When God’s love interrupts your relative reality, your identity changes. 

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The humanistic perspective that accompanied the Israelites through their journey through the wilderness and into the Promise Land led to 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). They became accustom​ to the norms of the culture in which they lived, and the Israelites acceptance and practice of those customs diluted and/or 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 make the same mistake as the Israelites or King Solomon and be carried away with the “doctrines of man” (Matthew 15:9).

 

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 (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 heart-felt behavioral change wrapped in an optimistic attitude. God’s unconditional acceptance of you stimulates a desire to trust 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 change that ignites the power of the Holy Spirit in you that brings self-denial and the eagerness “to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). ​

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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, choosing love and peace over self-gratification, you are intentionally living from a 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)). As you move forward to attain your vision, walk in love among like-minded people. Align your heart with God’s heart and put on “your new self”, … “put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony…” (John 13:35, Colossians 3:10-17).