Author: Pastor Curt

Bible Verse of The Day – 10-13-22

Matthew 6:7 (NKJV) 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Welcome back!

Yesterday we learned that God wants us to pray in secret, not in public for the approval of man. And Jesus told us that God will reward us for doing this. However, if we pray for the sake of man’s approval, that approval, and the accolades that accompany it, will be our reward.

Today, let’s dig a bit deeper.

In the verse above, Jesus instructs us that we are not to use vain repetitions (as the heathens do).

What does He mean by this?

Many pagan religions use ritualistic, repetitive prayers. Some even include chanting specific things over and over again.

There is no life in this. It is simply ritualistic words spoken repeatedly for the sole sake of repeating them.

Nothing is gained except the satisfaction of the person who participates, who experiences self-gratification from knowing that they completed their ritual.

True prayer should be fruitful and alive, initiating Spirit-led communication between us and God.

This communication is purposeful, not empty and ritualistic. It is heartfelt, sincere and genuine. And it leads to some of the most intimate moments we can share with God while we’re here on earth.

Jesus ends the verse above by stating that these kinds of hypocrites believe that they will be heard because of their many words.

He then follows that up with verse 8, where He tells us, “do not be like them”.

Why? Because, “your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him”.

Sincere, genuine prayer (conversing and communing with God) should not be repetitive, ritualistic or rambling. Instead, let it be heartfelt and real, coming up from our spirit, direct to God’s ears.

Join us tomorrow for more.

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 – 10-12-22

Matthew 6:5 (NKJV) 5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

Prayer was something that Jesus took very seriously. It was so important that He spent a fair amount of time doing just that; praying.

Much of what Jesus prayed is not recorded in the word of God. But the fact that He did pray is well documented.

We can learn a lot from the example set by Jesus, as well as from the things that He taught about prayer.

So, for the next few days, let’s take a closer look at prayer.

As Jesus spoke in the verse above, He began to instruct His followers about the things that we should and should not do when we pray.

He started this discourse (Matthew 6:2-4) by letting people know that charitable deeds (works of kindness) should not be done in the open for the sake of getting recognition, but should be kept secret so that our Father can reward us.

He then moved into teaching about prayer.

As with charitable acts, Jesus warned that praying is not something to be done in public for all to see, but in private, between us and our Father.

Praying in public for recognition does nothing but gain the accolades of those who happen to see us. And those accolades are our reward.

Take note that Jesus called these people hypocrites. The Greek word used for hypocrite in the original text literally means pretender. This says a lot about the people who are looking for the approval of men, not the approval of God.

And this is why Jesus went on to say that when we pray, we should go into our room, shut the door and pray to our Father in secret. And our Father will reward us.

Matthew 6:6 (NKJV) 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

This lays some good groundwork for understanding more about prayer. Let’s continue tomorrow!

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 – 10-11-22

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV) 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

Most people get confused with this verse. The first thing we need to notice is that this scripture is referring to temptation; not trials or hard seasons.

Now, with temptation, what is it that He says that He is faithful to do?

He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able (to bear or overcome). He will give us a way out; a way to escape it.

The bottom line is that we need to be careful to pay attention and focus. We take action and choose His way out.

Many temptations will come to a believer. And believe me, our hearts will desire those things at times, even those things we know can hurt us or those we love.

Our emotions will pull on us and we will have to fight to push them down and say no to things we may love and enjoy doing.

The only way we beat it is to take the way out that God gives us.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can get through it. How badly we want to be able to escape it is the big question. We have to want the escape.

If we are sincerely looking for a way out, God will be faithful in helping us get out and escape it.

We have no excuse if we are giving in to temptation today. If we are falling into the things we know are not good for us, it’s our own fault.

With God’s willingness to help us through, it should not overtake us. 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 – 10-10-22

Psalm 27:13 (NKJV) 13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.

Lately I have been spending a lot of time contemplating and reflecting on the goodness of God

The longer I am alive, the more God’s goodness becomes glaringly obvious to me.

In fact, not only is it more obvious, but it’s becoming more and more impossible to avoid or deny it.

What we are seeing in the world right now is shocking. The amount of evil playing out right before our eyes sometimes leaves me (almost) speechless because of the degree to which it is being taken, and the brazenness of it.

It is shocking. It’s not normal to our senses because we have never been exposed to these levels of evil.

In reality, though, God told us through His prophets that this would happen.

He warned us all about these types of things and these kinds of people.

So, not a single one of us should be surprised by it.

On that note, though, I want to encourage everyone who is reading this.

In spite of all of this evil, God is still the same God He has always been.

And He is still on His throne. He is still in control. Not a single thing that we’re seeing surprises Him.

So, it’s important that we keep our focus on Him through it all.

No, we don’t stick our heads in the sand and pretend it isn’t real. It is real.

But we don’t let it pull us away from God. On the contrary, we let it push us closer to God.

And in that growing closeness we will find our solace; our peace and the answers to our ever-growing list of questions and concerns.

No, we may not understand everything. We may not get answers to every question that we have.

But if we have Holy Spirit-led understanding, that’s enough. Enough to ease our minds and give us rest in Him.

And resting in Him is exactly where we should be.

So, look to Him. Hold fast to Him. And trust Him as you never have before as we walk through these historic, Biblical days.

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 – 10-9-22 – Standing Fast

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

The world we live in is messy. Evil seems to be running rampant, and sin is everywhere at levels that we have never seen before. 

So, what do we do? 

We stand fast! 

Our new video is live, and it’s called Standing fast. 

In this video we teach about the importance of standing fast and not letting the abundance of sin we’re seeing wear us down. 

We hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch it. 

Please click here to watch the video now. 

We love you all! 

Sincerely 

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 – 10-8-22

1 Corinthians 15:31 (NKJV) 31 I affirm, by the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

As I have been recently praying and asking God to show me how we can have contentment and stability in our walk with Him no matter what is going on around us, He brought me to this verse.

As Paul says, “I die daily”.

How do we do this? How do we die daily?

By stripping our flesh of its worldly desires, embracing the desires that the Lord would have for us, and shutting down the very thing that comes between us and God, which most times is our own selfish ambitions.

As a believer, we will learn that letting go is a big part of dying daily.

This involves letting go of routines and allowing change on every level.

It sounds like a lot, but Paul was serious about this. It has to be part of our walk if we want the path He has for us.

If we think about it, we really are not losing much. His eternal life outweighs anything that we may have to let go of here on earth.

Dying daily to our flesh sounds painfully disturbing. However, the results of it will bring a very focused and beautiful walk with our most precious Savior and Heavenly Father! 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 – 10-7-22

Colossians 1:9-10 (NKJV) 9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

As Paul addressed the Colossian believers, he wanted to encourage them and counsel them to grow in their walk with God.

Paul truly understood the importance of this in a way that many others did not. And he wanted them to know how deeply this impacts the life of every believer.

Paul was so adamant about it that he prayed for them to “be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding”.

It’s important for us to understand that this goes far beyond our minds and our human comprehension of who God is.

This is spiritual at its root, and we need to be able to embrace it in our spirits, not by our intellect.

Paul wanted them to be filled with the knowledge of His will for their lives.

This doesn’t just refer to knowing the plan for your life in reference to the big picture, but walking in His will every day of our lives, as we move from one moment to the next.

This kind of understanding doesn’t happen by accident. It comes as we “walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him”.

This comes as we make a conscious (purposeful) effort, diligently studying His word and spending time communing with Him (praying), seeking His leading and guidance every day.

This is referred to in the verses above as “walking worthy of the Lord”, meaning that our lives will honor and please Him.

And all of this leads to us “being fruitful in every good work” (producing many kinds of good fruit for the kingdom of God), as we learn to know God better and more intimately.

We pray for this in the lives of each and every person who reads this. 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 – 10-6-22

John 14:6 (NKJV) 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Who is Jesus?

What does the word of God say about this question? Let’s take a look!

According to the verse above, He is the way, the truth and the life.

He is the Word.

John 1:1 (NKJV) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He is God with us.

Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

He is the Son of God.

Matthew 14:33 (NKJV) 33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”

He is the visible image of the invisible God!

Colossians 1:15 (NLT) 15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation…

He is eternal, and is the “glue” that holds everything together.

Colossians 1:17 (NKJV) 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

The New Living Translation (NLT) makes it a bit clearer.

Colossians 1:17 (NLT) 17 He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

*On a side note, be aware that the NLT does NOT capitalize the first letter when using the word, “he”, when referring to God or to Christ. This is one of the faults that I find with many of the more modern translations. But sometimes their wording is clearer and more easily understood, so I occasionally use it for that reason.

He is the Messiah (the Christ).

John 4:25-26 (NKJV) 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

In this short list, it’s easy to see who Jesus is. And these few verses are just a tiny bit of what there is to know.

But having even this small amount of understanding is reassuring, and it helps to build our faith in Him.

So, take this knowledge and arm yourself with it. Hold it tightly and let God grow it like a seed in your spirit, allowing you to nurture it, feed it and bear fruit from it by the Spirit of God working in your life.

For He is the eternal God who came in the flesh and walked the earth among us.

John 8:58 (NKJV) 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

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 – 10-5-22

Mark 9:27-29 (NKJV) 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”

Fasting is something that many believers have little knowledge or understanding of.

And yet it was so important that Jesus told His disciples that there are certain things that can only be accomplished by prayer and fasting.

Notice that he didn’t just mention prayer? He specifically included fasting in His answer as to why they were not able to cast out a specific demon.

Jesus prayed and fasted regularly. He was always sharp because He didn’t allow a love for food and comfort to dull His senses.

Comfort is something that we all seek and enjoy to varying degrees. Nobody likes to be uncomfortable.

And nobody likes to be hungry, right?

A dislike for being hungry and a lack of understanding push many believers away from fasting. And fasting isn’t something that’s wildly popular.

Why? Because fasting can be a bit uncomfortable, especially for those who aren’t familiar with it and are contemplating trying it for the first time.

Outside of the misunderstandings and the discomfort associated with fasting, it’s truly important that we learn to understand it, and then be willing to fast if it’s necessary to do so.

Jesus fasted often. One of the first acts we read about Him doing was Him heading off into the desert where He fasted for forty days.

Many of us make the mistake of thinking that this is what is required of us; forty days with absolutely no food.

But that’s rarely the case. Fasting is something that’s dynamic, not set in stone.

Suffice it to say, though, that fasting is a part of spiritual warfare, and it should be a part of the life of every believer in one form or another.

So, we encourage you to seriously consider it, and to learn more about it so you have a better understanding of what fasting really is.

If you’d like to read a more in-depth piece that we wrote a while back, please click here. This was written in response to questions we had received about fasting back in 2016.

And remember, some things can only be accomplished by nothing but prayer and fasting.

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 – 10-4-22

Genesis 1:1 (NKJV) 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

In the beginning God created the heavens and earth. The earth was without form. It was empty. His Spirit moved over the face of the waters.

There was nothing before day one. It was still and empty.

On the first day, God said, “Let there be light”, and He divided the light from the darkness. He called the light day and the darkness night. And the evening and morning were the first day.

On the second day, He divided the waters under the firmament from the waters above the firmament calling it heaven and earth.

When day three came He brought the water under the heavens together in one place, making the dry land appear.

He called the dry land, earth.

He gathered the waters together and called them sea. He also added grass, seed-yielding herbs and fruit-yielding trees to the land. Each yielded seeds according to its kind.

On Day four, He added lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide day from night.

These were also to be for signs and seasons, for the days and for the years. They were also placed in the heavens to give light onto earth.

He made two great lights; one to rule the day and the lesser light to rule at night. He also made the stars on this day as well.

Day five, He made the moving creatures in the waters and fowl that may fly above the earth. Also on that day, He made great whales, and every living creature that moves in the seas and every winged fowl after his kind.

Day six came. On that day God made the cattle, every creeping thing, beast of the earth after his kind. and cattle after their kind.

Also on the sixth day, God said, “let us make man in our image, after Our likeness, and let them have dominion” over everything.

He created them male and female in His image, saying “be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth.”

God gave us everything we needed. He provided every good thing for us and saw that it was very good.

Then, in Genesis 1:31 & 2:1, God saw everything that He made, and behold, it was very good. The heavens and the earth were finished!

We may not always remember the order in which everything was done. However, what is important to know and to remember is those three words, “it was finished”.

This means it was complete; nothing can be added to His creation or taken away from it. We had everything we needed from the beginning. It was all good!

Afterwards what did He do?

Gen 2:2 says that on the seventh day, God ended His work and rested.

In all of His magnificence, God created us and everything else that we need. And sometimes it’s good for us to be reminded.

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 – 10-3-22

Matthew 19:26 (NKJV) 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

During my lifetime, I have personally seen God do what man said was impossible. And not just once, but on more than one occasion.

Man said that the asthma that I was diagnosed with when I was 7 years old was incurable.

God said differently. He healed me of asthma 30 years later. I have been 100% free of asthma since then.

We have had many more examples in our lives, but this is not about us. It’s about God’s faithfulness and sovereignty.

In God’s word, man said many things where God proved them wrong.

The Egyptians should have slaughtered the Israelites on the shores of the Red Sea. God opened the sea and allowed the Israelites to cross on dry land.

The adulterous woman should have been stoned to death for her sin. Jesus said otherwise.

Man said that the wall around Jericho should have kept the Israelites out. God proved them wrong.

Man said that Jesus should have stayed dead in the tomb. God had other plans.

And this God who has proven that He has the final say in everything is still the same, proving man wrong again and again.

He never changes.

Malachi 3:6 (NKJV) 6 “For I am the Lord, I do not change…

So, if you’re facing something today that seems impossible, and something that man says can never happen, trust that if God wants it to happen, man has no say in it.

God is still the same as He has been over the centuries.

Where does your trust lie?

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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