Category: When to Speak and When to Listen

Bible Verse of The Day – 7-19-22

James 1:19 (NKJV) 19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.

Swift to hear…

Listening to what is going on around us is crucial in our daily walk with God. There is so much we can hear and discern when we  listen. Slow down enough so we can hear.

Don’t be so busy and caught up in things that our ears are stopped up. A lot of good choices and decisions come from listening.

Slow to speak…

Why do some feel like they have to always be talking? They never stop. They might even talk in their sleep if they could.

Why is that?

They want to be heard. They want to be the center of attention. They think what they have to say is so important that everyone wants to hear it.

Those are the very people who never let you finish what you have to say. They interrupt you, and you never get out what you started to say. A lot of it comes from being self-absorbed.

And then there is slow to wrath…

Anger is one thing that can stop any relationship. It can put a damper on what could be a beautiful and healthy relationship.

No one wants to be around a hot-tempered person. It’s uncomfortable and makes us feel like we have to walk on pins and needles.

It also feels very controlling. You feel like if you don’t do or say what they want or the way they want, you have to listen to them go off.

We need to examine our own selves today, and if we fit into these categories, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us temper ourselves and teach us how to handle our responses better.

We need His help to be considerate in our hearing, talking and responding.

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 – 6-29-22

Proverbs 29:11 (NKJV) 11 A fool vents all his feelings, But a wise man holds them back.

Sometimes our emotions can get the best of us and we just open our mouths and blurt out what we’re feeling. This is especially true when we’re angry.

Some people have a harder time than others with this. If we’re not one of those people, we may know someone who is.

Many times, this is due to our personality type. A more outspoken person is likely to be the one who readily airs their feelings or anger when something riles them up.

This isn’t always wrong, but it can lead to problems if we don’t allow the Holy Spirit to teach us when to speak and when to be silent.

James warns us about this in the following verse.

James 1:19 (NLT) 19 Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

So, it is imperative that we allow God to teach us when we should speak and when we should be silent.

Sometimes we need to be silent. And that’s the end of it.

Other times we need to be silent for a time, allowing us to better understand certain things before we speak. And then we speak slowly, using wisdom to be sure that we don’t say things or use tones that cause harm or incite anger in others.

It’s a delicate balancing act that can be difficult to learn. But God is faithful to teach us as we are faithful to listen to Him.

Ecclesiastes 3:7 (NKJV) 7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443

401-439-3780

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My Bible Verse of the Day – 6-15-22

James 1:19 (NKJV) 19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath…

Words are many.

We all speak. We all have things to say. Some more than others.

But it’s important to understand that we learn so much more by listening than we do by speaking.

There are times when it is required that we speak. So, when that is the case, let us be careful with the words that we speak.

Let us not speak simply because there is an opportunity to do so. Let us use wisdom and discernment, so as to be careful to speak the words that God would have us to speak.

Speaking swiftly is not always the best practice. Nor is speaking out of anger or frustration.

Let us contemplate our words and the consequences of them. For the things that we say can never be retracted, nor can the effects or repercussions of those words be easily undone.

Do we wish to be wise? Let us learn to listen and discern. And then let us speak gracefully, with patience and Holy Spirit-led timing and understanding.

And, most of all, let us hear! For without hearing, we will never grow.

Ecclesiastes 3:7 (NKJV) 7 … A time to keep silence, And a time to speak…

God, we ask you to help us to know when to speak and when to be silent. 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 – 12-10-21

James 1:19-20 (NKJV) 19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Anger.

The world seems to be full of it these days.

Patience with our fellow man has worn thin. Consideration for others seems nonexistent. And kind words for others are few and far between.

This terrible combination can lead to things being said that can do great harm.

And once words are spoken, they can never be retracted or withdrawn. Spoken words have no rewind or delete button that can be pressed to simply “unspeak” what’s been spoken.

This is why it’s so important for all of us to have the Spirit of God leading us in everything that we say.

I have learned over the years that words spoken in anger or frustration can be some of the most damaging. The fruits of these kinds of words are usually very bitter.

Let us heed the counsel of James, allowing God to re-shape us, causing us to become swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to wrath (anger).

As we do that, our lives will become much more pleasing to God, and much less troubled with the dreadful consequences of ill-spoken words.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-439-3780

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Bible Verse of The Day – 9-1-21

Matthew 7:6 (NKJV) 6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

This is a multi-faceted verse that can be used to teach us much!

One of the things that I have learned, especially in recent years with the onset of social media, is that there will be many people who will not want to hear the truth.

Truth can be very inconvenient because it may mean that we need to change.

It may prove that our opinion on something was incorrect.

It may show us that we weren’t as knowledgeable about something as we thought we were.

It may humble us and make us feel foolish.

So, in light of that, many people don’t like to hear truth. They would rather live in ignorance than to be shown the error of their ways or their understanding.

When social media first became a thing, I would often share my knowledge and understanding with others, thinking that it would be accepted.

I quickly found out that this isn’t always true. In fact, it is seldom true, especially when it involves people with beliefs that are contrary to the word of God.

So, over the years, I have had to learn when to speak and when to be silent, leaning heavily on the Holy Spirit to guide me and show me when to open my mouth and when to zip my lips and keep them shut.

It was a hard lesson for me to learn because if I know something is true, I like to share that truth with others.

But sometimes sharing truth is akin to throwing my pearls to the swine, to be trampled in the mud as worthless pieces of trash that mean nothing.

So, these days I don’t waste time tossing my pearls into the mud. I hold them close, and I only release them when God shows me to do so.

And if you’re feeling exasperated from having your pearls constantly trampled in the mud, ask God and let Him show you when to hand them out and when to hold them close.

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 – 5-8-21

Proverbs 23:9 (NKJV) 9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, For he will despise the wisdom of your words.

Do we wonder sometimes why much of what we say falls on deaf ears?

It’s often because those who are listening are fools.

They don’t want to hear what we have to say, even if it is wisdom.

They are interested only in things that tickle their ears. Only things that they want to hear, And that is why we need to be careful as to who we share our knowledge with.

Only God knows at times who is going to listen, or who will turn on us. And we must always be discerning at when we open our mouths to share the things that He has shown us.

Matthew 7:6 (NKJV)  6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

Bad people will take what we say and turn it around to make us look bad. Or take good things that we do and make it look like it’s their work.

Be careful.

On one job I used to have, I started at entry level. That was fine by me. I needed the wages and I was willing to learn and climb up the ladder. I always looked at it as getting paid while going to school.

I learned the job, part of which was reconciling the financial transactions for each month. As I said, it was entry level.

They nicknamed me the “Queen of Reconciliation.” It was kind of funny, since the coworkers looked down at me. They couldn’t understand how I could be an employee at a business that handled millions of dollars worth of transactions each month, with the little knowledge I had in that field.

One day, at the end of my shift, I was preparing to go home.

My supervisor said, “where are you going?” I said, “home”. She said, “did you reconcile all the accounts?” I said, “I didn’t know I had to have them done in one day”. She said, “yes, this is required at the end of the month”. “OK”, I said.

Because no one had told me this in advance, she let me go ahead home. But next month, I would have to have them all done before I left.

During the next month, during my free time, God gave me wisdom to create a spreadsheet that would help me to reconcile the accounts to the penny, but in much less time than how they had taught me to do it.

All I had to do was put in the correct information regarding each account, which came in that same day.

It worked amazingly well and I had it all done very quickly!

I went to punch out at the end of that day. The same person says to me, “where are you going?” I said, “home to have supper with my family”. With a smirk on their face, they asked, “are the accounts finished?”. I said, “yes!”.

She was shocked and wouldn’t take my word for it, so I had to show her.

She and all the others that were listening in were in awe.

God did it! He gave me wisdom.

Those were my pearls that day. When I came in the next day she wanted me to show her how I did it.

After I showed her, she went to the head boss and said, “look, we made a spreadsheet that calculates and reconciles the accounts to the penny.

She took the credit. So be careful with those things God gives you, and be discerning as to how you share them and with whom.

He will show us how to do mighty things, and we need to protect them from thieves, liars and people that will not think twice to throw us under the bus.

God is good! He gives us the words we need, and the wisdom and ability to get the job done.

His Spirit of excellence lives in us.

But there are people out there who often won’t listen. And if they do, they may very well have a motive.

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 – 3-27-21

Job 6:24 (NKJV) 24 “Teach me, and I will hold my tongue; Cause me to understand wherein I have erred.

Sometimes we don’t like to hold our tongue. It takes discipline. It takes knowing we don’t always have to get in the last word. It takes humbling ourselves and quietly walking away.

We all have moments when we are not going to keep silent. We just want to say what we have built up inside. This could cause problems if we all just walked around saying whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted.

God knows the timing of speaking things and when our words will be effective. Let Him teach us and guide our words that they may bring life, joy, wisdom and encouragement to those around us.

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 – 6-4-20

Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

We need to get ”God vision” because our sight is very limited!

Many years ago, we sat in our living room and cried out to God in prayer. We were at a turning point in our lives, and God had prepared us to do something. But we were not sure exactly what or how.

We had made the decision to leave our house. We had sold most of the stuff in it, and we had taken in just enough cash to get a rental place. It was probably one of the hardest places to be.

But the thing I take with me and remember the most is that as we sat there in the two small chairs that we had left in our living room, God met us there.

He spoke to us that day and told us we are to do full time ministry. Now, you need to know that the ministry He was speaking of was exactly what we do today.

At that time we had nothing to work with. We were empty. But today, we are full. Full with His purpose, His guidance and His provision!

Thank you all so very much for the part you play in this, because it’s huge.

The one thing that we would love for you to get from this is that we had no idea how to do what God was asking us. Our vision was very limited.

On that note, what did we do? The only thing we knew was to keep doing what was directly in front of us, but to stay open and alert to changes that came our way.

The best information we can give you today is, unless God directly says to stop what you are doing and go here or go there, don’t make any sudden moves. That is true even when He shows you what He is going to do through you. The vision will usually come first as, a seed. After that it is usually in quiet steps.

When Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit, the Son of God was growing right in her womb. Who did she tell? Everyone? No… she went to Joseph and told him. And the only other person that confirmed who she carried inside of her was Elizabeth. They kept it to themselves.

Luke 1:41-42 (NKJV) 41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

You see, it is very important, 1. Not to move too quickly. Do only what God shows us to do. 2. Not to tell everyone we know. Protect God’s plan with everything in us. And, 3. Wait on the Lord to unfold it, step by step.

Today, let God open our vision and show us His plan. He is faithful to fulfill it! 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 – 1-16-20

Luke 11:33 (NKJV) 33 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.

Are we afraid to shine? Do we keep our mouths quiet when we should speak out?

I know how you feel. I have a very hard time with speaking up, or with standing out in any way at all.

Most times for me it is the fear of rejection that stops me. Other times it is the fear of being wrong in what I’m saying, and looking silly because of it.

I was raised in a big family. I fell somewhere closer to the younger ones. I listened and learned a lot. It was kind of a neat place to be. As my siblings would say, I had it easy compared to them.

I learned to watch my siblings and to know the do’s and don’ts. I knew what to expect. I had a head start on things.

But, one thing I learned is that if I was quiet during certain situations, the attention would not be drawn to me. And I would miss out on punishments that were dealt out to the rest of my siblings. Quietness had its advantages as a child.

And so it is sometimes now. And as an adult, I will be still.

But there have been times when it has also hurt me by not speaking up. Sometimes it even hurts others, by me not sharing things that I knew I should have shared. Don’t be afraid to speak when we have something we need to say. Don’t keep it hidden. Speak up. Let out that light that is in you.

Sometimes people are happy to hear what we have to say. It will actually help them. But I will add, sometimes they are not happy at that moment, but maybe later they will find out that what was said or done was for a good reason. And in time it will bring healing and maturity into the situation, even if they don’t agree.

Keeping the things of God hidden in us is not helping anyone. Let it be put on a lamp-stand and shared with others.

If I could say one thing, it would be this; don’t feel like we have to be still all the time. There is a time to speak and bring light into situations. His light lives in us; His wisdom, and understanding.

Speak it and let it do its work in the right timing.

Ecclesiastes 3:7 (NKJV) 7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak…

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 – 6-14-19

James 1:19-20 (NKJV) 19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; 20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Let’s take a look at this today and break it down a bit, so we can clearly understand what it’s telling us.

So then, my beloved brethren. Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ.

Let every man be swift to hear. Let us all be careful to listen thoughtfully, taking the time and making the effort to be sure of what it is that we have heard, not jumping to any conclusions or making assumptions.

Slow to speak. Let us choose our words carefully, being mindful of how our words will impact those who hear them, knowing that once words are spoken, they can’t be unspoken.

Slow to wrath. Let us be patient, even-tempered, kind, considerate, understanding and forgiving toward those around us, knowing that how we interact with others is a reflection of God in our lives.

For the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Rash, resentful anger in anyone does not align with the standards of behavior that God expects and requires of us.

There are many of us that can benefit from getting these verses ingrained and embedded in us.

Anger seems to be on the increase in today’s world. And many times, we say or do things because we fail to exercise self-control. Then we quickly regret it.

So, it would behoove us to live by the Spirit, whereby we display His fruits, bringing glory and honor to our Father in heaven.

Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

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 – 7-26-18

Matthew 18:15 (NKJV) 15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

Have you ever tried to fix a problem with someone, and they are just not getting it?

They just don’t understand what we are trying to tell them. And they continue to do what they are doing, over and over again.

After a while we are thinking, “What is wrong? Why doesn’t this one thing ever change? Why do we keep revisiting this? Are they even hearing what I am saying to them?”.

No, they are not hearing. They’re not getting it. They’re not listening. They’re not letting it in or letting it penetrate. But it’s not always because they don’t understand. Sometimes it is simply because they just don’t want to hear it.

They don’t agree. And if they don’t agree, they stop listening. They may nod their head like they are listening, but they’re not letting it in. Our opinion at that moment, on that particular topic, means nothing to them.

It’s an awful feeling when this happens. It can be very stressful and frustrating. But it is the truth.

If they don’t hear us, we can’t keep pushing our opinion on that subject to them. It’s not going to fix anything if their ears are stopped up. We can waste a lot of time.

Pray and ask God for His guidance and timing. God will let us know when and if they are ready. When He gives us the open door, that is when we can talk and share what is on our hearts. And when we will see progress, because now they have hearing ears.

​​​​​​​Proverbs 20:12 (NKJV) 12 The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The Lord has made them both.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-315-0902

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