When God’s unconditional love breaks through your relative reality, you trade your inconsistent and unstable self-concept for an identity in Christ and you gain a functional, productive and purpose-driven personality that ShinE s (Appendix 2 U).

 

The humanistic perspective that accompanied the Israelites past the Red Sea, through the wilderness and even into the Promise Land shows a cycle of sin periodically interrupted by the mercy and goodness of God (see Appendix 1I, Deuteronomy 1:19-33, Daniel 9:8-10, Galatians 6:7-9). The Israelites became accustom​ to the norms of the culture(s) in which they settled. They didn't just tolerate their ways; they began to practice them which diluted and eventually severed their commitment to God. Christians have the same problem today. Our cultural context can determine our perspective when we are not intentional about showing honor to God by loving others. Don’t be double-minded and be carried away with the desires and “doctrines of man" (Matthew 15:9). Learn from the mistake of the Israelites and even King Solomon and, instead, learn to practice self-discipline.

 

God wants your free-will, heart-felt* offering of praise (2 Corinthians 9:7, Hebrews 13:15, Psalm 54:6). To gain this perspective, you need to readjust your view of an offering by reviewing how Christ gave up His holiness to make it possible for humanity to have a relationship with a Holy God. Jesus' sacrifice, pleased God. He voluntarily came to show us how it looks to demonstrate heart-felt love for and faith in God by living a sinless life on earth (Hebrews 12:14, Isaiah 53:4-6, 10-11, https://www.gotquestions.org/imputed-righteousness.html). While Jesus was able to live a holy, righteous, life in honor of God, when you accept (believe) that your identity is in Christ, God looks at your heart and accepts you on the basis of your heart-felt belief. The common response to God for this acceptance is gratitude which spurs you on to offer mercy and grace to your neighbors. Jesus’ actions showed us what heart-felt actions look like; doing something for the benefit of someone else from a pure motive of love not expecting any gain for himself (1 John 3:18, Romans 5:6-8, 12:21, Matthew 5:43-44, Luke 23:38-43, 1 Peter 2:22, Hebrews 4:15).   

• *Heart-felt means that you are willing to sacrifice something in exchange for something else.

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Jesus showed us that agape love, not self-centered altruism, motivates and sustains loving relationships. As a new creation in Christ Jesus, valuing people and keeping the peace, is a labor of love (1 Thessalonians 1:3, Hebrews 6:10-11). Part of what you have learned as a Christian is the ability to select appropriately between spiritual and worldly thoughts and to control your fleshly desires so you can please God (1 Corinthians 2:16, 2 Corinthians 5:17). With your identity hidden in Christ, you no longer get stuck on self but now have the power of the Holy Spirit to guide your behavior into righteousness (Galatians 5:22-23, Philippians 1:9-11, read more at https://www.gotquestions.org/fruit-of-righteousness.html).

 

A secure identity in Christ allows you the grace and mercy to maneuver through the hidden time bombs associated with interpersonal relations. Accepting God’s UNCONDITIONAL LOVE and yielding to the guidance of the Holy Spirit (the Fruit of the Spirit in Christians) will produce in you a demonstration of a heart-felt behavioral change wrapped in an optimistic attitude. God’s unconditional acceptance of you stimulates a desire to trust and please Him (revisit "... Love Sustains ..." and Appendix 1A). A secure trust in God activates the power of the Holy Spirit in you so it possible to show love to others before self, creating and sustaining both inter and intra-personal peace (1 John 2:16). It’s your desire to be in God’s kingdom on earth that ignites the power of the Holy Spirit in you that makes you willing to deny yourself and replace it with an eagerness “to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace” (Luke 9:23, Ephesians 4:1-3, Philippians 2:3-4, Romans 15:1, 1 Corinthians 10:24). 

 

​Jesus makes “all things new” and equips you with the power to become “one new man” in soul, not just spirit (Mathew 9:17, Ephesians 2:14-16). When you are "in Christ", you have the capacity to change your soul. You have this confidence because you are grateful for God's love for you and you know His love never fails. Your secure, positive emotions and knowledge of God start to become thinking habits that drive your behavioral change.  With this confident identity, you'll choose love and peace over self-gratification and potential conflict, which demonstrates your intentional, single-minded, Godly perspective rather than a humanistic one. Once your spirit and soul has been transformed (referred to as the Attitude of your mind), the body’s impulses and cravings can be brought under control (Behavior). It’s by your free-will decision to act on the Spirit’s leading that makes it possible for you to achieve Christian Cognitive Consistency (1 Corinthians 9:26-27, Wood, W., & Neal, D.T. (2007)). This perspective shift can relieve any hidden insecurities so you can proceed confidently in learning how to trust others which give way to this authentic love (Khan, M., & Larik, A. (2023)). A lifestyle contingent upon self-reliance and independence only serves to hide the fear and doubt that infiltrates self-worth and constrains love (1 John 4:16).

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As you move forward to attain your vision of a new normal, you'll readily take the new route into a new neighborhood. Just as with the Israelites when they entered the Promise Land, you too will want to practice walking purposely and find like-minded people to settled with. Align your heart with God’s heart and “put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony…” (John 13:35, Colossians 3:10-17, Ephesians 4:1-15).