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Godly Fear Triggers Actions of Obedience but Love Sustains Conduct

All people have the same invitation from God; “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him” (Psalm 34:8). Christianity is not a set of rules but an attitude of love that is expressed through righteous actions as defined by God, not man (Ephesians 2:7-10, Romans 2:29, 3:20, 3:31, Galatians 5:22-23, James 2:14-17). Turning to God can be likened to accepting an invitation for a family reunion; while you welcome the feeling of acceptance and belonging that you’ll gain by going, you still want to please your family when you get there. Like your human father, God waits patiently for you to come home despite whether or not you feel worthy of the family name (Luke 15:11-32).

 

As a child of God, coming home represents returning to God as a member of his household (Ephesians 1:4-5, 2:19-22, Romans 8:14-17). Like the parable told by Jesus about prodigal son, His father was watching for him to return home and as soon as he did, he warmly embraced the son and dressed him in a fine robe. In God’s house, the robe symbolizes the Holy Spirit presence in your heart so you can resemble the family character traits (Romans 13:14, Galatians 5:16, Ephesians 4:30, 5:1-2, Philippians 2:12, Appendix 1L). The comfort and security you get by this grace filled action of the Father, ushers in the confidence you’ll need to pull you through the journey to learn how to please Him - the Sovereign God*, your Father (John 1:12-13, Romans 14:17, Ephesians 2:19, 2 Timothy 1:8-12, 2 Peter 1:3).

​*Abide in Christ (1 John 2:27, 4:13, Romans 8:6, Psalm 119:165) 
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Your journey begins with awareness which triggers hope

Awe and fear may be the emotions that you feel upon first learning about this supernatural God, but as you get to know Him more, you feel joy as you see His Word proves itself right (Psalm 18:30, 1 Thessalonians 5:21, Acts 17:11, Nehemiah 8:10, Jeremiah 15:16). This is when you realize that you can trust God  (1 John 2:29). The respect and gratitude you feel towards God morphs into love and melts away fear so that you want to honor Him with your lifestyle (2 Timothy 1:6-7). You realize that there is a correlation between your love and your obedience but that your obedience is a response to the goodness and grace of God grace (Titus 3:5, John 3:16, Ephesians 1:7, Luke 1:74-75).

Knowledge of God moves from your head to your heart and is when you’ll start living out love, your spiritual reality, through your physical body (John 14:23-24, 15:14, Galatians 5:1, 6, James 2:14-18, Appendix 2S, Willard, D. (2014)).

The Christian faith is dynamic and ever evolving when it’s fed the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12, 1 Peter 1:22-23). Your Biblical knowledge gives you insight in to God's love. Love makes trusting behavior possible in your lifestyle (1 Peter 1:3-9). You learn that your obedience to God is a willful choice made in response to His character integrity and results in you trading a weak self-concept for an identity in Christ.  A life lived “in Christ” means you are motivated to act out what you learn about in God’s Word. Your relationship with Christ frees you, not controls you, and is what makes your trust become elastic (Romans 6:22, Galatians 5:13, Proverbs 15:33). Love deepens as your knowledge of the Godhead increases and is proven true (John 17:3, Colossians 2:9, 2 Peter 1:5–8, Jeremiah 9:23–24). This intimate relationship compels you to willingly continue acting within the boundaries of Christ so you honor His name (2 Corinthians 5:14, 1 Corinthian 15:44-47, Proverbs 22:1, Proverbs 22:4). This is how you show others the grace of God that is in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:24, Titus 3:5-7, 2:7, 11-14). 

  • Read Appendix 2H for more on “Peace and Rest from Living inside the Boundaries”.

  • Read Appendix 2N; “Trade Independence for Intimacy”.

  • Read more about the prophecy about the presence of the Holy Spirit of love compelling your obedience given in Ezekiel 36:26-28, 37:12-13, 24-28, Jeremiah 50:5; Matthew 1:1. 

Looking at Your Obedience From the Eyes of God's Electric Love

God does not change His standards just so He can be in relationship with you (2 John 1:4-6, Malachi 3:6, Habakkuk 1:13, James 3:17). God loves you, and all of His creation, unconditionally-despite your opinion or acceptance of His love (Romans 5:8, 1 Timothy 2:4, Matthew 5:45, 2 Peter 3:9). God waits patiently for you to see Him as the Creator of the world and the One who loves you, perfectly (Deuteronomy 32:4). His ways are holy, right and true (Psalm 145:17, Revelation 15:3-4). God loves you just as you are, but because He wants you to share in His inheritance, He does want you to reflect the behavior that is representative of a child of God (Romans 12:9-21). 

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God is your source for hope

Only when you know and accept the truth of God’s unconditional love for you does your self-concept become pliable so you can make room in your heart for Jesus and be free to love others. Pride, be it too much or too little, is often a sign of a poor self-image brought about by a crisis of trust (Appendix 1C). When a person grows up with trust problems, love becomes relative and subjective, making it hard for him/her to differentiate between his own selfish and self-sacrificing love. When you accept and believe God’s love for you, His Righteous Holy Spirit of Love lives in your heart and prompts you to act on God’s objective standards (using patience and self-control to express your faith peacefully with kindness, goodness, gentleness, and joy as revealed in Isaiah 48:17, Galatians 5:16-23). Walking in love is a heart attitude expressed, eliminating a “works mentality” and instead revealing a zeal for honoring God before yourself (Matthew 5:17, 7:12, John 1:14-16, 2:17, 1 Corinthians 14:1, Galatians 5:4-6, 14, Hebrews 10:16, James 4:7-10). ​

  • Read more on the similarities between the Biblical concepts of “abiding in Christ” and imitating God's Holy Love. Read; Ephesians 5:1-2, John 15:4–10, Colossians 3:3, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 1 John 3:16-18, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, Appendix 2T).

A Change in Behavior is Motivated and Expressed by Faith and Confidence in God

Trust acts 

Walk in love according to God’s principles (​​Joshua 1:8-9, Romans 13:1 & 8, ​1 Corinthians 8:1). 

 

What you do shows who you honor

(​Psalm 1​).

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If you have a poor or false image of yourself, (producing either insecurity or arrogance) you will find that turning to God will not be a solution you choose when looking for a way out of an old unhealthy habit, addiction, or lifestyle. (A false self-image prevents your climb up to the attainment of being “in Christ” and is likely the stumbling block to your recovery from an unhealthy addiction).

 

Because you do not trust God, you hyper-focused on yourself. It’s your pleasure seeking and overuse of control and manipulation that push your priorities out of balance (Matthew 6:33, Sadler-Smith, E., & Shefy, E. (2004)). A wrestling match is taking place between your head and your heart which is a major source of anxiety. Your heart loses when you decide to overrule your values (not acting them out, even when your gut is telling you to listen to your heart (1 Peter 1:13-16). Christians and non-Christians alike wrestle with God, be it conscious or not. God-consciousness is the answer to interrupting a "Cycle of Sin", as depicted in Appendix 1I. When you encounter a life experience where there seems to be no way-out, you can choose to open your eyes to God and decide to “taste and see ...”.

 

As a Christian stuck in addiction, you can be rescued by your faith when decide to live a God-honoring life (Proverbs 15:33, 21:21, Colossians 3:22, Appendix 1U and Appendix 2P). Humility in man stirs up repentance to God because it objectifies your vision making personal change and uncontaminated love possible in your life (Psalm 51:10). With a secure identity in Christ, you can reposition your mindset to see situations through the eyes of God’s compassion (by learning the Word of God) and then you can see your next choice plainly - to act accordingly, in reliance on faith (John 8:32, Romans 12:3, Colossians 3:12, Psalm 143:10). When your heart and mind agree, and faith-filled actions are taken your faith is proven and results in peace with God, yourself, and your neighbor (Isaiah 26:3, Romans 5:1, 12:18, Jeremiah 32:39-41, Hebrews 12:14). Christian cognitive consistency is your new normal (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

  • Read about repentance and God’s grace in Ezekiel 18:30-32, Daniel 4:28-36). 

  • See the table of contents in the "Manage Self in a Social World" tab to look at how your perception from an identity in Christ shapes your relationship skills so you can achieve the psycho-social balance, anchored by faith (Hebrews 6:19-20).

  • How does the knowledge of God's holiness and sovereignty affect you? Read Ezekiel 36:24-38 to read of what a humble hearty perceives about God.

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