God’s Faithfulness

1 Peter 4:19 (LSB) 19 Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God must entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing good.

This is an intriguing verse. But what it really means can be a bit tough to decipher if we look only at this verse alone, without the surrounding verses to show us its true depth and meaning.

Let’s dig into this and see what we can learn from it!

The words allude to suffering “according to the will of God”. So, let’s start there and see where it leads us!

If we step back to get the 40,000-foot view, we will see that in the verses preceding this one, Peter was speaking to fellow believers about suffering for being a believer.

He spoke briefly about making sure we do not allow ourselves to get caught up in the affairs of the world in a way that causes us to suffer “as murderers, thieves, and evildoers” (V15-16). His point being that believers should live peaceable lives that reflect God’s holiness and bring glory to His name.

Peter then turned his focus to the body of Christ, which he warned must endure and heed the chastening and purging hand of God as part of His discipline for those He loves (V17).

Peter then quotes Proverbs 11:31, from the Greek translation of the Old Testament, “And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, what will become of the godless man and the sinner?” (V18).

He is not insinuating here that salvation is uncertain (difficult to obtain), or that it can be lost through lack of effort, which would equate salvation being earned.

He is making it clear that, as followers of Christ, we will face trials and difficulties. And these should be viewed as being refined through tribulation. God refines us by taking us through the fire, not around it.

And finally, Peter, through the inspiration and leading of the spirit of God, states that as we suffer by the will of God, we must entrust our souls to Him as we continue to do what is good and right (V19).

And it is doing so that we find our peace, for He is faithful.

Amen

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. 

Isaiah 50:7 (NKJV) 7 “For the Lord God will help Me; Therefore I will not be disgraced; Therefore I have set My face like a flint, And I know that I will not be ashamed.

Today, as we pray for those who have sent us emails or called us on the phone to let us know of their situation, our faith is joined with you.

We are believing for God to do a mighty, powerful work in your life and in the lives of those you’ve asked us to pray for.

As we join together, He is with us.

Matthew 18:20 (NKJV) 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

He is right here in our midst. Praise God!

He hears our prayers, He sees our faith, and He will move the mountain that stands in front of us.

Matthew 17:20 (NKJV) 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

Don’t doubt Him today.

Don’t long to go back to the way things were.

Don’t think your situation is too hard for Him.

Don’t faint.

Set your face like a flint and march forward; the Lord will help you!

Amen.

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. 

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. 

Matthew 6:31-32 (LSB) 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

There is something about learning godly contentment that goes far beyond what words can describe.

Jesus taught us in the verses above that we should not worry about what we will eat, or what we will wear.

And if you think about it, those are the things that people worry about most often; food and clothing.

We fret constantly about them. They are the things that are most important for our survival.

And yet, for all the times when we have fretted and worried, how many times have we been without?

As David said in Psalm 37:25, I was young, but now I am old.

I was once young. I am now no longer young.

And one thing that I can say with complete confidence is that God is faithful.

We have walked through some devastatingly difficult times in our lives, and we can proclaim truthfully and boldly that we have never gone without.

God has always supplied our needs.

And in that, we have learned to be content, whether we have had little or much.

He has taught us that treasure does not lie in earthly material possessions, but in trusting Him and valuing godly contentment over everything.

So, we say to you, “trust God’. Learn to be content. And stop worrying about what you will eat, drink, or wear.

Be content. Trust Him. And watch Him move on your behalf 🙏🏻

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. 

Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV) 3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

God is so very personal. He knows us inside and out.

His touch is so deep at times it makes you want to fall to your knees in awe.

Many years ago, after a Sunday morning church service, someone handed us an envelope. They said it wasn’t from them, but the person that gave it wanted to remain anonymous.

On the way home, we opened up the envelope; it contained $333.

We knew God was touching us right where we needed Him to touch us.

It hit us right in the heart, and we broke down in tears. Why? Because no one else knew our need at that moment.

Only God knew. But yet He touched someone to help us in our time of need. It was so very personal.

God has moved in very personal ways throughout our walk with Him.

You may be reading this today and saying, but I need God to touch me personally, I need Him to help me in my situation.

He will. Call to Him and then trust Him. Wait for His answer. Obey what He says to do. And when He brings it, know that it is Him and thank Him.

He’s never late. He never comes up short. He never leaves us hanging. He’s right on time, and He will not forsake us.

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.”

He waits for you to call on Him and then be ready. He will show you great and mighty things!

Amen.

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. 

Matthew 19:26 (LSB) 26 And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

I have been a believer for many years. I was 20 years old when I embraced Christ and began following Him. I am now 63.

During the last 43 years I have been privileged to see God move in the lives of many people, including my own.

I have witnessed His power.

I have seen Him do the impossible.

I have seen Him heal when doctors said it couldn’t be done.

I have seen His faithfulness.

And I want to use what I have seen, my testimony of His faithfulness, to encourage you today.

I don’t know what you may be facing; what hurdles or obstacles may be staring you in the face. But I do know this; whatever it is, no matter how big it may loom before you, it is much smaller than God.

There is nothing too big for God to help you overcome or bring you through.

With God, there is nothing that is impossible. With Him, all things are possible.

And, with that said, I say this to you.

Press into Him. Seek Him with all your heart; with every fiber of your being.

Call on Him. Listen for His voice. Obey His voice. Follow His leading.

And trust Him.

Don’t limit Him with human logic or intellect. He is bigger than what we can comprehend in our finite minds.

Don’t let the whispers of the enemy sow fear and doubt within you.

Hold fast to your faith.

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. 

Isaiah 46:4 (NKJV) 4 Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.

My Mom & Dad taught us about faith when we were children.

They taught us about how God will carry and deliver us. They taught us to never stop believing.

They both worked hard.

And there were seasons when things were tough.

At times we would have to carry buckets of water up from the well when our pipes in our old farmhouse froze.

But Dad and Mom raised us to be content and thankful with what we had. And we as children thought we had it all!

We had much more than money could ever buy. We had parents that taught us how to trust God. And their examples of walking it out it drove it home for us.

With 10 children, you can imagine what it took just to feed all those mouths. But God, made a way for us. We were never forsaken and left begging for bread.

Psalm 37:25 (NKJV) 25 I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread.

As children we spent a lot of time most days doing our chores, but also having time with Mom and Dad at supper every night. They were always there with us.

Parents, the “little things” matter.

Money will not keep your children safe from the evil in this world. But spending time with them and teaching them to walk with God and have faith in Him will.

It will carry them through the hardest moments they may have to face in their life.

Keep life simple and show them by example how to walk by faith.

Amen.

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. 

Acts 17:28 (LSB) 28 for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His offspring.’

It is in Him that we live.

When the world around us is in complete chaos, He is our peace.

When everything we know falls into pieces, He is our foundation.

When evil becomes almost overwhelming, and nothing makes sense, He gives understanding.

And when darkness has overtaken, He is our Light and our Hope.

In Him we exist.

Without Him, we can do nothing.

Without Him there is no life.

Without Him there is only darkness and death.

But with Him there is joy everlasting, and life in abundance.

And with Him there is light that overcomes the darkness.

We must not let the things we see happening overtake us.

It is now that we need Him more than we ever have.

He is our security, our hope, and the Giver of life.

Let us keep our eyes fixed intently on Him.

He will never fail us.

Amen

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.