Steve Simms's Blog, page 59

People who stream confidence

Daily writing promptWho is the most confident person you know?View all responses

True confidence doesn’t come from self-esteem. The most confident people I know have set aside self-esteem and learned to rely on continually streaming an unshakable source of inner confidence.

Human beings were made in the image of God, but we have all gone astray from His image and His presence. We have chosen our will instead of His will. By doing so we have broken our connection with His presence and our brain is offline, separated from God’s supernatural streaming. We are living without a deep sense of confidence within us. When a message appears on our inner screen saying that we’re offline, we quickly delete it or ignore it and continue with our disconnected attempts to remove the pain of our separation from the Source of true wisdom.

So, what can we do about it? We can connect with God’s earth link heart innernet service provider with the wireless connection God has provided through the Cross. The password is Jesus. Repeat His Name with hunger and sincerity from your innermost being. Eventually revelation (knowledge that comes from beyond the flesh and blood of the human brain) will begin to brightly shine in your heart. When that moment occurs begin to pursue and maintain that life-giving connection day and night for the rest of your life.

Then you will live with supernatural intelligence. Supernatural intelligence is the wireless signal that is continually calling human beings to inwardly connect with and to constantly stream rivers of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Supernatural intelligence infinitely surpasses the workings of a human brain. It’s not a product of nature. It is downloaded into and streamed though people from the living platform that is out of this world — the Creator of all that exists.

Learn to be guided, directed, led, and controlled by the source of all intelligence, the Creator of all that exists. He became a man as Jesus Christ. Then He made the way for rebellious people to be set free from their self-focus so that they can come into and forever live in intimacy with His presence, because of His sacrificial death on the Cross, His resurrection from the dead, and the outpouring of His Spirit.

Christ-followers are people who have connected heart-to-heart with the living God through the sacrificial death of Jesus on the Cross and who surrender their life moment-by-moment to the direct leadership and control of God’s Spirit living and working within them. Are you ready to follow Jesus?

For Christians to be the light that God wants us to be, we must move beyond superficiality and self-focus and into compassionate, humble heart-to-heart connection with each other and with all who need God’s hope and love. It’s time to make every moment an ongoing celebration of restoration to our heavenly Father and our transformation from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God’s Dear Son!

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A Hope Filled Think Tank Combats the Negative Feelings of Superficial Intelligence

Daily writing promptWhat strategies do you use to cope with negative feelings?View all responses

To combat negative feelings and tormenting thoughts I keep my think thank filled with hope. What’s in your think tank?

Superficial intelligence cold and hard like an iceberg. It will produce an artificial life. Get real. Fill your think tank with premium thoughts! People who rely on superficial intelligence are easily deceived. Dig deeper! If you let superficial intelligence, write or edit your thoughts, you’ll live a shallow life.

Superficial intelligence causes people to look for superficial ways to ease their pain and drives them into desperation and addiction. It’s easy to be addicted to and anesthetized by superficial intelligence. In our society it’s everywhere you look. Our culture is caught in the deep abyss of superficial intelligence. Society surrounds us with superficial intelligence that never deeply satisfies the human heart.

Superficial intelligence is cold, hard, dangerous and uncaring. It distracts people from deeper reality the way the tip of an iceberg does. Superficial intelligence tries to discover how humanity came about but it can’t give us any purpose for our being here. It’s incapable of producing lasting inner peace (or peace between nations).

Superficial intelligence categorizes people by appearance and overlooks their heart. It never leads to meaningful relationships. Superficial intelligence is a brain tranquilizer. It empties your think tank of purpose and significance.

Your mind is a terrible thing to trash. Keep your think thank clean and healthy. In our world of superficial intelligence, the search for significance requires that we look for deeper meaning in life.

Superficial intelligence sets superficial goals and produces superficial outcomes. I don’t have time for superficial intelligence. I want to make my life meaningful and full of purpose.

People have internal tools that can defeat and overcome their mental and emotional struggles, but too often we are unaware of those powerful weapons and have never learned how to effectively use them.

Thought blocking is a powerful interior tool. Break all contact with tormenting thoughts. Refuse to allow injurious ideas, impulses, or impressions into your mind.

I don’t have room for superficial intelligence. I want to fill my think tank with inspiring thoughts.

Elephants are wise, not superficial. Elephants INspiring The Room is a book for adults who want to improve their life and have fun doing it. Search for it online.

By always facing towards God’s light, I see “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” and He sets me free from the shackles of the dark shadows of sin within me. I strive to keep my think tank full of heart-felt wisdom and God-breathed inspiration.

For church to be a light it must move beyond superficiality into heart-to-heart connection! (Google: Beyond Church Ekklesia.) The world needs to see genuine demonstrations of supernatural intelligence.

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Where do I put myself?

Daily writing promptWhat activities do you lose yourself in?View all responses

I lose myself by:

Opening my heart to the promptings of God’s Spirit, Saying and doing what the Spirit tells me to do, Letting the Holy Spirit freely flow from my innermost being, Pondering in God’s Presence, Worshipping the Lord with passionate adoration, Two-way conversation with Jesus, Contemplative Bible reading, Praying in tongues (languages I don’t know),Striving to bring every thought into obedience to Christ, Opening my heart to other people, Letting people open their heart to me,Praying over other people and getting words for them,Letting Christ’s presence awe me through nature, Spirit-led interaction with other people, Testifying to and proclaiming the reality and power of Jesus, Reading the writings of Spirit-led Christians throughout history,Repeating Scripture over and over in my mind, Tasting and seeing that the Lord is good, Drawing near to God and letting Him draw near to me, Beholding the Lamb of God with the eyes of my heart,Letting God’s Spirit lead me moment-by moment, Rejoicing in the Lord always, Thanking God for my many blessings, Resisting the devil until he runs away from me, Being still and knowing that Jesus is the Creator in human flesh.Writing about what Jesus is saying and doing in and through me.

I frequently lose myself. I’ve discovered that my conscience can be made clean by my confession and by God’s forgiveness, but never by my denial. By always facing towards God’s light, I see “Christ in you, the hope of glory,” and He sets me free from the shackles of the dark shadows of sin and guilt within me.

Where do I put myself so that I can enjoy a wonderful life full of the fruit and the gifts of God’s Spirit? I lose myself in Jesus Christ and strive to stay ever aware of His presence.

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Brother Sun Sister Moon

Daily writing promptWhat movies or TV series have you watched more than 5 times?View all responses

Brother Sun Sister Moon is a movie about the life of St. Francis of Assisi. It was released in 1972 and directed by Franco Zeffirelli. I normally don’t like to watch a movie more than once, but I have seen that one more than 30 times.

It’s full of awe-inspiring scenery, beautiful music by the artist Donovan, and heart-touching interaction. It shows how the young man Francis was totally broken by participating in the combat of the Crusades, yet finally found peace by encountering, listening to, following, and obeying Jesus.

Francis’ story is a thirteenth century demonstration of this first century event. When a religious man had Jesus as a dinner guest a rebellious woman came into the house. She went directly to Jesus’ feet and got busy in the brokenness of wetting them with her tears, washing them with her hair, kissing them, and pouring expensive perfume on them. Religion, too often like a formal meal, is entangled in proper etiquette, but a heart-to-heart relationship with Jesus is built on extreme brokenness and a lifetime of tender companionship with and obedience to the risen Christ.

Discipleship is to humbly come on board a never-ending relationship with Jesus, continually flowing with His friendship as you let Christ have the Headship and complete ownership of your life while you cruise in ongoing obedience to and daily companionship with Him. Always sail with the wind of His Spirit so your life can clearly demonstrate the glory of heavenly citizenship. That’s what Francis did!

Brother Sun Sister Moon is available on YouTube and on other streaming platforms. If you can use some hope, watch it as soon as you can!

Hop to the Voice of the Risen Jesus!

Heart-Christianity is fragile. It easily slips into formalism and disappears into routine. I believe that Jesus wants to rescue people from the idea of a formalized God who is defined by religious institutions.

The essential characteristic of Christianity is “Christ in you,” leading you by His Spirit. Without that we’re left with mere religious ritual.

There are no adequate substitutes for the presence of the living Jesus. Nothing can replace Him. Without Him actively demonstrating His presence we abandon relationship with the risen Jesus and replace it with routine religion.

Make room, make room
For Jesus the Christ,
The dead man who walked
Away from His tomb!
Hear it! Hear it!
The voice of His Spirit.
Voom boom! Voom boom!
Step out of your tomb.
Live life so Christ shows
Until the world knows
You truly believe
That Jesus arose!

Pleasures that are quick
Often morph into guilt
And leave you feeling sick
Because the devil
Played a dirty trick
On you.

Superstition is “a False Concept of Causation.”

Daily writing promptAre you superstitious?View all responses

I found this Merrian-Webster definition of superstition: “a false concept of causation.” Everything in the universe was caused by something or someone. Nothing has ever been proven to exist without a cause. Therefore, the belief that the universe itself came into existence all by itself is “a false concept of causation.” It is unproven speculation, a superstitious belief, a modern myth.

I’m not superstitious! I stand on rationality. Nothing ever causes anything. Therefore, the universe itself has a cause, a Creator. Big or small, no bang has ever happened without a cause.

The idea that without a cause matter came from nothing, and order came from chaos, and intricacy came from order, and life came from matter, and human intelligence came from life, makes no sense. It’s an unproven superstition based on the primitive fear of being held accountable to an intelligent Creator.

I don’t use modern superstition to hide from my Creator. Day and night my heart cries out to the One who created me. He shows me the cause of my problems and personal disfunction — my rebellion against and resistance to the conscience He created within me.

Through a life of listening to my conscience (the inner voice of the One who created me) and to other people who listen to theirs, I’ve discovered a lifetime of amazing experiences that defy all statistical odds but have become frequent occurrences to me. I’ve discovered that ancient Christian writers also had the same kind of experiences even though they lived in radically different times and cultures than I do. Their writings perfectly align with the inner Voice I hear. That confirms to my logic that the Voice that I hear isn’t subjective or superstitious, but the object inner Voice of our Creator. Listen, obey, then honestly weigh the evidence and you will see the reality of “Christ in you.” Jesus said: “My sheep hear My voice.” I do! And no superstition could ever have the verifiable impact it has on me and has had on millions of people though out history.

Rejoice and be thankful that your life matters. Live like your life matters. Be grateful to be alive. Be kind to yourself. Treasure and protect your mind and your body like they are your prized possessions. Obey your conscience so that you won’t flood yourself with the torment of guilt. To live in ways that damage or neglect your mental and physical wellbeing by engaging in self-destructive thoughts and behaviors is to proclaim that you don’t really believe that your life matters. You are the only person alive who can discover and do the things that will lead you to a peaceful mind and a healthy body. Get started today! “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

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A Sheep with an Incredible Shepherd

Daily writing promptWhich animal would you compare yourself to and why?View all responses

“I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.” – Alexander The Great

I am a sheep in the army of the Lord, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. I’m fighting with the weapons of His presence, His love, and His power. Jesus said: “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

I listen to my invisible Shepherd and strive to do what He says. Here are some thoughts He is putting in my heart and prompting me to post:

Oratory Is Not the Answer, Jesus Is!

How many talks does it take to make a Christian’s heart continually overflow with passionate love for the risen Jesus?How many religious keynote addresses are the key to Christians living in supernatural victory?How many lectures do we need to listen to before we begin to daily celebrate and obey Jesus?How many sermons should we hear to cause us to become radical Christ-followers?How many discourses need to be delivered until we demonstrate “Christ in you, the hope of glory?”How many speeches are required to make believers “doers of the word and not hearers only?“

Christians should gather
As a heavenly colony,
Overflowing with joy,
Not meet in monotony.

There’s nothing monotonous about following the risen Jesus. If you’re bored, you’re off track. Let Jesus light up your heart, not just for a moment now and then, but day and night!

A great human problem is our false belief that we don’t need help to solve our problems. If you want to feel better fix the focus of your attention on the risen Jesus Christ. Jesus has promised to be with His followers always, not just in special moments, but everywhere all the time. Keep His presence as your center of attention!

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“Longevity has its place.” –MLK, Jr.

Daily writing promptWrite a letter to your 100-year-old self.View all responses

‘Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dear Steve:

After 100 years keep hope going. Make some of your best memories happen today. Start an inspiring project that will take a while.

Every moment of life is an opportunity to gain wisdom and to appreciate each breath. Allow no time for monotony. You’ve got work to do, songs to sing, people to encourage, and life to enjoy. Now get to it!

You haven’t lost your prime; you’ve been given the gift of more time. Keep allowing the living Jesus to sound His beautiful chimes in your heart. Christ in you is the hope of glory. Keep celebrating His presence and telling His story until you go out in a blaze of His glory and then enjoy His presence forever and ever. Amen!

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” –2 Corinthians 4:16-18.

“Work as if you were going to live a (another) hundred years. Pray as if you were to die tomorrow.” –Benjamin Franklin

It’s all about Jesus!

Steve

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Shopping where I can “buy without money”

Daily writing promptWhere would you go on a shopping spree?View all responses

An ancient writer invited his readers to an amazing shopping spree. He said: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?”

That ancient writer’s name is Isaiah. He added: “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.”

There’s a longing in your heart that nothing you ever buy with money can satisfy. No shopping spree that isn’t free can give you inner victory. Looking into the future, Isaiah saw a Savior who would give His life as the price to ransom you. “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

The Best Shopping Spree

Awaken to joy.
Train yourself to be
Spiritually fed
And directly led
By Christ as your Head.
Like the Bible said:
"Awake, O sleeper,
Rise up from the dead
And Christ will give you light."[image error]Pexels.com" data-medium-file="https://stevesimms.files.wordpress.co..." data-large-file="https://stevesimms.files.wordpress.co..." src="https://stevesimms.files.wordpress.co..." alt="" class="wp-image-39195" />Photo by Min An on Pexels.com

The Table Server Who Challenged The System Had My Middle Name

Daily writing promptWhat is your middle name? Does it carry any special meaning/significance?View all responses

My birth certificate reads “Charles Steven Simms,” but I’ve always gone by Steve. When I first began to read the Bible, I came across a guy named Stephen. He was an early Christ-followers and was one of seven people appointed by the apostles to “wait on tables” and to distribute food to widows so that the apostles could give their “attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

Stephen, however, didn’t follow the religious program. Instead of waiting tables, he began to tell people about Jesus and he “performed great wonders and signs among the people.” “Opposition arose . . . who began to argue with Stephen. But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.”

Then those who were against Stephen arrested him and brought him before a religious council. So, Stephen courageously preached to them and what he said takes up the long chapter of Acts chapter 7. He boldly told them, “You have received the law that was given through angels but you have not obeyed it.” When the members of the religious council heard that, they were furious and murdered Stephen by stoning him to death.

As the stones were crushing his body, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” A young man named Saul “approved of their killing him” and watched out for their coats as they stoned Stephen. That young man later encountered the risen Jesus and became Paul who started numerous Christ-led communities around the Roman Empire and wrote a fourth of the New Testament part of the Bible.

Stephen didn’t roll with his assigned religious role of serving tables. Instead, he obeyed God’s Spirit. Even his enemies said that “his face was like the face of an angel.” His example of obedience and sacrifice has inspired multitudes of people throughout the centuries to obey God rather than man, to follow the living Jesus instead of religious ritual and formalism.

Stephen has inspired me to step beyond spectator religion, to set aside its assigned roles and expectations, and to obey the Holy Spirit instead. That hasn’t made me popular, but it has led me to multitudes of amazing experiences with the living Jesus.

Below is a picture of my seminary degree and ordination certificate that tried to confine me to a religious role. For years I tried hard to fit in and to serve their tables, but opposition always arose. The Holy Spirit always led me to turn the tables and to follow Him instead. Inspite of the cost there’s nothing like daily listening to Jesus and doing what He tells you to.

I’m still proclaiming outside of the religious box: Open Your Blinds To Let God’s Light In!

To truly grow
Let God show
You where to go.
Learn to flow
With His Spirit.
Read His word
And hear it
With your heart.
Step beyond
What you know.
So God can sow
His seeds in you.

Adam and Eve
Chose to blame.
What they needed
Was forgiveness.
It’s dangerous
To do the same.
Lord, have mercy
On me.

The Miracle Flow–
I love to speak
And experience
A miracle flow
Of words I don’t know
That makes me aware
Of God and His care
So that I can see
Christ working in me.

I’ve observed that Christians tend to be mostly disinterested in personal and spiritual growth, unless they open their heart to the risen Jesus and let Him make them hungry for righteousness. Humans are born with an God-given guide to happiness and inner peace. It’s called your conscience, but our tendency is to ignore it and to resist it.

Money can put you in a big mansion and in a fancy car, but it can’t buy you a beautiful relationship or a clear conscience. The true measure of success is a person’s level of integrity, kindness, compassion, joy, inner peace, and self-control, not $$$!