Tag: Bible verses about growing as a believer

Bible Verse of The Day – 3-10-20

2 Peter 1:5-6 (NKJV) 5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,

The verses in 2 Peter 1:5-9 are a massive directive for the life of a believer. Yesterday we looked at the first part of verse 5. Today we will finish verse 5 and begin to dig into verse 6 as well.

“Add to your faith” is a seemingly innocuous phrase that doesn’t appear to carry much weight. But let’s look more closely.

The very first implication of this phrase is that, in addition to our faith, we need to add something. So, just having faith alone isn’t enough for us to be effective as a follower of Christ if we wish to bring glory and honor to God.

Bringing glory and honor to God is, after all, why we are here!

It’s also important to note that the Greek word used for “add” was meant to indicate giving lavishly and generously, not simply out of obligation.

Peter listed several different attributes indicative of moral excellence.

So, what is it specifically that we need to add to our faith?

First off, virtue. Let’s check this out more closely.

Virtue, in its most basic form means goodness, righteousness, morality, uprightness, holding a high ethical standard, etc.

But what did its Greek text mean? It literally meant the God-given ability to perform heroic deeds!

Over time, it also came to refer to a high quality of life that makes someone stand out in a way that represents excellence. This is not a haughtiness of attitude, but virtue demonstrated in the way a person carries out their life.

The next addition to our faith is knowledge.

Knowledge is something that God’s word urges us to get more of over and over again.

This is pretty straight forward, referring simply to getting understanding, truth, correct insight, and the proper comprehension and application of God’s word in our lives.

This is why it’s so important that we study and learn His word regularly, not sporadically or haphazardly.

It is nourishment for our spirits, making us strong and potent for the kingdom of God.

Join us tomorrow as we move into verse 6 and examine more of the attributes that Peter tells us about.

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 – 3-9-20

2 Peter 1:5 (NKJV) 5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge…

Because of the many things that God has blessed us with (grace, mercy, His many promises, and so much more), Peter urges us to “give all diligence” to various things to walk out our faith in Christ.

What does he mean by “giving all diligence”?

It means that we need to make it a priority, putting forth every possible effort to make it happen.

The walking out of our faith in our daily lives can’t be indifferent or halfhearted. It needs to be deliberate, done on purpose, with a heart longing to please God.

Think about it.

If what we do isn’t done in complete sincerity, why do we bother? Why do we even make the effort if it isn’t in our heart to do so?

Some may say, “because we know it’s what we’re supposed to do”.

But if that’s the case, and we know it’s what we’re supposed to do, why do we only do it “just because”?

It’s so very important that we get our hearts right with God and align them with His will and purpose for our lives. Anything less is only lip service, and does nothing to bring honor and glory to the One who breathed life into our lungs and put the very beat in our hearts.

Some may say that this is harsh and legalistic. But what does God’s word say?

Revelation 3:16 (NKJV) 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

That’s some pretty serious stuff right there! And knowing that God says what He means, it can be a wake-up call for us to start getting serious with Him.

Tomorrow we will take a look at the rest of verse 5, and then move on to verse 6 and 7.

More to come…

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 – 11-23-19

1 Peter 4:2 (NKJV) 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

We are not our own. We do not live for ourselves.

We are all learning to walk in this kind of living. And we are all in a different place.

It’s a constant battle with the flesh, to keep it in line with the will of God.

Only we and God truly know where we stand, and what changes we need to make.

Sometimes we can get discouraged because of a decision we made, something we did, or something we didn’t do.

Don’t give up or stop learning. Keep pressing in and God will be there for us.

This is how we learn and grow to walk in the will of God. One situation, one step and one day at a time.

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 – 11-22-19

1 Peter 2:15-16 (NKJV) 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— 16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.

There are many places throughout the Bible where God tells us that our actions are what will show the world who we really are.

We can say one thing, but we can show, by our actions, that what we say isn’t as important to us as we might try to lead others to believe.

This is important because submitting to authorities who are over us, following the laws and statutes for the land in which we live, will silence the unbelievers around us and remove their ability to make accusations against us.

It’s also important that we never use the freedom God has given us in Christ as a cloak, or mask, to cover wickedness or unrighteousness.

The freedom we have been given was bought at a high price, so we should never use it as a license or excuse for self-indulgence that leads to sin or causes us to give in to temptation.

Instead, we should see ourselves as bondservants of God, devoted and loyal to Him in everything we do.

We all have our faults, weaknesses and downfalls. We will never get this 100% right all of the time. But as we mature in our walk with God, we will begin to develop a better understanding of these things.

As we do so, we will find ourselves trading things that are less than pleasing to God for those things that are pure, true, lovely, noble, of good report and virtuous.

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 – 9-17-19

Psalm 143:10 (NKJV) 10 Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.

There are a lot of things we have to learn when we become God’s child. It’s not time for us to put our feet up and just relax. It’s time to learn. It’s time to go to school.

Life is good when God becomes our God through His precious Son, Jesus Christ. God’s Spirit is a good Spirit and we are very blessed to have been given such a beautiful gift. Amen.

We must not think we can just kick back. But instead, we need to be steadfast in our learning. God will teach us His very Will for each one of us. Of course ours will be different than others, but we ultimately will be working in unity toward fulfilling God’s will on this earth together.

Only God can pull this off.

So, let us individually be taught God’s will for us, using our gifts and strengths through Him to reach those places and people we never thought we could reach.

2 Chronicles 15:7 (NKJV) 7 But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!”

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 – 3-17-19 – The Ladder

Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ! 

As we grow in Christ, it can be similar to climbing a ladder. The higher we go, the more we need God to keep us stable and secure. 

In today’s video, The Ladder, we discuss this and talk about how growing with God impacts our lives as a whole. 

Please click here to watch the video now. 

Keep climbing higher with Him! 

Sincerely, 

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 – 1-4-19

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Doing something new and different can be a problem for us sometimes because we get used to doing things a certain way. Doing it differently can cause us to become afraid. This way of thinking can hold us back, keeping us in a fetal position, spiritually speaking.

Do we want to remain babes in our walk with God or do we want to grow up? Only we can answer this question for ourselves.

Being God’s child means being ready for new things to happen and a new way of doing things at different times. It means being open to learning and being ready to be challenged.

Are we ready for this? This is the life that God wants for His children. It has freedom attached to it. It has excitement at certain times. And at other times it requires us to be steadfast, having perseverance and patience.

But they all work together to bring God’s greatness in our situation or in others’ lives that we may be connected with!

God is miraculous in His actions, so if for some reason we may not get what He wants us to do at first, don’t dismiss it. Let Him guide our steps through it, one at a time, and it will unfold into His perfect plan, right before our very eyes.

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 – 10-23-18

1 Corinthians 13:11 (NKJV) 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

There comes a time for each of us when we need to grow up and become responsible adults.

With our natural bodies, it happens involuntarily. We get older and our bodies develop and change with age.

Whether we choose to mature and grow emotionally and intellectually is up to us.

The same can be said for our spiritual growth.

When we become a child of God, we can choose to stay a babe in Christ. Or we can choose to grow and mature. It’s our choice.

God prefers that we grow and mature. He wants us to become stronger in our faith and able to help build the kingdom of God. His word is very explicit about this. He tells us that we need to grow and mature beyond the basics.

Hebrews 6:1 (NLT) 6 So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding.

As we grow in our understanding of God and His word, we will find ourselves changing in many different ways.

We will begin thinking in ways that are new to us. We will begin to see things in ways that we have never seen them before. And we will begin to have understanding about things that we never even used to give a thought to.

God will begin to mature us and give us insights into spiritual things without us even realizing that it’s happening.

So how does this happen? By us making a choice to grow, and then taking action!

The amount of growth we see will be dependent on the amount of effort we give it.

There are no secret formulas and no shortcuts. But the cool part is that as we put forth the effort, God will give the increase.

Are we still craving milk? Let’s allow God to move us on to eating solid food.

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.

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 – 10-21-18 – Milk or Meat?

Please click to watch the video nowGood day! 

Milk or Meat? That’s the question we ask in today’s video, which deals with the topic of maturing as a believer. 

Please click here to watch the video now. 

At the moment we become a child of God, it is intended that we grow and mature. Whether we actually do or not is up to us. 

Please click here to watch the video now. 

As babies, we can only eat milk and other liquids. But as we grow, we should progress to more solid foods. 

This happens only by us making a choice to grow and then acting on that choice. 

And how do we actually grow and mature once we make that choice? 

Please click here to watch the video now. 

We hope you enjoy the video. 

Sincerely in Christ, 

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 – 1-11-18

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.

Growth. It’s something that comes naturally to our human bodies. It happens without us doing anything to help it. And even if we don’t try, we still grow.

As we grow in the natural, there are things we can do to complement our natural growth, such as eating right and getting exercise. It won’t necessarily make us grow faster. But it will help us to grow stronger.

Spiritual growth, however, is a bit different. It takes effort if we are to grow beyond the most basic levels. It requires us to want to grow.

The thing that we need to remember is that everyone grows at different rates. Some may grow quickly, while others may take much longer. We may also see “growth spurts” as some people go through seasons in their lives where they put forth more effort than in other seasons.

The important thing, though, is that we do grow. It is never good to sit static, making no effort to grow.

Just as a child in the natural is expected to grow, a follower of Christ is also expected to grow. Growth should be a natural tendency when someone puts their faith and trust in Jesus.

Not growing, or growing slowly isn’t necessarily something to be ashamed of, but if we recognize that we are not growing, it would do us much good to try to take steps to remedy that.

We encourage you to grow. Do whatever is necessary to make it happen. Feed your spirit with the word of God. Strengthen yourself by regularly communing with God during times of devotion and prayer.

We don’t need to be religious about it. God doesn’t want our religious habits. He wants our hearts!

He just wants us to be real, be sincere and be genuine in our pursuit of Him.

Grow. Build your spiritual muscles. And become a member of God’s victorious army of soldiers of the kingdom.

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 – 1-26-16

1 Corinthians 13:11 (NKJV) 11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

Growing up doesn’t just happen in one day. It takes years. Years of learning the ins and outs of what to do and what not to do. What to get caught up in and what not to get caught up in.

It’s the same with our Spiritual walk. It takes time. It really does. One day we may be able to do things that take a great deal of obedience and discipline and then other days, forget it! We blew it the first thing in the morning. We didn’t even get a chance to walk out the door, and bam! We opened our mouth and inserted our foot.

Why? Because we are all human and because we are growing and learning more every day.

So don’t get discouraged. Just keep growing, learning and trying to get things right. Some things will be extremely hard to stop, but don’t let that cause us to give up on it all.

Keep working it, because those things that are hard will take the most of us and God’s help to put away for GOOD.

Ask God for help if we feel we cannot get past it on our own. He will give us wisdom and the knowhow to win.

James 1:5 (NKJV) 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

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: , , ,