Category: Sin

Bible Verse of The Day – 4-5-19

Matthew 18:9 (NKJV) 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire.

Sin is something that most people don’t like to hear about or think about. It’s not a pleasant topic no matter how we look at it.

But Jesus took sin pretty seriously.

It’s most common for us to hear all about how Jesus loved people and helped them. And this is true. But it’s also true that Jesus addressed sin, whether speaking to crowds or one-on-one with someone He encountered.

He told people to go and sin no more. He told some that He had come to call sinners to repentance. He addressed a crowd and reminded them all of their sins when He said “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”.

But, one of the most serious things He ever said about the detriments of sin is in the verse above. Jesus took sin seriously enough to say that if our eye causes us to sin, it is better to pluck it out and throw it away than to leave it in place and continue to sin.

This is something we all need to take to heart. And it’s something we need to take a look at in our own lives. All too often we tend to look at others. But Jesus is telling us to take a look at ourselves.

Did He want us to literally pluck our eye out if it has caused us to sin? More than likely He was speaking figuratively. But the seriousness of what He said should still get our full attention.

God, please show us our sins. Help us to not only recognize them, but to acknowledge and admit to them. And to let You help us put a stop to them, one by one. 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 Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page. 

Please consider making a Donation.

Get our mobile app here: 

Android: http://goo.gl/oQ6qa7 

Apple: http://apple.co/2lZdgYy

Tagged with: , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 11-5-18

Romans 6:22 (NKJV) 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.

Fruit to holiness and everlasting life are beautiful gifts from God.

As we live the life He has for us, and we fight off the pressure of sin that tries to enslave us, we will walk in such beauty.

Life will always have its ugly struggles in one form or another. But we need to know and understand that no matter what comes against us, we now have the strength to fight back and beat it. God’s strength takes us above and beyond what we ever thought we could do.

No longer are we slaves to unrighteousness, but to God. He is the One we obey. He is the One who leads us… not temptation. We can beat temptation when we obey God’s voice.

In the heat of the moment, remember to push away sin and listen for the Holy Spirit. If we are paying attention and really want the help, He will help us and turn that situation around with His wisdom.

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 Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page. 

Please consider making a Donation.

Get our mobile app here: 

Android: http://goo.gl/oQ6qa7 

Apple: http://apple.co/2lZdgYy

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 3-27-18

Ephesians 5:3-7 (NKJV) 3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them.

Sexual immorality, impurities, greed. Let them not even be named among you.

This is some heavy-hitting stuff. The apostle Paul was very blunt with the Ephesians about this. And oh, how we could use some straightforward talk about these things today!

It’s important that we recognize and understand that Paul wasn’t speaking to the world, unsaved people. He was speaking to the Ephesian Christians! And if it was good for them to hear, it is surely good for us to hear.

Paul then went on to address some other things, such as obscene stories (filthiness), foolish talk and coarse jokes. He bluntly said that these are not fitting for followers of Christ to engage in.

Instead, we should use our mouths to give thanks to God, for His mercy, grace, forgiveness, love and so much more.

You see, it’s important that we understand that no sexually immoral person, no impure person and no greedy person (idolater) will inherit the kingdom of God.

Harsh words? No. Just true words being shared out of love and concern for the body of Christ.

Many times, we try to sidestep these difficult topics because we don’t like what God’s word says. Or we are afraid of hurting someone’s feelings, so we choose to say nothing.

But choosing to say nothing isn’t what we should do. Paul spoke out because he loved the Ephesian Christians! And this is why we share these very tough words today, because we love you and want God’s best for you!

If there are those who would speak empty words to you, to soothe your conscience, pay no attention to them, for they will lead you into God’s wrath.

The ways of the world have crept into the body of Christ and we have begun to embrace some terrible things as being acceptable.

It’s important that we hear the truth, even when it hurts, even when it makes us angry. We can’t correct the error in our lives if we are never told that it’s error. And as long as nobody says anything, we will just coast along, doing what we choose to do.

But we are all accountable to God. We are all responsible for the choices we make as His children.

Let each of us heed His words and His instruction, as well as His warning against these kinds of behavior. Let us seek Him and His forgiveness for our wayward actions and lack of accountability.

God, I seek you and ask for your forgiveness today for the things I have said and done. I have fallen into some terrible behavior and habits. I am truly sorry. Please forgive me and help me to be strong and resist the temptation when it comes. Help me to change my ways and make them pleasing to you. Thank you for loving me and forgiving me. In the name of Jesus, I pray. 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 Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page. 

Please consider making a Donation.

Click the player below listen to today’s devotional.

Get our mobile app here: 

Android: http://goo.gl/oQ6qa7 

Apple: http://apple.co/2lZdgYy

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 8-24-17

Romans 6:23 (NKJV) 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Sin has its consequences. 

God’s word says that the price of sin is death. Death, in this instance, doesn’t necessarily mean that someone will physically die right away if they sin. 

But there’s a bigger picture that we need to see. 

The effects of sin are far-reaching. Some of those effects are immediate. Others take time to manifest and become visible. 

Sin can destroy many different aspects of our lives; relationships, careers, reputations, our health and much more. 

Even worse, though, sin will destroy our relationship with God if we don’t get a handle on it and turn from it. 

Sin separates us from God. It creates a divide that we can feel. It will leave us feeling lost, alone and ashamed. 

But here’s the good news! Sin doesn’t have to rule over us or ruin our lives. We can overcome sin through Jesus Christ, the One who gave His life for us. 

God gave us a gift. It’s the gift of eternal life through Jesus. We just need to reach out and take that gift; accept it on a personal level. 

With that gift comes forgiveness for our sins. It’s not complicated or hard to do. It doesn’t require a 12-step program. It only requires that we recognize our sinful state and our need for forgiveness through Jesus Christ. And then we just have to open our mouths and ask for it. 

So, we all have a choice. We can choose sin, and death. Or, we can choose righteousness, and life through God’s gift of mercy and grace. 

Which one will we choose? Choose life! 

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 Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page. 

Please consider making a Donation. 

Click the player below listen to today’s devotional.

Get our mobile app here: 

Android: http://goo.gl/oQ6qa7 

Apple: http://apple.co/2lZdgYy 

Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 6-26-17

Numbers 32:23 (NKJV) 23 But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.

Sin has a way of catching up with us. It may not always be right away, but at some point in our lives the things we do will manifest and there will be consequences.

Sin is like that. We can try to hide it. We can ignore it. We can try to gloss it over or even try to justify it in our minds. But sooner or later it shows itself and we have to deal with the aftermath of it.

This doesn’t mean that God won’t have mercy on us. He will if we ask for it. And this covers things on His part, with regard to having our sins forgiven.

1 John 1:9 (NKJV) 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

But in the natural realm there will, many times, still be consequences.

So it’s important that we don’t let sin linger in our lives. And it’s critical that when we get ourselves caught up in sin that we do whatever is necessary to fix it as soon as possible. The longer we stay in it, the larger the repercussions will usually be.

And when our sin affects others, it’s important that we go to them and make it right with them. This can sometimes be very hard, since it means facing the one(s) we have sinned against or who have gotten hurt because of our sin.

And whatever we do, we can’t wallow in shame or self-pity when we drop the ball and mess up. That will do us and others no good whatsoever. It will only worsen the situation.

So let’s do what we know is right and confess our sins to God, ask Him to forgive us, repent and walk away from them. And then let’s face the consequences head on and work to put it all behind us quickly, so we can move forward and God can bring healing to our lives and the lives of those who have also been affected by our actions.

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 Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

Please consider making a Donation.

Get our mobile app here:

Android: http://goo.gl/oQ6qa7

Apple: http://apple.co/2lZdgYy

Tagged with: , , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 5-8-17

Psalm 119:133 (NKJV) 133 Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me.

What sin is it that tries to have dominion over us? Is it jealousy, lust, selfishness, pride, arrogance? Is it porn, adultery, stealing, drug abuse, lying, etc.? There is a lot of sin out there, but if we let God and His word direct our steps NONE of it will take over us.

The worst thing we can do is deny our problem with sin or close our eyes to it. I know someone very dear to me that is in critical condition, and in the end stages of cirrhosis, because of his excessive drinking and drugs.

He did not take it seriously. But instead loved it and enjoyed every moment of it. This is not uncommon, my friends. It happens a lot. Probably more often than we know.

Does he regret it now? Absolutely. Why? Because he is suffering greatly from the results of it. Pain has a way of teaching us. Not only has it hurt him, but also all those who love him. They are suffering as well, as they watch him struggle to live.

Iniquity in one’s life is long reaching.

The good news is that God has the steps for us to get free from it today. But are we willing to see it and face it in our own hearts? It can be easy to see things in the lives of others. But sometimes we’re not so willing to admit to our own faults and shortcomings.

There is not a single one of us who hasn’t fallen short in some way.

Romans 3:23 (NKJV) 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

You see, without remorse, we will never cry out in repentance. We have to see the error in our logic and our actions. We have to humbly come to God and ask for forgiveness and help from Him if we want to get dominion over it.

Cry out today for help. He is waiting.

Psalm 55:16 (NKJV) 16 As for me, I will call upon God, And the Lord shall save me.

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 Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

Please consider making a Donation.

Get our mobile app here:

Android: http://goo.gl/oQ6qa7

Apple: http://apple.co/2lZdgYy

Tagged with: , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 3-3-17

John 8:10-11 (NKJV) 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

“Neither do I condemn you”. So many teachings focus on those words spoken by Jesus. And they are very important words!

But the last few words of that verse are equally important. And, sadly, they get left out most times when we hear this lesson taught.

You see, it’s important that we know and understand that Jesus did not come to condemn us. He came to save us. But He also spent a fair amount of His time here on earth teaching people how to live as righteous followers of God, turning away from sin.

Telling people to turn from their sin isn’t popular. Nor is it always easy to do. But it’s a necessity. And if we are never told or reminded to turn from our sin, we will never grow and mature as a believer.

And we all need to be reminded once in a while. Every single one of us.

So as we walk this narrow road, let’s remember that along with the grace and mercy of God, there is also growing and changing that takes place on our end.

Go, and sin no more.

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 Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

Please consider making a Donation.

Get our mobile app here:

Android: http://bit.ly/2m3WIyV

Apple: http://apple.co/2lZdgYy

Tagged with: , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 1-6-17

Ephesians 5:13 (NKJV) 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.

Light exposes dirt.

As I was cleaning up and putting things away this morning after eating my breakfast, I was wiping down the countertops and the stovetop. They looked pretty good when I was done.

And then I turned on the light over the stove. Suddenly it didn’t look quite so good! As soon as I turned the light on, I could see some crumbs that I had missed. Oops!

Suddenly that shiny stovetop looked a little less clean. Even though it had looked perfectly clean just a few seconds before, it now looked dirty. And it needed to be cleaned more thoroughly.

It is the same with sin. When we stand in a dark place, or a place with very little light, everything looks OK. But when the light of God shines on us, we suddenly feel less clean and the things that were hard to see are now easily seen!

The verse above says that when things are exposed to light, they are “made manifest”. That’s kind of a fancy way of saying that the light makes things visible or causes them to become known.

And this is why, when someone is backslidden, or when they are involved in things that aren’t pleasing to God, they tend to pull away and hide in the shadows. It makes the “dirt” less visible, to themselves and to others. Are we that someone? Are we hiding in the shadows?

Even though we may hide, God still sees the dirt. And we still know it’s there too. So it’s up to us to get back into the light and let God clean us up.

We might be ashamed of what we have done or of the dirt that’s on us. But God isn’t there to condemn us or point an accusing finger at us. He just wants us to make things right and move on.

God is a clean-up specialist!

So let’s move into the light. Let’s let Him clean us up and bring us back to where we belong.

1 John 1:7 (NKJV) 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

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 Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

Please consider making a Donation.

Tagged with: , , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 12-14-16

1 John 2:1 (NKJV) 2 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Sometimes, even though we know what the right thing is to do, we choose to do wrong because of our weakness, our stubbornness, our lust, etc.

The flesh will voice its opinion when choices need to be made. It’s up to us to keep it accountable.

We’re responsible to hold our flesh accountable to the things God tells us in the scriptures. We cannot let our flesh just run rampant or it will get us into a heap of trouble.

John knew that we all slip up at times. Thank God we have an Advocate with the Father; Jesus Christ!  He will be there to help us make things right. He will never leave us nor forsake us to handle any situation on our own. Don’t run away from it. Face it. You can get through this.

Hebrews 13:5-6 (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.” 6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

If we have sinned and feel like it’s over and there is no way out, remember that Jesus is here to help us get out of the mess. The first step is asking for His help.

He is our friend.

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 Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

Please consider making a Donation.

Tagged with: , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 11-17-16

James 4:17 (NKJV) 17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Sin is when we know what is right and we continue to choose to do wrong.

I am reminded of what a man said to me one day. This was a man that lived a very worldly life and had a lot of experience in it. He grew up in a divorced home. His life as a child was chaotic and as a teenager he had made some big mistakes. He was into a lot of dark things. He could not ever bring himself to smile, he was hardened by his walk in life.

He said, “those that are not Christians still have that instinct in them that tells them when something is wrong. You can’t deny it. They know before they do it that it’s not right”.

Today this man has given His life to Christ. His life is quite the opposite than what it was. He has a beautiful wife and has been blessed with 2 precious children. He has a wonderful job and a small business on the side. He has given God priority. He made God the head of his life, the head of his family and their home. For that, he is a blessed man.

Sin; that thing that comes between us and God.

If we continue in what is sin, that says to God that we love it more than Him. We give it priority over everything.

If we do it out of weakness, then we need to get with God and repent. We need to try to do better and get help to get free from it.

John 8:36 (NKJV) 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Sin likes to have a hold on people, but if we truly want to be free from it’s hold, we can resist it and do what is right.

Keep moving forward and gaining ground by resisting that which is wrong, that which we know is not good, and do the right thing.

James 4:7 (NKJV) 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Make right decisions today. Give our life over to Him and let Him bless us and help us in our daily walk. Amen.

Dear God,

I am a man/woman that has made some terrible wrong decisions in my life. I do repent and want to do things right. I feel stuck because now my life reflects all the bad choices I made. I want to change. I really do. Please help me. I ask through your precious Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Our prayers are with you and we are here if you need us. Write or call.

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 Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

Please consider making a Donation.

Tagged with: , , , ,

Bible Verse of The Day – 10-4-16

Romans 6:1-2 (NKJV) 6 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

Grace is a gift from God. It is part of His plan for giving us freedom from our sins.

When we mess up and do something we shouldn’t do, grace allows us to go to God and be forgiven. It’s part of the reason we aren’t condemned to hell for sinning. And grace means that even though we don’t always get it right, God can still look upon us and not be repelled by our behavior. It also means that we can have fellowship with Him, despite our less-than-perfect ways.

Grace, however, is not a “license to sin”, as some might look at it as being. Just because we have God’s grace in our lives doesn’t give us the right to do what we please simply because we know that God’s grace is available to us.

Intentionally and willfully acting out our sinful desires is the equivalent of nailing Jesus to the cross and crucifying Him all over again. Please don’t mistake this as meaning that if we occasionally make a bad choice that we are purposely crucifying Christ repeatedly. But repeated, habitual choices to commit acts that are contrary to God’s word and His desire for our lives do make light of what Jesus did for us.

This can be a hard message for us to swallow. It causes us to face ourselves and see who we really are in the light of God’s holiness. It forces us to admit our shortcomings and our faults. And it brings humility to us as we realize that we still need God’s grace in our lives.

This is not a message of condemnation. This is, however a good reminder for us to hold ourselves accountable to God and live our lives as beacons of light, not as purveyors of darkness.

Starting today, right now, go forth and be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.

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 Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

Please consider making a Donation.

Tagged with: , , , ,