I’M FEELING OVERWHELMINGLY LOVED BY GOD

Sometimes things will happen in our lives that will completely knock the wind out of our sails, and that’s where a relationship with God comes sweetly in to help us recalibrate, refocus, and reset, baby. I can genuinely BRAG about the times I fall because that’s when God reveals MORE of His Presence with me. I have a calendar on my desk stuck on this message:

“God will not loosen His grip on us in our time of need. If anything, He will tighten it.”

That’s my testimony! God has tightened His grip on me! I was so low that I formed a support group with my brothers, Kevin and Jason, and our friend, Ceri. No shame! Your girl was down! I later on added my husband and a good friend because LIFE GETS HARD AND IT’S OK TO ASK FOR HELP. Today, I did a struggle run with Coach Bennet, who suggested that I thank the people who supported me when I’ve struggled. Thanks, my support group and the many other angels God sent my way (HUGE SMILE).

HOWEVER, THE MOST SUPPORT AWARD GOES TO GOD!!!! Oh my goodness, I feel like the most loved person in the world goes to such great lengths to let me know He is with me to comfort me. The hardest part of my days has been getting out of bed in the mornings, and yesterday I didn’t get up in time, and I missed that morning run before dropping the boys to school. But guess who came to me when I couldn’t make it to my God tree? God.

A friend sent me a message from Nigeria quoting this verse:

“Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.” Mark 4:39

Right after that, I opened my new meditation book that I asked my friend, Mabel that I could please have from her house. Out of 335 pages of Bible verses, I promised you, I opened directly to this one on the very first opening of it:

“Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.” Mark 4:39

And that right there was no coincidence! It was God’s words to me on that difficult morning of not wanting to get out of bed: ‘Nik, PEACE BE STILL, I AM RIGHT HERE WITH YOU.’

You see the love and comfort God gives me! At 6:27, I sent that friend back that message that her verse immediately appeared in this thick book. It’s God’s message to us all. HE IS WITH US!!! BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN BECAUSE HE IS THERE TO COMFORT US IN ALL OUR DISTRESS.

A special thanks to my hubby, though, for praying with me every day under my God tree. The prayers are working! Your ride-or-die wife is more committed to our family than ever. Right or wrong, I’m with you guys, and GOD IS DEFINITELY WITH US!!!

“GOD WILL SEND YOU AN ANGEL TO CALM YOUR MIND”

I can’t get over this message I got from someone in Nigeria some months ago. They advised me to forget about all the foolishness I was hearing about and focus on building a closer relationship with God. The fantastic part is that they were so right! But God didn’t just send me one angel, HE SENT ME AN ENTIRE TEAM OF ANGELS!!! That’s the intense love I feel from God!

One angel, in particular, Ceri, I want to tell you about today, though. I stalk him in this app where he does some group morning messages because I so strongly feel God speaking to me through him. I have a playlist of these YouTube recordings of them that I listen to whenever I feel stressed. I also play them for my sons to learn Godly wisdom from him. They hate it but one day, they will thank me!

Yesterday I was even more grateful to Ceri after he helped me to recover a car that a customer was trying to steal from me. After hiring two recovery companies and having no luck, I decided to find the car myself. Your girl is a real car dealer now!

So, in one of the messages, Ceri spoke about how you might see a dog and a cat walking together, and that might be a sign from God that you need to be friends with someone you wouldn’t normally be friends with. I picked up on that was God speaking to me that I needed to be friends with someone who could help me find my car. Long story short, this person told me the exact time and exact place to find that vehicle. So, I went there, hid behind a tree, believe it or not, and incredibly the car appeared, just as my new friend said it would. God is too much!

While in the car waiting, I said, ‘God, what is this today?’ I decided to have an appointment with Him by reading my own book, ‘Keep Calm, You’re Rolling With God.’ The same page I opened to quoted this verse:

“Let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back” (Hebrews 12:1)

Guys, I freaked out, rushing back to the message from Ceri that I was playing on the way to that address. Can you believe he was discussing that very verse? I said, ‘God, I know that’s You saying you are here with me in this car. No lie, within 15 minutes, that car pulled up. I went over with boldness and confidence and said, “Please, I need my car back.’ Your girl here got the key and drove that car back to our office myself. Don’t mess with God’s people!

My new friend and I had a very serious talk today, though. I told her that I want her to stop drinking “LET US STRIP OFF ANYTHING THAT SLOWS US DOWN OR HOLDS US BACK” because she has six kids counting on her to make the best decisions for them. I said, ‘You’re going to stop entirely, and whenever you feel like drinking, you call me, or you call on God. We will help you.”

I told her how my son Joshie read in our appointment with God today that when your cell phone needs charging, you have to plug it in and that the same thing with us. When we get low, weak, and tired, we can pray and plug into God. I told my sons today, no shame, I be running to God a million times a day because this life gets hard. We need Him! We can do all things with God walking beside us! Even helping to locate stolen vehicles! I told the recovery guy that he should hire me to work for him whenever he has trouble with finding cars. (SMILE)

Take that advice, please, from that person calling me from Nigeria: GET CLOSER TO GOD!!! Today, I prayed for my husband under the tree, asking God to be His strength, wisdom, support, and protection and that he would know that in every moment, He had God with Him, which is the meaning of my husband’s name: Emmanuel, God with us! May we all know that without any DOUBT!!!! MAKE GOD YOUR FIRST LOVE AND PRIORITY!!!

“WE BELONG TOGETHER”

That was me to God, dancing on my way from my God tree this morning, singing these lyrics to Him:

‘Who am I gon’ lean on when times get rough?
Who’s gon’ to talk to me ’til the sun comes up?
Who’s gon’ take Your place? There ain’t nobody better
We belong together ‘– Mariah Carey

I WANT THE ENTIRE WORLD HERE, SINGING THIS SONG TO GOD!!! I was extra happy this morning after two early morning God winks. AGAIN, everything lined up a little bit too perfectly to be some ordinary coincidences with God sweetly revealing glimmers of invisible Presence with me. (HUGE SMILE)

Like right before going to sleep last night, I read these verses on our family’s website:

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” -2 Corinthians 4:8-9

The old post reminded me that no matter the troubles I face – hard pressed on every side – I could hold my head high, knowing God is with me to get me through any storm. I said, ‘God, high five!’ Fast forward to this morning, I have a book that my friend Mabel recently gave me with Bible verses, and can you believe these verses showed up on the second page I opened today? In this thick book, God took me specifically to these verses just to let me (and you!) know that His invisible Presence is always with us to help us take on any challenge that comes our way.

Also, yesterday, I decided to have an extra long appointment with God on Tumblr.com, just saying to Him, ‘God, I want to be with You! What do You have to say to me here?’ Honestly, there were so many posts that spoke to me, including this one that I shared before:

“I will not give up, give in, give out or give over ’til that healing takes place. I made a vow, I said the words, I gave the pledge, I gave a ring, I took a ring, I gave myself, I trusted GOD, and said the words, and meant the words… in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in good times and in bad…so I am standing NOW, and will not sit down, let down, slow down, calm down, fall down, look down or be down ’til the breakdown is torn down! I refuse to put my eyes on outward circumstances, or listen to prophets of doom, or buy into what is trendy, worldly, popular, convenient, easy, quick, thrifty, or advantageous… nor will I settle for a cheap imitation of God’s real thing, nor will I seek to lower God’s standard, twist God’s will, rewrite God’s word, violate God’s covenant, or accept what God hates, namely divorce!

In a world of filth, I will stay pure; surrounded by lies I will speak the truth; where hopelessness abounds, I will hope in God: where revenge is easier, I will bless instead of curse; and where the odds are stacked against me, I will trust in God’s faithfulness. I am a STANDER, and I will not acquiesce, compromise, quarrel or quit. I have made the choice, set my face, entered the race, believed the Word, and trusted God for all the outcome. I will allow neither the reaction of my spouse, nor the urging of my friends, nor the advice of my loved ones, nor economic hardship, nor the prompting of the devil to make me let up, slow up, blow up, or give up ’til my marriage is healed.” Tumblr.com via lnrevolution

So, that was yesterday evening, and this morning I get to my God tree (in the darkness of the morning), asking God for a page number to read for our time together, and He leads me to page three of our website and can you believe this very post I just quoted is at the top of that page. Out of 141 web pages, God took me specifically there. Let me tell you, God is pretty talkative when we listen and pay attention to what He has to say.

I love this post on so many levels, though! Not only in regards to my marriage (I’m sticking with my vows, too, to the best husband in the world) but in regards to my ENTIRE LIFE:

“…and where the odds are stacked against me, I will trust in God’s faithfulness…where hopelessness abounds, I will hope in God…I have made the choice, set my face, entered the race, believed the Word, and trusted God for all the outcome.”

Our God is faithful! I can’t get over how He can use everything for our good when we keep our focus on Him (not the world and what may be going on around us!) and are obedient to what He asks of us. I’m on this wilderness experience with Him right now, and it has been challenging, but I’m extremely happy for this alone time with God.

This morning, I got on my knees just thanking Him for sticking so close to me that I know that in every moment I have Him by my side and by His strength, everything I have going on will be successfully handled. Faith is knowing God has your back!!! And that gives me the peace, joy, and courage to take on my life, KNOWING MY HELP AND SUPPORT COME FROM GOD HIMSELF!!! Heads high, my peeps, OUR GOD IS INTIMATELY INVOLVED IN EVERY DETAIL OF OUR LIVES!

FEELING HEAVILY SUPPORTED BY GOD

Yeah, baby! The way He constantly shows up for me to let me know He is with me gives me such joy, peace, courage, and strength, KNOWING THERE IS NEVER A MOMENT GOD HIMSELF IS NOT WITH ME. Even this morning, I did not want to get out of bed (rough week!), but He found a way to let me know He was there. I felt Him nudging me to read my book, Keep Calm, You’re Rolling With God, from where I had last left off and this post from eight years ago showed up:

“I feel God is saying something similar to us: STICK WITH ME, and you’ll live the sweetest life, filled with peace, joy, gratitude, and contentment, despite all the challenges you may face.

▪But, God, I’m tired. STICK WITH ME. Your weakness is a gift, drawing us closer together as you realize I’m your strength. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV). Imagine I am with you and holding your hands every moment.
▪But, God, some people are talking about me and insulting me. STICK WITH ME. “You will make small account of words which fly. If you do not desire to please others, nor fear to displease them, you will enjoy much peace.” –The Imitation of Christ
▪But, God, these problems I’m dealing with are too overwhelming! STICK WITH ME, as I direct you one step at a time. I will help you plan your day so that you will do less but accomplish more. Trust Me in every situation, and focus on doing the “intuitively” right and excellent thing in every moment, example and experience. And you will come through each challenge stronger, wiser, more mature, and closer to Me.
▪will never leave you or forsake you. I am your Teacher, Helper, Supporter, Friend, and Companion.
▪But, God, this person did me wrong. STICK WITH ME. Stay on the high road, and I will pay you back whatever they took from you and more.
▪“Even your mistakes can be recycled into something good…” — Jesus Calling

Our Father, pardon our sins and may we live our lives completely focused on You. Help us to get back up whenever we fall, dust ourselves off, and keep moving forward with You. Amen.”

I smiled with God, feeling that this was Him speaking to me saying, Nik, STICK WITH ME. Maybe like ten minutes later, I felt a God thought come to mind saying that I should look at the comforter next to me. Can you believe all over this comforter are the words “STICK WITH ME?” See the love I feel from God. On one side of the comforter there is a huge “STICK WITH ME” and on the other side all over there are sixteen smaller “STICK WITH MEs.”

This message is not only for me, though. This message is for you, too. That no matter where you find yourself right now, stick with God. No situation is too big or complicated for us to handle with Him by our side.
It’s just for us to stick with God by being obedient to what He asks of us.

And for us to know what He is asking of us, we must take time to learn His voice. Notice how He led me to read my book with that post about sticking with Him, and minutes later, the thought came to mind to look at the comforter next to me. It was a prayer I said almost 15 years ago asking for a closer walk with Him, and I consistently work on our relationship by seeking Him and having alone times with Him.

I suggest you do the same because this life is too hard to do on our own. We need His guidance, strength, help, love, favor, and support as we aim to be the greatest of all time people in the world on His behalf. We got this, and HE GOT US!!! Let’s keep going, my superheroes, staying on the high road with God as we go the extra mile in excellence, kindness, love, faithfulness, and COURAGE. Our reward is with God as He gives us more than we can ever ask or imagine. (Wink! Wink!)

THE GOD PERSPECTIVE CHANGES EVERYTHING

Let me tell ya; WE NEED GOD IN OUR LIVES!!! Knowing that He is behind the scenes, walking with us, guiding us, helping, supporting,
and unconditionally loving us, changes everything. So, I’m here telling you how He shows up for me so that you, too, will begin to feel His Presence in your life. Here’s how He showed up for me a short while ago:

Of all the runs on the Nike Running Club app, I did a run on Tuesday called ‘One Hard, One Easy’ so that I could hear Coach Cory repeat this message to me:

“Every stride, every breath, there is a potential for doubt. ‘I don’t think I can do this any longer. I don’t think I can run any faster. I don’t think I can keep up with that person.’ Everyone struggles with those thoughts. You just have to believe you can. It’s not about blocking the negative thoughts, it’s about pushing past, conquering them. Showing them who’s boss. You are in control of your own thoughts. So that shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

AGAIN, the next day, I did the same run, just to be reminded of those words. Today, no shame, I did the exact run AGAIN, needing that reminder from Coach Cory. Fast forward to a few minutes ago, I’m waiting for a car to come up at the auction where I purchase vehicles, and I saw the next run number was 67, so I went to page 67 of our family’s website and look what incredibly showed up there:

“Even a run yesterday, I asked Him (God) which of the Nike Running Clubs runs I should pick. I listened to those feelings when I read over the options. The very one I was excited about was perfect. Coach Cory explained how the runs were about me training my mind, body, and soul. Every hard effort that I put my body through, I get stronger, wiser, better so that the next time I can handle even more. He explained that every run was a competition between me and myself – “Every stride, every breath, there is a potential for doubt. ‘I don’t think I can do this any longer. I don’t think I can run any faster. I don’t think I can keep up with that person.’ Everyone struggles with those thoughts. You just have to believe you can. It’s not about blocking the negative thoughts, it’s about pushing pass, conquering them. Showing them who’s boss. You are in control of your own thoughts. So that shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

Those words from Coach Cory showing up there, believe it or not, was God’s way of letting me know that His Presence is always with me. Like He was personally saying, ‘Nik, I saw you doing that run on Tuesday, Wednesday, and AGAIN today!’’ There is no way this all lined up so perfectly as some ordinary coincidence, it was one of my special God winks orchestrated by God Himself to let us all know that HE IS INTIMATELY INVOLVED IN EVERY MOMENT OF OUR LIVES, AND HE KNOWS EVERY THOUGHT WE THINK AND EVERYTHING WE’RE STRUGGLING WITH. GOD IS WITH US ALWAYS, BABY!!!!

Then, yesterday, I left our office to drive over an hour away to tackle a problematic matter asking God to please help me. As often as I write that 11 and 7 appearing together are God’s way of saying He is with me, can you believe I ended up arriving at the location at 1:17, and by the grace of God, the situation worked out. God, thank You!

MORAL: Whatever we’re going through – the struggles, challenges, low and stressful moments, God is there with us. Its just for us to acknowledge Him in all our ways, asking what He would have us to do by learning His voice within us (The Holy Spirit), doing our best to be obedient, and follow wherever He leads us. Then we can confidently leave the rest for Him, as we expect and hope for the best. That’s faith! We don’t have to figure everything out on our own. The battles belong to the Lord! Just take everything day by day and one step at a time. God got us! Nothing is too difficult for God; we can do everything with Him who strengthens us. Amen!

GOD DID IT AGAIN

I feel so silly sometimes telling you guys about my God winks where everything lines up a little bit too perfect to be an ordinary coincidence, but the same thing that I wrote about yesterday, happened AGAIN today.

Yesterday, sitting on a park bench close to my God tree, reading our family’s website, I took a picture of this verse feeling it was God speaking to me:

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:20

Exactly 4 minutes later, this verse jumped out at me when I read my meditation book Jesus Calling, simply continuing from where I had last left off.

Fast forward to this morning. Sitting on the same park bench close to my God tree, I took a picture of this message from our family’s website, again feeling like God was speaking to me:

“As you go through this day, look for tiny treasures strategically placed along the way. I LOVINGLY GO BEFORE YOU and plant little pleasures to brighten your day. Look carefully for them, and pluck them one by one.” – Jesus Calling

Fast forward exactly 15 minutes later, again I go to read Jesus Calling and look at the very words that jumped out at me again from exactly where I had last left off reading:

“As you go through this day, look for tiny treasures strategically placed along the way. I LOVINGLY GO BEFORE YOU and plant little pleasures to brighten your day. Look carefully for them, and pluck them one by one.”

Guys, for me to go to the extent to take pictures both times of what I felt were both important messages to God on our family’s website and for me to immediately open right up afterward to the exact messages in this Jesus Calling on the very pages I open up to, were not coincidences!!!! God wants us all to feel His invisible Presence that is always with us.

I’m just the God maniac here that He has given this assignment to share with you how I feel and experience Him so that you, too, will make the best decision in building a closer relationship with Him. Let me tell ya, I don’t know where I would be if not for His presence in my life. THIS LIFE IS HARD. But knowing I have the Creator of the entire universe walking with me and guiding me gives me the courage, joy, and peace to take on my life.

Can we all make that decision today of asking God to help us walk closer with Him? It was the best prayer I ever said fifteen years ago, “God, I want a closer walk with You.” Then start spending time with Him every morning, noon, and night, seeking what He has to say to you and feeling His direction for your life throughout the day. The best life is close to God where you know you are not handling life alone; you have His guidance, help, love, protection, approval, support, favor, personality, joy, and strength backing you up, no matter the challenges and difficulties that come your way.

GOD LOVES ME TOO MUCH

I know that you guys get tired of hearing that from me, but I want the entire world here with me, feeling overwhelmingly loved by Him (HUGE SMILE). So, I tell you all about my God winks/perfect alignments, where things lined up too perfectly to be some ordinary coincidences. Like in working late last night at home, I smiled at Him reading the desktops message that I knew He placed there some years ago that says, “I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS.” I woke up this morning to brush my teeth, and there is a sign there that I stole from my friend Mabel’s house one day that says, “I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS – MATTHEW 28:20.” Minutes later, I went for a quick run to my God tree and ended up reading a page from our family’s website with this verse:

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:20

Five minutes later, I decided to leave the website and see what else God had to say to me through my Jesus Calling Devotional, and look what jumped out at me on the very page I opened it to from where I had last left off:

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:20 (Wink! Wink!)

God, HIGH FIVE! That was in no way a coincidence that I opened to that very verse that I felt God’s spirit continually drawing me to from last night in this book of 365 daily devotionals and accompanying Bible verses. God planted that there just as a glimmer of His Presence with us all. These were all orchestrated by Him to let us all know that there is never a moment when we don’t have His Presence with us. THIS IS THE PEACE YOU CANNOT BUY KNOWING YOU ARE WALKING THROUGH LIFE WITH GOD HIMSELF!!!

It’s just for us to learn His voice and His direction! Like me asking God today how to deal with a situation with my husband. I’ve been feeling God talking to me through a calendar I have on the front desk at our office that I’ve intentionally kept on this message for a week now:

“Give others the benefit of the doubt, because things may not be the way they seem.”

Fast forward to me having an appointment with God today about it; look what showed up at 18 minutes past the hour, again on my family’s website:

““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 (Wink! Wink!) in overlooking some things?”

See how talkative God is! Me feeling like that was where God wanted me to be through that calendar and for Him to have me go to precisely 18 minutes past the hour to confirm that message on page 18. I’m not going to lie to you guys, though, but some things God will ask of us are extremely difficult – HARD THINGS ARE HARD! But I want us always seeking God and what He would have us to do, staying on the high road with Him. I loved a message from Ceri today that God has asked us to do two things:

“LOVE GOD AND LOVE OTHERS”

As for me, I’m on the highest road with God asking what I can do to make Him smile after He arranges all these special winks showing me such great love and exceeding my expectations in so many areas of my life. God, I got You! (Wink! Wink!) What can you do to make God smile?

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22