Category Archives: recovery

Are Demons (Invisible Evil Entities) Real?

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Steve Simms

Here’s something to think about on Halloween.  Are evil spirits real? If you observe yourself and/or others you will notice that people tend to think tormenting thoughts, embrace harmful habits, and engage in belligerent behaviors.  We humans seem to be … Continue reading →

Posted in activity, addiction, addictions, authority, belief, belief system, Bible, boundaries, brain, brainwashed, casting out demons, choice, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian history, compulsion, corrupt culture, cravings, darkness, deliverance, demons, destructive actions, devils, Europe, European, evil entities, evil spirits, habit, harmful habit, harmful thinking, How Evil Works, human life, human nature, inner peace, inward change, Jesus, Jesus Christ, lies, mind, New Testament, psychology, recovery, religion, Renaissance, repent, repentance, seduction of self-destruction, self-destruction, soul, spiritual, spiritual combat, spiritual warfare | Tagged , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Lifestyle (Real World) Christianity

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Steve Simms

Lifestyle Christianity is faithful faith — faith that lives faithfully according to its values and beliefs.  Its focus is to actually follow and obey the commands of Christ rather than to merely swallow a prepackaged belief system about Him. Lifestyle … Continue reading →

Posted in belief, belief system, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, challenges, change, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian community, Christian history, Christian organizations, Christian values, church, church history, church programs, church roles, church structure, commands, community, confession, creeds, deeds, disciples, discipling, faith, faith-based, faithfulness, forgiveness, gifts of the Spirit, guilt, inward change, life, lifestyle Christianity, lifestyles, Music City, Nashville, obedience, one anothers, organic church, peace, presence of God, real world, recovery, religious ceremonies, self-denial, simple church, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual growth, supernatural, support group, team, values, witness | Tagged , , , , | 20 Comments

Guilt-Free Living

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Steve Simms

Guilt-free living is amazing . . . Knowing you are forgiven, Keeping a clean conscience, and Living in freedom from the control of cravings and compulsions. Guilt-free living comes through daily following and obeying the living, resurrected Jesus Christ. “What … Continue reading →

Posted in addiction, addictions, alternative lifestyle, Berry Street, Berry Street Worship Center, boundaries, brokenness, Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christian community, Christian organizations, Christian values, church, clear conscience, community, conviction of sin, ethics, faith-based, forgiveness, godly sorrow, guidance, guilt, habit, healing, heart care, Jesus, Jesus Christ, life, lifestyles, missional, moral principles, morality, morals, non-church, organic church, recovery, relational church, repent, repentance, revelation, revival, salvation, search for significance, searching for significance, shame, show and tell, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual formation, support group, surrender to God, The Salvation Army, values | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Explaining Sin In A Post-Christian Culture

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Steve Simms

Post-Christian can be defined as:  the culture that emerges as the Christian faith loses influence in a society that has been somewhat shaped by Christian values.  The Western world is fast becoming post-Christian and popular culture has little understanding of … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christian, Christian history, Christian values, Christianity, conviction of sin, current condition, current events, faith-based, God, God-shaped vacuum, Gospels, injustice, inward change, moral principles, morality, morals, New Testament, Oh Sinner Man, popular culture, post-Christianity, recovery, repent, repentance, right and wrong, right conduct, salvation, Scriptures, search for significance, self-denial, spiritual awakening, spiritual disciplines, tolerance, Uncategorized, values, wages of sin, Western religion, Western world | Tagged , , , , , , | 46 Comments

Meek Means “Mighty By Another Power”

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Steve Simms

Who is meek?  Not the milk toast nor the mouse nor the wimp.  They won’t inherit the earth. Meek does not mean “weak, fearful, or timid.”  It means “being mighty by yielding your life and will to another power.”  Because … Continue reading →

Posted in AA, addiction, addictions, alternative lifestyle, Christian, Christian history, Christianity, faith, faith-based, God, God's government, His story, history, humility, Ida B. Wells, ideal, idealism, inherit the earth, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John W. Miller, kindness, lifestyles, Quotations, quote, recovery, religion, revelation, revival, rivers of living water, self-denial, soul, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, surfer, surrender to God, test pilot, the Grimke sisters, turned the world upsidedown, W.E.B. DuBois, William Booth | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Are You Living With Bloodsucking Leeches?

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Steve Simms

A man saw a guy with leeches on his neck and said to him:  “Hey, you’ve got leeches on your neck and need to get them off.” The guy with the bloodsucking leeches snapped back:  “Who are you to criticize … Continue reading →

Posted in alternative lifestyle, attitude, change, change management, Charles Spurgeon, clear conscience, compassion, complacency, compromise, confession, conscience, conversion, conviction of sin, corrupt culture, criticism, deliverance, guilt, habit, harmful habit, judgments, lifestyles, love, morality, morals, Quotations, quote, Quotes, recovery, repent, repentance, temptation, thinking, thoughts, Uncategorized, unhappiness, wages of sin, wake-up call, What would Jesus do? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Cravings Can Capture & Control Your Life

Posted on May 21, 2012 by Steve Simms

Unrestrained desire can dominate and defeat you.  Cravings can capture and control your life. Yet our society teaches us to surrender to desires, cravings, compulsions, and whims:  “If you feel like doing something, go for it, and don’t listen to … Continue reading →

Posted in Alcoholics Anonymous, alternative lifestyle, casual sex, challenges, Christian, Christianity, Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt, complacency, conscience, conviction of sin, country music, cravings, feelings, free will, freedom, guidance, guilt, habit, harmful habit, inward change, John Piper, John Ruskin, lifestyles, morality, morals, peacetime, Quotations, quote, Quotes, recovery, reformation, repent, repentance, self-will, shame, sin, sobriety, society, spiritual formation, thoughts, tolerance, true Christian life, violent streak, war, White Eagle, Why be a Christian? | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

My Way Or The Most High’s Way?

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Steve Simms

Two highways, different directions:  Should I choose my way which is based on my wants, my feelings, my viewpoints, and/or my cravings?  Or should I choose the Most High’s way that requires me to live above the fog of self-focus, … Continue reading →

Posted in acts of God, alternative lifestyle, Bible, choice, Christian history, Christianity, conscience, conviction of sin, corrupt culture, cravings, deliverance, dishonesty, ethics, faithfulness, feelings, free will, freedom, godly sorrow, guidance, habit, harmful habit, hearing God, hearing Jesus, human life, insight, inward change, Jesus, Jesus Christ, life, lifestyles, making decisions, modern myths, morality, morals, normal Christianity, Oh my God, presence of Christ, presence of God, pro choice, questions, recovery, religion, right and wrong, self-denial, Spirit-led, spiritual, spiritual disciplines, spiritual formation, thinking, thoughts, tradition, Uncategorized, values, voice of God, wages of sin | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

got a clear conscience?

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Steve Simms

got a clear conscience?  Without one life’s a pain. got forgiveness?  Guilt will tilt and wilt your soul. Want forgiveness and a clear conscience? The living, resurrected Jesus Christ is standing by, waiting to forgive you, if you will turn … Continue reading →

Posted in Christ, Christ-centered, Christian, Christianity, conviction of sin, disciples, discipling, ethics, forgiveness, guilt, hope, Jesus, Jesus Christ, kingdom of God, moral principles, morality, morals, recovery, religion | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

You Will Answer To God

Posted on May 4, 2012 by Steve Simms

Why is it such a popular thing to ignore and/or deny God nowadays?  Is it because of advancements in science?  Hardly.  Science cannot prove or disprove God. In a world gone awry with whims and cravings; self-interest and surrender to … Continue reading →

Posted in agnostic, atheism, Atheists, Christianity, clear conscience, compromise, conviction of sin, cravings, deny God, evidence for God, free will, genetic tendencies, God, guilt, juddgment, judgments, justice, materialism, morality, morals, natural laws, nature, non-traditional church, popular culture, presence of God, proof of God, Quotations, quote, Quotes, recovery, religion, repent, repentance, science, self-esteem, self-image, Shawn Boonstra, Uncategorized, values, wake-up call, Western religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments