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Happy (almost) Independence Day!

Welcome to this week's installment of "the JCSM devos"!

Did the biblical Exodus really happen? Did you know that some rabbis have denied this event? Well, there is some controversy surrounding the biblical Exodus, so I did some research and compiled some great links. When you have a minute, if you'd like to see some evidence for the Exodus from Egypt, here's the link: http://www.jcsm.org/misc/TheExodus.htm.

Unless you've been living under a rock, I'm sure you've heard about the 9^th Circuit Court's ruling that we can't have "under God" in our pledge. Currently, it has been stayed. I don't think this ruling is ushering in the Apocalypse, but it seems unfortunate that this decision has been made. First, if you'd like to post some public messages (giving us your opinion on this), please come to our forum at http://forum.jcsm.org. If you'd like to sign a petition (Jerry Falwell wants 1 million signatures to send to several government officials), please go here: http://www.falwell.com/pledge_petition.php.

Lately, I've been reading an awesome book called "Darwin On Trial". If you've been studying Creation Science, I'm sure you've already heard of it or read it. Phillip E. Johnson is a Berkeley University law professor (and a Christian) that has analyzed Darwin, Natural Selection, Evolution and other related subjects. I recommend this book because it's increasing my faith and giving me some interesting topics to debate with the atheists on the JCSM forum.

Would you like a scripture screen saver? We have a free one that is available for downloading. If you'd like it, just surf here: http://www.jcsm.org/misc/HolyWisdomSS.htm.

A Christian ministry in India needs Telugu Bibles, toys and medicine. I've known this ministry for several years and we recently sent them the Bible on cds. Please pray about helping them. They are very poor and needy. We will match whatever you decide to give. If you send a donation for this outreach, please email me and write on your check "Helping India".

Gary Jenkins and Tim LaHaye are releasing their next installment of the "Left Behind" series, today. You can buy "The Remnant" at all kinds of stores!

There will be no live, monthly broadcast this week. Since Thursday is July 4^th, we've rescheduled it for Thursday, July 11^th.

Daniel's prophecy and the 10 toes, 10 rulers in EU, now. Revelation 17:12 "The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast."

On July 7^th, Skip Heitzig is speaking at Shadow Mountain Community Church at 6pm! He's a Calvary Chapel pastor and a gifted speaker. If you're in the area, I recommend going and hearing him.

Michael Tait is performing at Harvest Christian Fellowship on July 7^th! This is Greg Laurie's church, in Riverside, and the show and service begin at 6pm! I'll be there, so let me know if you're going.

If you're a Benjamin Gate fan, you'll want to get their new album, today! They're releasing "Contact" and if you get it from Best Buy, it's only $9.99! Plus, they're giving away a free sampler cd with it.

Please pray for my friend who is having some financial problems. He can't find the right job. He has been struggling for awhile and he could definitely use our prayers.

I pray that you have a wonderful and safe 4^th of July. Keep looking to God for direction and blessings. He will light your way and lift you up.

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 5000 links (pictures, forums, midis, Bible lessons, humor, proverbial stories, links, devotions, poetry, prayer journals and much more!) and it has registered over 76,000 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.

Did you know that JCSM has it's very own forum? We also have over 40 members posting messages! If you'd like to read some interesting posts and/or post some messages, please surf to http://forum.jcsm.org.

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: "The Unknown Hour"

Matthew 24:42-44 "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

Matthew 25:13 "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."

Revelation 3:3 "Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you."

Insight: The rapture will happen at an unknown hour. Yes, there are signs and there are even "non-signs". We should be ready at all times, though.

Prayer: "Thank you for promising to come at an unknown hour, Lord. Help us to always be ready. Thank you for giving us awesome signs of the times. Let us be watchful. Help 'date setters' to think twice before predicting the day You return. Thank you for confounding the wise. Let us trust in You, Lord. Increase our faith and love. Help us to know your Word and live by it. Thank you for promising to take us to Heaven and possibly before we die. Thank you for the people who love You and know You. Let us be encouragers and love one another. Lift us up, Lord. Make us like You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Remember the Light"

John 8:12 "Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.'"
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."
Isaiah 60:19 "The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory."
1 John 1:5 "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all."

Insight: God is our light. Without Him, we stumble and fall. He lights our path and puts light in our eyes. Don't forget about the light of hope that saved you and loves you.

Prayer: "Thank you for being such a bright and shining light for us, Lord! Help us to walk in your light. Thank you for being pure and perfect. Thank you for giving us an awesome example in Jesus Christ. Remind us that the light is better than the darkness. Remind us how easy it is to walk in the light and how dangerous it is to meander in the darkness. Praise You for giving us such an awesome source of truth and power. Praise You for the power through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us reflect His awesome light. Thank you for being so bright, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "What Happened At the Cross?"

Philippians 2:8-11 "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that 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.

Colossians 2:14 "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."

1 Corinthians 1:18, 19 "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."

Insight: Jesus Christ died for our sins on the cross. The Devil probably thought he was victorious. However, when Christ rose from the dead, His sacrifice and resurrection give us salvation.

Prayer: "Help us to understand what happened at the cross, Lord. Praise You for dying for our sins and setting us free! Thank you for rising from the dead and giving us hope to live eternally! There's no other God like You. Thank you for having a plan since the beginning of time. Let us understand your awesome plan and the prophecies that surrounded your coming. Thank you for giving us a book that defies logic, space and time. Praise You for creating all things and helping us to grasp your awesome gift. Open our eyes to what You have done for us. We are thankful, Lord. You are a loving God and we love You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "How Do We Become Righteous?"

Romans 1:16,17 "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. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith.'"
James 2:23 "And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God."
Romans 4:20-24 "He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead."

Insight: How do we become righteous? We have faith in God and obey Him. We can't obtain righteousness apart from believing in God and acting on our faith.

Prayer: "Thank you for making us righteous. Help us to leave sinful habits behind and pursue You. Thank you for giving us faith and increasing it. Thank you for giving us your Word. Let us obey You in all things. Forgive us for falling short. Let us see ourselves as we really are. Thank you for giving us the Holy Spirit and convicting us of sin. Let us cling to You and do your will. Thank you for wanting to have us become holier. Thank you for promising to complete the work You began in us! Remind us that you'll never give up on us. Give us more of your righteousness. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "Leaving Our Comfort Zone"

Genesis 12:1-3 "Now the LORD had said to Abram: Get out of your country, From your family And from your father's house, To a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

Luke 9:58-62 "And Jesus said to him, Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. 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."

Colossians 4:3 "Meanwhile pray also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains."

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

Insight: Everyone has a zone where they feel comfortable. Nonetheless, Christ didn't call us to be comfortable. He called us to follow Him. Make it a point to realize your comfort zone and practice stepping outside of it for the cause of Christ.

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting to take us to places we have never been. Thank you for wanting us to use means and methods we have never used or seen. Lift us up and teach us what it means to live by faith and leave our comfort zone. Praise You for giving us exciting lives! Praise You for doing mighty miracles in front of us. Let us always remember the things You do, Lord. You are our God. Help us to not be afraid. Give us great courage and strength. You will be with us, so we have nothing to fear. Remind us that people cannot hurt our soul. Let us not worry about what people think, but care the most about what You think and what You want. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "The Dynamic Mixture"

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

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."

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."

Colossians 1:10 "Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

Insight: We need both faith in God and the knowledge of Him. God doesn't ask us to "turn our brains off". However, He does want us to trust Him when we don't have all the answers.

Prayer: "Thank you for requiring us to have faith, yet grow in the knowledge of You. Let us be awesome students of the Bible, Lord. Forgive us for not reading or not studying the Word. Light a fire within us and give us blessings and rewards when we read the Bible. Thank you for giving us the freedom to read the Bible in the United States. Protect the people who risk their lives to read your Word. Remind people that having faith is crucial to Christianity. Let us not worry about the things we don't know and the things we cannot prove. Let us study hard, pray hard and believe in You. You are what we need. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "Use Your Talents For Him"

Matthew 22:37, 38 "Jesus said to him, You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment."

Matthew 25:14-30 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them. His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord. He also who had received two talents came and said, Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them. His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord. Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours. But his lord answered and said to him, You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Insight: God has given talents to everybody. It's our job to do something with them. In this world, we have a lot of options, but only the things we do in His name will last. Consider what you're doing and decide to use your life and resources for the Lord.

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting us to use our talents for your glory, Lord! Thank you for giving us awesome talents. Remind us that all good gifts come from above. Praise You for being so worthy of our time and devotion. Let us lay everything aside and choose to run to You. Thank you for giving us an awesome way to earn eternal rewards, bless others and obey You. Help us to see this quaint, yet wonderful situation. Let people who don't know You begin to discover your love, Lord. Open their eyes. Let our prayers be heard. Save many people this week. Help sinners to repent. Help people to understand that the God of the Bible wants to know them. Let people understand that Christianity is a relationship with our Creator. Thank you for giving us such a pure and awesome way to see You! To You be all the glory, honor and praise, forever and ever. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Challenge

Find a way you can use your talents for God!

Do you know what you do well? Do you have a lot of something? Pray and find a way you can use your talents for the Lord. When you truly want to obey Him in this way, God will make it obvious to you. You will be satisfied, blessed and rewarded when you use your gifts for His glory.

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

A Moment of Introspection

Why are you here right now? What are you looking for? Why are you reading this right now?

The Greek Bible Word of the Week

miseo: to love less. In Luke 14:26, this is translated into the word "hate".

The Quotations of the Week

If you're a true believer, your eternal address changed from Hell to Heaven.

Pray for the Lord to make Himself real to you.

Jesus is the mediator between God and humans.

The bottom line is we were going to Hell, but now we're going to Heaven.

You can have an emotional or dramatic experience, but not be truly saved.

Don't feel bad if you didn't have an emotional, salvation experience; it doesn't mean that you're not truly saved.

Why are you here right now? What are you looking for? Why are you reading this right now?

Jesus knows the real you.

Why are you afraid of asking? Is it because you know deep down that God is real?

Tell me what you want or think you want and I'll tell you that you need Jesus.

Even atheists have their moments of doubt.

I'm reading the Bible because I want to get closer to God.

Only 1 in 20 Christians has shared the Bible with a non-believer.

1 in 10 Christians don't believe they're called to share the gospel.

Only half the people sitting in American church pews can effectively articulate the gospel.

Where does your value come from? It should come from Christ.

Come and hear the profound simple message of God.

Don't believe it because I said so, but believe it because Christ said so.

It is a sin not to pray.

After we die, God may answer a prayer we prayed on Earth.

Instead of having God govern over us, many have preferred humans to rule.

If you rebel against God, the hand of God will be against you.

We will not receive total satisfaction in this life, but we will when we go to Heaven.

You and I will never be the same after we have experienced and walked with God.

God has done so many great things for us, but the greatest thing is saving us.

Let God fight your battles.

Prayer will help you endure trials.

We don't have to lose sleep because God never sleeps and He keeps watch over us night and day.

Look up and receive God's strength.

The Earth is not gonna give you anything.

God is our fountain of strength.

Through God, there is still hope in this world.

How will your life count?

Do you have a vision?

What gifts has God given you?

Your life can have an impact in this crazy world.

We are all called to do something and we should take advantage of it. The question is, are we willing to make an impact?

We need to question our lifestyle if and when it conflicts with the Bible.

Which skills do you possess that will help you accomplish God's will?

If we are faithful in the little things, God will bless us.

God is not bound by time or by circumstance.

If you allow Him, God is able to orchestrate radical changes in your life.

God can deliver us in overwhelming circumstances.

Do what God wants no matter what it costs you.

Stop fighting against the Spirit of God in you life.

Choose this day whom you're gonna serve.

Don't live with one foot in Christianity and the other foot in the world.

God wants you to be used by Him.

God will not force you to do anything.

The simplest definition of sin: you knew the right thing, but didn't do it.

If you reject God, you send yourself to Hell.

You can have a trillion dollars and if you don't have faith, you won't please God.

There's no question whether God is speaking to you or not.

God calls people to leave their comfort zone.

Be ready when God challenges you to go into the unknown.

When God calls you somewhere, you won't know all the details.

If there aren't unknown factors, there is no need for faith.

It's impossible to please God if you know all the facts.

Believe in your heart that God wants to bless you.

God wants to bless you better than you can bless yourself.

How much do you believe God?

Are your efforts going to build God's kingdom?

On Earth, we'll never know all the good things our ministries are doing. In Heaven, we will.

Do you want to grow? Go do it!

Do you want to know what the Bible says? Go read it!

When God calls you to do something, don't worry about calculating how it's all going to work.

An unborn baby is only a "trespasser" when the mother (and the father) has been irresponsible.

These quotes came from God, me, Greg Laurie, Steve Wilburn, Joe Matossian, C.S. Lewis 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 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.

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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."