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Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

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Hello!

I hope you had a great week and weekend!

Thanks to everyone who sent me a birthday card! It was appreciated and I had a great birthday. I went to lunch and a movie with my parents. I also went to morning and night church.

The Harvest Crusade is this weekend! If you're not familiar with these, Greg Laurie has a three day festival with Christian musicians and a gospel message. He is a preacher in Riverside, California, and does these crusades all over the United States. I'll be driving to Anaheim on Friday to see Big Tent Revival, Jars of Clay and his awesome preaching! If you're going, email me!

I had an awesome fast on Friday! I prayed and God freed me from a certain personal insecurity! For years I had been plagued with this and God removed it. Praise the Lord!

Speaking of fasting, we are still fasting on August 21st and praying for all the Christian ministers in the world. Please join us! We will meet and pray in a chat room, too. Fasting is required by God and it's a great way to get to know Him better. If you never fast, you are missing one of God's greatest gifts to you - a chance to know Him more intimately.

Do you smoke cigarettes? Although cigarette smoking is decreasing, I know that there are still many people who smoke. I overcame this sin a long time ago, so if you'd like advice and prayer, I'd love to help you.

Please pray for Miles McPhearson. As you may know, he started his own church a few months ago. It's awesome and named The Rock. Right now, they are looking for a building and trying to decide which one to buy. Please pray that God gives him wisdom and direction.

Do you like country music? San Diego is home to an incredible, Christian, country musician named Dennis Agajanian! He plays the guitar and sings and his picking and strumming is truly incredible. Check him out here: http://www.dennisagajanian.com

The weekly devotions are now on the web! Each week I will upload them. You can find them here: http://devos.jcsm.org

Please visit my web page! There's over 1500 links (pictures, midis, Bible lessons, humor, proverbial stories, links, devotions, poetry, prayer journals and much more!) and it has registered over 34,100 hits!

If this ministry has touched you in a special way, please pray and consider sending a gift to Jesus Christ Saves Ministries. On the web, I'm encouraging the believers and sharing the gospel with unbelievers. I'm also doing counseling on a regular basis. As I do full-time ministry on the web, love and help others, I never charge them anything for my time or services.

You can become a Super Supporter of JCSM by sending only $5 a month. You'll be joining us in our vision to reach people on the web with the good news! Of course, a gift of any size will be appreciated! My address and more information is at the bottom of this message.

Welcome to the new screen names or recipients of this message! Here are the devotions, moment of introspection, challenge and quotations for the week. Have a fantastic week and God bless you!

Love in Christ,

Jason J. Gastrich

ICQ#: 20731140

The Weekly Devotional Message

Day 1: "Christ Lives in Us"

1 Corinthians 6:19 "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?"

Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Prayer: "Thank you for living inside of us, Lord! Remind us that You are here. Thank you for helping us overcome temptation. Thank you for making us like You, too. Thank you for helping us understand your Word! Help us to remember that we belong to You and You are literally inside of us. Thank you for giving us a friend and the most powerful ally in the universe! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Christ is Our Leader"

1 Corinthians 1:12, 13 "Now I say this, that each of you says, 'I am of Paul,' or 'I am of Apollos,' or 'I am of Cephas,' or 'I am of Christ.' Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?"

1 Corinthians 3:4-7 "For when one says, 'I am of Paul,' and another, 'I am of Apollos,' are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase."

1 Corinthians 12:12 "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to put You first, not earthly leaders. Help us to glorify You, Lord. Forgive us for promoting or pursuing our church or church leader more than You. Help us to put things in proper perspective. Thank you for being the Lord of all. Thank you for teaching us great things in your Word, too. Remind us that You are far above any human being and nobody will be saved unless it is by You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Practice Inclusion, Not Division"

1 Peter 3:18 "Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing."

Philippians 1:27, 28 "Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God."

2 Corinthians 13:11 "Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you."

Philippians 2:1-4 "Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting believers to be unified, Lord. Forgive us for making cliques and sub-groups and isolating ourselves from others. Help us to love everyone. Thank you for wanting us to be of one mind. Let us not worry about our differences, when our differences don't matter. Cause us to stress the bond we have in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "There Are No Impossible Situations"

Matthew 19:26 "But Jesus looked at them and said to them, 'With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'"

Luke 1:37 "For with God nothing will be impossible."

Isaiah 55:9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts."

Prayer: "Thank you for doing things that we see as impossible! You are a God of miracles. Help us to remember that You have more options than we realize. Thank you for having perfect ways. Thank you for making this life an adventure! There's no other God like You in all the universe. Let us trust in You and your perfection. Help us to take You out of the box our small minds have put You in. Let us pray big! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "More Faith"

Luke 17:5 "And the apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith.'"

Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

Jude 1:20, 21 "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to have faith, Lord! Thank you for making this life so interesting as we walk by faith. Increase our faith! Help us to see things like You do. Thank you for having perfection vision. Thank you for being completely trustworthy, even when others are not. Nobody compares to You, Lord. Help us realize that You are true to your promises and deserving of our complete trust. Praise You for your holiness and character! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "The Living God"

Psalm 42:2 "My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?"

Psalm 84:2 "My soul longs, yes, even faints For the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God."

Matthew 16:16 "Simon Peter answered and said, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'"

1 Timothy 4:10 "For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe."

1 Timothy 6:17 "Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy."

Hebrews 3:12 "Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;"

Hebrews 10:31 "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."

Prayer: "Thank you for being alive! Thank you for rising from the grave and ascending into Heaven. Let us remember that You are very alive and always will be. Thank you for revealing yourself to the ones who seek You. Thank you for never hiding from us. Help us to seek You, wholeheartedly, and hunger for You. Thank you for satisfying us like nothing else can! You are our awesome God! Remind us how nothing compares to You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "Freely Forgive"

Luke 17:3,4 "Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

Luke 6:37b "Forgive, and you will be forgiven."

Mark 11:25, 26 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to forgive others. Thank you for the awesome freedom we have when we 'let go' of our anger and forgive. Help us to forgive people. Forgive us for the grudges we have kept. Thank you for the ways You heal us when we obey You. Remind us that You have the best ways. Thank you for commanding us to forgive people. Help us to understand that people don't have to deserve our forgiveness, but we have to forgive them. Thank you for making my heart light, Lord! Let us forgive others early and often. To You be all the glory, honor and praise, forever and ever! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Challenge

Worship God until you are exhausted. Sing like you've never sang. Praise the Lord like He deserves to be praised.

God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!

A Moment of Introspection

"We can't assume that God is only going to teach us what we need to know on Sunday."

Many years ago, my spiritual life only existed on Sundays. I went to church because my parents made me go. I brought a Bible because I had to.

Now I realize that there is much more to God than a one hour, weekly experience! Jesus has saved me from going to Hell. He wants me to seek and find Him. He will protect me and give me good things.

Everyone is in a different place in their spiritual journey. Where are you? Do you know how much a great Bible study and an extra church service would be for you? Do you know how awesome it would be to pray and read God's Word, daily?

Please make a commitment to obey God every day of the week. You'll never regret it. However, you will regret filling your days with unspiritual practices. When we get to Heaven, we will wish that we didn't waste so much time on Earth. Make an effort to seek, obey and love God and be truly devoted to Him. You'll be blessed and rewarded!

Quotations

When I'm purified, I can see God again.

Your circumstances should have no effect on your vision.

Fasting helps us become aware or our fleshly desires.

I'm God's painting.

Try and see the art from the eyes of the artist.

I'm always changing and relying on the One who never changes.

Can you look into God's eyes and see His inspiration?

Giving God 95% of my life is giving Him 5% less than He wants from me.

Denying God doesn't detract from His majesty, but it does separate you from your divine Father.

Today is the day for victory!

If we let Satan have strongholds in our life, how can we effectively impact others?

Jesus is the only one with the cure for sin and death.

Watch God accomplish changes in areas you have not been able to change.

Stay devoted to God in your private life.

It's far more important to do God's will than my own.

We have no time to sin.

Pride keeps us from introspection.

God is our sugar daddy, but He won't give us certain things.

Fighting against God is like Lex Luther fighting Superman.

Do you look for reasons to give or reasons not to give?

If only I could live like there was no tomorrow.

It's amazing what some people will do for attention.

If the only consequence of the sins of my past was the intruding memories of those sins, they still wouldn't be worth doing.

There are some memories that I wish I didn't have, but I don't know what to do with the memories I don't want.

If you could see yourself how God sees you, you would be changed forever.

What is your assignment from God?

God wants to show His power through all of us, not just the pastors or evangelists.

Because the Jews assumed they knew what the Messiah would look like, they had a difficult time recognizing Jesus as God's Messiah.

Who is Jesus?

Don't try to squeeze Jesus into your idea of a Savior.

God's plan for us is so incredible that we can't even imagine it.

Accepting Christ as your Lord and Savior is just the beginning.

It takes dedication to develop the power of God in your life.

All believers have been anointed by God.

It's time to live a changed life for God.

We can't sit back and watch people run through the gates of Hell.

Demonic powers try to stop the preaching of God's Word.

Once you have Christ in you, you don't have to feel bound by sin any more.

Has anyone wanted to kill you for your faith in Jesus?

I'm just a nobody trying to everybody about somebody named Jesus.

Abundant life doesn't include poverty.

Our faith in Christ has given us hundreds of promises - some of which we don't even remember.

Worship God until you tremble.

Ancient Corinth probably resembled Las Vegas.

How do you decide who is credible and who is not?

Don't even entertain the spirits that kept you in bondage in the past.

If you suffer from an ailment or demonic oppression, pray and fast to be released.

Your friends will get married.

Spiritual maturity takes time.

Do you feel like a baby Christian?

God wants to heal you from every angle!

Do you have Christian friends that aren't afraid to ask you tough questions about your spiritual walk?

God speaks to us in the church services. It's important that we remember what He's saying.

Are your friends' negative words and thoughts impacting you in a negative way?

Meditate and pray on your social skills and habits.

Even if your life is really full and you don't have much time to rest or reflect, take some time to meditate and chew on some of your experiences.

If you have a religious belief that is based solely on what you hear, not on the things you read and know in the Bible, how do you know you are following the truth?

If all cult members were reading the Bible and consulting several sources for interpretation, there would be less cult members.

We can't assume that God is only going to teach us what we need to know on Sunday.

Have you ever questioned something your pastor has taught?

We need a solid relationship with God based on our investigation of the scriptures.

Wouldn't it be awesome to encourage others with solid, biblical truths, not simply fluff?

If someone says something is true, would you recognize if it wasn't?

Look for answers to prayers.

God can answer your prayers in larger ways than you can imagine.

A miracle is anything God can do that you can't do.

Ask God to do things that only He can do.

Are you addicted to your concept of success?

Identify your impossible situations and tell them to God.

Will people recognize that you've been healed and delivered?

God is calling some people to leave their jobs and pursue ministry.

When you give your impossible situation to God, He guarantees He will do something about it.

God has more important things to say to you than you have to say to Him.

Whatever impossible situation you are in, God is in it with you.

God has the power and knowledge to get you out of your troubles.

God can do infinitely more for you than you can do for yourself.

Don't allow someone's beautiful, physical features make you accept poor treatment from them.

How big are you dreaming?

Use me to do something that I'm not even thinking of.

My life should include 100% of God's ideas and none of my own.

The spirits that were haunting you could be oppressing someone you used to socialize with when they were oppressing you.

God does the things you think could never happen.

God wants you 24/7.

If you won't surrender everything to God, why surrender anything to Him?

Life on Earth is like an appetizer compared to eternity with Christ.

People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

Working for the world lets you think about the things of the world. Working for God lets you think about the things of God.

We can't worry about how many people we are impacting for Christ when we are trying to impact everyone. Let Him be the God of the numbers and us be the diligent servants.

The Bible is spiritual food. You don't want to over or under-eat.

A church where you can't grow spiritually is like a fountain that won't pour water.

I stand in awe when I see the joy that God gives.

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He had a wallet, your picture would be in it.

God could live anywhere in the universe and He chose your heart.

I was trying to encourage you with the most powerful thing in the universe, the most pure and loving thing known to humankind, but maybe you'd prefer comics.

Something that encourages you may not encourage someone else.

When I'm doing what I supposed to be doing, God will take great care of me.

God has more options that you realize.

Let God reveal things to you.

I'm more interested in what your heart looks like, not what your face looks like.

Show your boss that you love Jesus by asking him or her for Sundays off.

How can you be tempted while you're reading the Bible? How can you sin while you are reading the Bible?

Everyone who has saving faith in Christ has the Holy Spirit inside of them. All of these people have a special purpose and should make a contribution to the cause of Christ.

It's not always easy to step out and do what you know you should do.

Your thoughts can become words. Your words can become actions. Actions can become habits. Habits can become part of your character.

I want my life to prove what my lyrics are saying.

When I die, I just want to be remembered as a Christian.

Meeting Jesus is one thing. Becoming like Him is another.

God won't make us love Him with all our heart. We must do that.

Live a life that looks like what you say you believe.

I repent of ever having played one single song, and ever having performed one concert, if my music, and more importantly, my life has not provoked you to sell out more completely to Jesus!

When the heat is on, only those whose roots run deep will survive.

Jesus Christ is the only way to experience true spiritual enlightenment.

Jesus Christ already knows what lies ahead, so let him lead the way.

Although God's wisdom is wiser than any other type of wisdom, some non-Christians will never accept it.

Are you fiending for God?

Seek the Creator to find why you were created.

Don't love in moderation.

Always keep God in the center of your relationships.

Help encourage a missionary by writing them a letter.

These quotes came from God, me, the Inspirational Study Bible (with Max Lucado), Kevin Clark, Chris Kraus and Miles McPhearson.

These quotes can be used for sanctification and fun. Most of them are directly based on scripture and scriptural principles. Some of my quotes are humorous or rhetorical. Some are written from sermons and Bible studies. Others are lyrics from songs. Like most verses in the Bible, they can be debated. To use what I have written in the most beneficial way, try and trace them back to the scriptures they were derived from and apply the true principles to your life in a meaningful way! Please don't sell my quotes or publish them for profit. If English is not your first language, you may not understand some of the quotes. I'm sorry, but some of them are English metaphors and deal with multiple word meanings. God bless you all!

Please make a commitment to pray for this ministry. As every believer is tempted and tried, this ministry faces trials also. God has blessed me, JCSM and the people who have been reached! Unfortunately, the enemy knows this and spiritual warfare is the result. Please, at least pray that the devotions continue to be sent religiously, the web pages stay on the www and the subscribers are blessed, sanctified and protected from evil. Thank you very much in advance!

Do you want to help people receive the good news? I have sent nearly 500,000 emails, encouraging people with God's Word! Please join me in the great commission. I'm reaching new people every day with God's awesome Word! If God has blessed you and you wish to send a love offering to me and my ministry, please send it to the address below.

You can help this ministry! Your donations will keep my ministries running and they further my visions for evangelism. The internet, the telephone (volunteering time for the Youth Crisis hotline), the guitar, singing and gospel tracts are some ways that I encourage people and lead them to Christ. I'm certain there will be more ways to reach people in the future. Along with getting support, I also give support! I regularly give to my church and frequently give to needy people. Lastly, I do a lot of research on religious topics on the internet and at the library. You will definitely see the results of my work on my web page and in the weekly messages!

For more about me and my service history, go to http://resume.jcsm.org. For what I do, my ministries and giving, go to http://vision.jcsm.org

If you have received these devotions from someone other than I, please email me and I will send them to you, personally, each week. Don't worry, I don't send forwards or any other junk mail. I also refrain from giving your name to anyone. Also, email me if you wish to be removed from this list. If you prefer to receive the devotions in Spanish, please email me and I'll send you them each week in Spanish!

If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please email me! I would love to share the gospel with you. The Bible is very straightforward when it speaks about Heaven, Hell and eternal life. If there is any doubt that you are going to Heaven when you die, please let me know today!

Are you having trouble in life? Do you need someone to talk to? You can call the youth crisis hotline at 1-800-HIT-HOME, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I'm currently volunteering time for this hotline. Our motto is "help, not hassle". We will listen to you and encourage you. If you are hurting and need someone to talk to, please feel free to call. YDI pays for these calls and has helped over 1 million people! They are also looking for people to answer calls. Their web site is at http://www.1800hithome.com.

Would you like to feed starving people by simply clicking a button and paying absolutely nothing? Sponsors pay to donate food to hungry people all over the world. I click this nearly every day. It takes about 10 seconds and it donates food to needy people! Go here: www.thehungersite.com

JCSM now does regular mailings! If you are getting rid of your email or know someone who wants the devotions, but doesn't have email, please give me their address and we'll send them the devotions. If you don't have internet access, but want to read a certain web page or Bible lesson, let me know. I could copy and paste something into an email message for you.

The weekly devotional message has been sent since April, of 1997. This message currently reaches 3614 people in 98 countries. To read a list of the countries, go here: http://www.jcsm.org/misc/countries.htm. To read the archived devotions online, go here: http://devos.jcsm.org.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

http://www.jcsm.org

Over 1500 Links!