Let me tell ya, these alone times with God are what keep your girl here at peace, calm, relaxed, and happy KNOWING I’M NOT GOING THROUGH LIFE ALONE. I go and touch the last of the 47 trees God had perfectly lined up for me after my 47th birthday, and I but both of my palms on them and say, ‘God, we’re together! We’re together! We’re together!’ No matter how crazy that may look or sound, I need these crucial reminders because this life gets HARD. I love how my brother, Kevin, described what these runs do for me:
“I don’t know if it gives you strength. I think it gives you wisdom. It gives you time to think, to plan, to focus. You are in a war, you realize that right. Any problem that you have is a war. So, you need to strategize, and I think your runs give you clarity in everything. Keep running. Trust me when I tell you this, I think that is the key.”
He is so right! Like yesterday before going on that run, I was deeply feeling the pain of rejection, and I had to stop what I was doing to have an appointment with God. It was 31 minutes past the hour, so I went to page 31 of my website, and at the very top post there, God, unbelievably, had this to say to me:
“It’s hard to comprehend how much God loves us because we are all used to human love, we had to behave properly, and we had to do certain things to keep our relationships with people going. People blow you off when you don’t do things to please them as we know that conditional love, it lets you down…With God’s kind of love, it’s totally different, it’s awe inspiring….May I be lifted above the pain of rejection, as I remember that who I really am cannot be rejected. May God’s acceptance mean more to me than the acceptance of any person, for it is based on my true worth.” So, there I was, feeling so hurt, down and depressed like this person didn’t want me in their life again, and God’s invisible Presence shows up with this crucial message from Him to me: Nik, the real you, my child, can never be rejected. He picks me up when I’m down.”
Going on that run, after reading this, was exactly what my brother said. It was time to strategize with God as to what He would have me to do. He said, ‘Nik, vent anything to me, but to others keep silent. Be patient. When others are weak, you be the strong one. Don’t repay evil with evil. Keep shining bright for Me, doing everything for Me. I got you. I love and approve of you, and that’s all that matters.” God’s school of hard lessons continues. Put God First in your life, guys! We need His perspective!
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
GOD JUST MADE ME CRY
I got a feeling from Him to read page 38 of our family’s website, werollwithgod.com, for an appointment with Him. I had written this eight months ago:
““WISH WE WERE THERE WITH YOU GUYS”
That was me to my hubby today. He and the boys are in Nigeria, and me and the girls are in the US. And with the airports being closed there to international flights for a month or so, we’re riding out this Coronavirus separated from each other. I told hubs that God didn’t plan for us to be together, but I would like to use this as an opportunity for us to get closer to Him. My goal is to come through this storm a happier and better wife, momma, and person. I thanked him for the beautiful life I get to live with them. I have the best family in the world, y’all. We ain’t perfect, but we’re sure close. (SMILE)”
I asked hubs if I could read it to him, and I just started balling crying because this was a rough year for our family, but by God’s grace, we made it through. My goals of getting closer to God and coming through this storm a happier and better wife, momma and person were accomplished. Glory be to God!
I cried because of God’s intimate involvement in my life and His deep love for my family and me. He has been with us every difficult step of the way. The devil did his best to get us off track, but I kept running to God in all my crazy lady moments, and I was reminded of the person He was calling me to be. This sermon from Bel Air Church became my crucial mindset:
“Jesus (God), what is your perspective on every moment of my life? Every relationship. Every decision. Every circumstance. And how can I enter into it to glorify you.”
And keeping that God perspective was what kept me holding my head high and strong despite the deep waters that tried to overwhelm me. My God was with me!!! And one decision after another, He guided me with His wisdom and love.
Even during my most difficult days, God would figure out some way to show up and remind me that He was standing with me. He even had a new stream of water to flow next to a major highway I drove by with my daughters just hours after I had sent my husband a text saying God will make a stream in the wastelands. God was doing a new thing with our family!
God has delivered on that promise! He brought us through the storm better, stronger, and closer than ever with an essential message for the world: GET STRONGER WITH THE LORD!!! The devil is doing his best to destroy us any way he can, but we must stay with this central mindset:
“Jesus (God), what is your perspective on every moment of my life? Every relationship. Every decision. Every circumstance. And how can I enter into it to glorify you.”
Start seeking to please God in the 1,000 decisions you make every day by being the loving, forgiving, peaceful, PATIENT, disciplined, joyful, full of faith people, focused on what is true, right and noble. That’s how He guides us through any storm that comes our way! Heehaw!!!
I kept asking Him earlier this year when I felt stressed, overwhelmed, depressed, and like I was on the verge of losing my mind. No joke. It was a lot. But He kept saying, ‘No, Nik, the work for Me continues.’ Every day, I did my best to keep the posts and the videos going, even though I was feeling like such a mess. Who am I to argue with God.
Can you believe that now those very old vlogs and blogs are the ones encouraging me so much lately? Everything I wrote and what I felt God was doing with me has come true. Take for example, this one from 6 months ago:
“I know that this difficult and sometimes overwhelming stuff I have to deal with is God’s way of challenging me to be better, training me as an athlete to be stronger (mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally). God, let’s do this! I’m a soldier in God’s army, baby! I know I will come through it happier, more mature, more disciplined, more focused, and more at peace.”
Today, as I write this, I’m happier (God gave me a new and BETTER heart in replacement of the broken one), more mature (not being tossed to and fro by every little thing that happens), more disciplined, more focused, and much more at peace. Thank You, God!!! Your school of hard lessons has paid off BIG TIME. “The pain of today shall be the joy of tomorrow!”
And speaking of this mature part, it was my husband who said to me a couple of months ago, ‘Nikki, stop acting like a baby!’ Let me tell you, I booked a flight the very next day to Nigeria from the US. The fight for my family was on, baby! But I brought Major Back-up: God:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”” – Joshua 1:9
I still have lots of challenges, but those challenges don’t have me. I know that God is my Life Partner, and as I do my best in the physical realm, He is at work in the spiritual realm on my behalf. I can’t get over a meeting I attended this week. The people I was meeting with were giving me such a hard time. God said to me in my spirit, “Ask your husband to come.” He first refused, but I called him again (Ms. Persistent!). The crazy thing was that once he came and started talking, all of a sudden, they accepted all my arguments that they rejected before. I was blown away! This was after God said to me some weeks ago in regards to this challenge, ‘Watch and see what I will do!’ God, You have my total confidence, love, and respect! (HUGE SMILE)
Will you recommit your life to Him today? I PROMISE you; this is the best life with Him as your Partner and Guide. Yes, there will still be difficulties, but He will even use them to bring you even closer to Him and help you become ALL He has designed you to be.
God, I recommit my life to walking with You and seeking to please You in all that I do, as You guide me on the path You’ve planned for me and my family. Amen.
That has been me to God a lot lately. But God has such a great sense of humor because, in one of my appointments with Him, He took me back to this old post from January when I sent this text to my daughters after running for two and a half miles to Starbucks:
“Made it. Let’s do HARD THINGS this year for God.”
And now that the hard things are here for me to do, I’m like, ‘God, what is this?!? I didn’t want it to be this hard!’ LOL! But, I love how I have this relationship with Him where we can have fun with each other. I say no problem, God, when the going gets tough, the tough (ME!!!) gets going. I got this handled! I know that this difficult and sometimes overwhelming stuff I have to deal with is God’s way of challenging me to be better, training me as an athlete to be stronger (mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally). God, let’s do this! I’m a soldier in God’s army, baby!
I know I will come through it happier, more mature, more disciplined, more focused, and more at peace. You can’t beat God’s school of HARD LESSONS! It’s a constant struggle and a strong fight to be this person who I know He is calling me to be, but that’s the challenge for us all: For God to be or Guide of our hearts and to make some super tough decisions from His GOD IS LOVE perspective. He wants to remove the weeds from our hearts like bitterness, envy, jealousy, hate, greed, selfishness, temptations, evil thoughts, anger, doing and saying hurtful things and replace them with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience bearing with and forgiving each other, clothing ourselves ALWAYS in love. Phew! Did you get all of that?
SUPER HARD, I KNOW!!! But that’s where the PRACTICE, PRACTICE, and more PRACTICE comes in. Looking to God in every moment and seeking to please Him. With all the training from Him, we’ll have a heart and mind filled with His love, joy, and Presence knowing He is our intimate life Partner and Guide.
Everything is between God and us, not between us and anyone else – His BLESSINGS amaze me. A strong run today with my daughters had me going crazy over His love. Those who hope in God will not be disappointed! AMEN!!! Hard stuff here, but we can do all things through Him who strengthens us! Amen.
WEROLLWITHGOD.COM
“WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME?”
I questioned my daughters yesterday after they called, asking if they could go for a run in a nearby park. I wasn’t expecting this response (I paraphrase here): “Mom, you were the one who kept saying, “Let’s do hard things!” You’re so brave. You’re fearless! We see you running through bushes, over snakes, doing challenging things. We’re following you.” Wow! And that confirmed my change of perspective on this rough year!
Earlier that day, I felt God speaking to me through a “Suckcess Run” with Coach Bennet of the Nike Running Club. He talked about perspectives and how we can look at our failures from a different angle. So, here I’ve been thinking what a mess up I’ve been this year of what felt like a million falls, and thanks to Coach Bennet, I flipped it, feeling God had this to say, ‘Wow, Nik, you did some hard things for Me. You’re my little superhero. You might have fallen, but you were resilient, you kept getting back up. And you kept focused on building a closer relationship with Me. Great job! We have a lot to celebrate here!”
Then hearing my daughters remind me that they were watching their momma take on this challenging year was the icing on the cake. Not only did they see me, but I also shared with you guys how God would show up in every one of those falls to let me know He was with me.
And that’s the best perspective change ever. Knowing God is with you in the good times and the hard times. He has your back no matter how many times you fall and fail, and He loves you unconditionally no matter how many times you mess up. This year also importantly taught me that this is what He expects us to do for others – love unconditionally.
I love how God uses my husband to teach me all these love lessons to pass on to you guys. I told him today that all I know and all I need to know is that he is the best husband in the world. We may have our dark nights, but we rise up again with the hope that our best days are still ahead of us. We remain loyal to each other no matter what we go through. In fact, these difficult times seem to bring us even closer together. Go figure! Like we can go through the toughest times, survive, and recommit to getting even better TOGETHER! God’s ways are not our ordinary human ways; they’re so much better!
Are you getting CLOSER to Him? Say this prayer with me, ‘God, I want a closer walk with You.’ Then start having alone times seeking Him and asking Him to be a part of the 1,000 decisions you make every day, seeking to make Him happy. I promise you, the best life is close to God!!!
