Those were the words from my husband that just made me so happy. ”Give me a kiss for that, boo!” I replied. He puts up with me with all my work for God, but I tell him that God repays us richly with His favor, love, protection, guidance, kindness, and immeasurable support. God has taken us beyond what we could have ever asked or imagined! Wink! Wink!
Today was a beautiful day working with our daughter, Ember. She has been such a huge support for me that I don’t know where I would be without her. Her excellent example as our firstborn has made us all better. Now that she is working with us before leaving for college, it’s my pleasure to pass on some of the values God has been teaching me. Being a person of integrity, dependability, going the extra mile, asking how may I serve, and being a joyful and humble person to be around, have all served me well no matter where I am in the world.
I love how God seems to be getting in on training sessions with her, though. We had a disagreement with me saying to her that not everything she wants to say to me means she should say it. I sent her this quote from my morning’s appointment with God:
“Don’t waste words on people who deserve your silence. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all.”- Mandy Hale
Less than an hour later, her dad calls, and he is telling me about a situation that technically he caused, but he was blaming someone else (different perspective!). After hanging up, Ember said, “Wasn’t that his fault? Why didn’t you tell him?” I said, “Remember the quote I just sent you – sometimes the most powerful thing you can say is nothing at all. Should I argue with your dad and upset him or allow peace to reign, and we go home and have a beautiful evening together? Your dad deserves my silence.”
And just like that, God made her a witness to what I’ve been trying so hard to teach her. It’s wisdom to hold back some words, smile, put on a happy face, and be a pleasure and joy to be around instead of getting angry and easily upset. My daughter Julie said she has learned to vent her feelings in her head, not to other people. God tells me to take it out on Him. And with all that He does for me, I vent everything and hand over all disappoints to Him, and stay on the high road being my best, most loving, and happiest self. Wink! Wink! All for His honor and glory! May we all glorify and enjoy Him!
That was me hugging and saying goodbye to my daughter, Julie, as she was about to enter her car to drive alone for the very first time to her college class. I’ll never get over God’s deep involvement in every aspect of my life. A young lady I met for less than five minutes shared that she was a twelfth-grade student, but all of her classes were at a nearby college. A year and a half later, God reminded me of this with a thought for Julie to finish her last year of high school at that same college. After a huge battle, with everyone in the family turning against me, saying I shouldn’t force Julie to leave high school prematurely, Julie is now flourishing. I see her so happy and blossoming into this confident yet humble, fierce young lady. That one God thought (get Julie into that early admissions college program!), got my daughter on this fantastic life path! Heehaw! The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord!
Then yesterday, I was blown away by God’s involvement in a conversation with my daughter, Ember. She wasn’t happy that we didn’t go out to eat at a restaurant where SHE wanted to go, and she showed it. I explained to her the importance of being grateful for any kind gesture done by anyone for her. I said she should overwhelm her dad with love and appreciation for everything he does for our family. I said that she should learn how to wear a poker face and even pretend to be happy even when she is fuming inside because that’s WISDOM when it comes to dealing with other people. Fast forward a few minutes later, I’m having an appointment with God with my son, Emmie, and look what incredibly showed up:
“A Little Thanks, Please
Saying “thank you” isn’t always easy. When a relative gets you a Rudolph sweater for Christmas or wraps up a big package of floral underwear for your birthday, it’s tough to come up with nice words for that “thank you” card—or when your mom puts a pile of veggies on your plate and is waiting for those magic words: “Thanks, Mom.”
That’s the way it works. When someone gives a gift, we say “thank you.” We write the words. We put the smile on our face. We thank the person because we know that they love us. They are being kind and generous. Even when we really don’t like the gift, we thank the giver.” – A Purpose Driven Life Devotional for Kids
No way this was an ordinary coincidence! This was again God revealing His intimate Presence in the details of my everyday life. Even down to me saying to Ember that she should pretend to be happy, the book said, “We put the smile on our face.” God is pretty talkative once we develop eyes to see Him and ears to hear Him. This was His loving way of revealing His Presence with my daughter and me, minutes after our sit-down conversation to discuss this specific matter.
And with this knowledge of knowing God is always with me, I can bravely and courageously tackle my life doing my best with what God would have me to do, and then I can confidently trust that He is at work at the spiritual realm helping me. And trust me, He is with you, too! Wink! Wink!
“THE BEST THING I CAN TELL YOU IS TO GET CLOSER TO GOD”
That was indeed the best advice I got from my brother, Kevin, recently. I had one of my awful moments, and I needed a little pep talk from him, and he came through telling me that I should make God a priority. And it turned out to be the best thing! Crazy that the God maniac here who is always preaching to you guys about getting closer to God needed that reminder, but I did.
I ran with the advice by having lots of alone time with God. I found Dr. Charles Stanley on YouTube, and he was like a personal messenger from God to help me through a rough life patch. It was tough talk that I needed to hear to make some significant decisions. So much so that I had no doubt whatsoever that this was God’s way of wrapping His arms around me to comfort me and melt away all my fears, frustrations, and anxieties. Dr. Stanley has built my faith in God so much stronger. He said no matter what we go through, we can know without any doubt that God is there standing with us. He is!!!
Do you have a personal relationship with God where you know that His invisible Presence is with you, too? I enjoyed listening to one of Dr. Stanley’s sermons yesterday with my husband. It was about having a strong life. Where we build our lives on a strong foundation with God and that no matter what is going on we can be strong and not resorting to drugs or alcohol to cope with difficulties. In it, he highly suggested having alone times with God. I’m a living testimony to the greatness of these appointments with God. His advice is always the best! I reread old posts, I have mediation books, and now I have Dr. Charles Stanley on YouTube. (HUGE SMILE)
God is pretty talkative once you get to know Him. He has guided my life on a terrific path, and I would be an awful human being if I don’t share this awesome news with you. Make today the day you start taking your relationship with God seriously. I make many tough decisions following God’s leading, and let me tell ya, those decisions always work out better than I can ever expect or imagine. Nothing better than going through life with God as your Companion and Guide! He doesn’t force Himself on us; He just patiently waits for you to invite Him in. Will you say, ‘God, I want a closer walk with You?’ Then start listening to Him in your spirit. Once we obey Him, we can confidently leave all consequences in His capable hands. Wink! Wink!
These are the lyrics from Wizkid’s song Essence I felt God singing to me as if saying, ‘NIK, I AM ALL YOU NEED!!!’ Your girl here has been getting it seriously wrong, and God has been lovingly trying to correct me. The fretful, anxious, and worrisome wife needed to go. I was too paranoid about my husband leaving me, and God was trying to teach me that I can confidently lean on Him – HE WOULD NEVER LEAVE OR FORSAKE ME. That no matter what, He was with me and that He loves me unconditionally. I can depend on Him! God corrects those He loves. (HUGE SMILE)
Now, my relationship with my husband is COMPLETELY different. Ain’t nobody perfect! As hubby accepts me for both my strengths and weaknesses, I accept his. With the love and acceptance God shows me, no matter my mistakes and failures, I offer that kind of love to hubs. I love a massage from Joel Osteen this week:
Be a Joseph
Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery that led to thirteen years of immeasurable suffering, heartache, and pain. Yet after Joseph was made second in command of all Egypt, when those same brothers came before him asking for food, he didn’t say, “It’s payback time!” The reason God could promote Joseph to that level is because He could trust Joseph to handle the power correctly and be good to people who had not been good to him. Joseph wept, embraced, and kissed his brothers. He gave them food and land and took care of his entire family.
Give people the grace to change when they’ve done you wrong. Don’t judge their whole life on one season, one mistake. You don’t have to befriend them and allow them all access, but you need to get to the point where you’ve let go of the offense and you treat them with respect. Be a Joseph. Let God pay back the people who hurt you. You’re not the judge and jury. Leave it in God’s hands.
A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for the mercy and forgiveness and protection You have shown me when I’ve done wrong. Help me to do good and to bless those who have done me wrong. I am leaving them in Your hands and giving them the grace that allows for change. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
WOW! WOW! WOW!
God amazes me with the personal attention He gives to the situations of my life. I traveled last week, and a problem came up with a vehicle we sold (we are in the used car business). My husband was around, so I didn’t pay much attention to it, thinking he would take control. But when the problem wasn’t resolved (hubs has a lot on his plate!), I started giving it some thought. I then felt God in my spirit saying to Google the specific issue. Can you believe Google informed me that there was a manufacturer’s recall for this very issue that the customer stated? There was a telephone number to call and a specific recall code to provide. Long story short, my daughter, Ember, is now picking up the vehicle that was repaired for FREE and covered by the manufacturer. Thanks Mr. Google and God!
“Then he told me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘You will not succeed by your own strength or by your own power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord All-Powerful.” – Zechariah 4:6
Got that? We will succeed by God’s Spirit that’s within us. I’m getting pretty close to Him now, and I have no doubt that it was Him who whispered to me the next step to take to resolve this issue. The wise Nikki here is learning to go to God in every decision asking Him to lead me. He is an expert in everything! No matter the troubles we face, God stands with us. It’s just for us to acknowledge Him in all our ways by pausing and asking for His input. I obey whatever He tells me to do because I know He has the best solutions to any situation.
Through my alone times with Him, I learn His voice. I know when it’s Him speaking to me. And through practical experiences of facing so many challenges in the past where that voice has wonderfully guided me through, I know without any doubt when I hear God’s voice.
Are you taking your relationship with God seriously? Don’t play around with it! This life is too hard to do on our own. I wake up every day now listening to Dr. Charles Stanley, and he is just confirming everything I’ve been learning about God. I then read our family’s website, where I share my testimonies of the greatness of God with us. I’m filling myself up with FAITH, reminded that I have God with me in every moment of my life. No matter the situation, He is there to advise me. As I show up doing my 50%, I trust God with the rest in the spiritual realm working on my behalf! Wink! Wink!
“The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”” – Psalm 32:8
