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Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

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Hello!

I pray you had a great weekend!

Mine was fine. I went to the Harvest Crusade on Friday night and about 3,000 people accepted Christ! The music and the message were moving and awesome. Over the three nights, there were about 10,000 people who accepted Christ! Please pray that they seek Him daily and make a difference in their circles of influence.

At the end of this month, I'll be moving to a great house in San Marcos! It has 5 bedrooms, a big living room and kitchen, 2 1/2 bathrooms, a big attic, a garage and it's on a lot of land. Some godly friends of mine live there, too. Please pray that everything goes well and I make the transition nicely.

Do you need prayer? Would you like to be put on a prayer chain, email list? If so, please email me your request.

Please pray for a homeless man named Warren. Last week, I had the privilege to lead him to the Lord! I gave him a Bible, prayed and sang with him. He wants to go to Hemet and live with his family. Please pray for his protection and sanctification.

Have you felt led to encourage people in prison? There are many Christians who are in prison for their faith. If you'd like to see a list of names and addresses, go here: http://www.persecution.com/Ministry/ministry.asp?f_ID=9

Our fast went well. I prayed for Christian ministers and other things. Please consider obeying God in the area of fasting. I know that some of you fast and some of you don't. God's Word tells us to fast in several places. If you don't, you are disobeying Him and missing out on a deeper relationship with Jesus. I couldn't be any more emphatic when I say that you will regret not obeying God in this area.

For tickets to Christian concerts, go here: http://www.ccauthority.com

Last week, the devotions were sent in French! I've felt God's prompting to reach more people and reach French-speaking people. I'm thankful for this opportunity. Please pray for these new recipients for the devotions.

Have you been looking for some good Christian rap? You can find some for free, here: http://www.mp3.com/futureshock. In fact, Future Shock is my friend's band and they are very talented. Yo, check 'em out!

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 34,300 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: "Devotion - Day and Night"

Psalm 1:1,2 "Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night."

Joshua 1:8 "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."

Deuteronomy 5:7 "You shall have no other gods before Me."

2 Timothy 1:3 "I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to pray and be devoted to You - day and night! Help us to be committed to You, Lord. Thank you for showing us awesome things. Let us remember that we need a relationship with You in order to be satisfied and made complete. Thank you for always being there for us! You are a faithful God. Help us to continue praising and loving You, always. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Martyrdom - What it May Take"

Luke 12:8 "Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God."

Matthew 10:21-23 "Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends."

Hebrews 10:32-34 "But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven."

2 Timothy 2:11-13 "This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to obey You at all costs. Prepare us for any persecution. Make us extremely bold and strong, Lord. Thank you for dying for us and never denying us. Praise You for being our perfect example! Help us to never let You down. Remind us that we will be spending Heaven in eternity - whether we die of natural causes or die earlier. Your perfect will be done, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "No More Fear!"

1 John 4:18 "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."

Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

Matthew 10:28 "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to be unfearful in this world! Remove our fear and forgive us for being fearful. Remind us that You are the Almighty God and You are in control. Thank you for giving me great peace, Lord! There is none other like You. Thank you for letting me see things in proper perspective. Give us joy and peace. Let us never fear people, but only fear You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "The Precious Cornerstone"

Psalm 118:22 "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone."

Isaiah 28:16 "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: 'Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.'"

Ephesians 2:20 "Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone."

1 Peter 2:6 "Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.'"

Prayer: "Thank you for being the cornerstone of our faith, Jesus. Thank you for fulfilling prophecy and showing us the way. Thank you for being the kind of Messiah that You were supposed to be, not simply the kind of Messiah the Jews were looking for. Bless us and help us to see You how You truly are. Change us, too. Let us grow in love for You and for others. Help us to spread the gospel, too. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "Ask and Learn!"

Matthew 18:21, 22 "Then Peter came to Him and said, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'"

Acts 16:30-31 "And he brought them out and said, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved? So they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.'"

Matthew 18:1-4 "At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, 'Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, 'Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'"

Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

Acts 9:5, 6 "And he said, 'Who are You, Lord?' Then the Lord said, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' So he, trembling and astonished, said, 'Lord, what do You want me to do? Then the Lord said to him, 'Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.'"

Prayer: "Thank you for answering us, Lord! Help us to bring our questions to You. Praise You for being the only One with all the right answers! Let us trust You completely. You are our awesome God. Thank you for having patience with us. Help us to grow quicker and run towards You. Help us to listen and accept Your answers. Prepare us for your knowledge and wisdom, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Read the Bible"

Psalm 119:10 "With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!"

Joshua 1:8 "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."

Proverbs 7:1-3 "My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart."

Romans 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."

2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

2 Timothy 2:15 "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

Prayer: "Thank you for letting us have your Word! Thank you that we can read it freely in the United States. Praise You! Help us to learn it and memorize it. Thank you for giving us the ability to read. Give us discipline, so we can discover your awesome truths and ways. Thank you for teaching us fantastic things! Thank you for never changing. Thank you for helping us live better lives. Help us to apply your truths to our lives. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "Rest and Recuperate"

Genesis 2:2 "And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done."

Luke 23:56 "Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment."

Psalm 4:8 "I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety."

Ecclesiastes 5:12 "The sleep of a laboring man is sweet, Whether he eats little or much; But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep."

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us the example of You resting on the 7th day, Lord. Thank you for wanting us to work hard and rest. Help people to do this and not work too much. Thank you for the wonder of sleep and recuperation! Restore our energy and let us work hard again. Let us relax as we should. Help us to feel good about taking necessary rest. Thank you for being an understanding and perfect God. Thank you for creating these bodies with the need for rest. To You be all the glory, honor and praise, forever and ever! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Challenge

Get some Bibles and give them away! There are people who have never read God's Word. It only takes a couple dollars to buy a few Bibles and many churches will give them to you for free! Keep them and give them to people who need them. God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!

A Moment of Introspection

"The giants in your mind become the giants in your life." This quote came to me last week as I was catching giant, 8 foot waves. The surf was really big and when I looked at a huge wave that was going to crash in front of me, at times, it was intimidating.

When the waves were building, I had a choice - either paddle really hard and fast and try and make it over the wave before it crashed - or stay where I was and duck dive under the white wash. When I saw a huge wave and I let it intimidate me, I stayed put and had to fight the powerful white wash. However, when I put the wave in proper perspective, it shrunk in my mind, and I was able to paddle over it before it crashed.

Life is much like this. The things that we let seem life-threatening and unbearable can become just that. If we can see things like God does, we can respond much better. He is in control no matter what. He loves us and will protect us.

As I was catching these waves by myself, I had to pray and rely on God's protection. It was all I needed. With Him by my side and His truth in my mind, I couldn't be stopped! To God be the glory!

Quotations

Lust effects your mind, attitude and actions.

Do you have to be in a place where all you can do is reach up before you look to God?

There is a difference between coping out and listening to God.

Exalt God before yourself.

Satan is the second most powerful force on Earth.

If you always felt God's presence in your life, how would He develop your faith?

Make time for witnessing.

It's better to quit than be fired.

How can you ask for things if you can't even take care of what you have?

Isn't it awesome when we see God move?

It's possible for nobody to share the vision God gives you.

Judas was an amazing actor.

Jesus came to pay a debt we couldn't pay.

Fools believe only what they see.

Christians are born into God's church.

Accepting Christ isn't something you want to put off.

Contact with holy things with no conversion can harden your heart.

You'll know it when Christ is living in you.

God wants you to talk to Him before, during and after your crises.

Having a Bible doesn't make you a Christian any more than having a surfboard makes you a surfer.

You may be saying, "Show me and I will believe," but Jesus is saying to you, "Believe and I'll show you."

Is there anything like a new worship song?

After you conquer the little waves, God will send you bigger ones.

The giants in your mind become the giants in your life.

God doesn't know any fear.

You probably won't get any wisdom from the ones you don't think are wise or worth listening to.

If you feel lonely or discontent when you're alone, how will you ever have quality time alone with God?

Recognize that you're singing praise songs at a certain volume and in a certain tone of voice for a reason.

Praise God in your own tone and volume.

You were better for me than I was for myself.

Hellenists were Jewish by blood, but Greek by culture.

Proselytes were people who had converted to Judaism.

Samaritans were half Jewish.

A Gentile doesn't have to become a Jew before they can become a Christian. Likewise, people don't have to be religious before they get saved.

How flexible are you with letting people express themselves?

Jesus isn't waiting to return because He has forgotten about us. He is giving people time to repent.

God isn't merely tolerating our presence. He wants to be with us.

You can't lose your salvation because you didn't earn it.

Believers have been sealed by God and nobody is strong enough to break that seal.

Salvation is not achieved through religion.

Build the church and your faith on God, not cultural norms.

Do not burden people with cultural requirements to a universalistic message!

How much of what we do is cultural?

Before Christ, Gentiles and Jews were like oil and water - they didn't mix.

Some of the Bible's commands were directed to certain cultural habits.

A church becomes healthy when the members clearly know what they believe.

We must be able to reject false teachings.

Are you making an effort to grow spiritually?

Is our church built on God's grace or cultural mandates?

Following up on the seeds you plant is important.

If you aren't memorizing scripture, serving God or praying, it is your fault.

I can't sit in church for five minutes without God talking to me.

Have you allowed God to separate you from the world?

Are you holding onto worldly philosophies?

God will separate you to Himself and send you out.

When you preach the Word of God, some will encourage you and others will persecute you.

If you want to know what eating has to do with spirituality, stop eating and find out.

The more of the Word of God you know, the more your faith will grow.

Don't have an opinion. Have God's opinion.

You can't walk with God or be on fire for Him if you don't read His Word.

When you're not thinking about God, He's thinking about you.

Don't let the irritating people in your life see the end of your love.

We don't live under circumstances, we live under God's grace.

How many people do you tell about Jesus?

If you aren't spreading the gospel, what good are you to God?

To which degree are you willing to surrender to God?

When God calls you to do something you must be willing to make whatever sacrifices are necessary.

When you wake up, are you excited that God is in your life?

When you think your life is falling apart, have faith in God to pull you through.

Do you know how much you can do with desire and determination?

Be gracious to someone who isn't your friend.

To love someone is to want to help them obey God.

It takes energy to be angry at someone.

Find someone you can talk to about Biblical truths.

The flesh is never satisfied.

Maybe Hell will be like having a great need and never being satisfied.

Look past your problems.

Think Heavenly, not fleshly.

You don't want my problems.

We have the right to call the Creator of the universe Abba Father.

God has the infinite supply of pain-relief.

I'm looking for another door to be opened instead of focusing on the closed one.

The decree of man does not prevail over the decree of God.

WWJFD? (What Would Jesus Freaks Do?)

Suffering is not the worst thing that could happen to us. Disobedience to God is the worst thing.

Some Christians haven't even attempted to think about whether or not they would die for Jesus because they haven't really been living for Him.

You may never have to face the decision of whether or not to die for your faith, but every day you face the decision of whether or not you will live for it.

Don't be upset at God for making you have faith.

These quotes came from God, me, the Inspirational Study Bible (with Max Lucado), Miles McPhearson, Greg Laurie and Chico Goff.

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 or French, please email me and I'll send you them each week in either Spanish or French!

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 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 3776 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

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