Appendix 1G; Change your Perception; Honor God's Principles
New knowledge impacts your perception which is vital to your problem solving, decision making and future judgment. Be open to new, true information and look for innovative solutions when you meet with opposing viewpoints. Be patient as you go through the skill building and perception change required for success (Quappe & Cantatore, 2007, Philippians 4:6-9, 19).
Look at God's principles from God’s perception:
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“thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” (Matthew 6:10, Luke 11:2).
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"So I brought them out of Egypt and led them into the wilderness. There I gave them my decrees and regulations so they could find life by keeping them." (Ezekiel 20:10-11).
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But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority" (Acts 5:29).
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"for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men" (Romans 14:17-18).
It’s your choice to honor God by practicing Kingdom principles. A willing decision is all it takes to please God, but a willful decision to act on or implement God’s Holy principles will change the trajectory of your life. As you walk down the “highway of holiness” perfection is not required; only the decision to act on faith is (Isaiah 35:8, James 2:17).
Gratitude towards God is a result of humble mindset and this is what ignites hope because gratitude and hope are the energy you need to stimulate action. Gratitude for your new identity in Christ leads you to want to operate on Kingdom principles (1 Thessalonians 5:16-19). Love is only discovered when you are humble and it is this attitude that motivates compliance to holiness standards, out of gratitude (see appendix-2p and appendix-2q). Compliance is the way to show honor and gratitude to the Holy, Almighty, God (John 14:15-17, 2 Corinthians 5:13-15, Exodus 15:11, Revelation 1:8). Your choice to honor stems from your willingness to change your perception and actions to live like a child of God - to honor God takes self-denial and a willingness to follow kingdom principles (Matthew 16:24, Romans 2:13, 6:19, Philippians 2:3-5, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, James 1:25,
1 Peter 1:13, 2:11).
Scripture references to principles:
Genesis 8:22, Ecclesiastes 3:1,
Jeremiah 2:19, Hosea 10:12, Matthew 5:13-16, 5:45, 6:33, 7:7, 7:12, Mark 4:14-20, 4:26-29, 11:23-25, Luke 6:38, John 3:3, 14:15, 16:33, Romans 12:1-2, 12:19, 14:1, 14:13-14, 1 Corinthians 10:23-24, 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, 6:17, Galatians 5:1, 5:16, 6:7, Ephesians 4:3, 4:15-16, 4:22-24, 4:30, 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 2 Thessalonians 3:10, James 1:22,
1 John 5:14, 3 John 2,
Revelation 22:18-19.
An Eternal Perspective
Read the articles in "Still Anxious" to retrain your brain to think faith first! (Matthew 6:33)
When you look at the situations in world and those that directly impact your life, you use your faith to drive an Eternal perspective by believing that eventually all things will work for the good of those of love God as expressed by faith-filled actions (Matthew 6:33, John 14:15, Romans 8:11, 14, 28, 35-37, 1 John 5:3). Having an Eternal perspective cuts through the common emotions that are associated with the limits of humanity and focuses instead on what God can do. 1 John 4:4-5 captures the mindset of a productive Christian; ". . . You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world" (2 Peter 1:3-9). Read the articles in the tab "Still Anxious" to see that using an eternal perspective is the key to walking out your Christian faith despite cultural norms.
Facing vulnerability from acting within the boundaries of God's love and truth (see "Understanding Personality ..."
and learn more about social reputation) insulates you from the desires that your flesh is attracted to and keeps you walking out your journey towards everlasting life (Isaiah 35:8, Ephesians 4:14-15, 1 John 4:6, 4:12-16, Proverbs 14:11, 21:26, Appendix 2N). Choosing to look at life using an Eternal perspective takes effort from maintaining your focus despite the distractions of living in a materialistic world (Matthew 6:21, 19:21, Mark 8:36, Luke 12:15, Hebrews 13:5, 2 Corinthians 4:18, 1 Timothy 6:6).
It takes an intentional choice to frame your thinking to default back to the character of God when you are tempted to give in to fear and hopelessness (Colossians 1:27). Once you decide to set God as the primary source for your decision-making, you must use intentional thinking so that this new way of thinking becomes your new way of acting (1 Thessalonians 2:12). This, like any new behavioral skill, takes time to become a habit (read more at Appendix 1F). As a Christian, when you decide to incorporate your faith into your perspective (because you choose to remember God and focus on your eternal destiny), you are confident that no matter what happens in a sinful world, because of His character, God will use His supernatural power for your good and His glory, in His perfect timing (Isaiah 4:2-6, Revelation 19:1, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 4:5-7, Philippians 4:19-20, Romans 4:20, read "... Zeal for His Own Glory"). This new way of acting, like any new behavioral skill, may feel awkward at first, but with time, patience and practice it will become a habit (read more at Appendix 1F). (It's doing what you think that brings the peace of Christian cognitive consistency; read more about it in the "Art of Self-Mastery").
An eternal perspective is one that you choose to “put on” (Ephesians 6:6). It is a conscious decision to honor God by avoiding sin. (See Appendix 1I for more.) It's when you freely decide, “as bondservants of Christ”, to use self-control and patience to do “the will of God from the heart” (made possible by the Sprit of God that resides in all Christians, John 3:7-8, 21, Galatians 5:22-23).