Tag: what the Bible says about discernment

Bible Verse of The Day – 7-25-22

Luke 21:29-31 (NKJV) 29 Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. 31 So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.

Jesus spent much of His time trying to get people, including His disciples, to learn to recognize the things that they see.

He did this by way of parables, using natural, earthly examples to represent spiritual, heavenly things or events.

In the verses above, look what He used; trees.

He told the people that when trees blossomed, they knew that summer was near.

Makes sense, right?

But then He used that same example to jar them awake, stating that “when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near”.

“These things” is a list of events that He spoke of to let the people know what signs to look for that would indicate “the end” is near.

In His own way, He was being a bit witty, trying to get the people to open their (spiritual) eyes and see everything (His presence) right in front of them.

He wanted badly for them to “get it”, but He knew that some would and others would not.

And so it is today. There is so much happening. We are speeding into end times events, the signs of the time are all around us, and there are still some who do not see.

Luke 21:34-35 (NKJV) 34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.

Let us not be fooled by anyone. And let us not be so caught up in the things of the world and the cares of life that we fail to see what’s right in front of us.

These are critical times that we are living in, and it’s imperative that we keep our spirit, our eyes and our ears focused on the One who holds it all in His hands, that we not be caught off guard and miss what He is saying.

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 – 5-7-21

Colossians 2:8 (NKJV) 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

As I read through this and the surrounding verses, one word caught my attention; Beware.

Anytime someone says to beware, we’d better pay attention.

Though this was written by the Apostle Paul many, many centuries ago, it still applies today.

What was Paul telling the Colossians to beware of?

He was telling them to beware of anyone who might try to cheat them (plunder them or take them captive) through philosophy (earthly wisdom, worldly knowledge, empty theories about the meaning of life, etc.) and empty deceit (worthless deception).

There is much of this going around these days. We need to look no further than television, movies, magazines, various websites, radio shows and many other venues to find it in abundance.

These things will attempt to lull us to sleep and sway our faith, moving us away from God and toward carnal, intellect-based ideologies built on humanistic principles instead of the word of God.

It is for this reason that we need to guard our hearts and minds and lean heavily on the Holy Spirit for guidance and discernment.

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

So, as we walk through this earthly life and have to wade through the hordes of “information noise”, let’s be sure to let God help us to keep (guard) our hearts diligently (rigorously, meticulously, carefully, thoroughly) so we’re not caught off guard and robbed by worldly ideologies and empty philosophies.

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 – 3-14-21 – To See or Not to See

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

Do you have eyes to see? 

That’s the topic of discussion in today’s video, To See or Not to See. 

In this newest video, we teach on letting God teach us how to see beyond what’s visible to our natural eyes. 

This is a bit of a precursor to learning more about spiritual warfare, and it’s key to helping everyone understand what we’re seeing happening in the world right now. 

It’s important for all of us to know and understand these things, so we do hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch it. 

Please click here to watch the video now. 

We love you all, and we’re praying for you. 

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 – 9-25-20

John 18:10 (NKJV) 10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.

Separating the natural from the spiritual can sometimes be a very hard thing to do.

Our flesh is strong, and our natural man wants to rule over everything if we’re not careful.

Peter often wrestled with this, even though he went on to become a powerhouse for the kingdom of God after Jesus had ascended.

The event in the scripture above took place as Jesus was about to be arrested and then taken before the high priest to be charged with blasphemy, and then ultimately crucified.

Jesus knew this had to happen. And He obviously understood the spiritual implications and what was really at stake. But Peter reacted in the flesh and was ready to take on the guards that had come to arrest Jesus.

It was a lack of discernment that caused Peter to react in the flesh.

And this wasn’t the first time it had happened.

Matthew 16:23 (NKJV) 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

In this verse, Jesus had scolded Peter and told him very plainly that he was not mindful of the things of God (spiritual things), but of the things of men (carnal things).

In these times of high levels of conflict, chaos and spiritual warfare, it’s imperative that we not let ourselves “get in the flesh” and react as Peter did with his sword.

There is a time for swords in the natural and a time for swords in the spiritual realm. It’s up to us to discern which time is which and wield the correct sword.

This is why it’s necessary for us to spend ample time in the word of God, to teach us and prepare us for battle.

Let’s not be like Peter, cutting off the ear of the guard when we should be wielding the sword of the Spirit.

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 – 9-7-20

Ezekiel 12:2 (NKJV) 2 “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.

God has given us all eyes to see with. We all know this. It’s obvious because our eyes are plainly visible on the front of our faces.

God has, however, also given us eyes to see with that are not so obvious. He has given us spiritual eyes.

Our natural eyes are easy to see with. They just work. They require no extra effort to discern what we are seeing.

Our spiritual eyes, though, do require some effort on our part in order to discern and understand what they see. In fact, they require training on our part in order to see with them at all.

The more we use them, and the more we allow God to train us, the better our “vision” will become.

It is becoming more and more clear that this year, 2020, is very symbolic, as we lean on God for clarity of vision.

We need His spirit to help us discern what we’re seeing.

Without Him it is difficult to cut through the noise and atmospheric (spiritual) clutter and see clearly. But He gives us what we need to see Him moving in the midst of all of the turmoil.

Don’t close your eyes, church. Don’t just turn away in the midst of what we’re seeing happen.

We may not like what we see. It may be troubling and even disturbing. But God is still on the throne and He is on the move, even in the middle of the chaos and confusion.

Our God is a warrior, and He wins every time.

Trust Him.

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 – 7-6-20

Matthew 22:37 (NKJV) 37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

This is the foundation of our walk with God.

If we can get this right, everything else will fall into place in time, as we “work out our salvation with fear and trembling”.

Today I spent some time doing yard work. As I pushed the lawn mower, I spent time talking to and listening to God.

I was sharing with Him about my concern for the state of the bride of Christ. She is, to put it bluntly, a mess.

This has been slowly happening over the last 50 years, as self-absorption and so many false teachings have crept in and taken hold.

At one point today, as I pushed the mower and conversed with God, my eyes began to well up with tears as the enormity of the situation began to hit me and the compassion of God’s spirit took over.

Church, this is a serious matter.

The bride has lost her discernment for spiritual things. She is falling prey to so many of the wiles of the enemy that it is almost inconceivable.

It’s tough to say this, and even tougher for people to admit to it, but we are not loving God with all of our heart, soul and mind if our discernment has become so dull.

This is the very thing that Jesus scolded the people for in this verse:

Luke 12:56 (NKJV) 56 Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?

It’s important that we understand what Jesus died for. It was to set us free from sin and death. And to give us the privilege of a one-on-one relationship with the Father… the Creator of all we see.

But it’s up to us to take advantage of that opportunity, that privilege.

This is not a message to scold. This is a message to say “God has given us such an opportunity, that we should not miss out on that opportunity nor take it lightly”.

The cares of the world are very powerful. They can take up every waking hour of our thoughts and our efforts, unless we make a conscious effort to prevent that from happening.

So, let’s start working to make our walk with God our very first priority, every single day.

Let’s let Him teach us, shape us and mold us, so we don’t run the risk of being the hypocrites that Jesus spoke about in the verse above, lacking the discernment to see and understand the signs of the times.

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 – 7-1-20

Matthew 24:24 (NKJV) 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

We are living in an age where we are beginning to see many of these kinds of things materialize and play out, right before our eyes.

As we have mentioned in other devotionals recently, spiritual activity is heightening. Evil activity is on the rise.

Sadly, there are millions upon millions of people who may never recognize many of these things unless it is very blatant, and right in their face.

We need to understand that much of what is spoken in the verse above is symbolic, not literal. Let me explain.

A false christ or a false prophet is not necessarily someone who will come and outwardly declare that they have evil intent. On the contrary, they will come looking much like the real thing, the genuine article, so to speak.

Some of this also refers to spirits, not physical people. Spirits of deception (antichrist spirits) will run rampant and sow chaos, while seeming to offer justice and solutions to the world’s problems.

1 John 2:18 (NKJV) 18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.

The Bible says they will point people away from God, and toward themselves or toward an organization that will offer world peace, and end to hunger, poverty and other centuries-old problems, all through a leader or group of leaders who will govern the world as one.

Again, they will speak words that soothe and satisfy itching ears of people with little or no understanding of the true things of God. But their words are more lies than truth, and only lead to destruction.

2 Timothy 4:3 (NKJV) 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;

It will be only by the discernment of the Holy Spirit that they will be recognized as false. It will only be by sharp discernment that their devices will be seen clearly.

Luke 12:56 (NKJV) 56 Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?

It is critically important that we recognize things for what they are.

We need to ask God to help us see and hear beyond the noise, and hear His voice clearly.

We can’t do this by the opinions of others. We can’t do it by the voices that shout at us from the TV screens, the radio stations, the computer screens and the speakers of our smartphones.

We can do this by the Spirit of God, and Him alone.

Let us break free of the shackles that this world will try to enslave us with and cling steadfastly to the word of God; the Word that brings truth and light into every situation.

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 – 6-3-20

1 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV) 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Spiritual activity in the atmosphere has increased markedly over the last several years. It is more alive than ever.

We no longer live in a world where common sense and carnal understanding can sustain us.

Yes, we can get by living that way. But it will be increasingly difficult to do so as the things of the spirit continue to increase in intensity.

It’s critical that we, as believers, learn to perceive and discern the things of the spirit accurately.

This isn’t something to be taken lightly. Nor is it something that is optional if we wish to be used by God, or to understand the things of God. Sharp discernment is a necessity.

So, how do we do this? How do we get understanding that gives us this discernment?

We learn to listen to the Spirit of God and let Him lead us in everything that we do.

Daily life can seem ho hum, benign and habitual to most of us, especially if we simply live in the natural.

But God wants us to live beyond the natural, above what we see and feel. He desires for us to let Him develop our spirit in a way that allows it to commune with His spirit.

That is the key to having a deeper understanding and a sharper ability to discern the things of the spirit.

And here’s how we develop that muscle in each and every one of us; we spend time in His word. We spend time conversing with Him. We learn of Him, and we draw near to Him.

Over time, as we do this, with the goal of growing our relationship with Him, our spiritual understanding and our discernment will also improve.

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 – 5-24-20 – The Importance of Discernment

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

Discernment is a mighty weapon in the world we live in. 

The season we are currently in is very active, spiritually speaking. So it’s very important for us to know what’s happening in the world that we can’t see with our natural eyes. 

Today’s video, The Importance of Discernment, teaches on this topic and helps bring some clarity to why it’s so important. 

We hope you’ll watch it and that it will help you understand this important topic better. 

Please click here to watch the video now. 

Enjoy your day. 

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 – 12-1-19 – Spirit or Flesh?

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

We hope you are enjoying your weekend. 

Jesus spent 3 years with His disciples. During that time, He spent a fair amount of time teaching them to understand and discern the things of the spirit, vs. the things of the flesh. 

In today’s video, Spirit or Flesh, we dig into this topic and shed some light on the importance of us also getting this kind of understanding, so we don’t waste time struggling to figure them out. 

We hope you will take a few minutes to watch it. 

Please click here to watch the video now. 

Be blessed and be strong in Him! 

Sincerely, 

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 – 7-19-19

Luke 12:54-56 (NKJV) 54 Then He also said to the multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it is. 55 And when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather’; and there is. 56 Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?

Jesus was pretty direct with His reprimand of the people in these verses. He wanted them to understand the importance of discerning the times in which they were living. He deemed it important enough to scold them for not having understanding in this area.

And so it is with us, over 2,000 years later. We live in a time where technology is part of our everyday lives. We can use that to do so many things, including predicting the weather days in advance.

But, even with today’s technology, many people can’t see the times in which we are living and accurately discern the spiritual seasons.

Why?

Because understanding the spiritual seasons doesn’t require technology. It doesn’t even require intellectual adeptness. It requires a sharp and alert spirit. It requires spiritual discernment.

Spiritual discernment doesn’t come easily. It takes sincere, honest effort on our part to draw near to God and make the effort to hear Him when He speaks. We need to have eyes to see and ears to hear what His spirit is saying.

We live in perilous times. The spiritual atmosphere is very much alive and active. Warfare is taking place every minute of every day that we can only see and understand when we have sharp discernment.

Whether we see and understand it or not is up to us. We can choose to remain blind to the things that are happening, or we can ask God to give us sight, so we can accurately see and discern the times and the seasons in which we live.

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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