Author: Pastor Curt

Bible Verse of The Day – 12-28-22

Acts 4:3 (NKJV) 3 And they laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.

Peter and John were arrested and tossed into prison.

Paul was arrested numerous times and thrown into prison.

Silas was arrested with Paul and placed in the innermost parts of the prison to prevent them from escaping.

And this is just a small sampling of people of faith who were recorded in the Bible as being persecuted for their faith.

Ultimately, not only were the various apostles of Christ arrested and jailed, but that same faith cost them their lives, literally.

Why?

Because they spoke out boldly, causing people, many of whom were powerful and very influential, to become angry with the words they spoke.

You see, they spoke the truth. And they spoke it boldly.

Sometimes it was the truth of the gospel of Christ that angered people. Other times it was truth that was spoken regarding the actions and behaviors of people that caused people to hate them and want them arrested or dead.

They were not silent. They were not fearful of man or the consequences of their words of truth.

They were seen as a threat to the lifestyles of those people whom they offended with their words.

How about us?

Are we a threat to anyone’s lifestyle? Do we speak truth that may occasionally offend people?

Or are we hesitant to rock the boat, afraid of what people might think of us, or afraid of what it might cost us to stand for what we believe?

Our redemption came at a great price. It wasn’t free. Jesus paid for it, for every last one of us, with His life.

Let us each allow the Holy Spirit to embolden us, to speak truth (with love) as He leads us to do so, without fear of what it might cost us.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 12-27-22

John 14:26 (NKJV) 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

When the disciples had Christ with them, they learned how to do things. They learned His way, the right way.

After Christ was crucified, they needed to walk out what he taught them without Him beside them in person. But He didn’t leave them all alone. He had a Helper come and guide them through it all.

That Helper, the Holy Spirit, gave them a backbone to go on and do things they never thought they could do.

He gave them power and strength to be bold, and wisdom to know what to say at times.

They healed the sick and spread the gospel to the ends of the earth through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:8 (NKJV) 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Change came to the disciples when Christ was not with them any longer. But He sent them the Holy Spirit, and through Him much was accomplished as they continued to push forward.

They grew and matured and followed through, doing what was needed to faithfully run the race that was set before them.

2 Timothy 4:7 (NKJV) 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Christ has made a way for us to do whatever He puts in front of us.

Don’t get discouraged when things change. Listen and watch. The answer is there.

He has made it possible for us to face whatever comes our way while we do what is meant for us to do here on this earth.

Do what it takes. Stay faithful. Finish the race before you.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 12-26-22

Habakkuk 3:6 (NKJV) 6 He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations. And the everlasting mountains were scattered, The perpetual hills bowed. His ways are everlasting.

His ways are everlasting!

What an awesome statement to reassure us of who God is. He is the same forever, unchanging and unwavering in His sovereignty.

This is what we need to know and focus on in times of uncertainty.

Everything in the earth and in the heavens bows at His command and at the sound of His voice.

The earth and everything in it are at His disposal.

And yet, He calls us His children because we have surrendered to Him and His redemption plan for us.

If we are ever feeling insecure or anxious in the world that we live in, these words should bring us comfort, reminding us of who our Father is!

So, rest in Him. Know that no matter what we see happening, and no matter what we face in our lives, He is never caught off guard and nothing ever surprises Him.

Amen.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 12-25-22 – The Gift

Please click to watch the video now.Greetings in the precious name of Jesus. 

We have a new video for you today. It’s a short, informal video that we put together especially for today, December 25th, to remind each other about the importance of reflecting on the ultimate gift, given to us by our Father in heaven. 

The video is short, so as not to take up too much of your time on this busy day. 

Please click here to watch the video now. 

Thank you for your prayers and your support during this past year. We are truly grateful. 

We love you all. 

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie 

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443 

401-439-3780 

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 – 12-24-22

John 11:25 (NKJV) 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

This is our promise as a believer; we all will die, but we all will live because of our faith in Jesus Christ!. Amen.

Many of us have lost loved ones and we hurt from their absence. We loved them dearly. They were our everything.

If we truly take this verse to heart, it will bring us great comfort and peace and keep us going even when we don’t want to.

When we don’t understand anything at all and we just want to collapse from the heaviness of our loss, this truth gives us hope and encourages us to not give up.

Those who put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ have this knowing, that our lives don’t just end when these lungs stop breathing, our heart stops pumping, and our body fails us.

There is much more to come when we pass from this life. We haven’t seen anything yet!

Don’t stop living because we have lost someone dear. Press in to God. Let Him comfort us and keep us on the path He has for us here.

The day will come when all believers will be together, in His presence, rejoicing!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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 – 12-23-22

John 10:27 (NKJV) 27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

Wow, what a mouthful Jesus spoke here!

This verse is so short that it might appear to the eyes of many readers as being fairly insignificant. But that’s not the case at all.

It was winter in Jerusalem, and the Jews were celebrating the Feast of Dedication, which is known in modern times as Hannukah. We won’t delve into the meaning behind this celebration except to say that it commemorated a very important event in Jewish history.

While in Jerusalem, Jesus walked in the temple.

As He did so, some Jews surrounded Him and asked, ”How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, just tell us”.

Jesus looked at them and said, “I have told you, but you do not believe”.

He then went on to explain that they do not believe because they are not of His sheep. And it was then that He used the words in the verse above, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me”.

These words were not chosen randomly or without purpose. They were used to drive home a point; “if you were my sheep, you would already know who I am. And you wouldn’t need to ask me this question”.

It’s the same today. As His sheep, we recognize who He is.

And just as importantly, we will hear His voice and follow Him.

Hearing His voice doesn’t simply mean hearing the sound of His voice, but heeding that voice and doing (obeying) what it says.

This is what separates the sheep from those who might call themselves sheep but are really imposters.

Imposters may hear the sound of His voice, but will not obey.

True sheep (followers) will obey and follow Him willingly, even if what He says might be hard.

It’s important that we not only hear Jesus, but that we obey Him. This will show us where our heart is, and where our relationship with Him stands.

Let us be sheep that hear Him and follow Him!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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 – 12-22-22

Philippians 4:6 (NKJV) 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…

Going through this last week with the loss of my brother, Rob, was very hard.

Thank you all for your prayers and sincere condolences. They were very much appreciated. They truly held me up and I was able to help others.

There were times I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Anxiety was trying to take over. I would remind myself often about God’s word, as I would take a deep breath and let it out, saying, “be anxious for nothing, be anxious for nothing, be anxious for nothing”.

As the day of the funeral came, I didn’t want to think about me and how I felt. I wanted to know how I could help someone that is going through hardship and needed to be encouraged.

There was an opportunity here to reach others.

I shared a story of my brother, and how the liver transplant he had received was a miracle from God. And as I shared it from the pulpit, not a tear fell from my eye, not a a bit of nervousness was in me, nor anxiousness in my voice.

The people listened intently, and afterwards several came up and told me how beautiful it was and that they needed to hear it.

This world is made up of hurting people. There’s no time to waste.

When the opportunity is knocking, we have to decide whether we will take it or let it pass by. We are here to love one another every chance we get.

Let us reach out, in spite of our own painful situation, and bring encouragement to those who may be suffering.

When we are aching deep within our own hearts, and we choose to do something good with it, the ears of the lost and hurting will hear it, feel it and open up to it.

Let God move even in our pain. He is faithful to give us the strength, the sound mind and peace through it all.

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

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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 – 12-21-22

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.

As we ended yesterday’s devotional, we were discussing the interpretation of a dream that a reader had shared with us.

To recap quickly, the interpretation of his dream indicated that he wanted to draw close to God, but his fixation on the evil that he is seeing happen in the world was creating a divide between him and God.

Let’s talk about that a bit.

What he is experiencing is an easy problem for any of us to fall into, especially if we are acutely aware of all that is happening and we have a strong desire to see justice.

This can also happen if we immerse ourselves in these types of events, spending a lot of our time watching and reading about it. Social media can be a huge culprit for this.

But we need to turn our eyes toward God and focus on Him, and let go of the things of this world (the weeds that the reader was clinging to in his dream).

We need to trust God enough to put Him first and loosen our grip on the things of the natural world that we wrestle with; those things that will put space between us and Him.

This is not always easy. Sometimes, for some, it can be downright difficult.

But this is why it’s so critically important to diligently seek God daily, praying and spending time in His word. This is where we will find answers, and where we will build our faith and trust in Him.

And it’s where we will see our fears laid to rest as that faith grows.

Consider Joseph; beaten up by his brothers and then sold into slavery. On top of all that, he was ultimately put in prison for crimes he did not commit.

But he stayed faithful to God, using the talents that God had given him to run Potiphar’s household faithfully.

Even in prison, he was exemplary in his behavior, leading to him being placed in charge over all the prisoners.

And God ultimately rewarded him for it.

Also consider Daniel, who was exiled to a foreign land and forced to work for a king in that land.

Daniel submitted to God and served that king well. Again, God rewarded him for it.

Let us seek God diligently and let the Holy Spirit lead our actions, that we may also honor God in them.

We encourage everyone to press into God like you’ve never done before. The times in which we are living demand it.

We love you all.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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 – 12-20-22

Psalm 73:28 (NKJV) 28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I may declare all Your works.

When we left off yesterday, we were discussing the current state of the world and how the things we’re seeing can impact us.

We recently had a reader write to us to share his heart and tell us how he has been struggling with what he’s seeing unfold. He also wanted to ask a question or two.

He has also written to us in the past, expressing his sadness and frustration with what we are witnessing; the rise and the expansion of evil.

Like many of us, he has grown increasingly disheartened with it all.

In his heart, he wants to see something done to correct it.

He can’t fathom that evil at these levels has gone unchecked and unpunished by each nation’s justice systems. This is natural. None of us likes to see evil thrive.

In a recent email to us, he shared a little piece of a dream that he’d had.

He didn’t ask us for an interpretation. He didn’t really even ask if we had any feedback for him about the dream. He just told us about it as part of the email that he had sent.

After reading it, it stayed in the back of my mind. And one day not too long ago, God showed me what it meant.

First, here is the part of the dream that he shared; “I have had a dream in which I just want to hold onto the gate or the weeds outside of heaven”.

Now, here is what God showed me that it meant.

Him holding onto the gate, or the weeds outside of the gates of heaven, shows that he wants to trust God and enter in to His presence. This is indicated in the fact that he is immediately outside of heaven. He is at the “entrance”.

He’s close to where God is, but hesitant to let go of the weeds and enter in.

His heart’s desire is to be close to God, hence being right outside of the gates.

But he has a strong desire to see justice in the natural world. This is represented by him holding onto the weeds.

God is beckoning him to come in, but he struggles with letting go of the natural and entering in to God’s presence.

That strong desire to see justice has trapped him and created a divide between him and God.

So, ultimately, he will need to choose which he will cling to; the weeds (the natural world) or God.

Please join us tomorrow as we wrap this up.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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 – 12-19-22

Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV) 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

This devotional will be broken up into three parts for the sake of keeping its length reasonable. We hope what we share speaks to you.

As we have discussed many times over the last couple of years, the times in which we live are like nothing any of us have ever seen before.

What we’re seeing is not restricted to any one nation or a single geographical area. Evil is running rampant and on the rise across the entirety of the globe.

Some of the things that are happening might vary from one geographical area to another, but the underlying theme is consistent; one of pure evil intent.

Their end goal is one world government, one world currency system, one world health system and one world religion (not Christianity).

Governments and non-government entities around the world are cooperating with each other in ways and on levels that has not happened at any time in the past. Again, it is something none of us has seen or experienced in our lifetimes.

This is much like what we see in Genesis chapter 11, where the various peoples of that time had united and began building a large tower (Genesis 11:4); the tower of Babel.

If you read the account of it, which we strongly encourage you to do, you will see that God wasn’t pleased with this. And He took extraordinary measures to stop them.

Why? Because in their pride they had turned against God and, in reality, they endeavored to become like gods.

Today, because of the enormity of what we’re witnessing, it can be very easy to become fixated on it and spend a lot of our time trying to make sense of the current events and the state of the world, instead of focusing on our walk with God and what He wants for us.

This can create a divide between us and God if we’re not careful.

Now that we’ve built a foundation to work from, let’s talk more tomorrow.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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 – 12-18-22 – When Change Comes

Please click to watch the video now.Greetings in the name of Jesus! 

We hope you are walking strong in your faith in God. 

Have you ever been hit by unexpected change? If so, how did you handle it? 

That’s the topic of today’s new video, When Change Comes. 

In this new video we share insights that will help you navigate unexpected change, especially when that change is major. 

We hope you enjoy the video! 

Please click here to watch it on the video now.

We love you all! 

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie 

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443 

401-439-3780 

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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