Tag: What the Bible says about overcoming sin

Bible Verse of The Day – 12-4-24

Psalm 19:12-13 (NLT) 12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. 13 Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.

As David contemplated his relationship with God, he addressed his own sinfulness.

David’s heart longed to please God. He wanted to do what was right and pleasing before Him.

But he did not trust himself fully when it came to avoiding sin.

He prayed for God to reveal to him the sins lurking in his heart; the hidden faults that may cause him to fall to temptation.

He laid bare his frailty as a man, acknowledging his weaknesses, but knowing that God could deliver him from them all.

There is a great lesson here for all of us.

We need to acknowledge our own sins, weaknesses, and faults. And we need to lay them before God, asking Him to give us strength; to cleanse us from the things that lead to unrighteous behavior on our part.

Weakness and frailty are not a license or an excuse to sin. They are something that we see for what they are. And then we allow God to show us how to overcome them by His Spirit instead of using them as a crutch or an excuse for our failures.

God is faithful to lead us as we ask Him and allow Him to.

He will set us free if we truly submit and follow Him wholeheartedly, desiring to be loosed from the control of sin in our lives.

In doing so, we will be free of guilt, and innocent of great sin.

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 – 4-9-24

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 (NKJV) 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

One common denominator with the things listed above is that they are all sinful behaviors.

Thankfully, God gave us a conscience, and it tells us not to participate in these things.

We don’t necessarily have to be taught. We inherently know right from wrong.

Because of this, we will know when something we are about to do is wrong even if we are not a child of God because of the conscience He placed within us.

You may say there is a part of us that desires doing such things, even as a believer. This makes it hard to say no.

That can be true.

But this is usually due to the fact that this is a part of us that we have not completely surrendered to God. We have failed to allow Him to deliver us from it because that part of us does desire it.

None of us are perfect. And God does forgive us when we sincerely, remorsefully repent from our sin.

But what is important to know is that in the scripture above there is a list of “will not inherit the kingdom of God” unless we allow ourselves to be washed, sanctified, and justified.

We can not willfully continue in and repeating the same sinful behaviors over and over again and think it’s OK!

God so loves us all, but even in this deep love He can not “accept” us if we are  willfully, continually participating in this sinful behavior.

John 3:16 (NKJV) 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

His Son made the way for God to accept us as His child and give us everlasting life. He can help us, like a Father helps his child, to be set free from such things.

If you struggle with participating in sinful behaviors and you feel like you can not beat it, and even as a believer your desire is strong toward these things, reach out and get help. Don’t just give into it.

There is Someone you can trust and has the power to set you free from such behavior! His name is Jesus Christ.

John 8:36 (NKJV) 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

If you need to talk or you need prayer, or maybe you need answers to your questions, call or write us.

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 – 5-29-23

James 4:7-8 (NKJV) 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

I recently watched a short video of a woman who was talking about people who struggle for long periods of time with specific sins.

In her video, she compared this with crucifixions. Her analogy described the long, torturous death of crucifixion with the long struggle of breaking free from a specific sin that has been hard to shake.

As part of her analogy, she used the example of someone who is married but struggles for a long time to stop desiring others after they are married.

While I understand her analogy, I disagree with it vehemently.

Here’s why.

Long struggles with a specific sin are almost always the result of us not completely submitting to God.

I know. Some who are reading this are disagreeing with me right now.

They are saying, “but you don’t know how hard it can be sometimes to shake certain things”.

And here is my response to that.

We wrestle with sin at length because we do not wholly submit to God. Not submitting to God makes it hard for us to resist the sin.

The word of God is plain and clear; Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from us.

This may seem oversimplified. But it is not.

It is 100% true, accurate and effective counsel.

Sin that plagues us for long periods of time can only do so if we fail to take ALL steps necessary to defeat it.

Some may think that this is alluding to many steps; a long, painful process of breaking free and claiming victory.

But it’s not.

The road to get there can be very long and painful for many. But this is not due to God’s weakness or lack of sovereignty.

It is due to our own weakness and our own unwillingness to RESIST the devil.

Resisting the devil doesn’t require a specific program. It does not require someone to lay hands on us and pray for us. It does not require us to confess our sin to someone else for moral support.

Those things may help. But until we passionately decide within ourselves that we are done with that sin, and we commit fully to defeating it, it will continue to hound us and plague us.

Two words are the key; submit, resist.

We need to humbly submit ourselves to God, our Creator and Redeemer, admitting that we can’t do it on our own.

And we need to ask and allow God to help us resist the devil when he comes to lure us into another snare.

It is only when we do this that we will end the struggle that swallows so many of us up as we try again and again to overcome long term sin.

Submit. Resist. Defeat Sin.

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 – 5-9-20

Romans 7:17 (NKJV) 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

When we become a child of God, we are born again!! We are saved and have eternal life.

Some people may say, “well, I still feel like the same person. I still do some of the same old things. I mess up and I am very tempted at times”.

Though our flesh is still very weak and tempted, if we let our mind be renewed, we will eventually think and act more like Christ. We will begin to change, little by little. He will help us overcome our weaknesses toward the sin that tries to lure us in.

Why is it that at times we do the very thing we want so badly not to do?

Romans 7:25 (NKJV) 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Because of our old man, the flesh and our carnality that loves sin is still living in us. It didn’t magically disappear when we got saved or put our faith in Christ as our Lord and Savior. It still shares the same house, temple, or body.

We have to learn how to overcome those awful habits and desires of the flesh. We do this by learning to walk according to the Spirit.

Yes, it takes time, with many mistakes in between. But don’t walk around depressed all the time, or feeling like a failure. Acknowledge our weaknesses and let Christ strengthen us in those areas. It’s a beautiful part of our growth in Him!

Romans 8:1-2 (NKJV) 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Our old man, the unsaved flesh, will work hard at being in charge, trying to keep those bad habits going. Shut it down and let the Spirit of God show us how to walk as sons/daughters of God.

Romans 8:14 (NKJV) 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

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 – 6-19-19

Romans 7:20 (NKJV) 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

We all wrestle with making the right choices. It’s part of human nature. The Bible calls it “the sin nature” or “the sinful nature”, depending on which translation you read.

Basically, this means that it is in our human nature to sin. This is the root of the vast majority of the problems that plague humanity as a whole.

Many may try to blame it on specific things that ignore the sinful nature of man. But in the end, it all boils down to the fact that our human nature enjoys sin.

Many people actually delight in sin. Some grow to love certain sins to the point where it destroys them, emotionally, spiritually and physically.

So, what do we do about this? Are we powerless, destined to “sin ourselves to death”?

Not at all. God has provided a way for us to break free from this sinful nature that tries so desperately to control and destroy us.

How?

By deliverance through Jesus Christ!

Romans 7:25 (NKJV) 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!…

God is merciful and He doesn’t want to see a single person perish at the hands of sin. So, He provided a way of deliverance through the blood of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

It’s up to us to reach a point where we want to be set free, pushing back the desire to please ourselves and, instead, learn to live to please God.

It’s not always easy. In fact, sometimes it can be downright difficult, especially if we love the sin.

But with God, nothing is impossible if we will submit ourselves to Him and surrender our will.

There is freedom waiting for us. We just have to reach out and grab hold of it, in Jesus’ name.

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 – 7-24-18

James 1:21 (NKJV) 21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

As frail human beings we constantly battle our flesh and its desire to sin.

God doesn’t expect us to be perfect and sinless. But He does expect us to live by the Spirit and not by the flesh. It is only by His spirit that we can live in a way that’s pleasing to Him.

And if we truly want to live, and not just exist, we need to put to death the deeds of the body.

Romans 8:13 (NKJV) 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

It’s not a battle that’s easily won. And if we try to win it by our own strength, we will fail every single time. But God has not called us to fight this battle and win it on our own. He has given us every tool and every weapon needed to fight and win!

We have His word, the sword. And we have His spirit, our helper. The important thing is that we utilize all of the tools that He has supplied us with, so we don’t just exist, but thrive in Him and live each day to its fullest.

Does this mean that every day will be perfect? Far from it. We will have days when we feel like we have failed for the thousandth time, falling so short of the mark. And we will have days when we feel like we can’t take one more step, let alone fight another battle.

But if we let Him lead us and we count on His strength, instead of our own, we will absolutely always be way ahead of where we would be if we tried to do it on our own.

So, we want to encourage you today not to give up. Don’t grow weary in the battle. We have His promise that if we don’t give up, in due season we will reap a harvest.

Galatians 6:9 (NKJV) 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

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 – 4-26-18

Psalm 139:23-24 (NKJV) 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

Have we ever asked God to search us to see if there are any wicked ways in us? Oh, that is getting right down to the nitty gritty. But, if we really want to change, these are the things we ask God to do in order to help us see what it is that we need to do to make the change happen.

It’s not always easy. And in order to even reach this point we have to really want to do what is right.

Sometimes we don’t even know what is in our own hearts unless God spells it out for us. Have you ever had a moment like that, when you realize maybe some of the things we are participating in are wicked?

Ouch. We have probably all have had those moments at one time or another, or we would have never reached a point where we repented and asked God for His forgiveness.

We don’t have to worry about how many times we have to ask God to forgive us. Because He will.

What we want to pay close attention to is if we keep doing the same things over and over again, the same way.

We are always going to need forgiveness for things, but it shouldn’t be for the same thing all the time. God wants to lead us away from the wicked ways of doing things and learn to do things the right way; His way.

Don’t be ashamed, though. Get with Him today and let Him search our hearts. He wants to help us overcome these things.

Romans 12:21 (NKJV) 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

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 – 11-25-15

Romans 6:1 (NKJV) 1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?

Jesus shed His blood for us, died and rose again, to pay for our sins. He redeemed us by His blood. Because of that blood being shed, we were given the opportunity to be made new in Him.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

When we put our faith and trust in Him, His blood is applied to our lives, making us new, giving us a new, fresh start at life. It’s a truly amazing thing, this gift that we’re given.

As part of this new beginning, God replaces our old desires with new ones; His desires.

Because of this, our habits change. Our ways of doing things change. And there will likely be a lot of things that used to be a part of our everyday lives that simply fall away and get left behind.

This process takes time. It doesn’t happen overnight. But the important thing is that it does happen.

Sometimes we can get caught up in things that pull us back into our old ways. And before we know it, we’re picking up some of those old habits again.

We want to encourage you today. If you’ve fallen back into old habits, or if maybe you’ve had a hard time getting rid of one of those old behaviors, remember Jesus on the cross.

Consider what He did for us, enduring a brutal beating and a cruel death, so that we could live and have life abundantly.

Ask God to help you with that thing or those things that want to entangle you in sin once again. Give them to Him. Surrender to Him, instead of surrendering to the temptation that the evil one brings to you.

It won’t always be easy, but through Christ, you can overcome it!

Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) 13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

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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