Steve Simms's Blog, page 5
October 2, 2025
I Feel Out of Place in Church
View all responsesWeek after week
Sermons scatter seeds
When preachers quote
From the Bible.
But those seeds won’t grow
In people’s hearts
Without living water
From God’s Spirit
That empowers people
And prompts them to do
What God tells them to.
(John 7:38-39)
Church should be
Something you do
Not just something
You sit through.
Let Christians gather
To listen to
And to do
What God’s Spirit
Tells them to.
(Corinthians 14:26)
When Christians are only hearers
Their religion is deceptive
Like a show of smoke and mirrors.
God doesn’t want Sunday sitters
Or mere shallow worship cheerers.
He wants people to be doers.
Do this: Read and actually do
James 1:22-27.
A church service that sets people down to hear the word but doesn’t give them time to do the word is in violation of James 1:22-23 and is helping people to deceive themselves. There is no logical or biblical reason why a church service couldn’t allow people some time to do the word every Sunday morning. But instead of training people to do the word, most church services seem like a religious talk do-over week after week.
It’s okay to want to change the way church is done. Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, Meno Simons, George Fox, John Wesley, William and Catherine Booth, and William Seymour at Azusa Street all changed the way church was done, yet people consider them to be heroes of the faith.
October 1, 2025
Some Things Don’t Require a Computer
View all responsesThere is a guide
Who knows the way.
Let Him lead you
Throughout each day.
When you are weak
He is so strong.
Follow along.
(Romans 8:14 and
2 Corinthians 12:8-10)
Beauty is revealed when flowers open up to the sun. It’s also revealed when people humbly open up to the Son of God.
Jesus wants you to be His disciple. Discipleship is learning to listen to and obey “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” (Colossians 1:27) — God the Holy Spirit — throughout each day. (John 14:15-21)
True discipleship happens when people connect heart to heart with God and with each other. It’s not about following a curriculum or listening to a sermon in an attempt to teach (or to learn) Bible information. Discipleship is about learning to hear and obey God the Holy Spirit every day and night. Anything that quenches the Spirit hinders discipleship. (1 Thessalonians 5:19)
When people are locked into a routine or a program, the freedom of the Holy Spirit to directly direct them is quenched. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will teach you what to say in the moment. (Luke 12:12) Discipleship trains people to lean not on their own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6) but instead to continually rely on and wholly depend on the presence and power of the risen Jesus to lead and guide them (Romans 8:14) moment by moment.
Preachers, instead of writing what you are going to say on paper or on a screen, why not let God the Holy Spirit write it on your heart and trust Him to bring it to your remembrance when it’s time to say it?
When Christians are only hearers
Their religion is deceptive
Like a show of smoke and mirrors.
God doesn’t want Sunday sitters
Or mere shallow worship cheerers.
He wants people to be doers.
Do this: Read and actually do
James 1:22-27.
September 30, 2025
The Skill of Receiving Revelation
View all responsesI believe revelation is available to all human beings. However, it isn’t automatic. We can learn how to open up to it. Rev up your capacity to receive revelation.
“When Jesus saw their faith . . .” (Mark 2:5) Jesus can see your level of faith. People can also see your faith or the lack thereof by what you do or don’t do. (James 2;18) Your behavior loudly proclaims what you believe and what you don’t believe. What does your lifestyle say about your level of faith?
If you need greater faith focus on God with your heart, not with your own understanding. Much of Christianity has abandoned the biblical believe that Jesus wants to reveal Himself directly to every human being. (Matthew 23:27-39) Christ’s revelation isn’t just the last book of the Bible. It’s Jesus Christ communicating directly to your heart.
Revelation isn’t study. It is insight given to you directly from God. True divine revelation causes people to see things from God’s perspective and to live a transformed life. (2 Corinthians 5:17) God wants to reveal Himself to you more and more day by day. Will you let Him? (1 Thessalonians 5:19)
Trying to figure God out with your mind will lead you to either pride or confusion. Continually opening your heart to God’s direct revelation will bring you peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7) and joy unspeakable and full of glory. (1 Peter 1:8)
A mind informed by information about God cannot compare to a heart set on fire by direct revelation from God. (Matthew 16:17) Spiritual awakening happens when people humbly open up their heart to receive and obey direct revelation from God.
“Lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) Without direct personal revelation from God to your heart your faith is leaning on and depending on your own understanding of spiritual things.
What eye can’t see, and ear can’t hear, and mind can’t understand, God wants to reveal directly to your heart. (1 Corinthians 2:9-10) Will you humbly open yourself up to His supernatural revelation?
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Inner Well Being
View all responsesHow to be glad inside: Instead of trying to forgive yourself truly forgive, pray for, and bless everybody who has hurt or offended you and soon you’ll begin to experience God’s forgiveness of your sins in a fresh, healing, and amazing way. “Forgive and you will be forgiven.”
To truly believe in Jesus is to continually rearrange your thoughts, words, and behaviors to align with His will so that He is your constant, literal, and absolute Master, King, and Lord. The Bible calls that ongoing process, repentance. The good news of the Gospel of Christ is that because King Jesus has come and continues to be present in the person of God the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of God (His inner government of your life) is now close at hand. Will you fully and continually submit to, rely on, and obey His authority as “Christ in you, the hope of glory”?
History has shown that religion can be legislated and imposed on people but heart-felt Spirit-led Christianity can’t be legislated. It must be demonstrated by passionate Christ-followers who faithfully listen to and obey the risen Jesus.
To be truly led by the Spirit and not by the flesh you must ignore and deny your own thoughts, feelings, desires and opinions so that you can hear, focus on, and obey what God is saying to you. Listen to God’s promptings. Ponder what He says. Let it burn in your heart as holy fire. Check what you hear with Scripture. When it aligns with the bible you have truly heard from God. Then get up and do or say what He told you to regardless of the consequences.
To be truly led by the Spirit:
* Believe that God is speaking to you.
* Believe that you are hearing Him correctly.
* Ignore any fear you have about obeying what He is telling you to do.
* Actively obey God no matter how you feel.
* Be willing to make mistakes and quickly repent when you do.
* Don’t let mistakes in hearing God stop you from continually listening to and obeying Him. Learn from mistakes and keep listening to God.
* Saturate yourself with Scripture. Consistently read it and soak it up with your heart.
September 28, 2025
Priority One
View all responsesPriority one: First things first. I have discovered that I experience and realize what I prioritize. Therefore, I prioritize the kingdom of God and seek it first. Jesus first! No nation, no notion, no person, no desire, no plan can be first in my life. Only Christ the King!
If Christians instead of fighting back tears (John 11:35) would stop quenching the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19) there would be a mighty move of God throughout the land. Put Jesus always first and let Him continually touch your heart.
Always prioritize the greatest prize–“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27) Things that are eternal should never be set aside for things that are temporary. (Colossians 3:1-2) Let the Creator of time continually direct your time, your thoughts, and your behavior. (John 1:1-3)
Whatever or whoever you focus on most is you’re first priority. Few dare to keep Jesus first. Changing your priorities changes your life. Try it and see. Put Jesus first.
When people consistently keep as their first priority listening to and obeying the risen Jesus their lives begin to demonstrate His presence and reality as the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit flow through them and heal those around them. Their lifestyle demonstrates their priorities.
Can someone be a low-priority Christ-follower? If daily listening to and obeying the living Jesus isn’t someone’s first priority, is he a Christian? Have the courage to demote every priority in your life that is higher than Jesus. When people say that they don’t have time to pray, or that they are too busy to read the Bible, what they are really saying is that those things are low priority for them.
Much that you now think matters won’t matter in eternity. Clocks are ticking. Your days are numbered. Prioritize Christ while you still can. Keeping Jesus first means saying no to a lot of things.
“Someday I’ll . . .” is not a priority. It’s not a dream. It’s not even a desire. It’s an excuse! All is well when you keep Emmanuel as your first priority. (Romans 8:28)
It’s easy to prioritize what you see. It’s hard to prioritize what can’t be seen with your eyes — hope, love, joy, inner peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Jesus is invisible, yet when people seek first keeping Him as their first priority their lives radiate the fruit of His Spirit.
As long as they’re alive people have an equal 24 hours a day. What isn’t equal for people is their priorities. If you would like to have more time to spend with Jesus, make Him your first priority. Then you will have an amazing amount of time for Him.
Faith is something to share.
Show people that you care.
Connect with heart-felt prayer.
Jesus is everywhere.
Breathe God’s Spirit like air.
Let love never be rare
And then you will prepare
The way of the Lord.
(Matthew 3:3)
September 27, 2025
The Fulfillment of Focus
View all responsesHard work distracts my focus from my problems, from my concerns, and from my self-focus, but it doesn’t truly make me feel fulfilled. What does make me fill fulfilled is a persistent focus on the living Jesus Christ.
I’ve discovered that an occasional devotional thought about Jesus or a Sunday morning glance at Him will do very little, but ongoing focus on Him is revolutionary. I’ve been a lot of places and seen a lot of things, but nothing or no one has ever grasped and held my attention like the risen Jesus Christ.
If you maintain intimate connection with the risen Jesus, you will live in resurrection power. (John 15:4) Keep your attention on the living Jesus and little by little you will begin to interact with Him and obey Him day and night. True Christianity is ultimately a matter of staying focused on the living Jesus. (Hebrews 12:2)
When your attention is focused on Jesus your heart and your behavior follow Him. Jesus is within your reach. He’s reaching out for you. Will you live your life focused on reaching out to Him? (Matthew 11:28-29) Too much focus on religion can prevent you from daily interacting with the living and present Jesus.
The early Christ-followers were so intensely focused on Jesus that they were called “Christians.” (Acts 11:26) Multitudes of American Christians are spreading a name all over social media and wherever they go, but it isn’t the name of Jesus. (Acts 4:10-12)
If Christians today were named by what they focus most on, they would be called: Prosperityians, Faithians, Politicsians Religionians, Prideians, Churchians, Sermonians, Graceians, Pastorians, Justiceians, Patriotians, Prayerians, Selfians, and on and on. According to what you focus on most, what would you be called?
Religion can be a vaccine. I am antivaccine when it comes to religion that vaccinates people against seeking first the kingdom (inner government) of God by making them think that they have already received a ticket to Heaven and all they need to do is to attend and support a church.
When you notice the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit spontaneously and abundantly flowing through a Christian, you’re seeing someone who is focused on Jesus. (Galatians 5:22-23)
True Christianity
Isn’t hocus pocus.
It’s obedient and
Intensive Christ-focus.
Jesus has been crucified.
Jesus has been tortured.
Jesus has been mocked.
Jesus has been despised.
Jesus has been rejected.
Jesus has been ignored.
Jesus has been acknowledged.
Jesus has been accepted.
Jesus has been honored.
Jesus has been praised.
Jesus has been worshipped.
Jesus has been obeyed.
Jesus has been fully surrendered to.
How do you treat Jesus?
When you notice the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit spontaneously and abundantly flowing through a Christian, you’re seeing someone who is focused on Jesus. (Galatians 5:22-23)
True Christianity
Isn’t hocus pocus.
It’s obedient and
Intensive Christ-focus.
Jesus has been crucified.
Jesus has been tortured.
Jesus has been mocked.
Jesus has been despised.
Jesus has been rejected.
Jesus has been ignored.
Jesus has been acknowledged.
Jesus has been accepted.
Jesus has been honored.
Jesus has been praised.
Jesus has been worshipped.
Jesus has been obeyed.
Jesus has been fully surrendered to.
How do you treat Jesus?
September 26, 2025
Hunger to Know God Better
View all responsesI want to be
Like a dewdrop
On a grass blade
And to sparkle
In the sunlight
Of Jesus Christ.
The focus of church could be on something much greater than listening to one person preach every week. The focus of church could be on the presence of the risen Jesus and on helping people to be so aware of His very presence that Christ produces the fruit of the Spirit in and through them all week long.
Church could be a community instead of a lecture hall. We don’t need women to preach in church or men either. The Good News needs to be preached to non-believers, not to a gathered group of believers. They have already heard and received the Gospel.
A gathering of Christ-followers needs to be trained to hear God the Holy Spirit and to obey His inner promptings. Everyone present needs to be free to follow the leading of the Spirit. Then they can all demonstrate Christ’s presence by teaching, serving, and encouraging one another, by showing kindness to and sharing the Good News with non-believers, and by actively loving their enemies.
I believe that the calling of a pastor is to help people manifest the fruit of the Spirit in daily life. If you are helping someone to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit, you are a pastor.
When Paul and Barnabas were teaching Gods Word and announcing the Good News in Antioch, it wasn’t just the two of them doing it all. They had many other people preaching and teaching with them. There was no one-man pastor in Antioch. (Acts 15:35)
I don’t condemn traditional church. God uses it. However, I do try to encourage people to go beyond being passive Sunday spectators and to learn to be led by the Spirit day and night. (Romans 8:28) To learn more about how to go beyond church google: Beyond Church Ekklesia.
The kingdom of God isn’t about empire or physical dominion. It’s about humbly surrendering your will to God’s will. The kingdom of God is neither an imperial nor a physical kingdom. It’s immaterial and arterial. It invisibly flows from the heart of God.
Christians with a vision
Of calling and mission
Want more than a sermon
Or a religious talk.
They want a daily walk
With Jesus Christ Himself.
When you taste
And you see
God is good,
You’ll make haste
Not to waste
A moment
Without Him.
Always stay,
Day-by-day
Connected
Heart-to-heart
With Jesus.
Live His way
Not your way.
If you stray
Hear Him say,
“It’s okay
To come back
Home to Me.”
September 25, 2025
I Write Because of Inner Promptings (Not for Money)
View all responsesI pursue writing because of inner promptings, not because of money. I believe it’s vital to learn to listen to and obey what God is saying in your heart.
When you ignore God the Holy Spirit, you make Him sad. Try not to do that. If you’ve ever been ignored you know how that feels. The Bible says not to make the Spirit sad. (Ephesians 4:30) Instead pay close attention to the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit and let Him speak to you and guide you from within. (John 16:13)
“Walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:16) Set your mind on the things of the Spirit. (Romans 8:5) Let the Holy Spirit reveal things to you. (1 Corinthians 2:10)
Stop resisting the Spirit and holding Him back. (1 Thessalonians 5:19) Instead cast down imaginations and bring your every thought captive into the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4) Always let the supernatural peace of God guard your heart and your mind. (Philippians 4:7)
Without the active and direct leadership of God the Holy Spirit Christianity shifts into being led by human programs and religious organizations. “Quench not the Spirit.” Allow the Spirit to personally and continually lead you from within. It is much easier to focus on trying to build the kingdom of God through our own effort and human government than it is to allow God the Holy Spirit to build His kingdom inside of you.
Here’s how I let the Holy Spirit speak to me. I look at what is in front of me and open my heart to inspiration. I was looking across a field at a forest and wrote this:
When I look at a group of treetops as they point to the sky, I see many trees of different heights, types, shapes, sizes, and shades of green. Yet I see only one forest and it is fully cooperating with the inner flow of life. Perhaps if people would let life-enhancing kindness freely flow from within them we could all point to the sky and stand together in awe of the beauty around us.
Later, I saw three doves sitting in a row on an electric wire in front of the majestic view of one great mountain topped by three peaks lined up, side by side. The doves showed me that true power doesn’t come from pride or strength or force. It comes from the love of God the Father, the death and resurrection of God the Son, and the indwelling presence of God the Holy Spirit.
The human raceNeeds more space
For great kindness
In every heart,
And true joy
On every face.
Slow down your pace
And make a place
For a release
Of inner peace.
September 24, 2025
The Culture of Kindness
View all responsesBefore the kingdom of God happens outwardly it happens inwardly inside of a human heart. That has been happening, without observation, for 2,000 years and has created a culture of purity, righteousness, and kindness.
Christians are called to be authoritative without being authoritarian. They are supposed to demonstrate and to speak the truth in love. (Ephesians 4:15)
The kingdom of God culture refuses to follow or praise people who engage in demonic activity. Instead, it listens to and learns from people who demonstrate the fruit of God the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Unsubstantiated accusations are demonic. The Bible calls Satan the accuser. (Revelation 12:10)
Lies are demonic. The Bible calls Satan the father of lies. (John 8:44)
Unforgiveness and bitterness are demonic. Jesus wants people to forgive each other. (Colossians 3:13)
Ongoing anger is demonic. The Bible says: “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” (Ephesians 4:26-27)
Promoting fear is demonic. The Bible says: “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
Christ-followers are called to cast out demons. (Mark 16:17) They are supposed to fight evil with spiritual weapons not with physical violence. (2 Corinthians 10:4)
I saw windblown red blooms riding high in a tall tree, flagging down my attention, making me think about the blood of Jesus and the door to the kingdom of God culture that God opened for me to know Him heart-to-heart. Living and abiding moment by moment inside of that door thrills me, fills me with peace and joy, and enriches my life beyond my greatest dreams.
September 23, 2025
I Love the Quaker Brand
View all responses
I love the Quaker brand, but not the company that makes and sells oatmeal. I love the Society of Friends that began in the 1600s and were called Quakers as an insult because they often shook and trembled during prayer and worship. I’m not so fond of the modern version of Quakers, but. I greatly admire the early Quakers. Here’s why:
I am inspired by the early Quaker peace testimony. They took the Sermon on the Mount literally. They believed that Christians should actually “turn the other cheek,” “love your enemies,” and “bless those who curse you.” They believed in total non-violence. The people stirring up political violence in the USA need to listen to the early Quakers. No one should be assassinated for his or her political views. No one! I miss an America where you could kindly express your opinion without someone wanting to demonize you because of your beliefs. The freedom to politely express your opinion (as I am doing now) without being hated for what you say makes a nation great. If America doesn’t get that freedom back no leader can “make it great again.” The early Quakers can show the way.I love the early Quaker faithfulness to the Bible and to historic Christian doctrine. Many modern Quakers like so many Christian denominations have abandoned the belief in basic Christian doctrine and biblical morality. Many people who call themselves Christians proclaim that they are deconstructing their faith. That often means that they reject the authority of the Bible. The early Quakers put the Bible and the Holy Spirit above non-biblical traditions and rituals.I am thrilled about the early Quaker belief in the equality of all Christ-followers. They rejected the non-biblical clergy/laity divide. They embraced Jesus’ command to not create and follow a human hierarchy. I am excited by the early Quaker rejection of planned worship meetings and their desire to let the Holy Spirit personally direct all that happened when they gathered to worship God. Everybody present was encouraged to listen to the Spirit and then say or do what they heard.The early Quakers discovered that God is more powerful than religion and politics. God transforms people. His supernatural transformation of people is much more powerful than anything that politics or religion have to offer. Seek to be continually transformed by Him. Live in continual surrender to God and demonstrate His love, power, and presence to everyone you encounter.The early Quakers trained people to be led by God the Holy Spirit — to be still and quiet and to notice and obey His inner promptings and the things He brings to mind and puts on the heart. Quiet is uncommon in contemporary culture. Hearts that need mending are crowded with clamor and chaos. Pensive solitude is seldom experienced in a society that prides itself on activity, accomplishment, and acclaim that is mixed with long doses of entertainment. Keeping up appearances by manipulating visible things and outward behaviors has eclipsed and darkened the interior richness and abundant encouragement that is available to the human heart. Like the early Quakers, we need to simply listen to and obey the inner voices of faith, hope, and love and let them lead us to joy and peace beyond measure. God is speakingToday.
Will I listen
To what
He has to say?
Or will I walk
Away?
I want to stay
In His presence
And hear His voice
All day.
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