Inspiration's Far-Reaching Impact on People

This inspiration is critically important to people. Why do I say I am an inspired person? Because I believe I have inspiration, and later, I truly gained inspiration. If you believe you can, you will succeed. Even if you can't now, you will one day. If you believe you can't, you never will. If you think of yourself as someone without inspiration, you will never have it. This is powerfully stated. So today, let's talk about Living Abundantly – inspiration. In fact, inspiration profoundly influences people and has a far-reaching impact.

So, what is inspiration? It is a sudden, unexpected flash of insight, or an epiphany that offers a solution to a problem. I believe that whether it is Christian faith or many other things, you must understand that we often think scientific research is the result of continuous study. Is that true? Yes, it is to some extent. But the results of scientific research are often the coincidental convergence of relentless effort and a flash of insight that provides a solution.

Today, this thing called inspiration, I tell you, almost all technological advancements stem from inspiration. That is, a sudden idea pops into someone's head, and this idea is then boldly hypothesized and cautiously verified. Where does this inspiration come from? Few people study it; I searched online and found very little research. But I have a little understanding of inspiration, and I want to share it with you today because inspiration has a profound impact on people's future. Let me give you an example.

A few days ago, I heard my mother give a testimony. She talked about using a computer, and let me tell you, she's good at it! My mother, an 83-year-old, uses a computer. Can you imagine her typing and doing other things? One day, her computer suddenly stopped working. She was very anxious because she couldn't go online or watch videos. In her anxiety, she calmed herself down. After calming down, my mother did something. As a Christian, she prayed. Suddenly, an inspiration came: turn off all the devices, unplug everything, and plug it all back in again. After restarting everything, the problem disappeared.

In fact, no one taught an elderly woman that restarting the computer could solve many problems. But how did she know? That's what we call inspiration. I think it's very interesting; it's that flash of insight that helps us solve problems. Maybe you have the knowledge, maybe you don't. The question is, an 80-year-old woman was able to solve the problem, but did she do detailed scientific research and argumentation? No. But did she solve the problem? Yes, she did. If that's the case, I think it's great. She solved the problem through inspiration. She really solved it through inspiration because she suddenly had a revelation, a light, that she should do this.

Drudgery and Foolish Hard Work Contrast with Inspiration

If we contrast inspiration with something else, that would be foolish hard work. So today, I want the brothers and sisters in our church to learn to be shrewd, to be smart, not to work foolishly. I've been pondering this recently, thinking about how to train the brothers and sisters in our church to be flexible people, to be inspired people. Why? Because inspiration has a profound and far-reaching impact on people. I want the brothers and sisters in our church to obtain this thing that has a profound impact.

The effort that influences a person's life accounts for a very small percentage. Yang Bailao was very hardworking, but would you want to be Yang Bailao? You wouldn't. But you shouldn't be Huang Shiren either, though possessing Huang Shiren's abilities might be important. Of course, I'm being a bit biased here, don't nitpick. I think Huang Shiren's mindset is that of a capitalist. If you read the book The Game of Capital, you'll understand Huang Shiren's view of money, which is the same as a capitalist's view. Today, we must get rid of Yang Bailao's mindset and the state of foolish hard work. Inspiration, opportunities, vision, faith, perseverance, and many other things have a greater impact on a person's life. That is, effort has a very small influence on people.

If we look closely at the development of human history, you'll find that farmers can never catch up with tractors, right? So this year, Chinese farmers are going to turn over a new leaf. Why? Because the Chinese government is promoting a very interesting policy. I don't know much about it. I heard it second-hand, so I must be honest, I don't know much. That is, the household responsibility system, the agricultural reform that Deng Xiaoping promoted in the 1980s, all went to individual households because people became lazy eating from the same pot.

So what's the solution? The solution is to make people responsible through the household responsibility system. Now, science and technology have developed, and mechanization has reached a very high level. So the land is being taken back, and the farmers are being relocated to a place where they can settle down. They are building houses for them, and after the land is reclaimed and leveled, it will be used for large-scale mechanized production. I think this is a very interesting thing. People can never compare to those who build machines. You can't compare someone who doesn't build machines to someone who does.

Today, I don't understand how those holes are drilled in the beams during decoration because when I used an electric drill, I was covered in sweat and dust, and it was exhausting. Then I realized that my effort was just foolish hard work. Today, I hired someone to set up the machine and drill the holes. He used the machine to drill, and it was very easy. Whether it's a big hole or a small hole, he gets it done quickly. Amazing. When I was drilling holes that day, I found that I hit rebar, so I took out the brick and tried another spot, but I hit rebar again. When I hit the rebar, my face turned green. I thought I had drilled for nothing because when you hit rebar, you drill for nothing. But with his machine, it doesn't matter what you encounter, it has to break through. The hole must be drilled, and it's done in one go, with very high efficiency.

Effort Has Very Little Impact on a Person's Life

That is, we must know today that effort has very little impact on a person's life. Inspiration, opportunities, vision, and faith are all very important. So today, brothers and sisters, if you're doing something with great difficulty, you're probably doing it wrong. I'm not teaching you to be lazy, but I'm teaching you to be smart. Don't think that laziness is a virtue; it's not. But foolish hard work is definitely not the way to go. Can inspiration be learned?

Actually, as a pastor, I tell you that the most confusing thing is when I encounter fools and don't know what to do. As a pastor, you must have a set of beliefs: anyone can learn anything, and anyone can be taught. Once you lose this faith, your service to people becomes particularly difficult. Why do I struggle so much? The thought often pops up in my mind that rotten wood cannot be carved, that this person cannot be taught. But once I have this state, my service becomes very difficult. So I tell myself to persevere: anything can be learned, anyone can be transformed. Even if someone cannot be transformed, that's not my problem, it's their problem. I will serve with all my heart, soul, and strength.

But even when I'm serving, I don't like to use brute force. I don't like to use brute force. If you observe carefully, you'll find that sometimes when I get into a struggle with something, I'm just struggling. But I'm not always struggling. I think about how to do it. Look at how amazing Jesus was. When he saw a blind man, he spat, mixed the spittle with mud, and put it on his eyes. Jesus, what are you doing? Can't you just open the blind man's eyes with a touch? But that's what he did. What's that called? That's called inspiration. Could he have done it differently? I don't know, but I know that's how Jesus did it. So can inspiration be learned? It definitely can. If not, that would be troublesome.

The belief that anything can be learned has helped me a lot. So when I met some students who were really hard to teach, they became very successful later. Everyone should inherit this concept that anything can be learned. The church's function is to train people. The church's function is to push people from one level to another, and then to another, and then to another, until you become the head and not the tail, always above and never beneath. Nothing is impossible for those who believe. Look at what the Bible says, All things are possible for those who believe. It's well said. What is impossible with man is possible with God.

Some people argue with me, Pastor, you're wrong. God didn't transform all the Israelites, God killed them in the wilderness. That's also all things are possible. They walked into the wilderness themselves. Today, brothers and sisters, let's start learning something: the church's function is to train people. What are we training everyone in today? Training in inspiration. If you have inspiration, you'll think, Should I do this or that? You ponder it, and suddenly an inspiration comes, right? Then you do it, and it turns out great and very fast.

You know, I observe people who know how to learn. The people who really know how to learn aren't the ones who are running around like crazy. The people who don't know how to learn are running around like crazy all day long. That's terrible. The people who know how to learn look relaxed and comfortable because they use skill. Where does skill come from? It comes from inspiration. When they don't know something, they learn it, and it generates a feeling, an inspiration. The Chinese have a deep understanding of the spirit, so the Chinese call it flexible, clever, and inspiration. Look at flexible, clever, and inspiration! Saying someone is clever means they react quickly. Saying someone has inspiration means they have insight when solving problems, and they don't handle things rigidly. I think these are good words.

But can the brothers and sisters in our church learn these things? If you learn these things, you'll be amazing! I often use inspiration to do things. I often use inspiration because the things we encounter are ever-changing. For example, a brother among us is doing business with someone. How would I know the depths of that? I don't understand either. But in the process of talking to him, I suddenly had an inspiration, and when I told him, the debt problem, though not solved, was solved in his mind. Isn't that great? The Chinese should never think that I'm superstitious. The Chinese have always had a deep understanding of the spirit. The spirit is a very important concept.

A person must learn to have inspiration. Inspiration can improve efficiency.

A person should never think that being silly is the way to solve problems. You must learn to be flexible, to accumulate knowledge, and to have inspiration. Recently, our church has been raising the issue of efficiency. Efficiency is very important with inspiration. An inspiration can improve your efficiency tenfold, a hundredfold, or even a thousandfold. That kind of highly profitable improvement in efficiency is called inspiration. You suddenly have a light inside! Recently, we've been renovating, right? I tell you, I've had many inspirations spring up because in solving a problem, you can solve it this way or that way, and then you ponder it, and suddenly there's a light: I should solve it this way. I tell you, with problems solved through inspiration, you can stand there and watch and feel very comfortable, very enjoyable, especially good. I think if a person doesn't have inspiration, they suffer a great loss. People really need to learn to have inspiration!

Solving Problems with Inspiration

When solving a problem, you can solve it this way or that way, in many different ways. Then, in the process of pondering, a light suddenly appears: I can solve it this way. With problems solved through inspiration, you will find that standing there is very comfortable, very enjoyable, especially good. I think if a person doesn't have inspiration, they suffer a great loss. People really need to learn to have inspiration. Let me give you an example. Mendeleev, we all know the periodic table from chemistry. What number is gold? Oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, what number are they? There are many elements, and today when we think about it, it seems very difficult. How is that possible? But Mendeleev had a dream, he dreamed of something cycling back and forth, and suddenly he summarized the periodic table. Then he hypothesized this and went to prove it. So scientific research is actually an inspiration. I think things are like this, and then you go and prove it, and it turns out to be so, and the problem is solved.

In fact, using permutations and combinations, using all sorts of possibilities to try, is a very foolish method. If you study the history of science and technology development, you will definitely know that it is basically all a flash of light inside, a revelation, an inspiration, and then you go to prove it and solve the problem. Including Einstein's theory of relativity, Mendeleev's periodic table, and the invention of the steam engine, which had a profound impact on the industrial revolution. Watt invented the steam engine after seeing a kettle lid moving. Didn't we all read this text in elementary school? He saw that as long as there was steam, the kettle lid would move, and he had an inspiration: could I use steam to make a machine? And he invented the steam engine. Newton's law of universal gravitation, people often say, though it may not be true, that he saw an apple falling, universal gravitation. In fact, he was studying the operation of the solar system, observing the operation of celestial bodies, and he suddenly had a concept, that this was universal gravitation. Then he went to prove it, and it was indeed so. After people discovered universal gravitation, they were very arrogant. As long as you tell me the mass and speed of this object, I can predict the future trajectory of this object. If today we say, as long as someone is like this or that, I can predict your future is like this or that, then you are very amazing. How do these people solve these problems? They have a concept of challenging the norm inside. They are not satisfied with an unknown state, and they are very eager to solve this problem. That is to say, that kind of desire is very important. Later, I observed myself, I often have inspiration, and then I considered myself, how did I get it? I also observed many people, and I summarized the law of inspiration.

The Laws of Inspiration

If one grasps the laws of inspiration, and you make good use of it, you will become an inspired individual. Today, brothers and sisters, the law of inspiration comes through observation. What cannot be observed? Everything can be observed. I spoke some time ago about observation skills; that is very important. I hope that all of us can incorporate these concepts into our minds. Through observation, I've discovered, under what circumstances does one lack inspiration? I've found that people with emotional volatility find it difficult to be inspired. Being too emotional is no good; one breakdown and emotions take over. Then, the speaking becomes agitated. Such individuals find it difficult to be inspired.

Emotional People Find it Difficult to be Inspired

Emotions are potent. For example, with some individuals I've interacted with, I'd suggest, Can this be done this way? And if it doesn't align with their desires, That's impossible! And they'll list a whole host of reasons. In my work, you know, I've encountered some of my employees, my subordinates. Because I'm a technically savvy boss, I ask my employees, Can this be done this way? If they understood the specifics as I explained and followed my method, it would save a lot of manpower and resources. But my employee would immediately say, No! And then rattle off a litany of negatives. I'd say, Alright! Show me by this time next week. Of course, I can't fire him for that reason; I still have to educate him. As a result, I'd mobilize my other resources, and I'd get the job done. When I proved it to him afterwards, his face was a mix of dark, green, and white – obviously uncomfortable. Why? Because he had emotions inside. When a person is emotional, it's difficult to be inspired.

Managing One's Emotions

Therefore, today, we must learn to manage our emotions. Why do many say that a person with high Intelligence Quotient (IQ) but low Emotional Quotient (EQ) will not amount to much? Because for a person with high IQ but low EQ, once emotions arise, the EQ goes to zero, and the IQ is finished too. Emotions must be well-managed; don't be emotional. Because emotional people find it difficult to be inspired. Have you ever seen me get emotional? I rarely do. Even when the situation is dire, and I'm exhausted to the point of wanting to lose my temper, I can still control it. Sometimes, solving problems, spending the night racking my brains, seeing that a problem cannot be solved—it's quite agonizing. Later, step by step, I overcome it. So, emotions are unnecessary. If you can overcome your emotions, your IQ will increase significantly, and your efficiency will also improve greatly.

People Under Pressure Find it Difficult to be Inspired

Later, I also discovered that people under pressure find it difficult to be inspired. With pressure, one feels greatly stressed. Why such great pressure? We've discussed pressure management before. People under pressure have made a negative conclusion within themselves. That's it, doing things the traditional way, working very hard. Then, they don't explore new methods, and they don't adjust from the norm, so there's no progress, and the pressure continues to mount. For a while, our sisters in the writing ministry, XY sisters, were under great pressure. Then I called a meeting, and suddenly, I had an inspiration. I told XY how to proceed, and as a result, efficiency doubled, and the pressure was immediately relieved.

Disorganized People Lack Inspiration

Later, I also discovered that with many small confusions, you'll find that a person is disorganized, and it's difficult for them to be inspired. Because their minds are a mess, entangled. Entanglement is also an emotion, discouragement. No matter how you label it, it's not a good thing. Such individuals generally lack inspiration – negative, unbelieving, feeling that nothing is possible no matter what happens.

People Who Don't Act Find it Difficult to be Inspired

I also tell everyone that people who don't act find it difficult to be inspired. Inspiration arises while doing things. In other words, inaction is deadly. The Bible often puts it this way: Hearing the word of God, go and do it! You must act. As you act, you'll be inspired. If you don't act, you cannot be inspired. So, Harvard University did a study: people who don't do housework are less intelligent; people who do housework are more intelligent.

Inspiration Arises in a State of Freedom

What else have I researched? That inspiration arises when there is a state of inner freedom. So this morning, as I was leading morning prayer, you know what I saw? That you are blessed, that you are called to be free. Originally, God wanted us to be free. An unfree state makes it impossible to be inspired. A person without inspiration is under a bondage. Unfree people find it difficult to be inspired.

Inspiration is Absent in a State of Anxiety

A person lacks inspiration in many other states. For example, negative, bound states. Freedom, peace – the difficulties you encounter may be enormous, and they may cause an anxious state. No progress at all, but you are peaceful. When you are very peaceful, you'll be inspired.

People Who Think Positively are Inspired

Then, people who think positively are inspired. Constantly thinking positively, exploring this matter, that matter, this method, that method. Then, suddenly, a light will shine in your mind: originally, this thing should be like this. Why do I like doing things? Because doing things is enjoyable. Actually, not doing things is very painful; there's no sense of accomplishment. Recently, as I was designing offices for our full-time staff, wow! That feeling was so enjoyable that it can produce an anxious state. Because in a four-square-meter space, several things need to be done. It has to be a place for you to work. If you stay up late, it also has to be a place for you to sleep. The two cannot be combined. Decoration is divided into industrial decoration and home decoration. No one mixes the two together, but I've combined them. Then the designer was quite moved. He said to me, Pastor, you're really good! A perfect combination, because if you sleep, you need a mattress and a quilt, but it's messy. And this place may also become their studio, so that need has to be met. Also, it has to look upscale from the outside, and it can't cost too much. Oh, so many restrictions, so many hurdles to overcome. So, you must think positively. Don't encounter a problem and immediately say it can't be done. How can that be?

Believe That All Things are Possible

I'll tell you again, you also have to consider the storage space. It's quite difficult. In other words, you must learn to believe that all things are possible, and then keep doing things. I started drawing constantly. Some of the intermediate papers I discarded, but I kept the key ones from the beginning. Keep drawing, and believe that all things are possible. Later, in the process of doing it, keep adjusting. I tell you, in the adjustment, that light inside you will suddenly flash out. Perhaps you'll say, Pastor, weren't you just talking about effort? I don't call it effort; I call it working like a fool. Working like a fool is not the way. But working smartly and diligently is very important. That's when inspiration comes. If all these factors are present, you'll develop a habit of solving problems with a flash of insight.

The Key to Inspiration

Break through the norm, challenge the norm, and you will become a very capable individual. I think this is the key to inspiration. For example, why do I encourage everyone to serve? If you don't serve, you won't have any ideas about the problems faced by all kinds of people. I feel that some people may just let their minds go blank and then keep praying for people, unable to understand the truth for a long time. You can't do that. You have to be flexible. I lead them to think and pray at the same time, and then find a solution. If you come up and feel like this is who I am, I can't do it well, then I have to release you from this bondage. I must say, in my work, in the workplace, I've received many innovation awards. Why? Because I often encounter very challenging problems. For example, the network cables in the computer room, dozens of server racks, the cables inside are a mess. Later, when I had time, I'd take a small stool, sit there, and watch how the cables run. Then I'd go back to the office and start drawing, studying how to organize them.

I arranged the wires neatly and orderly, making them look comfortable and beautiful. I often study various methods. These things are all a mindset of breaking through the norm. Don't do things the normal way; have your own thoughts. Practice with ideas, and you'll gain a lot.

Conclusion: Start Practicing

If you don't act, you'll never be inspired. It doesn't matter if you start off clumsy. As you do things, start thinking. Then, we start dealing with those states that lack inspiration. For example, responding negatively to everything, saying it can't be done, and disbelieving. These bad emotions must be rejected. We must begin to create a positive, inspired state. When you have your first inspiration, you'll enjoy it immensely. It's simply an explosion of confidence. Wow, that's great, I'm really great. Then, once, twice, three times, four times, constantly breaking through and improving.

Our studio's green screen, do you know how many versions I've made? When I made the first version in Singapore, I thought it was simply too rustic. But it was full of my inspiration. Then I started constantly improving the design. The second version improved a lot. The third version is what we use now, which is very convenient and practical. I think this inspiration is really great.

People who don't act find it difficult to be inspired. I said I needed a lamp, so WC bought a track light. He bought it, but he didn't install it to test its performance. I encourage everyone, if you're going to do something, you must start thinking about it. Some people do things without thinking, not knowing how to do it. If you don't do things, you won't be inspired. Where does inspiration come from? Inspiration comes from doing things. When you're doing things, your mind is thinking, When I do this, how do I install it? Can I install it? If I can't install it, what do I do with what I bought? So, these are all issues to consider.

These days, while decorating, I'm covered in dust every day. But I've learned a lot on the construction site. I didn't know what the construction workers were doing; I didn't know how they were doing it. So I started observing. I saw that if I were doing this, I wouldn't do it this way. I'll tell you how I would do it. I pondered there, pondering, and a light flashed in my mind: it should be done this way. Then, when I finished, things were very beautiful, straight, and orderly. Making the doer feel comfortable, and the viewer also feel comfortable.

Every time I do something, I draw and draw, and I write down my key parameters there. So, if you work with me, or if you work for me, there are two challenges. If I am the customer, you will face a challenge. The biggest challenge is that my head is always thinking of strange things. The second challenge is that you have to be very inspired. This is a challenge, but there are also benefits. If you can really explain it clearly, I don't want unreasonable things. I want what I want, and I will definitely think it through clearly and make it. When I communicate with you, I will tell you everything clearly.

If I am your customer, you will definitely not earn a big profit, but you will definitely not lose money. I am very clear about what is going on. If you want to cheat money on things, don't come to me. If you want to earn my money honestly in the market, that's easy. Another benefit is that you will learn a lot, and then you can apply it to other aspects of life, and it will be especially useful.

Inspiration is something that has a profound impact on your life. Grasp two points: First, deal with the state of being uninspired. Second, constantly create a state of being inspired. It may be very hard, but it is very meaningful. Inspiration can affect all aspects of our lives.
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