Steve Simms's Blog, page 46
July 19, 2024
Savoring the Most Comforting Taste
View all responsesI love to savor the most comforting taste that I’ve ever experienced. One way I do that is by eating and savoring a bit of bread as I think about and ponder a special moment in the Bible when Jesus shared bread and wine with His disciples shortly before He was crucified. The Bible also says, “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” God can be experienced not with the physical sense of taste but with the tasting of the heart through faith-based vulnerability.
God didn’t design Christianity to be forced on people. He designed it to win people’s hearts by humbly demonstrating Christ’s love. Christianity isn’t a club to beat people into better behavior. It’s spiritual awakening that supernaturally changes people from within.
Jesus showed how His followers are called to fight their battles when He laid down His life and asked God to forgive those who hung Him on the Cross. That’s faith-based vulnerability.
If Christians aren’t fighting with the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) they’ve picked up the wrong weapons! Spirit-led Christians fight their battles with love and with all the rest of the fruit of the Spirit. The essential leadership that a Christian needs is the leadership of the Holy Spirit. No other leader is essential. (See Romans 8:14.)
No mere human being should ever be looked at like a god. America needs some humble voices like Martin Luther King’s, Mahatma Ghandi’s, and Mother Teresa’s who will kindly, yet boldly and courageously speak the truth in love.
True Christianity
Isn’t a Sunday show.
It’s the Spirit’s overflow
That rises up to show
The reality of Christ’s love.
July 18, 2024
Making My Mind Mind Me
View all responsesI love challenges. If a game (or if life) is too easy I get bored with it. I love the daily challenge of making my mind mind me. My mind is stubborn and wants to do whatever it wants, even when my free will doesn’t want it to do or think something. I want my mind to align with Jesus, but it continually resists.
One of my favorite things to do is to take my mental control panel and strive to make my mind line up with the will of God. Therefore, my free will and my mind are often in conflict and engaged in a type of inner warfare.
The Bible talks about that. It says: “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 5. The real fight between good and evil isn’t in the social, political, or military arenas. It’s not primarily about overcoming and banishing physical enemies. The true battle between right and wrong is about each person overcoming and banishing the evil thoughts, feelings, and desires in his own mind and heart.
It does me little good to call other people evil and blame them for my problems when my number one problem is the evil in my own heart. If I’m not willing to work to fix myself, saying that other people are evil and are causing my problems is a cop out.
For me picking up and effectively using the control panel of my mind isn’t a game. It’s a game changer. I do it throughout each day because it pushes aside the evil that is within me and prepares the way for Christ who lives in me to step up and release His goodness in and through me. When that happens, life is so gloriously exciting that it floods me with the joy of the Lord!
Who or what is controlling your mind? Think about it.
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Jesus is God’s Beloved Son. Hear Him!
The Lord is near.
Tune up your ears,
So you can hear
What Christ in you
Is saying to you.
Biblical Christianity is about the good news (gospel) of Jesus Christ and the kingdom (government) of God. (See Mark 1:1 and Matthew 24:14.) When Christians let their daily focus drift away from Jesus and what He has done and is now doing and to establish His government and authority inside the heart of each one of His followers by living and working and speaking within them, they get off track and get trapped in “another gospel.” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Accept no substitute for the good news of Jesus and His kingdom within you. Let Jesus live and speak in you and be your Lord so that moment-by-moment you seek to surrender to His presence by listening for and obeying His promptings in your heart.
Christ’s sheep hear His voice. His voice will be aligned with righteousness, holiness, truth, humility, and purity, with the 9 characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit, and with the Bible. If a thought enters your heart that so aligns, that’s the still small voice of Jesus, the beloved Son of God. Hear Him.
If Christ is living inside of you then you have spiritual insights and experiences that you need to tell people about. Ask God to remind you about what you have seen and heard the risen Jesus say and do. Ask Him for the courage to share it with other people. Then do it!
The Bible tells Christians to “speak the truth in love.” If we are not absolutely certain that something is true, we shouldn’t speak it. And if we are certain of its truth, we should speak it with humility and kindness.
Jesus can touch, heal, and transform hurting human hearts. Politics can’t.
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Discovering and Uncovering the Deeply Hidden Christian Unity
If Christians will always put and keep the spotlight on the resurrected Jesus, humbly align with His will, demonstrate and proclaim His presence, and lovingly wave His banner, we will discover supernatural heart-to-heart unity that we are ignoring. Instead, through the centuries we have divided into tens of thousands of denominations and hundreds of thousands of independent churches. We’ve taken political and religious sides. We’ve killed each other in the name of God over doctrinal differences and in the name of patriotic warfare, and we’ve even forcibly held each other in life-long slavery, Christians selling Christians like animals. (Even today Christians are killing Christians in Ukraine and in other places because their loyalty to their country or ideology is greater than their loyalty to Jesus.)
A casual observer can see that even today Christians see each other as competitors, threats, and even enemies. Yet Jesus prayed that we would be one, even as the Father and He are one. What happened?
I believe that God answered that prayer. If you are a Christ-follower, you and I are one in Christ, even if we openly deny it by our words, actions, and independent religious institutions. If the risen Jesus is truly living inside of me and actually living inside of you, there’s no greater unity than that! How desperately we need to acknowledge, embrace, appreciate and honor God’s wonderful gift of Christian unity! I frequently experience that gift of spiritual unity as I open my heart to and compassionately interact with all kinds of Christians who see things differently than I do. You can too!
O God, forgive us that we Christians have ignored the amazing way that you have joined us together heart-to-heart through the death and resurrection of Jesus and His coming to live inside each one of us through the Holy Spirit. Remove our spiritual blindness, our arrogance and pride. Help us recognize and deeply feel the amazing unity of the Spirit so that we can and will love one another across the lines that continually divide humanity and so that we can be a light to each other and to this world of darkness. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
There’s such joy in Christian unity. Don’t miss out on it! Google: The Joy of Early Christianity.
July 15, 2024
I Want to Dish Up Some Courtesy
View all responsesI want to dish up courtesy for our culture to feast on. Here’s a first step: Political leaders should be required to pass an annual courtesy test or be disqualified from office. Candor and courtesy make a great combo. For a country to be great honesty and kindness must work together.
Something happens when people are courteous to each other. They find ways to overcome conflict, disagree agreeably, and work together for the common good. They become aware of their shared humanity. Courtesy cultivates community and communication.
As human beings we have the right to disagree with what other people believe, say, and do, but we don’t have a right to mock and insult them. And we don’t have a right to call people haters just because they disagree with us.
Courtesy doesn’t require that you surrender your point of view. It simply requires that you be kind to people who disagree with you. Courtesy is the oil that keeps the frictions of society from burning out the engine of heart-felt community.
Courtesy causes people to want to find ways to work around differences. Confrontation makes people resist any compromise. Spread courtesy not cantankerousness.
Courtesy costs nothing but a bit of kindness, yet it opens the door for people to connect heart-to-heart. Courtesy isn’t based on agreement. It’s based on kindness.
Courteousness connects people and helps them find common ground. Cantankerousness causes conflict and casts out civility. If you want your country to be great, be courteous and compassionate, not callous and cantankerous.
Be courteous to the people you are in conflict with. It will confuse them and might just defuse their hostility. Try it and see!
The multitudes of men who used to be Boy Scouts proclaimed themselves to be “courteous” along with 11 other virtues. If they would all begin to live up to their proclamation, the world would be in much better shape.
The Bible says: “Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.” To insult or demonize leaders is to destabilize society. It is a human right to speak truth to power but not to verbally brutalize the people who hold positions of power. Instead of forced political correctness we need sincere political courtesy.
People need to see
Some courtesy.
Show them some today.
July 14, 2024
America Has Lost Track of Time!
View all responsesThe United States is closer to political collapse and chaos than it has been since the Civil War. The political anger and hatred that is spreading and growing is dangerous and can easily ignite a firestorm of political violence. America has lost track of time. The time to save America is now. The way to save it is rational debate, kindness, and long-term compromise on the issues that are shaking its foundations.
The uncompromising political paths chosen by both the hard left and the hard right are about to blow America apart. Political leaders in the USA need to turn down the anger and accusations before it is too late.
The far right and the far left aren’t making America great and they’re not saving democracy. They’re both making a horrible mess. It’s time for those who lean right and those who lean left to come together, compromise, and restore sanity to the USA before it blows apart in front of our eyes.
Cowards use political violence. There’s no place for political violence in a decent country — no violent actions and no vicious words. It’s time for peacemakers to speak up and to call on people to replace anger, accusation, and hatred with rational debate, compromise and human kindness.
Jesus said: “Blessed are the peacemakers,” “Bless those who curse you,” and “Love your enemies.” Peacemaking is God’s will. It’s time to take Christ’s words seriously.
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View all responsesTormenting thoughts, feelings, and desires bother me. I have to battle them throughout each day. They try to control me from within. They try to make me obey them. They even try to force me to identify myself by their domination and definitions. But I refuse. I resist them, refute them, and reject them day and night.
When questions and doubts bully your mind, wrestle with your thoughts, desires, and feelings. Cast down imaginations and tormenting inner strongholds until you bring “every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” As human beings we have the power and ability to reject and repel thoughts, desires, and feelings that torment and mislead us and to welcome and embrace ones that align with Christ and give us peace.
Refuse to despair. Rely on God’s answers to your prayers. Receive the ongoing gift of His light (and insight) so you can “look not at the things that are seen but at the things that are unseen.” When you are surrounded by unanswered questions depend on God’s goodness and unfailing love for you, not on your own abilities and strength. Rejoice in, rely on, and obey the Lord regardless of how much your thoughts, desires, and feelings try to deceive you.
Be ever aware of the presence of Jesus. No matter where you are there He is. Notice Him! Depend on Him! Let Jesus give you gusto–great excitement, enjoyment, and enthusiasm for life. Let Him fill you with appreciation for every moment.
We live in a culture where people love to be entertained by pleasant deceptions but do their best to avoid hearing healing truth. Be courageous! Go against the tide. Fight against and overthrow every though, feeling, and desire that tries to manipulate and control you.
Never give up! There is power in numbers. Find a support group of people who sincerely want to be free from dominating thoughts, feelings, and desires and open your heart up to them. If people would begin to open their heart to experience the presence of Jesus throughout the week and then gather to share their experiences with one another, spiritual awakening would fill their nation.
Many people are afraid to seriously consider the possibility that Christ might be real because they don’t want to be held accountable by Him. Go beyond your fears and begin to trust in and rely on the risen Jesus.
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Ten “For Sures”
View all responsesI have the power and ability to reject and repel thoughts that torment and mislead me and to welcome and embrace thoughts that encourage me and give me peace. (I do it throughout each day.)I don’t have to obey my desires no matter how strong or compelling they may be. I can persistently resist and overcome them. I am more than my desires. I don’t have to let them force me to identify myself by my them.The only way I have ever been able to get rid of my guilt and shame is to ask for and receive God’s gift of forgiveness. Confessing my sins and being aware that I’m forgiven and set free from them is wonderful! However, trying to deny or medicate my guilt causes me much pain and many problems. When I humbly and honestly talk to Jesus I become aware of a positive, hope-filled inner voice. When I listen for the voice of Jesus to speak within me, I’m often prompted to take positive action and when I do, I frequently have experiences that defy logic and human reasoning. When I read the Bible with an open heart, it touches me and changes me from the inside out. I’m fully convinced that the Bible is inspired by God because it shows me my heart. When I ponder it and do what it says, it greatly improves my life. When I rely on God more than I rely on self-effort amazing things happen. I have met and heard the stories of many people from around the world (and read the stories of hundreds of people who lived in various cultures during the past 2,000 years) who tell how they have experienced and followed the risen Jesus in ways very similar to how I have. When I meet them or read their stories, I feel an instant heart-connection with them. No flag or nation represents the risen Jesus Christ. He’s King of His own kingdom that is within the heart of His true followers.[image error]Pexels.com" data-medium-file="https://hopethoughts.com/wp-content/u..." data-large-file="https://hopethoughts.com/wp-content/u..." tabindex="0" role="button" src="https://hopethoughts.com/wp-content/u..." alt="" class="wp-image-40339" />Photo by Brett Jordan on Pexels.com
July 12, 2024
Guess Who is Coming to Dinner?
View all responsesAllow Jesus to raise you up into His light.
Jesus wants to lift you out of the valley of darkness and deception and raise you up into His light. He wants to train you to be ever led by His Spirit so that you can continually live in His bright inner presence. Then you will reflect His glory and be a witness who testifies about and demonstrates the supernatural power and love of the resurrected Jesus to the people who are discouraged and defeated by this dark world.
Trials and troubles, pain and suffering, when embraced with grace, grind down the hardness of the human heart and expose its spiritual poverty so that it mourns, becomes meek, and hungers and thirsts for righteousness until it becomes merciful and pure and begins to make such amazing peace with God that it becomes a threat to those in rebellion against Him. Then in the face of the world’s persecution, that transformed heart aligns with the kingdom of God, is comforted, inherits great gratitude for life on earth, is filled with the fruit of God’s Spirit, is shown mercy, beholds the Lamb of God, and is called a child of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness. How their light shines!
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, a whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4.)
The witness, the verbal testimony and supernaturally transformed lifestyle, of people who have been dramatically changed and purified by the living Jesus will impact the world for good more than anything else. Yet multitudes of people have never heard a Spirit-empowered testimony. If Christ has worked and is working in your life, go show and tell what Jesus is doing. Turn up the dimmer and let your light brightly shine all the time.
Be courageous. Fully surrender to Christ’s purifying presence. Open your heart and allow the supernatural power of the risen Jesus Christ to continually touch, refine, and renew you from deep within.
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The Fountain of Inner Adventure
View all responsesI’m continually seeking the fountain of inner adventure, so I can bask in its exciting and refreshing rivers of living water that gush from deep within in me. This fantastic fountain is available to anyone. It’s described in the Bible in John 7:38.
The Holy Spirit Faith Fountain
Learn to activate
God’s faith fountain,
The Spirit’s inner flow,
That etches
Living words
On the soul
And causes God’s fruit
To grow and flourish
In hungry hearts.
The Spirit’s streaming
Leaves faces beaming
With the light of Christ.
Christianity
Is about more than
The Bible info
That you know.
It is about
Going with God’s flow
And being led
By His Spirit
Throughout each day.
If you want to grow
Strong in the Lord
You need to know
How to let
His Spirit flow
From deep within you.
(John 7:38.)
Don’t let life
Get you down.
Let “Christ in you,”
Lift you to
Higher ground.
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