A good friend of mine Travis Deaver, once said something very wise that has stuck with me ever since. He said, "Inspiration comes in the greatest ways, and to be inspired is to see life the way it was meant to be seen, through God's eye." I absolutely agree with him. Inspiration makes us wants to do better. It drives us to be better people and change our character so that others around us will gain something. My favorite thing about inspiration is that it can happen anytime, anywhere. A lot of the times I get frustrated from lack of inspiration in my life. But if what Travis said is correct, then inspiration comes from God. It's like a gift He has given us. As a christian, I believe that the Holy Spirit speaks to me and guides me to be more Christ like. But like all Christians, it's really hard to discern when the Holy Spirit is actually speaking to us. I know I struggle with this constantly. Isn't it possible that inspiration is really the Holy Spirit speaking to you in a way that you can understand?
John 14:16-17 says, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." A friend of mine, who's also a pastor, Tony Calabrese, recently shared something with me about these verses. He said, "What is so cool about Jesus saying that he will send "another" Counselor is found in the original word he uses for "another." The word another DOESNT mean another as in "I'm going to buy another coat" as in a different coat. The word Jesus uses for another means "the exact same kind." Think about that! Jesus essentially is saying that he is going to send another Counselor , one that is JUST LIKE HIM. At this moment He is the Mighty Counselor to His disciples but soon another...just like Jesus type of Counselor , will come into their hearts." Sometimes instead of fighting so hard to find inspiration in my life, I need to simply become aware of God's presence in me. He is ready and willing to lead me. I feel like anything and everything has potential to be inspiring if I let God fully take control of my life.
Lately I've been finding a lot of inspiration in the Bible. For the last few months, every time I have set foot in a church building or bible study, I've walked away inspired. The words of God just move my heart in a way I can't explain to you. My entire body is consumed with this overwhelming feeling of joy and peace and comfort. It's like God is wrapping his arms around me and holding me tightly. When I leave I have an urge to tell the world about Jesus and change everything that is flawed in my life. Obviously, what I want to do and what I actually don't always line up, but the fact that God inspires me to change each week is so encouraging. It's a constant reminder He is always with me in every situation. I also love that God is so consistent. Consistency is something that I value greatly. I hate it when things arn't consistent or when parents or other figures of authority constantly change their minds. God isn't like that at all. All throughout the bible God is consistent. In the Old Testament, God was with Joseph in prison and saw him through that. Great things came out of Joseph being in prison. Years later in the New Testament, Paul writes us the book of Philippians in prison. The purpose of this book was to a) thank the Philippians for the gifts they had sent whilst in prison and b) to give strength to believers and show them that true joy come from Jesus Christ. God was with Paul. He proved to be consistent. And today, God has not changed. He is still there no matter what, fighting to show us how to live for Him. I'm thankful everyday that God is with me ready to send inspiration my way.
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