Category: Discernment

Bible Verse of The Day – 10-1-25

Hebrews 5:14 (LSB) 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern both good and evil.

As we recently wrote, God tells us that we must “test the spirits to see whether they are from God because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).

That principle is critical to our spiritual wellbeing.

Testing the spirits can sometimes be straightforward. We compare what people say or do with God’s word and see if they line up with what it says.

Other times, it can be more difficult than this.

Many times, things can be said or done that appear to line up perfectly with God’s word, making them seem genuine and legitimate.

This is where we must “go to the next level”, so to speak.

When something appears to be legitimate, and seems to be speaking truth, we must also discern the spirit behind what is being said or done.

This could be considered “advanced testing” of the spirits.

This is something that cannot be done methodically, as in simply comparing what we see or hear to God’s word. It is done solely by the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to show us what is real and what is not.

The verse at the beginning of this devotional spells it out perfectly, stating that we will learn, through maturity and practice, to discern both good and evil.

This ability is not something we learn overnight. It is not something that just happens.

It comes from a combination of immersing ourselves in God’s word, cleansing ourselves from the ways of the world, and learning to always listen for the voice of God.

This will allow us to learn to see and hear what is behind the words and actions around us.

As we do this, God will begin to open our spiritual eyes and ears, revealing things to us that we would otherwise miss completely.

So, let us not only test the spirits, but also discern them, that we might know who or what is behind the things we see and hear.

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 – 9-21-25 – Discerning The Spirits

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

We trust that you are walking close to our God. Amen 🙏 

We have a new video for you today. This one is called, Discerning the Spirits. 

In this new video we teach about the importance of not only testing the spirits but also learning to discern them. 

As always, we use God’s word to dig into this topic and learn what this means, as well as what it takes to be able to do this. 

We hope this new video edifies and informs you.

Please click here to watch the video now.

We love you all dearly. 

Sincere in Christ, 

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 – 7-4-25

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

It is well known that when Jesus spoke, the Jewish religious leaders listened, but usually only to try to find fault with what He said.

Many of the things He spoke angered them badly.

They accused Him of blasphemy on more than one occasion.

But this verse caused them to become seething with rage. It angered them to the point that they wanted to kill Him.

John 8:59 (LSB) 59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

What Jesus said had a dual meaning.

First, He implied that He existed before Abraham. Abraham had a definitive birth date, and a moment in time when he died and ceased to exist in his human body. But Jesus was eternal, with no beginning and no end.

Because the Jewish leaders viewed Jesus only through human eyes and failed to allow God to guide their hearts, they dismissed Him and all that they witnessed, writing Him off as a lunatic and a false prophet.

And their flesh caused them to fail miserably in discerning the spiritual season in which they lived.

Luke 12:56 (NKJV) 56 Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?

Even as believers, we can often miss what God is showing us, what He wants us to learn, because we look and listen solely by our intellect, and not by the Spirit of God.

Father, may we learn, grow, and mature, that we will lean not on our own understanding, but on the voice and the leading of the Holy Spirit, that we may properly discern the season in which we live, and not miss what you are saying and showing 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 – 4-13-25 – Jesus Only

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

We hope you are enjoying the blessings of God in your life 🙏 

We have likely all heard some words or phrases that many people say, and we may even say those same things, but without knowing their origins. 

In our newest video, Jesus Only, we teach about some of the various things that many believers say, do, and partake of without realizing what is behind them. 

Many of these things have become very common to hear. 

Please be sure to watch our new video to learn what these things are and where they originated. 

Please click here to watch the video now.

We hope you enjoy your day!

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 – 7-15-24

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NKJV) 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

While these verses mention afflictions and are frequently used to give hope and encouragement regarding those afflictions that we all face from time to time, today we are going to look at something other than afflictions or trials.

Look at that last sentence!

First, it says that we are not looking at things that are seen, but those things that are not seen, reminding us that tangible, earthly things should not be our focus.

We are also reminded that earthly things are temporary. They are here one moment and gone the next.

Hope placed in earthly things is misplaced hope that can be shattered in a split second.

And look at those last several words; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We live in a tangible world, but we are not of this world.

We frequently build our lives around the here and now, expending great energy on earthly things that crumble without warning, leaving us rushing to find something to hold onto.

As followers of Christ, we have much available to teach us on this topic, as Jesus was faithful to teach His disciples these same truths. And it was some of these very same things that they wrestled with so badly as they learned to discern between the natural and the spiritual realm.

Paul summed it all very neatly when He said the following:

Ephesians 6:12 (NKJV) 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Let us continue to learn and grow, growing to recognize and discern between the natural realm and the things of the spiritual realm, that we do not waste our time chasing after things that wither and fade away.

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 – 6-14-24

2 Kings 6:17 (NKJV) 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

The verse above gives us an incredible example of seeing things in the spirit vs. Seeing them in the natural.

Our natural eyes see what is tangible; the things we can physically touch.

Our spiritual eyes, however, can see what is beyond the natural realm if we allow God to open our eyes and show us what is there.

This is something that can initially be hard for us to grasp. Our minds often wrestle with separating the tangible from the unseen and giving precedence to the Holy Spirit when it comes to discerning what is true.

But God has told us that we are to walk by faith, not by sight.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV) 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.

So, we are not to base our lives and the choices we make solely on what we see in front of us.

He has also told us that we should be led by the Spirit if we are children of God.

Romans 8:14 (NKJV) 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

It is our responsibility to allow God to train us to live and move by His Spirit, setting aside the tendency to operate solely by the flesh and our human understanding, and mature into a child of God who sees and hears God more readily as He directs our paths.

Will this happen overnight? Absolutely not.

But as we give Him preference in all things, and we purposely spend time in His word, learning of Him, we will see our day-to-day choices begin to change as He molds us and shapes us into who He wants us to become.

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 – 6-12-24

John 10:10 (NKJV) 10 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.

If there is one thing we can state with certainty about the enemy, it is that he is the master of all deceivers.

His deceptions are skillful, using a myriad of tactics to coax unknowing victims to take his bait.

The most effective of those deceptions is the use of a counterfeit; the mimicking of something genuine that is desirable to his prospective victim.

He uses this not only on the unsaved, but also on believers; genuine, blood-bought children of God.

This tactic will be used on the minds of its victims, relying on us to work and move by our emotions, our intellect, and our human understanding, instead of by the leading of the Holy Spirit.

As followers of Christ, we are taught repeatedly that we are to live and walk by the Spirit, not by the flesh.

Romans 8:14 (NKJV) 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

God has placed a spirit in each of us. It is this spirit in us that communes with God, being led by Him because God is Spirit.

John 4:24 (NKJV) 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

As a deceiver, the enemy will appeal to our natural senses, using a counterfeit to convince us that what we are seeing and hearing is the leading of God’s Spirit. And in this we can be led astray while believing that we are following God.

Counterfeits will satisfy our human requirements, “checking all the necessary boxes” (intellect, understanding, logic). And this is how we can become cunningly deceived into believing it is the real thing.

It is imperative for us to recognize these deceitful tactics and turn away from them.

We need to develop razor-sharp discernment that causes red flags to wave well in advance to prevent us from falling prey to this sly tactic.

Let us learn to live and move by the Spirit of God, relying on Him alone to walk daily on the path He has set before us.

To learn more and get a better understanding of this topic, feel free to watch our latest video, The Edge of The Cliff, where we share more in-depth insights.

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 – 5-26-24 – The Edge of The Cliff

Please click to watch the video now.Greetings, brothers and sisters in Christ. 

The devil is a deceiver, but God is the light Who exposes the devil’s schemes. 

We have a new video for you today in which we discuss and teach about how the devil uses counterfeits to try to steer us onto a path that looks like God’s path but is not the genuine deal. 

In this video we share scripture, as well as testimony from our own personal lives in which counterfeit alternatives to God’s choices were presented to us in a situation we faced many years ago. 

You can watch “The Edge of The Cliff” and see what happened! 

Please click here to watch the video now.

We love you all! 

Enjoy your day and stay close to God. 

Sincerely, 

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 – 11-8-23

Ezekiel 33:7 (NKJV) 7 “So you, son of man: I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore you shall hear a word from My mouth and warn them for Me.

Watchman: A man who is set to stand guard or keep watch. A person who keeps watch over a specific place or territory. A sentinel; a guard.

A watchman is someone who plays a key role in protecting a place.

Some might think of a watchman as someone who keeps guard at night. And while this is often the case today, in days of old a watchman was in place at all hours of the day or night to help protect a city or area.

Many might think of a watchman being on a wall or in a tower, using the advantage of height to gain a better perspective and give them an advantage over approaching enemies or those who may pose a danger.

And while watchmen of this type were common in ancient Israel, patrolling the tops of walls and stationed in towers, Ezekiel was called by God to be a different type of watchman.

God used Ezekiel in mighty ways to speak to the people of Israel, giving them instructions and warnings to rein in their errant behaviors and put an end to their idolatry and their lack of reverence toward God.

Just as God used Ezekiel in this way, as a watchman, He also calls us to do the same.

He wants us to be vigilant and discerning, watching, and issuing warnings when we see danger.

We live in a time where there is much reason to be on high alert. We must be exercising elevated levels of discernment to be able to see danger, even when it presents itself as a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

So, let us each do his or her due diligence, pressing into God, keeping ourselves tightly knit to Him so as to see and understand the warnings He gives, and taking the appropriate actions as He leads us.

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 – 6-17-22

Matthew 16:17 (NKJV) 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

For all of Peter’s faults and failures, there were times when he hit the nail on the head, so to speak. And this is certainly one of those times when he nailed it.

Every once in a while, Peter would say something that was truly profound and surely 100% inspired by the Holy Spirit.

Peter reached a point (probably without even realizing it himself) where he recognized Jesus for who He truly was; The Christ, the Son of the living God.

When Peter spoke these words, Jesus encouraged him by telling him that this was not revealed to him by flesh and blood (by man), but “My Father who is in heaven”.

Let us walk as Peter walked, rising above the struggles of the flesh and speaking the words that the Holy Spirit has dropped into our spirit.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, with man this is impossible. But with God, all things are possible!

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.”

As humans, we do not have the capacity in the natural to see and understand spiritual things. But with God, all things are possible.

And we need to understand that the time for us to learn to see, hear and speak by the Spirit of God is here and now!

Let us not delay any further the effort required to understand the importance and the urgency of this.

It is imperative that we push our human flesh and human thoughts aside and let God speak His words into our spirits, that we might get the wisdom and understanding we need for the season in which we are living.

Peter was but a mere man, just as you and I. But he allowed God to transform Him into a mighty solder for Christ. Let us do the same.

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 – 11-2-21

1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV) 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

How do we discern or judge situations that we know are wrong based on what we have been taught?

Some situations that we come across are very easy to discern.

They are ”in our face and very disturbing”.

We know immediately to stay clear of these, and to pray for those that are caught up in it.

Other times it may not be as noticeable at first, and we can get caught up in them if we are not being careful and paying attention to the promptings/conviction of God’s Spirit living in our heart.

As Christians, we are under attack all the time. The enemy, aka the devil, is always out to get us.

He doesn’t sleep, rest or say, “I give up”.  If he can find a weakness, as the saying goes, he’s “on it like a bonnet”. He roams about looking for someone to devour.

That’s us; and he hates us!

If we expect anyone in the world to hate us, it’s him. It’s a compliment.

However, knowing this, we have to be alert. We have to be communicating regularly with the Holy Spirit.

He is always at work for us. And He will get us through the toughest, hardest situations we may ever face in this lifetime.

We are not alone. We have what it takes to battle and to win if we obey the steps He gives us to take.

We will face times and people that are more than we know how to handle. But praise be to God, He gave us the armor to wear and come out alive.

He will blow our minds and our thinking to pieces with His great wisdom, and mighty conquering Spirit! He alone has disarmed and triumphed over darkness.

Colossians 2:15 (NKJV) 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Stay alive, keep discerning, and be on guard.

Our Captain is on the bridge! 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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