Category: Fearing God

Bible Verse of The Day – 4-6-24

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’s devotional ended with the verse above.

This verse is one I have always found fascinating for the fact that it lays a “burden of proof” on the shoulders of believers regarding “working out their salvation” on an individual basis.

Because salvation is the gift of God, given by faith, not by works, how can we reconcile being told to work it out with fear and trembling?

Would “working it out” not tie it somehow to being saved by our works?

It may seem that way at first, but if we look more closely, we will see that it does not.

With that said, let us look more closely!

What did Paul mean when he said “work out your own salvation” with fear and trembling?

We know right away that he was not referring to gaining salvation by our good works. The scriptural evidence against that concept is far too great.

So, what did he mean?

“Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” refers specifically to the responsibility of each believer to make a purposeful, conscious effort to actively pursue obedience in the process of being transformed by the renewing of our minds in Christ.

God wants each of us to be transformed. He desires us to grow and mature as believers. Part of that maturing process is leaving our sinful ways behind and walking daily in holiness.

This is not salvation by works. It is obedience to God and His word. It is the process of learning to live lives of sanctification.

And, what about that “fear and trembling” part?

As children of the Most High, the God of heaven, it is both, healthy and wise, to reverently fear offending Him, and walk in a righteous awe and respect for Him.

What does the word of God say about this?

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10).

No, we are not saved by works. Yes, we should “work out our own salvation” with fear and trembling.

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 – 5-31-23

Hebrews 12:28-29 (NKJV) 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 29 For our God is a consuming fire.

Fear God.

How often do we hear people speak about this in a way that doesn’t water it down?

A few years ago, I had shared one of our devotionals on Facebook. That devotional touched on the topic of fearing God.

Someone I knew said he enjoyed the devotional, but he thought that the words, “fearing God”, should have been replaced with the words, “loving God”.

And his comment proved my point that very few people truly comprehend how important it is that we understand what the Bible means when it says we are to fear God.

Fearing God doesn’t mean that we walk around afraid that God is going to strike us down at any given moment.

The Bible calls us to walk in a reverent fear of our Creator, understanding His sovereignty and His power.

Verse 28, above, says that we should “serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear”.

Then, verse 29 goes on to say that “our God is a consuming fire”.

There are many verses throughout the word of God that mention “the terror of God”, or “the terror of the Lord”.

This sounds more like genuine fear than mushy love.

You see, we are to love God. But that love should not replace our fear (absolute reverence) of Him.

For when we lose our fear of Him and begin treating Him with less reverence and respect than He is due, we are surely not looking at Him for who He really is.

And that is a path that leads to disaster.

Let us serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.

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 – 5-17-23

Luke 12:4-5 (NKJV) 4 “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!

The fear of God is something that not many people want to teach or want to talk about.

It’s uncomfortable and can sometimes cause heated discussions.

Nobody likes to think of God as one to be feared. They prefer instead to think of His love, mercy and compassion.

But speaking only of God’s kinder attributes creates a lopsided image of Him; an image that’s not wholly accurate.

And those kinds of things can lead to perverted faith that honors something and someone who God is not; a pacifist who never disciplines and never chastens those He loves.

The word of God teaches us repeatedly that we need to fear Him. It is right there in black and white.

Even Jesus, the One that most people think of when they think of God’s incredible love, taught this Biblical principal of fearing God.

This truth is foundational to knowing God in His fullness.

Let us not water down who God is just to make people comfortable or try to make God more acceptable to them. He is who He is.

It is God in His fullness who sets us free. And it is knowing everything we can know about Him that creates a more complete relationship with Him.

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 – 2-15-23

Deuteronomy 31:12 (NKJV) 12 Gather the people together, men and women and little ones, and the stranger who is within your gates, that they may hear and that they may learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully observe all the words of this law,

One of the things that’s often misunderstood, or purposely ignored, is the phrase, “fear the Lord”.

Why?

Because it might be difficult for some to accept. It is not, after all, warm and fuzzy to contemplate.

The word, “fear”, conjures up images of something or someone threatening harm to others.

The fear of the Lord is very misunderstood. And this is the root cause of people avoiding it like the plague.

Fearing God does not mean that we are terrified of Him.

It doesn’t mean that we live in fear of terrible retribution for anything we might do wrong.

Fear, in the Biblical sense, means legitimate, sincere reverence.

Yes, there is still an element of fear in the traditional sense. He is, after all, the Creator of everything we see. He is more powerful than anything else that has ever, or will ever, exist.

But if we are covered by the blood of Christ, we have nothing to fear.

Having the blood of Christ over our lives is akin to the blood that was painted on the door posts of the Israelites in Egypt, protecting them from the plague of death that passed through Egypt, killing the firstborn of all the Egyptians.

God asks us to live our lives in a way that pleases Him. He does not, however, threaten to kill us if we don’t live up to His standards.

With that said, it’s important that we learn to fear God, passing that understanding down from generation to generation by teaching our children and grandchildren what it means.

It is this understanding that leads people into reverence, and ultimately obedience, as they develop a desire to please Him in all they 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 – 1-17-22

Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV) 10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Over my lifetime as a believer, I have come to understand the fear of the Lord more and more.

The fear of the Lord is not what most people, especially the unlearned or the unbeliever, think.

It is not a case of walking around in constant fear of being obliterated by God for committing a sin or falling short of His expectations.

It is, however, a deep reverence and an understanding of who He is, knowing that He is worthy of our utmost praise and honor.

With that said, God has gone to great lengths to make Himself easily approachable and accessible to us, His children, by removing every barrier.

When Jesus breathed His last breath, the veil of the temple was torn in two, removing the one object that prevented us from accessing the most holy place (the holy of holies), where God’s presence dwelt in the days of the Old Testament when the people lived under the Mosaic Law (The Law).

The rendering of that veil (tearing from top to bottom), does not negate the fact that God is still sovereign and holy. He is still to be revered to the highest degree.

You see, it’s that “fear of God” (absolute reverence) that causes us to walk straight (upright and holy), wanting to please Him with everything that we do.

We don’t do it because we live under constant fear of retribution or condemnation for our failures, but because we understand who He is and what He desires from us.

And that “knowledge of the Holy One” causes us to love Him more, driving us to want to please Him.

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 – 1-23-21

Proverbs 1:7 (NKJV) 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

As a Believer, I look around and there are many things that make me shudder these days.

Evil has been brought to light. It’s not hidden anymore. Things that once would not have been allowed are now very easily accepted.

So very sad, and it can make us feel helpless and fearful of what’s up ahead.

But we cannot let fear of the unknown set in. That is not a healthy kind of fear to have as a child of God.

In situations like these, we need to pull back. We need not dwell on what we see is going on around us, but rest in knowing that God will lead us all in what to do.

He has a plan and His plan is AWESOME! His plan is to WIN and not just a little win, but a BIG win. God does nothing little.

He is Omnipotent, He is Omnipresent and He is Omniscient, a Mighty God is He!!

Fearing a situation that we have no control over is not of God. He is the One who can turn all things around and put things in their proper place. Now that’s the One we should be fearful of or in AWE of.

Romans 5:3-4 (NKJV) 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

To glory in anything means to take great pleasure in. We don’t fear. Instead, we take pleasure in difficult or heavy times.

Why? because we fear the Lord, and because He will give us knowledge in all that we need to do.

I have watched Him do things that I can’t even explain at times. I look around and see His beauty and magnificence in creation itself.

I look at humans and their incredible ability to do what we do, because of Him putting us together the way He did!

I see the birth of child and the way it is wonderfully and fearfully made, and I fall to my knees in AWE, knowing that we are in the palm of Papa’s hands.

None of what this world throws at us can harm us.

Isaiah 54:17 (NKJV) 17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.

He is in control. I don’t fear what may come at me. I pray that the efforts I put forth will be pleasing and that He may say, “well done, good and faithful servant”.

Fear the Lord…not our circumstances. 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 – 12-23-20

Job 28:20 (NKJV) 20 “From where then does wisdom come? And where is the place of understanding?

God’s word tells us over and over again how important wisdom and understanding are. Godly wisdom and spiritual understanding go hand in hand. And, if we let them, they will guide our steps, making sure we don’t get off track.

We teach pretty frequently on getting wisdom and understanding because God has shown us the importance of both of these things over the years.

With them, we flourish. Without them, we wither and die, or spend our lives floundering, going from one crisis to another.

The book of Proverbs speaks repeatedly about this, telling us to get wisdom, get understanding.

But here in the book of Job we see some of the most clear-cut, precise information given about what this really means.

As Job endured his ailments brought on by satan, he pondered on many things. His discourses were quite interesting as he pondered on many aspects of life and even expressed his anger and frustration with God for not preventing the affliction that he was experiencing.

Here in chapter 28, he spoke at length about wisdom and understanding, then finally he referred to God and summed it up with this:

Job 28:28 (NKJV) 28 And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ”

Many people don’t fully understand the phrase, “the fear of the Lord”. Some would even say that God is not to be feared because He is love. But God’s word, in multiple places, says otherwise.

Job’s summary says it directly, though, stating that “the fear of the Lord is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding”.

When we fear God, we have wisdom. We have reached a point where we see the merits and the truth of what His word says about fearing Him.

And departing from evil is understanding. Because once we have godly understanding (understanding inspired by and given by God), we will no longer want to participate in evil. We will have, in fact, learned to run far from evil, running instead, toward God.

If you’d like to learn more about “the fear of the Lord”, you may want to watch a video we created last year. You can watch that video by clicking here.

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 – 9-27-20 – The Beginning of Knowledge

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

God’s word tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. 

In our newest video, The Beginning of Knowledge, we discuss what this means for believers, especially during the spiritual season we’re currently living in. 

We believe it will shed some light on many of the things that we have all been wrestling with on several different levels. So, we hope you will take a few minutes and watch it. 

Please click here to watch it now. 

Keep trusting God in everything! 

Sincerely, 

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 – 12-16-19

Proverbs 23:17 (NKJV) 17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, But be zealous for the fear of the Lord all the day;

A Better Understanding of God Will Lead Us to a Healthy Fear of Him

As we learn of God and get a better understanding of Him, we will develop a “healthy fear” of Him.

This is not the cowering, dreadful kind of fear that causes us to shrink back from Him, worried about being struck down if we do something wrong.

It is a reverent kind of fear that honors Him and who He is because we have begun to understand His awesomeness and His holiness.

Think of it as the kind of healthy fear that a child should have toward their parents. They don’t fear being beaten. But they understand the authority of their parents and want to do their best to abide by their parents’ desires.

The respect that a child should have toward their parents is similar to the reverence we should have toward God, but our reverence toward God should be exponentially greater.

The Fear of God Leads to Right Choices

When we fear God, we will be more likely to make right choices. We will be less likely to choose things that are harmful or sinful.

This isn’t based solely on fearing His retribution. Instead, it is based on the fact that when we fear God, it is because we have an understanding of Him, we know Him and we love Him.

Those three things will change the way we make choices every minute of every day. It will be plainly obvious in our lives. And since wiser choices lead to better consequences, our lives will change overall, for the better.

We will become better examples of Christ, bringing glory and honor to God by the things we do and the things we say.

So, we encourage you to dig into His word. Learn of Him. Get understanding in the things of God. As you do this, you will begin to grow and mature, and you will understand the fear of God in a way that you never did before.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this series and it has helped you gain understanding in the area of “The Fear of The Lord”.

Please feel free to reply to this email and write to us if you have any questions, comments or feedback.

Sincerely in Christ,

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 – 12-15-19 – Love, Mercy or Fear – Part 2

Please click to watch the video now.Greetings in the precious name of our Savior, Jesus Christ! 

We hope that you have been enjoying our devotional series on the fear of God. And we hope that last week’s video gave you a head start on the topic. 

This week’s video, Love, Mercy or Fear – Part 2, is now live. 

In this one, we pick up with the topic of reverence, and the important part that it plays in our walk with God. 

We hope you’ll take a few minutes and give this video a watch, as we wrap up this study. 

Please click here to watch the video now. 

Enjoy your day! 

Love in Christ, 

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 – 12-14-19

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

God’s Awesomeness

Awesomeness is defined as inducing or causing an overwhelming feeling of reverence.

In reality, there are no human words to describe God’s true awesomeness.

There are no adjectives to accurately communicate or convey what this really means. Maybe think of it as being so in awe that there are no words in any human vocabulary to accurately define or describe it.

Believe it or not, there is an element of fear in this that does actually refer to literally being afraid. This comes when we begin to realize and understand who God really is. He literally holds life and death in His hands.

He created everything we see. He set the worlds in motion. And He did all of this with only words. Just words!

He didn’t have to use equipment. He didn’t have to obtain supplies. He just spoke it all into existence.

Now that right there, the One who holds this incredible power, is something to be feared.

It’s when the reality and the depth of this starts to sink in that we start to understand the true fear of God. It’s not bleak or dismal. It doesn’t instill dread or torment.

It’s an incredible, awe-inspired kind of fear that has a wondrous, ultra-reverent side to it.

Psalm 33:8-9 (NLT) 8 Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him. 9 For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.

Monday, as we wrap up this series, we will talk about how having this incredible, reverent fear of God benefits us and impacts our lives as a whole.

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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