Category: Growing in God

Bible Verse of The Day – 11-15-22

Isaiah 12:2-3 (NKJV) “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the Lord God is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.” Therefore, you will joyously draw water From the springs of salvation.

Our spirit will let us know when we are missing Him. It will thirst for Him!

Sometimes we can get so busy in doing our work for the Lord that we will find ourselves just wanting to stop and rest in His presence.

But the question is, will we?

When we moved to NC back in December, it took a lot of our time and energy.

Thinking and preparing for the big move caused us to be very busy, 24/7. When night time rolled around and we hit that bed, we went out like lights! There was not one ounce of anything left in us.

After running like that for several weeks, I began to feel like something was wrong, even though everything was getting done. Every “I” was dotted and every “T” was crossed.

Everything was going just as planned and we knew God was in it all.

Then, I read the verse below. And it spoke to me for days after I read it.

John 19:28 (NKJV) 28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”

Jesus was done with His work here. It was finished; completed. All that He had to do, He did. He accomplished all that He had set out to do!

When He said, “I thirst!”, I believe His spirit was thirsting, longing for His Father. He was ready to go HOME.

I realized exactly what was happening; my spirit thirsted. It wanted quality time with Him. It wanted down time with Him. It wanted to rest in Him and lay there in His presence and soak up the renewing and refreshing fullness that He gives when we seek after Him; when we draw near to Him.

I needed my time with my God, My Lord, my song. I needed to draw water from the springs of salvation. I needed to be quiet, steadfast, listening, and loving on Him.

Oh, how we thirst for Him at times. We can’t allow ourselves to run dry. Go to the springs of salvation today and get quenched. 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 – 5-16-22

Zechariah 1:3-4 (NKJV) 3 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts. 4 “Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets preached, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Turn now from your evil ways and your evil deeds.” ’ But they did not hear nor heed Me,” says the Lord.

Hearing the word of God is good. In fact, it’s a necessity if we wish to learn and grow as a believer.

Hearing the word of God also helps our faith to grow.

Romans 10:17 (NKJV) 17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

But, in addition to hearing the word of God, we need to heed the word of God.

If we hear the word of God and fail to obey it or learn from it, then hearing it is largely useless to us.

It’s critical that we hear the word of God and then follow what we hear, obeying God to the fullest.

The Old Testament is loaded with examples of God’s prophets speaking, telling the Israelites what God wanted form them.

And yet, they failed over and over again to listen and obey Him.

People of God, let’s not be like the Israelites, ignoring God to the point of wrath.

He deserves better than this.

As we follow His desires, our lives will bring glory and honor to Him.

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 – 5-14-22

Zechariah 1:3 (NKJV) 3 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Return to Me,” says the Lord of hosts, “and I will return to you,” says the Lord of hosts.

The more time we spend in God’s word, the more proof we will see that our relationship with Him is reciprocal.

We give, He gives back.

It’s important to note that this is not just referring to our finances. It goes much deeper than that.

You see, it boils down to this; He wants our whole heart, not just a piece of it.

The word of God is loaded with references to Him drawing near to us if we will draw near to Him (James 4:8).

And we are told that we will find Him if we seek Him with all our heart (Jeremiah 29:13).

It’s critical for us to understand that, with God, we get what we give (Galatians 6:7).

In other words, He wants us to take action in our walk with Him, not just be passive and complacent.

The rewards for this are endless. But we need to be careful that we don’t seek Him because we’re looking for rewards.

We seek Him because we want to know Him more deeply.

And knowing Him more deeply will forever change us.

Our heart, our actions, our thoughts and our words will all be deeply affected by a sincere, wholehearted relationship with our Father and Creator.

Draw near to Him. We dare 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 – 12-23-21

Psalm 37:4 (NKJV) 4 Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

He is the One we want to delight in. He is the One we want to spend time with and He is the One we want to give ourselves to and serve on a regular basis.

As we press in and learn all about Him, our desires may change to where we just want to please Him. We just want to serve Him.

He becomes so desirable and satisfying that nothing else is needed to complete us or make us happy. There is no tug of war between serving Him and wanting to do things outside of or apart from Him.

When we grow to know Him, our desires will be more aligned with what He wants for us. And He will give us those things.

Even when He blesses us with the things we desire, we will find ourselves delighting in Him more and more. Because we see how much He knows us and how much He truly cares.

God knows more about what we desire than we do. He knows our personal preferences better than we do.

Let us begin to delight ourselves in Him and let Him bring on the desires of our hearts in His timing. Amen.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-315-0902

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Bible Verse of The Day – 10-18-21

Matthew 7:22-23 (NKJV) 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Many might read this and think that Jesus is referring to those we might consider “unsaved” in our eyes; those who live ungodly lives and are easily recognized as unbelievers.

But look more closely. What does Jesus say they did?

They prophesied in His name, cast out demons and performed wonders in His name. That doesn’t really describe anyone who is easily recognized as an unbeliever, does it?

You see, there are (and will continue to be) many who “walked the aisle”. There will be many who “prayed the prayer”. And even many who “repented and asked for forgiveness”.

And yet, the hearts of those never changed. They walked through all of the outward motions, but they never allowed God to touch their heart and bring genuine change.

These people look, for all appearance’ sake, like believers; followers of Christ.

They speak the right words, act the right way at the right time, etc. But deep inside, they are the same person they have always been; dead in their sin.

I can recall a short period of time where I was that person. I had “walked the aisle” and “prayed the prayer”. And though I “felt something” when I took those steps, I didn’t change right away.

I still cussed up a blue streak. I still drank (and got drunk). I still lived like the world.

But at some point after that, I finally “got it”. I felt God’s Spirit tugging at my heart, wooing me, calling me to truly repent and let Him in.

And when I finally surrendered, I knew it. And it was outwardly obvious that I was beginning to be transformed into a new person; a person who had been touched by God in a life-changing way.

It’s important for us to understand that we don’t need to “walk an aisle” or “pray a specific prayer” to be saved. We just need to genuinely, wholly surrender to God, recognizing that we are lost and need His grace and mercy over our lives, through the sacrifice that was made on the cross by Jesus Christ.

This is not to say that “walking an aisle” is bad. Nor is “praying a specific prayer” to ask for God’s forgiveness. But they are not Biblically required or necessary in order for us to be born again.

The work was already done for us when Jesus died and rose again, making a way for us to be saved from our flesh and the sin that dominates us. All we need to do is sincerely, genuinely embrace that gift and then live it out.

Let’s not be one who walks an aisle and recites a prayer, and then goes on to live life as though God never touched us. Because the truth of the matter is, if we live like that, He probably never did touch us.

And that puts us in grave danger of being one of those mentioned above, where Jesus says “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

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Bible Verse of The Day – 9-14-21

Hebrews 6:12 (NKJV) 12 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

As followers of Christ, we have to be in a forward motion and not give up on our walk with God.

Growing and becoming Christlike takes being patient and enduring to the end.

We can’t get lazy. We cannot let down our guard. We need to be steadfast, alert, discerning, and learning continually.

What helps us to be good faith-filled warriors?

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

God’s armor will keep us alert and protected! We need to be fully dressed in His armor; covered from head to toe.

What is God’s armor?

Ephesians 6:14-18 (NKJV) 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

It’s all right here in these verses…

14 – Knowing the truth and standing firm in it.

15 – Prepare ourselves with the gospel of Peace.

16 – Walk in faith; don’t try to do it on our own, but trust that God’s Spirit is with us all the way.

17 – Walk in the freedom we have received through salvation in Christ, carrying His word in our hearts.

18 – pray, watch and keep going.

Be encouraged today. Don’t waste time listening to the naysayers. Keep persevering, and stay fully covered in God’s armor. We shall inherit the promises together! Amen.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

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Bible Verse of The Day – 8-6-21

Hebrews 6:1-2 (NKJV) 1 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

This is one of the best direct references to maturing as a believer in the entirety of God’s word. It is direct and forthright in its intentions; to convey the importance of not “laying again the foundation” of the “elementary principles of Christ”.

This is a point often lost on many believers. It is often thought that once a person places their faith in Christ, they are good to go, so to speak; ready to move on to living their new life as a believer, but without much thought as to what that really means.

We need to understand, though, that this is far from the truth. For if we are truly putting our faith in Christ, we will want to know all we can about Him, since we are (or should be) trusting Him with our eternal destiny.

And if we are simply “putting our faith in Him” to reserve a spot in heaven, and then just want to “get on with our life”, we may want to re-think our “strategy”.

So, if we are truly putting our faith in Him, we should want to learn all we can about Him. We should be willing to spend the time needed to mature and grow. He did, after all, give His life (literally) for us in order to make a way for our sins to be forgiven.

So, as the writer of Hebrews says, we need to move beyond the basics, once we have a sound understanding of them, and begin to leave behind the “milk” in exchange for more solid foods.

Hebrews 5:13-14 (NKJV) 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

You see, it is the learning of His word that gives us the ability to partake of, and digest, the weightier spiritual things, and to be able to learn to discern good and evil more readily.

And this is crucial for all believers, especially during the season in which we live.

So, we strongly encourage you to spend time in this mighty tool (weapon) that God has supplied us with; His word. Let’s move beyond the basic, elementary principles of Christ.

Your life depends on it, in more ways than most understand.

As we make the effort, God will give the increase.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
P.O. Box 272
Bradford, RI 02808

401-315-0902

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Bible Verse of The Day – 5-17-21

Psalm 32:8 (NKJV) 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

God wants us all to learn and grow, and He is faithful to instruct us, teach us and guide us in the way we should go.

Do we sometimes wrestle with the direction our life is going?

Do we fail over and over again when it comes to making sound decisions and choices that are pleasing to God and healthy for our walk with Him?

It happens to everyone. At some point in our relationship with Christ, we reach a point where we realize that He is our all, and that we can do nothing without Him.

John 15:5 (NKJV) 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

It’s at that point when we need to reach out to Him, surrendering our own will, and finally begin letting Him have the reins when it comes to guiding our steps.

You see, He gives us the freedom to choose. He never forces Himself on us. We choose.

And this is why our relationship with Him will be so strong and beautiful when we make the choice ourselves.

It will be sincere and genuine. Because we made the choice, we will better understand its importance. And we will be more willing to put forth the effort it requires in order to grow and become stronger.

And what a difference that will make in our lives!

Let Him instruct, teach and guide us. And let’s show our gratitude by walking out those very steps that He leads us to take.

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 – 3-19-21

1 Thessalonians 2:4 (NKJV) 4 But as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.

Our hearts are constantly in awe at what God is doing.

It’s a terrifying thing to have God entrust you with something, yet not tell you exactly what that thing is, except day by day.

But we endeavor to do what God has given us to do, in a way that pleases Him and edifies the body.

We consider ourselves nothing more than His servants, used by the Holy Spirit to teach, encourage, exhort, feed, counsel, lead, guide and direct His people, one day, one step at a time.

In this, we want to thank you, His people, for your faithfulness in receiving what He has given us to say, for your prayers, for your support and for your encouragement.

We have seen so many of you grow in your walk with our heavenly Father and the Son, Jesus Christ.

It is evident in the emails, phone calls, cards and letters we receive. And it brings a special kind of joy to our hearts as we have watched so many of you move forward as children of God and soldiers in Christ.

We tell you this today, not to revel or glory in what God is using us for, but to encourage you to keep it up; keep pushing ahead, even when it gets tough to do so.

We know that this is a very tough season, but we are here right now because this is why God has made us, for such a time as this.

Let us be the Esthers, the Davids, the John the Baptists, the Elijahs and the Daniels in the spirit, holding fast to God and standing boldly in the face of the enemy, doing battle in the spirit realm, pushing back the darkness that so blatantly taunts us.

We can do this, by God’s strength alone.

Keep learning. Keep growing. Keep leaning in. Keep letting God mold you and shape you.

We love you all very much.

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 – 9-14-20

Hebrews 5:12 (NKJV) 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

Growing and maturing as a believer is a serious topic that we all should ponder and seek God about.

When we are born again, it is implied by various passages and texts in God’s word that we, as believers, should grow and mature.

Nowhere is it ever implied that we should remain as spiritual infants, lacking maturity or growth.

In Paul’s letter to the Corinthian believers, he scolded them for being immature. He told them plainly that he should be able to give them meat, but due to their lack of maturity he was forced to still be feeding them milk.

1 Corinthians 3:2 (NKJV) 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;

Not growing as a believer is due to a few different factors.

One, we don’t fully understand or appreciate what Christ did for us. And, two, we don’t have someone to properly teach us beyond the basics of Christianity.

It’s up to us to learn and recognize what God has done for us through His grace and His mercy, offering forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ. Getting understanding of this alone will usually be enough to cause us to want to learn more and more of Him, spurring up forward in our growth and maturity.

It is also up to us to dig in and learn God’s word in a way that helps us grow in our everyday lives as believers.

Most times this works best when we sit under someone (a person or organization) who can lead us and guide us in getting understanding of God’s word so it can be properly applied to our hearts and lives.

Having someone to guide us in our learning is important, as it can help us navigate through whatever parts of God’s word that we may have trouble understanding.

It also helps us when we can glean pieces of wisdom and understanding from them as they share things they have learned as they have walked through various things in their lives.

Most importantly, all of this can help us gain insight and discernment as we learn to see God move and hear Him speak to our spirit, leading and guiding us every step of the way.

If you’re interested in learning more about this, we have created a three-part video series on this topic. You can view video #1 here: The Process – Part 1.

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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