Dear Subscribers,
The fires in San Diego are subsiding. By the grace of God, they didn't enter the large, populated city areas. However, they did burn over 300,000 acres and many people were affected. Please pray for those who have suffered. Millions have been donated to help restore San Diego and its residents and the displaced residents can use your continued prayers and support.
If you do anything on Halloween, please be safe. Churches and schools are having carnivals and events, but some people are using the holiday for evil and others are simply being careless (e.g. driving 50 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour zone, drinking and driving, etc.). Please join me in prayer that we stay safe and protected this Halloween.
This week, I celebrate my rededication to Jesus Christ. On November 1, 1994, God changed my life forever as I repented and decided to live a life devoted to Him. If you're living a lukewarm life, please consider getting serious about your relationship with God. Your life will never be the same!
On October 30, Luna Halo is releasing their first full length album since leaving the Christian mainstream. Please pray that this band of Christians can be a light in the darkness. Kevin Max (from DC Talk) likes them a lot and has contributed to two songs on their debut album.
Do you want a free taco? On Tuesday between 2-5pm, Taco Bell is giving away a free taco! They're doing this because of a promotion with Major League Baseball, so go and get your free taco.
Welcome to the new readers of this message! Here is your Devotion, some Cool Facts, 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!)
2 Samuel 22:2, 3 "The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence."
Psalm 27:1-6 "The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall
I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be
afraid? When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My
enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell. Though an army may
encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against
me, In this I will be confident. One thing I have desired of the
LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All
the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD, And to inquire in
His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His
pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my
head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will
offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing
praises to the LORD."
John 17:10-12 "And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept (protected) them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled."
2 Thessalonians 3:3 "But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one."
Insight: God will protect you from evil, but don't forget to ask Him and trust in Him. He is faithful and your biggest ally. Don't look at God as a last resort, but see Him as your best option for protection.
Prayer: "Dear Lord, thanks for protecting us from evil. Thank you for helping us get through the day. Remind us that You are faithful and willing to help us. Help us to remember You early and often and not just when everything goes wrong and our own efforts fail. Thank you for your patience, mercy, and grace. Forgive our sins and make us like You. In Jesus' name, Amen."
On January 6, 1912, the idea of continental drift was first presented at a geology conference in Germany. Meteorologist Alfred Wegener (1880-1930) described the possible fitting together of the continents, somewhat like the pieces of a large puzzle. He also noted similar rocks and fossils on widely separated coastlines. Wegener’s novel ideas about sea floor spreading and continental drift were initially rejected by fellow scientists. Sixteen years later Wegener received a similar negative response at a 1928 meeting of American petroleum geologists.
New ideas are often unpopular in scientific circles. Today, however, almost all scientists agree that an original super-continent was divided into the present continents. Many creationists believe this continental separation occurred rapidly during the Genesis flood when the “fountains of the great deep burst forth” (Gen. 7:11; RSV). Small-scale motions of continents still continue today with several inches of movement occurring each year.
This excerpt was taken from Donald DeYoung's book called, "365 Fascinating Facts From the World of Discovery."
When you finally say, "There is nothing else we can do now but pray," you've finally resorted to your most powerful option as you defer to your most powerful ally.
Ask God to protect you. Recognize how He has protected you and give Him praise for it. Think about the potential dangers you could face and ask God to keep you safe.
God bless you as you meet this week's challenge!
tayreho (Greek, see John 17:12): to guard (from loss or injury, properly by keeping the eye upon), hold fast, serve, watch
The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained
"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible" claims:
Exodus 28:34-35 - Aaron must where a bell whenever he enters "the holy place" or God will kill him.
"The Skeptic's Annotated Bible: Corrected and Explained" responds:
These scriptures are telling Aaron to wear a bell when he enters the Holy of Holies. Nobody was allowed in there, so if he were to have a heart attack or die (somehow), then the bell would not ring and indicate his death. This is also why a rope was tied to him, with one end staying outside of the Holy of Holies.
(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.)
The man of God is protected by God and has God's favor.
Pray to God for protection from illnesses or habits that run in your family.
God protects His disciples.
The Lord wants to protect us from sin and pain, not deprive us from intimacy.
God wants to protect you from your weaknesses.
God will protect us from sin when we are listening to Him and going where He wants us to go.
Run to God and know that He is with you and will protect you.
We stay blessed and protected in the truth. We sin and fall outside it.
God sees all possible temptations and protects us from them; some of them aren't even known to us.
God is the one who protects us from terrorists.
God wants to love, protect and bless us if only we will let Him.
God protects us from the spirits and people who hate us.
Be very thankful that God is protecting us from witchcraft and the powers of darkness.
These quotes were taken from Dr. Gastrich's book called, "10,000 Wise Quotes and Spiritual Sayings"! It's the largest collection of Bible-based quotations in the world.
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Jason Gastrich, Ph.D.
Executive Director
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