Accepting and returning God’s love is what leads to your fulfillment and peace. However, this decision must come from your free choice. Some people experience these feelings of freedom immediately upon becoming a child of God, but for others it takes time to move psychological concepts from head understanding to heart insight. (If the move to the heart does not happen, a Christian will experience cognitive dissonance exhibited as anxiety.) When understanding is heart-felt, your purpose crystalizes. You become aware of your significance; a fulfilled need of worthiness from God because you let His Electric Love penetrate your spiritually justified heart (Psalm 119:18, Acts 26:18, Ephesians 1:18, 4:23, 4:31, read "The Use of Conscience in Decision Making ..."). The love received from God passes through you, energizing you to help others - without stoping to analyze your head understanding. Helping others is physical work, however, it’s effortless because of the positive energy generated by the Holy Spirit in your heart (Appendix 2U).

 

The balance of works and grace is summed up by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:10, 58:​

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. …  58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”​

When you live inside the boundaries of a holy loving God, you will feel safe, secure and free (see Appendix 2H).

Loving God changes your perspective from obligation and compliance to trust - proven by voluntary compliance (John 15:8, James 2:13-14). This perspective protects you from being carried away by the temptations of the world with the goal to please yourself, as was the case for King Solomon.​ It also guards against a works based mentality regarding your salvation (2 Timothy 1:8-9).

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The fulfillment of the need for significance is found in pleasing God. Being justified by your confession of faith secures everlasting spiritual life but it doesn’t change your physical life until you act on your spiritual condition. (Hope sees, Faith believes, Trust acts and Love persists!) Me-centered thinking sometimes confuses the difference between the justification, sanctification and glorification processes of Christianity (Romans 8:29, 2 Timothy 2:21, John 17:22, Romans 2:7). Your physical righteousness is what brings glory to God (Romans 6:13, 6:19, Philippians 1:16). Your spiritual righteousness was an immediate result of a heartfelt confession of Christ. It is a work done by God as a result of your heartfelt belief (John 3:1-21, Romans 10:1-13). Your Spiritual sanctification was immediate too as a result of Holy Spirit in your heart (Romans 8:28, Hebrews 10:14). However, to see the benefits of your spiritual condition today, you need to transform (change your secular behavioral habits by showing the results of this transformation physically in your A, B, C's.) Allowing the Holy Spirit (D) to lead you into reshaping your attitude and behavior so you glean better consequences - today. The physical transformation process (Christlikeness, C  ) is a life-long journey of progressive changes made to your behavior, so you can please the Lord by imitating Him (Ephesians 5:1-2, Appendix 1M). 

 

Glorification is also two-fold. Spiritually you will be made perfect when you enter heaven bringing glory to God, but physically you can glorify God through your actions - today. This is achieved by your decision to honor God above all else as you live your life (1 Corinthians 6:20, 1 Peter 2:12). While God imputes righteousness into our spirits, we need to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 1:6), and willingly enter into the physical change process. This is what makes your spiritual transformation into Christlikeness become a reality in this physical world. Deciding to walk down the "highway of holiness" for the rest of your physical life on earth is your sanctification (Isaiah 35:8). The fear and trembling refers to the performance tension of changing habits, not the fear of consequences. Perfection is not the goal of the holiness command in Hebrews 12:14, 1 Peter 1:2, 1:15-16, nor is it possible in this life. It comes from God’s mercy, grace and forgiveness (Numbers 23:19, Isaiah 43:25, 1 Corinthians 1:9). Even when you are faithless and disillusioned, His promises remain true and hope is alive (Romans 3:3-4, Ephesians 1:7, 2 Timothy 2:13, 1 Peter 1:3-6, 1 John 5:13-14, see "Take Hold of Biblical Hope").​ It’s your dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit that leads you to fully express love that brings hope and peace. This the mystery of Christian faith; “that is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Matthew 5:16, Philippians 2:14-16, Ephesians 3:19, Colossians 1:26-27, 1 Peter 2:9). ​

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Secular psychologists Prochaska & Norcross, (2001) explain that trying hard is nothing more than “overt action without insight” and this will likely lead only to temporary change. (See Appendix 2G for more on how your Spirit- led behavior leads to insight.) When we accept God’s love, we fulfill our need for significance and show it by trusting Him as expressed by following His Holy standards in public (Jeremiah 6:16, Lamentations 3:22-23, Hebrews 4:10-11). Heartfelt sincerity and humility trigger God’s mercy and grace. Our gratitude mixed with God’s trustworthiness motivates a reciprocal love relationship (Emmons, R. A., & McNamara, P. (2006)). ​