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Hello! I hope you had a great week and weekend. I'm excited to tell you that JCSM's Podcast is now on iTunes! They have granted our request to be added to their directory. If you use iTunes, make sure to look for JCSM's Weekly Devotions and add our feed to your player! JCSM has launched a new ministry called JCSM's Top 300 Christian Podcasts! If you have a podcast, you can add it to our free ranking service and you'll get more listeners. If you just want to find some cool, Christian podcasts, then you'll want to visit our new ministry as well! My next debate will be with ex-pastor, author/publisher, and infamous atheist Farrell Till. I debated him three years ago on God's land promise to the Israelites and this time I'll be debating him on Mary Magdalene's post-resurrection behavior. He thinks it's revealed as contradictory in the gospels and I do not. I'll post the link to the debate in next week's devotional message, but please begin praying for all of the readers, that they may be blessed and converted. This debate, like our last one, will be hosted on the most popular, atheist discussion board in the world. It's called the Internet Infidels Discussion Boards. I'm looking forward to it! I'm sad to report that Clean Films - the internet company that rents and sells edited movies - is going out of business. They've been taken to court by the media companies and can no longer edit movies. Please pray that this situation is resolved in a way where Clean Films can continue business. JCSM has nothing to gain, but those who are buying and renting these movies have everything to gain! They edit all of the profanity, violence, and immoral scenes. Thanks to everyone who prayed for the safety of my wife's aunt and uncle in Lebanon. They were taken to safety in Turkey and will finally arrive in the United States this morning. Thanks to everyone who is praying for my diet. I've lost 10 pounds and I'm on the way to reaching my goal. I'm currently at 186 and that's only slightly overweight for my height and frame. This is the third devotional in a four part series on Satan. The last one will be on Satan's ultimate demise. You won't want to miss it! Welcome to the new readers of this message! Here is your Devotion, A Moment of Introspection, JCSM's Challenge, the 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 Gastrich, Ph.D. Contact Us: http://jcsm.org/contact.php
JCSM's Weekly Devotions (click here to listen!) "Know Your Enemy: Satan's Activity On Earth" Genesis 3:1-6 "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’? And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ Then the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate." Matthew 4:1-11 "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, 'If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.' But He answered and said, 'It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, 'If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ Jesus said to him, 'It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, 'All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him." 1 Peter 5:8, 9 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world." Insight: Satan is alive and active on Earth. The Bible gives us a record of some of his activities and it warns us about him. Be prepared for spiritual attacks and you'll be ready for temptation. Prayer: "Dear Lord, bless us. Keep us strong and safe. Thank you for telling us about Satan and his activity on the Earth. Thank you for the way Jesus stood up to him and defeated him. There is no other like You! Give us great spiritual strength. Help us to know when to fight and when to run. Let us see evil and see good for what they really are. Give us spiritual discernment and insight. In Jesus' name, Amen."
The Constitution of the State of Delaware (until 1792), stated: "Article
XXII Every person who shall be chosen a member of either house, or
appointed to any office or place of trust... shall... make and subscribe
"[It is] the duty of all men frequently to assemble together for the public worship of the Author of the Universe.... [although] no man ought to be compelled to attend any religious worship. ² ¹ Church of the Holy Trinity v. U.S., 143 U.S. 457, 469-470 (1892). David Barton, The Myth of Separation (Aledo, TX: WallBuilder Press, 1991), p. 23. "Our Christian Heritage," Letter from Plymouth Rock (Marlborough, NH: The Plymouth Rock Foundation), p. 3. Gary DeMar, The Untold Story (Atlanta, GA: American Vision, Inc., 1993), pp. 67-68. ² B.F. Morris, The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States (Philadelphia, PA: George W. Childs, 1864). Gary DeMar, God and Government, A Biblical and Historical Study (Atlanta, GA: American Vision Press), Vol. 1, pp. 164-165. Church of the Holy Trinity v. U.S., 143 U.S. 457, 469-470 (1892). David Barton, The Myth of Separation (Aledo, TX: WallBuilder Press, 1991), p. 143. If you'd like to see more quotes from those that framed and founded America, please click here: http://jcsm.org/AmericasFounders/.
Temptation is often the combination of a real need and a possible doubt that create an inappropriate desire.
For further study, see our Bible lesson on Satan! It incorporates all four "Know Your Enemy" devotional messages and gives more information and application. God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!
Satanas (Greek, see Matthew 4:10): the accuser, the devil, Satan
The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims: Exodus 9:14 - "For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth." Who else but the biblical god could be so cruel? "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" responds: This was simply a warning that Moses was supposed to give to Pharaoh. God was angry that Pharaoh wasn't letting His people go. He was giving Pharaoh time to repent and obey God, but God was running out of patience and revealing a stern consequence to the offender. (This explanation came from "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained", by Dr. Jason Gastrich. This book is on CD and gives over 4,000 answers to alleged Bible errors, regarding the entire Bible at http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.org. There is also a 300 question workbook that accompanies the CD-ROM.)
Don't be in love with yourself. There's more in life than your body. Are you getting a college education just to earn more money? There's nothing wrong with having money, but when money becomes your god, something is wrong. Be thankful. Forgive and avoid holding grudges. There are people who live just to mark and stain the character of others. These quotes came from Raul Ries, me, and the Holy Spirit's inspiration. If you'd like to read more quotes, we have thousands in our archive! Visit http://quotes.jcsm.org.
Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
Jason Gastrich, Ph.D. JCSM's Director ______________________________________________________ JCSM is a 501(c)(3), non-profit organization. Copyright © 1997-present.
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