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Hello!

If you're interested in being encouraged with God's Word and seeing how JCSM is reaching millions of people all over the world, then keep reading!

Do you remember when I wrote about wanting to send the gospel to one million people? I asked you to continue praying for this to happen. Well, God has provided a way!

Last week, we sent the gospel to 246,062 people! This was a huge answer to prayer. Along with those email addresses, we also have about 33 million more email addresses! Please pray that God blesses this endeavor and protects this ministry. A lot of "bad" things have been happening, lately, and we're certain it's because the devil is very unhappy.

Due to this large mailing, the web site was down for a few days. I'm sorry if you tried to visit JCSM and couldn't. However, the site is up to stay, now! We have moved JCSM to a Christian ISP (next week, I'll give you some information about this company). We have also added the site name "www.jcsm.net". Happy surfing! Praise the Lord because He is worthy to be praised.

Are you in need of an awesome study Bible? Do you live outside of the United States? I've purchased an extra copy of my favorite study Bible and I'm looking for someone who needs it. In the U.S., you can buy a Bible in nearly any city, so I'm looking for someone who has no Bible or has no access to buying Bibles. Please email me! I'd love to send it this week!

Tuesday is a big day for Christian music! Audio Adrenaline releases their much-anticipated "Lift" album, Jennifer Knapp releases her "The Way I Am" album and Creed releases their new album called "Weathered"! I have many albums from all of these artists, so I can recommend them highly. Creed is played by secular music stations, but God, the Bible and Jesus Christ were all throughout their first two albums, so I found them encouraging.

The Kry will be playing at Maranatha Chapel, at 7pm, again this Wednesday. I missed them last week, so I'll be there Wednesday. If you live near Rancho Bernardo, check out the Bible study and special music. Ray Bentley is a great pastor.

This week, I'll be attending the ACSI teachers' convention in Anaheim. Please pray that it goes well. There will be some awesome speakers. I'll take good notes and show what I learned in the next devotional message.

This Thursday, we are celebrating Thanksgiving in the United States. I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving! Take some time to reflect on the things God has given you and how you should thank Him.

Would you like to get some deep information about the book of Hebrews? One of my favorite seminary classes taught me on the book of Hebrews. I took tons of notes and you can read them here: http://www.jcsm.org/Education/Hebrews.htm.

We are using a new mailing program to send these devotions. Thankfully, this program lets us send the devotions in html format! You can count on JCSM to keep sending you the encouraging devotions in an easier to read (and enjoy!) format.

Are you receiving about twelve pages with this message? If this message is truncated, and perhaps you're only receiving half of it, you can always find these devotions on our web site! Simply go here: http://devos.jcsm.org.

This is your ministry, so please feel free to link to JCSM and forward these devotions to your friends and family. On the JCSM website, there are over 1500 links (pictures, midis, Bible lessons, humor, proverbial stories, links, devotions, poetry, prayer journals and much more!) and it has registered over 58,000 hits!

Would you like to support God's work on the web? If this ministry has touched you in a special way, please pray and consider sending a gift to JCSM. You can join us in our vision to reach people on the web with the good news! Please email me or see our address below.

Welcome to the recipients of this message! Here are the devotions, challenge, the Bible word of the week and the quotations for the week. Have a fantastic week and God bless you!

Love in Christ,

Jason J. Gastrich

http://jcsm.org/contact.php

ICQ#: 20731140

The Weekly Devotional Message

Day 1: "Admire God"

Psalm 150 "Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!"

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us so many great reasons to admire You, Lord! Bless us and make us like You. Praise You for making everything that we see and feel; and even the senses that reveal these things to us. Thank you for blessing us and asking us to do things that benefit us. You are an awesome God. Thank you for being everywhere at once! Thank you for loving us more than we understand. Praise You for making the universe and maintaining it! Let us understand You and your ways. Help us to know You and love You more. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Wait On God"

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

Prayer: "Thank you for helping us be still. Give us your awesome peace, Lord. Let us be silent and hear You speak. Thank you for always wanting to help and direct us. Let us be sensitive to You and your Holy Spirit. Forgive us for forgetting to consult You before making decisions. Help us to make wiser decisions. Thank you for being patient with us, even when we aren't patient with You. Praise You for wanting to love us and doing so, no matter what. Let us love like You do. Let us be like You, Lord. Thank you for having such awesome things for the ones who love and follow You. Help us to find a place where we can be silent and hear your voice. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Confess Your Sins"

Psalm 19:12-14 "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."

Psalm 139:23 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;"

1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together, Says the LORD, Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool."

Psalm 103:12 "As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us."

Prayer: "Thank you for forgiving us of our sins! Thank you for wiping us clean. Thank you for removing our guilt, shame and even our scars. There's no other God like You. Remind us of the awesome healing power that You have. Let us reach for You and accept You. Thank you for loving us enough to forgive us. Thank you for the feeling we have after we've been forgiven! Help us to forgive others; not just for their sake, but for our sake and for your sake. Thank you for lifting us up and healing us when we choose to forgive. Remind us that forgiving others isn't saying that they were right, but it's loving them despite their sin. Thank you for loving us, despite our sin. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "Intercede For Others"

John 17:9, 11 "I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.

James 5:16 "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."

Prayer: "Thank you for the chances to pray for others. Help us to take advantage of these times. Show us who needs prayer and when we can pray for them. Thank you for giving us needs that only You can meet. Help us to cling to You and admit our dependence on You. Praise You for wanting us to be unselfish enough to intercede for others. Let us follow You and do what You will, no matter what everyone else is doing. If even the "best" spiritual leaders aren't following You closely enough, let us follow You as closely as we possibly can. You are our God and You are our standard. Help us to set aside time to pray for others. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "Petition God"

Matthew 5:43-45 "You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."

Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me."

1 Chronicles 4:10 "And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain! So God granted him what he requested."

James 4:2b "Yet you do not have because you do not ask."

Philippians 4:6 "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;"

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to ask You for stuff. Help us to ask for stuff that we can use for your glory. Thank you for knowing how to meet our needs like nobody else can. Bless us, increase our ministries, lay your hands on us and keep us from evil. Let this ministry keep growing, Lord. Let the JCSM site receive over 1,000 hits per day! Thank you for answering our prayers to send the gospel to 1,000,000 people! Bless our ministries and remind us that we all have ministries. Help us to love You more and more and never give Christians a bad name by our behavior. Increase our skills and talents. Let us use them for your glory! To You be all the glory, honor and praise. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Jesus Prayed"

John 17:1-5 "Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."

Matthew 26:36 "Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, Sit here while I go and pray over there."

Mark 1:35 "Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed."

Luke 6:12 "Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God."

Matthew 6:9-15 "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Luke 5:16 "So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed."

Prayer: "Thank you for having Jesus Christ pray. Thank you for having Him come to Earth and save us for our sins. Remind us that He didn't 'need' to pray like we need to pray, but He prayed because He was our perfect example and we should be praying often. Thank you for the way Jesus prayed before making big decisions, like choosing the twelve apostles. Help us to pray before we make big decisions, too! Thank you for speaking to us and directing us when we take the time to seek your will and your lead. Praise You for never leading us astray. Thank you for always showing us the right way. You are an awesome God! Give us more faith in You, Lord. Let us grow and grow. Let us be like Jesus Christ. Thank you for the way Jesus came, lived, taught, died and rose again. Help us to consume your Word and understand You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "Responding To Hardships"

Matthew 5:10-12 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

James 1:2-4 "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

1 Peter 4:16 "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter."

Prayer: "Thank you for helping us through the hard times. Thank you for being faithful to us! You are our sweet Lord and Savior. Praise You for delivering us. Thank you for rewarding us on Earth and in Heaven for the time we suffer. Remind us that You are near and You are true to your promises. Thank you for holding our hand and going before us, with us and behind us. There is no other God that loves us and protects us like You do. Let us reach for You and see You in the sanctuary. Help us to pray to you daily and see You. Let us look up and be encouraged with the truths in your Word. You are our God and a very present help in trouble. Let us know the scriptures, memorize them and use them in our time of need. Thank you for being eternal and true! In Jesus' name, Amen."

ChallengeWrite the name of one person who isn't saved and pray for him or her to get saved.

Write the name of one person who is sick and pray for their healing.

Pick one or your enemies and pray for them.

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

The Bible Word of the Week

gentile: a person of a non-Jewish nation or a non-Jewish faith; especially a Christian as distinguished from a Jew

The Quotations of the Week

Parables compare a natural truth to a spiritual truth.

If you pray for a long time, you increase the chances of getting your prayers answered.

Jesus healed people without even seeing them.

Jesus didn't go to ministry school. He prayed the Word.

Imitate Christ's compassion by putting the needs of others ahead of your own.

If you don't pray, you won't be able to do what He did.

You have to pray like God to have God's power.

When you ask Christ to come into your heart, you are entitled to a relationship with God.

God wants you to continually talk to Him.

You need to walk intimately with God, so you can see how He works in your life.

You can only trust God as far as you know Him; and you can only know Him if you spend time with Him.

If you don't spend time with God, you won't know Him.

God knows when you know.

Praying for people is work.

God can give you love for people you don't like.

God keeps track of what you say, but can you?

When you need comfort, turn to the Comforter.

When the Israelites turned to God, they invariably won; and won big.

Have you ever experienced redemptive suffering?

Since God is with us and in us, we cannot fear.

Hope in God is the cure for a downcast soul.

When we get to Heaven, many of us will realize the privilege of prayer has become like an expired coupon for a wonderful, free gift.

Have you done greater things than Jesus did?

Prepare yourself for prayer with God.

Do you believe that the God you pray to is the only God?

God did not require obedience to different laws from different people.

When God speaks to you, write it down.

If you don't know something, you can't write it down.

Pray the Word.

God is happy to honor His promises.

Don't just pray anything and think the Bible will justify it because you're a Christian.

When you realize how good God is, you will crave Him forever.

How long will it take you to thank God?

God wants His people to have rest and peace.

Confession involves agreeing with God about your sin.

The more of your heart you give to God, the more He can change.

God would love to hear you ask Him to show you your sins.

If we are very honest, we'll agree that our sins are not only wicked, but childish.

God can cleanse you from addictive behaviors and thoughts.

Write the name of one person who isn't saved and pray for him or her to get saved.

Write the name of one person who is sick and pray for their healing.

Pick one or your enemies and pray for them.

Loving your enemy does something supernatural to them.

God is the one who protects us from terrorists.

If they do not know Jesus Christ, the depth of their depravity is unfathomable.

These quotes came from God, me, the Inspirational Study Bible (with Max Lucado) 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. If you'd like me to go into more detail on any of them, please email me.

Like most verses in the Bible, they can be debated. To use what I've written in the most beneficial way, try and trace them back to the scriptures 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? We share the gospel over 2.5 million times each year! Please join us in the great commission. We're 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.

Dr. Jason Gastrich

4000 Mystra Dr.

Oceanside, Ca 92056

You can join our vision and help this ministry! Your donations will keep these ministries running and further our visions for evangelism. Hundreds of web pages have been created to lead people to the Lord. Frequently, we make new ones and they are used to bring more and more people into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. We're certain there will be more ways to reach people in the future.

Along with getting support, we also give support! JCSM regularly gives to churches and needy people. Another function of this ministry is to do counseling. We are always answering questions about life, the Lord and everything in between. Lastly, we do a lot of research on religious topics on the internet and library. You will definitely see the results of our hard work and your loving support, in the web pages, and in the weekly devotions!

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 JCSM, please email us and we will send them to you, personally, each week. Don't worry. We don't send forwards or any other junk mail. Plus, we refrain from giving your name to anyone.

The devotions are sent on Friday nights. The gospel is sent on the 11^th of every month and the monthly newsletter is sent on the 20^th. These are the only messages we send, however, please email me us you wish to be removed from this list. If you prefer to receive the devotions in Spanish, send us a request because the devotions have been reaching the Spanish speaking community for over a year!

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 and 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. Their motto is "help, not hassle". 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 these nearly every day. It takes about 10 seconds and it donates food to needy people! Go here: www.stopthehunger.com and here www.thehungersite.com.

Go here to donate free Bibles to people: www.TheBibleSite.org. If you want to join a Christian organization that helps feed and clothe poor people, check into World Vision. You can see their site here: www.worldvision.com. Compassion International is another, great Christian organization that rivals World Vision. You can visit them here: www.ci.org.

Do you believe in evolution? If you can prove that the evolution of species has happened, Dr. Dino will give you $250,000. I know Kent Hovind and this is a legitimate offer. For more information, please see his web site: http://www.drdino.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 us 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 us know. We can copy and paste something into an email message for you. If you have internet access and need a great, online, study Bible, go here: www.biblestudytools.net. I recommend using either the King James Version or the New King James Version Bible.

JCSM operates in Oceanside, California, United States. This ministry has been certified by the Evangelical Ministries to New Religions. EMNR is an accrediting body for sound, Christian ministries that preach the true gospel of God to people in other religions and cults. Their web site is located here: http://www.emnr.org.

Since April of 1997, the weekly devotional message has been sent on the internet. This message currently reaches over 42,000 people in 99 countries. To read a list of these countries, go here: http://www.jcsm.org/misc/countries.htm. To read the archived devotions online, go here: http://devos.jcsm.org.

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Jesus loves you!

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believe in Him should have everlasting life."