Tag: What the Bible says about putting God first

Bible Verse of The Day – 12-21-22

James 4:8 (NKJV) 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

As we ended yesterday’s devotional, we were discussing the interpretation of a dream that a reader had shared with us.

To recap quickly, the interpretation of his dream indicated that he wanted to draw close to God, but his fixation on the evil that he is seeing happen in the world was creating a divide between him and God.

Let’s talk about that a bit.

What he is experiencing is an easy problem for any of us to fall into, especially if we are acutely aware of all that is happening and we have a strong desire to see justice.

This can also happen if we immerse ourselves in these types of events, spending a lot of our time watching and reading about it. Social media can be a huge culprit for this.

But we need to turn our eyes toward God and focus on Him, and let go of the things of this world (the weeds that the reader was clinging to in his dream).

We need to trust God enough to put Him first and loosen our grip on the things of the natural world that we wrestle with; those things that will put space between us and Him.

This is not always easy. Sometimes, for some, it can be downright difficult.

But this is why it’s so critically important to diligently seek God daily, praying and spending time in His word. This is where we will find answers, and where we will build our faith and trust in Him.

And it’s where we will see our fears laid to rest as that faith grows.

Consider Joseph; beaten up by his brothers and then sold into slavery. On top of all that, he was ultimately put in prison for crimes he did not commit.

But he stayed faithful to God, using the talents that God had given him to run Potiphar’s household faithfully.

Even in prison, he was exemplary in his behavior, leading to him being placed in charge over all the prisoners.

And God ultimately rewarded him for it.

Also consider Daniel, who was exiled to a foreign land and forced to work for a king in that land.

Daniel submitted to God and served that king well. Again, God rewarded him for it.

Let us seek God diligently and let the Holy Spirit lead our actions, that we may also honor God in them.

We encourage everyone to press into God like you’ve never done before. The times in which we are living demand it.

We love you all.

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 – 12-20-22

Psalm 73:28 (NKJV) 28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I may declare all Your works.

When we left off yesterday, we were discussing the current state of the world and how the things we’re seeing can impact us.

We recently had a reader write to us to share his heart and tell us how he has been struggling with what he’s seeing unfold. He also wanted to ask a question or two.

He has also written to us in the past, expressing his sadness and frustration with what we are witnessing; the rise and the expansion of evil.

Like many of us, he has grown increasingly disheartened with it all.

In his heart, he wants to see something done to correct it.

He can’t fathom that evil at these levels has gone unchecked and unpunished by each nation’s justice systems. This is natural. None of us likes to see evil thrive.

In a recent email to us, he shared a little piece of a dream that he’d had.

He didn’t ask us for an interpretation. He didn’t really even ask if we had any feedback for him about the dream. He just told us about it as part of the email that he had sent.

After reading it, it stayed in the back of my mind. And one day not too long ago, God showed me what it meant.

First, here is the part of the dream that he shared; “I have had a dream in which I just want to hold onto the gate or the weeds outside of heaven”.

Now, here is what God showed me that it meant.

Him holding onto the gate, or the weeds outside of the gates of heaven, shows that he wants to trust God and enter in to His presence. This is indicated in the fact that he is immediately outside of heaven. He is at the “entrance”.

He’s close to where God is, but hesitant to let go of the weeds and enter in.

His heart’s desire is to be close to God, hence being right outside of the gates.

But he has a strong desire to see justice in the natural world. This is represented by him holding onto the weeds.

God is beckoning him to come in, but he struggles with letting go of the natural and entering in to God’s presence.

That strong desire to see justice has trapped him and created a divide between him and God.

So, ultimately, he will need to choose which he will cling to; the weeds (the natural world) or God.

Please join us tomorrow as we wrap this up.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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Bible Verse of The Day – 12-19-22

Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV) 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

This devotional will be broken up into three parts for the sake of keeping its length reasonable. We hope what we share speaks to you.

As we have discussed many times over the last couple of years, the times in which we live are like nothing any of us have ever seen before.

What we’re seeing is not restricted to any one nation or a single geographical area. Evil is running rampant and on the rise across the entirety of the globe.

Some of the things that are happening might vary from one geographical area to another, but the underlying theme is consistent; one of pure evil intent.

Their end goal is one world government, one world currency system, one world health system and one world religion (not Christianity).

Governments and non-government entities around the world are cooperating with each other in ways and on levels that has not happened at any time in the past. Again, it is something none of us has seen or experienced in our lifetimes.

This is much like what we see in Genesis chapter 11, where the various peoples of that time had united and began building a large tower (Genesis 11:4); the tower of Babel.

If you read the account of it, which we strongly encourage you to do, you will see that God wasn’t pleased with this. And He took extraordinary measures to stop them.

Why? Because in their pride they had turned against God and, in reality, they endeavored to become like gods.

Today, because of the enormity of what we’re witnessing, it can be very easy to become fixated on it and spend a lot of our time trying to make sense of the current events and the state of the world, instead of focusing on our walk with God and what He wants for us.

This can create a divide between us and God if we’re not careful.

Now that we’ve built a foundation to work from, let’s talk more tomorrow.

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 – 10-22-22

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

A nice little reminder for us today to not be preoccupied with material things and worldly desires. Instead, put more of our time and effort toward seeking the kingdom of God and His righteous.

Let us make sure we guard our time with Him with our life.

Yes, at times it can be a struggle with everything pulling on us the way that it does. It seems harder nowadays to stay focused. There are a lot of distractions.

Sometimes when I’m running out to do errands, I look around and see others moving so quickly and just barely looking up.

Their heads are down and they are on the move. We can all get in this mode. And yes, there are times we just need to get things done.

But remember the important thing in this life and keep it in its place; making time for Him.

How can we stay focused, on track and make this a priority?

We simplify our lives.

We need to acknowledge the things that are taking up all of our time and energy.

Then, we need to figure out what we can do to change it, so we can give more of our time and attention to seeking His kingdom.

As we do this, God will meet us in that quiet place; that place of no interruptions. That place where nothing matters more than Him.

His sweet presence will be there.

We don’t always realize how rewarding it can be. But once we find the time to do this, we will learn it is a necessity to keep it a priority. Amen.

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 – 7-22-22

1 Corinthians 6:20 (NKJV) 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

The phrase, “you were bought at a price” has always intrigued me.

What it infers is so bluntly true, but so easily missed if we’re not careful. In a nutshell, it says that if we have been born again, if we are true followers of Christ, we do not belong to ourselves. We belong to God.

And then what does it say?

It says, “therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s”.

This drives home the fact that we are not our own. And in doing so, it also states very plainly that we are to glorify God in our bodies, which belong to Him.

Let’s think about that for a minute so we can take in and try to grasp the magnitude of what it’s saying; our body and our spirit should be used to glorify God.

This is huge. It’s something that we need to get into our spirit, so we begin living it out in our bodies.

And look at the next time this phrase is used.

1 Corinthians 7:23 (NKJV) 23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

Notice how that verse ends?

Do not become slaves of men! This further emphasizes the fact that our bodies should be used to glorify God.

If we became slaves of men, and the ways of man, we would be bound (literally in bondage) to worldly human practices, which glorify the enemy of our souls.

But once we understand that we are not our own, we will be more likely to run from earthly, human ways, and more apt to run toward God and His ways, separating ourselves from the ways of the world.

Let’s remind ourselves, every minute of every day, that we are not our own. We were bought at a price.

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 – 5-5-22

Luke 12:34 (NKJV) 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Keeping our heart focused on the right things, heading in the right direction, will help us to have good treasure.

We want our treasure to be in God, through God and for God!

Don’t let the world take our focus. Don’t let it desensitize us to its conditions. And don’t let it tell us what we should have and not have.

Matthew 6:33 NKJV) 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

God is the One who knows what we need, when we need it and how to get it.

So, our focus and our hearts must long to seek after Him, and nothing and no one else.

There are a few things that would like to steal our good treasure; lust, greed, and power. These are the 3 big ones to watch out for.

Don’t let them win. Fight to keep our treasures in Him, for Him and through Him. And our hearts will remain with Him.

Amen.

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 – 3-19-22

Mark 8:35-36 (NKJV)  35 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

Lose what? Our life, for Jesus’ sake and the gospel’s.

Boy, what a serious thing that Jesus is saying here. How do we lose our life for Him?

By letting go or giving up all of our selfish, personal ambitions. By desiring Him more than anything else.

By choosing the path He has for us, we give up all our own desires, denying ourselves of the things we want or think we need.

Wow. This is a hard one to swallow.

We may say, “how in the world can we live like that? How can we not want, desire or even need something?”. It’s seemingly impossible.

The thing to remember is that this means we no longer put those things first, not necessarily that we don’t want them or even need them.

It’s important to note, though, that if we prioritize and keep Christ first and above all that other stuff, our needs and wants will definitely change.

Don’t gain the world and lose our soul. It’s not even close to being worth it. The things in this world are nothing in comparison to our life with Jesus. Nothing!

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 – 2-12-22

Matthew 6:24 (NKJV) 24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Wealth and popularity.

Those are the words I heard recently during prayer; two very big things people chase after in this day and age.

This is a dangerous road to be on.

There is nothing wrong with being wealthy, and there is nothing wrong with being popular, as long as they don’t distract us from the things of God.

You would think on the surface that wealth and popularity are awesome! It’s a good thing, right? But it’s not if we let it run us.

The church is in great danger because of it. And because of this, the church has lost its focus on a large scale.

We, God’s children, have let it become more of a god than a tool. And that is the danger.

We forgot the reason why we live and breathe.

Seeking wealth and popularity has blindsided so many believers today that they’ve lost their identity and foundation.

Who does God say to seek after? Him and His kingdom!

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

God’s WORD is our answer and our fulfillment. His Son, and what He did for us, has made us whole and rich in Him; not in wealth, nor in popularity.

Here are some of the things to be aware of:

Always talking about our financial achievements.

Always looking to please and keep ourselves happy with big things.

Always thinking of wealth and how to prosper.

Always looking for feel-good messages and people that are of that same mindset.

In other words, we receive no correction, nothing to challenge us or to help us become stronger in our walk with God. Our only influence is in growing wealthy and popular.

We are never concerned about growing and changing.

Feeding and nourishing our spirit man never crosses our minds.

We want to encourage you today to chase only after Jesus Christ and His kingdom.

Forget about pursuing wealth. Forget about popularity.

He is our answer to receive the most important things in this world; love, peace, joy and eternal life through Him.

Don’t trade Him in for anything else. Amen.

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 – 2-9-22

Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV) 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

Since we moved into our new home in North Carolina, back in late December, I’ve found myself being very busy every day.

Being the man of the home, there has been lots for me to do in the way of assembling and setting up furniture, desks and computers, as well as installing, mounting and hanging things like blinds, curtain rods, mirrors, etc.

Additionally, we have been learning a whole new area where we live, which adds to the challenge of moving.

All of this busyness presents a challenge when it comes to managing my time properly.

My walk with God comes first and foremost in my life, regardless of what else is happening. So, when I find myself getting too caught up in “household tasks”, I make sure to stay balanced, being sure to set aside the time to stay close to God as well.

You see, just like most things in life, we get out what we put in. This applies to our walk with God as well.

The more time and effort we give, the more the relationship will grow and flourish.

So, as we navigate this time of being very busy, and being pulled in a hundred different directions every day, we are also careful to stay accountable to God, not because we fear discipline or chastening, but because we treasure our walk with Him more than anything else and don’t want even a hint of separation between Him and us.

After all, He has assured us in His word that as we do our part, He will do His.

Jeremiah 33:3 (NKJV) 3 ‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

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 – 1-3-22

James 4:6 (NKJV) 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”

So often in Christianity we spend a lot of time asking for what we want God to do for us.

Over time this can become a habit, where we end up spending more time asking God what He can do for us than what we can do for Him.

Don’t take this wrong. God does want to do things for us. But when we get lopsided in our asking, then we know we’re getting off track in our walk with Him, and it has become more about us than about Him.

You see, sometimes we just need to be satisfied with knowing that He’s there. We need to rest in the fact that He’s faithful in everything, even during those times when we might feel like we’re hearing nothing from Him.

We need to be secure in knowing that He loves us, even if we don’t deserve that love.

All of these things should be enough.

This is where humility comes in.

When we grow in maturity as a believer, we will begin thinking less of ourselves and more of God and others.

This will greatly change the way we think. And that change in our thinking will change what we ask for and the way we ask, because we will be more humble and less apt to put ourselves first in everything.

Let’s learn to be satisfied and content, putting God first in everything that we do, including our asking.

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 – 12-9-21

Matthew 26:7-8 (NKJV) 7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table. 8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?

Money cannot buy an act of devotion for a loved one when we do something out of the ordinary and our hearts are in it all the way.

In other words, we are not doing it begrudgingly or feeling pressured into it. But willingly, without complaining or feeling frustrated.

When we are truly sowing a seed into the lives of others, it will be noticed, especially by the one we are doing it for and by God Himself.

This is the life of a believer, waiting for an opportunity to do the unordinary for someone that God puts in our path.

This place in which we live is to share God with all those around us. Some will receive, some will not. Some may even think it is wasteful. But don’t let it stop us.

This woman anointed Jesus with her own very costly fragrant oil.

The disciples were thinking, “what is she doing?”. They could have sold it and given the money to the poor.

Now, you would think that they had a legitimate concern; a leg to stand on.

But, in this particular case, they were off in their thinking. They were wrong. They were looking at it with their minds and not their hearts.

Jesus told the disciples that the woman was doing the right thing; leave her alone.

Matthew 26:10 (NKJV) 10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me.

The cost of this perfume was not the issue here. It was the act of devotion and love that needed to be shown.

When we love someone so much that the cost or sacrifice of it doesn’t matter to us, our relationship with God is heading in the right direction. And nothing will stop us from taking steps of obedience.

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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