Appendix 2H; Peace and Rest From Living inside the Boundaries
Christian cognitive consistency shinE s Christ to your neighbor as you walk with integrity to God (John 3:20-21, 14:6).
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God is love. God is truth.
Walk free under the direction of the Holy Spirit.
1 John 4:16, John 17:17, Galatians 5:16, 2 Corinthians 3:17, 1 John 2:6, see more video scriptures here.
God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Ephesians 2:8-10
Online advertisers and grocery stores offer plenty of things you want, but most times you tell yourself “no”. You’d like to exceed the speed limit and run through stop signs, but again, you tell yourself “no”. The word, “No”, represents a boundary people draw to reach their goals and to avoid negative consequences like poverty, jail or anxiety. Your choice of self-discipline shows that you accept the limits imposed on you by your bank account, your body/health, your employer, the government and the law. Without these limits, society as a whole would fall into chaos (2 Corinthians 5:14, 1 Corinthians 14:1, 33).
Sometimes freedom comes from a decision to use self-restraint.
How well you balance your desires (free will) with responsible community living (boundaries) determines your level of psycho-social well-being (1 Thessalonians 5:8). Individuals who don't make the choice to balance their needs with that of others, show by their actions, that they are stuck in their own self interests at the expense of those around them. Sooner or later they will experience their own personal chaos (Galatians 6:2-3, 6:7-9).
As you gain knowledge and understanding of the workings of the Triune God in your life, you incorporate your faith (what you believe) into your personality and actions. With the knowledge that God loves you and you can trust His love, you will be able to discipline yourself so you adhere to the limits that both God and society established. A Christian faith-filled perspective grows into your insightfulness as a child of God (another skill God develops in you to encourage you to keep trusting Him Romans 8:28-31).
The Spiritual change that is accompanied by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord, causes a change in your spirit that reduces the urge to say “yes” to indulgence or people pleasing that would otherwise steer you into behavior that violates personal and societal boundaries causing you unrest. A heart awakened by the Holy Spirit is moved to choose to act out these Christian principles publicly, shaping a sound mind, the crux of your well-being (2 Timothy 1:7). Christian cognitive consistency is achieved by your choice to control your actions to live within boundaries of a Holy, Loving and Just God. It is this realization that begins to clear up cloudy decision-making, turning procrastination into execution.
A changed perception of reality that matches God’s truth actually unlocks a behavioral change in you that motivates you to live inside the boundaries of Godly love, where peace and rest are found (Isaiah 26:3, John 15:4, 16:33). Such faith gives you both the discernment to make decisions consistent with your faith and the insight needed to do the right thing under stress and hesitancy. Boundary-less people such as Co-dependent or Narcissistic Christians, typically fall victim to people or self-pleasing thinking which taints their decision-making. Christians who have not embraced God's love nor their new identity in Christ fall victim to this self-first mentality. Jesus warns His followers to “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7:15). The term “false prophets” can be easily overlooked by self-proclaimed Christians and, in so doing, misinterpret the warning issued by Jesus. One way to think about interpreting this broadly defined warning to all believers is to look at it as describing the abuse of God's grace (Christians who prioritize self/people pleasing over the practice of self-restraint for God’s glory). Christ died to give you the choice to say “no” to sin. Please God by using His gift - the power of the Holy Spirit in you - to use self-control.
Christian insight is built on the foundation of faith in the truth of God's Word. It's the personalization of your religious views by acting consistently with God's principles (the willing use of self-restraint) because you know what the Word says and you trust in God's goodness (Psalm 121:1-3). From this you develop Godly insight - acting on value-based intuition (for more see Appendix 2G and Appendix 1H). This Christian intuition is called hearing (recognizing) a “Word of knowledge” from God at just the right time (1 Corinthians 12:8). Because you are in Christ and want to honor Him, getting a Word of knowledge is like being struck with understanding that fits the situation you are experiencing (without taking the time to analyze, contemplate, or give in to fear) so you can take swift, bold, and loving action that hits the mark (Proverbs 28:1, Hebrews 4:16, 2 Timothy 1:7). The Pharisees that lived during and after Christ's life, death, and resurrection are a good example of people who had an attitude ("do as I say, not as I do") that prevented a heart-felt personal relationship with Christ. Jesus was aware of their heart attitude as described in the Gospel accounts written from both Matthew and Lukes perspectives (Matthew 23, Luke 11:37-54).
The more you know of Biblical accounts and Christian principles, the more accurate your interpretation is of God's character. The accuracy of your interpretation of God's character is what makes your behavior authentic and sincere. It is your security of knowing that you are "in Christ" that drives away the discomfort of uncertainty and anxiety so you can focus your thoughts on how to maintain peace-both internally and in your social environment (Ephesians 4:1-3). Choosing like-minded friends balances your psycho-social development so you feel at ease acting out your values in public while practicing your God-informed boundaries as rules for right living, working, and socializing (1 Timothy 6:6-12, 2 Timothy 1:7). You learn contentment (as opposed to striving after happiness) from experiencing life consistent with your values, compelling you to want to live in moderation with an inner circle of friends who perpetually build you up so you are encouraged to stand firm in the Christian faith (Philippians 4:11, 1 Corinthians 16:13). Be intentional in your pursuit of Christian friends. They help you to not consider the greed, lust, and unbelief you see in secular society (2 Timothy 3:2).
From which perspective are you viewing life?
