Have the courage to be a peacemaker

Posted on January 8, 2021 by Steve Simms

It takes rare courage to be a peacemaker. Rise to the call! The demon of targeted hate, has tormented Americas far too long. Peacemakers liberate people from the demons of hate and prevent much misery.

All that’s needed for conflict to escalate is for peacemakers to stand by and do nothing. When peace makers are intimidated by fear, anger rages. Peacemakers, it’s time to arise and be bold with kindness!

Peacemakers don’t compromise with evil. They resist it in themselves and help others overcome it as well! They don’t agree with evil, yet they have compassion when people are influenced by it.

Peacemakers (though always needed) are often unwanted, mistreated, and rejected. They often get attacked by both sides, but they press on anyway! It often takes more courage to be a peacemaker than it does to fight.

Peacemakers look for and focus on what people have in common. They listen to and have compassion for both sides. Peacemakers strive to overcome their own anger and unkindness so that they can spread love to others.

Peacemakers are brave enough to consistently interrupt the cycle of pride and hate with kindness and humility. They boldly stand up for right, yet they refuse to hate, berate, or retaliate. They have freed themselves from the demons of hate and pride.

Peacemakers facilitate heart-to-heart connections between hostile people. They are heroes at hearing others and are courageous in showing compassion.

Peacemakers realize that governments are temporary but people are eternal. They respect government, but love people! Peacemakers refuse to let conflict with others escalate into hate.

Let’s admit this. All targeted hate, whether based on political views or skin color, is evil. There’s nothing great about hate! Anybody can be a troublemaker. Be better than that. Be a peacemaker! To turn away from kindness, understanding, and mercy, in order to embrace anger and hate, is to follow a spirit of deception.

The opposite of peace is unkindness, because it causes pain and provokes anger and hostility. Check out my handbook to peace: Off the RACE Track–From Color-Blind to Color-Kind. Thank you.

Hatred is demonic.
It disrespects
God’s image
In human beings.
God is love.

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Spirit-led community overcomes divisiveness.

Posted on January 7, 2021 by Steve Simms

Spirit-led people live differently than people who follow their own desires. Spirit-led community is a gathering of people, connected heart-to-heart by Jesus. Far too often, church is a substitute for Spirit-led community.

Spirit-led community can only occur with humility. Pride destroys it. Spirit-led community disappears when people try to organize and control it.

Spirit-led community isn’t a “service” to attend once a week. It’s a life-long lifestyle of connecting heart-to-heart.

Christ-followers frequently experience spontaneous, Spirit-led community with other people. When we belong to Christ we will experience Spirit-led community with His followers.

God’s Spirit-led community is built on Jesus, not on human plans, programs, and agendas. Calling an organization a church, doesn’t make it a Spirit-led community. Church without Spirit-led community is like going to dinner without eating. Sometimes people quit church because they are searching for Spirit-led community. “Don’t just go to church, be . . .” a part of God’s Spirit-led community.”

The kingdom of God manifests when two or more people come together in Spirit-led community. Spirit-led community overcomes divisiveness. A Christian meeting can’t be Spirit-led & human controlled at the same time.

The Bible defines children of God as people who are led by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:28. God wants to connect us to His heart and make us part of His Spirit-led community.

You can’t encounter the living Jesus without experiencing amazement and awe. The living Jesus wants us to be merciful, not religious. (Mt. 9:12-13. Mt. 12:7. Hosea 6:7.) Ask Jesus to reveal Himself to you. Then notice what happens inside you and around you, the next few weeks.

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Thoughts about disagreement & cheating

Posted on January 7, 2021 by Steve Simms

When you’re secure in your beliefs, you won’t feel threatened by people’s opinions. If you connect with people heart-to-heart, disagreement is of little importance.

Dishonest people think cheating is rampant because they do it themselves. Fake accusations of cheating aren’t good for democracy. Cheaters like to accuse others of cheating.

If we’d all fight the corruption in our own heart, instead of blaming the other guys, the world would be a much better place. It’s easy to call others evil when you’ve hidden your own evil from yourself.

When people disagree, one is rarely completely right and the other totally wrong. It’s irrational to disagree with people before you hear what they have to say. Insecure people believe that people who disagree with them are against them.

Disagreement doesn’t cause problems. Insulting people you disagree with does.

True tolerance isn’t agreement. It’s kindness for the people who disagree with you.

If you base friendship on agreement, you won’t have many friends. You can apply the “Golden Rule” even when there’s strong disagreement. Try it.

When you want to put people in their place, respect them as made in God’s image. When people disagree with me, it doesn’t mean they’re wrong. I could be. People who disagree with me are amazing people who I can learn from.

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False prophets & self-deception

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Steve Simms

False prophets come in all shapes and sizes, wearing political and religious disguises. They stir up anger and hatred toward people, ignoring that, “God is love.” Perhaps the worst false prophet is self-deception.

When circumstances prove false prophets wrong, they don’t apologize. False prophets point to their “authority,” true prophets point people to Jesus. The more I know myself, the more I want to abandon the ship of self-focus (and other false prophets) and follow the living Jesus instead.

To “Know yourself,” can be unpleasant and humbling advice, especially when you don’t like what you see. That’s the time to humbly embrace God’s grace and shove self-focused thoughts out of your mind, like a bouncer throwing rowdy men out of a bar.

Grace let’s you know the Holy Spirit as a “Christ in you,” not as theory or a force. By gazing at God’s greatness, I become aware of my lowliness and of His amazing mercy for me.

Let the Holy Spirit wake up your conscience and begin to align your thought and lifestyle with righteousness. By gazing at God’s greatness, I become aware of my lowliness and of His amazing mercy for mGrace let’s you know the Holy Spirit as a “Christ in you,” not as a theory or a force.

Sermon Christianity
Without the Spirit,
Leaves you with nothing
To do but hear it.

Experience
Emmanuel,
God with us,
Christ in you,
The Holy Spirit.

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Entertainment is a poor substitute for awe

Posted on January 3, 2021 by Steve Simms

The less we welcome awe, the more we feel the need for entertainment. However, entertainment is a poor substitute for awe. The person who is not amazed by anything at all, is bored. Amusement gets old, but amazement is always fresh and exciting!

A numb heart is closed to inspiration, yet adapt at drudgery. When awe opens your heart, avoid quickly shutting it. Linger in the wonder!

The human heart is designed to live with awe, not to be bored and shut down. To be unconscious of awe is to miss the wonder of it all! We’re made for heart-felt joy and awe, not for a meaningless rotisserie of activities.

Awe is amazement and wonder that can’t be expressed by mere words. Awe brings the heart to life, but too often the mind sets awe aside in order to focus on information.

Wondering about
With awe in your heart
Is often more powerful
Than trying to figure things out.

Living on this amazing planet, awe should be a frequent occurrence, not a rare one. However, if you don’t cultivate awe in your heart, life quickly becomes a bore. Without inspiration, life is poorly lit.

A quiet walk can take you further than down the street. It can carry you into awe. You can learn to experience your life with joy, delight, and awe.

Pride’s an awe remover. The more you think you know, the less room you have for awe.

The continually changing sky is an awesome thing. Life’s full of inspiration, if you’ll just keep looking up. Discover awe! When you feel like you’re stuck in darkness, look up. The night sky is awe inspiring.

The night sky,
Though dimmed
By city lights,
Still cries,
“Take time
For awe.”

The human heart will be inspired by nature’s beauty, unless it’s shut down Notice nature’s beauty. Let your heart continually absorb its delight. Let heart-dazzling wonder and soul-captivating awe make your life marvelous.

The voice of God is awe-dible. Once you hear it, you’ll never be the same.

It’s a marvel that knowing that all matter is temporary, we humans still have the concept of forever. True wealth is Christ’s inspiration, awe, and wonder, not just for a moment, but for a lifetime (and beyond)! Christianity, without the gasp of awe, is more intellectual than spiritual.

When you daily follow and obey the living Jesus, it’s always awe-time! If people pursued Jesus, the way we pursue entertainment, we’d all be saints! When your conscience tries to redirect you, try not to be asleep at the switch.

To see the light
And embrace
Its awe,
Is pure delight.

Jesus came to reign
In your heart,
Not to explain
To your mind.

Inexplicable inspiration (beyond all words) surges thru my heart when I ponder Jesus. The first Christians lived with awe. Search: The Joy Of Early Christianity book.

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Hopethoughts.com — 21 hopeful quotes for 2021

Posted on December 31, 2020 by Steve Simms
  1. “Never lose your zeal for building a better world.” –Mary McLeod Bethune
  2. “Discovery consists of seeing what everybody else has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.” –Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
  3. “A clown is a warrior who fights gloom.” –Red Skelton
  4. “He is happiest who has the power to gather wisdom from a flower.” –Macy Howitt
  5. “You are a bigger and better person than you are presently thinking and acting. Think bigger; act bigger.” –Brian Cavanaugh
  6. “We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be?” Nelson Mandela
  7. “Great necessities call out great virtues.” –Abigail Adams
  8. “Endeavor to collect inner riches.” –John Comenius
  9. “I never dwell on anything wrong which a person has done.” –Teresa of Avila
  10. “If you want to move people, it has to be toward a vision that’s positive for them.” –Martin Luther King, Jr.
  11. “We have been called to heal wounds, to unite what has fallen apart, and to bring home those who have lost their way.” –Francis of Assisi
  12. “Every person is born into the world to do something unique and something distinctive, and if he or she doesn’t do it, it will never be done.” –Benjamin E. Mays
  13. “Our walls of division do not rise all the way to Heaven.” –Philaret of Moscow
  14. “Give the world the best that you have and the best will come back to you.” –Madeline Bridges
  15. “Noble actions are the chief mark of greatness.” –Carlo Goldoni
  16. “I need, we all need, the occasional reminder that the world is an extraordinary place.” –Charles Handy
  17. “A burning purpose attracts others who are drawn along with it and help fulfil it.” –Margaret Bourke-White
  18. “Spend more time preparing and less time regretting.” –Virginia Wade
  19. “It does not require many words to speak the truth.” –Chief Joseph
  20. “When the soul of a person is on fire with imagination, impossibilities vanish.” –La Fontaine
  21. “It is almost impossible to overestimate the unimportance of most things.” –John Logue
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Dialogue with Jesus leads to freedom

Posted on December 31, 2020 by Steve Simms

Some of the thoughts that pass through your mind are from God. Find them. Many of those God-thoughts, originate in your conscience.

To have a personal relationship with Jesus, you have to communicate with Him. When prayer moves beyond a monologue to a dialogue, it will set your heart on fire!

Take your mind
And clear it,
So you can hear
God’s Spirit.

Ongoing,
Heart-to-heart
Dialogue with Jesus
Will gloriously free us!

The living Jesus is the best interior decorator. He can realign your heart! However, uncontrolled thoughts and emotions cause interior chaos and make joy seem like a myth. Let the living Jesus continually be the interior designer of your heart and mind.

True Christianity isn’t based on coercion or religious obligation, but on awesome heart-connection with the living Jesus. It’s not about emptying yourself. It’s about being filled up with the living Jesus.

Heart-connection with the living Jesus happens within you. It’s not dependent on external circumstances. (Until you begin to notice the light of God shinning in your own heart, you’ll have trouble recognizing it in your outward environment.)

To “seek the kingdom of God,” we must continually align our heart and actions with Him. (Matthew 6:33.) Exterior Christianity, without an interior relationship with Jesus, is substandard. If your interior life doesn’t match your outward appearances, you’ll be unhappy.

When you surrender to Christ in you, He sets your heart ablaze with His presence! There’s a drastic difference between hearing a short monologue about Jesus and having an ongoing dialogue with Jesus!

The living Jesus is more than just historical, theological, and coming back again. He’s present and active now! The glory and greatness of the living Jesus, infinitely outshines any human greatness.

Kind and caring dialogue between people creates genuine heart-connection. Try it today.

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Christianity without love (heart-connection) is counterfeit.

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Steve Simms

Christianity’s about
Heart connection
With God
And with people.

Without love, there’s no heart-connection with God. God is love! A heart, disconnected from God, hardens.

When people establish and maintain heart-connection with God, love continually flows thru them. Every time we speak or act without love, it reveals a break in our heart-connection with God.

The closer I get to the living Jesus, the more I love everybody. After all, everybody we encounter is somebody Jesus loves. People who haven’t offended you don’t need your forgiveness. Give it to those who need it. The harder people are to get along with, the greater their need for kindness.

Hurtful words don’t help anybody. Speak the truth with humility, caring, and compassion. Christianity without love is counterfeit.

“Abide in the vine,” means: Stay continually heart-connected with the living Jesus. Life’s tough, but following the living Jesus can prevent the hardening of your heart. When “Christ in you” continually distracts you from your circumstances, you’re not far from glory of God.

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Revelation Inspiration

Posted on December 29, 2020 by Steve Simms

The slayed Lamb
Standing in the center
Of the throne of God,
Has opened the scroll,
No one could open,
And restored the way
To heart-connection
Between people and God,
Releasing inner rivers
Of living water.
Come and drink.
Taste and see
That God is good.

Photo by Valeriia Miller on Pexels.com
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33 thoughts inspired by 2 hours in 1 John

Posted on December 28, 2020 by Steve Simms

After spending two hours in the biblical book of 1 John, I was inspired to write these thoughts. Can you tell which verse each one came from?

  • Biblical Christianity is about experiencing heart-connection with God and with people.
  • Happiness is incomplete without heart-to-heart connection with other people.
  • When we humbly walk in the light with other people, heart-connection happens.
  • Heart-connection with Jesus will teach you infinitely more than a sermon ever can.
  • Religious information without heart-connection with the living Jesus is powerless.
  • Love establishes and maintains heart-connection with God and with people.
  • True fellowship is heart-to-heart connection, not casual socializing.
  • People’s hearts connect when they tell each other about their experiences with Jesus.
  • Hostility disconnects hearts.
  • Hatred is heart-disconnection. Caring requires a humble, open heart.
  • Your heart can connect, even with your enemies, if you will see them thru God’s love.
  • To choose darkness over light is to break connection with the living Jesus.
  • Heart-connection with the living Jesus causes us to want to keep His commandments.
  • When your heart is disconnected from the living God, it’s subject to much malware.
  • Heart-connection isn’t just sentiment. It produces caring actions and encouraging words.
  • Heart-connection with Jesus, leads us to obey Him & frees us from self-condemnation.
  • All the religion in the world, does us little good, if we’re disconnected from God.
  • When your heart is connected with the living Jesus, you overcome the world’s malware.
  • People who are connected to Jesus’ network, experience connection to each other.
  • Heart-connection with Jesus dissolves human hierarchy into mutual humility.
  • When we connect heart-to-heart, the living God is present and active among us.
  • God showed His heart-connection to us by sending His Son, so that we can connect with Him.
  • Superficial interaction is incomplete. We’re designed for heart-to-heart connection.
  • To hide your heart is to rob yourself of the delight of living in God’s light.
  • To hide and protect your heart is to choose to disobey: “Quench not the Spirit.”
  • When your heart is actively connected with Jesus, you can’t ignore His presence.
  • Heart-connection with Jesus creates many amazing interactions and experiences.
  • The more our heart is connected to Jesus, the more He will live His life in and through us.
  • If you will let your heart connect with Jesus, you’ll wonder why you were ever afraid.
  • If your heart is truly open to Jesus, it won’t be closed to people.
  • This is how we know our heart is connected to the living Jesus: We obey Him.
  • All wrongdoing is malware that disrupts our connection with the living Jesus.
  • We need Christ’s inner volcanic eruption to overcome our tendency toward corruption.
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