The Sequel of “This Changes My Mind Throughout Each Day”

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Steve Simms

After reading my blog post today, someone sent me this question: “I get it, but HOW do you hear the Spirit?” Here’s my answer to him.

Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice.” I take Him at His word. That means all God’s people hear His voice. As a new Christians I asked God why He spoke so much to people in the Bible but isn’t speaking to people today. Suddenly this thought came to my mind. “The problem isn’t that I’m not speaking. It’s that you’re not listening.” Ever since then I’ve been trying to listen better and better.

I think the key to hearing the Spirit is to humbly open your heart and be willing to hear things that you might not want to hear. The Spirit convicts of sin. When you feel convicted about a sin that you are doing (or have done) that isn’t just human guilt. It’s the voice of the Spirit calling you to repentance, healing, and victory over that sin. Respond appropriately.

The thoughts that cross your mind come from three sources: 1) Yourself, 2) the devil, and 3) God. Read the Bible everyday with an open heart. Ask God to give you discernment so that you can recognize which thoughts that come to your mind are from God.

Thoughts that come from God won’t contradict Scripture. Once you recognize a thought from God obey. If you ignore it or refuse to obey it, you will quench the Spirit and harden your heart, making it more difficult to hear God. The opposite is true. Every time you recognize the voice of God and obey it, you soften your heart and make it easier to hear God.

God seldom speaks with an audible voice. Yet He frequently puts thoughts in your mind and feelings in your heart. If something comes to your mind and you don’t want to do it or to think it, it’s not from you. It is either from God or the devil. If it disagrees with the Bible, it’s from the devil. If it aligns with the Bible and glorifies God, it is from God. I believe that you are hearing God, but you aren’t recognizing His voice. We too often want God to speak in grandiose ways, but He usually speaks with a still small voice (like He did with Elijah).

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This Changes My Mind Throughout Each Day

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Steve Simms

My mind is being changed every day. The more I listen and the more I humbly obey, the more my mind grows in its ability to think beyond my own desires, feelings, and opinions. My most important listening isn’t hearing human presentations. It’s learning to hear what God’s Spirit is saying within me. Every day the Spirit is leading me to think and perceive a little more from His point of view instead of from my own perspective.

Seven times (in the book of Revelation) the risen Lord Jesus told Christians to hear what the Spirit says. Perhaps we should try listening to God’s Spirit. The first step to following the risen Jesus is to open your heart and begin to hear what the Spirit is saying.

It’s easy to hear a politician, an influencer, a preacher, or an expert. It’s more important to hear what God’s Spirit says. Christians have been trained to sit and hear what a preacher says, but not to hear what the Spirit is saying. Don’t just go to church. Hear what the Spirit says (all week long).

If the distracting noise around you and within you annoys you, step aside and begin to hear what God’s Spirit says. Let Him be your inner Guide! God has thing under control. To be led by the Spirit you need to take the time to hear what the Spirit says and then humbly and courageously obey.

When the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit are rare, it’s because Christians are unwilling to hear what the Spirit says. To avoid quenching the Holy Spirit, you have to learn to actively and continually hear what the Spirit is saying.

The sound of the still, small voice of God’s Spirit is sweeter than a bird’s tweet. Hear what the Spirit says.

Jesus said: “My sheep hear My voice.” Hear what the Spirit says. How can you hear what the Spirit is saying? “Be still and know that I am God.”

Simon Says is a game. Preacher says can also be a game called “playing church.” To hear what the Spirit says is game on! Hear God’s Spirit now!

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.” (John 16:13.) Hear what the Spirit is saying.

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:16.) Hear what the Spirit says.

Moses was willing to hear what the Spirit says. He was humble and courageous enough to obey what he heard. O for some Christians who will follow Moses’ example into even more glory!

Too many Christians
Would rather hear
Their favorite preacher’s
Religious research
Than to let God search
Deep within their heart.
O how we need to
Hear what the Spirit
Is saying!

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Sermon-Hearing Makes Me Feel Out of Place

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Steve Simms

Sitting and hearing a sermon makes me feel out of place. I want to be a doer of the word, not a passive sermon-hearer. I want to meet with people to be led by God’s Spirit together so that we can actively demonstrate the presence of the living Jesus by obeying the 50+ “one another” commands in the New Testament.

People of God, “Be led by the Spirit.” Refuse to stay stuck in the same ole same ole of routine religion. Get a vision beyond Sunday tradition.

Jesus told His disciples to “Go.” He wants us to grow in our relationship with Him and our obedience to Him, not to settle comfortably into what we think we already know about Him. Jesus wants us to experience His presence living and working inside and through us day and night.

Listen to Jesus. Do what He says. Be led by His Spirit, not by your opinions, feelings, and desires. Lift up your head and look unto Jesus as the Lord and Head of your life. Let God lift up your heart as an everlasting door so the King of Glory can come in. (See Psalm 24:7-9.)

It’s good when God speaks to you through a preacher, but it’s even more powerful when you let Him speak directly to your heart! Preaching and teaching alone aren’t working to make Spirit-led, Christ-like people. Just look at how divided faithful church attendees are–how angry, how prideful, how bound up in self-focus.

Where are the disciples who put Christ and His will first–above nation, family, and personal desires? They can only be produced by daily surrender to and obedience to the risen Jesus. It’s time for churches to begin to actively train and disciple people to set aside self-focused desires and to continually listen to and obey Christ’s inner voice.

The people of God need Spirit-led, hands-on training sessions where they open their hearts to God and to one another. We need to learn to individually listen to Jesus and to faithfully say and do what He tells us to (regardless of our discomfort level). The goal of church should not be just to get people to passively reflect on and ponder a sermon, but to train people to actively reflect and radiate the wonder and glory of the risen Jesus with one another and everywhere they go.

A one-size-fits-all sermon can give you information about God, but a message received from God directly by your heart (without going through a religious system) is far more powerful. Now is the time to begin to listen to and obey God’s Spirit!

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Beyond AI and Computer Intelligence

Posted on October 1, 2024 by Steve Simms

It is easy to rely on AI and computer intelligence, but I am called to rely on an intelligence beyond that. I’m not talking about my own intelligence, but the supernatural wisdom that comes from direct revelation from the living God.

Beyond Fear to Faith

To hear God’s Spirit
Speaking in your heart
Begin to notice
Pure and holy thoughts
That don’t come from you.
They are Christ’s voice
To lead and guide you,
Calling you closer
So you’ll make the choice
To do what He says.
Pay close attention
And you’ll hear Him speak.
“My sheep hear My voice.”
Go beyond your fear.
Be willing to hear.
Rely on Jesus
Living inside you
To reveal to you
What to say and do.

Daily read the Bible,
The written Word
With an open heart
So you can recognize
The Living Word,
Christ speaking within you.

No one can come to Christ
Unless God draws him.
If you’ve come to Christ,
You’ve heard God’s voice.
Keep on listening!

Too many Christians are afraid of the Holy Spirit and try to keep their distance from Him. However, I can say that the best thing that I ever do is to listen to the Spirit (Christ in you) and do what He prompts me to.

Without direct revelation from God, we end up with Christless Christianity that is based on human intelligence rather than on the active leadership and reality of the risen Jesus. Christless Christianity prefers to hear a talk about Jesus instead of experiencing and surrendering to His presence and power. Christless Christianity is led by a human head instead of by the literal Headship of Christ in you, the hope of glory. It makes Christ a mere figurehead instead of the actual Head.

Preaching and teaching alone aren’t working to make Spirit-led Christ-like people. Look how divided Christians are, how angry, how prideful, how bound up in self-focus desires. Where are the disciples who put Christ and His will first — above nation, family, and personal desires? They can only be produced by daily surrender to and obedience to the risen “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” It’s time for churches to begin to actively train and lead people to set aside self-focused desires and to continually listen to and obey Christ’s inner voice.

Promoting and defending a Christian organization can easily become more important to its members than being faithful to the kingdom (government) of God. I believe that elders in the Bible are “Seniors” in Christ — seasoned and mature in hearing and obeying the risen Jesus — not official religious office holders.

Many people have been helped by hearing sermons, but there is more to Christian worship than that. It’s also important that when Christians gather that Christ is allowed to be the literal Head and the Holy Spirit is allowed to prompt and lead anyone present to speak. See 1 Corinthians 24:26.

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The Skill of Seeing Goodness as a Thrill

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Steve Simms

Badness has a thrill that goodness often seems to lack. When tempted between the choice of right or wrong, wrong frequently appears to be the most exciting choice; right, the dull and boring one. It takes skill to see beyond the self-destructive, craving impulse of the moment and to recognize the thrill of goodness. It takes the skill of humbling yourself and pulling down your pride in order to be able to recognize the thrill of following the risen Jesus into the joy of the Lord and the peace that passes understanding.

The pride that’s prevalent in our culture causes people to believe that darkness is better than light, that wrong is better than right. The truth is that the people who act like they think that they know it all and proudly pontificate about politics (or other topics) while accusing people who disagree with them of lying and cheating are speaking more from hearsay and opinion than from facts.

The skill of seeing goodness and humility as true greatness is best learned in Spirit-led community. A gathering of the body of Christ is the greatest town hall meeting in the world when God’s Spirit is allowed to speak in and through the various people present. It’s the way to see the goodness of Jesus working in and through other people.

Unfortunately, Christianity has usually been set up where people are shut down and Spirit-led community isn’t allowed to happen. When Christians gather as an audience and aren’t permitted to obey God’s inner promptings, the Spirit is quenched.

When we ignore our desires
And are led by the Spirit
So we do what God requires,
Not the comfort zone things
That our flesh desires,
People who love Jesus will be
A godly community,
A kingdom colony
Doing the things on earth
That are done in Heaven.
God wants to lead us
Out of the world’s ways
Beyond its deceptive haze
And enslaving dark daze,
Into the glorious light
Of the life-changing insight
And constant awareness of
And surrender to
Christ living in you.

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I Try to Pay More Attention to These Words

Posted on September 29, 2024 by Steve Simms

Only the risen Jesus can give you “clean hands and a pure heart.” Christ is known through conversation and heart-to-heart relationship with Him, not just by learning information about Him. Start talking to Jesus and listening to Him day and night. Let the King of glory come in and take over your heart and life.

The more I honestly talk to Jesus and admit my sinfulness to Him, the more I become aware of His love and forgiveness. Frequently saying “The Jesus Prayer” has helped me move beyond guilt and shame and become continually aware of His wonderful presence living in and through me.

The posture of traditional church is sitting and standing. The posture of the Gospel humble confession, repentance, and inner transformation — then testifying about Jesus, loving one another, and serving in His name.

Christianity needs weeping prophets who compassionately speak the truth in love! We have an overabundance of professionally trained religious leaders and self-righteous church members, but where are the weeping prophets? No religious institution can produce them. They are produced by humble, full, ongoing surrender and obedience to the living “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Please accept friend requests from the risen Jesus. However, thoroughly check with Scripture to make sure those requests are from Him. He’s been hacked by people who are promoting “another Jesus.” (2 Corinthians 11:14.)

When theft thoughts are allowed in a human mind, they chip away little by little at mental health and gradually steal inner peace. It’s wise to resist them, not to assist them. Drive out tempting and tormenting thoughts before they steal you blind. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5.)

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Top Priority

Posted on September 28, 2024 by Steve Simms

My top priority makes me part of a minority. I want to see life differently than the majority of people do. I want to lay down any feelings I have of superiority so I can walk in humility and equality with all human beings. I want to lay down my own authority and decision making and instead to live by the authority and will of another. I want to live by the mind of Christ, not by my own mind.

Let the mind of Christ function vibrantly in you. A Jesus stuck in history can’t help you much. A Jesus stuck in Heaven is far away. But the risen Jesus living in and through you is “the hope of glory.”

Christians have been given “the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).” The Greek word translated as “mind” is “nous.” It doesn’t just mean the intellect of Christ. It means the mindset of Christ, the perspective of Christ, the understanding and insight of Christ. The “nous” of Christ is His way of seeing things. It is the ability that Moses had of “seeing Him who is invisible (Hebrews 11:27 KJV),” and leaving his old life behind. It is to “look not at the things that are seen but at the things that are unseen (2 Corinthians 4:18.)”

Although we have been given the perspective of Christ, it is easy to ignore it and instead to live by our own point of view, our own understanding, and our own desires. For the perspective of Christ to fully and freely function in and through me I have to deny myself, take up my cross, and daily follow Jesus instead of my own thought, feelings, desires, and opinions.

Here’s an example. The “nous” (perspective) of Christ tells me to, “Bless those who curse you.” Although I’ve been given that perspective directly from Jesus, it is very easy to ignore it and instead speak unkind words. (Look how many Christians are doing that very thing nowadays.)

Here’s a mind of Christ challenge: Say or write something nice today to someone you disagree with or who has insulted you. Jesus put it this way: “Bless those who curse you.”

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War Doesn’t Kill People

Posted on September 27, 2024 by Steve Simms

War doesn’t kill people. People kill people. War is people feeling entitled to proudly and self-righteously kill people.

Nations don’t kill people. Their citizens who belong to their armed forces kill people.

Bombing is barbaric. It’s a method for killing people just because they happen to be in the area where bombs are dropped, missiles are exploded, and drones are blown up.

War is humanity’s biggest failure. There are no real winners in war. It’s full of losers — those who lose their lives, those who lose limbs, those who lose their physical and/or mental health, those who lose family and friends, those who lose their homes and property, those who lose hope, those who lose compassion.

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Not Hard Work, But Being Heard, Fulfills Me

Posted on September 27, 2024 by Steve Simms

I am extremely fortunate to have someone who hears me and understands me. That’s intensely fulfilling. I’m so grateful to have a wife who does that. However, I’m talking about someone much greater than any mere human being. I’m talking about the God-man, the living and reigning Jesus Christ. He’s ready to hear you, too! Start talking to Jesus.

Learn to walk day and night with the light of God’s glory cloud and the glowing of the Holy Spirit’s fire always in front of you and inside of you. Hear and be responsive to the voice of God’s Spirit in your heart, in the Bible, in your circumstances, and in and through other people.

Refuse to be a spiritual spectator. Frequently gather with a group of Christ-followers who openly, humbly, and courageously share their heart with one another. Continually train and be a daily playmaker on team Jesus. Freely talk, post, and testify about what Jesus has done and is doing in your life.

Christianity is supposed to be about openhearted communication with Christ and with people. It involves “walking in the light”–being honest about what’s happening in your heart and tenderly listening to other people share what’s going on in theirs. If Christians will begin to gather to humbly walk in the light with one another, they’ll begin to experience the healing presence and glory of the risen Jesus.

To love people, we need to listen to them with an open heart and with compassion. Christians can learn to do that by gathering in the presence of Jesus and humbly opening up to God and to one another. That’s the meaning of 1 Corinthians 14:26 and James 5:16.

Too many Christians are looking to a mere human being for spiritual leadership. Mere humans, intentionally or unintentionally, will let you down. It’s much better to continually listen to, obey, and rely on the living resurrected Jesus Christ.

The risen Jesus can communicate directly to every person who is a member of His body, He doesn’t need to work through a hierarchical chain of command. He talks directly to you! Listen to and obey Him.

It takes true love and courage to point out ways that the body of Christ can be more open and more obedient to the Headship of the risen Jesus and to the direct leading of the Holy Spirit. Here goes:

Christians need to gather
With people who will
Listen to them,
Not just make them
Religious spectators.
Dare to care
And let people share
What’s really going on
In their heart.
Look beyond how they appear
On Sunday morning
And begin to hear
How they really are.

Christians are
Called to shine
Not to whine,
To love people
Not to make them
Walk the line.
“Love is kind.”
It’s time we find
Ways to love
And be kind
To enemies.
That’s the sign
Of the real deal.

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Openhearted Hope-Filled Pondering

Posted on September 26, 2024 by Steve Simms

I love to ponder, to keep my heart open to hope and other uplifting influences. I’m continually hungry to learn about and acquire the 9 traits (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control) that are called “the fruit of the Spirit” in the ancient writings of Paul of Tarsus. So, I’ve spent my adult life listening.

I’ve read many hundreds of books by people from throughout history about how to acquire those traits. I’ve collected and handwritten my favorite quotes from those books in more than 33 blank journal books. I’ve devoured those quotations for years. They still stir my soul.

I look for, listen to, and connect heart-to-heart with people who radiate and are contagious with those traits. Young, old, or in between, they train me to find and open up to the things in life that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, praiseworthy, and virtuous.

I listen to my conscience and strive to daily obey it. As I quietly listen within, I hear wisdom and insights that I know come from beyond me. They develop within me and impact me deeply. I sense an indescribable presence and power that the ancient Book I read the most calls: “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

The long way is often God’s way of getting our attention, humbling our pride, and securing our full heart-surrender to Jesus as our absolute Lord and Master. Following Jesus is a lifetime, not a moment. When you’re weary with more than you can handle, allow Christ to carry you through moment-by-moment and give you rest as you journey with Him! (See Matthew 11:28.)

Life is a moment-by-moment rollercoaster ride that at some point will suddenly throw you off. Where will you land? Click by click life’s moments tick by until they stop. Then what? Ponder, listen, and learn.

Time’s moments rush by (without a pause button). Moments of the heart can last a lifetime.

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