Surrender Is Misunderstood

Posted on March 27, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What’s something most people don’t understand?
View all responses

Surrender all to the Change-Maker. Don’t resist your destiny.

If you are a true Christ-follower your destiny is to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:29) For that to happen you have to deny yourself, take up your cross, (Mark 8:34) and allow God to day-by-day remove the things in your mind and heart that aren’t like Jesus.

Christ has called you and given you everything you need for a godly life. (2 Peter 1:3) He lives within you (Colossians 1:27) and invites you to participate in His divine nature, to grow farther and farther away from the world’s corruption and desires, (2 Peter 1:4) and be changed into Christ’s image from glory to glory. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Increase your surrender to God throughout each day. Let Jesus take more and more control of your mind and your heart. Allow Him to override your troubled, confused, and self-focused thoughts, desires, and feelings so that He can exchange them with the healing and uplifting awareness of His presence, power, and love. (Romans 12:2)

This isn’t done in an instant. It’s a lifetime process of change that is called sanctification. Let “the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23) Do you really want to change?

Here are some things that are often misunderstood:

Mere religious
Information
Dedication,
And oration,
Without internal
Transformation,
Is negation
Of “Christ in you.”

The one true church isn’t what people think. It’s not a particular religious institution. It is two or three (or more) people gathered in Jesus’ name to listen to and be prompted by the Spirit together. (Matthew 18:20)

There’s a better government than human governments. The kingdom of God is at hand. Let the risen Jesus be your King and lead and govern you from within.

There is nothing prolife about war. It’s all about aborting human beings.

To use Christianity to justify the cruelty of war is evil. Jesus is the Prince of Peace.

When deception displaces discussion discernment is essential. If Americans don’t find ways to negotiate and work together the USA will collapse. The radical left and the self-righteous right are leading us to disaster.

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Love Can Be Lost In Technology

Posted on March 26, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
How has technology changed your job?
View all responses

The world needs compassionate, self-sacrificing love. That’s the thing that there is far too little of!

This Is Love

Crucified,
Self-denied
When He died
He was pierced
And blood flowed
From His side.
Carpenter,
Redeemer,
God with us,
Christ the King,
People sing
His praises.
Wonderful,
Counselor,
Prince of Peace
King of Kings,
Lord of Lords,
Mighty God,
Risen One,
God the Son!
Who do you
Say He is?
(Matthew 16:15)

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Say No to the Thieves of Innocence

Posted on March 25, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
How often do you say “no” to things that would interfere with your goals?
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Go Beyond the Garden Fall to the Pardon

A glorious garden
Full of fruit-bearing trees
Reveals the way God sees.
The most famous orchard
In the world’s history
Was beautifully ordered,
Created and nurtured
As the home for humans.
The two central fruit trees
Were the tree of life and
That of information
About good and evil.
God told Adam and Eve
To enjoy it all
With just one exception
That twists true perception
With human opinion
Of what’s good and evil.
They chose to ignore God.
Human hearts did harden
In that lovely garden.
Now curiosity
About what is evil
Cuts us humans off from
The fruit of God’s Spirit.
And the tree of His life.
Now innocence is seen
As immaturity
Instead of as it is —
God’s gift of purity
Which comes through Jesus Christ,
“The way, the truth, the life.”
Taste and see His goodness.
Leave sin from the garden.
Take Christ’s holy pardon.
(John 14:6 & Psalm 34:8)

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Planting Good Seeds In Life

Posted on March 24, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What’s a secret skill or ability you have or wish you had?
View all responses

Whatcha plantin’ in your heart, mind, and lifestyle? I work hard to plant good seeds in mine and to keep the thorns and weeds far away.

When Christians plant the customs, patterns, and lifestyles of this world in their mind and heart, they begin to conform their lives to those influences. They quench God’s Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19) They ignore the life-transforming and mind-renewing power (Romans 12:1-2) and presence of the risen Jesus Christ who wants to live in and work through them to constantly demonstrate the glory of God. (Colossians 1:27)

When Christians continually plant the Word of God in their heart and mind (Joshua 1:8) and let the living Jesus cause it to ever burn within them (Luke 24:32) they grow stronger and stronger in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17) Jesus is the living Word (John 1:1) Unceasingly welcome and cultivate His presence within you. (John 1:9-14)

Jesus prayed that the will of God “be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) This begins with you as an individual. Every time you do the will of God instead of your own will, the kingdom of God is close at hand. (Matthew 4:17) Then you can experience God’s supernatural lifestyle of true and unending worship.

True worship:

* Focuses on God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t focus on or get distracted by a mere human leader or program. (2 Corinthians 4:18)
* Isn’t something to only do on Sunday and then leave behind till next week. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
* Is in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24)
* Is something you do from your heart 24/7/365. (Hebrews 13:15)
* Requires humility. (James 4:6)
* Is something that everybody is called to do. (Psalm 150:6)
* Doesn’t require a religious service. (Psalm 34:1)
* Is something that’s wonderful to do with other people. (Colossians 3:16)
* Is Spirit-led. (Romans 8:14)
* Flows from interacting with the risen Jesus. (John 20:27-28)
* Is one of the most glorious things a human being can do. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

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My Favorite Heart-Weather

Posted on March 23, 2026 by Steve Simms

My favorite weather of all isn’t the weather that happens outdoors around my house and in my city. It’s the mental and emotional weather that happens in my heart. I have no control at all of the outdoors weather. However, I can shape and control the weather that happens within me. The key to doing that is . . .

Spirit-led Christianity:

* Is so amazingly life-changing that it makes you refuse to settle for anything less.
* Causes people to be intensely aware of the ongoing presence and love of the risen Jesus. (Matthew 28:20)
* Overflows the human heart with unimaginable joy. (1 Peter 1:8)
* Produces inner peace that is beyond mental comprehension. (Philippians 4:7)
* Creates an amazing sense of community between you and other sold-out Christ-followers. (John 13:34-35)
* Is the anecdote for a toxic lifestyle. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
* Washes away guilt and shame. (1 John 1:9)
* Sets people free from harmful habits, controlling compulsions, and acidic addictions. (John 8:32)
* Heals the mind, (Romans 12:2) the spirit, the soul, and the body. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
* Produces a bountiful harvest of the fruit of the Spirit inside of you. (Galatians 5:22-23)
* Releases the Holy Spirit to freely flow from your innermost being as rivers of living water. (John 7:37:39)
* Connects you heart-to-heart with the living Jesus. (John 15:15)
* Makes you love all people, even your enemies. (Matthew 5:44)
* Is the narrow path that only a few people follow. (Matthew 7:13-14)

Refuse to let troubling, tempting, and tormenting thoughts be the thorns and weeds that try to choke God’s seeds by creating bad weather inside of heart. Bad heart weather comes from spiritual attacks. When those bad inner-weather thoughts attack you, you’re not strange. They happen to those who seek the Lord. They happen to me a lot.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Constantly rebuke those thoughts. Reject them. Refute them.

Sometimes I feel like a goalie in ice hockey. It’s like dark pucks are being continually fired at me. But I knock all of them down. I refuse to let them have any room inside of my head. If one slips by me, I reach back into the goal and immediately kick it out, meanwhile still knocking down all the rest.

A thought is like a bird. You can’t stop it from flying toward your mind, but you can knock it down and if it slips by you, you can kick it out. You don’t have to let it build a nest in your mind. Also, it is wise to get help from people who you trust.

You must be an important person if you are being so vigorously attacked. “Having done all stand!” Ask the risen Jesus to empower you and strengthen you in all your mental, emotional, and spiritual battles. “Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world!”

Dear Jesus: Stand with, strengthen, and empower those who the devil is attacking as they battle the fiery dart thoughts that the enemy throws at them. Give them everything they need to resist those thoughts, rebuke them, refute them, and reject them. Make them strong and mighty in You so that they can not only overcome those thoughts but also help other people to overcome their attacks. In the midst of their daily battles, give them Your supernatural strength and a never-ending awareness of Your presence working in and through them. Give them Your peace that passes understanding. In Your Holy and Wonderful Name so be it! Amen.

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Life’s Been Teaching Me A Lot!

Posted on March 22, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
Who was your most influential teacher? Why?
View all responses

Guess what’s about to happen? It’s almost my birthday.

What do I want for my 75th birthday (March 24th)? I would love to have your help spreading an idea that has been burning in my heart since I was a freshman in college: “Spirit-led Christianity is amazing!” Here are a few ways you can do that:

1) Copy and paste one of these sentences on your FB page and/or in other social media:
* Google: Free Gas for Your Think Tank blog.
* Run a search for: Beyond Church Ekklesia book.
* Look up on the internet: The Joy of Early Christianity book.
* Search for: Elephants INspiring the Room book.

2) Ask ChatGPT or another AI to describe the blog or one of the books for you.

3) If you have read one of the books, go to Amazon and write a positive review. Also post it on your FB page.

4) Order one (or more copies) for yourself and/or a friend.

5) Like and share this post.

Any one of those actions would be a really nice birthday gift for me. Thank you so much for noticing, reading, and interacting with my blog.

Sincerely,
Steve

#birthday #birthdays

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I’m Looking For More Trust-Training

Posted on March 21, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What do you wish you could do more every day?
View all responses

Have you been trained to trust? You can allow today’s troubles, trials, and temptations to be trust-training. Let them teach you to daily depend and rely on the risen Jesus Christ and to help other people to do so. Christ-groups will help you do that. Finding people who you can truly trust is a wonderful thing.

Christ-followers need to “spur one another on to love and good deeds.” We are called to frequently gather in Christ-groups so that we can support and encourage one another. It’s not good to get in the habit of neglecting coming together as Christ-led groups. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

The most effective Christ-groups are interactive gatherings. When Christians assemble together in Jesus’ name, we can help each other to be aware of His presence in our midst. (Matthew 20:18) Together we can learn to be sensitive to and led by His Spirit. (Romans 8:14)

When the early Christ-followers came together each person present was free to share something. (1 Corinthians 14:26) However, over time Christ-groups became more structured and formalized. They gradually shifted from the direct leading and teaching of God the Holy Spirit (John 14:26) demonstrating His presence through His spiritual gifts working in and through ordinary people, (1 Corinthians 12:4-11) to the preaching and control of a one-man pastor.

Are you “forsaking the assembly”? Are you in the habit of neglecting to encourage and spur on other brothers and sisters in Christ in Spirit-led Christ-groups? You don’t need a mega-group. Two or three people is sufficient. (Matthew 18:20)

To truly grow in Christ, requires more than a programmed religious service that year after year lacks the power to fully heal you, to set you free, and to radically transform you from within. (2 Timothy 3:5) Frequently interact informally and spontaneously with other believers to rejoice together, to talk to Jesus together, (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) to listen to Jesus together (John 10:27) and to follow and obey Him together. (Mark 8:34)

“Let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

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No Tattoo Can Do What You Want It To

Posted on March 20, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What tattoo do you want and where would you put it?
View all responses

“The Lord Who Is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

He’s here!
God the Spirit
Is here with me.

He’s there!
God the Spirit
Is there with you.

He’s everywhere
And anywhere.
Experience
His glory now!

Let Him change you
A little bit
Throughout each day
From glory
To glory.

Let God the Holy Spirit tattoo your heart. Divine life is essential. Without divine life religious order is merely human programming, structure, and control. It’s superficial like a tattoo. Christians are supposed to be led by God the Holy Spirit, not by human opinions and desires disguised as divine order.

A person who calls himself or herself a prophet needs to read the Bible and notice that prophets were usually:

* Ignored,
* Criticized,
* Insulted,
* Blocked,
* Persecuted,
* Arrested,
* Beaten,
* Run out of town,
* And even killed.

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Jesus Meets the Easter Bunny

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Steve Simms

“Jesus Meets the Easter Bunny”
(A Very Short Church Play)

The setting: It’s Easter Sunday morning and the Easter Bunny has some tables full of Easter eggs and candy set up on the church lawn.

Jesus is also present. He is walking around the church yard showing people the nail holes in His hands and feet. People are excitedly smiling and hugging Him.

When Jesus sees the Easter Bunny, He breaks some switches off a bush and knits them together into a whip. The He waves it in the air as He walks toward E. Bunny, saying: “You are turning this place called a church into a meaningless spectacle.” He turns over E. Bunny’s tables tells him to leave. (John 2:14-17)

When E. Bunny sees the nail holes in Jesus’ hands, he hops down on his knees and says: “My Lord and my God! (John 20:28) Please forgive me for distracting people’s attention from Your resurrection for more decades than I care to remember. Easter is supposed to be all about You and Your victory over death. I should have never interfered.”

Jesus tells E. Bunny, “Take off the fake rabbit head so I can see your face.”

E. Bunny grabs his ears and pulls off his big rabbit mask. Tears are running down his cheeks. He cries out to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16-18)

Jesus kneels down in front of E. Bunny and embraces him. Jesus says: “Now that you have seen the light, always seek first the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 6:33) “Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23)

Jesus stands up continues walking around the church yard showing His wounds to people. E. Bunny gets up and hops along following Jesus, with the biggest smile any bunny (oops I mean any man) ever had.

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Questioning

Posted on March 19, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What is one word that describes you?
View all responses

“Am I Growing?”

Dare to ask yourself this question: Am I being effective or “ineffective and unproductive in” my “knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”? (2 Peter 1:8)

Faith without ongoing application in daily life is dead. It’s not growing. (James 2:26)

One of the most amazing things that the Bible says is that Christ-followers can partake of and participate in the divine nature and escape “the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.” (2 Peter 1:4) That’s why we need to “make every effort to add to” our “faith” by diligently and consistently cultivating and weeding our heart (Mark 4:18-20) so that God can grow the fruit and character traits of His Spirit in us and demonstrate them through our daily lifestyle. (Galatians 5:22-23 and 2 Peter 1:5-8)

One of the things we need to make every effort to add to our faith is knowledge (2 Peter 5:1) but not just information-based head knowledge. We need the experiential knowledge of God that comes from His direct self-disclosure to our heart. (James 4:8) “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6)

The knowledge of God is infinitely beyond the mere accumulation in a human mind of information about Him. It’s insight and revelation given directly from God to a human heart. Paul describes it this way: ““Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Romans 11:33)

The knowledge of God isn’t just cerebral. It’s supernatural light. It is “the true light that God offers to everyone.” (John 1:9) Human beings are now being invited to behold with an open face the ever-increasing glory of God and to be steadily transformed into His image while we still live here on earth. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

Jesus speaks
To human hearts.
Listen with
Your inner ear
And you will hear
His voice appear.
He’ll make it clear.

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