Steve Simms's Blog, page 28

Thoughts Inspired by Psalm 36

People who are without an ongoing sense of awe of the glory, majesty, and presence of God are easily distracted by and controlled by their own self-destructive thoughts, feelings, and desires. They are often unaware that the guilt and disfunction within them is being caused by their own rebellion against God. Their rebellious choices, words, and actions are hiding the unfailing love and righteousness of God from their eyes.

God is the fountain of life. People are invited to take refuge in His presence, feast on His abundant life, and drink from His river of delights so that they can see, be led by, and reflect His glorious light. Let the living God give you an upright heart! Let Him protect you from pride and wickedness so that you can rise up and walk through the power of His presence. (These thoughts are based on Psalm 36.)

The Connection That’s Far Far Better Than Candy

Candy is dandy, but new wine is a goldmine! So, what does new wine do and where do you get it? New wine wakes us up to true life! It produces “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) New wine comes from Christ. (Matthew 9:17)
 
Perhaps you’re only dreaming that you’re awake. Ephesians 5:14 says: “This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Wake up to the heart-to-heart connection with the risen Jesus. The chain of command in the kingdom of God is Christ in you. Let His Spirit tell you what to do. The organizational chart of the body of Christ looks like this: Christ’s sheep listen to His voice and follow Him. (John 10:27)

Here’s the authority structure in the body of Christ. Jesus is the Head (Colossians 1:18) and all the members are to be directly led by His Spirit. (Romans 8:14) It’s called the priesthood of the believer. All Christ-followers are ministers under Christ’s Headship and direction (1 Peter 2:9) and are responsible to “teach and admonish one another, (Colossians 3:16) to “encourage one another,” (1 Thessalonians 5:11) to speak the truth to one another, (Ephesians 4:25) and to minister to one another in many other ways as led by the Spirit. (See the 50+ “one another” verses in the Bible.)

The various parts of a person’s body are directly led and commanded by the person’s head (his mind and his brain). If Jesus is truly the Head (Colossians 1:18) of His body, shouldn’t He be the one directly leading and commanding each member when they gather in His name? (Matthew 18:20)

Jesus told His disciples to “Follow me.” He didn’t say to follow a religious organization. (Matthew 4:19)

If, as the Bible says, God is working in Christ-followers to fulfill His purposes (Colossians 1:18) then we should follow His inner working and leading instead of following a religious organization and instead of following our own thoughts, feelings, and desires. If you are a Christ-follower there should be no person, place, or thing in between you and Jesus. You need to have a direct heart-to-heart connection with Him. (Colossians 1:27)

The way to fly
Into the sky
Of hope and peace
Is to mount up high
On the wings
Of God’s Spirit.

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A Break from Self-Focus

I believe that all human beings need a break from self-focus. It has always appeared to me that when I focus on myself, I’m not very happy, but when I get focused on a cause, a purpose, or helping others, I’m happy. The focus that makes me happiest is the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God is the actual government of God the Son, by God the Spirit, for the glory of God the Father. To be directly governed by Christ in you and be inwardly led by the Holy Spirit is to personally experience the kingdom of God.

“The kingdom of God is at hand.” (Mark 1:15) Christians need to be trained and released to hear and obey King Jesus, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The time and place to train and release Christians to hear and obey King Jesus is anytime and anyplace they gather in His name. When people gather to each one be governed by Christ in you the kingdom of God appears.

The kingdom of God isn’t some distant, far away thing. It’s “God working in you . . . to fulfill His good purpose.” (Philippians 2:13) It’s “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) It’s being “led by the Spirit.” (Romans 8:14) It’s direct God’s inner government of your life!

Jesus preached the inner government of God. (Matthew 4:23) So should we. (Luke 10:9) The resurrected Jesus spent 40 days talking to His first disciples about the inner government of God (Acts 1:3) before He ascended into Heaven. I believe that the risen Jesus wants to build His Spirit-led, participatory town hall meeting (His ancient Greek ekklesia) on the rock of direct, personal revelation from the living God and give it the keys of the inner government of God so that it can bind up self-focus and pride and loose humble loving obedience to the presence of King Jesus. (Matthew 16:17-19)

The Good News of the inner government of God is supposed to “be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations.” (Matthew 24:14) Paul proclaimed the inner government of God and taught about Jesus with great boldness. (Acts 28:31) If you are experiencing the inner kingdom of God, don’t be silent. Testify about it! (Acts 28:23 & Revelation 12:11) Shout it from the rooftops and through social media. (Matthew 1027)

If you will begin to daily follow and obey the living Jesus as your Lord and King, you will begin to know and experience the mysteries of the inner government of God. (Matthew 13:11)

The government of God is invisible. It can’t be directly seen by the human eye, but it is revealed in and through people who hear and obey the Spirit of the risen Jesus Christ. (Luke 17:20 & 1 Corinthians 2:9-10) To be governed by God requires childlike humility, openness, and honesty. (Matthew 18:1-5) The invisible government of God is available (Mark 1:15) to those who will repent (surrender to and align with God’s presence and will) and believe in (rely and depend on) the good news that the risen Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life.” (John 14:6)

The inner government of God is a hidden treasure. (Matthew 13:44) It’s the “pearl of great price.” (Matthew 13:45) It’s infinitely more valuable than all that you will ever have.

The inner government of God is like a mustard seed. It seems tiny, but if tenderly cultivated it grows into God’s mighty tree of life within you! (Matthew 13:31-32) The inner government of God is like yeast. If you will humbly receive and consistently obey it, it will work through all the flattened dough within you and cause it to rise with God’s life. (Matthew 13:33)

The inner government of God that we humans lost because of our sin has been restored to us by the blood of Jesus (Ephesians 2:13) so that we can now take it back by the force of spiritual weapons “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5, Matthew 11:12, & Luke 16:16)

The inner government of God isn’t about just calling Jesus Lord. It’s about actually doing God’s will. (Matthew 7:21-23) The purpose of trials and tribulations is to cause us to surrender more and more to the inner government of God. (Acts 14:22) Unless you obey God from the heart instead merely having a Pharisee-like “form of godliness, but denying it’s power,” you’ll never experience the inner government of God. (Matthew 5:20 & 2 Timothy 3:5)

The Headship of God’s government on earth belongs to Jesus Christ and to no one else. (Ephesians 1:22) The government of God is without human hierarchy. (Matthew 20:25-28) Continually surrender to the salvation, power, and inner government of God and to the direct authority of the living Jesus Christ. (Revelation 12:10) People who are persecuted for obeying God and doing His righteousness are blessed because their first loyalty is to the inner government of God instead of to a mere human government. (Matthew 5:10)

The kingdom of God isn’t a government of this world. (John 18:36) It takes place inside of and in the midst of humble, surrendered, and obedient Christ-followers. (Luke 17:21) The government of God isn’t religious duty. It’s right living that avoids the things that produce guilt, complete inner peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17) To enter the kingdom of God is to consistently do the will of the Father. (Matthew 7:21)

People who harden their heart and ignore their conscience are running and hiding from the inner government of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) People who follow their own thoughts, feelings, and desires are rejecting the inner government of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

The inner government of God isn’t about words and sermons. It’s about God’s presence and power. (1 Corinthians 4:20) Live your life “worthy of God, who calls you into His kingdom and glory.” (1 Thessalonians 2:12) Always make it your first priority to live in full obedience to the inner government of God and to His right way of living. Then everything else will take care of itself. (Matthew 6:33).

God promised His inner government to those who love Him. He “chose the poor of this world to be rich in faith.” (James 2:5) Full ongoing surrender to the inner government of God brings you into “a kingdom that cannot be shaken,” and causes you to be thankful and to worship God with “reverence and awe.” (Hebrews 12:28)

To be governed by God requires being “poor in spirit.” (Matthew 5:3) It’s easier for people who are broken by their sin to surrender to God’s inner government than it is for religious people. (Matthew 21:31-32) Financial prosperity makes it very difficult to be governed by God instead of by money. (Matthew 19:23-30)

When demons are cast out, the invisible government of God is eager to move in. (Matthew 12:28) “Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:7-8)

No matter where they are in the world, people who hear, follow, and obey the risen Jesus are living in the kingdom of God. (Luke 17:20-21) Jesus spoke about the greatness of John the Baptist and then said that even the least person who is governed by “the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.” (Matthew 11:11)

Jesus wants His followers to announce, proclaim, and demonstrate the invisible government of the living God. (Luke 9:2) We are called to be fishers of men: 1) To catch people’s attention; 2) To train them to be ceaselessly led the Spirit and governed by the kingdom of God; and 3) To release them to follow and obey Jesus wherever He guides them.

If you won’t receive the inner government of God like a child, you won’t be able to experience it. (Mark 10:15) God wants to rescue you from the kingdom of darkness and transfer you to the government of Christ His Son while you are still living on earth. (Colossians 1:13) Before you die and step into eternity, Jesus wants the kingdom of God to come to you. (Matthew 6:10) To experience and surrender to the inner government of God is to be “born again.” It is to be “born of the Spirit.” (John 3:3-8)

God gladly offers to govern you from within. (Luke 12:32) The question is: Will you surrender your heart and let Him? People who are living under the inner government of God “are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you (they) may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9) I would love to persuade you to begin to be inwardly governed by God and His kingdom. (Acts 19:8)

Let Jesus replace your inner tyranny of the accuser’s “shoulds” and shame with the palatable heart promptings of His presence and peace that Scripture calls “the kingdom of God.” The more we seek first and learn to live under and unceasingly obey the inner government of God, the more we will manifest the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit. Then the inner accusers will begin to leave us one by one as we bask in God’s presence. “The kingdom of God is not meat or drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Intention is More Important Than Invention

The most important intention in my life, is my intention to follow and obey my conscience. I purposely intend to live outside of my comfort zone. I strive to always think, say, and do what is right. Every time I neglect to do that, I ask for, seek, and receive forgiveness, so that I don’t have to carry guilt and shame. My intention is to let God continually reframe and retrain me so that I can surrender to His will throughout each day and live by His presence and power working within me.

Holy Reframe

Let Jesus reform
Your thoughts and desires
Until you conform
To the will of God.
The greatest miracle
You can ever see
Is one that sets you free
From the inside out
And turns hopelessness
Into reliance
On Christ in you,
The hope of glory.

The Holy Spirit leads
Outside your comfort zone.
When Christ is on your throne
You’ll not be hard like stone,
But Christ alive in you
Will show you what to do.
He’ll always lead you to
The uncomfortable
Pathway He has shown.
“Deny yourself,
Take up your cross,
And follow Me.”
Don’t let your comfort zone
Be a massive millstone
That chains you to the known
And blinds you to the great
Blessings God has for you
That yet remain unknown.
Courageously follow
God’s Spirit beyond the
Trap of your comfort zone.

If you’re not growing closer to, more obedient to and more in love with the risen Jesus, you’re stuck in a religious comfort zone. The power and presence of the risen Jesus is waiting for you beyond your comfortable places.

Biblical Christianity isn’t a comfort zone. It’s a mental, emotional, and spiritual warfare zone. “Fight the good fight of faith.” “Humble yourself.” “Deny yourself.” “Love your enemies.” “Bless those who curse you.” “Pray for those who despitefully use you.” “Resist the devil.” “Cast out demons.” “Casting down imaginations and bringing every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

The more you follow the risen Jesus outside of your comfort zone, the more the Holy Spirit will be able to comfort you. Unfortunately, many Christians stay closer to their comfort zone than they do to Jesus Christ.

God is a gentleman. He allows you to put the brakes on what the Holy Spirit wants to do in your heart. “Quench not the Spirit.” Your comfort zone is a wet blanket to the Holy Spirit's fire. It hinders the Holy Spirit, but God's comfort ignites His spiritual fire in you.

The biggest enemy against your personal and spiritual growth is your own comfort zone. It’s not your friend. Escape while you can! Until individual Christians are being transformed “from glory to glory” by the Holy Spirit, reforming the way church is done won’t change much.

Comfort zone Christianity is a spiritually dangerous religion. The living Jesus can only comfort you when you are uncomfortable. Trusting in His presence and power will make you comfortable being uncomfortable. Prosperity focused Christianity is all about creating comfort zones. Biblical Christianity is about living in the supernatural comfort of the risen Jesus regardless of your circumstances.

We can't be physically separated from God because He is omnipresent. However, we can harden our heart, reject, and deny Him. Heart separation from God is a terrible thing.

Your comfort zone and God's comfort are not the same thing: Your comfort zone is self-focused. God's comfort is Christ-focused.

Your comfort zone is any cozy place that you go and the comfy things that you settle into to comfort yourself, instead of looking to the living God and welcoming the Holy Spirit to be your Comforter. It's anywhere you can forget about, ignore, or deny your problems, but God's comfort is received in the middle of your problems.[image error]Pexels.com" data-medium-file="https://hopethoughts.com/wp-content/u..." data-large-file="https://hopethoughts.com/wp-content/u..." src="https://hopethoughts.com/wp-content/u..." alt="" class="wp-image-42541" />Photo by Jean van der Meulen on Pexels.com

My Ideal Day

My ideal day is when my heart overflows with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” As long as I can remember I have been seeking to increase those qualities in my life.

My dad inspired me to want to be like that. He was one of the most positive, hopeful people I have ever seen. When he was in the early stages of dementia, I was asking him about his life. He said to me, “No matter what happens from here on, I’ve had a wonderful life.”

Because of his ongoing example of joy and optimism, I have always wanted to feel good about my life. When I was young, I started reading positive thinking and self-help books. I’ve devoured many hundreds of them. The book that has most helped and empowered me to have a joyful, hope-filled life, day after day, is the Bible.

For an ideal day, I’ve discovered that the Bible needs to be celebrated with “delight” (Psalm 1:2) not just studied or merely read with the head. Ponder it, (Psalm 119:11) savor it, (Psalm 119:97) absorb it deep within you. (Hebrews 4:12) “Let the words of Christ dwell in you richly,” (Colossians 3:16) and unceasingly. (John 15:7) Quote the Bible (Joshua 1:8) until its words burn in your heart (Jeremiah 23:29). Let it light your way, (Psalm 119:105) train you in how to live, (2 Timothy 3:16) and empower you to do what it says. (James 1:22) and you’ll be inspired to “greatly delight” in it. (Psalm 112:1)

Here’s a picture of my dad when He was in the later stages of Alzheimer’s. You can still see the joy in His eyes! Even then he was positive and upbeat.

A Better Perspective

For a better perspective on life that can fill you with hope and encouragement. look away from yourself, from your problems, and from your concerns. Rely on God’s compassion and mercy. Look unto Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2)

God has work to do
Inside of you.
Allow Him to
Will and do
According to
His good pleasure.
Surrender to
Father, Son,
And Spirit too.
(Philippians 2:13)

In order to
Receive revelation
From the Father,
Open your heart to
Jesus Christ.
Let Him live in you
And direct all
You say and do
By allowing Him to
Daily guide
And lead you
By His Spirit.

Continually
Let Jesus do
Whatever
He wants to
In and through you.

Let God pour His unfailing love, compassion, and mercy into your heart through the Holy Spirit. (Romans 5:5) If you refuse to let God connect with you heart to heart, no amount of religion can save you.

God offers SI, supernatural intelligence called revelation, (Matthew 16:17) to those who will humbly and hungrily open their heart to Him. AI provides information, but God’s SI produces heart transformation.

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My “To-Do” That Never Gets Totally Done

The top priority on my to-do list that never gets completely done is a never-ending goal — to fully surrender my heart and life to God, to entirely obey Him, and to love Him with my all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind. That’s my challenge and calling moment by moment.

God the Father wants to give people supernatural revelation. He invites us to open our heart to Jesus “Come unto Me all you who are weary,” (Matthew 11:28), to one another, “Love one another,” (John 13:34), and to the Bible “Meditate on it day and night,” (Joshua 1:8), so that we can truly know Him and praise Him with all that we are.

The Lord is my Shepherd. He supplies all that I need. He leads me into His presence. He restores my soul and invites me to taste and see that He is good. He comforts me. His perfect love casts out my fears, even in the presence of my enemies. My heart overflows with the fruit of His Spirit all the days of my life and I will dwell with Him forever.

When Christ-followers gather to talk to Jesus and to listen to and obey what He has to say, the glory of God shows up! Try it and see.

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Cookin’ Up True Love

My favorite thing to cook up is true love. I delight to heat up and “stir up the gift of God which is in” me (2 Timothy 1:6) so that God’s kindness and compassion flow from deep within me to everyone I encounter (even to my enemies).

Here’s the recipe:

Fully surrender your heart and life (your plans and your future) to the risen Jesus. Let Him fill you with His presence so that His words continually burn in your heart to cook up His supernatural love within you. Always keep your trust in the Lord. Completely rely on Him. Even when people “do not speak peaceably” to you but instead “devise false accusations” against you, depend on the Lord, not on retaliation. (“God is love,” are you?)“Love your enemies,” “do good to those who hate you,” “bless those who curse you,” and “pray for those who despitefully use you.” Always be “speaking the truth in love.”“Let the Lord be exalted,” by the way you show respect and kindness to those you disagree with and even to those who mistreat you. Refuse to be defeated by your own self-righteousness, anger, unforgiveness, and bitterness.

To disrespect the humanity of one person is to disrespect the humanity of us all. Love respectively speaks truth with kindness. Cook some up today!

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My Mind is my First Computer

My mind is my first computer. I was born with it. I work hard to keep all distractions and viruses completely away from it. I strive to continually surrender my mouse and keyboard to God so that He can program and reform my mind and heart according to His will.

Now is the time that Christ-followers open up and let the Holy Spirit come on us anew and afresh and warm our hearts to the point that we know that we know that we know that we are supernaturally empowered to be Christ’s witnesses in our churches — in our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and our social circles — and to the ends of the earth! Jesus, the Word become flesh, is calling us to let Him reform us by His Spirit. Let’s make plenty of room for open, Spirit-prompted testimonies when we gather in His name. (Revelation 12:11 & 1 Corinthians 14:26.)

If you aren’t serious about following Jesus, you won’t want to be led by the Holy Spirit. God is raising up reformers, people who are letting the Holy Spirit reform the way their life and their church services are conducted. Be one!

A Reformation Call Straight from the Bible

When an outward form
Of godliness
And religion
Without the Spirit-led
Power to transform
Human hearts and lives
Has become the norm
And people are lukewarm,
From such turn away.
It’s time for reform.
Let the risen Christ
Take the over the platform
And begin to warm
Hearts that are far from Him
So that His words
Burn within them
And reform
Them with the power
To boldly testify!
(2 Timothy 3:5, Romans 8:14,
Romans 12:2, Revelation 3:16,
Matthew 15:8, Luke 24:32, & Acts 1:8)

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Effectively Overcoming Fear

One thing that people are scared to do is to open up a church service to rely on the actual presence living Jesus and to be directly led by His Spirit instead of by a program or a human leader. That fear keeps churches institutionalized, compromised, and fragmentized. Religious formalism prevents Christians from opening their heart to one another and encouraging each other. (There are more that 50 places in the New Testament where Christ-followers are told to minister to one another in various ways.)

The Bible blesses those who look intently into it with an open humble heart and continue to soak it in and implement it day and night by not forgetting what they’ve read but putting it into ongoing action. (James 1:25) To be blessed with “the freedom and glory of the children of God,” (Romans 8:21) do and obey the word throughout each day.

To overcome the fear of relying on the risen Jesus, begin to trust Him little by little. Instead of always trying to do everything by your own wisdom and power, surrender something to Him. Ask Jesus to show you what He wants you to do about it. Then wait until you get a response and do what He tells you to. The results will be amazing and step by step they will build your confidence in Christ and overcome your fear of relying on Him. (If you aren’t serious about following Jesus, you won’t want to be led by the Holy Spirit or the Bible.)

I was talking recently to a 93-year-old woman I know. She began to tell me that she was afraid of being forced out of her home of many years. Her landlord had told her that he was planning to put her home up for sale and that she might have to move. She was visibly worried and fearful. The Holy Spirit prompted me to ask her if I could pray for her. I did and she consented.

I put my hand on her shoulder and began to pray that God would remove her fear and worry, give her peace of mind, and also make a way that she can stay in her home. Two days later I saw her, and she was beaming. She said that her landlord had changed his mind. He told her that she could stay in her home for the rest of her life. That experience helped us both take a bold step toward overcoming our fear of daily relying on Jesus.

The body of Christ
Has been analyzed
And highly organized,
Institutionalized
And compartmentalized,
Deeply compromised
And so fragmentized,
That it’s unrecognized.
It desperately needs
To be energized
And mobilized
By the risen Jesus!

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