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Take Hold of Biblical Hope

Do you respond to God’s love with faith, or do you quench the Spirit?

(1 Thessalonians 5:19, Matthew 13:8)?

God uses ordinary people with faith in Him to do extraordinary things. When you act on what the Word of God says and keep believing it, your hope will be proven (1 Kings 18:1, 41-46, 1 Peter 3:15). Elijah the prophet was confident and hopeful that God’s Word would prove true, so he delivered the message to King Ahab about what God said and then kept active while he waited for God to move. Elijah didn’t wasting time worrying whether or not “everything is possible with God” (Matthew 19:26) or if he had “mountain moving faith” (Mark 11:22-26), he simply declared it and continued to walk in faith as he waited for the clouds to roll in and rain.

 

Think of your faith and hope as the air inside a balloon and the balloon as representing the Holy Spirit. If you decided to stop short of filling the balloon, would the balloon reach its full potential? Is this the fault/decision of the person blowing air into the balloon (you) or the balloon itself (God)? It doesn’t matter to God if the balloon is half full or half empty because it doesn’t affect His love for you, but it does matter to YOU as far as your expectations of what faith can do. That’s because what you read of God’s Word and believe that God will do, is similar to the effort it takes to blow air into your balloon. When you spend time getting to know the goodness and integrity of God, your faith has substance - you obtain the knowledge of God's standards so you can act in a way that reflects those standards to the world (2 Peter 1:3-9). Christian cognitive consistency is acting on what you know of and believe will happen as a result of implementing God's Word.

Faith reveals why you act as you do. It takes trust to put your faith in motion so others see it (James 4:17). It's your faith, believing in God's mercy proven through the sacrifice of Christ, that causes you to trust the power of the Holy Spirit (living in you and all other Christians) that leads you to take action on what you know and believe (2 Peter 1:5-10). For a Christian, faith/trust is contingent on your belief not only in God's ability to do it, but in your own confidence level that God will do what the Bible declared, not only for everyone else, but you too (Romans 2:11, Acts 10:24, Matthew 21:18-22, James 1:6-8). Like love, a Christian defines faith as a verb. Christian cognitive consistency is a Holy Spirit-filled believers' new behavior whose will is bent on pleasing God; (1 Peter 1:14, Romans 15:13). 

 

Doubt stalls and turns faith into a noun (Mark 9:21-24, Matthew 14:28-31, 21:18-22). Stalled faith causes a disconnect between knowledge and trust and, if action is taken, stirs up cognitive dissonance - a chemical reaction producing both physical and psychological tension. This feeling of unrest in your body and mind, in excess, becomes a chronic conditioned response called anxiety (James 1:6-8). As a Christian, you can still feel physical tension and stress, but you can eliminate unproductive feelings like fear or worry, and doubt and denial by using your faith in God's Word to overcome anxiousness and replace it with confidence! This process takes training because it is only with a new mindset that you will be inclined to change actions to reach a new outcome, one that brings cognitive consistency and produces peace. 

A worldly habit like worry can be exchanged for the peace of Christian cognitive consistency when you make up your mind to exchange anxiety and self-doubt for peace and trust in God (Jeremiah 17:7-8, Romans 5:1

. Christian cognitive consistency is the way to peace and rest because when you act consistently with what you know about Jesus Christ, your conscious* is settled (Isaiah 28:16, 11:1-5, Acts 4:11, *read more at "The Use of Conscience in Decision Making Affects your Reality"). Making up your mind to act out your Christianity diminishes doubt and worry in proportion to your actions. Isaiah 32:17 says, “the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever." Trusting God** is how the Christian achieves rest while working out righteousness with confidence about the future (Galatians 5:13, Proverbs 3:1-8, James 2:22, 3:13, 1 John 3:18, Isaiah 12:2, Appendix 1J).

**With this Godly perspective, you have a standard for your behavior that is not reliant on feelings but on truth, and when implemented consistently, this Christian cognitive consistency is your new normal behavior (2 Corinthians 10:4, Philippians 4:6-8). Take for example these two truths: God is trustworthy (Proverbs 3:5-8) and Jesus lived a life implementing God's principles and will (Philippians 2:1-11). If you don't know this to be true, check for a leak in your balloon, that invisible bubble that surrounds your self-concept. When you have a hard time accepting the truth of and love of God reread "Be Watchful of the Tendency to Self-protect".

Anxiety dissolves into peace when you know who you are in Christ* and act like it! Read these scriptures to remind yourself who you are in Christ: 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 11:1, 11:6, 6:12, Colossians 1:27, 1 Timothy 2:5, John 17:3, John 14:6, 1:14, 1 John 5:20, 1 John 4:4-21. Align your self with the sovereignty and truth of God (Psalm 119:151, Isaiah 45:18-19, 45:23-24, 46:10, 51:12, 51:15-16, Daniel 2:21, Philippians 4:6-8, Romans 5:1-2, Mark 4:39, Acts 5:39, James 4:15, Revelation 4:11). 

 

At the end of this article you can read about some Biblical people who remained hopeful and made

decisions consistent with Godly principles as they walked through the highs and lows of life. 

God's Banner Over Me Is Love (Song of Solomon 2:4 NKJV)

When your hope in God infiltrates your mindset, your actions will demonstrate your faith so you can replace worry with confidence, fear with hope and frustration with love (Romans 15:4, James 1:12, read "... Impact of  Frustration"). When you have made up your mind to act consistently with your belief that God will do what His Word has declared, you walk the talk of Christianity (read more about unbelief here and more about Biblical self-talk here.) Accepting Christ as Savior cleanses you on a spiritual level so you are righteous in the sight of God (Romans 5:1, 10:10). But when you decide to change your public behavior to become consistent with the Holy Spirit that’s in you, your spiritual transformation has been made physical - visible to the world to see (Colossians 3:12-15, Galatians 5:13, Psalm 112:1, 1 Peter 3:1). How visible depends on you (Ephesians 4:23-31).

 

It’s when you choose to make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life that you demonstrate your love for God, publicly and consistently, setting you free from SECULAR humanistic thinking, more commonly phrased as relative truth (John 8:31-32). As a Christian, you are no longer controlled by sin or the culture’s definition of "truth", "right" and "wrong" (John 4:24). Instead, you model your behavior after Jesus (John 5:30, Romans 6:6-7, Appendix 1D, read walk in love here, read article on holy love here). God showed his love, Jesus showed his love and now you too can show your love when you choose to act out your faith with confidence (John 3:16, Philippians 2:1-18, Ephesians 5:1-2, Joshua 24:15). 

 

Your faith, believing what the Word of God says and exercising self-control and patience as you train your body to express the mind of Christ, produces hope and Christian hope is expressed in love in both attitude and behavior (1 Peter 1:13, Luke 1:45, 1 Corinthians 2:16, Philippians 2:5-7, Galatians 5:16, Ephesians 4:23). Doing this is for our good and for the glory of God (Psalm 84:11, 1 Corinthians 10:31, read more on "Turning a Spiritual Reality into the Physical​" in Appendix 1L). Choice brings freedom and Christ died to free you from the habit of sin (1 Peter 2:16-18, Galatians 5:1, Romans 6:15-17). If you accept His gift of mercy (mindset/attitude) and use His gift of grace (actions), you will gain the opportunity to avoid sin by choosing to walk in love (1 Corinthians 16:14, Romans 6:19). By changing your sinful habits to Holy habits, (those modeled by Jesus Christ) you can avoid the temptation to please your flesh (1 John 1:8, 2:6, Romans 8:8, 6:4, 1 Corinthians 10:13, John 8:34-36). For more read "How can I please God"? @ https://www.gotquestions.org/please-God.html. 

 

In 1 Corinthians 13:13 Paul says, “Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.” When you walk in love because you trust the God who loves you, His Holy Love persists through troubled times (Acts 17:24-28, 1 Corinthians 13:7, Ephesians 5:1-2, Romans 5:5, 8:28, 8:35, 8:39, Isaiah 54:10, read about what it means to love God). Your acceptance of and appreciation for receiving God’s love will determine the extent of your development of this new mindset/your attitude. When you value (attitude) your relationship with Christ you want to please Him by practicing (actions) holy behavior (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Appendix 2T). There will be circumstances in your life when you may feel otherwise, but when you choose to believe that "God will never leave or forsake you", you use your faith and gain the motivation and energy to do battle with temptation by choosing to fight off doubtful thoughts (read more @ https://www.gotquestions.org/I-will-never-leave-you-nor-forsake-you.html, Appendix 2L, and loyal love defined. Hope is the attitude of the Christian faith as it produces an ever-closer relationship with God!

       Listen to the song Good and Loved @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DefL-oJpjo8

 

God knows the end from the beginning and patiently waits for us to learn to trust Him so we can see from a heavenly perspective that He is Love and that “Love, never fails” (Isaiah 26:3, 1 John 4:12-16). Also read the "... Hope .... Eternal Perspective" section of Appendix 1S, located towards the end of that page.) Being in Christ and using is how you can know and trust God (Isaiah 46:10, 55:8-9, Matthew 18:3-5, John 6:29, Hebrews 11:6, 1 Corinthians 13:8, Colossians 3:2, Philippians 4:6-8). The more you use your faith, the more you want to please God and are no longer controlled by public opinion or wishful thinking (Appendix 1D). The call of Jesus is a call to take heart, to have courage, and to stand strong in the name of love (Joshua 1:8-10, John 16:33, John 15:12). When you step out in love and obedience because of your respect for God, God's Word proves true and this reinforces both your hopeful attitude and behavior in Him (1 John 4:8, Malachi 3:6, 2 Samuel 7:28, Corinthians 5:7, Philippians 1:6, read more in the about how “Godly Fear Triggers Actions of Obedience but Love Sustains Conduct”).

“No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us”. Romans 8:37

 

“Hope isn’t an emotion, it’s a way of thinking (Snyder, C. R., 2003, Job 4:6). Love, peace and joy are all byproducts of a relationship with God because of His character integrity. Your integrity comes from the intentional decision to use patience and self-control as you implement the attitude and behavior modeled by

Jesus in your daily life. The motive to do this is humility or respect for God, not your performance outcomes. (Read more on integrity in Appendix 1S and also on how to show mercy in the section on “Expressions of Love and Forgiveness”).

 

Peace is not an independent byproduct of your control; it’s a byproduct of trust and confidence in God as shown by your choice to express the Spirit of Love through your behavior (Colossians 3:2, Ephesians 3:20, Schutte, Shana 2020). By acting in and persisting in love, you walk out your belief in God - you stabilize your mood/outlook because your hope and trust is in God, not what your physical senses may be suggesting (Hebrews 11:6, Galatians 6:8-9, Hebrews 11:1, Proverbs 3:3-5). Joy is a natural outcome of a Christian's cognitively

consistent behavior as it reveals your sure hope in God in both good times and bad.

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Even though you may be going through some of life's unpleasantries, by shifting your focus on and giving praise to God for His goodness and constant Presence in your life, you'll drown out unproductive emotions like fear or worry and this behavioral change produces behavior that is consistent with your Christian faith (Psalm 27:13, 34:8, 107:8-9, 145:5-7, read more about "The Change Process"). The Word of God is like a seed that has been planted in your heart; its intended to strengthen a Christian’s resolve (Matthew 4:4, Jeremiah 15:16, 1 Peter 2:2-3, Hebrews 5:12-14). Believing and acting in love, despite circumstances, takes effort - it's how you cultivate your seed of faith. Jeremiah the prophet says, “Do not waste your good seed among the thorns” (Jeremiah 4:3). Hosea refers to the seed as righteousness that will grow into a harvest and Jesus warns that the power of the seed is dependent on the type of soil in your heart and how you cultivate it, determined by your decisions

Hosea 10:12, Joshua 24:5, Luke 8:11-15).

 

If your faith is not acted out, your seed lies dormant in this world which brings frustration and disappointment, rather than enjoying fellowship with the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:34, Isaiah 52:1, Hebrews 3:14, Mark 4:3-9). Once you have been born of the Spirit (John 3:5-6), and have received, believed and accepted what Jesus said in John 16:33 (“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world”), your seed is activated and you are equipped to learn and grow as you walk out the journey of life by faith, which is your sanctification (Romans 6:19, Ephesians 6:13-18, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, Appendix 1Q)! Paul echo's this same frame of mind in Romans 1:1-2, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God".

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Joy is a feeling that you get from knowing that faith works (James 2:14-16). Faith works because of your belief in the character of the omnipresent (all present), omnipotent (all powerful), and omniscient (all knowing) Christian God. Awareness is the key to decision-making and impacts your options for action. Once aware and once a decision is made to trust God more than yourself, you will be expressing your faith through hope-inspired actions (1 Peter 1:13, Philippians 2:5, 1 Corinthians 2:16, Romans 15:6)​.

Your knowledge of what God can do supplies the energy needed to drown out the voice of doubt and replace it with joy (Genesis 22:14​, Romans 8:28, John 17:17-19, James 4:17, Philippians 4:6-8). It’s this informed faith that brings a joyful attitude. Knowing God and that He is with you through life’s trials brings expression to your faith (Romans 8:27, Ecclesiastes 3:1, Ephesians 3:20, Romans 8:29). The expression of faith, not anxiety, is seen in a Christians attitude (love, joy, and peace) and behavior (using self-control and patience) as you trust the Holy Spirit to lead you to be kind, good and gentle no matter life’s current circumstance (Galatians 5:16, 5:22-23, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, read Appendix 1L to learn more about expressing the mind of Christ).

Hope in God brings joy because the expression of informed faith motivates you to persist through difficult times (James 1:2-3, Romans 5:3-4, 1 Peter 3:15). Informed faith grows with time, experience and understanding (Philippians 1:27-29). The Apostle Paul says this in Philippians 1:9-11,

      “I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and                 understanding. 10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and                           blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. 11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—             the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to               God.”

Physically revealing your spiritual righteousness or the “fruit of your salvation” is a life-long process of learning how to fully express the fruit of love in your life. (Galatians 5:22-23 NKJV, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.")

Physical manifestation of a Spiritual reality! C   + E

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Reevaluate Your Pride in Light of the Supremacy of God

If you are not feeling the joy from serving the Lord, reexamine your desires, and reposition your perspective so you are not drawn back to old ways of pleasing yourself first. (Read more in "Prove God, Take Loving Action​"

in Appendix 2J). Be on the lookout for spiritual pride trapping you into a works mentality. The key to remaining humble towards God and your neighbor is not to get caught up in your practice of holiness. A pure motive to act holy comes from your heart. It is gratitude that sparks interest in forming a relationship. The inspiration you feel to thank God for His unconditional love for you, for His free gift of your spiritual righteousness (given when you first believed), and for your ability to live the rest of your life with your freedom to choose intact is what drives your commitment to God (read Appendix 2P). With God, a more knowledgable faith brings wisdom and an even deeper commitment to honor Him. Not only does this wisdom change your behavior but it impacts your attitude about those around you (Ephesians 1:14-23). Your humility allows you to see that God alone is perfect and to judge anyone else (including yourself) to this standard is hypocritical of you (Read more about God's righteousness from Don Smith @ https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_1285.cfm).

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When you "rightly divide" the truth of God's mercy, you will want to reconcile your actions and attitude to match your new Godly insight, rather than feeling like perfect physical holiness is mandatory (read more at Appendix 2G and @ https://www.gotquestions.org/fear-and-trembling.html, https://www.gotquestions.org/difference-righteousness-holiness.html). This knowledge settles into your conscience so that you when you do actually practice God's Righteous Spirit in you by physically practicing holiness (because of the power of the Holy Spirit), single-minded, sincere actions results (eliminating doubt). Your belief flows freely yielding Christlike behavior so you can attain what is possible with God (Psalm 119:101-102, Isaiah 54:17, Mark 9:23, Appendix 2M).

 

Be insightful; Godly hope is seen by applying wisdom to your everyday life!

(See Appendix 1M and Appendix 1H, then complete the worksheet on problem-solving and decision-making

and the bible study in the "Capture your Vision".)   

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Bring your fear of the unknown and an unwise imagination under the authority of scripture by remembering God (Psalm 59:16, 2 Corinthians 10:5, Romans 1:21, Philippians 4:6-8). Activate the Spirit in you by prayer and have confidence that when you turn to God for help, he hears you (Ephesians 3:16-17, Romans 12:12, 1 John 5:14, Psalm 66:17-20). Circumstances may not always change the way that you prayed, but you can rest knowing that through p.r.a.yer (praising, repenting, asking, and yielding to God’s way) you will be strengthen with the power of the Holy Spirit to actively wait* for God to work all things together for your good in his perfect time and plan because you love Him* (1 Corinthians 2:4-9, Romans 8:28, Colossians 1:27, Ephesians 1:11, , read “… Love Sustains Conduct”). Praying, knowing God's Word, and acting consistently with your righteous Spirit moves faith into a future state called hope (1 Peter 1:3, Psalm 4:1, 4:3, 4:8).

 

Rick Warren @ https://pastorrick.com/dont-fear-remember-gods-promises/ says this,​

       “Far too many people in our world today are fearful and anxious and worried because they don’t know                      what’s in God’s policy manual, the Bible. In this book, there are more than 7,000 promises from God to you              about your health, your relationships, your career, your past, present, and future, and about forgiveness                    from sin and eternal life. But if you don’t know those promises, you can’t claim them! When you go through              life not knowing what God has promised you in his Word, you will be filled with anxiety.”​

Your Freedom in Expressing God's Divine Love (Galatians 5:13-14)

The Bible is a guidebook explaining the many expressions of how we can imitate divine love and promote peace on earth (Romans 13:8-9, 1 Corinthians 14:33, Ephesians 5:1-2). The grace of God is the reason that hope in Him does not disappoint. Don’t confuse the law of God as stated in the Old Testament with the grace of God found in the New Testament through Jesus Christ (Romans 14:22-23, Ephesians 4:32). Changing habits may cause temporary frustration because you’ll be trading self-gratifying habits for grace-filled Holy habits which takes time to develop, but it releases the grace of God into your life so you can persevere in developing these new habits (Titus 1:15-16, Galatians 2:21, read Appendix 2J and the section on “… Frustration” in the tab “Managing Self in a Social World”).

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Reliance on rules to earn God’s Love is impossible for man (Galatians 3:1-5, 8-9, 25-26). It is only possible when you believe by faith, from your heart, because this is what activates the power of God's Spirit in you (Galatians 5:1, 5:6, 5:18). Even though the law came in the Old Testament, there are many examples of faithful believers who did not keep the law perfectly, but showed their faith in God by doing what they were aware to do. At the end of this article, you can read about some Biblical people who were not perfect but used their faith as they walked through the highs and lows of life. 

 Songs to reaffirm the message and soothe your soul:

      “Never Let’s Go” @ https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=1jHrbXEcee8&list=PL5B6D150153A6F08D

      "Battle Belongs" @ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=johgSkNj3-A,

      "The Way" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdSuTsDzZcs

Let Hope Encourage Your Expression of Holy Love (Romans 5:5, Galatians 5:22-23, 2 Corinthians 5:17)

God's love is not conditional so it’s not based on your holy behavior, it’s based on His integrity (2 Timothy 2:11-13). 

It just takes a willingness to shift your perspective to understand and accept this. Yes, God is sovereign, but He honors your free choice. While you are given freedom to make decisions, you are not free from the

consequences that those decisions produce (Galatians 6:7-9). Don’t blame God for these consequences, yours or someone else's, instead refocus (Appendix 1E, Appendix 1G). Holding on to anger, shame, regret, or unforgiveness not only steals your joy and hope but creates a frustrated, unproductive Christian (Psalm 86:5, 2 Peter 1:5-10). The negativity from blaming is reflected in your attitude which triggers a new round of Christian cognitive dissonance and to resolve it, your negative attitude is matched with actions that move you away from God (such as not praying or losing sight of the Biblical principle of service), reinforcing your angry, unfulfilled attitude (Appendix 1L). Jesus describes this lifestyle as one where you mourn like those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:12-14).
 

Remembering God is the trigger you need to shift your perspective during hard times (1 John 4:9-10, 1 Timothy 2:4). Bring your thoughts to God, no matter what they are. You may feel disappointed, sad, mad, etc., 

because things that didn't turn out how YOU wanted, when YOU wanted (Isaiah 55:8-9). Express your feelings - talk to God about it all! The Book of Psalms is a good example of this. When you cry out to God as your first reaction, your releasing your raw emotions, in a safe place and without taking action, and you can reconcile your feelings to the truth, not your opinion of what you know to be true of God's Word (Ephesians 4:26, Psalm 57:2, 2 Corinthians 10:4).

 

If you still can't reconcile your feelings, this is a sign that you need to learn more about God so you can patch the leak in your balloon. You realize that it's ok to cry out to God and even ask the "why" question, but you remember that in an imperfect world, God's sovereignty and our free will, not only yours but everyone else's, live together in tension. (Read more about mans' free will in light of God's sovereignty @ https://www.gotquestions.org/is-God-sovereign.html). Reconciling your emotions to God's character and sovereignty in an imperfect world, softens the blow of consequences and may even led to better self-awareness (2 Corinthians 5:9-10, Hebrews 2:1, 6:19, Galatians 6:9, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14).

 

The next time you pray the Lord’s prayer as recorded in Matthew 6:9-13, use a fresh perspective and put it into context with the surrounding Bible chapters (Matthew 5, 6, 7). When you read Jesus' sermon on the Mount, what’s your reaction? Can you see that raw emotions need to be conformed to the truth of God and it's this truth that brings hope (Hebrews 11:1)? When Christians use their faith to follow Jesus, the love that’s common place in heaven is brought to earth (Isaiah 48:17-18)! Love can ShinE  *, even when you are facing stormy conditions, you just have to choose let it.

 

Note:  When you are delivered some bad news or are worried about something in the future, remember God. Align your definition of suffering to the truth of living in an imperfect world where suffering abounds under God’s watchful eye. (Here are a sampling of scriptures about perspective and endurance; 

: Job 1:21, 2 Corinthians 5:1-3, 8-10, Romans 5:3-5, 8:24-25, James 1:2-4, Isaiah 53:4-6, Psalm 73:26, 1 Peter 3:12-14, 4:1-4, 5:10, 2 Peter 3:8, Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians 4:17, 1:5, 1:3-7, Philippians 1:27-31, Laminations 3:21-24, Psalm 46.) When you need hope, remember to shift your thinking to the grace of God that is expressed through you because of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. When you need encouragement, think about the Apostle Peters' transformation (from betraying Christ to preaching Christ). 

Listen to the song, “Me on Your Mind” by Matthew West and let it help you find an eternal perspective            (Luke 22:54-62, John 21:1, 4-8, 15-16, Acts 3).

 

Look for the evidence of kindness shown to you in your life by God. You obtain a hopeful faith by intentionally shifting your thoughts away from the present circumstance just long enough to refresh your confidence by remembering what God has done in your past. Then, with this attitude, you can leave your unproductive feelings and let hope carry you into the problem-solving mode with the confidence that God is working for your good, though you might not be able to see it. Godly hope stimulates you to wholesome thinking which will prompts resiliency so you maintain your Christian walk (2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Philippians 4:8, 2 Timothy 3:16, Appendix 1Q).

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Showing humble yet imperfect love shows others see what it looks like to let go of short term pleasure seeking

and/or fear (Matthew 11:29, Isaiah 12:3-5, 2 Corinthians 5:11). A hopeful faith (being sure of and holding on to your beliefs through trials) is the kind of hope that is seen by others because of your ability to work THROUGH

situations while remaining loyal to your values, sealing your God-ordained destiny (James 1:25, Romans 8:35-36, Ephesians 1:11-14). Doing this provides rest for your soul, even in the midst of sorrow and discouragement (Psalm 61:1-2, 119:165, Proverbs 3:21-24, Isaiah 26:3-4, Matthew 11:28-30, John 16:33, Active Rest). When you act out the Holy Spirit, this “deposit”, this “guarantee” that Christ's Spirit lives in you, you don’t need to grieve like secular people who have no hope (Isaiah 59:21, 2 Corinthians 5:5, 5:7-9, 5:14-15, Ephesians 1:14).

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Being in Christ is the perfect will of God for your life because expressions of Holy, Divine Love gives hope to others and is what accomplishes God’s desire for all people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4, 1 Peter 3:15-16, Romans 12:2, Ezekiel 33:11, John 3:17, Luke 24:47). The Apostle Paul knew that when He encountered Jesus, he needed to re-adjust his perspective. In doing so, Paul was able to work joyfully at expressing the Holy Spirit of Love boldly, flexibly and gently (showing mercy and love) as he journeyed through life expressing unashamed faith in Jesus Christ while spreading the Gospel in word and deed through his unique personality (2 Corinthians 4:17-19, James 3:13, Romans 1:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-23).

 

A humble, hopeful, free-will servant to God is motivated to act on faith! 

(2 Corinthians 4:16-17, Romans 5:4, Psalm 62:5-6, 147:11, Jeremiah 17:7, Colossians 3:1-2, 1 Peter 2:16, Zephaniah 3:17,

Psalm 30:4-5, Laminations 3:21-23)! 

 

Listen to some songs to inspire your faith-filled, personal relationship with Jesus Christ in the section at "Inspirational Songs" and read more about the materials used throughout this website at the Resource tab of the Create Your New Normal website. 

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 *E   (Eternal excellence) proves God to unbelievers (John 13:35). It comes from a renewed heart empowered to implement intentional loving decisions so you can ShinE   God's love in the world (Psalm 117, Isaiah 60:1, 60:15, 61:1-4, 61:10, 1 Corinthians 13:7, 16:14, Galatians 5:13, 1 Thessalonians 1:3, 5:19-24, 2 Timothy 1:7, Hebrews 6:11-12, 13:1, 1 John 4:18). Read more in Appendix 2L and in “Let the Holy Spirit (D) Empower Your A, B, C’s”.

  

E   because of D(A + B) = C   is achieved when

  • your hope in Christ sees the future of everlasting life in Heaven

  • your faith believes the "abundant life" is possible today (John 10:10),

  • your trust in God drives you to act consistently with the Word and

  • your love walk is continuous because of the power of God's love, the Holy Spirit, living in you. ​

               Decide today to walk with Divine excellence!

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Character study

The apostle Paul was the person who recorded the biblical scripture in Romans 5:5 that says hope in God does not disappoint. Paul was able to say that Divine hope does not disappoint because he learned to trust God's sovereignty more than his own personal theology. He shifted into a God-honoring, eternal perspective when he opened his eyes, mind and heart to see the love of God poured out in Jesus Christ (Matthew 13:13, Ephesians 1:18, Ecclesiastes 3:11, Hebrews 11:39-40, 2 Corinthians 4:6, and part B of Appendix 1G). Paul changed the trajectory of his life when he accepted the truth and love of God. With a transformed mindset, he could operate out of a divine and eternal perspective which equipped him to endure the trials of his faith walk and continue to want to be used by God in his earthly life, regardless of his sufferings (Colossians 1:11, 1:27, 1 Peter 5:10, Acts 1:8, Ephesians 3:16-17, 4:12). a faith that shows belief for miracles is the same faith that endures human suffering (2 Corinthians 11:22-27, 2 Corinthians 8-10, Philippians 4:13, Acts 19:11-12, Appendix 1A).

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Paul knew that the Presence of God was with him, always and forever, even when he couldn’t sense it (Exodus 33:14, Deuteronomy 31:6, Matthew 28:20, Malachi 7:7-8). Love trusts and so Paul stepped out in faith and each time he did, his resolve strengthened (Romans 8:18, Psalm 23:4, 27:1, 34:4, 2 Chronicles 7:13-14, Deuteronomy 31:8, John 14:27, Isaiah 41:10, Philippians 4:6-7, see Appendix 1Q). Paul didn’t know how God would direct his steps through the success or tragedy he faced, but he had the peace that surpasses all understanding simply because he was motivated by divine hope and showed it through love (Jeremiah 29:11-12, Philippians 4:7, Romans 12:1-3, 8:28). Paul chose to love and honor God by letting go of control and trusting God for the outcome. This new attitude - his God-directed, hope-filled attitude, was the core of his resilient behavior

(Proverbs 24:16, Job 42:2,7,10, read Appendix 2G and "Minimizing Conflict toward Preserving Peace").

 

It seems that Paul reasoned that if God promised to be with him always and that whatever happened to him would be turned into something good, he could go about his day not worrying about how or when his suffering would end (Matthew 28:20, Romans 8:28). Instead of dwelling on his suffering, he shifted his thinking about how he could use what was happening to him for the advancement of God’s kingdom. His goal switched from how he could achieve his own agenda to how he could please God (Acts 26:9-11, 1 Thessalonians 2:4-6).

 

The Apostle James explains that if you look in the mirror, it’s what you see staring back at you that goes with you (James 1:23). Do you see your reflection alone or are you conscious of the Presence of God in your life? A Godly perspective directs hope and hope directs your steps (James 3:4). The security Paul felt from being in Christ led him to trust God for the results, revealing a change in his nature (Colossians 3:1-16). Instead of trying to kill or imprison people for their beliefs, Paul switched to being content with preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ and not getting caught up in the outcome, showing he learned the principle of humility (John 3:30, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18, Luke 24:46-49, John 20:21). 

       

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

Listed below are individuals spoken about in the Bible who took action consistent with their character integrity according to their unique personalities. (Read more about personality in "Managing Self in a Social World".) These Biblical examples reveal that a person with a convicted heart, acts with humble mercy, showing flexibility, boldness and resilience under trials (Proverbs 21:30).

       Read https://www.pattersonpark.org/discipleship-weekly/2021/1/22/a-study-in-security-and-identity-part-i-the-         restoration-of-peter  

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