Pastor Curt

Bible Verse of The Day – 10-5-13

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(2 Samuel 21:17 NKJV)  But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, “You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.”

David grew faint while he was out in battle and almost lost his life to a Philistine, his enemy (2 Sam 21:15). Because of this, the men of David were telling him he was not to go out to battle anymore, for his own protection, and also to keep God’s plan moving through him.

It was for his protection and had nothing to do with rejection!  They realized if they lost David, they would have lost the man through whom God’s light and covenants were given.

This verse stuck out to me today because I know as a Pastor how hard it is to let go of some things.

Pastors/leaders; we need to know that there will come a time to let go and let others step in to help. And it doesn’t have to be when we are so old that we can’t do anything else.

Speaking from a Pastoral/Leadership point of view, God brings the right people at the right time, to help us.

It may be hard to let go of some things if we have been doing them a certain way for a certain time. However, as we can see in the verse above, God-ordained change is good and needed at times for our own protection and so that He may continue to keep that lamp burning.

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 – 10-4-13

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Nehemiah 8:10 (NKJV) Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

The joy of the Lord is our strength!

Not many people think of joy as being strength. When we think of someone we view as being strong, we very rarely think of joy as being one of the traits that makes them strong.

Usually we associate strength with determination, perseverance, patience, etc.

But in reality, if we don’t have God’s joy, we are miserable, weak and downtrodden. So without His joy, we can’t be strong.

Now let’s look at the flip side of this. His joy doesn’t come from having material things or from people complimenting us or people being our friends. His joy comes from knowing that He loves us, provides for us and has our best interest in mind, no matter what comes our way.

But if we don’t understand that, we tend to get caught up in our emotions. We judge how everything is going by how we feel. And oh, how those emotions can send us on a roller coaster ride!!

God gave us our emotions to enhance our lives, not to control our lives. Emotions help us feel different things and can add to who we are, but we need to make sure that we never let our emotions tell us who we are or how we feel.

If we live by our emotions, we will be a mess most of the time, simply because we will let our emotions dictate to us whether we feel happy, sad, depressed or strong.

Let God’s joy be your strength. Put your emotions where they belong; under the power of God’s spirit. Learning to do this will bring a new stability into our lives that we never knew existed.

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 – 10-3-13

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John 10:10 (NKJV) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

The thief, the enemy of our souls, has come for one reason; To destroy us.

Now, most people, when they think of this verse and its meaning, will think of things like literal death and visible destruction; things like alcoholism, drug addiction, diseases, etc. And these things are definitely some of the kinds of destruction that the enemy will bring.

But we want to warn you today about another, more subtle kind of destruction. This is a kind of destruction that comes quietly, slowly and stealthily. In fact, it comes in so subtly that many of us never see it coming.

You see, if the devil was to tempt us with something like drugs, alcohol, stealing or killing, we would see it for what it is. It’s so obvious to most of us that we would recognize it as bad and run far from it (hopefully).

But when the enemy comes against us with subtle things, we are more apt to be deceived and fall into his trap, especially if our discernment isn’t sharp or if we let the things coming against us harden our hearts.

So what is it that can come in so quietly that we don’t recognize it? Anger, bitterness, unforgiveness and hatred, to name a few.

Bitterness can eat us up, from the inside, out. It can harden our heart a little tiny bit more each day. Bitterness will pour a new, thin layer of concrete over our heart with each day that passes, until we get to the point where our heart is encased in cement, unreachable and like an impenetrable fortress that keeps everyone out.

This is the biggest danger we face as believers, when it comes to protecting our walk with God and our relationships with others that God has placed in our lives.

Are you struggling with bitterness today? Are you holding onto anger about something that someone has done to you? LET. IT. GO. In the name of Jesus!

Give it to the one who died for us. He has come to give us peace and give us life… life more abundantly and life to the fullest. Surrender it to Him and lay it at His feet.

Let Him bring His joy back to you and let Him heal you and restore your joy and your faith. He’s waiting for you.

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 – 10-2-13

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(John 6:33 NKJV)  “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

One Red rose…

This morning as I look out my window, the sun shines bright and the leaves are beginning to turn color, slowly, as the Fall season approaches.

The cool breeze comes in through my cracked-open window, and there in my garden, looking up at me, is a single rose… as red as red can get. Amongst all that is fading away and changing from the new season, stands alone the most beautiful red rose adding color, and life.

This reminds me of how God’s Spirit lives in us, causing us to change any situation or room that we enter.

Now, some people may not want to admit it, while others will welcome it, but just know that when you walk into a room with God’s Spirit living in you, you are like that rose changing the atmosphere and bringing life to that 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 – 10-1-13

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Proverbs 15:1 (NKJV) A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Our words, and the way we use them, can have a huge effect on our lives and the lives of those around us.

Sometimes it’s so easy to speak words that are harsh or hurtful. But kind words will bring forth much more fruit.

As a person who likes everything to be done a certain way, I have to catch myself on many occasions, before I speak, to make sure that what I am about to say is said with the right words and the right tone!

It can be so easy for us to lash out at people when we’re angry, and many times the people we’re angry at might even deserve it. But that doesn’t give us the right to do so.

It’s good for us to learn how to have mercy and compassion toward those around us, and try to administer that mercy and compassion to the very people that anger us. Words spoken in love and kindness can break through into the hearts of people, whereas harsh or angry words will only stir up more animosity.

After all, God shows us mercy and compassion when we’ve done wrong. Why shouldn’t we do the same?

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 enter your email address in the box near the upper right corner of this page!

Bible Verse of The Day – 9-30-13

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(Proverbs 27:17 NKJV)  As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

There are times that I watch people and get some neat ideas, or I say to myself, “hey, I’d like to try that too!” There are so many positive and good things we can learn from each other.

One of the things that the devil likes to do is try to get us to spend more time looking at a person’s faults. If he can get us to always focus on finding the negative in everyone, it will keep us lonely and wanting to have no one around us; no friends, no family, no one for God to use to help us at times.

God moves through people. If no one is around, how then do we learn and grow together from each other?

It’s easy to find the negative in people because none of us are perfect. But what is challenging is finding the good qualities in someone and letting them rule over the bad.

Let’s turn this thing around. We challenge you today, as you go to work, school, or even in the home, focus on the good qualities in any given person and let them teach us something new.

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 – 9-28-13

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(Psalm 67:3 NKJV)  Let the peoples praise You, O God; Let all the peoples praise You.

Take time to lift our voice up and praise God today for He is Good!

This month has been a month of seeing and hearing about great things that God has done. Prayers have been answered! Victory and breakthroughs have come forth!

God is a miracle-making God.  He is all Powerful, Almighty and Awesome in every way!

(Mark 10:27 NKJV)  But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

Sometimes when we cry out to God and we ask for things, even though we know in our hearts He will answer us, we don’t always know when or how He will answer.

We have to trust God, and wait, knowing that however it turns out, it will be what is best for us or for the ones we are praying for.

(Psalm 118:8 NKJV)  It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man.

Our God will never fail us. He is faithful! He’s a good God, full of love, kindness and compassion. Amen.

Let us praise Him 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 enter your email address in the box near the upper right corner of this page!

 

Bible Verse of The Day – 9-27-13

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Matthew 16:1-3 (NKJV) 1 Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; 3 and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.

Do we know how to discern the signs of the times?

It’s important that we do. In fact, it’s critical that we know how to discern these signs.

People of God, we are living in perilous times. Any of us who have been alive for 40 years or more can simply take a look around and know that things have changed so drastically since we were young.

Things are moving at a rapid pace. So many things change very quickly and the world as we once knew it no longer exists.

Is this a morbid or scary message? No… absolutely not. It’s plain, simple truth and we all need to face it.

Is Jesus returning tomorrow? Probably not, but we are seeing the advancement of the kingdom of darkness at a speed that’s remarkable, no matter what nation we call home.

So what are we to do, as children of God? We are to pray! Pray and be bold in our faith! Watch and pray!

Let God sharpen your discernment and show us what’s going on around us. These may be perilous times, but they are also exciting times to be living in, as we get to watch the prophecies of God unfold all around us!

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 – 9-26-13

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(Matthew 6:31 NKJV)  “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

I love this verse telling us “do not worry”.

I love how God addresses this. Why? Well, let’s just say He knows us. He knows that when things don’t go the way we plan them to go we start to think “oh, what to do?”.

He designed us to think and try to solve things. He gave us a brain to think with and to use it to get things done and see things through. But what happens is that if we are not sure what to do, then we begin to worry.

We forget that with this brain came a manual, the Bible! In the Bible, there are answers to keep this brain functioning properly and when things go wrong, it provides the answers on how to fix it. We just need to pick it up and read it.

Let’s talk about the garden and how Adam and Eve had everything they needed to survive, right along with boundaries telling them what to do and what not to do! But it was those boundaries that messed them up, causing everything to change for them. Oops!

They needed to use their brains to keep them on track, and stay within their boundaries. They did not have to worry about a thing in that garden. Everything was there, everything they needed, including the answer on how to remain there, and in God’s good graces.

What they needed to pay attention to was keeping within the boundaries of God’s words to them. He gave them specifics.

Today, have we gotten off track? Have we stepped outside the boundaries that God has given us? If we have, there will come a change, just like it did for Adam and Eve. It changed their situation.

But the good news is that God has made a way for us to get back on track with a simple word, repent.

Ask God for forgiveness and get back on the right track, staying within the boundaries that are provided through His word, and His precious Son, Jesus.

Staying within His boundaries brings a protection, a provision and a covering to keep us safe. This is what keeps us from not having to worry.

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 enter your email address in the box near the upper right corner of this page!

Bible Verse of The Day – 9-25-13

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Ephesians 6:11 (NKJV) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Most times, when we hear any kind of teaching on this scripture, we always hear about the armor and how we’re supposed to be sure to wear it.

Today, though, let’s look at why we’re supposed to wear that armor; to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Notice that God never says that we will be immune to trials? Not at all. Instead, He equips us and prepares us to be able to withstand the attacks of the enemy, and come out victorious!

We need to be careful as to who we listen to when it comes to this topic. Too many people want to hear that we will never have to go through trials and hard times, and because of that, there are too many teachers out there who are willing to accommodate them. Beware of these teachers!

So, as believers, we need to understand our armor and how it works, and know that we need to wear it if it is going to protect us!

God has provided us with everything we need to withstand and win in life’s battles. Let’s do our part and use the tools we’ve been given!

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 enter your email address in the box near the upper right corner of this page!

Bible Verse of The Day – 9-24-13

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(Psalm 54:2 NKJV)  Hear my prayer, O God; Give ear to the words of my mouth.

Every day we hear and see things go on around us, some good and some bad.

It’s Awesome to know that we can take a situation and pray it through.

If we see something going on that is not good, we can pray and God will hear our words.

We have someone that listens to us, someone that understands us and someone that wants to help us.

What a wonderful thing to know that our words don’t fall on deaf ears!

(Psalm 108:5-6 NKJV)  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, And Your glory above all the earth; {6} That Your beloved may be delivered, Save with Your right hand, and hear me.

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!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please enter your email address in the box near the upper right corner of this page!