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Over 2500 Links!

Hello!

What's the deal with alleged alien abductions and sightings? Well, I have a paragraph about them below, but I was actually just trying to get your attention!

Don't forget to visit the JCSM site! There are over 2500 links and new things added all the time.

The first single from my upcoming album is on MP3.com! It was a lot of fun to write and record. This song is about God's sovereign plan and His unconditional love for the fallen people in this world. You can freely listen here: http://Foundation.jcsm.org.

Do you want to see if there's any porn or foul language on your computer? The following site will scan your computer, for free, and let you know. You'll have to remove it yourself or pay a small fee for the removal software. If you have lots of people (or kids) using your computer, this may be a great opportunity for you to see what's on your system. Link: http://www.contentwatch.com.

Would you like to go to a free, Christian music festival? JCSM is giving away 4 tickets to this year's JerichoFest! If you live in or near Northern Virginia and are available on August 3^rd, you'll want to email me. Pillar, PAX217, Superchick and many others will be there. Be the first person to email me about the free tickets and they're yours! Here is the festival's web site: http://www.jerichofest.com.

Are you ready for the big debate? The well known, Christian scientist Kent Hovind (http://www.drdino.com) is debating a well-schooled atheist named Massimo Pigliucci! This will take place on Thursday, May 23^rd, at 5pm PST (Pacific Standard Time). You can hear this debate, only on the web, at http://www.infidelguy.com/shows.htm.

Last week, my debate with a leading atheist was ranked #36, in it's genre, on MP3.com! You can hear the entire 103 minutes (or you can select different clips, based on the different topics) here: http://www.jcsm.org/1on1/Atheist1Debate.htm.

If you like reading about archaeological finds that lend proof to Creation, you'll like the next two sites. Did you know that some Incan burial stones have been found depicting people interacting with dinosaurs? Evolutionists claim that people could never have lived with dinosaurs because the latter lived "millions of years ago". If you'd like to learn about this discovery, please go here: http://www.creationists.org/livedinos01.html.

Another site that mentions the burial stones and some other finds is http://www.bible.ca/tracks/dino-fossils.htm.

If you live in the Southern California area, you'll want to see Kevin Max, Switchfoot and Starflyer 59! They're playing this Saturday at the El Rey Theater (5515 Wilshire Blvd.) in Los Angeles! I'll be there, so let me know if you will.

I've began reading "Understanding Bible Prophecy For Yourself" by Tim LaHaye (the co-author of the Left Behind series). I'm really enjoying this book! If you'd like to read my review (and many other book reviews), please go here: http://bookreviews.jcsm.org. If you like, you can even leave your own book reviews or comment on mine!

Would you like the gospel on audio tape? If so, let me know! We're giving it away to whoever emails me. We're trying to get the good news to anyone who wants it and we know that it's nice to hear it instead of read it, sometimes. We will even ship internationally.

Please pray for us as we prepare and send the gospel to India. We've found a Christian ministry who needs the gospel on audio cds. It will take a good amount of time to copy the 59 cds that compose the entire Bible, but it will be worth it. Please pray that our computer doesn't crash and the cds do not stop burning in the middle of them (this happens when the computer crashes during copying).

The renowned Christian apologist, Chuck Missler, has written a book called "Alien Encounters" and it summarizes the current alien abduction and contact phenomena. I read his book and it was awfully enlightening. If you'd like to learn more about this, you can actually hear his audio messages, free on the Koinonia House web site! Here's their link: http://www.khouse.org/media/conferences/alien/default.html.

There's one more week in my Pentecost Covenant! I've learned a lot of great things, increased my skills on the guitar, gotten into better physical shape and better spiritual shape! When I'm finished, I'll post my journal and other related info (like I did for my 40 day fasts).

Please pray for an atheist named Randy. Him and I have been having a lot of email exchanges about God, the Bible, prophecy, etc. He has a lot of issues, but I'm enjoying the dialogue. Please pray for the visitors who come to his web site. He has posted our exchanges and he even posted my research on the Daniel 9 prophecy!

God bless you as you grow in love and truth! Someone has said that the only person who likes change is a baby in dirty diapers. Nonetheless, God will be with you as you make changes and reach for Him. Don't give up! God's rewards definitely exceed our sacrifices.

When you have a minute, please take our Salvation Web Poll! Link: http://jcsm.org/salvation/.

If you're a Jeremy Camp fan and live near Oceanside, you'll want to hear him play this Friday. He's performing a free show at the Oceanside pier! He'll begin at 7pm and I'll be there, so say hi. I'm sure you can find me. I have two eyes, two ears and a nose. If that doesn't help, email me or see one of my pictures on my web site.

Are you getting this message every week? Are you receiving about twelve pages with this message? If this message isn't reaching you consistently or if it's shortened, you can always find these weekly devotions on our web site! Devotional archive: http://www.jcsm.org/devos.htm. Plus, if http://www.jcsm.org isn't working, please try http://www.jcsm.net.

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 2500 links (pictures, midis, Bible lessons, humor, proverbial stories, links, devotions, poetry, prayer journals and much more!) and it has registered over 73,000 visits!

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! Either email me for more information or simply go here: http://donations.jcsm.org.

If you need to email me, please see the address below. Hitting "reply" to this message won't send an email to me. I'm sorry if this is an inconvenience to you, however, rest assured that I will answer all of the emails I receive.

Welcome to the new recipients of this message! Here are the devotions, challenge, moment of introspection, 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: "God's Power"

Genesis 17:1 "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless."

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 Corinthians 13:4 "For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you."

Luke 24:49 "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."

Romans 15:13 "Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Prayer: "Praise You for your power, God. Thank you for having more power than we realize or know. Give us some of your power. Help us to do the awesome things that Jesus did. Thank you for wanting us to be successful and victorious. Remove our desires and put your desires in us. Forgive us for any unclean thoughts or motives. Purify us. Empower us to do your will. Let us do miracles in your name. You are the one we want to glorify and praise with the power You work through us. Thank you for being our perfect power source. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "A New Way To Be Human"

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

Romans 12:2 "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Ezekiel 36:26, 27 "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them."

Matthew 26:28 "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

1 Corinthians 11:25 "In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me."

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us a new way to be human! Thank you for making things new and awesome. Help us to see You and be like You. Praise You for forgiving our past. Help us to forgive ourselves for the things we have done. Thank you for having ways and thoughts that are new to us. Thank you for giving us new ideas and a new life. Let us praise You for the newness that You are. Thank you for putting light in our eyes and hearts. Praise You for being such an awesome God. Thank you for making old things interesting because You are with us. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Fully Rely On God (FROG)"

Proverbs 3:5, 6 "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."

Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?"

Matthew 16:24-26 "Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Prayer: "Help us to fully rely on You, Lord. Thank you for taking the time to teach us. Thank you for wanting us to lean completely on You. Thank you for actually wanting our burdens and our cares. Help us to give things to You without worrying about them. Thank you for being such a good God. Help us to trust in You and not just ourselves, our experiences our any other thing. Let us be humble and meek. Thank you for being on the throne, whether we see it or not. Thank you for being a God of order who is always in control. Let us understand You and what You are doing. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "Why Are You Afraid?"

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

Psalm 56:4 "In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?"

Prayer: "Remove our fears, Lord. Thank you for being a mighty God. Thank you for fighting our battles for us. Thank you for wanting us to be unafraid of people and situations. Let us see things in a proper light. Even when we aren't capable of overcoming something or performing perfectly, let us trust You and be unafraid. Thank you for loving us, despite our errors and problems. Let us understand that You love us unconditionally and you're not simply waiting for us to mess up so you can punish us. Give us more strength, Lord. Show us our fears and let us face them and overcome them. To You be all the glory, honor and praise. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "A God For the Hungry and Thirsty"

Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

Matthew 7:7-11 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"

Psalm 42:1, 2 "As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?"

Psalm 63:1 "O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water."

John 7:37 "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

Revelation 21:6 "And He said to me, It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts."

Prayer: "Thank you for feeding us and giving us living water. Let us feast on You, Lord. Thank you for giving us the right kind of spiritual food that we desperately need. Remind us how unsatisfying carnal food is. Thank you for wanting our success and prosperity. Remind us that You are on the side of what is good and we need to be on your side. Let unhealthy food be utterly distasteful, so we immediately turn to You. Reveal the Devil's lies and give us great discernment. Thank you for your awesome Word. Thank you for being the truth. Thank you for letting us worship You and blessing us a lot when we do. There is no God like You! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Easily Offended?"

Matthew 5:7 "Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy."

Colossians 4:6 "Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one."

1 Peter 1:22b "Love one another fervently, with a pure heart."

Matthew 5:39 "But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also."

Colossians 3:12, 13 "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do."

Prayer: "Help us not to be easily offended, Lord. Thank you for the ones that don't get offended at us when we say or do something foolish. Help us to have meekness, self-control, grace, mercy and love. Let us have understanding, too. Thank you for accepting us as we are. Let us be accepting of others, especially when they mess up. Let us always be mindful of the truth and the way things ought to be, but remind us that people are only human and everyone makes mistakes. Give us a light heart. Let things roll off our back. Thank you for giving us resilience. Help us not to be offensive. Forgive us for being unkind or insensitive. Thank you for being our understanding and loving God. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "Jesus' Resurrection"

John 2:19 "Jesus answered and said to them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.'"

John 11:25 "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.'"

John 20:27 "Then He said to Thomas, 'Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.' And Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, 'Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'"

Acts 4:33 "And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all."

1 Peter 1:3-5 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time."

Prayer: "Thank you for rising from the dead, Lord! Thank you for doing exactly what You said You'd do. Bless us and open the eyes of the people who cannot see this truth. Praise You for being stronger than death. Praise You for being God. Thank you for having the power to raise us from the dead. Let us fully trust in You. Only You can save us from Hell. No other person has raised themselves from the dead. No other person can promise us eternal life in Heaven. Let the world understand this and know You. Thank you for being a person that the world will never forget. Thank you the things that Jesus Christ said and did. Thank you for the people who recorded everything. Help us to study the Bible and apply it to our lives. Thank you for giving us such an incredible source of absolute truth. To You be all the glory, honor and praise, forever and ever. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Challenge

Find a Christian mentor!

If you've ever been in a discipleship program or a mentor relationship, you know the value of mentoring. There is probably someone at your church or maybe even a friend or family member who can be your mentor.

Mentors can be spiritual leaders for us. When we have questions or problems, it is great to have someone that's there for us. Please pray for a mentor and see who God puts in your life.

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

A Moment of Introspection

Are you worshiping God like He's really great?

Sometimes I see people worshiping God like He's just ok; singing very softly or not singing at all, clapping like they're trying not to wake someone up, etc. Are you one of these people? If so, how great do you think God is? If you think He's awesome, worship Him like He's awesome.

The Greek Bible Word of the Week

harpazo - to seize, pluck, pull, take

(1 Thessalonians 4:17 "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.")

The Quotations of the Week

Most of us are strong in a few areas, but what about the rest of them?

We take care of the things that matter to us.

Treat your body right.

Blood flowing from exercise effects your brain and perspective.

Learn the truth about your future.

The way you feel will influence the way you act.

Faith-oriented beliefs lend to faith-based behavior.

Have a daily diet of God's Word and apply it to your life daily.

If you put trash in your life, you will reap garbage.

Do you need to change your self talk?

Develop relationships of realness.

Full recovery often requires accountability.

Lone Ranger Christianity doesn't work very well.

Find a Christian mentor.

Allow God to establish a beachhead in your heart.

The whole world is God's back yard.

Are you worshiping God like He's really great?

The world teaches us to feed our fleshly desires and not our spiritual selves.

God never stops pursuing people.

Have you had to pay a price because of your faith?

Either you are or you're not.

Allow faith to rise in your heart.

Grace can suspend the rules.

I can't change divinity because of humanity.

A need takes us to God when we would not go by ourselves.

If you don't seek God voluntarily, He can create a need in You so you do.

God loves you so much, He can't keep His eyes off you.

God is moved by hunger for Him.

Humility draws God to you and pride pushes Him away.

Get to a place where you're not easily offended.

Learn to deal with God's silence and "no" answers.

God wants to see you overcome more than you do.

God responds when you reach for Him in faith, even when you don't have things together perfectly in your life.

If you love God wholeheartedly, worship Him with all your heart.

These quotes came from God, me, the Inspirational Study Bible (with Max Lucado), Troy Lewis and Mike Robertson.

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 email me and I'll give you our mailing address.

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://www.jcsm.org/misc/Resume.htm. For what I do, my ministries and giving, go to http://www.jcsm.org/Give2.htm.

If you need to buy a book, some software, a game or a variety of other things, Amazon.com will have it! If you go to Amazon.com through the following link and buy one of those things, JCSM will receive between 5-15% of the total price! Plus, you get the same discounts and great prices Amazon.com offers all of their customers! If you're interested, here's the link: http://amazon.jcsm.org.

Have you signed our guest book? If not, please go here: http://guestbook.jcsm.org. Did you know that we have some great, original, Christian music on MP3.com? Click here to freely listen to some encouraging tunes: http://jcsm.org/MP3.htm.

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 Mondays, our Bible lesson is sent on Fridays, the gospel is sent in the middle of every month and the monthly newsletter is sent on the 1^st. These are the only messages we send, however, please email me us you wish to be removed from this list.

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! If you'd like to discover the biblical doctrine of salvation through Jesus Christ, please go here: Audio Gospel Message - http://www.jcsm.org/godsplan/TheGospel.mp3. or the Textual Gospel Message - http://www.jcsm.org/GodsPlan/TheGospel.htm.

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: http://www.stopthehunger.com and here http://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: http://www.worldvision.com. Compassion International is another, great Christian organization that rivals World Vision. You can visit them here: http://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: http://bible.jcsm.org. 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 39,000 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://www.jcsm.org/devos.htm.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

http://www.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."