Hello!

Welcome to this week's devotions!

A Christian woman has contacted JCSM because she needs a mentor.  If you are a mature Christian woman and would like to write a few emails each week to a protégé, please email me.

Have you ever been to a great web page, but you couldn't read a word because it was in another language?  Well, the "Babel Fish" is here to save the day!  This site translates phrases and sentences and even entire web pages into numerous different languages.  Link: http://babel.altavista.com/tr.

Recently, I purchased the iLumina software and it is awesome.  They have made the first digitally animated Bible!  You can find this at discounted prices on eBay.  It costs around $35 and it worthy every penny.  The Bible really comes alive when you see the stories animated!  They have also produced a Left Behind version.

I've completed correcting and explaining 37 books and commentaries from the Skeptic's Annotated Bible!  Please continue praying that I finish this by the end of the month.  I'm really enjoying this project, but it is very time consuming and draining.  I can hardly wait to see the impact this makes on the hearts of honest seekers.

If you haven't been keeping up with these devotions, I've purchased http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org, so I can correct and explain all of the problems in the http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com.  Countless atheists use the "SAB" to criticize the Bible and further a spirit of rebellion and unbelief.  I'm certain that the explanations and corrections will be a welcome resource for those who really want the truth.

I'm going to begin recording some acoustic songs and uploading them to MP3.com.  I have numerous songs on there already, but they were recorded with an electric guitar.  You can hear them at http://jcsm.org/MP3.htm.  These new songs will be encouraging and tight.  I will be trying to record and upload one, new song each week.

Please pray for a friend who leads worship.  He needs guidance and godliness as he sings and plays the guitar.

I pray that you are richly blessed.  Lift your hands and heart to God.  He will bless you and fill you.

This week, my wife and I are leaving for London!  We'll be there for 2 weeks.  While we're there, we will visit Scotland, Ireland, Wales and possibly even France!  Please pray for our safety and sanctification.  We will have a computer, so these messages will still be uploaded to the web.

Would you like to see my visit to ICR (the Institute for Creation Research)?  I took several pictures of their museum.  Here is the link: http://www.jcsm.org/MISC/ICR.htm.

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 94,000 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://vision.jcsm.org.

JCSM has encouraging sermons and debates online that you can freely stream and download!  Come and hear them on SermonAudio.com!  Here is our site: http://www.sermonaudio.com/jcsm.

Did you know that JCSM has it’s very own forum? We also have over 110 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 readers 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

The Weekly Devotional Message

Day 1: "There Is No God"

Zephaniah 1:12  "And it shall come to pass at that time That I will search Jerusalem with lamps, And punish the men Who are settled in complacency, Who say in their heart, ‘The LORD will not do good, Nor will He do evil.’"

Romans 1:20-23  "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things."

Psalm 14:1 "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'  They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good."

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."

Insight: It has been said that "God doesn't believe in atheists."  Atheists remind us that no matter how much evidence there is for God's existence, a person can still turn a deaf ear to it and invent another explanation.  Let's pray for these people and remember there is plenty of evidence for God's existence.

Prayer: "Thank you for revealing yourself to us, Lord.  Thank you for showing us that there is clearly a Creator.  Praise You for making such awesome things!  Help others to see You and stop making wrong interpretations of the data.  Help people to see how an anti-God bias can cause them to interpret creation and science in a different light.  Thank you for giving us wise scientists that know You and understand how You did things.  Bless us, Lord.  Help us to be wise in your eyes and not simply in our own eyes.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "Center On God"

Philippians 4:8  "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."

Psalm 119:147  "I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word."

Proverbs 3:5-8 "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. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones."

Insight: New Agers practice the art of "centering" themselves by listening to the voice of the deity within.  They open their minds to outside influences, too.  Shouldn't we center on God and His Word?

Prayer: "Thank you for being the center of successful lives.  Help us to realize how much we have with You, Lord.  Remind us of the emptiness of our former life and how living for ourselves and even others, but not for You reaped pain and sorrow.  Lift us up, Lord.  Remind us who we are living for and why we are here.  We love You and want to do your will.  Thank you for taking the time to teach and love us.  To You be all the glory, honor and praise.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Goodbye To You"

2 Corinthians 6:14-18  "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.' Therefore 'Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters', Says the LORD Almighty.”

Insight: Have you ever had to say goodbye to someone who was an unbeliever?  Someone who rejected God to the degree that it was negatively effecting you?  I know I have and it wasn't easy.  Let's pray that our weaker brothers and sisters have the strength to say goodbye.

Prayer: "Thank you for the bad relationships that we have left, Lord.  Thank you for the ways You have improved our lives, too.  Help us to see if a relationship with an unbeliever is dragging us down.  Help us to see if we are being unequally yoked.  Thank you for your commands and warnings in the scriptures.  Thank you for giving us quality, Christian friends.  Let us seek what is good and abstain from what is evil.  Let us be a godly friend and not the one to drag down others with our evil desires.  Give people courage, so they can leave ungodly relationships.  Bless the ones that we leave, Lord.  Help them to find You and repent.  In Jesus' name, Amen.'

Day 4: "Old Testament Theophanies of Jesus Christ"

Genesis 16:7  "Now the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur."

Genesis 18:1  "Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day."

Genesis 32:28-30 "And He said, 'Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.' Then Jacob asked, saying, 'Tell me Your name, I pray.' And He said, 'Why is it that you ask about My name?' And He blessed him there. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: 'For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.'”

Daniel 3:25  "'Look!' he answered, 'I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.'"

Insight: Jesus Christ has been everywhere since before the Earth and time began.  He appeared to several people in the Old Testament.  These are called theophanies of Jesus Christ.  They foreshadowed His appearance when He was born from the virgin Mary.

Prayer: "Thank you for revealing yourself in the Old Testament.  Thank you for all the times You have come to Earth and puzzled and amazed people.  Let us understand how You weren't created 2000 years ago.  Thank you for being so awesome, God.  Thank you for giving us your Word.  Help us to read it and understand it.  Let us apply it to our lives and love You even more than we already do.  Thank you for always having such an awesome plan of forgiveness and redemption!  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "All Things Are Possible"

Matthew 19:26   "But Jesus looked at them and said to them, 'With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'"

Mark 9:23   "Jesus said to him, 'If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.'"

Mark 14:35,36   "He went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him.  And He said, 'Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.'"

Insight: Is something impossible for you?  Ask God to help you!  Nothing (good) is impossible for God.  He is ready and waiting for you to talk to Him and tell Him your needs.  Remember, since God's abilities cannot be comprehended by our minds, He is surely bigger than we think He is.

Prayer: "Thank you for being bigger than our brains.  Let us see You as You really are.  Thank you for being able to do more than we know or realize.  Bless us, increase our ministry, lay your hand on us and keep us from evil.  Remind us that we have put limits on You and hurt ourselves by them.  Help us to remove You from the box that we put You in.  Cause us to pray big.  Let us pray so big that You will have to answer or we will utterly fail without You.  Give us wisdom, so we can hear your will and do what You ask.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "The Alpha and Omega"

Isaiah 41:4   "Who has performed and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? 'I, the Lord, am the first; and with the last I am He.'"

Isaiah 44:6   "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.'"

Revelation 1:8   "'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,' says the Lord, 'who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.'"

Revelation 1:17   "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead.  But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, 'Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last.  I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore.  Amen.  And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.'"

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.'"

Insight: God is the Alpha and Omega.  There were none before God and there will be none after God.  He is worthy of our praise and worship.  He has given us the title "children of God"!

Prayer: "Thank you for being the first and the last - the beginning and the end.  Thank you for being here before any human was around.  Help us to understand your majesty.  Forgive us for being foolish and/or arrogant.  Forgive us for forgetting who is in charge and who always has been in charge.  Thank you for giving us so much freedom and having so much patience, grace and mercy on us.  Remind us that just because You aren't killing people each time they sin, it doesn't mean You do not exist.  Keep revealing yourself to us, Lord.  May you kingdom come.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "The Armor of God"

Romans 13:12   "The night is far spent, the day is at hand.  Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. "

Ephesians 6:11-18   "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."

Insight: God knew that we'd face spiritual battles.  Therefore, He gave us what we needed to protect and defend ourselves in battle.  Remember that all of the above elements are important.  A spiritual soldier cannot be successful with a weapon and no shield or a helmet and not breastplate.

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us a complete set of armor - with weapons and security.  Help us to wear this armor and be protected from evil.  Thank you for being our Rock and our protection.  Help us to know the Bible and use it to fight evil.  Help us to use the scriptures as our defense.  Thank you for being so big and worthy of our love and attention.  Remind us that we will always face spiritual battles and we need You every minute of the day.  You are our awesome God and we love You.  Give us peace and confidence, Lord.  Remove our worries and our fears.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Take some time away from all of the noise and commotion of your regular day's activity and spend some time with God.  This may mean going to a park, taking a drive in your car, etc.  Just spend some time with God in prayer and you'll be blessed.

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

trust: batach - to be confident, sure, bold

The Neanderthal Man was a man with bone disease.

The Piltdown Man was a skull of a man and a jaw of an animal.

Lucy was one ore more extinct apes.

Cro-Magnon Man was a person from Europe.

Nebraska Man was constructed from a pig’s tooth.

Ramapithecus was an ape.

The pictures of the transitional animals between apes and humans are all drawings of things that have never been seen or found.

Both man and woman have the same "God likeness", thus opportunity and responsibility.

Man has the ability to walk with God, the responsibility to carry out God’s plan and the freedom to disobey God.

Man was given dominion to rule like Him.

As a steward, man is to manage God’s resources.

As a believer, man is to manage relationships and be his brother’s keeper.

As a father, man is to use his God-given authority to represent God.

Man was given a soul to feel and love like Him.

Jesus experienced joy, sorry, compassion and the burdens of the world and responded in love.

Man was given the ability to be holy and shine like Him.

Humans have the exclusive ability, opportunity and responsibility to represent the heart of God.

There are 120,000 different kinds of beetles and ants and they could all come from only 2 of them.

God gave humans dominion over animals, but not other people.

Whale sharks eat plants and they’re one of the biggest animals.

Man is in a process trying to verify that things evolved.

Freedom doesn’t mean it’s ok. It just means you can.

God doesn’t cause pain. He gives people freedom and they cause pain.

The title "father" came straight from God.

Being a bad father misrepresents God and can give kids a band image of God - our Heavenly Father.

We have no light of our own. We must reflect His light.

God didn’t call you to implement your vision. He called you to follow His vision.

Before sin, Adam likely had full brain capacity; unlike the 3-5% we use, now.

These quotes came from God, me 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 written religiously, the web pages stay on the www and the readers 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 JCSM, please send your gift to the address below.

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.

If you wish to contact us in the mail or send support, please make checks payable to Jesus Christ Saves Ministries.  Here is our mailing address:

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries

3219 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. #212

San Diego, CA 92117

Along with getting support, we also give support! JCSM regularly gives to churches, Christian ministries 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.

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 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: http://www.TheBibleSite.org.  If you want to  help feed and clothe poor people, check into Compassion International!  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.

If you 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 and studying the Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic texts.

Do you need to find a solid, Christian church?  I've attended numerous Calvary Chapel churches and I've been very blessed by their Bible-based sermons, inspiring worship and kind members.  If you don't have a home church or need to find a new one, I recommend visiting the following site and locating a Calvary Chapel near you: http://www.calvarychapel.org.

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.

OCCM (Online Christ-Centered Ministries) has certified JCSM as a ministry that preaches the true, biblical gospel of Jesus Christ.  OCCM is a professional membership association for Christian ministries and people that reside on and off the internet.  Are you OCCM certified?  For more information, go here: http://www.occm.org.

Since April of 1997,  JCSM has encouraged people with the weekly devotional messages.  Right now, we are reaching people in at least 100 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.

JCSM has it's own, site search engine!  If you'd like to search over 1000 web sites, please go here: http://search.jcsm.org.

http://www.jcsm.org

Over 5000 links!

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."