Validate Who YOU Are!

Ask yourself: Do you look for people to validate you?

Putting yourself in that position gives other people permission to control your life!

You don’t need other people’s validation – to tell you what to do, how to behave, what to like.

I know it’s easier said than done, because I am a reformed “validatee” – secretly hoping and wising people would like me, trying to be a people pleaser. I had to learn many lessons and pass many test for this. Got a diploma hanging on the wall to prove it! I had to come to the realization that I am most powerful just being original, operating how God truly designed me to be. , I decided to take a stand and said that if people didn’t like me, it was okay. I wasn’t going to change my personality for anyone.

I have no doubt that I this may come off as arrogant to some, but it is not arrogance, it is confidence. I have confidence in who I am, and who God called me to be. You have to take the same mind frame with people in your surroundings. When you search and yearn for that validation can end up in a world of hurt.

If you have to play that type of game in order to keep people close, you’ll end up losing you – your sense of purpose and your authenticity – and eventually, you’ll lose them because they were never really with you in the first place.

Your job is to let them go, so you can do you, as God has called you to do.

HE is the only validation that you need! Period.

It's Time To Come Forth!

There is a popular story in the New Testament of the Bible, about a man named Lazarus.

Jesus heard about his death, and came to see Him. As He witnessed him lying dead in the tomb, He called out “Lazarus, come forth”.  Now even though Lazarus had been dead in the tomb four days,

He “heard” the voice, came alive, rose up, and came out of the tomb!

 

I got to thinking. Lazarus experienced a physical death, decomposing, stinking, and all, and was able to rise and come back.

 

We are still blessed with life physically, but many of us are walking about dead in other areas.  Some have lost their sense of direction, destiny, purpose, and identity. They have been seemingly stuck in “dead end” situations for so long, and have essentially lost hope that they will ever get out, that they will ever overcome.

One thing that can nix all of this, is discovering you are, and walking in it.

I believe that GOD has called our “names” many times, but we have not come forth due to fear, lack of belief, listening to what others “say” our names are, or just plan renaming yourself (doing what YOU think is best for YOU).

Unplug, and listen to what I am about to say. Yeah YOU. You that may be troubled by your circumstances and you are detached yourself from who you are and have attached yourself to what is going on around you.

GOD is calling you to come forth with WHO YOU ARE.

You are born with greatness, power and anointing inside of you. You are not your circumstances! You are a product of the Most High God, and was created in His image and His likeness! He has equipped you with ALL you need to be who He has called you to be!

Are you being called from a place of lack to a place of prosperity? Are you being called from a place of defeat?  Are you being called from who you thought you were, to who God designed you to be?

Maybe each time you hear something about helping the homeless, something stirs in you. Or, you’re stirred by someone telling an inspirational story and you get that feeling again, that you should be telling yours and inspiring others. Maybe you’re in a profession carved out for you by your parents or you followed the path of a degree or experience you didn’t even enjoy but you want to do something completely different but you’re too afraid to take that first step.

Don’t ignore the nudging!  It could very well be that “Come forth,” voice that you keep ignoring but that wants to take you to that place where you can be ALL that you were intended to be!

 

Achieving Fanatical Goals

 

I have discovered is that we are good at setting goals. As a matter of fact we have reached expert status at doing so! The problem with this? We tend to set goals that are too low! Think about it. We serve a universe creating God. We serve a grave-robbing God. We worship a life rescuing God. But we set tiny Goals? See what type of contradiction that is?

My definition of a fanatical goal is one that is too big for me to accomplish, that require the supernatural and divine activity of God for it to come to pass.

Fanatical Goals are the fuel behind a fanatical purpose. Have you ever had a fanatical goal that seems so huge that if feels like if will never happen? They are bigger than life! Fanatical goals push the envelope of the impossible.  They should intimidate you. They should make you question whether or not it can be done.
 
Please understand that with fanatical goals it is not just you that going is going to achieve it. If you and whomever God designates to aid in the fulfillment. Those pieces of the puzzle will come together once you step out on faith to take action.

Romans 12:2 MSG:  So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

If you look at most self help books and articles on the market that speak or teach about goals you are most apt to hear the term SMART GOALS. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.  I got to thinking one day about this. Yes, I want my goals to be specific. Absolutely. But the rest of it….Hmmmm I don’t want it! Why? Because as long as I serve a mighty powerful, God. All bets are off on my goals being measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.
 

If God has drops in your spirit Fanatical Goals, who are you or anyone else to see if it is “measurable”? God’s ways are not our ways, His thoughts are not our thoughts, and if He gives the goal, you best believe He doesn’t care how big it seems to man’s eyes! We have to stop putting God’s plans for our lives in a box and trying to place parameter on your ability to perform it!

Who are we to question if a fanatical goal is “attainable?” When God says in Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Who are we to question if a fanatical goal is “realistic”? When in Mark 10:27 Jesus told the “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

Who are we to question if a fanatical goal is “timely? When God tells us in Habakkuk 2:3: For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Who are we to question if a fanatical goal is “measurable” when in Ephesians 3:21 – “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us”

Please know that while you’re on your path to achieving your goal, you also must understand that you will have moments of "Is this really going to happen? Will it really happen for me? Are all the pieces really going to come together?" I look forward to the day when you have an encounter with God concerning your fanatical goals when you have YOUR mind completely blown away, when your heart is racing, and tears joy sweep over you, and you ask God, “God, really?! This is so far beyond my goal! This is so far beyond what I believed that you would entrust me with to do!"

I believe you are coming into that season. And I believe if you choose to believe that something far beyond anything you could ever ask, hope, or imagine will happen in your life, you are going to receive it.

That’s what it takes to succeed in today’s world. We must believe in something bigger than we think we can do. And when you step out to do something great with your life, God is going to inundate you with a have a greater power coming in to deliver far more than you could have ever even imagined.

So if today you’re looking at that big audacious goal, wondering whether or not it’s going to happen, I’m here to tell you YES, IT WILL! So choose to believe it!

I can’t wait to hear what your big audacious goals are and watch you far surpass those goals! Tell me your story in the comments below!

I believe in you. There is a team of other people who believe in you. Push through the doubt and choose to believe. Keep moving forward with faith, and until next time, keep pushing!

I Can't Hear You!

This week I thought I would share some of my poetry, to get you thinking and inspired. Watch what you allow to infiltrate your spirit. Protect it all costs! Be about positivity towards others. Ephesians 4:29 – “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

 

 

 

I Can’t Hear You!

 

Some may ask me what’s the matter

You’re wondering if I can hear

There is nothing wrong with my ears

I just can’t afford to have certain things near

 

I’ve become allergic to negative things

Whether it’s something small or great

I have to stay away from the contaminates

Before it has a direct impact on my fate

 

When I hear you talk badly about

Your brother and sister in Christ

It is not benefiting me one bit

Please go find yourself a life

 

I Can’t Hear You!

 

When you thrash with your words

The ministry gifts that grace the pulpit

Please refrain from that noise

Stay in your lane, and flow in your ministry gifts

 

I Can’t Hear You!

                                                                                 

When you’ve fallen down

And we’ve pray and tried to help you get up

But you make a conscious decision

To wallow in self pity and stay down in the dumps

 

I Can’t Hear You!

 

You see it’s not that I am insensitive

To all that goes on around me

But I’m growing in grace and maturity

And leaving those baby things behind me

 

Gossiping, Criticism, Negativity

Phoniness, Lies, all seem to run amuck

But to get where God is requiring you to be

You have to be strong and dismiss all that stuff

 

So the next time someone brings something

Negative, and it’s not edifying me or you

Look at them with a stern look on your face

And tell them---I Can’t Hear You!!!!

 

 

(c) Copyright 2012, Bridget Washington. All rights reserved. 

 

 

 

 

 

What is Your Daily Attitude Plan?

Attitudes can make you or break you. What you dish out, it can come back to you. Attitude determines your disposition! Why not make your disposition a cheery one? Implement a DAP (Daily Attitude Plan):

 

 1) Always make today your best day.  No matter what is going on, no matter what comes your way, ALWAYS look for the positive. A lot of times your whole outcome can be dictated by your actions and reactions. Turn it around! (Psalms 118:24)

 2) Take pride in a job well done. Do you best, not your less.  (Phil 1:27)

 3) Treat others with respect. You get what you get by how you respect. (Eph 4:32)

 4) Isolate and remove your negative thoughts. Negative thoughts have no place in your positive space! Stinking    thinking does nothing to move you forward in your goals.  (2Tim 1:7)

 5) Treat tasks as opportunities. A task shouldn’t be burdensome or something done lightly. A task can be an opportunity to elevate your skills, and provide you with a sense of accomplishment.  (Eph 5:15-16)

 6) Utilize your talents daily. Don’t sit your talents on a shelf, get them down and use them consistently! The more you use them, the more you refine them, the more you elevate them! (Mat 25:29)

 7) Do the job right the first time. Don’t half do a job, or you may end of repeating it. Do it will excellence the first time! (Pro 21:5)

 8) Expect positive outcomes daily. What you believe is what will manifest. Declare nothing but positivity and it will begin to chase you! (Phil 4:13)

 9) Speak well of others. Also have kind words for others, never put people down. God doesn’t do it to us, even though He has every right to, so why should you! Exude love and kindness! (Eph 4:29)

The Power of A Move!

 

 

I love moves and changes! I love divine intervention that God sets me up on! I get “googly” bumps (is that really a word? LOL) all over when I sense that something is about to change. But, I must confess, it was not always that way.  Depending on the type of change, I would get a little anxious or fearful. Yep, I said it, fearful! Although I love moves and changes now, I used to wrestle with them, and I mean that WWE type of wrestling! 

Have you ever had one of those days where you just sense change in the atmosphere? God is probably about to give you divine orders to move! What type of move you may say? It can be a move in your job, a move in your ministry, a move to or from a relationship, or a physical relocation! Whatever the move is that God has placed within you – don’t fear it, just follow it! We are so apt to run away from change and try to hide behind what is comfortable, what seems to work. “If it is not broke, then don’t fix it you”. Sometimes we kick and scream to God as to why. Or sometimes you may charge forward like you are running a marathon, ready to embrace the change! Whatever the case…understand that God has your BEST interest at heart!

Don’t be afraid of the change, you should embrace it! Often times we are fearful, or become anxious about change because we don’t know what to fully expect from it. It is like walking on a dark roadside with no light insight, wondering if you are going to get to your destination safely or reach your destination at all! Deuteronomy 31:6 says: Be strong and courageous! Do not fear or tremble before them, for the Lord your God is the one who is going with you. He will not fail you or abandon you!

Sometimes you just HAVE to move. God will move you out from your complacent ways so that we can be in a place of powerful enjoyment and blessings over our lives.  What purpose does it serve to complain about it? JUST let it flow….God Knows!

The power of a move is an amazing thing. Life can change in a powerful move for you! Embrace it. Know that God is going with you!

A Godly Reminder To You!

I don’t know about you, but I am excited about what is to come this year. Before I see a manifestation of something, I am giddy with excitement as though it as already happened. Why? Because I have enough faith and power to believe that all good things that are in alignment with my purpose shall and will come to pass?  But I also know that I have to do my part too. So, while I am in overdrive on faith, I know that I need to be in overdrive with my actions as well. I mean sure, God can LITTERLY drop a blessing, an opportunity, an open window in our laps, but I think He wants us to put forth some action before He begins to drop a thing!

I know that it is a new year and many of you are gung ho about your resolutions and goals to get them done! Often times we miss the mark when it comes to God and what He provides for us. We sometimes want to do a “lap dance” for God when it comes to blessings. We dance around the way we THINK He would want us to, just so He can throw some blessings our way. You and I both know that God doesn’t operate like that. He wants our full attention, our heart, our mind, our Spirits to be in direct alliance with the direction He wants us to go.

Ask yourself – are the passions that you are on fire for, burning more than your relationship with God? I know that we have a lot going on that we are trying to do – live out dreams, start a business, take care of a family, serve in ministry, etc. But how well will that prosper if the one who instilled you with those dreams is coming in last place in your list of priorities?

Listen – I am not saying that we can’t have it all and do all – I know I have a HUGE amount of things that I intend to accomplish – but keep in mind that HE needs to stay on top of your mind. Include HIM in every aspect of your life. Every decision that you need to make, consult Him first. He will never steer you the wrong way. Let your relationship with Him shine, just as it did they day you first fell in love with Him. Rekindle your flame that once shined so brightly! I promise you—GOD is going to blow your mind, fill you will a great deal of wisdom, discernment, opportunity, and favor along your path!