Philippians 2:5

"INSPIRED"

You are who you think you are; you can do what you aspire to do; you can be who you imagine you can be "if" you have the motivation, drive, and work ethic.  But, being "inspired" is a tour into an unknown place, and for this article, it's called the Mind of Christ.

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."  How does one acquire the mind of Christ?  How does one think in the universal, creative, galactic impetus of Almighty God?  First and foremost, we must be filled with His Spirit.  Then, we must be baptized in His name.  You say, "How does being baptized attribute to inspiration?"  Glad you asked...  We have to become a "new creature in Christ;" how can we think like, be inspired by, receive divine inclinations, if we are full of sin?  The old nature must be washed away to become a vessel of holiness and purity.  The Lord God desires to live in a holy place and He plants "heavenly inspiration" in minds searching for Holy things. 

                                     "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

                                                                                   (Matthew 14:31)

  

When Peter tried to walk on the water, he doubted and began to sink.  But hey, at least he got out of the boat and "did" begin to walk on water.  Peter was, at that moment, "thinking like the Lord Jesus Christ!"  The mind of Christ ... "that" mind thought walking on water was normal; speaking to the winds to obey was logical; performing miracles was everyday living; and raising the dead was just the thing to do!  What route, what highway, which way do we go to get to the mind of Christ?

                                                            "After He had sent the crowds away, He went

                                                            up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and it

                                                                    was evening, He was there alone."

                                                                                    (Matthew 14:23)

The road to the mind of Christ is among the clouds, away on a mountain apart, dwelling "alone."  Not many want to take that road; very few treasure spending time in the quiet, alone with the Holy One of Israel, the holder of the soul, the Creator, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Some find it uncomfortable; they want music blaring, or others around, but the place of "divine inspiration" is cloaked in seclusion away from the crowds, where one can hear even the faintest whiff of a whisper.  And, sometimes, it requires long waits and a commitment to stay until ...

What does God think about all the time?  What is His main center of focus?  We know that Israel is uppermost in His mind, because it is "the apple of His eye;" He began there, He's coming back there, and it is His heritage.  But, what drives Him, moves Him, stirs Him, angers Him, delights Him, forces Him, saddens Him ... SOULS!  The Lord Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, lived 33 years, was beaten, bled and died on a cross, rose the third day, and will come back for One reason ... SOULS!  Everything He did, does and will do; everything He was, Is, and Is to come, has its roots in human beings, His beloved creation, those He longs to save, hold, and love forever ... the dust He formed into life ... S o u l s!

If we have the mind of Christ, we will do what He did, and think like He does, which means we will bring salvation to the lost; heal the sick; perform miracles in His name; raise the dead; feed the hungry; hold the hurting; and love Israel, whom He loves. 

To do all this, we must have faith; faith is the underlying key to inspiration; "But without faith {it is} impossible to please {him}: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and {that} he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."  (Hebrew 11:6)  What brings faith to people?  We all have some, but what causes people to come running to Jesus Christ?  In this day and time, we are competing with the height of technology in films and media. Something has to get people's attention for the work of God in the earth.  We've got it ... we're doing it ... via the mind of Christ. It's what our mighty Lord Jesus Christ would call "INSPIRED!"

                                                                                                                         By Sheryl Fowler

                                                  (Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

                                             PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)