Month: July 2011

(Acts 5:29 NKJV)  But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men.

The day and time that we live in likes to try to dictate to us what we can do and what we can’t do. The world likes to tell us what’s OK and what’s not OK. They may say we have the right to abort our children or we have the right to start drinking and smoking at a certain age. They may say that we don’t need God in our schools, oh, and go ahead and sleep around and don’t worry about getting married. It’s OK. Oh and go ahead and marry someone of the same sex… no big deal!!

But here’s the truth. It’s up to us to know the right thing to do by learning God’s way. If it doesn’t line up with Him then we should stay clear of it. We should not conform to their standards. We should not get desensitized, but we should remember who we belong to and how important it is to obey Him and His commandments.

One day I was sitting at my desk and I heard God say these words to me, “It doesn’t matter how much you leave behind when you leave this earth, but what is important to Me is how much you obeyed Me in the things that I tell you to do.”

Let’s not work so hard in trying to leave so much behind. Let’s work at being obedient and living right. Forget about the rest, because if we are obeying God and putting Him first, He’ll take care of everything else.

You are a blessing!!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
401-377-5400

www.MyBibleVerseOfTheDay.com

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to forward it to them!

(1 Ki 19:11-12 NKJV)  Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; {12} and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

How many times do we look for God to speak or show up in spectacular ways?

I think about all of the stories from the Old Testament and how God performed miracles in front of millions of His people… how He turned the waters of Egypt into blood, rained down food for the Israelites in the desert, and so much more.

Those are awesome things for sure, and I admit readily that I would love to see something like that happen before my own eyes. But I know better than to depend on miraculous signs and wonders to verify that God is moving and speaking.

God speaks in the most subtle ways so many times. We only need to be still and listen, and trust Him. Instead of looking for signs and wonders, we need to tune out the noise around us and sharpen our spiritual ears to hear His voice.

Learn to listen for that still, small voice. He’s speaking. Are we listening?

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
401-377-5400

www.MyBibleVerseOfTheDay.com

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to forward it to them!

(Mat 7:1 NKJV)  “Judge not, that you be not judged.”

I’ve touched base on this a few times in the past, but it’s always worth repeating to give us all a reminder.

Many believers look at unbelievers as vile and dirty… untouchable.

But let me make a statement today that may offend some people. There is a group of believers in the church today that is worse than the vilest sinner. It’s the believer who looks down their nose at everyone and passes judgment on people, believers and non-believers alike, based on their appearance. These churches are like beehives, full of busy little bees, waiting to sting anyone who might not fit their mold for “the proper Christian”.

Many times these types of people are bred and spiritually nurtured in the same churches or same types of churches. These churches have very strong teaching when it comes to how people should dress and how people should look.

They leave no room for grace, even though we live under grace. They leave forgiveness behind in favor of legalism. They forget that we are living in the New Testament times, not the Old Testament. The law was fulfilled, but they don’t seem to know that.

Please don’t take this wrong. This is not meant to point fingers. But it’s a reminder for us all that God is not so concerned with whether a person has a tattoo or not. He is not too bothered by a person with dreadlocks or a Mohawk. He doesn’t care if we have several earrings or a nose ring. God doesn’t get bothered by a hole in the knee of your jeans. In fact, He doesn’t even care if you wear jeans, instead of something a little fancier, when you worship Him.

These are all the cares of men, and they need to be laid to rest and replaced by the grace, love and compassion of God… the One who created us and loves us. It is He who will be our judge.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
401-377-5400

www.MyBibleVerseOfTheDay.com

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to forward it to them!

(Mat 9:37-38 NKJV) Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. {38} “Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

This world which we live in is one big harvest…people all around us that need help and salvation, whether in the USA or other countries outside of the USA.

I had a 9 year old boy write me a letter the other day and in his letter he wasn’t concerned about how many toys he had or what the latest fashion was or even where he was going to eat his next meal. What he asked of me about took my breath away. He told me that he was very sorrowful and wanted me to pray for Japan. His heart was full of sorrow because of the terrible things that have happened in that country.

There are a lot of things we can be doing. We are all called in some way to be laborers for God. Whether from our homes or while we are on our jobs or even at the grocery store, you never know where God will use us to be His hands and feet.

Don’t look to someone else to get the job done that God has called us to do. Step out in faith and be the laborer He has called us to be right where we are at.

Let’s come together today and pray for God to send out more laborers. We need to saturate our countries with God’s love and show them His heart!! He gave us His heart so we can share it with others.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
401-377-5400

www.MyBibleVerseOfTheDay.com

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to forward it to them!

(Mat 1:23 NKJV)  “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

God with us. That is the message that God wanted to convey to everyone about the presence of His son here on earth. It seems pretty straight forward.

Let me dig a little deeper today, though.

One of the things that I think gets overlooked and misunderstood about this is that Immanuel doesn’t necessarily mean “God is with us”. It means “God, with us”.

I know that some people might look at that and say “what’s the difference?” Let me explain, because it really is significant.

God is with us simply means that God is with us, in a general sense. There is nothing specific about it. It’s just a general statement. We could say that God is with us no matter where we are or what we’re going through. And this is true.

God with us, however, refers specifically to Jesus being God, with us. See the difference? God, with, us!

This may seem very minor to some people, but it’s actually very significant… so important to understand in order to understand who Jesus really was.

Take a few minutes and think about this. Take it in and get understanding on this. It’s a big revelation once you understand it better.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
401-377-5400

www.MyBibleVerseOfTheDay.com

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to forward it to them!

(Luke 19:45-46 NKJV)  Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, {46} saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.'”

How many churches have become dens of thieves today?

Modern churches can range from small and quaint to large and luxurious. I am not here today to judge a church based on its size or décor.

There is, however, a trend in many churches today that has taken the focus off of the gospel of Jesus and placed it on the generation of money.

Every ministry needs finances to fulfill their mission and reach lost souls for Christ, but when those finances become the priority and the souls become secondary, there’s something seriously wrong.

Wealth is not evil. But when the gospel takes second place to wealth, the church is on a path leading to destruction.

When the preaching and teaching of a church or a preacher focuses more on money than on the welfare of your soul it might be time to take a hard look at why you’re there.

Teaching about nothing but wealth & prosperity attracts a lot of listeners and followers, but does nothing for the souls of the lost. Listen closely the next time you hear a preacher speaking. If they’re spending more time talking and teaching about wealth and prosperity than they are about men’s souls, turn and walk away.

The kingdom of God deserves better than this.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
401-377-5400

www.MyBibleVerseOfTheDay.com

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to forward it to them!

(James 3:13 NKJV)  Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.

Our conduct and actions are not only seen by people around us. Family, friends, children and those we don’t even know are watching at times. Most importantly, God watches and sees the way we carry ourselves. When no one else is looking, He is watching and listening.

We need to be careful not take this lightly. Good conduct is an eye opener to many around us. Let us carry ourselves in a way that is pleasing to God.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
401-377-5400

www.MyBibleVerseOfTheDay.com

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to forward it to them!

(Eph 2:8-9 NKJV)  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, {9} not of works, lest anyone should boast.

We are saved by grace, through faith.

I want to touch base on this scripture once more to make sure there is no confusion when it comes to the balance between faith and works.

Let me start by stating very strongly that we are never, ever saved by our works! We are saved solely by trusting God for our salvation.

Giving to the needy won’t save us. Helping someone out won’t save us. Being nice to someone won’t save us. These are, however, all things that we should be doing. These are works… an outward expression of our faith, not a way of earning our salvation.

God makes us aware of our sinful state and then He gives us the faith to believe that He can save us. We take the action of accepting that offer of salvation.

This is NOT works! This is simply accepting a gift being offered to us.

Putting our faith and trust in God is an action… something that we consciously choose to do. This action is required for us to accept God’s offer of salvation, but it is not works in the sense that we do something to earn God’s favor or salvation.

Salvation can never be earned. Jesus paid for it when He died on the cross, in our place. That gift is being offered to us today, free of charge.

If you have never accepted this gift personally, please do so today. Your sins can be forgiven and your eternal destiny can be secure.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
401-377-5400

www.MyBibleVerseOfTheDay.com

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to forward it to them!

(Eph 2:8-9 NKJV)  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, {9} not of works, lest anyone should boast.

We are saved by grace, through faith.

It takes faith to be saved. We have to recognize our sinful condition and the need for salvation. We do this by faith. And it is that same faith that causes us to take action and accept the forgiveness and salvation that God is offering.

We do not work to earn our salvation, but once we recognize the need for salvation we need to take action to claim it!

Claim what he has for you today and let your soul prosper and your spirit be strong!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
401-377-5400

www.MyBibleVerseOfTheDay.com

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to forward it to them!

(James 2:21-22 NKJV) Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? {22} Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?

I get stuck a lot of times, not so much with having the Faith, but the working of it.

What happens with me is that I have no problem believing that God can do it, but my problem starts to happen when I have to do my part. It’s not that I don’t want to do my part, but more the fact that I don’t always know what to do or how to do it or even when to do it.

I have that type of personality where I like to have things planned out and if it doesn’t go the way I planned it out then I get thrown off. But, I am learning to just flow with it.

Let’s not get so stuck in our plans that we forget to seek God for His…Abraham knew God’s plan. I’m sure he was not comfortable with it. But he worked it… he took the step of obedience, and in return faith and works was made perfect!!

Having faith is AWESOME,  but let God show us how to work it out by taking the necessary steps that go with it!!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
401-377-5400

www.MyBibleVerseOfTheDay.com

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to forward it to them!

(Eph 1:7-8 NKJV)  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace {8} which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

Have you sinned in a way that you feel like God can’t forgive you?

We need to understand what God says in the verses above. He says “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins”.

It doesn’t say we have the forgiveness of some sins, or the forgiveness of little sins. It states very clearly that we have forgiveness of sins… period.

God doesn’t distinguish between big or little sins when it comes to committing them and He doesn’t distinguish between them when it comes to forgiving them.

Sin is sin and His forgiveness takes away all sin, no matter how bad we think it might be.

If you’re holding onto a sin or some sins that you might have committed in your past, and you struggle with asking God to forgive you, I want you to let them go right now, in the name of Jesus, and ask Him to forgive you. And then move on, knowing that you’ve been forgiven.

God’s mercy and forgiveness are for every one of us, including you. Receive them and be free.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
401-377-5400

www.MyBibleVerseOfTheDay.com

If you know someone who will enjoy this or be encouraged by it, please feel free to forward it to them!