Steve Simms's Blog, page 71

Talking to Jesus (I do it day and night)

Talking to Jesus will change your perspective and give you hope. Talking to the risen Jesus is a beautiful way of life. It’s not just for emergencies. When people humbly and honestly talk to Jesus together they become connected heart-to-heart.

Talking with Jesus is supernatural therapy. When you talk to Jesus with a humble, sincere heart you discover the reality of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Now is the best time and wherever you are is the best place to start talking with Jesus.

Who needs to talk to Jesus? The more we’re aware of the darkness within our own heart, the brighter Christ’s light will be to us and the more we’ll feel the need to continually talk to Jesus.

Continually talking to the living Jesus will help you make wise choices so that you don’t wind up stuck in bad circumstances. To get started talking to Jesus, finish this sentence: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, . . .”

When people start talking to Jesus together, they begin to be led by His Spirit and His presence is manifest among them. The family that talks to Jesus together stays together. One of the most powerful things Christians can do is to spend a lot of time talking to the risen Jesus together. When Christians talk to Jesus together their faith grows stronger. I love talking to Jesus with my friends (and even with strangers).

True thanksgiving is about talking to Jesus and telling Him thanks. The best way to celebrate Christmas is by talking to Jesus.

Talking to the living Jesus is habit forming. I’m addicted to ongoing conversation with the King of Kings.

Start talking to Jesus.
Let the words roll
From deep in your soul.

Spend some time
Talking to Jesus.
Soon you’ll start
To hear Him
Speaking in your heart.

Talking to Jesus,
Saying His name,
In my heart
He burns as a flame.
Talking to Jesus
In openness,
How glorious!

There’s a huge difference between Spirit-led speaking that flows in the moment from a heart touched by God’s presence and scripted speaking. Christians are called to be Spirit-led (Romans 8:14), not office, position, or title led. Christians need to function as apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers so that they can help train all believers to freely and boldly live their daily lives talking to the living Jesus and doing Spirit-led ministry.

[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-38185" style="width:689px;height:auto" />Photo by Darya Grey_Owl on Pexels.com

Extinguish Your Scorching Sadness!

The Joy of Relinquishment

Voluntarily
Hand over your will
To Jesus.
Step aside.
Continually
Surrender yourself
So that Jesus
Can freely
Live inside
And make you whole
By taking control
Of your soul.
Lay down
Your personal desires
And let God
Empower you
By His Spirit
To be and to do
What He inspires.
To relinquish yourself
To the unseen working
Of Christ in you
Is the most powerful
Thing you can do.
Mere information
About Jesus
Without His direct
Personal inspiration
And divine revelation
Can't restore
Our separation
From His presence.
We need to grow
Closer to Jesus
Instead of just
Trying to know
More facts about Him.
To extinguish
Your sadness,
Fully relinquish
Your heart
To Jesus.

To overcome
The devil,
You need to take
Your love for Jesus
To a higher level.
[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-38172" />Photo by Akshay Ravi on Pexels.com

I love to wear a sincere smile . . .

Daily writing promptWhat are your two favorite things to wear?View all responses

My two favorite things to wear are a smile and the presence of the One who makes me smile. “Clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ.” This statement is found in the Bible (Romans 13:14) and I’ve discovered it to be a reality. I can put on Christ and wear His presence like clothes. When I do, He keeps a smile on my face, even in my most difficult times. That’s why I’m a huge Jesus fan!

Our one job is to be a true, sold-out Jesus fan. The world needs more Jesus fans who will connect with His heart and celebrate His presence and glory.

Jesus fans lose sight of their own agendas and stay caught up in and carried away by His presence and power. The Kingship of Jesus and the glory of His presence can be seen in the passion and devotion of His true fans.

The body of Christ is a tapestry of His worldwide fans whose hearts are woven together by their passion for His presence. When I meet a true Jesus fan, we have an immediate sense of belonging and connection as we celebrate our excitement about Him.

Be a Jesus-groupie. Focus on spending all your time with Him and His biggest fans.

Jesus fans aren’t content to hear a weekly lecture about Him. They personally interact with and celebrate His presence day and night! Jesus fans don’t passively follow a script. They keep their eyes on Christ and interact with Him from their heart.

Attending church doesn’t make someone a Jesus fan. Letting your heart be continually consumed by His love and presence does.

Fans focus on the person or thing they most adore. I’m a Jesus fan! Here’s my cheer: “Brighter than the sun, Jesus is the glorious eternal One!”

The more that people get to know the risen Jesus the more they become His on-fire fans and the more love for Him burns in their hearts. Attention, Jesus fans: Let’s enthusiastically put Christ back in the front of Christianity. A Christian’s primary job is to be a true, sold-out Jesus fan.

When Christianity isn’t Christ-focused it’s unfocused. The journey from church-focus to Christ-focus is amazing! The early Christ-followers were called Christians, not churchians. Christless Christianity is powerless to change culture, so it puts its hope in politics.

Without snooze-control it’s easy to sleep thru life. It’s time to lose the snooze and wake up to the reality of the risen Jesus!

[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-38163" />Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Technology that distracts me from my purposeful life-track

Daily writing promptWhat technology would you be better off without, why?View all responses

Use technology. Don’t let it use you!

The technology of distraction has no attraction for me. If you’ve read any of my blog posts, you’ve probably noticed that I have a deep sense of calling and meaning in my life, so I strive to avoid the technology (and anything else) that distracts me from my purpose.

However, I greatly appreciate my computer and my phone because they both give me a way to utilize many platforms to tell people about how real and amazing the risen Jesus Christ is. I avoid online distractions and use the internet as a tool for proclaiming the love, power, and presence of Jesus. I go online as a missionary, not as a mission field. I want to share the good news of Jesus, not consume online negativity, conspiracy theories, and unkindness.

Christians are called to non-stop, day and night awareness of and surrender to the risen Jesus. Nothing should deter us from that mission. We need faith that is firmalized.

It’s time to firmalize our faith by making it steadfast and immovable, not formalize it with religious routine. Firmalize your faith. Cultivate daily dependence and ongoing reliance on the living Jesus. If you’re a Christian, refuse to snooze (even briefly) in your relationship with Christ.

Without snooze-control it’s easy to sleep thru life. It’s time to lose the snooze and wake up to the reality of the risen Jesus!

When demons try
To get you
To misuse
And abuse
Your mind
With tempting or
Tormenting thoughts,
If you snooze,
You’ll lose.
Resist the devil
And he will flee.

[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-38155" />Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The hard decision to be Christ-led

Daily writing promptWhat’s the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make? Why?View all responses

Christianity is about being Christ-led throughout each day. That’s a hard decision to make every day, but I’ve found that it is infinitely more than worth it! It’s especially hard to be Christ-led if you act like Jesus is dead or treat Him like He’s stuck in history or in Heaven.

O my God! The obvious order that we observe around us didn’t originate out of nothing! It cries out: “Be Christ-led!”

Christ-led time is the best time of the year. (How much time do you spend listening to and obeying Jesus?) May your days be merry and bright and may you always delight in being Christ-led. To be Christ-led is to talk about Jesus with your words and demonstrate Jesus by obeying what He prompts you to do.

People who are being led by the living Jesus shine Christ-led lights everywhere they go. Open your heart to daily receive the Christ-led gifts of the Holy Spirit. I love to sing and rejoice with Christ-led songs.

There’s more to Christianity than being preacher fed. Decide to be continually Christ-led. May your days be merry and bright and may you always delight in being Christ-led.

Take your faith
Beyond a book
That you’ve read
Or something that
A preacher said.
Learn to be
Christ-led.

When an angry guy named Saul
Saw the risen Lord Jesus
And heard Him speak,
He learned to be Christ-led
And now we call him Paul
And have his writings
In the Bible.
Since Jesus is risen
From the dead
We can all learn
To be Christ-led!

Every appetite
Isn’t right.
Every desire
Shouldn’t require
That you obey it.
Without discerning,
Wrongful yearning
Will keep on burning
Within you,
But daily learning
The art of self-control
Can make you whole
And help you be Christ-led.

The best way ahead
Is to be Christ-led.
The living Jesus
Is the way!

Our culture has so much Christmas; so little Christ-led joy and peace. Have a Christ-led day, but even better, a Christ-led life! Our time on earth ’tis the season to be Christ-led! Let the Spirit of God fill you with Christ-led joy now and forever!

People who have never experienced being Christ-led don’t have a testimony about Him. (Is that why testimonies are rarely heard in church?) Chruch needs to shift to ekklesia. Ekklesia is Christ-led because it creates an environment where people learn to listen to, submit to, and obey the risen Jesus as their active and present Head and King. Have yourself a very holy Christ-led life!

[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-38147" style="width:643px;height:auto" />Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Spirit-led speaking isn’t scripted

Jesus told His disciples: “Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking but the Holy Spirit.” As opponents spoke against Stephen (a table server, not a preacher), “They could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.” That’s Spirit-led speaking!

When we’re speaking from God’s Spirit, He gives us wisdom “as we speak.” Words, ideas, and statements flow out of us without our having to prepare them ahead of time. This happens in casual conversation all the time. However, when it comes to talking about Jesus, we’ve labeled that preaching, formalized it, and limited it to a professional pastor who almost always prepares it ahead of time by studying and writing with his mental abilities.

The “wisdom” from typical sermons is quickly forgotten. (Ask someone to tell you what the last sermon they heard was about.) As Stephen passionately spoke from the heart about the risen Jesus: “They could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.”

People need to hear the wisdom that God gives as we speak, not the results of our own ability to study, memorize, and systematize religious ideas. They need to sense that it’s not us speaking but the Holy Spirit speaking in and from our heart. For that to happen, we need to say whatever is given to us by the Spirit at that time.

So, does that mean that sharing the Gospel with others, testimonies, and sermons shouldn’t be prepared ahead of time? Actually, it means that we should change the way we prepare. We should prepare our heart to be always connected to and open to the inner flow of the Holy Spirit, instead of preparing and scripting the exact words that we are going to say. That’s what Stephen did! That’s why he was so powerful.

Will you (whether you call yourself a preacher or not) began to set aside formal oratory and begin to (like Stehpen) spontaneously talk about Jesus from your heart in the moment? If you will, you’ll begin to experience wisdom that God gives as you speak. Try it today. Spontaneously open your heart and freely talk about Jesus the way you talk about your favorite things. Let God’s Spirit-led speaking flow from within you.

Following Christ isn’t about church attendance and passively listening to a scripted sermon. It’s about hearing and obeying Him from the heart and being led by the Spirit in all that you think, say, and do.

[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-38135" />Photo by Ron Lach on Pexels.com

Sleep time?

Daily writing promptIf you didn’t need sleep, what would you do with all the extra time?View all responses

Even when I’m asleep, I focus my time and attention on Jesus. He comforts me, refreshes me, protects me from torment, and fills my mind and heart with wondrous thoughts. He’s my King and I sleep under His kingdom authority.

The kingdom of God comes where people allow themselves to be Spirit-led and begin to intentionally follow God’s will instead of their own will (or human programs). God’s will, will be done in and through us, when we humbly do it, not when we ignore it or rebel against it. His kingdom comes and is manifest in and through us as we listen to and obey the living Jesus.

God spoke like this: “A voice came from the cloud, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to Him.’” After Jesus rose from the dead, He ascended into a cloud and disappeared from sight. However, when the Holy Spirit came, Christ’s followers were made aware of His ongoing presence and power. They were overcome by the awe of His living residence within them and of His manifestations among them. As long as they opened their heart to focus on King Jesus, they experienced the supernatural kingdom (government) of God.

Let Jesus be your daily-coordinator and call all the plays in your life. Run His plays not your own. Gather with Christ-followers in order to experience the reality of the risen Jesus together (like the disciples did), not just to hear a message about Him. And when you sleep, sleep in His presence and peace.

If we weren’t fallen and sinful human beings, we would have no need for Jesus’ actual presence. We could get by just hearing a weekly talk about Jesus. We could earn and deserve a ticket to Heaven because of our church attendance. However, that’s not the case. We humans need more than religious words about Jesus. We need King Jesus and His present reality continually working within us and causing our life to daily reflect His glory. That’s the assignment day and night.

I believe in Jesus because I experience His presence throughout the day and night. What a joy life is with Jesus!

Can hope be lifted high in this hurting world?

Daily writing promptName your top three pet peeves.View all responsesChristianity presented without Christ-focused, heart-felt hope and encouragement. Church services that don’t allow the people present to publicly share their hope and faith in the living, resurrected Jesus. Christianity without open-hearted, caring and compassionate community.

When a church
Becomes ekklesia
People will see a
Real change.
Church will begin
To be a
Spirit-led
Heart-felt
Community.
When the premium fuel
Of God’s Spirit
Fills a local gathering
Of the body of Christ
With His Presence
We will be a
Shining Light
As Jesus builds
His ekklesia!

Here’s the biblical key to ekklesia: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” When the body of Christ gathers, all present need to be allowed to speak the word of God boldly, not just a preacher. “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!”

Let the people of God raise “their voices together in prayer to God,” not just silently listen to a preacher pray! Let’s make church ekklesia again so that everyone present can pray out loud and share the hope that the Spirit puts on their heart!

God’s Spirit only exalts one person–the living, resurrected Jesus Christ. If anyone else is being exalted, that’s not the Spirit.

You don’t need to go to a special place to worship Jesus with other people. Wherever you are, there He is! Christians: We need to open our hearts to one another in caring, interactive community, not merely sit through religious lectures!

Your mind and your heart need premium fuel, not just religious words routinely spoken. Daily read the Bible with an open heart and fill up your think-tank with hope.

Help others hope. Please share this “Free Gas” blog with the link:

Hopethoughts.com

[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-38112" />Photo by Myicahel Tamburini on Pexels.com

My favorite people are Spirit-surrendered and Spirit-led!

Daily writing promptWho are your current most favorite people?View all responses

My most favorite people are like this:

If Jesus is truly our present and living Lord, we need to be led by God’s Spirit (the kingdom/government of God within us), not by religious hierarchy. Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension brought us to the place where we can now be directly Spirit-taught and Spirit-led. We no longer need to be caught up in and controlled by a religious organization (like the Pharisees and Sadducees were). It’s time we sought to be Spirit-taught. “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”

Jesus told His disciples that when He is physically gone, the Holy Spirit will come and be inside them. Then He said, “I will come to you.” Paul put it this way: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit “will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” He also said: “When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own, He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you.”

John, speaking about the Holy Spirit, wrote: “You do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit — just as it has taught you, remain in Him.” The resurrected Jesus in the book of Revelation kept repeating, “He who has ears, let him hear what the Spirit is saying to the ekklesias (Christ’s Spirit-led, participatory town hall meeting).”

As Spirit-led and Spirit-taught people are brought to the same spiritual insights and revelations they are supernaturally connected heart-to-heart. For example, I am amazed how often I have a conversation with someone about the Lord and God’s Spirit has shown and is showing them the same things that He is showing me. Then in a moment, we find ourselves in a deeply heart-felt connection as we behold the risen Jesus in each other.

It’s important that all Christians humbly share what the Spirit is showing them, not what they’ve learned from a sermon, a commentary, a class, a program, a curriculum, or a preacher. Jesus said the Spirit is speaking. We need to cultivate our ears to hear the Spirit of Christ so we can be united heart-to-heart in our faith. (When Christians argue and arrogantly disagree, we aren’t listening to and being led by the Holy Spirit. We aren’t reflecting and demonstrating Christ’s presence and love.)

It’s vital that Christians are trained, encouraged, and released to individually hear and obey the Spirit of Christ. Then we will be led together into “the acts of Jesus continued” and people who come into our presence will have their hearts exposed and recognize Christ in and among us and say, “God is really among you.” (1 Corinthians 14:24 and 25.)

God’s Spirit only exalts one person–the living, resurrected Jesus Christ. If anyone else is being exalted, that’s not the Spirit.

How to build community

Open your heart. Be real, be vulnerable, be humble.

Community isn’t just a collection of people working together. It’s people who are connecting heart-to-heart with one another.

Community is more caught than taught. The best way to build it is to model it by revealing your heart in a way that touches other hearts. Let people see that you genuinely care about them as human beings and not just as members of an audience or a team.

Show people your heart-felt compassion, concern, caring, humility, passion, vision, dreams. If you refuse to hold back or hide your deep feelings and tender emotions, they will touch people’s hearts and connect them to you and to each other.

The next time you speak reveal more of who you really are. Then watch people’s heart-connections grow and expand.

[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-38098" style="width:685px;height:auto" />Photo by Matheus Bertelli on Pexels.com