Category: Trials and Tribulations

Bible Verse of The Day – 2-13-24

Job 17:6-7 (NKJV) 6 “But He has made me a byword of the people, And I have become one in whose face men spit. 7 My eye has also grown dim because of sorrow, And all my members are like shadows.

When we ended yesterday’s devotional, we were discussing God’s love, and the effects of facing trials; being squeezed by difficult circumstances.

If our lives are always comfortable and cozy, with no trials or tribulations, we simply will not grow to our fullest.

Why? Because we will never be forced to see ourselves.

We will be in cruise control, zipping through life without a care.

But when we get squeezed, usually by difficult or uncomfortable circumstances, the ugly stuff in us tends to ooze out.

I know this is not a pretty picture, but reality is rarely ever picture perfect.

When Job was attacked by satan, many things happened.

He lost his wealth. He lost his family. He lost his dignity. He lost his reputation. And he lost his good standing in the community.

Where Job used to be greeted in public with respect and warm smiles, he was now avoided because of his severe disfiguration caused by the boils.

Job’s physical appearance was so badly changed by his affliction, even his friends had trouble recognizing him when they initially approached (Job 2:12).

But as Job spent time with his friends, who did nothing to encourage him, he pondered his situation in a way that caused him to begin examining himself.

His words at that time were edgy and crass. He was angry with his dilemma. But in it all, he refused to do as his wife told him at the onset; to curse God and die.

Instead, he held fast to his faith, acknowledging God’s sovereignty in everything.

His distressed mind caused him to see things in a very drastic way, so his thoughts were extreme. But during his suffering, he began to reach out to God in a most earnest and sincere way.

In time, God spoke to Job. And Job listened with a sincere heart as God showed him where he had failed.

As God’s words penetrated Job’s heart, and as Job saw his sinfulness, he openly and readily repented.

Job 42:5-6 (NKJV) 5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.”

You see, had Job not faced such dire circumstances, he would never have been forced to see himself. And he would never have recognized his sin.

So, let us not be so quick to run from adversity. For it just may be that during our worst suffering, we find out who we really are. And what we see just might change us in a way that nothing else could have done.

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 – 1-1-24

James 1:2-4 (NKJV) 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

I’ve spent a fair amount of time lately pondering on the irony of trials.

They’re a funny thing, these unexpected events that happen to all of us, tossing our world into a tailspin.

They catch us by surprise and can sometimes hit us with life-changing effects. Sometimes they leave scars that take a lifetime to heal.

But here’s the thing that is so ironic about trials; as much as we despise them, they can teach us a lot if we allow them to.

Some of the most powerful lessons we learn are by way of the tough things that we go through.

We learn about ourselves. We learn new things that we never expected or wanted to learn. We learn about the faithfulness of God.

And in all those things, we learn lessons that we can use to teach and help others around us when they face similar situations and circumstances.

Not one of us welcomes trials with open arms. We despise them. We hope they don’t happen to us. And we may even try to run from them.

Jesus told us in John 16:33 that tribulations will come to each of us.

So, what will we do with them when they come?

That’s the key question we need to ask ourselves.

Will we run from them? Will we deny that they’re happening? Will we be miserable? Will we gather people around us to join us in our own pity party?

Or will we seek God and let Him show us how and what we can learn as we let Him walk us through them?

The way we embrace our trials will tell us a lot about our maturity as a believer and our faith in God, whom we proclaim to others that we trust.

When the rubber meets the road, do our actions prove that we trust Him? Or do they show us struggling with unbelief?

Don’t take that wrong. We all wrestle with unbelief at times. But hanging on to it and never letting God get us beyond it is another story.

So, let us ask ourselves today, will we let our trials dictate how we behave, or will we let God teach us valuable lessons as we walk through them, that we might use those lessons to help others, and to 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 – 12-24-23 – The Irony of Trials

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

It’s the day before Christmas, and we have a new video for you today. 

Today’s video is called, The Irony of Trials. 

In this new video we teach about facing trials in a way that honors God and brings fruit, instead of fear, frustration, and depression. 

We hope you enjoy the video, and that God will use it to speak to you. 

Please click here to watch the video now. 

We love you all! 

Merry Christmas, in His name. 

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 – 7-28-23

James 1:2-3 (NKJV) 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

I don’t care much for surprises of the negative kind; the unexpected event or situation that upends my day and requires me to make adjustments to accommodate unwelcome trouble or trials.

It’s just part of how I am wired.

But as a child of God who is (increasingly) led by the Holy Spirit, I have come to understand, as you probably have too, that trials are part of life.

Believers are not exempt. We have no clause in our salvation that states our lives will be free from trouble.

In fact, sometimes being a Christian invites trials.

Standing up for our faith will sometimes draw unwanted attention that can cause difficulties we would rather not have.

Other times, difficulties arise that have nothing to do with our faith at all; they are just part of life in general.

Regardless of how they come, we must be able to learn to deal with them properly.

If we fail to learn this, we will constantly be miserable, never learning how to be content in any situation.

So, knowing all of this, and learning from God’s word over the years of my life, I have come to understand that I cannot simply ignore trials, try to brush them off or spend my days wallowing in misery as trials arise and play out.

Trials are actually good for us, despite what we might think.

As James states above, trials test our faith. And they produce patience if we let God lead us through them His way.

This does not mean that we will grow to love trials. That is not likely for anyone.

But it does mean that, as we mature, we will address trials differently, allowing God to guide us and teach us, instead of spending our days mired in self-pity and sharing our anguish with everyone who will lend us an ear.

Instead, God will teach us to hold our tongues, go to Him for guidance and walk through our trials one step at a time, as He shows us His way to handle whatever we are facing.

And as we look back at a trial that we have worked our way through, we will do so joyfully rather than with disdain, giving Him the glory and honor for His faithfulness.

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 – 11-1-22

James 1:2-4 (NKJV) 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Some people today reading this have taken a big hit. Some have lost their homes, some their jobs and others their family member or loved one.

You are probably feeling lost right now and wondering if it is even worth living any longer. What is there to look forward to?

The fear and loneliness are setting in and you are not sure what to do, say, or where to go from here. How do I even pick up the pieces and move on?

These kinds of hits call for God’s intervention. Prayer is needed, and time away from everything. And sometimes even time away from everyone, so that we can gain some understanding, comfort and guidance as to the changes that we face.

Don’t be ashamed if you don’t know what to do or how to handle such a hit. God knows, and He will guide us and carry us through it if we don’t blame Him for it. He will help us come out on the other side.

With pure joy, through faith and perseverance, we will not be lacking anything! 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 – 8-15-22

John 16:33 (NKJV) 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Right now, at this very moment, so many are going through trials.

The world has become a very difficult place over the last 2 years or so. We have all faced many difficulties of one kind or another.

Some of the things we have faced have been at the hands of evil people. Others have come about in different ways; loss of a loved one, loss of a job, health problems, etc.

Regardless of the means by which they came, they have been very difficult, and in many cases leaving scars that will last a lifetime.

Many of us have been changed by these things, and we will carry those changes with us for many years to come; maybe even until the day we depart this earth.

But in all of the difficulties, there has remained one Constant who keeps us anchored; Jesus, our Redeemer and Savior.

He told us that there will be trials and tribulations. He spoke it plainly. But in that same verse, He also told us to “be of good cheer”. Why? Because He has overcome the world.

As children of the Most High God, we are not guaranteed an easy life of only pleasures and immense happiness. Instead, we are assured that when we go through the difficulties, He will be with us, walking us through each step.

So, it is in this that we take our comfort, knowing that even in His own difficulties, He overcame them, giving that victory to us as well.

So, take heart today. Hold tightly to Him in the midst of your storm. He will not lose His grip on us.

In that, my brothers and sisters, take heart, find your rest and your comfort.

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 – 6-27-22

Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV) 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

There are many things humans have a hard time with.

Here are a few of them; waiting, discomfort, humiliation, trials.

Many of us get terribly impatient, hate being uncomfortable, are appalled when we are humiliated and despise trials or hard times.

Because of this, we can never see beyond our disdain for them and see the good that can come from many of these types of things in our lives.

This can be a terrible weakness that has major consequences in our lives. But we may never know or recognize those consequences because we don’t even know that they are, in fact, consequences at all.

We just never connect the dots, so to speak.

Let me explain.

Sometimes we have things happen to us that are the result of choices that we have made. Maybe those choices were made in an effort to avoid something uncomfortable.

But, because we have avoided something uncomfortable, we may miss out on a blessing or a reward that God had for us.

And we never know that we missed out on it as a consequence of not wanting to do the uncomfortable, unpopular or difficult thing.

Look at what Jesus did, referenced in the verse above.

First, He looked beyond what was immediately in front of Him in order to see the joy (reward) that was in the distance; pleasing His Father, taking the place of honor at the Father’s right hand.

Second, He endured the cross; the most brutal, agonizing method of capital punishment that Rome had come up with to execute human beings.

Third, He despised (disregarded, pushed aside, ignored) the shame that came with being crucified. This was due to the stigma that was attached to crucifixion. Jews considered it a curse.

Jesus did all of this because He allowed Himself to see beyond the discomfort and inconvenience of the short term in order to reach His goal and consider the long term.

Oh, what we can learn from Him!

Let us also do the same, looking beyond the short-term inconveniences of life, that we might see the blessings on the other side of them.

Maybe, just maybe we will become more resilient, less likely to complain or give up when we face tough situations, and more likely to walk in the blessings that come from pushing through instead of giving up when things get hard.

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 – 12-20-21

Job 40:3-4 (NJKV) 3 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 4 “Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth.

It’s funny how tough, uncomfortable situations can show us who we are and what we’re made of.

Times of trial can squeeze us, putting pressure on us and causing us to act in ways that aren’t always pretty.

When we get squeezed, stuff comes out; nasty stuff that we’d rather not see or have others see.

Look at what happened to Job when he was going through his time of trouble.

At first, he played it very cool. He sat quietly and chose his words carefully.

But as time went on, he began to share what was really inside. And it wasn’t pretty at all.

Ultimately, he railed against God and demanded an audience with Him so he could proclaim his innocence.

You see, Job was getting squeezed. And the more he got squeezed, the more he got to see himself. And he didn’t like what he saw.

In the end, God spoke to Job and reprimanded him for his attitude and his behavior.

And Job repented. Why? Because he saw that who he was displeased God. And he was also displeased with himself.

He had acted foolishly, and it made him ashamed.

But you see, when Job repented, God forgave him and blessed him.

Let us learn from Job. Let’s take what he learned and put it to work in our own lives, so when we get squeezed, we don’t do the same things he did.

Let God lead. He will bring us through the trials in ways that we can’t do ourselves.

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 – 10-26-21

Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Are we having to start over today?

Maybe we lost everything we had. Maybe we got let go on our job. Or maybe our spouse left us or they passed away.

It can make us feel empty, hopeless and scared. But, we have learned that God can bring good things out of the hardest of times.

Starting over doesn’t have to be scary when we have a God who knows us better then we could ever comprehend.

He’s the One that loves us and cares for us; a God that knows our future. And if we let Him, He will make sure it goes the way it needs to.

In the midst of loss we can sometimes forget how marvelous our Father is toward us all.

Wait on God’s directions.

The first thing we have to do is learn to listen and see with our hearts, as led by God’s spirit. Our fleshly desires will fight us. But if we stand firm against them, and wait on God, He will give us the desires of our heart.

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

The next step we have to take is to adjust our attitude and the way we think, knowing and trusting that God will lead us if we give Him the lead.

Many times, if things aren’t happening quickly enough, we will try to take back the lead.

God will let us have it back. But we are in danger of being on our own at that point.

He will always help us, no matter how far off the path we go, if we realize it and ask Him for His help. The best thing to do is stay the course.

The most important thing to do is guard our attitude about where we are, even if we are at the beginning stages and we haven’t yet seen any changes.

Stay strong. God will come through.

The desires of our heart will come again; just maybe in a different way than we had thought, as we surrender ourselves to Him.

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 – 7-5-21

2 Corinthians 1:8-9 (NKJV) 8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead,

Paul went through some things in his lifetime. As an apostle, he was beaten many times, stoned and left for dead, survived shipwrecks and much more. And he suffered all of this as a result of his work to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others.

Because Paul knew what it meant to suffer, I tend to pay attention when he says something like what he said above; “we despaired even of life”.

They expected to die as a result of the persecution that they faced in Asia.

Paul calls the intensity in which they were persecuted as being “burdened beyond measure, above strength”. He was so sure he would die for the gospel that he had literally pronounced a death sentence upon himself.

It was that very situation, though, that caused them to stop relying on themselves and to turn fully to the God who raises the dead for their help and their survival.

Isn’t this just like all of us? We get backed into a corner and try with everything in us to fix the problem ourselves. Then, only when we realize that we can’t fix it, we finally hand it over to God for His help.

We know about this too. We have been in situations where we exhausted ourselves and were laying with our backs to the floor. Then we finally gave our situation over to God for His help. Once we did that, we started seeing light at the end of the proverbial tunnel pretty quickly.

Let’s change this up in our lives. Let’s start going to God first, instead of waiting until we are in dire need and on the verge of dying.

If we would do this, most of the struggles we face will be resolved much more quickly, and we will learn to trust God even more as we see Him work on our behalf.

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 – 6-21-21

Romans 8:18 (NKJV) 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

This verse brings us a message of great hope!

Not a single one of us likes suffering. It’s hard, it’s disheartening and it can be miserable at times.

Sometimes suffering can make us want to throw in the towel, give up and never try again.

Yes, it can be that bad.

But in the verse above, we are told that the suffering we encounter and endure here on earth can’t even begin to compare to the glory that will be revealed in us!

What does that mean?

It means that when we are bodily resurrected and we join Christ in heaven for eternity, our earthy suffering will pale greatly in comparison to the glory that will be revealed in us at that time.

In other words, the things that we suffer here will look like nothing when we compare it to being in God’s presence with Christ in the hereafter.

So, take heart!

Yes, suffering is hard. But it is only momentary. And the pain we endure while suffering here will fade away immediately when we are in His presence.

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.

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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