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

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Bible Verse of The Day – 2-12-24

Job 1:12 (NKJV) 12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

We need to talk about God’s love for us.

God’s love is something that many might not grasp in its fullness. And that is very understandable since no human mind can fully grasp it.

But as we learn more of God, we gain a better understanding of Him. And that better understanding helps us grasp His love in a way that transcends what human intellect can comprehend.

Most people think of God’s love in a warm and fuzzy, mushy, emotional kind of way; soft and without discipline.

This interpretation of His love tends to make people think that His love is only kind, in the sense that that He lacks the ability or desire to chasten His children.

On the contrary, it is because of His unfathomable love for us that He must discipline us when we need it.

Now, if we look at Job, God Himself stated that Job was upright and blameless (Job 1:8).

Yet, God gave satan permission to attack Job when satan suggested that Job’s love for God was only due to the blessings that God had bestowed on him.

Despite satan’s skepticism, God in His omniscience knew Job would prevail when attacked.

So, some might question why God would approve such an attack on someone He Himself held up so highly.

Was it because He simply wanted to watch to see how Job would react?

No. We must remember that God is omniscient; He knows everything. He knew the outcome before the attacks played out.

He allowed it because of His love for Job.

That might seem counterintuitive or contradictory.

But we must understand that He wants to see every one of us grow and mature, even if it requires some hard discipline to push us in the right direction.

It is only when we face adversity, sometimes at extreme levels, that we begin to see ourselves for who we really are.

Let’s talk more about this 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 – 2-11-24 – The Simplicity of The Gospel

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

We serve an incredible God. 

We have a new video today. In this new video, we teach about the simplicity of the true gospel, and making sure that we don’t complicate it, keeping it beyond the reach and understanding of those who need to hear it. 

This new video, The Simplicity of The Gospel, peels back the many layers that have been added over the centuries, obscuring God’s simple message of redemption to humanity. 

We hope this new video speaks to you. 

Please click here to watch the video now. 

We love you all so very much. 

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 – 2-10-24

Proverbs 4:23 (NKJV) 23 Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.

To keep, is to cause to continue in a specified condition, position, course, etc. It means to have or retain possession of.

Diligence means careful and persistent work or effort.

So, keeping our heart with all diligence is simply conditioning ourselves with His word to continue to be doing the things of God with every bit of our heart.

Knowing His word will cause us to be more aware of what God would want us to do regarding any given situation, even keeping us at times from sinning against Him.

Psalm 119:11 (NKJV) 11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

Everything we say, we think, or do comes from our heart.

If our heart constantly remains in the same condition that it was in before we met Christ, we will still think, talk and do wrongly. It will continue to defile us.

Matthew 15:18-19 (NKJV) 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.

As we become a believer, we have to make every effort to learn God’s way. We must be taught. And we must let it take root and fix that heart of stone.

Keeping our heart right by staying connected with God’s word will help us to do the very things that bring life and goodness to ourselves and others around us.

Ezekiel 36:26 (NKJV) 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

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 – 2-9-24

Psalm 18:1 (NLT) 1 I love you, Lord; you are my strength.

Our love for God is something that we may not often think about. It is one of those things that just is, so we might not pay much attention to it.

But meditating on, nurturing, and expressing our love for God is important!

God is Spirit. He is not human. So, He does not have an emotional requirement to hear our love expressed.

Despite that, we should express our love for Him. He is the One who breathed the breath of life into our lungs.

And expressing that love for Him also helps us!

It causes us to acknowledge who He is, what He has done for us, how lost we would be without Him.

And here is something else to ponder on.

Is our love for God growing?

In a healthy relationship, our love should never be stagnant or static. It should be constantly developing and growing.

Our relationship with God is no different.

How do we learn to grow our love for God?

We immerse ourselves in Him.

We make the time required to read and study His word.

We purposely give Him praise. And this doesn’t require music, as many might think. We can praise God by simply opening our mouth and speaking the words in our heart, with or without music.

You see, none of this happens by accident. A strong relationship doesn’t just fall into our laps.

It requires work and intentional effort on our part.

But the results (a strong relationship) are worth every bit of the effort. And as we mature, we will see our love growing more each day.

Put Him first in everything. Express your gratitude to Him. Make a conscious choice to do whatever it takes to learn of Him and draw closer to Him. And as we do that, our love for Him cannot help but grow stronger each day.

Let us love Him more tomorrow than we do today.

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 – 2-8-24

John 10:10 (NKJV) 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…

We are going to talk a little about Job today.

We probably all know the story of how the enemy came and took everything Job had, except his wife.

He stole Job’s health, his children and all his livestock. He tried to sway Job so he would turn away from God.

But Job would not turn on God. He remained close to Him and obeyed Him.

Those who obey God will end up with a blessed and fulfilling life.

In Job’s instance, God blessed his latter years. He ended up with more sheep, oxen, and other livestock than he previously had!

Job 8:7 (NKJV) 7 Though your beginning was small, Yet your latter end would increase abundantly.

Yes, Job had to start all over again.

How many of us have made some foolish choices or fallen on hard times, and here we are, starting all over again from nothing?

But can I ask how many of us can look back today and say, “I learned so much from that.”?

Troubled times, seasons of great loss, and the hits we suffer will teach us how to press in, obey and follow closer to God than ever before.

But as we are diligent in pressing in to Him, and not giving up, He will bless our latter days more than the beginning.

Job 42:12 (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.

Even though the enemy stole from Job, and we may think Job had every right to give up, He persevered, and didn’t give up on God!

Job lived 140 years and saw his children and grandchildren grow for 4 generations. He died old and full of days.

Job 42:16-17 (NKJV) 16 After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. 17 So Job died, old and full of days.

So, take heart. The enemy may hit us hard at times, but it’s not over for us!

Job had a good life even after he took a huge hit. The enemy tried to destroy him, but the Lord  fully restored him as he stood firm and trusted his God!

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 – 2-7-24

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.”

The book of Job is an incredible resource for every believer to learn from.

It can teach us a lot about who God is and how we, His children, are not immune to trials and tribulations.

More importantly, Job can teach us what true humility is.

Job is known for facing great adversity and enduring great physical trauma, as well as losing virtually everything that was dear to him. That great loss included all of his children.

Add to this the fact that all of this happened in less than 24 hours, and it is easy to see why the book of Job is a treasure trove of knowledge and learning for every human being.

As the attacks on Job destroyed everything he had, and his health was attacked, Job’s friends gathered around him.

One might think that having your friends gathered around you during a trial is a good thing. But in this situation, that was not the case.

Job’s friends literally took turns pointing out what they believed to be Job’s shortcomings and failures.

Even his wife urged him to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9).

Throughout his discussions with his friends, Job insisted that he was innocent, and he did not deserve to be facing this catastrophic trial.

He even took offense with God, claiming that he was being unjustly punished.

As part of his discussions with his friends, he demanded an audience with God, so he could plead his case and prove his innocence.

God eventually gave Job what he had asked for, speaking directly with him.

When God was finished, Job saw the error of his ways, realizing that he had, in fact, been prideful and arrogant.

It was at this point that Job spoke the words above, in Job 42:5-6.

Some might simply skim over those words, giving them no weight.

But look at Job’s heart in those words. “I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes”.

We need to realize how broken Job had become as a result of his encounter with God.

He recognized his failures and repented openly before God, expressing his genuine remorse for his sins.

How many of us have allowed ourselves to become broken, as Job did, abhorring ourselves and repenting in dust and ashes because of things we have done, said or thought?

Let us endeavor in our hearts to become as submissive and surrendered to God as Job was. Doing so will be life changing, at the very least.

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 – 2-6-24

Philippians 3:14 (NKJV) 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Being a believer in Christ is not something to take lightly.

We begin a journey on a plan that He has for us. We are always learning and growing. We are in His school of training, so to speak.

As part of this training, we may be tested in areas we never thought we could walk through.

Sometimes it’s heavy and hard. Other times light and fulfilling like never before.

We will learn how to listen, how to surrender and how to obey!

We will also learn how to push through difficult situations that are going to help us get stronger and wiser.

It is all done through the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is so beautiful to be led by Him, and it can be very humbling at times.

All we need to do is focus on staying close to Him through prayer and studying God’s Word.

Press forward day by day, and allow what we learn in His Word to carry us when we are tired, strengthen us when we are weak, and fill us with wisdom and understanding so we can continue forward and not give up.

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 – 2-5-24

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV) 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

It seems like every day I hear another Biblical mistruth.

Some are common. Others are rather obscure.

The scripture above is one that has been frequently misunderstood and improperly translated into a phrase that we all hear often.

It goes like this; God will never give you more than you can handle!

This phrase is repeated often, even by people with a lot of influence.

Many of the well-known people who repeat this misleading phrase are not Christians.

But having it get passed around even by influential nonbelievers can cause a fair share of misunderstanding and confusion for believers who are young in their faith or not well studied in God’s word.

So, let us look more closely at this so as not to fall into the trap that has been so smoothly laid by the enemy.

If we look closely, we will immediately see that this verse has nothing at all to do with the trials we face or burdens we bear. It clearly states “temptation” in the first few words.

In the original Greek, temptation and tempted can also be replaced with test or tested, as in the testing of our will when it comes to resisting sin.

Knowing this, we could also read it as this; No test has overtaken you…

Next, we need to consider the word, overtaken. Overtaken simply means confronted or challenged.

The words, common to man, imply that no temptation we face is unique. We are just like everyone else, facing the same kinds of tests of our will.

So, no temptation or test that we are confronted with is unique to us. We are not special, nor do we face any temptation that is more difficult than what anyone else faces.

Take note that the next thing we read is that God is faithful. Of course He is!

And then what?

He will not allow us to “be tempted (have our will tested) beyond what we are able (to bear or overcome).

And look at that last part; with the temptation (test) (He) will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear (overcome) it.

Now, when we hear someone saying that God will never give us more than we can handle, we will know the truth about what this verse really means, right down to the tiniest detail!

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 – 2-4-24 – Come After Me

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

We serve a God who is incredible in every way and worthy of our praise and worship. 

We have a new video for you today! 

In today’s video, Come After Me, we teach about learning what it takes for God to give us the desires of our hearts. 

This video is simple and insightful, with important truths that will help everyone when it comes to taking our walk with God to a new level of trust. 

We hope it will speak to you. 

Please click here to watch the video now.

We love you all. 

Sincerely, 

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 – 2-3-24

Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV) 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

With any relationship, we get out what we put in.

Our relationship with God is no different. It will grow on the same scale as the effort we put into it.

If we truly desire to know Him and serve Him wholeheartedly, we will intentionally make the time needed to grow and mature as a believer.

This isn’t something that we always think of or understand when we first become a child of God.

In fact, it is something that is not taught nearly enough.

While the forgiveness of our sins is monumental, if we do not feed our spirit with the word of God, it will be in danger of withering and dying.

Jesus taught about this when He shared the parable of the sower and the seeds.

Matthew 13:20-21 (NLT) 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.

This is why we need to be sure to put forth the required effort to keep ourselves fed and growing.

It is something that no one can do for us. Yes, we can have people help us, lead us and guide us, especially in the beginning of our new walk with God. But in the end, we are the ones who are responsible for whether we grow or not.

Think of it like a newborn baby. When the baby is small, it requires constant help and nurturing. But as it grows older and older it must learn to take what it has been taught and use that knowledge to grow and mature on its own.

This is why it is paramount for each of us to do whatever is necessary to feed ourselves with the word of God.

God tells us that as we make the effort to seek Him, we will find Him if we seek Him with all our heart.

The key lies in the phrase, “with all your heart”, since God spells it out for us right there.

Suffice it to say that effort on our part is required. And that effort is something that we must be willing to put forth.

It may not always be easy or comfortable, but we need to keep in mind the incredible sacrifice that Christ made for us on the cross. This will usually put things into perspective and help motivate us to do what it takes to mature and grow as a believer.

And as we do this, let us liken ourselves to a runner in a race, disciplining ourselves, shaking off all that tries to hold us back, and doing all that is necessary to claim the prize at the finish line.

For the prize we race toward is eternal.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV) 1 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

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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