WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET CLOSE TO GOD
That’s what I had to do many times yesterday! I went RUNNING to HIM!! Lord, help me! And as always, He figured out some ways to let me know He was there. Yesterday morning’s appointment with Him was reading an old post from my book about a time when Ember, my daughter, woke up past 3 am so that she could accompany me for an emergency passport for my son, Joshie. After reading that, I even had to apologize to her for calling her a fake daughter. She’s always there for me as my little assistant from God! But when I ran to God for that appointment with Him later on that afternoon, the very exact verse from that post about Ember showed up AGAIN at the very top of the exact page I felt in my spirit God was asking me to read for that alone time with Him:
“The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14
Another one of my alignments with God letting me know He was with me – NO COINCIDENT.
After that, my Verona called, and even though I wasn’t in the talking mood (very unlike me!), but I listened and kept reminding her that we’re keeping our focus on God. At the end of our talk, I said to her, “We have to BE STILL and trust God is working everything out for us.” Right before sleeping, going to God for ANOTHER alone time, my Nook electronic book reader asked if I wanted to continue reading from where another device had left off, and I said yes, only to find this:
“Let go, relax, BE STILL, and know that I am God.”
Wow! My exact words to my Verona. See how God finds these sweet ways to let us know that His Presence is with us and that He will give us rest. We’re not fighting our battles alone, God is with us. See how He spoke to me through my spirit as to what He would have me to do when I said to Verona, “Be still,” and then go as far as confirming it through the Jesus Calling meditation book. That’s why I keep repeating to you guys that God is in the FIRE with us, in the STORMS with us, in the FURNACE with us, in the TROUBLES with us. It just for us to learn His voice when He says, “Be still and know that I am God.” As we hold our peace, God will fight for us.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)
May we all commit to an even stronger relationship with God. Amen.
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
I’M GIVING GOD EXTRA PRAISE TODAY!
Today is Ember’s last day of high school, and I’m like the proudest mom in the world! She has been my gift from God, setting such a fine example for her siblings to follow. She has exceeded our expectations! We do not doubt that God will continue to guide and guard her as she moves on to the next stage of her life. God and Ember, we’re incredibly grateful to have You in our lives!
That’s why I will continue to preach this message that I learned from mother Teresa: “In the final analysis, everything is between God and us, not between us and anyone else.” I’m now constantly asking, ‘God, what would make You happy here?’ And I do my best to do that. To honor Him in all my ways because He gives us immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.
Like this morning, I wanted to go and exercise, but I felt the Holy Spirit (God’s voice within me) saying that I should stay and wait to have an appointment with Him with my husband. I opened up a meditation book I love called God’s Promises, and I read a chapter about the Holy Spirit. Hubby agreed with me how God has beautifully guided our lives by His voice that we follow. I laughed, telling Him about how God told Him to go to Nigeria but didn’t give me that message. He told me through the Holy Spirit to give my husband an open hand to leave me and the kids in the US, while He pursued opportunities in Nigeria.
Those decisions where we both followed God’s directions have paid off tremendously. A big part of Ember’s success has to do with her growing up in this Nigerian culture and developing an excellent character as the foundation of her life and having a strong relationship with God. That I know that wherever she goes in the world, His Presence will be with her.
Even during a tough time yesterday with my wonderful hubby, I felt God in my spirit just telling me, ‘Nik, SHHH! Don’t say anything!’ I kept calm, not allowing my husband’s harsh words to get into me. I immediately forgave him and ended up having a beautiful evening with some house guests. Thank God for Victoria Osteen, who taught me not to allow disappointments to get in me. She advised us to let them go and get good at forgiving and covering the offenses of others. I did exactly that last night with my husband and I was so much happier for it! The Holy Spirit has also taught me to focus on the good in my husband, and there is so much that I can ignore the negatives when they show up.
I keep my eyes on the prize, and all God has in store for us! No time to be fighting useless battles! The wiser Nik has learned to choose her battles well and leave the rest with God. Wink! Wink!
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
GOD IS INTIMATELY INVOLVED IN OUR LIVES!!!
It’s crazy! Like I question myself so often, ‘Nik, what is wrong with you?’ I get so anxious and depressed from one moment to the next. So, yesterday, I spoke to a Pastor friend about it. He helped me realize that my mom has been taking anxiety medication for as long as I can remember, and my genes probably have a lot to do with why my emotions are all over the place. One minute I’m extremely happy, excited, at peace, and the next, I’m running to God feeling sad, anxious, and overwhelmed.
After that conversation, I called my little venting board, my daughter, Julie. I explained to her about her grandmother and the pills but that I’m not going that route. I’m going tackle these thoughts that get the best of me by doing these specific three things:
▪ Sleep! I find if I don’t sleep properly, my moods get worst.
▪ Appointments with God. Anytime I feel these negative emotions coming on, I will have a little time out with God and look at everything from His perspective.
▪ Discipline! Watching what I eat, what I think, and making sure I have my exercise every day.
After discussing with Julie, I go back to post my blog for the day to a group I formed called Health Matters, and this post there blew me away, two minutes after my conversation with Julie:
“Sleep, peace of mind, self-discipline, and happy and positive attitude are vital.” Wink! Wink!
I’m talking EXACTLY what I spoke to Julie about!!! I took it as a huge God wink and that He is intimately involved in our lives. For Him to have me talk to our Pastor friend to help figure out the situation with my mom, to me discussing with my daughter Julie to say I’m not going to drugs or alcohol, but I’m going to do these specific things that showed up in that post two minutes after I hung up from her, was just God’s sweet way of showing up for your girl here. Honestly, I’ve been praying and praying to Him for help for these thoughts that knock me down way too often, and He sent help AND confirmation that I’m on the right track! Heehaw!
So, if this is you, don’t play around with your sleep, your appointments with God, discipline in your thinking (think best-case scenarios knowing our help comes from the Lord), what you eat, and make sure you get some form of exercise every day. We all have problems, but remember, we also have God, who stands with us, working behind the scenes in the spiritual realm on our behalf. May we all practice having unshakable faith and confidence in Him!
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
“OUR EYES ARE ON THE PRIZE, BABY GIRL!”
I just sent this in a text to my daughter, Ember, along with a pic of a bag I now cherish with “New York” printed on it! I’m taking it as a special God wink at my daughters and me. They want to go to university there, and I want to meet with a book agent to help me spread this GREAT news that God is intimately involved in every aspect of our lives, it’s just for us to learn His voice and to be obedient to Him.
But like I explained to Ember yesterday, that sometimes means doing some difficult things. Like going the extra mile in love, forgiveness, gentleness, patience, and self-control. SUPER HARD! But, trust me, this is the way God leads us on the paths to the best lives with Him. God is so good to me that with one glance at Him, I simply say, ‘God, ANYTHING FOR YOU!’
So, like my brother Kevin said to me, ‘Nik, I want you to work on being wise.’ For me, that means PAUSING before I do or say anything, always asking God through my spirit what He would have me to do. If He says, ‘Nik, I need you to be patient right now.’ I say no problem, ‘God, I got You.’ If He says Nik, just pretend you don’t see what you see or hear what you hear, I say, ‘No problem, Boss! Whatever you say!’ If He says, ‘Nik, say anything to Me, but to others learn to practice silence and kindness.’ Again, ‘No problem Papa!’
When others are unfair to me, I remind myself that God’s ways are more than fair! When offenses come, I don’t let them get the best of me anymore. I’ve learned to shake them off and hand them over to God immediately. This verse has become my crucial mindset:
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8
I loved an appointment with God yesterday when He says He loves all of me, including my weaknesses. This is where He wants us to be with others, not overly focused on judging them and where they are going wrong, but loving them extravagantly. All for His glory! Nobody’s perfect!
And Ember is such a fine example of why I go the extra mile for God. She is my gift from Him. I’m calling her every morning to congratulate her on her last week of high school. She has set the bar extremely high for my other kids to follow. I said God knew why He gave you to me first. I’ve been annoying her all day with issues I need her help with and she lovingly follows through for me. A BIG reason why I say, ‘God, anything for You!’
“WE ARE HARD PRESSED ON EVERY SIDE, BUT NOT CRUSHED…”
“…perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”
I loved reading these verses from 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 last night. They encouraged me so much as I go through my little storms at the moment, reminding me that I can hold my head high no matter the troubles because I know God is with me. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me! Heehaw!
Anyone else in need of that reminder? I’ve had only a few hours of sleep, but I was back up early to get my run in. Can you believe God even used that run to reveal His invisible Presence with me? Of all the runs in the Nike Running Club app, I decided to do the ‘SEVEN Minute Speed Run.’ However, because of a slight glitch, it refused to start and was frozen stuck. I said, let me give it a minute to unfreeze and I decided to sit and watch TV for a quick minute while waiting. Suddenly it started playing with the coach saying, “Welcome to the “SEVEN” Minute Speed Run” at the exact time as a soccer player on the TV was featured with a close-up on his number “SEVEN” jersey! Wink! Wink!
Again, this lined up to perfect to be considered some ordinary coincidence. It was God’s fun and sweet way of revealing His intimate Presence with me as if saying, ‘Nik, have no fear, I am here!!!’ He had that run to pause just to that point for me to see that number seven on the back of that player’s shirt, as my running coach said the welcome to the “SEVEN”-minute speed run!
That’s why we all can be hard pressed on every side, but not crushed because we can know that God is intimately involved in every moment of our lives. For my son to leave the TV on that specific channel, for me to sit there at that precise time, was all orchestrated by God to comfort me as I begin a difficult day. And with the comfort He gives me, He said it would be my gift to Him to share that comfort with you. Such love He has for every one of us!
In this life, we will have trouble, but most crucially, we have God to guide us every step of the way! Invite Him into every moment, KNOWING that we don’t have to have everything all figured out. We trust God that just how He had that number seven to appear, He has every challenge we will ever have all coordinated and already worked out. BY HIS STRENGTH, THEY WILL BE HANDLED! Wink! Wink! It is just for us to show up, pause, seek His input, and be obedient to His direction, every little step of the way, listening to His voice that is within each of us. Wink! Wink!
