The Story Behind My New Name

Posted on July 25, 2025 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What’s the story behind your nickname?
View all responses

I was once given a new name. I treasure it so much that I don’t use it. I just keep it close to my heart. A great leader once spoke to those who followed Him and said: “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15)

To my amazement Jesus calls me friend. Knowing that I am a friend of Christ has continually changed and improved my life. If you would like to hear Jesus call you friend, try this:

If Christ is in you (Colossians 1:27) but you’re unaware of His presence, you’re ignoring Him. (Hebrews 12:2) Don’t just occasionally analyze Jesus. Continually absorb His presence. (Matthew 28:20)

Don’t just study the Bible, savor it and soak it up. (Psalm 119:11) Bible study is good, but Bible savoring is much better. (Joshua 1:8)

Don’t just pay attention in church. Ponder Christ throughout each day. (John 1:29) Don’t just hear a sermon. Hear the heart of God. (John 10:27)

Don’t just go to church. Go all out all day to follow and obey the risen Jesus. (John 14:15) Don’t just sing a song about God. Pour out your heart and humbly (James 4:6) worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

Don’t replace direct divine revelation (Matthew 16:17) with religion. Jesus came so that you can have an intimate ongoing personal relationship with Him. (Matthew 11:28)

Don’t just converse about Jesus. Continually connect with Him heart-to-heart. (Matthew 15:18)

Don’t just say an occasional prayer. Pour out your heart to God in penitence and in praise for His glorious mercy and forgiveness. (1 John 1:9)

Don’t just be religious. Be a light that radiantly reflects the glory of God. (Matthew 5:16 & 2 Corinthians 4:6) Don’t be satisfied with preaching about Jesus. Demonstrate His presence and power in your day-to-day life. (1 Cor 2:4-5)

Don’t just give some money. Personally encourage and serve somebody. Give your heart. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

This morning after writing this about Jesus I felt inwardly prompted to step outside. When I did, I saw the sunrise and the bright Morning Star. I didn’t allow my mind to analyze and explain the scene. Instead, I let my heart savor it. As I was pondering and absorbing the heart-moving sights a low-flying plane was taking off in front of me. That plane reminded me that the way to let Jesus, the Bright and Morning Star, rise within me isn’t to analyze, study, or explain Him. It’s to ponder, absorb, and surrender to His presence and will.

How closely is your heart connected to the living Jesus right now? (Isaiah 29:13) Get closer every day! For more keys to an intimate, ongoing, daily friendship with Jesus, google: Beyond Church Ekklesia.

Focusing on studying religion is like focusing on studying a sunrise. The more someone studies a sunrise the less he allows himself to be deeply touched and transformed by its beauty. The same goes for studying theology. When studying the Bible replaces soaking it up and continually savoring the presence of Christ through its pages, that shifts people’s awareness away from inner absorption to mental analysis, away from the heart to the head, away from inspiration to information, away from Spirit-prompted wonder to prideful scrutiny.

When it comes to Christianity, experiential knowledge is much more important than mere intellectual knowledge. When there is a famine of direct, personal, awe-filled revelation of the presence and power of the risen Jesus, Christianity becomes just another religion. God wants churches to train people to connect heart-to-heart with and to obey the risen Jesus, not just to fill people’s minds with Bible analysis or motivational speeches. It’s time to focus on, seek, savor, surrender to, and obey the presence of Jesus.

Posted in friend of Christ, friendship, Society of Friends, spiritual formation | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

No Apathy Is My Strategy

Posted on July 24, 2025 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What strategies do you use to maintain your health and well-being?
View all responses

My strategy for mental health and well-being is to have no apathy. I strive to keep my heart filled with kindness, caring, and compassion so that I can help people by humbly speaking the truth in love. (Ephesians 4:14) It’s not easy. In fact, I have a daily fight to deny myself (Luke 9:23) and to make my thoughts, feelings, desires, and opinions obey the risen Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Hearts that know information about God but don’t know His ways will go astray. (Hebrews 3:10) Knowledge about God should never be a replacement for an intimate relationship with God the Holy Spirit — “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)

Refuse to harden your heart. Make it your lifestyle to continually listen to, hear, and obey God’s inner voice. (Hebrews 3:15) Daily encourage people to avoid the hardness of the world’s deception by ceaselessly sharing in, surrendering to, and obeying the inner leading of Christ’s Spirit. (Hebrews 3:13-14)

Christianity’s not
Information you know
Or a religious show.
It’s letting God’s Spirit
Directly lead and flow
So that you grow and grow
With the power to go
And demonstrate Jesus
To everyone you meet.
Nurture God’s inner flow.
(John 7:38-39, Acts 1:8, & Romans 8:14)

There is a handbook, a guidebook, to help you align with God the Holy Spirit. It’s the book that tells me who I am and why I am the way I am better than any book I’ve ever read. It is the Bible. Jesus uses it to open wide my eyes to His light and to help me hear His inner voice. That’s why I believe it. That’s why I read and savor it daily letting it shape and reform my heart. That’s why I do my best to not just be a hearer of the word, but to be an ongoing doer of the word. (James 1:22) Go beyond depressing apathy to uplifting joy.

Posted in apathy, mental health, mental health note, peace of mind | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I’m Traveling to Greater Inner Freedom

Posted on July 23, 2025 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What are your future travel plans?
View all responses

I’m planning to continue my decades long trip that is taking me higher and higher to greater and greater inner freedom. It’s a long journey and a slow process, with every step along the way being a challenge, but the closer I get to the destination the higher my spirit soars. (Isaiah 40:31)

A massive circuit breaker (Romans 6:23) has turned off the current and stopped the flow of God’s Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19) within human hearts causing an apocalyptic power outage. (2 Timothy 3:5) This has led to a worldwide spiritual blackout. (John 3:19) Now we humans live our lives in bondage (John 8:34) to distorted and corrupted feelings, desires, thoughts, opinions, habits, addictions, and other deceptions (Isaiah 53:6) and mostly ignore God’s offer of freedom.

The risen Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) is the truth (John 14:6) who has come to restore God’s inner power flow (Acts 1:8) and set people free (John 8:31-32) to be led by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:14) Through Christ, God the Father wants to shine in your heart and give you light, (2 Corinthians 4:6) so that your mind can be free from fear (1 John 4:18) and you can live in the never-ending inner flow (John 7:38) of His power and love. (2 Timothy 1:7)

Jesus is the light of the world. (John 8:12) No one who says they believe in Him should stay in darkness. (John 12:46) Cast off your stubborn hardheartedness (Acts 3:19) and humbly and courageously come and continually surrender to the Light of Jesus. (John 3:19-21) Begin to spend your every moment aware of and obedient to His presence (Matthew 28:20) by letting Christ freely live in you, (Colossians 1:27) lead you, and be your absolute Master — your Lord and your God. (John 28:20)

Photo by MIRTO KON on Pexels.com
Posted in inner freedom, inner healing, inner Light, inner peace, peace of mind | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I’d Like to Change the Way Christianity is Presented

Posted on July 22, 2025 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What would you change about modern society?
View all responses

Modern society sees Christianity in a boring and legalistic way that focus on Sunday morning church attendance and puts a lot of people off. It also presents Christianity as political. I’d like to change that. Better laws and more church attendance, without better people, can never bring the kingdom of God. God’s government must begin in human hearts.

Christianity is so much better than most people think. If going to church isn’t producing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) in people’s lives, it’s missing the point. It’s best not to attend a church where you’re being manipulated and controlled. (John 8:32)

It’s good not to attend a church that contradicts what the Bible says about Jesus. (1 Corinthians 11:3-4) It’s dangerous to attend church without searching the Bible to see if what’s taught there is true. (Acts 17:11) Jesus, Himself, said: “Beware of false prophets.” (Matthew 7:15)

When church attendance is a greater focus than an ongoing, heart-to-heart relationship with Jesus, it has become an idol. It’s not good to attend a church that makes you feel like it’s not good to be excited about Jesus. (Matthew 6:33)

There is so much more to Christianity than passively attending church. (James 1:22) Be a ceaseless radiator of Christ’s presence and love, not merely a weekly spectator at a religious service. (2 Timothy 1:6-9)

God doesn’t want people to do religious things with a hardened heart. (Matthew 15:8-9 & 22:37) Fully open up your heart to Jesus. (Revelation 3:20) Trust Him with your wounds and let Him give you “a new heart” (Ezekiel 36:26) — “a noble and good heart.” (Luke 8:15) Refuse to hinder what the Holy Spirit wants to do in your heart and through your life. (1 Thessalonians 5:19)

Photo by Alyssa DeGarde on Pexels.com
Posted in Christian spirituality, Christianity, Mere Christianity | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Music to My Ears

Posted on July 21, 2025 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What do you listen to while you work?
View all responses

I listen to and nurture the best, most uplifting thoughts that come to my mind. They are music to my ears. Meanwhile I resist, refute, and reject the impure ones. I use discernment to recognize which are which. I find the thoughts in my mind to be more entertaining and challenging than anything else I can listen to. I especially focus on the thoughts and insights that come to me from God.

I’ve learned that things look different from God’s perspective. I allow God the Holy Spirit to train me to see the way He sees (1 Samuel 16:7) by continually devouring and savoring the writings of the ancient prophets and the earliest Christians and letting those Bible words unceasingly burn in my heart. (Luke 24:32) That gives me discernment to recognize which thoughts are from God, which are from me, and which are from the invisible enemies of God. (Philippians 4:8)

The invisible kingdom of God (Luke 17:20) has come close by. (Mark 1:15) This is how it is manifesting and growing. (Matthew 13:31-32) God is actively releasing His thoughts and insights. (Matthew 16:16-17) Hungry human hearts (Matthew 5:6) day by day are humbly seeking (Matthew 6:33) and receiving God’s direct, personal revelation. Then they align with, surrender to, and obey His supernatural revelation through their internal and external actions of eager repentance. (Acts 3:19) Repentance then leads to the ongoing discipleship of Spirit-led, (Romans 8:14) heart-to-heart relationship with the risen Jesus (Matthew 28:20) and with His faithful followers. (1 John 1:1-3)

God is wanting to work His kingdom through and transform every aspect of your being, the way that yeast works all the way through a big mass of dough. (Matthew 13:33) Will you let Him?

Isolation is not a spiritually healthy thing for Christ-followers to do. We need to listen to God together and help each other hear, heal, and grow. The New Testament tells us more than 50 times to minister to one another in various ways. It also says for us to not give up meeting together. (Hebrews 10:25) There are many ways Christ-followers can meet together besides gathering to passively hear a sermon. For example, we can assemble, listen to God the Holy Spirit together, and then allow people to say and do as they are led by the Spirit. (Romans 8:14) Unfortunately many Christians isolate in their seats on Sunday morning.

Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com
Posted in listening, listening prayer, listening to God, worship music | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My Go-To

Posted on July 20, 2025 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What’s your go-to comfort food?
View all responses

I’m never going to be good enough while living on this planet. I’ll always need mercy and forgiveness. If I write something that offends you, I might even need your forgiveness. But mostly I need God’s forgiveness. He is my go-to for mercy and deliverance.

King David, speaking of the wicked, wrote: “In your heart you devise injustice.” (Psalm 58:2) Isaiah had a broader view of evil. He wrote: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6) Paul wrote, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12) Peter, referring to Isaiah’s words wrote this about Jesus: “He Himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.’ For ‘you were like sheep going astray,’ but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:24-25) The Bible boldly proclaims Christ’s power to forgive and deliver a wretch like me.

The body of Christ is the community of the forgiven–the undeserving recipients of God’s mercy and deliverance–and I am one of them. Are you? The essence of what it means to be the body of Christ is genuine Spirit-led community, not a classroom style lecture. Christians need less sermon-hearing and much more Spirit-led doing. (James 1:22 and Romans 8:14)

What you know about Jesus by personal experience with Him and direct heart-to-heart revelation from Him is much more powerful than anything you can learn about Him from a merely human teacher. A relationship with Jesus is personal not institutional. What matters most is what you allow Him to do in your heart, not a religious program.

Jesus speaks to humble people who will listen directly to Him with an open, humble heart. Will you?

When the Holy Spirit begins to move some people almost always rise up and try to stop Him. I’ve seen this happen many times. About two years ago I discovered a group (not a church) that let people share as the Holy Spirit led them. People opened up and shared their heart. You could strongly sense God’s presence. At times as many as 50 people were present. However, some people were uncomfortable and worked to limit the Spirit’s freedom by bringing in human programming and control. It was amazing while it lasted but sad to see it stopped.

True worship can take place anywhere. It’s not confined to a particular place, time, or organization. (John 4:21-23) Make humble, heart-felt worship and an intimate obedient relationship with the risen Jesus your aim, not church attendance.

Don’t wait for
A church service.
Talk to Jesus.
Listen to Him.
Let Him lead you.
Let Him explain
The Bible to you,
Here and now.

The funny movie “Lucky Louie” (available on Prime) vividly illustrates these points, especially in the final few minutes. It will touch your heart.

Posted in forgiveness, grace of God, Lucky Louie movie, mercy | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Game of Life

Posted on July 19, 2025 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What’s your favorite game (card, board, video, etc.)? Why?
View all responses

My favorite game is the game of life. It’s much less routine and much more exciting than most people realize.

There’s so much scenery in my “ordinary” backyard. What amazing views! Every leaf and every bunch of leaves sways with its own unique shape. Every cloud is a special sight to see. Even in the dark the stars and moon delight my eyes. Yet in the midst of such extraordinary vistas, often all I see is the ordinary. God the Father calls us to see more! (John 1:29)

The Bible teaches the direct opposite of the “let the preacher do it” mentality. It teaches that the role of spiritual leaders (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers) is to train ordinary Christians to do the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4;11) not merely to lecture a passive congregation. Both Peter and Paul teach that Christians are supposed to be active in Spirit-gifted ministry. (1 Peter 4:10-11 and Romans 12:6-8) So why aren’t preachers focused on training, encouraging, and releasing the people in their congregation to minister to one another and to be Christ’s light to whoever God the Holy Spirit leads them? Religious tradition is holding pastors back and preventing them from training and releasing the people they preach to. (Mark 7:13)

A relationship with Christ is free but it’s not easy. Jesus Himself said that it requires self-denial (going against our own thoughts, feelings, and desires), cross-bearing (not running away from struggles and trails), and discipleship (continually following and obeying Him). (Luke 9:23)

The idea Christianity is just something you listen to instead of something you do has mislead many people. (James 1:22) Active, Spirit-led and empowered Christianity is the key to true success (happiness, inner peace, deep heart connection with other people, freedom from mental and emotional bondage, guiltlessness, heart-swelling love) in the game of life. The “let the preacher do it” mentality has greatly inhibited the spiritual growth of many Christians.

Photo by Photo By: Kaboompics.com on Pexels.com
Posted in game of life, priesthood of the believer, thanksgiving | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Living Bread

Posted on July 18, 2025 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
What foods would you like to make?
View all responses

Have we Christians, like the ancient Israelites in the wilderness, rejected the land that God wants to give us? (Numbers 14:31) If not, have we wholeheartedly entered into it? Christ has so much more for us than religion that lacks the power to truly set us free and to radically transform our life. (2 Timothy 3:5) He wants to give us living bread. (John 6:51)

The Bible tells Christians that our individual body a temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19) You don’t need to go anywhere or attend any event to be in a place of worship. You are that place. If Christ is in you, no matter where you go there He is.

Worship is supposed to happen everywhere. God never intended for it to be confined to church buildings. (Philippians 4:4) The risen Jesus is active and available anywhere and anytime people call on Him. (Matthew 28:20)

Without the actual active presence of Christ, a church building is merely a man-made structure. A few people worshipping freely in a house is every bit as valid as programmed worship in a church building. (Matthew 18:20) When the Bible tells Christians not to “forsake the assembling of yourselves together,” it’s not talking about a meeting in a church building. (Hebrews 10:25)

The Bible tells Christians to look unto Jesus, to fix our eyes on Him not on a religious organization. (Hebrews 12:2) The body of Christ is about community, about disciples encouraging one another. (1 Thessalonians 5:11) It’s not about always learning but not actually doing what you’ve learned. (2 Timothy 3:7 and James 1:22) Christ came to set people free from religious pride and formalism. (2 Timothy 3:5) He doesn’t want us entangled in religious bondage. (Galatians 5:1-6)

The place to worship God is wherever you are. Worship needs to be in the Spirit, not in a particular building. (Philippians 3:3) The best place to be on Sunday (and every other day) is “in the Spirit.” (Revelation 1:10)

The body of Christ is “living stones being built into a spiritual house” not a building or an institution. (1 Peter 2:5) If you attend church but your heart isn’t fully there, these words of Jesus describe you: “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.” (Matthew 15:8) Religion that conforms to the world and is approved by contemporary culture isn’t from God. (Romans 12:2)

To see if you are entering and living in the land that God wants to give you, frequently run a Holy Spirit search of your heart. (Psalm 139:23) Continually download to your heart the fruit and the gifts of God the Holy Spirit.

Photo by Sydney Troxell on Pexels.com
Posted in bread of life, daily bread, promised land, spiritual formation | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The True Source of Comfort and Companionship

Posted on July 17, 2025 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
Dogs or cats?
View all responses

People need comfort and companionship and search for it in many different ways and places. Here’s one of the ways that I find comfort in my life.

A prayer chair helps people catch “a different spirit.” (Numbers 14:24) It helps to connect people directly with God the Holy Spirit who gives them a hunger and thirst to wholehearted follow and obey the risen Jesus.

Many times, I’ve sat in the healing seat of prayer covered by caring hands and hearts flowing with God’s love. Each time, I’ve been touched by the tender presence of Christ radiating from ordinary people who love Jesus and are willing to verbally and humbly direct His love toward me. Many more times, I’ve been among those who have opened their heart and their mouth to gently place their hands on and pray for someone needing encouragement.

The prayers that I’ve heard in such a setting are some of the sincerest and most Spirit-led prayers I’ve ever heard. You can instantly see their effect in both the person in the chair and the people gathered around. Eyes become moist. Tears flow. Sighs of relief are released. Hugs are shared. God’s love fills the air.

Like the Bible says: “Pray for one another that you may be healed. (James 5:16) Frequently the people doing the praying are touched and healed as powerfully as the one being prayed over.

Christians are called to continually experience the caring community of Spirit-led, heart-to-heart interaction with one another. “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.” (Hebrews 10:24-25) So why is meeting together around a prayer chair so rare?

Someone in a chair
Surrounded by prayer
By people who care
And tenderly share
The pain that they bear
Is so very rare.
It’s time we go there.
People everywhere
Need that kind of prayer.
Go offer a chair.
(James 5:14-16, Galatians 6:2,
and 1 Thessalonians 5:11)

When a religious presentation replaces the heart-felt presence of the risen Jesus Christ, Christianity is off track. Remember the prayer chair! Don’t forget to pull up a chair.

Photo by Paul Julliot on Pexels.com
Posted in intercessory prayer, prayer, prayer meetings, the effectual fervent prayer | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Heart-Felt Christ-Focus Slows Down Time

Posted on July 16, 2025 by Steve Simms
Daily writing prompt
Which activities make you lose track of time?
View all responses

When I’m intently focused on the presence, power, and majesty of Jesus time slows down. What seems like it has been 20 minutes will have been a few hours. That has happened to me many times, the most amazing being at the Asbury Awakening.

I was in an auditorium with about 1,500 people at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. Someone was playing a grand piano on the far side of the stage. A couple of people were playing guitars and singing (without making any comments) behind the piano. The rest of the stage was empty. I’ve never seen so many people focused on pouring out their heart in adoration to Jesus for so long. (It went non-stop for weeks with individuals reverently coming and going. Every few hours someone would read a Scripture or share a short testimony and then everyone would quickly return to passionate adoration of Jesus.)

The two days my wife and I were there flew by. It was the closest thing to the glorious timelessness of Heaven that I’ve ever experienced.

“Now may the Lord’s strength be displayed.” Numbers 14:17

During this hour
Words without power
Are not what we need.
Preaching men’s wisdom
Won’t build God’s kingdom.
O for believers
Who will demonstrate
The Spirit’s power,
Who will do God’s word
Not simply hear it
But trail the Spirit.
(2 Timothy 3:5, 1 Corinthians 2:4-5, James 1:22, & Romans 8:14

If you want to experience actual demonstrations of the reality of the risen Jesus, are two keys:

  • Set your thoughts and affections on things above, on Jesus and His present reality. (Colossians 3:2)
  • Avoid unsafe thoughts and unsafe emotions. Guard your heart and your mind. (Philippians 4:7)
Photo by Matheus Guimaru00e3es on Pexels.com
Posted in a time warp, meaning of time, theory o, Theory of Relativity, time saving, time travel | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment