5 Ways To Inspire Others

Over the past three weeks, we have read stories of individuals lives that have captured us and inspired us. What made these stories so inspiring?

The individuals in these stories did not perform miracles, save the human race from destruction, solve world peace, or cure cancer. But they did show tremendous faith, surrendered to God’s will, matured in their walk with God, and glorified Him in the process. If you missed these stories, click on the tabs below to read them.

Patsie's Story

Jim's Story

Beth's Story

Their stories inspired me to want to inspire others in my life. This led to some deep thinking on the question, “How do people inspire me?” I came up with a list of 5 ways we can inspire those around us.

Speak words of Life
Get out of your comfort zone
Truly see the world as temporary
Be bold in your faith
Glorify God in all you do

I would like for us to look at these 5 ways and see how we can apply them to our lives so that we can do as God called us in Hebrews 3.

“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today', so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” Hebrews 3:13

Speak words of life. Our words are so important. The tongue is a double-edged sword that can be used for destruction or for building up. We all know how to use our tongue for destruction, this comes easy to us. Speaking words of encouragement does not come easy for me. I’m more of a no-nonsense kind of gal. I like to get straight to the point. But is that what we always need? Words of life and encouragement help others see who they truly are in God’s eyes. The more they hear it, the more they believe it. The world tears people down. We are told we are not good enough, our bodies don’t look right, we are not courageous enough, we don’t have enough time, and we must do everything on our own. God does not think that way and we should speak truth into others that is a sounding board from God’s thoughts. 1 Corinthians 3:6 says, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” We plant the seed of encouragement and affirmation and let God do the rest. He can work in a person’s life through our words. If this is something that is difficult for you, don’t give up. Practice makes perfect. Start small and build from there. You can start by making a list of affirmations you can say to you family members. Your children need to hear words that build them up instead of tear them down. You do not have to be qualified to affirm others; you simply must do it because it is true. You speak God’s truth about who we are, sons and daughters of the Most High God.
Before you speak think! Make sure your words meet these requirements and you will speak words of life into whoever you talk to.
T - Truthful
H - Helpful
I - Inspire
N - Necessary
K - Kind
Get out of your comfort zone. Patsie, Jim, and Beth were not placed in circumstances that were comfortable. The world did not think about their comfort before it threw them into unknown territory. Through the dirt they were thrown into, something beautiful emerged. God worked through their circumstances and molded them into the individuals He created them to be. God does not want bad things to happen to us, but He can and will use them for our good and His glory. Because of how God worked in their circumstances, not one of them would go back and change what happened to them. We will all be thrown into circumstances that are not comfortable. That is just the world we live in. Instead of running from the uncomfortable, can we persevere and sit in it and accept it? When we stop running from it with our heads down, fists gripped, and sweating profusely; and instead look up with our arms open and our knees to the ground, we can see God at work. Jesus lived an uncomfortable life here on earth and look at the beauty that came from His life. His uncomfortableness is relatable and so is ours.
Truly see the world as temporary. In all three of the stories we read, there was a time when each person saw that life may end sooner than they thought. That is a humbling experience. When we see that we are not invincible, we reach a point in our spiritual maturity that is forever changing. Have you experienced this reality? Through that experience, there is no other choice but to accept God’s will. You come to a crossroads of running from death to realizing that God has your life in His hands. All control is surrendered. I had this experience the second time my husband was diagnosed with cancer. It hit me so hard that he might die from cancer. My walk with Christ was strengthened more that I could imagine when I gave up the thought of having any control of my husband’s life or death. I placed my husband in God’s hands and asked Him to take the wheel. This is hard, but when we grasp the reality that we have something far greater for us than this world, we can inspire others through God’s Kingdom work.
Be bold in your faith. Strong faith is contagious. When we hear stories of others who exhibit strong faith or see examples of someone showing strong faith, we are urged to persevere and grow our faith. People like to have common beliefs with others and feel like they are a part of a group. What better group to be a part of than a group of faithful believers in Christ? To be bold in your faith takes courage. Some circumstances in life are scary, unknown, lonely, and heartbreaking. When our faith in Jesus’ promises outshine all the negative feelings, it is not overlooked. The bright light of faith shines for all the world to see. Faith is believing in something that has not happened yet or is unseen. We have not received or seen the Kingdom of God yet, but we know without a doubt that we will receive it one day. Habakkuk 3:19 tells us we have a responsibility to keep our faith and continue to put one foot in front of the other regardless of our circumstances. We are able to do this through the strength that God gives us. We can keep our heads high knowing that we are daughters of the Mighty God, the One that will conquer all evil.
Glorify God in all you do. This one should be so easy, but it is sometimes forgotten. It should be easy to acknowledge God when you are pulled out of the wreckage, but so many times we count our goodness as good luck or a coincidence. There is no such thing. God is always working and always in control! Every good and perfect thing comes from the Lord above. The first thing should be praise and worship to the God that delivered us from our circumstances. If you are still in the middle of your bad times, you can still look for the good in your life. God has not left you; He’s still providing and caring for you. Acknowledge His goodness and share it with others. Shout from the rooftops the good that God is doing in your life. Tell others about what God is teaching you through your life. Share how God is maturing you and loving on you. Our stories are meant to be told in order that God may be glorified. God’s glory can encourage others and the gospel can be spread by simply sharing what God has done. Give credit where credit is due!