This is the Weekly Devotional Message from

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

Jesus-Christ-Saves.com

Over 1500 Links!

Hello!

I pray that you had a great week and weekend!

I really enjoyed camping with the college and career group from New Venture! We went to the San Clemente State Park for three nights. While we were there, we had great fellowship, worship, body boarding, laughing, telling stories and playing games, etc. Thanks to everyone who made the trip a blast!

The Bible study at Emmanuel Faith was incredible. Paul picked up where we left off. Everyone there was very blessed as we learned about Christ and God's Word. Please pray for this group - for our sanctification and spiritual growth.

I'm still looking for God's will in my living situation. Please pray that I have wisdom as I narrow my choices and have patience. God has been letting my faith be tested, however I know He has something awesome in store for me. Praise the Lord!

Would you like to help this ministry by sending the devotions to people via the regular mail? If so, please email me! There are many people who don't have internet access, but could benefit from the devotions. If you have any addresses of people who need the devotions, please email them to me.

Would you like to be involved with a prison ministry? God's Word exhorts us to remember the people in prison. If you are interested, please write Writemin@aol.com. They can send you an application and more information.

Today, the long-awaited Sonic Flood: Sonic Praise album is being released! Check it out at your local Christian book store (and possible regular music stores). Hopefully, it will be as awesome as their last album!

Please pray that I can speak, at a frat meeting, to the members of my old social fraternity. When I was in college, I joined the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity at SDSU. Since then, I've learned and grown a lot. I want to speak to them and share my testimony (and the gospel) with them. Satan knows that the fraternities are the leaders in the party scene and I have been blocked from speaking to them for awhile. However, I believe God is beginning to make a way.

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 35,135 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.

Would you like to support God's work on the web? 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: "Unclean Spirits"

Mark 1:27 "Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him."

Mark 3:11 "And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, 'You are the Son of God.'"

Acts 5:16 "Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed."

Mark 16:15-18 "And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.'"

John 14:12-14 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it."

Prayer: "Thank you for having power over unclean spirits, Lord! Praise You for making them obey You and your will. Remind us that we have You inside of us. Thank you for doing incredible things through us. Let us seek Your will and do your work, no matter what. Prepare us to do awesome things in your name, Lord. Remind us that we can cast out unclean spirits in your name. They will always be subject to You! Give us boldness and courage and faith. Remove our doubt and worry and strengthen us. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Forsake All and Follow Him"

Luke 9:59-62 "Then He said to another, 'Follow Me.' But he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father. Jesus said to him, 'Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, 'Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house. But Jesus said to him, 'No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'"

Matthew 12:50 "For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."

Luke 14:25-33 "Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 'If anyone comes to Me and does not love less his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it--lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.'"

Prayer: "Thank you for showing us the importance of obeying You and following You, immediately. Thank you for desiring our wholehearted dedication and love. Purify us and forgive us, Lord. Let us be like You and see You clearly. Help us to obey You and do as You wish. Thank you for your patience and mercy. Remind us that we can't waste time or wait for a perfect time to love You. We must live for You, now. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Desire Spiritual Gifts"

1 Corinthians 12:31a "But earnestly desire the best gifts."

1 Corinthians 14:1, 12 "Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel."

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to want spiritual gifts. Let us pray for them and seek them. Help us to want to use them for your glorify and the edification of the believers in Christ. Make us unselfish servants, Lord. Give us knowledge of what our gifts are and how to use them. Give us courage to use them and not bury our talents. Praise You for being an awesome God who works phenomenal things through our spiritual gifts! Let us not ignore You. Give us the spiritual gifts, Lord. To You be all the glory, honor and praise, forever and ever! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "He'll Always Be the Lord"

Philippians 2:10, 11 "At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

1 Corinthians 12:3 "Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit."

Acts 7:59 "And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.'"

Acts 10:36 "The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ - He is Lord of all."

Revelation 22:21 "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen."

Prayer: "Thank you for being our Lord! There is no other like You. Bless us and make us godly, Lord. Praise You for being the Lord of all, whether or not people accept You. Thank you for promising us that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that You are Lord! Praise You! Help more people to accept You as the Lord of their life. Thank you for your awesome patience and character. Let us call You Lord, forever. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "Search For the Secrets"

Daniel 2:28a, 47 "But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets. The king answered Daniel, and said, 'Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret.'"

1 Corinthians 4:1 "Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God."

Colossians 2:2,3 "That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

Matthew 13:10, 11 "And the disciples came and said to Him, 'Why do You speak to them in parables?' He answered and said to them, 'Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given."

1 Corinthians 2:6-8 "However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."

Prayer: "Thank you for holding awesome secrets, Lord. Show us what we do not know. Thank you for revealing incredible things to us! Prepare us to know You and life better. Thank you for making this spiritual journey exciting. Thank you for being beyond our comprehension! There is no other God like You in all the universe. Let us see You how You truly are. Reveal to us incredible truths. Help us to understand the scriptures better. Speak to us in our prayer time. Speak your words of truth through us, too. Help us to learn and grow every day. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "What the Mouth Can Do"

Psalm 17:3 "You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress."

Psalm 40:3 "He has put a new song in my mouth - Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD."

Psalm 49:3 "My mouth shall speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding."

Proverb 6:12 "A worthless person, a wicked man, Walks with a perverse mouth;"

Proverb 8:7 "For my mouth will speak truth; Wickedness is an abomination to my lips."

Proverb 11:9 "The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered."

Proverb 13:3 "He who guards his mouth preserves his life, But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction."

James 3:8-10 "But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so."

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us mouths, Lord. Let us use them wisely. Help us to speak encouraging words and not hateful ones. Forgive us for our sins, Lord. Give us wisdom and love. Thank you for the way we can lift people up with your truth. Let us speak your words and not ours. Praise You for giving us the Bible! Help us to know it and use it to encourage one another. Give us self-control over our tongues. Give us patience when people offend us with their words. Restore relationships that have been damaged due to careless words. Heal us and set us on a rock that is You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "By Him, For Him"

1 Corinthians 6:13b, 20 "Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."

Psalm 4:3 "But know that the LORD has set apart for Himself him who is godly; The LORD will hear when I call to Him."

Psalm 139:13-14 "For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well."

Prayer: "Thank you for making me, Lord! Thank you for wanting me to do what You want. Thank you for choosing me and letting me choose You. Help me to live like a believer in Christ and put aside fleshly desires. Praise You for giving me an awesome purpose in life. Remind me of my calling. Thank you for choosing many people to love You and serve You. Encourage us, Lord. Lift us up! Thank you that You are a loving Creator. Thank you for wanting us to know You and worship You. Let us understand You better. Thank you that we didn't evolve from micro-organisms. Thank you that You didn't create us and leave us. Praise You for your perfect plan of salvation! Help us see that You are good and your ways are perfect. Thank you for being higher than humankind! Help us to give You the praise You desire! In Jesus' name, Amen."

Challenge

Memorize the 10 Commandments! It's amazing how many Christians don't know the 10 Commandments. Print them and put them where you can see them (perhaps in your bathroom). In a few days, you should have them committed to memory. Here they are, from Exodus 20:

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.

2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image

3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.

5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.

6. You shall not murder.

7. You shall not commit adultery.

8. You shall not steal.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

10. You shall not covet.

A Moment of Introspection

"Who is Jesus to you? Does the answer depend on who is asking?"

Jesus Christ is the Messiah - God's Son, the sinless sacrifice for our sins. Are you afraid to say that to someone? If so, why?

Pray for boldness and courage to tell anyone and everyone the truth about Jesus Christ. It is a terrible thing to be ashamed of Jesus and faith in Him. He has loved us and saved us from our sins. We need to be consistent and truthful about our faith and His character. You can do it! God bless you.

Quotations

What should I do with all this energy?

Most of the people in this world don't look like models in a magazine.

God doesn't want adequate things for us. He wants us to have awesome things!

To be a master of anything, one must first be a student.

Everyone has their shortcomings and strong points.

Swimming against the current is like fighting God's will. It will make you exhausted and get you nowhere.

Give credit where credit is due.

The two-edged sword that is God's Word effects the speaker and the hearers.

Recognize what tempts you.

Meditate and pray about how you can do your job better.

Satan's minions are not happy with what I'm doing.

How long can you look up?

Lift your head from the confusion of Earth long enough to hear the solution of Heaven.

Lending and wanting nothing in return is giving.

How do you treat Christians that you don't like?

What can you do to demonstrate your faith?

If your words are few, make them great.

Ask God to help you repair broken relationships.

Don't worry about the things you normally worry about.

When someone takes a wave, there is often someone letting them and deciding not to interfere.

How do you feel when others laugh?

Jesus emphasized that not only must we hear God's words, but we must act on them, too.

Parables only make sense when you know and understand God's Word.

Are you doing what you should with the things God has given you?

Not only is Jesus the Messiah, at the same time He is mysteriously God and man.

Who is Jesus to you? Does the answer depend on who is asking?

Have you been detached for the cause of Christ?

God knows "why", even when we don't.

God doesn't want us to sin because it hurts us and those around us.

Fly a flag for freedom.

Even greater than the way the United States' flag represents our freedom in the world, the cross represents our freedom from sin.

When there are no practical reasons for something, look for spiritual reasons.

Are you a natural, spiritual or carnal person?

Do you read the Bible in an excited voice?

Close your eyes and focus on Jesus.

Don't worry about how your sincere worship looks.

We're not sinners because we sin, we sin because we're sinners.

Loving sin is a way to destroy yourself.

Do you believe and love Jesus enough to make Him the Lord of your life?

Don't be a naive or unlearned Christian.

Christians should be acting differently than non-Christians when trials hit.

Do trials bring you closer to or further from God?

God will judge everything at the right time.

Walking with Christ will lead you into wisdom and away from temptation.

There are a lot of mountains and valleys in the Christian life.

Don't boast when you're on the mountaintop or burden others too much when you're in the valley.

When you're walking with Christ, He will bring you people to counsel.

Mourning and sorrow for sins must be joined with repentance.

A Christian's entire life is a process of repentance and contrition.

Aren't the deep things of God revealed during a life of obedience?

If you're going to call yourself a Christian, I will hold you accountable to behave like a Christian.

Sin pulls you and holds you down.

If you're walking in the spirit, you'll see the people who you need to love.

Do you love God immeasurably?

Ask your friends about their spiritual life.

When it seems like everyone is on the freeway of sin, make sure you take the earliest exit and obey God!

One day, our sin nature will be gone!

We are complete in Christ, but that doesn't mean we don't have any weaknesses.

Be in Christ.

It's astonishing how Satan tries to upset us with the things that can get under our skin; even when there's only one or two things!

What steals your peace?

Realize when people need an encouraging word and give them one.

Running away from God is also running into God.

Don't lose your sense of Christ's profoundness.

If you don't want to accept Christ's love because you don't understand it, consider all the other things, even earthly things, that you do not understand.

Accepting Christ's love means accepting something that we can't and won't fully understand in this lifetime.

God is bigger than we can conceive.

Go somewhere where you can become wise.

There is a lot more to learn.

It is illogical to have two infinite, perfect beings.

If there were two gods, they would be different.

Rejoice when godly people voice what is inside of them.

Nobody has the exact nature of God.

Some arguments can't be rectified immediately.

Believing something in your heart and saying it with your mouth is faith.

Everyone has fallen short of the glory of God like a stone thrown from San Diego falls short of Hawaii.

Fruit comes from a tree that has already been planted.

No believer can look into another believer's heart.

We are saved unto good works, we aren't saved by good works.

Have you challenged your brain, lately?

If you are ready for more, than God can give you more.

Like a father won't reveal what will happen on Christmas morning, God won't reveal to us what will happen when we enter Heaven.

If you think you are hurting when you see a human being hurting themselves, imagine how God must feel. He must feel even worse than you do.

God is not an impersonal force.

Asceticism, in itself, isn't the road to Christ-likeness.

Do you know what it's like to get a warm hug from a loving Christian brother or sister?

I don't have to fight the traffic. I rather join the traffic.

With Jesus in your life, the difficult times won't feel as difficult as they would without Him by your side.

Jesus always healed people without giving them an earthly presecription.

Be very thankful that God is protecting us from witchcraft and the powers of darkness.

Even Mary needed Jesus' forgiveness and salvation.

If Mary, the mother of God, was sinless, she, instead of Jesus Christ, would have been our Savior.

God is ready to answer when we are ready to listen.

Have you ever asked, "What are you saying in this verse about yourself, Lord?" or "What are you saying to me in this verse, Lord?"

You either want to spend time with God or you don't.

You must make the time you spend with God more important than the time you spend on your ministry.

Working isn't a good excuse to miss church.

God demands that we do things that help us.

Obeying God is necessary and therapeutic.

There is always work to do, for the Lord, on the internet.

I rather write a song than learn someone else's

When you don't have the answers, have faith!

What are you doing with the power God has given you?

These quotes came from God, me, the Inspirational Study Bible (with Max Lucado), John Leeder and Paul Breithaupt.

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.

862 La Moree Rd.

San Marcos, Ca 92078

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 3813 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!