Tag: forgiveness

Bible Verse of The Day – 1-1-14

Luke 6:37 (NKJV) “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

This scripture is used so often to teach about judging or not judging others. But today we’re going to talk about a different topic.

Forgiveness.

Forgiveness is something we taught about just a few days ago, but as we turn the corner into the new year, let’s talk about it once more, just to make sure we all get the new year started on the right foot.

Forgiveness is something we all need to learn how to do. Most of us already know this. But what doesn’t seem to get taught is how to understand that forgiveness is not just a choice or a decision that’s made, but it’s also a process.

When we talk about forgiveness, we need to know that we are each responsible for making the choice to forgive others. But once we make that decision, the actual act and process of forgiveness, as a whole, doesn’t necessarily happen instantly.

We start by deciding to forgive a person and then we have to walk it out, day by day, a little tiny bit at a time. Over time, whether it takes days, weeks, months or years, forgiveness will happen if we work at it and determine in our heart and mind to forgive them and ask God to heal the wounds inside of us from whatever pain the other person inflicted upon us.

So start the year off by choosing to forgive someone and then walk it out during the remainder of the year, a little bit at a time.

Happy 2014, everyone. May God’s blessings be upon your life in abundance.

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 – 12-27-13

(Luke 6:37 NKJV)  “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

We all do things that we need forgiveness for.  The New Year is approaching and we will all be pondering on what we would like to see changed in our own personal lives.

There are tons of things I’m sure we can come up with. Some of us will start eating healthier, some will start exercising more regularly and others may want to start a savings account or a new budget, etc.

One of the things that came to me this morning is that even though all these things are good for us, and it’s great to go into the New Year wanting to learn from the mistakes we’ve made, let us not forget the things that effect our heart and our walk with God.

We can all agree on one thing; we all do things we need forgiveness for. Doesn’t It bring such a relief when we pray and ask God for His forgiveness and He freely gives it to us? It feels so good!

But this verse also tells us to forgive, as well. It’s not just about God forgiving us. We play an important part in this too! If we hold onto things and don’t forgive people on our end it effects our hearts, our relationship with God, our health and our relationships with others.

Let’s all go into this new year together, pondering in our hearts, and asking if there is someone that stands out that has hurt us or stolen from us? Or maybe there’s someone who said something that hurt us or we learned something about someone and it has caused us to be angry towards them. Maybe someone we love and care for deeply disappointed us in their decisions, etc.

Whatever it may be, instead of holding onto to the pain and hurtful situation, let’s make a choice in our hearts today to let it go, to forgive that person and lay it down, handing it over to God and trusting Him to take care of it. Let’s enter into the New Year with forgiveness toward those that have been hurtful.

Forgiveness starts in our heart. It is a sincere acknowledging and wanting to let go, and not hold onto the hurt or anger any longer. When we do this sincerely, from our heart, we will be free. When we do this, not only do we forgive someone but God forgives us for things we’ve done as well.

The hurt may take some time to heal, but it will heal if we let it.

So let’s enter into this New Year with a heart of forgiveness, give it all to God, let go of the past and enter into the NEW things that God has for us!  Amen.

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 – 1-19-13

(Matthew 18:21-22 NKJV)  Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” {22} Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven“.

We think we can hold grudges against people because they have done us wrong at times. But, this isn’t true. If we want the truth and we want to move on in grow in Christ, then we have to forgive those that have done us wrong.

Today, we are speaking to all us who have been upset and angry at someone in our lives, that have caused problems or hurt us in one way or another. Someone that has spoken bad at times against us or to us, maybe even spread false rumors about us and made people look at us in a different light.

It’s us that needs to forgive those people. No-one is making us feel anger or bitterness inside except our own selves. We are holding onto what they have done and not forgiving them and letting God heal us.

We need healing today. If we want healing, we need to forgive first and let God heal our brokenness.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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 – 11-20-12

(Proverbs 10:12 NKJV)  Hatred stirs up strife, But love covers all sins.

I want to touch base on something that God has really been driving home in my life over the past year or more. And He has been teaching me how to really put it into practice each day.

Love conquers all. This is a fact and I am seeing it more and more, and I’m truly beginning to understand the truth end depth of this statement.

Love disarms angry people. Love brings peace into stressful situations. Love forgives when people might not think forgiveness is merited.

You see, we all sin… each and every one of us. There are some who choose to hang onto the sins of others and wave them like flags for everyone to see. There’s something satisfying in this for some people.

These types of people thrive on tearing people down to make themselves look good, and it breaks the heart of God.

And then there are those who choose to love and to forgive, and this pleases God!

(1 Peter 4:8 NKJV)  And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”

Do you know someone who has sinned? Maybe they even sinned against you.

Love them. It won’t necessarily be easy to do, but God has commanded us to love.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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Bible Verse of The Day – 9-27-12

(Gal 6:1 NKJV)  Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

Do we know anyone who has fallen or backslidden?

How have we handled it? Have we continued to love them and pray for them, or have we turned away from them and written them off, or snubbed them because we were disappointed with them or ashamed of them?

This is very easy to do. We all make this mistake sometimes, being too quick to judge someone who has fallen into sin. For some reason, the church today has become less compassionate than we should be.

Sin is never acceptable, but we are all guilty and none of us has “arrived”. So it’s time for us all to put love, mercy and compassion back into our daily walk! We need to love the backslider just as much as the person who has never known the forgiveness of Christ.

The church should not be full of mean-hearted people. We should love unconditionally and forgive quickly, restoring the backslidden gently and compassionately.

Love always wins.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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Bible Verse of The Day – 9-17-12

(Mat 18:21-22 NKJV)  Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” {22} Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Forgiveness; it’s critical to us whether we’re receiving it or giving it. Many times we tend to look at forgiveness and think that being forgiven is the best thing that could ever happen to us. But being the one doing the forgiving is equally important, or maybe even more important!

When someone forgives us, we always feel better, knowing that they are not holding something we did wrong over our heads. This is good.

But when we forgive someone for something they have done against us, we are doing something more important for ourselves than we realize. Yes… we are not holding a wrong against another person. And that’s good!

But what’s even more important is that we are releasing ourselves from anger and bitterness that we could be holding onto against that other person.

Anger and bitterness can eat us alive from the inside out, if we let them. But Jesus has told us that we must forgive. In fact, He has told us in Matthew 6:14-15 that if we don’t forgive others, God will not forgive us!

So if you have ever wondered if it’s required for us to forgive others, there’s your answer! Forgive and move on, and let God take care of your situation.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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Bible Verse of The Day – 5-9-12

(Mat 18:21-22 NKJV) Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” {22} Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

Jesus surely makes it clear to us that we are to forgive, no matter how many times we’re required to do so.

It is in the forgiveness that we offer to others that we are, in turn, forgiven and freed from bondage. Many types of bondage, like sickness, disease and torment can stem from us withholding forgiveness from others.

A lack of forgiveness on our part can cause us to be bitter & mean, and simply not have God’s peace within ourselves.

When someone does something terrible to us, forgiving them doesn’t mean we have to go and be their best friend after we forgive them. We don’t necessarily even need to be around them. We just need to forgive them and move on.

When Jesus asks us to forgive someone for something that they have done deliberately to us, it is for our own good. It is something we need to come to within ourselves. Forgiveness brings freedom, peace and victory in our lives!

If you are carrying unforgiveness in your heart today, this is the day you need to ask God to help you get rid of it. There is FREEDOM waiting for you.

Let it go today and live in PEACE!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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Bible Verse of The Day – 4-2-12

(Heb 4:16 NKJV)  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Have you ever made a mistake? Of course, we all have.

Have you ever been told that you have made mistakes that are too big to be forgiven for? I think most of us can also say that this is true… that we have all been told this or we have felt like this at some point in time.

Well, let me tell you today that this is a lie straight from hell. There is nothing that we can do that God can’t forgive us for if we sincerely repent and ask Him to forgive us.

His word tells us that we can come boldly to the throne of Grace, where we can obtain mercy and grace to help us in times of need.

How much more can we ask for?

If you’re struggling with feeling like God has forsaken you or that you’ve let Him down, go to Him. Repent for anything you might have done and ask Him to forgive you. And then trust that you are forgiven, because His word says so.

Walk in His peace and joy today, knowing that you are abundantly blessed.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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Your Daily Bible Verse – 2-7-12

(Mat 18:21-22 NKJV) Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” {22} Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

OUCH!  In other words there is NO room in our hearts for harboring unforgiveness.

We can’t take this lightly. It is something that God points out very clearly. (Luke 6:37 NKJV)  “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

I don’t think we realize the danger in not forgiving someone. (Mat 18:34-35 NKJV) “And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. {35} “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

One day,  I was counseling someone, this person drank and drank to hide her pain that she had in her heart. I asked her one time during one of our talks if she wanted to pray. She said “I don’t know how to pray”. I said it’s easy, just like you’re talking to me now, you can talk to God. So she began telling God how she felt, and the more she talked, it all came out; every little feeling she had came out.

She was suffering deep inside from something terrible her very own brother did to her as a child. It was something no one knew about but her. She carried this for years. But on this day, she spilled it out and left it with God!

She forgave her brother for what he did to her, as hard as it was, and from that day she was on a better road. Praise be to God, she forgave and her life was changed after that. There were better days ahead for her!!

The longer we hold onto unforgiveness, the more space it takes up in our heart. God wants our whole heart!!

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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Your Daily Bible Verse – 1-27-12

(1 John 4:10-11 NKJV)  In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. {11} Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

We ought to love one another. It sounds so simple and easy to do. But it can be a hard thing to love people sometimes.

This verse is referring specifically to loving fellow believers. We have something in common with all believers; that is the love of Christ and the forgiveness we have been granted by God, through Jesus Christ.

But sometimes our flesh comes out and we rub each other the wrong way. Sometimes we stick our noses where they don’t belong and say things that hurt each other.

All of this shows how frail we are as humans. We set aside the love of God and allow ourselves to insult each other, fight against each other and even hate each other.

It’s time for us to lay down the bitterness and the strife. I will be the first to admit that it’s not an easy thing to do, but God has told us to do so. Start right now, where you are, and ask God to perfect this work in you.

We can do it in His strength.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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Your Daily Bible Verse – 1-16-12

(Psa 130:3-4 NKJV)  If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? {4} But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.

I’m not sure why, but I really felt led to do a teaching on forgiveness today. But not just a teaching on forgiveness in a general sense… something specific, to show that there is forgiveness to be partaken of.

Some people really wrestle with being forgiven for the things that they’ve done wrong in their lives.

We have all done foolish things and made very poor choices, causing others to be hurt by our mistakes and poor decisions. As we see the results of our sin and begin to repent, we often struggle with being forgiven by those that we have hurt and by God.

Many times we are ashamed of what we’ve done, and rightly so. But it’s never, ever too late to make things right and start fresh. Every day is a new day with God and a new opportunity to put our past behind us.

Before we can start fresh, we need to fully understand that forgiveness is ours, if we would only ask for it. God offers forgiveness to anyone who will ask. He does not look at us and compare us to someone else to see if we’ve done something worse than them or not. God’s word says that he is not partial toward one person over another (Acts 10:34, James 2:1-12).

This assures us that if we come to God and ask Him to forgive us, He will! So if you’re struggling with being forgiven (and feeling forgiven) today, stop struggling! Let go of your mistakes and move forward. Know in your heart that forgives is yours if you simply ask for it.

Be forgiven today, in the name of Jesus, and let your soul be at peace.

Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie

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

401-377-5400

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