Month: August 2023

Bible Verse of The Day – 8-31-23

Philippians 2:12 (NKJV) 12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

Yesterday we discussed our initial salvation and the fact that we cannot earn that. It is a gift of God given freely to those who accept it by putting their faith in Jesus Christ.

We also discussed our transformation as we submit ourselves under the hand of God and obey His Spirit as He leads us down His path.

Today, let us look at the long-term ramifications of our faith in Christ and our walk with God as a whole.

As we mentioned yesterday, part of growing in Christ is changing as God leads us.

This is something that we should not ignore or take lightly.

As a new Christian, growth is implied. It is meant to be part of our walk and our relationship with God. Growing in Christ should never be considered optional, even though we are not forced to do so.

God’s design for us is a lifetime of growing closer and closer to Him, solely because we want to, not because He forces us to do so.

We need to recognize, though, that God not forcing us is not an indication of Him not wanting us to grow.

It is His gift of allowing us to exercise our free will.

On our end, we need to recognize the need for us to grow and mature. Not doing so will leave us as spiritual infants struggling to keep our faith alive, living a life of spiritual mediocrity, and constantly wrestling with temptation and sin in our lives.

And this sin will drive a wedge between us and God, creating a gap that will only grow wider if we fail to overcome it. This is where our lack of growth becomes dangerous.

And it is why Paul said that we must work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.

Relationships that are one-sided or lopsided rarely succeed. Our relationship with God is no different.

We know that He is faithful to always hold up His end. The question is whether we will hold up ours.

So, let us be diligent to work out our salvation diligently, with sincerity of heart, making every effort to keep growing and moving closer to God, pushing aside mediocrity, and letting our faith be seen outwardly through the things we do and the words we speak.

Salvation is freely given, but we should never take it lightly.

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 – 8-30-23

Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) 8 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.

Salvation through Christ is a free gift of God, given to anyone who will accept it.

It is not something we can earn or work for. It is not something we can receive as a reward for good behavior.

As a believer, though, our actions speak loudly with regard to proving our faith.

James 2:18 (NKJV) 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

Some may say that works have nothing at all to do with salvation. And in a sense, they are right.

As shown in Ephesians 2:8-9, salvation is the gift of God, not a product of works.

But we need to understand that this applies to the application of one’s initial salvation experience.

We are offered salvation freely. We only need to see our need for salvation and then reach out and take it.

That may be a bit of an oversimplification in a sense, since recognizing ourselves as sinful and in need of forgiveness is also part of the equation. But acceptance is at the core of how it all begins.

It is after we are saved that we must begin allowing God to mold us and shape us, changing us from the inside, out.

And as He does that, we will see our heart begin to change. Sometimes the changes will be little. Other times, the changes that we see will be very major.

We may go through phases of not even recognizing ourselves as God applies His hand on our lives.

But as the Spirit of God works on us, and we change within, we will begin to walk out things in our lives that show our faith outwardly. These are the works James referred to in the verse above.

These are outward manifestations of our inward faith; physical signs of our spiritual rebirth and transformation in Christ.

Let’s talk more about this salvation transformation 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 – 8-29-23

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.

The nearer we are to God, the more convicted we will feel when we are being led into temptation. We will be quicker to pick up on the things we shouldn’t be doing.

Gossip can be a big thing sometimes.

We can be sharing something with someone, not having any intentions of talking about anyone specific, and then one thing leads to another and we find ourselves caught up in the wrong conversation, heading in the wrong direction.

Another big one is driving our cars.

Being in traffic can take us from being in the greatest mood to instantly being upset at someone for something they did to us on the road. Anger and frustration can rise within moments, setting our mood for the rest of the day if we’re not careful.

Being around someone with a big, bold personality, who is coarse and obnoxious can sometimes draw us into their realm, and we can catch ourselves laughing at their behavior and contributing to the conversation if we are not on guard.

We can be influenced in so many ways.

No one is perfect. But as we get close to God and He draws near to us, we will pick up on things more quickly. And this will help us resist being part of them.

How do we draw near?

We cleanse our hands and our hearts through the purification of His word.

We spend time in prayer, and we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in removing ourselves from things that are going to hurt our walk and relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Psalm 143:10 (NKJV) 10 Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness.

Amen.

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 – 8-28-23

1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV) 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

Most of us are familiar with this verse. It is often used to teach us about who our enemy (the devil) is and how he operates.

But it also teaches us how we should act if we hope to successfully counter his actions.

What does it say?

It says we are to be sober and vigilant.

Most uses of the word, “sober”, refer to not being under the influence of alcohol.

Although not being drunk or under the influence of alcohol is a good thing, in this case being sober means something a little different.

It actually means to be self-controlled, self-disciplined; not foolish or flippant with our actions.

Then, it instructs us to be vigilant. This is a particularly important word for us to remember.

To be vigilant means to be watchful, attentive, observant, alert, on guard, wide awake.

When we are in a state of vigilance, it is hard for anyone to sneak things by us.

We see everything. We discern everything. We are ready for whatever comes at us.

Conversely, many people fall into complacency.

Being complacent is the opposite of being vigilant. When we are complacent, we are lax, laid back, too relaxed.

Sometimes this is due to feeling like nothing can touch us. Other times it is simply that we don’t want to expend the energy or take the time to do what we should do. We just don’t think it is important enough to warrant our time and energy.

And that complacency will get us into trouble every time.

So, let us follow God’s word and be the sober, vigilant people He has called us to be. Let us not drop our guard or become lax in defending against the onslaught of the enemy.

Amen

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 – 8-27-23 – New Beginnings

Please click to watch the video now.Greetings in Jesus’ name! 

There is an old saying that goes something like this; The only true constant in life is change”. 

This is true, even as Ecclesiastes tells us that to everything there is a season. Seasons come and go. And us learning to flow with those changes is an important part of our walk with God. 

Our newest video, “New Beginnings”, addresses this very thing, as we teach about the times in our lives when we face changing seasons and new situations that we need to adjust to. 

There is something in this video for everyone, so we hope you will take a few minutes to watch it. 

Please click here to watch the video now.

We love you all. 

Sincerely in Christ, 

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 – 8-26-23

John 3:16 (NKJV) 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Our grandchildren came for a visit this week. They are 6 and 7 years old, a boy and a girl.

One day while we were in the car, we were having a conversation regarding heaven.

As we were talking about Jesus, one of them shouted out, “I believe in Jesus!”. It was like an echo as the other shouted immediately after, “I believe in Jesus too!”.

Can you imagine how I felt to hear such words coming out of the mouth of babes!?

I was silent for a moment, thinking, “aren’t they kind of young for this?”.

You know, sometimes we need to tell our flesh to sit down and be quiet. It likes to try and figure everything out.

I realized He meets us all where we are.

There is no perfect age, but a perfect moment.

It’s when we get it!

We believe in our hearts that Jesus is the Son of God, and He will forgive us and set us free.

Where are we today?

Have we put our faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God? Do we understand and accept that He came and died on the cross for our sins?

If you do, just as my grandchildren did, shout it from the mountain tops, I believe in Jesus Christ!

Let Him set you free, for you will be free indeed!

John 8:36 (NKJV) 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Let us surrender ourselves completely to Him, allowing Him to help us in every area of our lives.

He will show us how to walk through every challenge we face.

He will heal our brokenness. He will give us wisdom. He will give us understanding in areas where we are lost. He will carry us when our body can’t take it anymore and our fight has diminished.

Praise God and shout it from the mountain tops. We believe in Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!

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 – 8-25-23

Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV) 6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.

Training up our children can be tricky business in this modern world.

The devil, our adversary, is very slick in his ways.

Despite walking about like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), he doesn’t necessarily get in our faces and tell us about his intentions.

He is sneaky and will do things in subtle ways that we will fail to recognize if we are not sharp and watchful.

God’s word tells us to be sober (self-controlled) and vigilant (watchful, alert) for a reason.

If the enemy can influence our children, his work to carry adults away into total deceit is easier.

It is for this reason that we must stay on our toes with our children.

We must test everything they consume; TV shows, movies, educational materials provided by their schools, books they read, music they listen to, and the list goes on.

The amount of twisted, immoral, anti-Biblical, and outright anti-God material they are exposed to today is mind-blowing.

We need to take whatever steps are necessary to protect them, even when they or others think we are old-fashioned or out of date.

We are the guardians of their hearts and minds. While they are in their formative years, it is imperative that we act as the gatekeepers to their minds and their souls.

We cannot back off or drop our guard for one second, even when we are tired.

We must be like a watchman on the wall, spotting danger while it is still a long way off and sounding the alarm immediately.

This is critical. The lives of our little ones are at stake. They are relying on us to shield them from danger and point them in the right direction while they are too young and fragile to defend themselves.

Let us be diligent to heed God’s counsel and live up to the task He has given us with these precious lives.

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 – 8-24-23

Acts 4:18-20 (NKJV) 18 So they called them and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”

Truth. It is something that has come to mean less and less to many people.

Truth is sometimes shunned.

Truth is sometimes called evil when it offends a person or group of people.

Truth is sometimes banned when it brings to light the ill behavior or evil intentions of others.

Truth, when stood for, can often bring punishment or chastisement upon those who are bold enough to stand for it.

The threat of punishment or chastisement is frequently enough to cause people to withhold the truth and stay silent.

Fear will cause even the strongest people to shrink back at times.

But truth is worth standing for.

Paul and Silas stood for it. And it cost them (Acts 16:22-23).

Peter and John stood for it. And it cost them.

John the Baptist stood for it. And it cost him (Matthew 14:3).

The word of God is full of examples of people who stood for truth, even when it cost them greatly.

And truth is still worth standing for today, even if it costs us.

We need to recognize what might have happened if people in history lacked the courage or the fortitude to stand up and speak truth when God prompted them to do so.

All the disciples stood and spoke truth. Mighty prophets of God spoke truth. Many who we may never know about spoke truth.

Because of their willingness to stand, even when it was unpopular or dangerous to do so, God’s plans were carried out. And we were able to hear the truth that they proclaimed.

That truth has changed our lives and altered our destinies for eternity.

Let us also be bold and courageous, standing and speaking truth as God prompts us to do so.

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 – 8-23-23

Ecclesiastes 12:13 (NKJV) 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.

As the book of Ecclesiastes was concluding, the author made his final statement with a summary of sorts that gave us the “moral of the story”; “Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all”.

In simpler English, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind”, as taken from the NIV translation.

This sums up what should be our life’s goal; to serve God wholeheartedly, since it is the only thing that really matters.

Ecclesiastes is chock full of statements meant to bring awareness to the fact that anything other than our pursuit of God “is vanity; chasing after the wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:14, Ecclesiastes 2:11, etc.).

As a child of God, this is something that we should each take very personally.

Nobody can walk this walk for us. It is ours to walk. And our salvation is ours to “work out with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12).

But as we do walk this out, we can rest assured that God walks before us, laying out the path for our feet to walk upon.

His word is a lamp that shines on our feet and a light that illuminates the path before us (Psalm 119:105).

It shows us where our feet are about to land, and where our next steps should be taken, exposing any dangers that might be lurking there.

Some might ask why God does not remove those dangers, making the path clear and easy. He is, after all, the Mighty One, Creator of all that we see, and the Giver of Life. So, why would He not remove them?

God never promised us a smooth path, free of obstacles or obstructions.

It is the obstacles and obstructions in our lives that build our character and teach us to persevere (Romans 5:3-4).

And more importantly, the trials that we face help grow and build our faith and trust in Him.

Let us walk this path of life knowing that in the end, He is all that matters. So let us make each step count as we look to Him and trust Him in everything that we do.

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 – 8-22-23

Mark 16:15-16 (NKJV) 15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Why do we find it hard to walk in this promise?

Jesus is commissioning the disciples to go out into the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Every single creature that they can reach. He does not discriminate or leave anyone out.

He says that anyone they preach to who believes and is baptized in His name will be saved, and these signs will follow them.

Mark 16:17-18 (NKJV) 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

It’s very important that we understand who “they” are that He is talking about. When He says they, He is speaking about all people who believe in Him and are baptized.

What signs are going to follow them?

In His name they will cast out demons, speak with new tongues, and lay hands on the sick. What does He say will happen? They shall recover!

What are we missing in the bride today?

Signs. What signs? Casting out demons, speaking in tongues and healing of those who are sick.

We are in deep trouble if we think we can do this work of God without the Holy Spirit. These signs should be normal activity for Spirit-filled believers. But do we see it happening?

The enemy is holding people in captivity because of our lack of knowledge and faith in God’s promise to us.

Why are we afraid to take the step and let the Holy Spirit have control of our tongue and speak through us the very words that will speak to God?

1 Corinthians 14:2 (NKJV) 2 For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.

Why are we so afraid to step out? Do we think it was only for a certain people or time period, and thus we ignore it?

Once we understand that praying in tongues is for every believer today, we will want to pray even more.

When we know and understand that the Holy Spirit wants us to lay hands on the sick and cast out demons so people can be delivered, we will be about the work of advancing God’s kingdom with the help of the Holy Spirit moving through us.

Nothing will hold us back!

Followers of Christ, we need to let our Helper, the Holy Spirit, guide us.

Let Him move through us by praying in tongues, casting out demons, and laying hands on the sick, for they will recover!

Amen!

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 – 8-21-23

Romans 8:5 (NKJV) 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.

If we were to spend time observing unbelievers, we would see that their lives are spent being concerned with earthly (worldly) things.

The things that occupy their minds and take up their time have little or no spiritual value.

The reason behind this is simple; they live by (according to) the flesh.

As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:11 when dealing with worldliness in the lives of believers, “And such were some of you”.

In other words, we were all like this before we became children of God.

After being born again, our spirit has been quickened (awakened, made alive), so we can now commune with God, who is Spirit.

And as we commune with Him, allowing Him to mold us, shape us and transform us (Romans 12:2), we will begin to live less by the flesh and more by the Spirit, shaking off those old habits that we carried when we were still dead in our sins.

As this happens, we should see ourselves less concerned with worldly (fleshly) things.

If we are still living primarily by the flesh, let us ask God to examine us and check our hearts, showing us where we are lacking in our walk with Him.

He is faithful to show us. We just have to make sure we are faithful to listen and take seriously what He shows us.

And if we are faithful to confess our shortcomings to Him, “He is faithful and just to forgive us for those same sins, cleansing us from all unrighteousness”.

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 us be careful to make a conscious effort to set our minds on the things of the Spirit, not the things of the flesh, that we may live our lives in a way that is pleasing to Him, and that brings glory and honor to Him in all things.

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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