Tag: what the Bible says about discernment

Bible Verse of The Day – 5-13-19

Exodus 34:12 (NKJV) 12 Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst.

Whether we realize it or not, the land in which we live can have a big impact on our lives. Every territory is subject to certain types of spiritual powers, activities and principalities.

This is usually evident in the various crimes committed in a town, city, region or province. It can also be seen in many of the cultural activities, whether religiously affiliated or not.

Some examples might be epidemics of high drug use, such as heroin or other opioids. Or it might be sexual activities such as prostitution or human trafficking. It might be corruption of various types.

If we’re not careful, and our discernment isn’t sharp, we can fall prey to some of these things that can cause us to dishonor God and damage our relationship with Him.

Many times, these things can be so entrenched in our area that we may not even recognize them as being bad. Or we may become desensitized to them, causing us to disregard or minimize the evil they represent.

And in worst-case scenarios, we may even participate in them to some degree because of our dulled senses. This is especially true with things like dishonesty and various types of corruption, since they don’t appear to hurt or harm a person directly.

In the verse above, God warned Moses about this. He told him specifically not to make a covenant with the people in the lands where he was going. Doing so would become a snare for Moses and the Israelites.

This warning needs to be passed along to all of us too, so we remain vigilant and alert, being cautious as to what we let influence us.

Some things can be very subtle, and they will sneak their way into our lives. Others, not so much. They are blatant and very easily seen to everyone except those who are spiritually dull.

Let’s be sharp and discerning, being sure to pay attention to God’s warnings, and giving Him the honor He deserves in every area of our lives.

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 – 4-1-19

Nehemiah 2:12 (NKJV) 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode.  

Sometimes when God tells us or shows us something, the first thing we want to do is run and tell everyone else. We get excited and can’t seem to help ourselves. 

But sometimes God wants us to hold onto what He says. And there are good reasons for that! 

The verse above doesn’t expound on exactly why Nehemiah kept his upcoming mission a secret. But it was very likely because he knew that telling others would put him and the work he was setting out to do at risk. 

God wants us all to learn this too. Sometimes He tells us something, or shows us something. He puts something in our heart to do and He wants us to hold onto it and protect it. 

You see, we have an enemy. And the enemy’s goal is to steal, kill and destroy everything that is tied to God’s kingdom. 

Learning to hold onto what God shows us will help keep it protected and hidden from prying eyes and ears. It will keep it protected from hindrances and possible destruction. It may well even protect us in some way. 

So, despite the urge to tell people about everything that God has placed in our hearts to do, we need to remember to be careful and use discernment, given to us by His Spirit, to learn when to hold and when to tell. 

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 – 3-25-19

Luke 12:54-58 (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 very seldom scolded the crowds who came to hear Him speak. He usually reserved that for the religious leaders. He frequently called those leaders hypocrites.

But in the verse above, Jesus was addressing a crowd of people. And though there were very likely religious leaders in the crowd, Jesus didn’t single them out when He spoke the words above. He was addressing everyone!

Jesus was emphatic about everyone learning to discern the times. He wanted them to understand that everything is not necessarily what we see with our natural eyes. He wanted them to learn to see things in the spiritual realm also.

And so it is with us, His followers, over 2,000 years later. It is critical that we learn to discern the times and recognize what’s happening around us, even if it might not be obvious to everyone.

God wants each and every one of us to live our lives by His spirit, not just by what we see with our eyes. He wants us to learn to hear Him and understand what His voice is saying, even when it might not always be easy to do so.

This is why it’s important for all of us to not just be reading His word, but immersing ourselves in it!

His word is what gives us understanding about all things. That includes the things of this world and the things of spiritual substance.

So let us be sure to not just snack on His word once in a while, but let us feast on it regularly, so we will learn to live by the Spirit, seeing what natural eyes cannot see, not by the flesh, being blind to everything He is showing us.

Galatians 5:25 (NKJV) 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

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 – 9-16-18 – Be Sober and Vigilant

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

God’s word tells us that we should be sober and vigilant. In our latest video, we explain why this is so important. 

Please click here to watch the video now. 

The enemy has one goal; to destroy you and me. And he is a master at doing so, using deceitful tactics that can fool us if we’re not sharp and alert. We share some interesting info about this in the video also. 

Please click here to watch the video now. 

As we learn to be sober and vigilant, we will be more likely to spot his attacks and recognize them for what they are, making it easier to avoid getting caught up in his snares. 

We hope you’ll take a few minutes and watch this one, so you will be better equipped to stay on the path that God has set before you. 

Please click here to watch the video now. 

Enjoy the rest of your day and stay close to God in all you do. 

Sincerely in Christ, 

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!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page. 

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Bible Verse of The Day – 5-19-17

Jeremiah 1:5 (NKJV) 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”

Do we let people influence who we are and how we act?

God created us to be special… unique. He created each one of us with a purpose and a plan.

No, we were not all created to be a prophet to the nations, as Jeremiah was. But He has, nonetheless, put something special in each and every one of us.

And if we’re not careful, we can abort our own destiny because of things people have said or done to us.

This can come from a variety of people in our lives, both in the world and in the body of Christ. And these influences can be both positive and negative, regardless of their source.

One of the biggest dangers is when influences appear to be positive, yet are actually harmful to us.

That may sound contradictory, but here’s what we mean. Negative influences are usually obvious and easy to discern. However, a misguided “positive” influence can sometimes send us down the wrong path, seeking and searching for something that we should never be seeking.

This happens when a well-meaning person, sometimes even a fellow believer, tells us something that they think we want to hear or that they believe to be correct or accurate. Their intentions are usually good, but their lack of discernment or understanding is dangerous to us.

So our guard needs to be up and our own discernment needs to be sharp regardless of who we’re dealing with. We need to protect our calling and our destiny by making sure we’re staying on the path that God has for us, not chasing some wild fantasy that was planted in our heads by an outside influence.

And if we’re not sure where we’re supposed to be or what we’re supposed to be doing, we need to be seeking God and His answers. Not man’s answers.

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.

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!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 1-19-17

Isaiah 5:20 (NKJV) 20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

We live in a time where truth and lies have become intermingled to the point where many people can’t tell one from the other any longer.

Truth has been diluted to the point of being almost indistinguishable by many. Lies pass for truth many times. It is a dangerous situation, to say the least.

So how do we know the truth and how do we distinguish and discern lies as they are being propagated as truth? How do we know truth from lies?

The answer? God’s Spirit and God’s Word.

If we walk closely to God, His spirit will show us what’s truth and what’s a lie. The closer we get to God, the easier it will be to discern these things. And if we are ever in doubt, His word will make it plain and clear.

Lies are being shared as truth from so many venues. Movies, musicians, news organizations, politicians, religions, blog and website owners, and even churches are spreading lies as truth. Yes, even churches claiming to be Bible-based.

Money has become a god to many people these days. Spreading information that sounds good, and is shared under the guise of being truth, brings in money for those who spread it. Money isn’t always the motive, but it is the main driver behind this.

So it is up to us to stay close to God and spend time in His word in order to stay sharp and in tune with His Spirit. And as we watch and listen to what goes on around us, we will have the understanding we need in order to know truth when we hear it and see it.

It is up to us. We must not allow ourselves be fooled.

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!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 3-16-16

Philippians 1:9 (NKJV) 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment…

There are going to be things that look good on the surface; people that have just the right lingo, situations that are so tempting.

But the motive which is behind these things may be hidden and harmful to us. We need to be able to discern the danger, even if it has a “pretty face” and sounds good.

We don’t always sense the danger in things. Maybe we are just that type of person who always wants to keep a positive outlook until something happens or goes wrong.

Maybe we are easily agreeable with people and certain situations. We don’t want to be looked at as a stick in the mud or the one always questioning everything new that comes our way. Maybe we don’t like controversies; it’s too uncomfortable to us, etc.

God gives us discernment for a reason; to discern things! It doesn’t matter who we are around, how pretty things look and how good things feel. He wants us to be discerning. He wants to save us from getting involved in things or situations that can hurt us, bring us down or simply get us off track.

We don’t need to be paranoid, but we need to be alert and discerning. Getting too relaxed can cause problems. Big or little problems, it doesn’t matter; it all will affect us.

We need to ask God to help us walk in His discernment each day and teach us how to avoid things that may try to get us off track.

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!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

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Bible Verse of The Day – 12-8-14

Proverbs 15:21 (NKJV) 21 Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment, but a man of understanding walks uprightly.

Discernment is so very critical in our walk with God.

Discernment will help us to understand the things of God.

Discernment will help us to make sound choices in our lives.

Discernment will help us to better distinguish between right and wrong.

Discernment will help us see people’s motives and show us who someone really is, beyond their facades and their flowery words.

The church needs discernment! We have pushed it aside because we have become desensitized over the years. We have traded discernment for politeness and political correctness.

Without discernment, our judgment is impaired and our ability to make sound decisions and wise choices is weak, at best.

Without discernment, black and white become gray. Right and wrong become nothing more than personal preferences, instead of absolutes.

Proverbs 2:3-5 (NKJV) 3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, 4 If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; 5 Then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

Having razor-sharp discernment isn’t just for leaders, but for every child of God, so that we can make the right choices and our lives will be blessed because of it.

So, people of God, don’t take discernment lightly. Ask God for sharper discernment in your life and He will be faithful to give it.

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!

To have the Bible Verse of The Day delivered to your inbox each day, please Click Here and then enter your email address in the box near the upper left corner of the page.

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