Tag: making wise choices

Bible Verse of The Day – 3-11-15

Luke 15:18-20 (NKJV) 18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ 20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

This son had left his father on pretty bad terms. He had demanded to have his inheritance early, and then he left with it, abandoning his father and his family.

Only after he had wasted it all on the party life, and found himself homeless and feeding pigs to earn a small income did he come to his senses and decide to return home.

Ih his mind, he wasn’t even worthy to be called his father’s son any longer. He had determined that he would return home, even it if meant working as a hired hand on his father’s land.

You see, life had taught him some hard lessons that can never be learned in books, or even by word of mouth. Sometimes we just have to learn by walking through something. Some might call it “trial by fire”.

Many years ago Pastor Ellie was speaking with an elderly pastor friend of ours. She asked him “How can we just sit back and watch as our children make poor choices and get themselves into trouble?”.

And he answered her very wisely, with the voice of experience, saying “sometimes you just have to let them go through the fire”.

And so it was with this particular son. He had gone through the fire and learned some things the hard way. Now as he headed home, he fully expected to be shunned, and possibly not even welcomed home.

But as his father saw him in the distance, he ran to meet him, ecstatic that his lost son had returned home.

And so it is in our own lives. We make mistakes. Sometimes they are major mistakes. And sometimes we pay a dear price for those mistakes. And when we’ve walked through the fire, hopefully we’ve learned from it.

And we may feel like there is no way that God can still love us afterward. We feel dirty, stupid and unworthy of being loved.

But if we have a genuinely repentant heart, God welcomes us home with open arms, rejoicing that we’ve come back to Him.

We just have to humble ourselves and go to Him. He will never throw our mistakes in our face.

Is God speaking to you today? Don’t ignore His voice. And don’t be afraid to go to Him. He’s waiting for you with his arms wide open.

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 – 9-23-14

Galatians 6:7 (NKJV) 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

We teach on this verse frequently. This is a critically-important Biblical truth that we need to understand if we are to be mature believers. And if we’re not yet mature, we really need to get this ingrained into our spirit so we understand that every choice we make has consequences.

If we are careless with our finances, we will always struggle financially. If we don’t handle relationships well, we will either always be in conflict with others or we will simply have no friends.

If we are sexually immoral, we will struggle with broken relationships, guilt, the fear of contracting diseases and constant emotional trauma.

If we are dishonest, we will always be distrustful of others, thinking that everyone else is also dishonest.

This principle applies to any and every aspect of our lives.

This is not meant to throw stones at anyone or single out specific sins. It’s just a gentle reminder that we need to be very careful about the choices we make in everything that we do.

Even the seemingly little things can have lasting consequences if we make the wrong choices.

So if we seem like we’re constantly struggling with a specific area, or multiple areas of our life, let’s ask God to show us where we’re going wrong and what it is we need to change.

God won’t slap us down or condemn us for admitting our faults. Quite the opposite. Read what His word says about this:

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.

So let’s confess these things before God and let Him help us to make the changes and adjustments that will keep us from making the same mistakes over and over again.

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 – 2-6-14

Galatians 6:7-8 (NKJV) 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Most times we hear these verses being used with regard to sinners… people who don’t know God or who intentionally engage in actions that are contrary to God’s word.

Today, though, let’s take a look at it from a different angle. Instead of using it to point our finger at someone else, let’s use it on ourselves!

We all do stupid things. We make choices that are bad, whether intentionally or not. And the consequences of those choices will eventually come.

Sometimes they come very quickly, while other times they take a while to manifest. But there is one thing for sure; they will manifest!

So we all reap from the seeds we sow, whether we commit sins that are blatant or subtle. Anything that is contrary to what God directs us to do is sin. It’s just that sometimes we don’t really see it as being so wrong until later on down the road when we reap from what we have sown.

There are many areas that can fall into this “subtle” category. Bad financial choices, bad relationship choices, rebelling against authority, wasting the blessings God has given us, etc.

These are just a few. But hopefully they will help us see the meaning of today’s lesson.

Ask God to show you where you might be making poor choices and then ask Him to teach you how to do it differently. Draw near to Him and He will draw near to you.

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 – 7-30-13

(1 Corinthians 3:16 NKJV)  Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

The Spirit of God dwells in us!

To dwell in anything means:  to remain for a time, to live as a resident.

Taking care of our temple is a big part of being a Christian, a child of the most High God. It allows God to remain in us or reside there.

How we take care of our temple determines how much God can do in us and through us. This is where He dwells, not in a church building or any building. He dwells in nothing made by hands.

(Acts 17:24 NKJV)  “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.

It is important to God that we care for ourselves. We need to eat right and exercise, get the rest we need and make sure we even share laughter to help us have a good, healthy, balanced life.

We can not mistreat our temples and expect to be able to do the things He may ask us to do. We have to be ready and alert. We have to be trained and disciplined in all areas. He wants a place to live that is clean and healthy.

Temptation, can come by way of food or drink, lack of exercise, use of bad language, lack of studying or reading God’s word, watching the wrong movies/television shows, listening to music that is demeaning or slanderous to God, or even hanging out with the wrong crowd, etc.

These are some of the ways we can be tempted, causing our temple… our body, soul and spirit to be involved in things that can take us off the path, or destroy our walk or call with God.

These very things can cause stumbling blocks to rise up in front of us, preventing us from becoming all that God wants us to be. They can cause our relationship with Him to be less than what it needs to be in order for us to hear God on a regular basis.

It’s not necessarily one thing more than another that can ruin it for us, but in all these areas we need to be careful. Anything that is not good for our temple, we should steer clear of and not allow the enemy to continue to tempt us into trying even just a little.

Keeping our temple clean is important to God and it should be very important to us as well. These may seem like little things that are not very noticeable to others, but it’s the little foxes that come and steal. (Song of Solomon 2:15 NKJV)  Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes.

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 – 6-19-13

(1 Corinthians 10:23 NKJV)  All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

As followers of Christ, we lived under grace. This means that our sins are forgiven as soon as we ask God to do so and then we repent.

To repent means to turn away from and not go back to something. Our sins should not become a habitual, often-repeated routine that we fall into.

Because of God’s grace and mercy, we have been given the freedom to choose what we do and what we don’t do. He has given us a free will.

We need to remember that as believers we have an awesome responsible to try to please God in all we do. It is His desire that we live righteous, holy lives, shining His light into the darkness around us.

None of us will ever be perfect at this, but each of us has been given the Spirit of God living within us to help us discern things and keep our feet on the path He has set before us.

God has entrusted His work to us, His people. Let’s be sure we’re doing it to the best of our ability, guided by The Holy Spirit.

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 – 6-12-13

(Galatians 5:24-25 NKJV)  And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. {25} If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

Doing God’s will, vs.our own will, can be very complicated if we are not letting ourselves be led by the Spirit.

At times our flesh will desire something and the Spirit of God is saying “No”! But because we love what the flesh is wanting or what it desires, we will ignore the Spirit and His promptings and give in to the flesh.

After the fact, we always feel terrible for not listening and wished we had made the right choice.

This is very common in the lives of all believers, having to fight off the desires of the flesh so that we can be led by the Spirit. Sometimes the fight is a little easier than others, depending on how badly we want what we can’t have.

Keep that flesh crucified and we will eventually see why God does what He does when He does it.

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 – 6-7-13

(1 Peter 2:11-12 NKJV)  Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, {12} having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

We are in a war daily with fleshly lusts against our soul.

Have you ever noticed at times, even after being a Christian or child of God for some time, that we still get tempted to act out in a way that we know God would not approve of?

This is because our flesh lusts after things and it is up to us to shut it down. No matter what comes our way, we have the final say; we are in charge of what we do.

That is why it’s so important that we keep ourselves close to God; the closer we are, the more sensitive we are to Him. When we mess up we stop what we are doing, and right then and there, we repent.

It is never too late to stop the flesh, even if we don’t realize until we are in the middle of it. God makes a way for us to get out and fix things because He loves us.

It is our good works that many will observe and by this we will glorify God!

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 – 7-16-12

(2 Tim 2:13 NKJV)  If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

God is always faithful, regardless of where we stand in our relationship with Him.

It doesn’t matter if we have completely turned or backs and walked away from Him, He remains the same. He has to. He is God. He is the foundation upon which everything else in this world is built.

During the last several days God has been teaching me a few things about myself. Much of it has to do with some poor choices I have made over the years, especially with regard to finances. It’s not really a matter of a lot of bad choices, but one poor choice that I seem to make repeatedly.

I am determined to get it right. I have made a vow in my heart to let God teach me this time so I won’t make the same stupid mistake again. What I find is so awesome is that He will teach me, despite me missing the ball so many times already.

Ask God today where you have been faithless and where you have missed Him, and then ask Him to help you get it right this time. He is faithful!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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Bible Verse of The Day – 5-11-12

(Prov 3:13-15 NKJV)  Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; {14} For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. {15} She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.

Wisdom is a very valuable thing. We can’t get wisdom simply by wishing for it. It comes by way of years of trials and tests, laboring, learning, struggling, battling and pressing into God.

God has also provided another way for us to gain wisdom; two other ways, actually. First, we can gain wisdom by conferring with people who have been through things in their own lives, and asking them about their own experiences. Second, we can glean wisdom from God’s word.

Regardless of the method by which we obtain wisdom, it’s something that helps us when we need to make choices or take action in situations.

God’s word is the final authority in all situations, so if you get your answers from others who have been through things in life, always be sure to compare it to the word of God.

Our Daddy will never steer us wrong!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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Bible Verse of The Day – 4-27-12

(2 Th 3:13 NKJV)  But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.

Have you ever felt like you just want to stop trying… like it’s not worth the effort that it takes to do the right thing?

Let me encourage you today to never, ever give up doing the right thing. There are times when it feels like it’s harder to do right than to do wrong, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not worth the effort to do right.

Giving up is the easy way out. God doesn’t want us to take the easy way. He wants us to take the way that will give Him glory and make us stronger!

Today, as you fight your way through whatever battle comes your way, remember that nothing is gained by taking the easy way.

Anything worth obtaining has to be fought for. But when the battle is won, it makes the prize that much more valuable.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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Bible Verse of The Day – 3-26-12

(Rom 6:22 NIV)  But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

Jesus died to set us free… nothing more and nothing less.

He died to set us free from sin. Sin can ensnare us and cause spiritual death. Sin separates us from God and causes a great division between us and Him.

With sin, there will come consequences. Sometimes these consequences can be small and other times they can be far-reaching, affecting us and those around us for years to come.

This is the very reason we need to make our choices wisely and carefully in everything we do.

Jesus gives us freedom to choose right from wrong. Let’s choose very carefully and make wise choices and enjoy the freedom that He died to give us!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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