Why I Write Differently

Posted on January 7, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What could you do differently?
View all responses

I’ve spent 5 1/2 decades devouring the Bible and storing up God’s words within me. I’ve diligently sought to absorb and obey His words. They’ve been the apple of my eye. I’ve read them almost every day, as a living love letter written directly to me, not like a dry theology textbook. I daily dwell on them, ponder them, savor them, let them work in me, allow them to change me, and let them direct how I live and pray.

Little by little God has written His words on the tablet of my heart. They have gradually been stored up within me. God’s wisdom continually calls, challenges, and comforts me like a dear relative and best friend. Everyday my fingers type it on my keyboard, and I post it far and wide. (Proverbs 7:1-4) “Bit by bit, day by day, the Word of God will light our way.” Here’s why and how I write differently:

I wake up very early each morning with words floating into my awareness, some individually and some in groups. They begin to repeat themselves and little by little assemble themselves into sentences.

I don’t want to get up so early, but eventually several sentences are dancing together in my consciousness. I realize that if I don’t arise and write them down, I might forget them. So I raise myself out of bed and post those intruding thoughts on Facebook. As I do more words and thoughts drift into my awareness and arrange into more sentences.

Eventually the flow slows to a trickle. The last several years I’ve been going to The Wake-Up Call by Seedbed. (Google it for a great blessing.) There I copy and paste the sentences (that I’ve posted on Facebook) in the comment space of the Wake-Up Call blog in whatever order that I feel prompted. After that I read their blog, and it causes a few more sentences to come to me. I add those sentences to what I’ve written in their comment section and post it all there.

Next, I copy what I’ve posted on Wake-Up Call and go to my WordPress blog called Free Gas For Your Think Tank. (You can also google it.) WordPress has a feature called “dailyprompt” which gives an idea to write about each day. I click on it and what I have written matches the “daily prompt.” A few more sentences float through me and I add them and post it all on my blog.

Finally, I post a link to my blog on my Facebook page. Then I go to X and break apart my blog into individual sentences or sections posting them on the former Twitter as tweets.

This process usually takes two to three hours. This morning the floating words suggested that I describe how they work in and through me. That’s what I’ve just done.

Also, before I got out of bed this morning this poem also developed in my mind:

How I Pray in Tongues

As I speak up
Words I don’t know
Begin to flow
From deep within
Releasing love,
Joy, peace, and hope
And awareness
Of God’s presence.
That’s the essence
Of how I pray
In other tongues
And languages.
Spirit-given,
O what a thrill,
I taste and see
Jesus is real.

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Guilt and Shame Be Gone!

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
If you had a freeway billboard, what would it say?
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If I had a freeway billboard it would say: “Guilt and Shame Be Gone!” Underneath that it would direct people to my blog: hopethoughts.com so that they could find out how to experience ongoing freedom from guilt and shame.

All the time keep your heart, your eyes, and your ears focused on Jesus, His commandments, and His innocence. (2 Corinthians 5:21) Love Him with all you’ve got. Keep Him as the center of your everyday life.

Refuse to let guilty feelings keep you from living in openhearted intimacy with the risen Jesus. Every time an impure thought grabs your attention, push it aside and turn your attention back (Luke 5:32) to the presence of Jesus (Matthew 28:20) and to His wisdom. Let the gift of Christ’s forgiveness free you up to live your life free from guilt and shame and unceasingly empower you to deeply love Him and to keep His commandments. (John 14:15)

When toying with temptation (James 1:14-15) has taken away your innocence and filled you with guilty feelings, making excuses won’t remove the accusations that gnaw on you from within. Pleading not guilty won’t ease your conscience, but Jesus can drive away the accusations that assault you. (John 8:1-11)

Every loss of innocence quenches God the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19) and hinders the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) from growing within you. Use God’s gift of discernment (1 Corinthians 12:10) to guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23-27) and protect your innocence. Avoid exposing yourself to things that steal innocence. Instead, continually watch, read, and think about what is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. (Philippians 4:8)

Humbly receiving Christ’s forgiveness is the way (John 14:6) back to inner peace. (John 14:27) Every time you sin in thought, words, or actions, cry out to Jesus and sincerely ask Him to have mercy on you. (Mark 10:47-48) Genuinely ask Him to forgive you and to create a clean heart within you. (Psalm 51:10) If you truthfully do that, He will cleanse you, (Isaiah 1:18) flood you with forgiveness, and give you the desire to daily follow and obey Him. (Mark 8:34)

Saying that you’re innocent doesn’t make you not guilty. If you want to lose that guilty feeling till it’s gone, gone, gone; put away your guilt producing thoughts and behaviors, and fully surrender your life to the risen Jesus Christ. (Acts 3:19) Let Him forgive you and cleanse you (1 John 1:9) Let Jesus make and keep you pure within. (Matthew 5:8)

Let the nostalgia that you feel for innocence, whenever you see a small child playing, (Matthew 2:5) motivate you to always seek first the kingdom — inner government — of God in your life (Matthew 6:33) and the ever-increasing cleansing, healing, and freedom that Christ offers you. (2 Corinthians 3:12-17)

Jesus asks us to get out of the boat and walk on water with Him. When He does, we need to be free to obey Jesus and not be bound by religious traditions, (Mark 7:13) protocol, and human control. (1 Peter 5:3)

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Hope Beyond the Past, Present, and Future

Posted on January 5, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?
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I find hope by looking beyond the past, the present, and the future. The discipline of God the Holy Spirit gives life and hope. Jesus calls the Spirit’s discipline discipleship. (Proverbs 5:23)

Jesus said to go and make disciples. (Matthew 28:19-20) To make disciples is to train, empower, and inspire people to be aware of, attentive to, and activated by God the Holy Spirit in their daily life. (John 16:12-15) Then they can be transformed by God’s power (Acts 1:8) from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18) and become effective witness to the actual presence of Christ living and working in and through them. (Colossians 1:27)

To make disciples we need to help people encounter, obey, and fully surrender all to the living resurrected Jesus Christ. Simply put, disciple making is helping someone love Jesus more. The focus of Christianity is too often on filling religious buildings with church members, but Jesus wants us to fill the world with totally committed Christ-lovers who consistently follow and obey Him.

Too many Christians are educated but not discipled. They’re taught but not trained. They’re informed but not empowered. They’re instructed but not inspired. (2 Timothy 3:16) They are lectured but not Spirit-led. (Romans 8:14)

In much of contemporary Christianity, direct revelation from God (Matthew 16:17 & 1 Corinthians 2:9-10) has been exchanged for human wisdom. (Proverbs 3:5-6) Heart-to-heart relationship with God (John 15:14-15) has been replace by routine religion. (Mark 7:13)

Jesus wants His followers to go and make disciples, not to passively sit together and make an audience. To make a disciple you must be a disciple. It’s so much easier to simply be a Sunday morning spectator. Dare to make disciples, not just to invite people to attend church! Unless Christian converts are converted into true disciples, they’ll gradually revert to their old habits and lifestyle patterns, even if they continue going to church.

Christ’s goal isn’t to make us safe and secure in our own nation. It’s to save us from self-focus and to set us free to consistently love, serve, and obey Him (John 14:15) and to love other people, even our enemies. (Matthew 5:44) Many churches and Christian leaders have begun to make political activists. Meanwhile Jesus is still waiting for us to make disciples who will deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow Him. (Luke 9:23)

Is the way church is being done an effective way of making disciples? Answer honestly. Does Jesus really want churches to make Christians into Sunday bench warmers on the sideline of life who are required to listen to a weekly religious lesson?

Disciples do
What Jesus
Tells them to.
How about you?

For my books on discipleship, google: The Joy of Early Christianity and/or Beyond Church Ekklesia.

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The Gift of No

Posted on January 4, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What is the greatest gift someone could give you?
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The gift of being told no to harmful things is great and wonderful. So much pain in our lives could be avoided if we were simply willing to follow the warnings of the gift of no. When your conscience says no that’s a gift that has the ability to save you from much self-caused misery. When the Bible says no, it’s a present that if received will protect you in many ways.

An unguarded heart is attracted to harmful attachments. That’s why God says no to certain things. That’s why the Bible says: “Above all else guard your heart for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23)

God wants your heart to be noticeably full of joy. (John 15:11) His nos are because He knows the things that will steal your happiness and will seal you in misery. That’s why God wants you to, “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.” (Proverbs 4:26)

Keep your eyes focused on how God has called you to live. If you’re a Christian, you are called to live in this world but to not to be of the world. (John 17:14-16) Your citizenship is in Heaven. (Philippians 3;20) You’re not supposed to live like the world lives or to think like the world thinks. (Romans 12:2) As an ambassador of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) you are called to clearly represent Jesus in all you think, say, and do and you’re supposed to see persecution as a blessing. (Matthew 5:10-12)

You can only faithfully live out your calling as a Christ-follower by being consistently led by (Romans 8:14) and empowered by (Romans 8:9-12) God the Holy Spirit. You can’t do it without His presence continually living and working within your heart. (Zechariah 4:6) Open wide your heart, your mind, and your eyes to the Spirit’s wisdom and revelation so that you can know Him better and daily experience “the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:18-19)

Search the Scriptures, day and night, (Joshua 1:8) to learn how to (Romans 15:4) make more room for God the Spirit in your daily life and in your church. Train yourself not to grieve, sadden, (Ephesians, 4:3) or quench Him. (1 Thessalonians 5:19) Become addicted to reading the Bible as a love letter from God and consistently doing what it teaches in your daily life. (2 Timothy 3:16) Doing that will help you to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

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Beyond Liberal and Conservative

Posted on January 3, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What colleges have you attended?
View all responses

A Republican and a Democrat

A Republican and a Democrat were sitting on nearby park benches looking at a beautiful view. The Republican began to pray: “God, thank You that I’m not like that Democrat who wants the government to take care of hurting people. I just want the government to take care of me by protecting me from evil people like that Democrat, and by throwing the poor refugees that the Democrats support out of the country.”

The Democrat looked up and thought: “If we could just get the government to take care of more people they wouldn’t be tempted to rely on the God of the Bible and believe His teachings. Then they could freely praise and applaud the people who fly the rainbow flag, change their identity, and say, ‘My body, my choice.’ O, what a beautiful country it would be.”

The Bible offers a better way. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart.”

To trust in the Lord with all your heart is to set aside your own understanding and to surrender your will and all your ways to Him so that He, Himself, can begin to daily direct your paths and behaviors. (Proverbs 3:5-6) That’s not a lukewarm nominal faith. It’s faith that burns in the heart, (Luke 24:32) seeks first the kingdom — inner government — of God and His righteousness, (Matthew 6:33) and unceasingly presses toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, (Philippians 3:14)

Jesus calls us to give our all in full surrender. He says: “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me.” (Luke 9:23) Jesus made a radical call for self-surrender when told His disciples to shift their priorities and to begin to care for and serve other people in the same way and with the same intensity that they care for and serve their own daily needs. (Matthew 22:39) There’s nothing nominal or lukewarm (Revelation 3:15-16) in biblical Christianity!

Christ wants His followers to go all out in disciple making. (Matthew 28:19) Disciples are doers of the Word not hearers only. (James 1:22) They are made by hands-on Spirit-led training and by demonstrations of the presence of the Spirit. (1 Corinthians 2:4-6) One word spoken to one person by God’s Spirit is more powerful than multitudes of words spoken to crowds of people by mere human wisdom. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5)

Disciples are made by Christians assembling themselves together (Hebrews 10:25) so they can be freed up to obey the 50+ New Testament “one another” commands as the Spirit prompts them. (Romans 8:14) Then they can use Scripture not merely to teach biblical information but also to train each other to live in true Spirit-produced righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)

If pastors could be trained to share the responsibility by freeing up all the congregation to share in church services as they feel prompted by God and to obey the 50+ one another commandments in the New Testament, burnout would run out of fuel. I wrote a guidebook about how to do that based on 10 years of doing it in a denominational church. Search for: Beyond Church Ekklesia.

If you want to praise God, shout it out. If you want to praise a country, that’s fine. However, please don’t praise them both together as if they are equal. God is eternal and the Creator of all that exists. Every country except for the invisible kingdom (inner government) of God (Matthew 6:33) will vanish into nothing. The eternal God and a temporary country are infinitely far from being on the same level! It’s best not to imply that they are.

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Heeeer’s More Than Play

Posted on January 2, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
Do you play in your daily life? What says “playtime” to you?
View all responses

We live in a time of much deception. We need a wise and discerning mentality to help us avoid deception reception. Superficial, play religion is leading multitudes astray. God’s chosen way for you to know about what Jesus said and did is the Bible, not a weekly video series. Christians need to be focusing on the real deal — the Bible itself, not on people’s opinions about it!

We are living in the time that Jesus described in the Bible: “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.” (Matthew 24:23) Today many voices are saying “Look, here is the Christ,” — famous preachers promoting “their ministries,” political parties promoting their agendas, the millions of independent churches and denominations that disagree with each other, social media, The Chosen, Christian radio, famous Christian singers, cults, and on and on.

To avoid deception reception, don’t blindly believe and support those voices and their various claims to point to Christ! Instead read and ponder and talk about the Bible, day and night. (Joshua 1:8) Test the spirits to see whether they are from God. If they twist or distort who the Bible says Jesus is then refuse to believe them. (1 John 4:1)

Store up God’s commandments within you. Train your ear to hear His wisdom. Apply your heart to God’s understanding. Call out to Him for insight. Cry aloud for His understanding. Search for spiritual discernment as for hidden treasure. If you consistently do those things, you will find the experiential and relational knowledge of God. Then supernatural wisdom will enter your heart. Seek discretion, God’s gift of the discernment of spirits, and it will protect you from the massive deceptions of our time. (Proverbs 2:1-11)

“For the Lord gives wisdom, from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:6) The Lord has revealed Himself through Scripture. He also wants to personally reveal Himself directly to your heart. (John 16:13) Listen to His still small voice. (1Kings 19:11-13)

If you believe in the personal God described in the Bible, don’t just learn some details and facts about Him. Get to know Him personally! Begin to regularly listen to and obey both the Bible and God’s inner voice. Routine religion wants to get you into passive church meetings. New Testament Christianity wants to get the one true living and resurrected Jesus Christ into you (Colossians 1:27) and the fruit of His Spirit into your behaviors. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Warning! “Your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!” (2 Corinthians 11:3-4) Flee from the fictionalized and the trivialized false Christ’s being promoted today. Be like the Bereans. (Acts 17:11) Search the Scriptures every day and night so that you can discern what is true about Jesus and not be deceived by the many false Christs that are being promoted all around us.

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The Challenges of Having a Happy and Wise New Year

Posted on January 1, 2026 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What are your biggest challenges?
View all responses

Happy New Year! I woke up with these thoughts being poured out to me and streaming through my mind and heart this beautiful New Year’s morning. My biggest challenge is to daily and actively apply the wisdom of God in my everyday life.

The body of Christ is all the people who listen to, (John 10:27) love and obey Jesus. (John 14:15) It is headed up by the active presence of the living resurrected Christ, Himself (Ephesians 5:23) not by a mere human leader.

It is not confined to religious corners. It shares God’s presence and wisdom everywhere. It makes disciples in all the world. (Matthew 28:19)

The body of Christ is so much more than a passive audience of religious spectators who gather to simply hear a talk about the word. Members of the body of Christ assemble themselves together (Hebrews 10:25) in order to train one another (Hebrews 10:24) to actually do the word throughout their everyday life. (James 1:22)

Members of the body of Christ consistently shine His light. (Matthew 5:14) They show people His love (Mark 12:31) everywhere they go, even to their enemies. (Matthew 5:44) They do more than sit and listen to wise and persuasive words of men’s wisdom. (1 Corinthians 2:4-5) They testify about Jesus (Revelation 12:11) and demonstrate the Spirit’s wisdom and power. (Acts 1:8)

Every new year has many challenges. My greatest challenge every year is to be an effective and Spirit-led member of the body of Christ.

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No Room for Nostalgia

Posted on December 31, 2025 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What makes you feel nostalgic?
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There’s no room for nostalgia when every day is thrilling, healing, and joy revealing. How can you live every day like that?

Recognize Christ in You (Jesus Himself)

You can know many things
That Jesus said and did
But knowing about them
Isn’t knowing Him.
Open your ears and eyes
Until you recognize
The presence of Jesus.
Let Him rise in your eyes!
And His words thrill your heart.
Christ is closer to you
Than you right now realize.
See Him, serve Him, share Him.

Jesus reveals
Behold.
Jesus heals.
Be whole.
Jesus thrills.
Be wowed!

Bible teaching should do so much more than merely present and discuss biblical doctrines and information. It should also give people hands-on step-by-step practical training in actually encountering, experiencing, and applying what they are taught from the Bible. That way they won’t become “hearers only” who don’t regularly, daily, and faithfully do the word. (James 1:22 & Luke 24:13-35)

The biblical concept of teaching isn’t based on academics or on lecture style, classroom education. It’s based on direct personal revelation. (Matthew 16:17) It’s not just instructing people about Bible details. It’s hands-on practical training and discipling (Matthew 28:19) that empowers and releases people to daily live out and consistently obey the word they’ve heard. It doesn’t mold people into a passive audience. It transforms them into radical disciples who are strong, mighty, and outspoken in declaring their testimonies about how Christ, the Lamb of God, is working in them. (Revelation 12:11)

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A Relationship with God the Holy Spirit is Heavenly

Posted on December 30, 2025 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What relationships have a positive impact on you?
View all responses

How to Wake Up to Christ’s Presence

Where Christ’s presence is being ignored, God the Holy Spirit is being quenched. (Luke 10:38-42) Both individuals and churches can quench the Spirit. However, the Bible plainly says not to quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19) and not to make Him sad. (Ephesians 4:30) So how do Christians and churches quench and grieve the Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is quenched and grieved wherever:

* There’s anxiety or worry. (Philippians 4:6-7)
* Christians are lukewarm. (Revelation 3:16)
* Seeking the inner government (kingdom) of God isn’t the first priority. (Matthew 6:33)
* There’s little hunger or thirst for righteousness. (Matthew 5:6)
* Religion has become formalized and powerless. (2 Timothy 3:5)
* Audience-making is more important than disciple-making. (Matthew 28:19)
* The gifts of the Spirit are seldom experienced. (Corinthians 12:4-11)
* Pride is prevalent. (James 4:6)
* Sin is approved. (Matthew 4:17)
* Christians avoid, ignore or reject God’s inner promptings. (Galatians 5;16)
* Christians are trained and conditioned to be passive. (James 1:22)
* The fruit of the Spirit isn’t abundantly flourishing. (Galatians 5:22-23)
* Love is lacking.
* Joy is rare.
* Peace has been replaced with worry and conflict.
* Patience has been exchanged for impatience.
* Kindness has been set aside for unkindness.
* Goodness is uncommon
* Faithfulness has vanished.
* Gentleness is seen as weakness.
* Self-control is lost.

To avoid quenching the Spirit, Christians need practical hands-on interactive training and discipleship in actually doing what the Bible says. Neverending one-man teaching offers Christians lots of Biblical information (2 Timothy 3:7) but it doesn’t train them to stop grieving and quenching God the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t help them become active doers of the word rather than passive hearers. (Luke 6:46-49)

If you can’t find a church that offers hands-on training in obeying and being led by the Spirit, (Romans 8:14) God the Holy Spirit Himself is ready and eager to train you throughout each day. (1 John 2:27) Begin to consistently listen to and obey His inner promptings. (Revelation 3:22)

Quiz: Contemporary churches train Christians to be . . .
_____ Hot,
_____ Cold,
_____ Lukewarm.
(Revelation 3:16)

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Team Jesus (“That Whosoever Believes in Him”)

Posted on December 29, 2025 by Steve Simms

Those words from the world-famous John 3:16 Bible verse are an open invitation for any human being to trust in, rely on, depend on, have confidence in, and keep their faith in the living resurrected Jesus Christ. The belief in Jesus that brings eternal life is so much more than merely agreeing with what the Bible says about Him.

Even the demons believe that Jesus is the Son of God. They believe it so strongly that it makes them tremble with terror. (James 2:19) Yet instead of relying on Jesus they constantly rebel against Him. The demons are totally unwilling to trust in and depend on Jesus by aligning their behaviors with what He says. (James 2:18)

Are you aligning what you do throughout each day with what you say you believe? If not, the Bible says your faith is dead. (James 2:17)

Living faith, the belief that saves, is faith that works to produce godly behaviors and the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) in your everyday life. It is to truly trust in Christ in you (Colossians 1:27) by consistently relying on Jesus to calm the storms you encounter in the boat of your daily life, no matter how frightened they make you feel. (Mark 4:35-41)

Being Spirit-led (Romans 8:14) is far more important than being tradition bound. (Mark 7:13) Be a “whosoever will” who dares to daily and diligently depend on Jesus regardless of what your circumstances may be! Train yourself to live in faithful obedience, ongoing wonder, and holy awe of Jesus.

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