Month: January 2012

Your Daily Bible Verse – 1-18-12

Posted on January 18, 2012
Finances, Trusting God

(Mat 25:29 NKJV) ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.

This is a hard teaching because at first glance it might seem like God’s word is saying that the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer. The truth is quite different, though, so let’s take a look at this for a few minutes.

In this verse, Jesus is teaching in a parable. He tells about some people who were given money to take care of and told by the owner of it to handle it wisely.

Those who handled it correctly invested it wisely and the money increased, but the one who handled it poorly did nothing with it and there was no increase. In fact, he buried it in the ground!

When the owner of the money returned, he was happy with the results from those who handled it wisely, and understandably disappointed with the one who buried it in the ground. Those who were wise were rewarded with abundance, whereas the one who handled it foolishly was rejected and cast away from the others.

This can be taught from a spiritual point of view or a literal point of view, dealing specifically with finances. Today we’ll talk about finances.

Are we handling the finances, and the resources that God has blessed us with, correctly? Are we seeking God’s wisdom and counsel as to how to handle our money and other resources, or are we making all our own decisions and figuratively burying it in the ground?

What we have is not our own. It has been handed to us to be stewards of, to take care of and make it grow. How we handle it is 100% up to us and how we are rewarded (or not rewarded) is based on how well we handle these things.

We need to ask God if we’re handling His resources properly and wisely. He will be truthful to show us. We just need to be diligent and listen.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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

Tagged with: financial blessings, financial wisdom, handling our finances

Your Daily Bible Verse – 1-17-12

Posted on January 17, 2012
Trusting God

(Psa 116:1-2 NKJV) I love the LORD, because He has heard My voice and my supplications. {2} Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.

How many of us today can testify that God has heard our cry and answered us faithfully?

There have been a few seasons in our lives where all I could do is cry out. I can remember feeling at times that if God didn’t do something soon or give me some kind of light at the end of this tunnel I was going through, I didn’t know what I was going to do.

But God came through every time, as He will do for you too, if He hasn’t already! This is a good day to Praise Him. He is an AWESOME God and so worthy to be Praised.

Spend some time today just reminiscing on the good things that God has done for you! We are so blessed to have such a good Daddy that loves us so much! He loves us people!

We don’t have to prove anything to Him. We don’t have to look a certain way, or have some fabulous job, or luxurious house. He loves us just the way we are. Be you today

Give Him praise the way you want to and how you want to. It doesn’t matter if some people may think it’s silly or crazy…do it anyway.

Be you and Praise the One who made you!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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

Tagged with: praising God, trusting God

Your Daily Bible Verse – 1-16-12

Posted on January 16, 2012
Forgiveness, Trusting God

(Psa 130:3-4 NKJV) If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? {4} But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.

I’m not sure why, but I really felt led to do a teaching on forgiveness today. But not just a teaching on forgiveness in a general sense… something specific, to show that there is forgiveness to be partaken of.

Some people really wrestle with being forgiven for the things that they’ve done wrong in their lives.

We have all done foolish things and made very poor choices, causing others to be hurt by our mistakes and poor decisions. As we see the results of our sin and begin to repent, we often struggle with being forgiven by those that we have hurt and by God.

Many times we are ashamed of what we’ve done, and rightly so. But it’s never, ever too late to make things right and start fresh. Every day is a new day with God and a new opportunity to put our past behind us.

Before we can start fresh, we need to fully understand that forgiveness is ours, if we would only ask for it. God offers forgiveness to anyone who will ask. He does not look at us and compare us to someone else to see if we’ve done something worse than them or not. God’s word says that he is not partial toward one person over another (Acts 10:34, James 2:1-12).

This assures us that if we come to God and ask Him to forgive us, He will! So if you’re struggling with being forgiven (and feeling forgiven) today, stop struggling! Let go of your mistakes and move forward. Know in your heart that forgives is yours if you simply ask for it.

Be forgiven today, in the name of Jesus, and let your soul be at peace.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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

Tagged with: forgiveness, forgiveness of sins

Your Daily Bible Verse – 1-14-12

Posted on January 14, 2012
Trusting God

(1 Sam 17:48-49 NKJV) So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hastened and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. {49} Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.

I was babysitting my grandchildren today. My grandson asked me, “you want to battle?” So to get his definition at 4 yrs. old, I asked him, “what do you mean by battle?” He says, “you go against the enemy…the bad guy and you attack him and beat him down. “I said, OK, you show me how you play this game.”

So, I stood there, got my stance ready and said, “who am I? He says, “you’re my enemy, the bad guy.” I said, “ok…what do I do?” He says, “you try to come at me.”

Within seconds, before I could even think or take a step toward him, he came at me so fast, with all his might. He was swinging his little arms, and making growling sounds! I didn’t stand a chance. He had me stepping backwards and I was losing ground on him.

Let me ask you today; are you standing around waiting for your enemy to attack you or are you ready to go after him. David did not wait for the enemy; he ran toward him. Hhe was ready and armed and he destroyed his enemy!

Is something trying to defeat you today, take you out, shut you down from having a victory? Don’t let it have any ground on you… go after it! You have MIGHT, POWER and VICTORY living in you through Jesus Christ. You are not alone!!
Praying is the thing we should do if we want to win a battle. God will always show us the steps to take as we seek Him.

You see, the worst thing we can do is get negative in any situation. That gives the enemy ground, right there. That shows him we are afraid, when you show your enemy you are afraid of them they know they’ve got you.

So, stay positive. Look at the good things and speak of them. Even if you are in a terrible situation you can always find something good.

Stay alert, but stay calm and let God guide you through. He is a WINNER for sure and if you follow Him, You will win Too! The enemy will not stand a chance!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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

Tagged with: fighting battles, spiritual victory

Your Daily Bible Verse – 1-13-12

Posted on January 13, 2012
Salvation

(John 19:30 NKJV) So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

It is finished. These are the most crucial words spoken in human history.

These three words tell us that the work Jesus had come to do was complete. There was nothing further needed to secure our salvation.

His death on the cross paid the price for our sins 100%. Not 50%, 75% or even 99.9%. His shed blood, offered up for us, paid the price in full.

Anyone who tries to tell us that there is anything further needed to secure our salvation is diminishing the importance of His sacrifice and implying that what Jesus did was not good enough.

These are very serious words to consider. Don’t ever let anyone, anywhere, tell you that Jesus’ death wasn’t enough. If Jesus said it is finished, then it is finished.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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

Tagged with: it is finished, salvation, the death of Jesus

Your Daily Bible Verse – 1-11-12

Posted on January 11, 2012
Salvation

(Acts 16:29-32 NKJV) Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. {30} And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” {31} So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” {32} Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.

Today I want to bring your attention to something that is a point of debate for many people. Hopefully this will bring some clarity to an area where some people get very confused.

What must I do to be saved? This was the question asked of Paul & Silas while they were in prison for preaching the gospel of Jesus. A prison worker came to Paul & Silas, trembling, asking them with all sincerity what he must do to be saved.

Paul didn’t go into a long dissertation or a deep theological message. It wasn’t necessary. He told this man to do one simple thing: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. And that is all that is required.

We are not required to be baptized to be saved. We are not required to join a church or a denomination to be saved. We aren’t required to walk down an aisle or respond to an altar call to be saved. We simply need to reach a point within ourselves where we believe on a personal level and accept the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, on a personal level. That’s it.

Baptism is good, and we should all be baptized. But it is not a requirement for salvation. Responding to an altar call is good, if that’s where God happens to reach us, but it’s not required for salvation. Many things are good, but they are not required for our salvation. Simply believe on a personal level, and you will be saved.

Do you believe?

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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

Tagged with: baptism, salvation

Your Daily Bible Verse – 1-10-12

Posted on January 10, 2012
Holiness, Righteousness

(Rom 5:19 NKJV) For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

Today I want to take just a minute and talk about righteousness through Christ.

Many people confuse righteousness with holiness. In fact, many times they are looked at as being the same thing. But they are vastly different. Let me explain.

When we believe in Christ and He forgives our sins, we are made righteous by His blood. This happens instantly, in a split second. Because He paid the price for our sins and His blood washes away our sins, we are seen as pure, spotless and righteous before God.

Holiness, on the other hand, is something that we are told we need to work at daily, in each of our lives. (2 Cor 7:1 NKJV) Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

We need to make a conscious effort to live a holy life. This requires work on our part. Righteousness, on the other hand, is already bought and paid for, by Jesus and His sacrifice for us.

So, remember that we are the righteousness of God in Christ, but we need to put forth effort to be holy, on a daily basis!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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

Tagged with: avoiding sin, holiness, righteousness in Christ

Your Daily Bible Verse – 1-9-12

Posted on January 9, 2012
Faith, Healing

(Mat 9:28-29 NKJV) And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” {29} Then He touched their eyes, saying,”According to your faith let it be to you.”

All Jesus wants us to do is believe that He can and will heal us, deliver us, save us, and give us the protection we need daily as we believe Him.

Is there something we have been struggling with for months, or even years? Maybe it’s something we knew we needed to do but never thought it could be done. Well today the answer is here; Jesus is speaking to us all in our individual lives and asking us the same question that He asked the blind man. Take time today and answer Him.

When Jesus asked the blind man, his answer was, “Yes Lord”. Then He healed the man’s eyes and said, “According to your faith, let it be to you”.

So it’s important to have faith. How do we get our faith to grow? By reading and believing the word of God, and applying it to our daily life situations, by praying for others and seeing their situations change and by simply allowing God to take us through the hard times and the good times. This will grow our faith.

Don’t struggle today… just simply say “Yes, Lord, I believe you can!”

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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

Tagged with: faith, healing, trusting God

Your Daily Bible Verse – 1-7-12

Posted on January 7, 2012
Faith, Finances, Tithing, Trusting God

(1 Ki 17:14-16 NKJV) “For thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth.'” {15} So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. {16} The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.

Elijah was told by God to find a specific woman; a widow with a son. She was gathering sticks to build a fire, cook a small meal for herself and her son and then die, as the meal she was preparing was all they had.

Elijah asked her for a drink of water and a meal to eat. The woman explained to him that she was about to eat her last meal and then die.

Elijah was a man of great faith and assured the woman that if she would do as he had asked, God would supply her needs and she would not die.

As Elijah had promised, she fed him and the oil in her jar never dried up. Her flour never ran out. They ate without lack until the famine was over.

Let this woman be an example to all of us. She didn’t give out of her abundance. She gave out of her lack and her need.

We get asked a lot of questions about giving and tithing. Let me state emphatically that tithing is a necessity. Giving to God before we give to anyone or anything else is critical to our financial well-being. We have many people tell us that they don’t know if they can afford to tithe. We always respond and tell people that they can’t afford not to tithe.

Giving is necessary if we ever expect to receive. If we don’t sow, we will never reap a harvest. If we’re lacking, we have probably not been giving.

As we shared previously, we have been in situations where we were lacking and our finances were falling apart. We got there because we were not putting God first in our finances. When we changed this, He brought changes to our lives and breathed new life into our financial situation.

Show God that you trust Him. Give Him what he asks for and stand firm on it, committing to do it no matter what comes your way. You will never regret it.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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

Tagged with: fiancial blessings, finances, tithing, trusting God

Your Daily Bible Verse – 1-6-12

Posted on January 6, 2012
Faith, Trusting God

(1 Cor 1:27 NKJV) But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

God is mighty. God is awesome. God is bigger and more powerful than our human minds can ever completely understand.

What we fail to understand, though, is that God is not complicated in the way He chooses to do things in our lives. God works in our lives in very simple ways. It’s us, frail human beings, who choose to complicate things.

So many times we try to figure God out. We try to fit Him into a box. We try to squeeze Him into the mold that our mind creates in an effort to understand Him or make ourselves equal with Him.

In doing this, we push ourselves further away from Him instead of drawing closer to Him. Our intellect can never equal the wisdom of God. Our reasoning can never figure God out. Instead of trying to make ourselves equal to Him with our minds, maybe it’s time we humble ourselves before Him and accept the way He chooses to do things in our lives.

Simplicity and humility before God is not something to be ashamed of. It’s a necessity.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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

Tagged with: faith, human understanding, trusting God