Category: Trials and Tribulations

Bible Verse of The Day – 12-11-24

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (LSB) 17 For our momentary, light affliction is working out for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Have you ever seen the look on a person’s face when they realize that they are about to go through a tough trial; something unexpected and difficult?

Any of us are likely to instantly become concerned and look a bit terrified if we are in that situation.

Why?

Because no one likes trials.

No one likes to be backed into a corner, facing seemingly impossible things.

These types of scenarios force us to deal with situations that are unfamiliar to us. We have no way of knowing what to expect or how to navigate through it.

It is normal to be scared. This is part of our fleshly reaction to difficult situations.

But God has told us that we are not to live by sight (the natural flesh), but by faith in Him.

2 Corinthians 5:7 (LSB) 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight…

It is interesting to note that the word “sight” in the verse above literally means “appearance”, which tells us that we are to walk by faith and trust in God, not by the appearance of our situation.

This can be very difficult at times. Especially when it appears that our whole world is crashing down around us.

It is during these times that we must hold tightly to the word of God and the promises He has spoken.

It is in doing so that we will learn to trust Him in ways that we previously never thought possible. And as our faith in Him grows, we will see Him move in ways that we could never have imagined.

God has us in the palm of His hand. He is sovereign. He never leaves us nor forsakes us.

Let us trust Him to take us through the most difficult situations that we face in our lives.

And in doing so, we will find our relationship with Him growing stronger with each passing day.

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 – 10-28-24

Psalm 121:1-2 (LSB) 121 I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? 2 My help comes from Yahweh, Who made heaven and earth.

Trials. Tough times. Unexpected crises. Sudden tragedies. Famines. Sadness. Loss. Mourning.

These are things we all face in our lifetimes. Jesus told us this would be so.

John 16:33 (NKJV) 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

So, the question is not whether we will face them. The question is how we will walk through them.

Where will we find our solace? Where will we find our peace. Where will we find our hope?

Where will we find our help?

There is only one true Source of help; God, our Creator, and our Redeemer.

Others may help us in some way. But if we look only to people, we are missing what God offers us.

He never sleeps or slumbers.

He never changes.

He never leaves us or forsakes us.

He gives us peace in the storm.

Let us put our trust in Him no matter what life throws at us.

We will not regret it.

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 – 10-24-24

Job 42:10 (NKJV) 10 And the Lord restored Job’s losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Job was a righteous man who feared God. He was blameless and upright, and he shunned evil.

Despite this, Job went through some very big hardships.

He lost nearly everything he had in a very short period of time.

In fact, the only thing he didn’t lose was his wife.

Job lost all his material possessions and all his servants in a raid.

He lost all his children in a windstorm. And then his health was attacked, and Job suffered great physical agony.

This all took place within a single day.

How devasting this was for Job.

How could anyone go through so much and remain standing?

In all of Job’s suffering, he never once mocked God, despite his wife suggesting that he do so.

Job 2:9 (NKJV) 9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!”

When we are going through tough times and no one is standing with us, being close to God is extremely important.

Job’s faith and integrity were surely put to the test. But he stayed faithful and did not faint.

And in the end, God blessed Job even more by bringing restoration to him.

Job 42:12-13 (NKJV) 12 Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three daughters.

We know that many people are suffering and have lost so much in these difficult times.

And we are praying for you; that as you remain faithful in trusting God, He will restore you and help you get back on your feet again. And that your latter days will be more than your beginning.

In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 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 – 10-12-24

John 16:33 (NKJV) 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

In this world, difficult things will come our way.

Will they change us? And will that change be for the better, or will it change us for the worse?

Sometimes things happen to people and they can become very hard and bitter. Has this happened to us, and have we seen the change in ourselves?

It’s not an easy thing to stop change from happening. It can be very difficult to remain the same person after facing hardships or seeing something devastating happen.

This is really a choice we must make within ourselves. Let us choose not to let it leave a negative impact on us; to not let it leave a permanent scar on our heart.

Philippians 4:8 (NKJV) 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Don’t focus on the hard or bad things. Move on and meditate on that which is good.

Ask God to help keep our heart in the right place at all times, finding the good even in the most difficult times.

A hard, calloused heart is not an easy one to fix. It takes time and continued application of God’s word under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to keep us soft and pliable.

Let us cry out for God to keep us focused on the good things in life, and not let our situation take over and keep us on an emotional rollercoaster ride.

Only God can help soften us. But we must be willing to lay down our pain at the foot of the cross and pick up the peace that He offers.

Philippians 4:7 (NKJV) 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

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 – 5-3-24

1 Peter 1:6 (NLT) 6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.

Be glad; truly glad.

In its original language, this (literally) means to be exceedingly glad, exuberantly jubilant.

What is it Peter is telling his readers to be exuberantly jubilant (celebratory) about?

He wants them to be joyful about their relationship with the eternal God.

He reminds them that their troubles are temporal, lasting but a little while. But their relationship with God is eternal.

Trouble lasts for a season. It serves a purpose. It comes in various forms.

But in all this, we should never lose our joy because of these troubles, for there is joy ahead!

Our joy should never be found in our earthly situations or circumstances.

Our foundation, and the source of our hope, is God Himself and the eternal promises given to us through the blood of Christ.

Sometimes our flesh has a little trouble remembering this and putting it into real-life practice.

Often, we need to change our perspective, the way we look at things.

When we are self-centric, we can easily become disappointed, or even depressed.

But when we put God at the center, we will begin to see things differently. Our outlook on life in general changes. And the rough patches we hit from time to time will not rattle us as badly as they once did.

So, let us allow God to teach us to look past the trials we are walking through, looking to Him for our joy, our stability, and our security.

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 – 2-13-24

Job 17:6-7 (NKJV) 6 “But He has made me a byword of the people, And I have become one in whose face men spit. 7 My eye has also grown dim because of sorrow, And all my members are like shadows.

When we ended yesterday’s devotional, we were discussing God’s love, and the effects of facing trials; being squeezed by difficult circumstances.

If our lives are always comfortable and cozy, with no trials or tribulations, we simply will not grow to our fullest.

Why? Because we will never be forced to see ourselves.

We will be in cruise control, zipping through life without a care.

But when we get squeezed, usually by difficult or uncomfortable circumstances, the ugly stuff in us tends to ooze out.

I know this is not a pretty picture, but reality is rarely ever picture perfect.

When Job was attacked by satan, many things happened.

He lost his wealth. He lost his family. He lost his dignity. He lost his reputation. And he lost his good standing in the community.

Where Job used to be greeted in public with respect and warm smiles, he was now avoided because of his severe disfiguration caused by the boils.

Job’s physical appearance was so badly changed by his affliction, even his friends had trouble recognizing him when they initially approached (Job 2:12).

But as Job spent time with his friends, who did nothing to encourage him, he pondered his situation in a way that caused him to begin examining himself.

His words at that time were edgy and crass. He was angry with his dilemma. But in it all, he refused to do as his wife told him at the onset; to curse God and die.

Instead, he held fast to his faith, acknowledging God’s sovereignty in everything.

His distressed mind caused him to see things in a very drastic way, so his thoughts were extreme. But during his suffering, he began to reach out to God in a most earnest and sincere way.

In time, God spoke to Job. And Job listened with a sincere heart as God showed him where he had failed.

As God’s words penetrated Job’s heart, and as Job saw his sinfulness, he openly and readily repented.

Job 42:5-6 (NKJV) 5 “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.”

You see, had Job not faced such dire circumstances, he would never have been forced to see himself. And he would never have recognized his sin.

So, let us not be so quick to run from adversity. For it just may be that during our worst suffering, we find out who we really are. And what we see just might change us in a way that nothing else could have done.

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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Bible Verse of The Day – 1-1-24

James 1:2-4 (NKJV) 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

I’ve spent a fair amount of time lately pondering on the irony of trials.

They’re a funny thing, these unexpected events that happen to all of us, tossing our world into a tailspin.

They catch us by surprise and can sometimes hit us with life-changing effects. Sometimes they leave scars that take a lifetime to heal.

But here’s the thing that is so ironic about trials; as much as we despise them, they can teach us a lot if we allow them to.

Some of the most powerful lessons we learn are by way of the tough things that we go through.

We learn about ourselves. We learn new things that we never expected or wanted to learn. We learn about the faithfulness of God.

And in all those things, we learn lessons that we can use to teach and help others around us when they face similar situations and circumstances.

Not one of us welcomes trials with open arms. We despise them. We hope they don’t happen to us. And we may even try to run from them.

Jesus told us in John 16:33 that tribulations will come to each of us.

So, what will we do with them when they come?

That’s the key question we need to ask ourselves.

Will we run from them? Will we deny that they’re happening? Will we be miserable? Will we gather people around us to join us in our own pity party?

Or will we seek God and let Him show us how and what we can learn as we let Him walk us through them?

The way we embrace our trials will tell us a lot about our maturity as a believer and our faith in God, whom we proclaim to others that we trust.

When the rubber meets the road, do our actions prove that we trust Him? Or do they show us struggling with unbelief?

Don’t take that wrong. We all wrestle with unbelief at times. But hanging on to it and never letting God get us beyond it is another story.

So, let us ask ourselves today, will we let our trials dictate how we behave, or will we let God teach us valuable lessons as we walk through them, that we might use those lessons to help others, and to bring glory and honor to 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 – 12-24-23 – The Irony of Trials

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

It’s the day before Christmas, and we have a new video for you today. 

Today’s video is called, The Irony of Trials. 

In this new video we teach about facing trials in a way that honors God and brings fruit, instead of fear, frustration, and depression. 

We hope you enjoy the video, and that God will use it to speak to you. 

Please click here to watch the video now. 

We love you all! 

Merry Christmas, in His name. 

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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Bible Verse of The Day – 7-28-23

James 1:2-3 (NKJV) 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

I don’t care much for surprises of the negative kind; the unexpected event or situation that upends my day and requires me to make adjustments to accommodate unwelcome trouble or trials.

It’s just part of how I am wired.

But as a child of God who is (increasingly) led by the Holy Spirit, I have come to understand, as you probably have too, that trials are part of life.

Believers are not exempt. We have no clause in our salvation that states our lives will be free from trouble.

In fact, sometimes being a Christian invites trials.

Standing up for our faith will sometimes draw unwanted attention that can cause difficulties we would rather not have.

Other times, difficulties arise that have nothing to do with our faith at all; they are just part of life in general.

Regardless of how they come, we must be able to learn to deal with them properly.

If we fail to learn this, we will constantly be miserable, never learning how to be content in any situation.

So, knowing all of this, and learning from God’s word over the years of my life, I have come to understand that I cannot simply ignore trials, try to brush them off or spend my days wallowing in misery as trials arise and play out.

Trials are actually good for us, despite what we might think.

As James states above, trials test our faith. And they produce patience if we let God lead us through them His way.

This does not mean that we will grow to love trials. That is not likely for anyone.

But it does mean that, as we mature, we will address trials differently, allowing God to guide us and teach us, instead of spending our days mired in self-pity and sharing our anguish with everyone who will lend us an ear.

Instead, God will teach us to hold our tongues, go to Him for guidance and walk through our trials one step at a time, as He shows us His way to handle whatever we are facing.

And as we look back at a trial that we have worked our way through, we will do so joyfully rather than with disdain, giving Him the glory and honor for His faithfulness.

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 – 11-1-22

James 1:2-4 (NKJV) 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Some people today reading this have taken a big hit. Some have lost their homes, some their jobs and others their family member or loved one.

You are probably feeling lost right now and wondering if it is even worth living any longer. What is there to look forward to?

The fear and loneliness are setting in and you are not sure what to do, say, or where to go from here. How do I even pick up the pieces and move on?

These kinds of hits call for God’s intervention. Prayer is needed, and time away from everything. And sometimes even time away from everyone, so that we can gain some understanding, comfort and guidance as to the changes that we face.

Don’t be ashamed if you don’t know what to do or how to handle such a hit. God knows, and He will guide us and carry us through it if we don’t blame Him for it. He will help us come out on the other side.

With pure joy, through faith and perseverance, we will not be lacking anything! Amen.

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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Bible Verse of The Day – 8-15-22

John 16:33 (NKJV) 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Right now, at this very moment, so many are going through trials.

The world has become a very difficult place over the last 2 years or so. We have all faced many difficulties of one kind or another.

Some of the things we have faced have been at the hands of evil people. Others have come about in different ways; loss of a loved one, loss of a job, health problems, etc.

Regardless of the means by which they came, they have been very difficult, and in many cases leaving scars that will last a lifetime.

Many of us have been changed by these things, and we will carry those changes with us for many years to come; maybe even until the day we depart this earth.

But in all of the difficulties, there has remained one Constant who keeps us anchored; Jesus, our Redeemer and Savior.

He told us that there will be trials and tribulations. He spoke it plainly. But in that same verse, He also told us to “be of good cheer”. Why? Because He has overcome the world.

As children of the Most High God, we are not guaranteed an easy life of only pleasures and immense happiness. Instead, we are assured that when we go through the difficulties, He will be with us, walking us through each step.

So, it is in this that we take our comfort, knowing that even in His own difficulties, He overcame them, giving that victory to us as well.

So, take heart today. Hold tightly to Him in the midst of your storm. He will not lose His grip on us.

In that, my brothers and sisters, take heart, find your rest and your comfort.

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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