Month: August 2014

Bible Verse of The Day – 8-30-14

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV) 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

There are times when we just need to be thankful. Thankful for our health, even if we may have a lot of negatives regarding it; be thankful for the things that are working.

Be thankful for our children, even if they may be going through some hard times. Be thankful for our parents, even if they don’t understand us. Be thankful for our job, even if it isn’t the pay or the position we wanted, etc.

Being consistently thankful will take being alert to all the things going on around us; the good and the not so good things.

If we spend too much time and focus on the not so good, we will miss out on the good things that we could be enjoying while waiting for God to help us with the not so good things happening in our lives.

Let’s not waste one minute of our lives not being thankful. God is so worthy of our thanks!

Thank Him today!!

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 – 8-29-14

Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV) 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Has your world been turned upside down recently? Have you had something happen to you that you just don’t understand?

Does it feel like your heart has been ripped out and you’re about to die?

I don’t like clichés. I think they are way overused and even abused. I think people get tired of hearing them too. So I’m not going to sit here and tell you that everything happens for a reason.

God’s word never says that. God never says that we won’t go through tough times. He never promised us that.

But what He did promise is that when those trials and hard times do come, He will help us through them. He will be the rock on which we stand. He will be that strong fortress where we take refuge when we’re in trouble.

Psalm 18:2 (NKJV) 2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

So go to Him. Cry out to Him. Tell Him how much you hurt, how broken your heart is right now. You can even tell Him if you’re angry. He can handle it!

And then do your best to lay it all at His feet and leave it there. Let Him give you comfort and rest.

You are loved very, very much.

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 – 8-28-14

Matthew 6:15 (NKJV) 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Forgiveness is a topic that could be taught on every day of the week and still it would not be often enough.

We all need to learn to forgive more often and more readily. It’s too easy to hold onto things and harbor unforgiveness in our hearts.

Everyone who is reading this has been hurt by someone. Everyone.

There isn’t a single person who hasn’t had something traumatic happen to them at the hands of another person. Some of us may have had some major hurts, while others might only be minor. But we have all been hurt.

The question now is; “What will we do with it?”.

We have two choices. Hold onto it and become angry and bitter. Or forgive the person, give it over to God and move on with our lives. There is no middle ground.

Some people are much quicker to forgive and move on. A lot of it is related to our personalities. But regardless of our personality type, God has told us that we must forgive if we want to be forgiven.

That may seem harsh, but I like the fact that God doesn’t beat around the bush. He lays it out before us and says “the choice is yours”.

I will admit that this is an area where God has had to do considerable work in me. I hate injustice and I hate when something goes unresolved. So when someone hurts me, it’s a lot tougher for me to simply lay it down and move on.

I’d rather try to fix it and work everything out to make it “perfect”. But this is real life and not everyone wants to resolve problems. Some people are happier to hold onto anger and let it turn into bitterness.

But if God says we need to forgive, then we need to forgive. Period. We need to lay our own preferences aside and do what we’re told by our heavenly Father.

We have been given much regarding our own forgiveness. God saw fit to forgive us for every sin we ever committed when we asked Him to. Therefore, we have definitely been given much. So if we have been given much, then much is required of us.

Luke 12:48 (NKJV) 48 …For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

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 – 8-27-14

Proverbs 22:4 (NKJV) 4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.

Humility. It’s something that’s talked about and taught throughout the Bible, God’s word.

Being humble is very often misunderstood. Humility has nothing to do with our physical size, personality type, financial status, how big or small our house is, what kind of car or truck we drive, whether we own a boat or not or where we live.

It has everything to do with our heart. And what’s in our heart will show in our attitude.

Being humble means that we don’t know everything. We can be taught or corrected without thinking we always have the answer. Sometimes we might have the answer, but we may still be better off to listen to someone, rather than prove that we’re right.

Being humble means saying we’re sorry when we’ve done something stupid. It means that we take responsibility for the mistakes we’ve made and we don’t try to pass the blame onto someone else, even if they have made mistakes too.

Being humble means that we come before God with our heart soft and broken, willing to listen to Him and accept admonishment for our mistakes. It means that we listen to Him and then we do what He tells us to do, without questioning Him.

Humility is the foundation of our walk with God, because being humble means that we recognize Him as the Head of everything we do in life.

Micah 6:8 (NKJV) 8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

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 – 8-26-14

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV) 31 Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Sometimes we forget Who we belong to. We forget that we have been bought with the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross.

With our salvation comes an obligation. We are no longer our own. If we are a follower of Christ, we belong to the Father. We are His.

Our lives need to reflect this fact. In everything we do, we need to do it for God’s glory. Our words and our actions need to bring the light of God into every situation.

That’s a pretty tall order, isn’t it?

But we can do it. God has equipped us with His spirit in us. His presence guides us in everything we do… if we let Him!

Whether we’re at work, at school, in the store, on the road or at home, we need to do everything we do in a way that brings glory to God.

It’s not always easy. It takes hard work and deliberate effort, but the more we do it, the easier it becomes. And, eventually, it becomes second nature.

So as you go through your day today, whatever you do, do it all for the glory of 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 – 8-25-14

Proverbs 14:14 (NKJV) 14 The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied from above.

Knowing the root of things is important when it comes to protecting our hearts.

We have to be careful what we align ourselves with when looking for a job, when making friends, when starting a relationship, when celebrating different holidays, the things we watch, the music we listen to, and the books we read. They all have a root, a beginning.  They came from something or somewhere. Find out beforehand what we are aligning ourselves with before we say yes to it.

Aligning ourselves with the wrong thing can cause us to go off the path God has for us. This is called backsliding.

People may invite us to do things and it may look and sound like fun. It may even be a desire of our heart to participate in it. But only God knows if it will be good for us. Only God knows the agenda of some things.

There will be times, no matter how fun or interesting it may sound, when we may have to decline. People may get mad and have an attitude toward us for it.

But we have to stand our ground. If something or someone is not good for us, we need to stand clear of it or them.  There may be times we can do certain things with them, but we may have to put boundaries up as God leads.

Knowing the root of things before committing ourselves to them can protect our heart.  It’s not fun when you lose your relationship, finances, family and most importantly our relationship with God.  Things can pull on us to go in the wrong direction even though they look good on the surface.

God is our world and everything else comes after Him. Seek Him for the root of things, before we make commitments or get involved.

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 – 8-23-14

Psalm 139:14 (NKJV) 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.

Our bodies are a miracle of God.

Take a second and hold your hand out in front of you. Go ahead. Hold it out and then turn it so your palm is facing upward.

Now close your hand into a fist. And then open it back up.

Now close it again and watch your wrist as you close your hand and open it back up. See those things moving around inside your arm? Those are tendons and muscles.

God put those there and He did it with perfection, attaching them to each other and using impulses from your brain to tell certain muscles to move and do what they’re supposed to do, just by you doing it.

You don’t have to stop and think about it. You just will your fingers to move, and they do it!

We are so incredibly made. It is awe-inspiring if we thinking about it the least little bit.

So many times we take our bodies for granted. We never thank God for the work He has done in creating us so wonderfully and awesomely.

We only tend to gripe when we can’t do something because of our physical limitations or if we hurt or ache.

But today we need to start thanking Him and praising Him for how He made us!

Thank you, Father, for creating us so wonderfully. You are a God of great miracles.

Amen!

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 – 8-22-14

Joshua 5:6 (NKJV) 6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people who were men of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord-to whom the Lord swore that He would not show them the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers that He would give us, “a land flowing with milk and honey.”

40 years.

That’s how long it took the Israelites to travel what should have taken them 12 days.

Why?

One word: disobedience

God provided a way for them to leave slavery. He fed them, clothed them and provided them with shade in the daytime and light during the night.

An entire generation literally passed away, died, in the desert, because of their disobedience. What a shame.

Are we like the Israelites sometimes? Do we wonder “why it’s taking God so long” to do something.

Sometimes it’s not really God that’s slowing things down, but us. We are the problem.

We need to be diligent to hear God and then to obey Him and do what He tells us to do.

If we could just get this right more often, we would spend way less time “waiting on God” and more time enjoying His blessings.

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 – 8-21-14

Malachi 3: 10 -12 (NKJV) 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,”Says the Lord of hosts,”If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. 11 “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the Lord of hosts; 12 “And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the Lord of hosts.

How many know that there is a devourer out there, and he would love to devour us and everything we have?

That means he watches and knows who he can attack, how he can attack and when he can attack. He attacks anyone, and he has no mercy. It’s what he lives for.

But there are those whom he will not succeed with because they are the ones who obey God in their giving. They are protected and even though he may try, God will take care of him. We don’t have to worry.

This doesn’t mean that those who give will never get attacked. But it does mean that when they do get attacked, there is a certain type of protection that they have because of their obedience.

If you are feeling like you are in a constant battle, (I’m not saying once in awhile, because trials come to us all at times), but constant. It seems like one thing after another, and you are beaten down and tired, because it’s not letting up. You need protection.

You need to pray and ask God what it is that is causing this constant barrage of attacks that won’t let up. There may be something you may need to do on your end.

Sometimes it is us… something we’re failing to do. Maybe we have pulled back from what we know is right. Maybe we are taking a break from our giving or we just don’t feel like we can give at this time.

Sometimes the answer lies in taking that step of faith. We don’t how it will turn out, but we know that what we need to do is the step that will stop the attacks.

Once we’ve taken that step we may see results right away. Other times it may take a little while for us to actually see, but it takes effect immediately whether we actually see it or not.

God promises us that He will rebuke the devourer if we do our part and that part is to give.

Take a step of faith and obedience today and give.

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 – 8-20-14

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

God has a word for you today. He wants you to know that if you are in Christ, if you have put your faith in Jesus as your savior, if you know that His blood washed your sins away, then you are a new creation!

Old things have passed away. They are no more. They can’t touch you. They can’t condemn you. They don’t dictate who you are or who you will be. The blood of Jesus has washed them away.

The very second you put your faith in Jesus, all things became new, including you!

You became a new creation in Christ. Period. You’re not a revamped version of the old you. You’re brand new in Christ.

So, when the devil comes to taunt you with guilt from things you did in your past, tell him to shut his mouth and leave, in the name of Jesus. He has nothing on you from your past. It’s all been washed away.

So if you’ve been feeling worthless lately or you’ve been ridden with guilt about things you did in your past, STOP.

All of those old things have passed away and you are no longer that person. You have been made new in Christ. 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!

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Bible Verse of The Day – 8-19-14

1 John 5:11 (NKJV) 11 And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

The end of the world will come some day and no one knows exactly when. We can tell that it is getting close through the signs of different events taking place all around us, but we still don’t have any idea when it will actually be. All we know is it will come some day.

If we have Jesus, we are safe and have nothing to be concerned about other than what Jesus has commanded us to do. As His children, while we are here, we are to love one another.

John 13:34 (NKJV) 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

But those that don’t have Jesus will have a bad ending and they should be very concerned about where they will go if they don’t get things right and make the right decision. Maybe some people don’t care or even think about the end, maybe they just think that when they die that’s it… you’re dead and everything is over for you.

But this verse clearly states that it doesn’t end there and those that have Jesus will live eternally.

Don’t you want eternal life?

Get Jesus in your life today and don’t wait. You don’t have to be perfect. You can have a lot of problems. You may think you are not good enough, etc., but Jesus is not concerned about your faults, your weaknesses or your mistakes. He is concerned about your soul. Give your life to Him and He will help you work on those other problems as you walk with Him.

The end will come for each one, but if we have Jesus we are safe!

The prayer below is for those that want Jesus in their life.

Dear Heavenly Father,

I have acknowledged that I need You in my life and I believe that Jesus died for my sins. I want You to come into my heart and help guide me and lead me. I want to live my life with You and for You. I repent of all the wrong things I have done and ask for Your forgiveness. I ask You to cleanse me and make me a new creation. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Please let us know if you have prayed this prayer. We would love to celebrate with you!!

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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