinning. Feel everything you need to feel and get right back out there. Have a fantastic rest of your day and buy yourself some flowers lol. REMEMBER: God loves you and His wisdom, strength, love, grace, and approval are there to help get you through anything, one moment at a time.

“But the Lord stayed with me and gave me strength…” – 2 Timothy 4:17

“YOU’RE A LITTLE GIRL HOLDING GOD’S BIG HAND”

WE NEED GOD!!!!This life is no joke!!! Let me tell ya! Yesterday was a rough one for me, but unbelievably, my son, Joshie, came to my rescue. He came close to me and said, “Mom, don’t forget you are the little girl holding God’s big hand.” It was a video we did together where I shared this story:“In a down moment yesterday, I had an appointment with God reading Day 209 from my book, Keep Calm, You’re Rolling with God, and this message showed up:“God has these unimaginable plans for our lives when we stick close to Him, not leaning on our own understanding. Is this hard listening to God and following his nudges and cues as to what He would have us to do? Yes, in fact, it takes supernatural strength at times (exactly me now because the crazy lady is ready to come out!!!). I love a cartoon picture with a little girl walking along a path with a huge hand holding her little hand with the caption: “IF GOD IS FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?” (ROMANS 8:31)Fast forward two minutes later, I then went to my meditation book, Jesus Always, which is written as if God is speaking directly to me, and it incredibly said:“IF I AM FOR YOU, who can be against you?””God is pretty talkative once you get to know Him! And this was Him speaking directly to me less than two minutes after reading that verse in my book, as if saying, ‘Nik, why are you down, my sweetie? You know I got you!’ See the love I experience from Him! The love that He and I both want you guys to feel for yourselves.This morning, your girl was out running in the dark so that I could be present to help my sons get ready for school and get a much earlier start on my day. God’s new way of talking to me is through Apple Music. I promise you with all my heart, He HIMSELF had this song lined up on my phone, as it simply started playing on its own when I started my Nike Running Club app, and I played it repeatedly for the entire run:“Ain’t nobodyLoves me betterMakes me happyMakes me feel this wayAin’t nobodyLoves me better than youAt first you put your arms around meThen you put your charms around me…Got a feeling most with treasureAnd a love so deep we cannot measure” – Ain’t Nobody (Loves Me Better) by Felix JaehnAs I said, God is pretty talkative once you get to know Him! Again He was reminding me, ‘Ain’t nobody will love you you better than me, Nik! Forget about this human love!’ And with a love like that’s so deep we cannot measure, I can go through life bringing God joy in all my actions by staying on the high road with Him no matter what anyone else is doing (loving and forgiving extravagantly, baby, knowing my reward is with God). Even when its super difficult, His Divine love meets my ordinary human love to help me with the super difficult stuff He asks of me. The same thing when the troubles come, I can manly and confidently hold on to His big hands and say:“IF GOD IS FOR US, WHO CAN BE AGAINST US?” (ROMANS 8:31)

FOR THE BETTLE IS NOT YOURS BUT GOD’S…

“YOU SHOULD TAKE YOUR OWN ADVICE!”That was my daughter, Julie, last night! I explained to her that writing the posts is easy, but living them is not so easy. Let me tell you, yesterday I had a minor breakdown crying with her. But no shame, they turned out to be tears of joy because God found a way to come and comfort me to tell me know that as I take on some complicated stuff, His Presence was right there standing with me. GOD STRONG, BABY!So, there I was venting to Julie that I was obsessing about the wrong things AGAIN. Like all day, I keep replaying the same crazy stuff in my head OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Angry. Hurt. Sad. Frustrated. But that I needed her help always to catch me when I’m doing that and say, “Mom, stay focused.”Ten minutes later, Apple Music randomly selected this song for me:“Cause it’s all in my head I think about it Over and over again And I can’t keep Picturing you with him And it hurts so bad Yeah, ’cause it’s all in my head I think about it Over and over again I replay it Over and over again And I can’t take it (Yeah) I can’t shake it, no” – Over and Over by NellyFor Apple Music to randomly play this song for me minutes after my conversation with Julie describing precisely how I replay the same hurtful thoughts over and over again in my head, was no coincidence. My sadness became tears of joy that GOD HIMSELF was there with me as I tackle this messy stuff for my family. The joy of the Lord is our strength! That I can focus on God’s love with me and NOT the craziness in my head. Woohoo!!! “Our eyes are on the prize, baby girl!” was the conversation Julie and I had this morning. Forget all that junk going on in the background of my life. I’m letting it go and leaving it with God. I’m up early today with a renewed energy looking for inventory for our business after my sons came to work with me on Saturday and helped us sell two cars. The family hustle is on! Told y’all, God is the best therapist! Don’t miss out on a closer walk with Him, where He will find all these sweet ways to let you know that His invisible Presence is always with you. That we can JOYFULLY AND COURAGEOUSLY take on whatever life throws our way with Him by our sides. The battles belong to Him! It’s just for us to involve Him in every decision we make, seeking to be our best selves, all for His glory! Amen!

DO IT ALL FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

“DON’T BE EMOTIONAL”That was the great advice from my brother/angel, Kevin, pictured here with me in a day your girl here was boiling angry. Here’s what he wisely explained:“Yes, Nikki. Whatever you have to do, however, you have to adjust. Just be a chameleon (a lizard that knows how to adjust its color to blend in with its environment). If the surface turns brown, you turn brown. Adjust with life (go with the flow, is how I put it!). Don’t fight it. And trust me when I tell you this, sometimes you’re in a position where you have to do certain things to get things done. You have to sit down and realize that you are in this position; you’re in this situation. Now you be smart enough to deal with it. Know how to deal with it. Strategize. Don’t be emotional. Emotions get you nowhere but upset. Put emotions in the back and do what you gotta do.”And I have done precisely that! Emotions, I got no time for you! I’m back focused on essential matters like bringing you closer to God! Wink! Wink! Kevin and I have teamed up to be Rockstars for God. His Godly wisdom and my craziness go perfectly together to hopefully teach you and me some crucial lessons from God Himself. A year ago, he said he wanted me to be a wise woman. I told him last night that I wanted to take the entire world along with me. I love this old post:“I FINALLY GET IT!!!At every moment, we have God’s love, power, generosity, strength, wisdom, patience, charm, personality, influence, Spirit, angels, warmth, and friendship backing us up. Are you guys getting this???? God is intimately involved in every nanosecond of our lives, just waiting for us to remember that, although invisible, He is there with us. SWEET!!!”Like this situation that made me so angry. When I put a God perspective on it, He challenged me through an appointment with Him to resist ALL evil with an even stronger commitment to love, goodness, and faithfulness. I’m upping my game for God, baby! I’m using all the messiness in my life to motivate myself to RISE HIGHER in all aspects. What was meant for my harm, I’m using it for my good and the good of the entire world when I share the incredible lessons with you guys. Devil, you won’t put me to shame; I will put you and your people to shame! HEEHAW!!!““Whether you eat, or drink or do anything else, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Cor. 10:31Reflection: Even secular things can and should be enlisted in the holy service of God. Put your whole life, even your joys, into the cup of right intention, and then EVERYTHING will contribute to the glory of God and obtain a blessing for you (even this anger God will use to bless me as I use it as fuel to put more goodness in the world)! Do I begin each day in this spirit?Prayer: Lord, bless everything I think, say, do and SUFFER, so that it may acquire eternal value.” – Minute Meditations for Each DayMay we all RISE HIGHER together. Amen.