Month: November 2015

Bible Verse of The Day – 11-30-15

Galatians 4:9-10 (NKJV) 9 But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years.

The world will offer us many things that it will claim are Godly or spiritual.

Traditions, rituals, lifestyles and much more will present themselves as subtle substitutes for God’s spirit and God’s presence. Many of them will even claim to draw us closer to God Himself.

Sadly, though, they will ultimately do the opposite. They will pull us away from the one, true God, and down a path that may run somewhat parallel to His path, but is not the same.

As followers of Christ, we need to pay attention to what we celebrate and participate in. Some things are fun and harmless, while other things can have deep roots in pagan rituals and traditions.

Many things are indeed spiritual, but it’s up to us to discern and investigate those things, to make sure we steer clear of things that operate under the wrong spirit.

Colossians 2:8 (NKJV) 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

As always, let God’s word be the measuring stick to which all things are compared and “sized up”. And if we aren’t able to find that specific something that we’re looking for in the Word, we should always seek seasoned, wise counsel and err on the side of caution.

And, no, we are not alarmists. We’re not claiming that everything around us or everything that we see is evil or detrimental to our spiritual health. But using wisdom and making wise choices is always better than diving in with our eyes closed and wishing later that we had moved a bit more slowly.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 11-28-15

Matthew 5:16 (NKJV) 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Being too busy can be a huge distraction. And this time of year in the USA, it gets busy! You can feel it in the air. Everyone is running here and there to get their shopping done and make plans for the celebrations to come. A lot of things can get lost in the busyness.

Let us remember to stay focused on those things that are truly important; People that struggle through the holidays because of the loss of a family member or close friends, those who are without work and can’t afford to pay their bills, and those who are sick with a life-threatening disease. Also those who are lonely and in need of a friend more than ever during these times.

Pray that God will help us to be sensitive to those in need during this busy time, keeping our eyes and ears open to what He is saying as to how we can help.

Let us remain steadfast and not distracted, always reaching out and shining God’s light bright in the lives of those who suffer, struggle and are being tormented on a daily basis.

May our Papa be GLORIFIED in this busy season!! Amen.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 11-27-15

Psalm 92:1 (NKJV) 92 It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;

We don’t normally do messages based on holidays or other traditional celebrations. But here in the United States, we just celebrated a holiday we call Thanksgiving Day. The premise for this celebration is to gather with family and loved ones and give thanks to God for His blessings and His provision.

It’s good to give thanks to God for everything He’s done. But we don’t need to wait for a special holiday to do this!

Every day that we live, we should be thanking Him, regardless of our situations or circumstances.

Sometimes it may seem easier to give thanks than other times. Seasons of famine or struggle can be difficult to find reasons to give thanks.

But if we take our eyes off of our situation and look at what we have been blessed with, we’ll probably see things a bit differently, and have no problem at all thanking God for everything He’s done for us.

So be sure to take time each day to thank Him, even for the little things. It will help us keep our focus on what we have, instead of what we don’t have.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 11-26-15

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NKJV) 11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

It is good to encourage others.

We never know what people are going through in their lives. Sometimes the words we speak to them can make their day and help them get over a hurdle. Sometimes our kind actions can give them strength to keep going on when they wanted to give up.

God tells us to comfort and edify each other. Why?

Because He created us to be a body; many members, with one heart and one purpose. He knew that we could do better as a unit than as many individuals on our own.

Encouraging others doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated. Sometimes it’s as simple as smiling at someone. Sometimes it just means saying hi and letting someone know you care.

Other times, it may require a bit more effort, like maybe lending someone a helping hand with something. Or maybe a visit to the hospital when someone is sick or has had surgery.

And sometimes it might even mean helping someone in other ways, like buying them groceries or something similar.

But God is faithful to show us when people need to be encouraged. We just have to be willing to hear Him and obey 🙂

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 11-25-15

Romans 6:1 (NKJV) 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

Jesus shed His blood for us, died and rose again, to pay for our sins. He redeemed us by His blood. Because of that blood being shed, we were given the opportunity to be made new in Him.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

When we put our faith and trust in Him, His blood is applied to our lives, making us new, giving us a new, fresh start at life. It’s a truly amazing thing, this gift that we’re given.

As part of this new beginning, God replaces our old desires with new ones; His desires.

Because of this, our habits change. Our ways of doing things change. And there will likely be a lot of things that used to be a part of our everyday lives that simply fall away and get left behind.

This process takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight. But the important thing is that it does happen.

Sometimes we can get caught up in things that pull us back into our old ways. And before we know it, we’re picking up some of those old habits again.

We want to encourage you today. If you’ve fallen back into old habits, or if maybe you’ve had a hard time getting rid of one of those old behaviors, remember Jesus on the cross.

Consider what He did for us, enduring a brutal beating and a cruel death, so that we could live and have life abundantly.

Ask God to help you with that thing or those things that want to entangle you in sin once again. Give them to Him. Surrender to Him, instead of surrendering to the temptation that the evil one brings to you.

It won’t always be easy, but through Christ, you can overcome it!

Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 11-24-15

Ephesians 5:20 (NKJV) 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

We are truly thankful to God today for each one of you.

You have been our help in times of need. You have been there when we needed encouragement. You have been there when we needed support and prayer. You have put food in our mouths and clothes on our back.

We have been able to do what God has asked us to do because of your help. We have reached many people for Christ through your precious hands and giving hearts.

Thanking God for you and your obedient heart to Him.

Love you all from the bottom of our hearts.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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BIble Verse of The Day – 11-23-15

Romans 10:17 (NKJV) 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

We receive a lot of emails and phone calls from people across the globe. We get asked a lot of questions across a wide range of topics.

But the question we get asked the most often is something like this: How do I know God better and how do I hear Him?

It isn’t always worded exactly like that but this should give you an idea a general idea of it.

We always stress that pressing in to God and building your relationship with Him is the only way to hear Him better, know Him better and understand His will for your life.

So how do we “press in” to God? How do we grow our faith, our discernment and our hunger for Him?

We spend time in His word. His word is our source of knowledge and understanding that we need to draw from if we expect to know Him better. It’s His instruction manual for our lives. It’s His laws and commandments that teach us how to keep our lives on track.

And it’s His love story written to us.

You see, as we spend time in His word, we will learn more and more about who He is and what He likes. We will begin to understand Him so much better. And as we do this, our hard hearts will soften and we will begin to long for Him in every aspect of our lives.

James 4:8 (NKJV) 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

So, growing that relationship is as simple as that. If we ask Him to show us who He is, and we’re diligent to put effort into it, He will surely honor our request and draw near to us.

Ask Him for help with the things you’re struggling with. And trust Him to give you what you need to build your relationship with Him. And He will be faithful to answer.

Matthew 7:9 (NKJV) 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?

And when we build that relationship with Him, so many other things in our lives will begin to fall into place.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 11-21-15

Galatians 6:7 (NKJV) 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

We have all reached certain goals in our lives.

Some goals may be financial. Some may be spiritual. Some may be things regarding our health. There are a lot of things we work toward and try to accomplish.

But have you ever noticed that there are people who want what you have? So many times people will covet what we have worked so hard for, but they aren’t willing to go through the hard work and trials that we went through to get where we’re at.

Sometimes we may fall into the same trap, longing for something that someone else has, but we have no idea of what they went through to get what they have.

Covetousness can destroy us. It’s a sin that will cause us to become bitter, envious, angry and discontent. And if we’re not careful, our hearts can become hardened because we don’t have what we think we should have.

God wants us to be content. And we need to realize that we reap what we sow. So if we haven’t sown hard work and diligence, we won’t reap the rewards of those things.

Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV) 5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

It’s not wrong to want to reach goals, as long as those goals don’t contradict the word of God and His plans for our lives. We just need to be careful that we don’t start longing after the things that others have, looking down our noses at the things that God has already blessed us with.

Let’s ask God to help us have a heart that’s content. Not a heart that covets what others have.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 11-20-15

Luke 6:12 (NKJV) 12 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Taking the time we need to pray things through is so important when making decisions. There have been times when we have messed up on our choices because we moved too quickly and didn’t take the proper amount of time to seek God first, for the answers.

When having to make decisions, and things around us get louder and busier, we need to find a place or time when it is quiet. Jesus prayed through the night and then chose His apostles.

Luke 6:13 (NKJV) 13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles:

In prayer is where it all begins.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 11-19-15

Ecclesiastes 3:1-2 (NKJV) 1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: 2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;

Each one of us has a set time here on earth. We’re born, we live for a time and at some point we will take our last breath and be gone from here.

This is why it’s critical that we learn to make the most of each and every day we have here with our loved ones. We need to be careful that we’re not taking anyone for granted. And we need to give them the time, the love and the respect they deserve.

None of us knows when that day will come, for ourselves or for anyone else.

James 4:14 (NKJV) 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.

And yet, most, if not all of us, are guilty of breezing through the days that we live and not loving our families enough.

We’re guilty of not spending time with the people that God has placed in our lives.

And we’re guilty of letting them slip away because we’re too busy with so many things that aren’t as important.

But here’s the thing. Today is a brand new day, and with each new day we have a new opportunity to start over and do our best to get it right.

So let’s let God show us where we’ve been lacking and where we might have been dropping the ball when it comes to loving, caring for and helping the people around us. And let’s make a change where God shows us we need to change.

He’s merciful and willing to give us another try. We just have to want to 🙂

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 11-18-15

Philippians 4:7 (NKJV) 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

As I sit at my desk this morning, on my wall is a plaque that says “PEACE.”

Things may be happening all around us in this world. Things that would like to steal our peace. But, as we stand together, praying for each other, seeking God in all we do, His peace is there for us.

Some may say “how do we walk in this peace when the world seems to be in a terrible mess? When our family member is suffering with addictions and diseases, and our finances are in turmoil? How do we have peace when our marriage is falling apart and our children are slipping away?”

It certainly won’t happen by someone saying “calm down, it’s not that bad.” That’s not going to help us because the truth is, sometimes it is that bad and very hard to face.

We can only calm down when we face the truth and allow the truth to speak to us, causing us to admit and realize that we need God to help us handle what we are facing.

When Caleb came back from spying out the land, he didn’t pretend what he had seen was not bad. He saw it for what it was. He knew there were giants in the land that they were told to possess, but he also knew God and His Mightiness!

He knew what they would be up against, but that they could overcome it with God’s help.

Turning a blind eye to what is happening around us, ignoring medical test results, or life-threatening situations is not going to make things any less troublesome. It won’t bring peace.

We have to face it, see it for what it is and then go after it.

Numbers 13:30 (NKJV) Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”

Acknowledging our battle and asking God for help will bring God’s peace, His understanding and anything else we need.

Peace be with us today.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to share it with them!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

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