Hello!

I pray you had an excellent weekend.

Today, I'm debating Dr. Jamison Collins at UCSD (the University of California at San Diego) at 7pm PST.  This debate will be recorded and uploaded to http://sa.jcsm.org, so make sure to visit the site and hear it on Tuesday!  Jamison is an atheist and an evolutionist, so we will discuss the sciences, plus the Bible, prophecy, sin and many other, interesting subjects.

I have a pending and potential interview with Vladimir Zhirinovsky.  I've been corresponding with his publisher and translator.  Please pray that I get this exclusive interview.  Vladimir is a Russian, presidential candidate and (arguably, more importantly) a candidate for the leader named "Gog" in Ezekiel 38 and 39.  When you have a minute, please visit the site I made that is devoted to this man: http://www.vladimirzhirinovsky.com.

This Sunday night I'll be Pastor Howard's guest on K-Praise!  I'll be talking about internet ministry and mentioning my new book.  K-Praise is 1210am in San Diego and http://www.krpz.com on the internet.  Please tune in at 7:45pm PST!

Would you like some pictures of flags?  The following site has flags from all over the world.  They are free to download at http://flagspot.net/flags/.

A special thanks goes to everyone who has decided to support JCSM's vision to reach the lost and encourage the believers with God's Word!  You all are precious to us and we will continue to pray for you.  Thanks and God bless you.

We pray that God lifts you up this week and puts a smile on your face.  Don't forget that God is faithful and "only a prayer away."  If you ever feel like God isn't near, don't wonder who moved - you did.

Are you having a big problem with looking at internet porn?  If you stumble in this area and want some accountability, consider Covenant Eyes.  They are a Christian company endorsed by Focus On the Family and Promise Keepers.  They offer special software which leads to increased accountability.  For more information, please go here: http://www.covenanteyes.com.

Would you prayerfully consider supporting JCSM with $5 per month?  If God leads you to take this step of faith and bless this ministry, PayPal will process a donation subscription for you.  It will only take a minute and you can join us in this dynamic ministry that constantly reaches people all over the world.  Here is the link for $5 donations: Click here!

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 120,000 visits!

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://sa.jcsm.org.

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.

Welcome to the new readers of this message! Here are the Devotions, A Moment of Introspection, JCSM's Challenge, the Greek Bible Word of the Week, a faith-builder from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" and the Quotes of the Week. Have a fantastic week and God bless you!

Love in Christ,

Jason J. Gastrich

ICQ#: 20731140

The Weekly Devotional Message

Day 1: "Our Honor"

1 Samuel 2:30  "Therefore the LORD God of Israel says: ‘I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.’  But now the LORD says:  ‘Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed.'"

Psalm 57:5  "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be above all the earth."

Psalm 97:9  "For You, LORD, are most high above all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods."

Psalm 99:5  "Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool - He is holy."

Psalm 104:1, 2  "Bless the LORD, O my soul!  O LORD my God, You are very great:  You are clothed with honor and majesty, who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, who stretch out the heavens like a curtain."

Matthew 23:12  "And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Acts 5:31  "Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins."

Philippians 2:9-11  "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."

James 4:10  "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."

1 Peter 5:6, 7  "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you."

Insight: Our honor and prestige are directly related to how much we honor God.  Make sure you put God first and lift up His name.

Prayer: "Praise You, Lord.  There is no other God like You.  Bless us and make us just like You.  Thank you for loving us so much.  Let us honor You.  Lift us up and give us grace.  Thank you for always giving us what we do not deserve.  Help us understand your worthiness and our unworthiness.  Thank you for forgiving us and making us clean.  Continue to purify us and mold us, Lord.  We love You.  Increase our love and our faith.  You are our God.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 2: "How Can God Repent?"

Numbers 23:19  "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"

Jonah 3:10  "And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not."

Insight: God can't repent from sin because He cannot sin.  However, there are times where He has decided to use His perfect grace instead of His perfect judgment.  The situation in Jonah is one example.  Incidentally, the word translated "repented", in Jonah 3:10, can also be translated "relented."  Don't get confused because God can't repent from sin!

Prayer: "Thanks for being perfect and reliable, Lord.  Thank you for being so holy and pure that You cannot sin.  Thank you for having a perfect character.  Bless us and give us more of You.  Thank you for being consistent and true.  Help us to study the scriptures and understand what You have said.  Help us to read the Hebrew and Greek texts and dig deeper.  Thank you for wanting us to repent and molding us when we do.  We are your clay and You are the Potter.  We love You, Lord.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 3: "Don't Worry"

Proverbs 12:25  "Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad."

Matthew 6:25-34  "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.  Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?  “So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Mark 13:11  "But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak.  But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit."

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."

Philippians 4:6, 7  "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Insight: It's not enough to simply push something out of your mind.  Practice prayerfully giving your worries to God.  He will refresh you and take your burdens!

Prayer: "Thank you for wanting our burdens, Lord.  Thank you for wanting to relieve us from the stress of our daily life.  Help us to lift our hands and hearts to You and let You have whatever is bringing us down.  Remove our burdens and lighten our load.  Thank you for helping us to keep focused on important things.  Thank you for putting the wild and big things in proper perspective.  Forgive us for letting our circumstances bring us down.  Thank you for being faithful to us.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 4: "Sexual Purity"

Acts 15:28, 29  "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.  If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well."

1 Corinthians 6:15-20  "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?  Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot?  Certainly not!  Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her?  For “'he two,' He says, 'shall become one flesh.'  But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.  Flee sexual immorality.  Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.  Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s."

Galatians 5:16, 17  "I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish."

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8  "For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified.  For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.  Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit."

Hebrews 13:4  "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge."

Insight: Take steps to be and stay sexually pure.  God will honor your obedience and you will be blessed with a pure mind and healthy spirit.

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us godly guidelines.  Help us to understand You and your ways and why we need rules.  Thank you for being pure and wanting us to be pure, also.  Thank you for your Word and how it gives us exhortations.  Bless us and let us stay on the narrow path.  Help us to care less about the world's ways and desires and care more about You and what You want us to do, think, feel and say.  Bless us and purify us, in Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 5: "We Are His Children"

John 1:12, 13  "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Romans 8:16, 17  "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together."

Ephesians 1:3-6  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."

Philippians 2:14-16a  "Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life."

1 John 3:1, 2  "Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!  Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.  Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."

Insight: Many benefits and responsibilities are endowed to God's children.  Wear the title with joy, but recognize the high calling from God, too.

Prayer: "Thank you for adopting us as your children, Lord.  Thank you for giving us spiritual life and eternal life in Jesus!  Thank you for wanting to be our Father.  Bless us and make us like You.  Thank you for being a good God and full of mercy and grace.  Thank you for leading us like a great father would.  Help us to trust You and avoid following our flesh.  Thank you for giving us second chances.  Thank you for letting us be called the children of God.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 6: "Think On These Things"

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."

Psalm 19:14  "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer."

Mark 7:20-23  "And He said, 'What comes out of a man, that defiles a man.  For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within and defile a man.'"

Romans 8:6-8  "For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.  So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

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."

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."

1 Peter 1:13-16  "Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy, for I am holy.'"

Insight: Protect your mind.  Meditate on good things and not evil.  Don't waste your time plotting to do evil.  Think about God and the things of God.  Be righteous and holy.

Prayer: "Thank you for giving us the choice to think about whatever we want.  Help us to turn our thoughts toward You.  Thank you for being above our imagination.  Thank you for giving us the Bible.  Let us meditate on You and your Word.  Thank you that You can satisfy us like no other.  Thank you for meeting needs that nobody else could meet.  Help us to see what You do and avoid putting anyone or anything in your place.  You are an awesome God.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

Day 7: "Are You Thirsty For God?"

Psalm 42:2  "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."

Psalm 84:2  "My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God."

Psalm 119:20  "My soul breaks with longing for Your judgments at all times."

Insight: David hungered and thirsted for God.  He knew that he needed God more than life itself.  Have you thirsted for God, lately?

Prayer: "Thank you for quenching our thirst, Lord.  Thank you for helping us to see You and know You.  Thank you for satisfying our needs, Lord.  Remind us that worldly things will not satisfy us.  Remind us that foolishness only reaps pain.  Help us to hurry up and get to the place where we humbly reach for You.  Thank you for filling the thirsty and hungry ones that come to You.  Praise You for always being found and never hiding from people who are devoted to You.  Bless us and remind us to seek You.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

A Moment of Introspection

If sin can make a devil out of an angel, then what do you think it will do to you?

I'm convinced that if we could understand the depth of the dirtiness of sin, we would try harder to avoid it.  Sin is separation from God.  It is the opposite of God's character.  In fact, there is no sin in Heaven because it is where God resides.

Avoid sin.  See sin like God does.  It can contaminate you; and through you, the people you know.

Give blood or plasma!

Have you ever given blood or plasma?  It can help save lives!  Many people die because they don't have the blood they need.  In some cities and countries, it is an epidemic.

I've made an appointment to give blood at The San Diego Blood Bank.  If you don't live in San Diego, I'm sure there is a donation center near you.

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

P.S.  Here is a web site I made on donating plasma: http://www.jcsm.org/biblelessons/DonatePlasma.htm

prophet: prophetes - foreteller, inspired speaker, poet (by extension)

The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:

Genesis 1:30 - All animals were originally herbivores. Tapeworms, vampire bats, mosquitoes, and barracudas -- all were strict vegetarians, as they were created by God. But, of course, we now know that there were carnivorous animals millions of years before humans existed.

"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" responds:

The evolution of species, from microbe to man, is an unproven theory primarily believed by atheistic evolutionists.  Therefore, we do not "know" that things took millions of years to evolve.  Radiometric dating, evolutionary bias and changing scientific theories can't be assumed to be correct and elevated over the Word of God.  Evolutionary science is on the same level as forensic science, creation science, etc.  Nobody living can use the scientific method to determine anything about the fossils that are dig out of the ground.  All we can tell is that something died.  To say that we "know" more is a lie.

(This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Jason Gastrich.  This book is on CD and explains over 3,000 difficulties regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org.)

Wise people learn from their mistakes and wiser people learn from other people before they fail.

Do you have a problem with peeking at nudity?

If nudity finds your eyes, do you immediately turn away?

Avoid carrying sinful images in your mind?

Don't allow sinful images to take root in your mind.

If you struggle with lust, repent and get some accountability.

The evil things that took root in your life last year will be bearing evil fruit this year.

If sin can make a devil out of an angel, then what do you think it will do to you?

Shame cannot stand and be spoken to the grace of the Lord.

These quotes came from God, me and a Promise Keepers video.

Do you need more quotes?  We have thousands in our archives!  They are located here: http://quotes.jcsm.org.

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!

Fishes and Loaves (FALO) is a great, missions organization.  They have helped many people embark on missions trips to the uttermost parts of the world.  If you are interested in missions, please visit http://www.gofalo.net.

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.

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.

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.

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."