Affirmation:

I declare the addiction to man's approval broken over my life. It is my highest honor to honor Who is highest in my life: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. May every other noise bow to the voice of my Heavenly Father. God is my greatest cheerleader, coach, and friend.

I need this affirmation! How about you? I love to make people happy. Sometimes that's possible, other times that's like trying to salvage the Titanic. Approval addiction looks different on all of us.

It can look like…

Perfectionist tendencies
Inability to make decisions
Asking everyone's opinion on something
Changing your clothes three times before leaving your home
Over-cleaning your home
Standing with a hunched/closed, or apologetic posture
Making excuses, over-apologizing, or providing disclaimers (songwriters are notorious for this!)
Not speaking up (never expressing your opinion)
Speaking too much (dominating a conversation)
Fatigue or short-fused from trying to figure out people's expectations of you
Minimizing your successes (to keep the playing field level and to not intimidate)
Exaggerating your successes (to look better in front of others)
Striving (whatever that means to you)
Giving up because it's never "good enough"

Any of these hit ya in the heart? Me too. I need to speak words that break off this over-attachment to approval. This addiction hides behind the real desire to be loved. Ultimately that's why we become approval junkies. We want people to like and love us. Why? We need love. Love is good. It is how God has wired us. Sometimes we attempt to meet our own needs though by trying, striving, and becoming everything everyone else wants us to be so that we experience love, belonging, and attention.

Ouch.

Praise God we are already loved. Praise God that His love, attention, and affection for us is unconditional. We don't have to get smart, work harder, be more efficient, be cool, dress more in style, or anything else. In all our bare nakedness - in both spirit and body, we are totally, and completely loved by Jesus. Whew. What a load off.

Let me give you a 3 word #faithpearl to help you if you're struggling in this area.

Rebuke and Rest.

What does that mean? Verbally speak out against that addiction and tendency. Tell approval addiction to buggar off. Tell it all about God's amazing, unconditional approval and love for you. Tell that addiction to leave in Jesus name. Tell approval addiction that it is a lie, and you refuse to believe it anymore. THEN…tell God how grateful, thankful, and at peace you are in His presence. Rest in His goodness. Thank Him for the rest, the repose, the redemption story He is writing in your life.

Rebuke - talk to your problem and command it to leave. Tell your problem how good God is.

Rest - surrender. Open up your hands and start your day there. When you get stressed or you feel the pressure rising, remind your spirit that you choose to rest in the One who has opened up heaven for you. Choose trust. Choose to take a deep breath and say,

I rest in You, Jesus.
I rest in You Jesus.
I rest in You Jesus.

Do this as many times as you need. There’s no shame in overcoming an addiction. We have to set new thought patterns and renew our mind with straight-up truth. This is what sets us free and gives us the ability to come up for air, resting in the very heart of Jesus.

I want to hear my Heavenly Father's voice and heart. I want to be aware and awakened to His nudges. That means I must choose to silence those other competing voices by resting in His strength and power at work in my life.

I encourage you to speak this affirmation out loud each day, and to simply pray, "Father, quiet every voice that is not from You. I am hungry to hear You."

I hope you have a great week. If you haven't heard any of my new releases check them out on iTunes or on my website - RachelBarrentine.com

Meditations for Hope
Meditations for Peace
Go in the Joy
Shame off You

Joyfully,

Rachel B.

PS - Watch the NEW video here.

Fun fact: I shot this ocean video footage on an iphone on my drive down and back to a catholic monastery in Big Sur, California. I did a “silent” retreat there last summer and that’s where God downloaded these affirmations I’ve been sharing. Full-circle awesomeness. The beauty itself is inspiring!