SALEM VOICE MAGAZINE

(April, 2001)

Contents:

I Seek Refuge And Blessing: Bro. Ciniraj Mohamed

A word for Church Leadership: Barbara Habbits (sent by Conchita, NY)

Is anywhere Jesus said “I am God, worship Me?”: Sajita

Child Lives with:

Satan’s convention: Mrs. Aleyamma Samuel, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia

(We invite your devotional messages, features, stories, poems and other articles. If it is according to the pure Gospel, we will be published in the website and our magazines which are publishing in different languages. You may send it by e-mail or by post. Contacting addresses are at the bottom of this page).

**Salem Voice wish you all a Happy Easter!**

SEEK REFUGE AND BLESSING

(Bro. Ciniraj Mohamed, Kerala-686038, INDIA)

Beneficent and merciful Saviour!

I was wicked and sinful but Thy precious blood redeemed me and granted peace. Am I worthy of it? Because of my utter depravity and disobedience, I never thought of repentence before Thee. But instead of consuming, Thou hast forgiven me and granted life eternal. How can I thank Thee with mere words?

My own parents and brotheren forsook, but Thou didst take care of me. Thou hast graven me in the palms of Thy hands and shown the path of righteousness. How can I stop praising Thee?

Lord of hosts! Thy word became flesh to deliver me from sin, give me freedom and to give salvation. I adore Thee and surrender myself to Thee as Thou art my living God and fortress. Whenever Satan send his arrows towards me, do remind that I am safe under Thy protection. And my unshaken faith in Thee shall help me overcoming all obstacles by Thy grace.

Though I walk through thorny bushes or shaky bridges or the valley of death, give me the strength to press on towards Thy kingdom.

Through people shower evil upon me because of Thy Gospel, have mercy on them and make them realize what they do!

Countless millions are lost each day! Wilt Thou not remove their corrupted nature and infuse in them Thy redeeming blood so that they may live? Wilt Thou not use me as a needle to inject them Thy blood?

Thou oh Christ! This day I’m born in Thee; Fill me with Thy goodness and make me reflect Thy glory!

Fill me with the gifts of Thy spirit so that I may gather souls for Thee!!

Let me not turn my eyes from Thee but always do Thy will and seek refuge and blessings!!!

A Word for Church Leadership

(Barbara Hibbits, Alaska)

The Lord began developing the following word in my heart and spirit over the past couple of months. I believe this word is a rhema "now" word for the church leadership and the body of Christ in general.

Gen. 15. In this passage Abram believed the promise of an heir. This was reckoned unto him as righteousness. In vs. 8 Abram questioned the promise of the inheritance of land. In response to this doubt the Lord required of him to offer a sacrifice. This covenant sacrifice was given so that Abram would know the Lord’s promises to him were sure. Abram then halved a heifer, a goat, and a ram. He did not half the birds. He then laid out the sacrifice

opposite each half. Abram then "exhausted himself driving away the birds of prey" in order to protect the animals of the covenant. Abram, himself had to protect the promises that the Lord was entering into him with by covenant.

The church as a whole and many churches individually have been given great and precious promises from the Lord over the past year. It is incumbent upon us to guard these promises in order to see them fulfilled.

Gen. 29:32+ Leah speaks. The Lord saw that Leah was hated and opened her womb. During the pregnancies of Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, Leah was looking to win the love of her husband. "When she therefore conceived and bore another son, she no longer sought the love of her husband by means of children. She cried aloud "This time, I will praise the Lord!" And

she named the baby Judah.

There are those in the church who, when they were given promises and have been pregnant with those promises, have sought the acceptance of men over the acceptance of the Lord. When we no longer seek the acceptance of men but of the Lord, then He will grant us the Son of His promise. It was through Judah that Christ was come. Not through any seeking of men’s acceptance.

Dan. 11:32-35 Satan’s strategy for this hour. .....evildoers shall be flattered by the enemy and shall use flatteries to deceive others. Those that know their God shall be strong. Those with understanding shall teach, but many will still fall because of a lack of teachability. Although they fall, they will be assisted (The Lord does not forsake). Even some of those with understanding (leadership) will fall to be tested and to purge them and to make them white.

Deception will be a key tool of the enemy during this hour. Flatteries and downplaying of sin and lukewarm acceptance of wrong behaviors will threaten the purity of the church.

Jer. 15:19-21 The Lord’s solution. Therefore, Thus says the Lord to the leadership of the church and to the church; If you will return, then will I bring you again and you shall stand before Me; and if you take forth the holy and precious from the vile, and the pure from the profane, if you utter what is precious and not what is worthless; then thou shalt be as My mouth (the church, the bride shall speak to the world/unsaved): let them return to you, but you do not return to them (let others speak evil against you, but you do not do likewise.) then, I will make you a strong wall (spiritual wall), a fenced city, spiritual evil will fight against you, but it will not prevail, for the Lord is with you to save, and to deliver, and to redeem you out of the hand of the terrible. (For those who have fallen into the hands of the terrible – the Lord will redeem you!)

II Tim. 2:20-21 Therefore if a man purge himself, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified and ready for the Master’s use and prepared for every good work.

The Lord often speaks to me prophetically in dreams. A couple of weeks ago while pondering the above message, the Lord gave me a dream.

In this dream I was separating out a sacrifice for the Lord. Another person was assisting me. We were counting out cattle, sheep, and what looked like little miniature dogs. They were to be of an exact count as the Lord had commanded. When the other person was separating out and I was counting the little dogs, the impression I received was of compassion and how cute

they were and was I sure that we were to sacrifice these. I immediately received the word that yes we were and that we were to do it just as the Lord commanded. After we had them all separated, the other person began to cut the throat of the first animal and I stopped him and told him that we were to wait for the exact time, just as the Lord had commanded.

My waking impression and interpretation after seeking the Lord; was that in this hour, He is asking us to make heart sacrifices. Whether they are things, desires, or whatever, however great or small we are to make them when and how the Lord commands. His desire is to bring our desire to Him and not toward other things that are our pet projects or desires.

My spirit’s impression is that there are precious promises that the Lord has given us over the past year and that we have been charged with guarding those promises and to look only to Him to fulfill them. The enemy’s plan is to sidetrack this through self-deception. Our responsibility is to purge whatever it is the Lord is placing His hand upon in our lives and

come forth as His mouth, speaking life to the nations.

(Sent by Conchita, NY, USA. web: www.eagles_prayer.homestead.com)

Is anywhere Jesus said, "I am God, worship me"?

(prepared by Sajita)

There are many question commonly raised by Muslims about Jesus and Bible. This is one of the main questions: “Is anywhere in the Bible Jesus said, "I am God, worship me"?

Was there ever any need for him to? Let me ask this question. Did you ever hear Mr. George Bush speaking about himself.. saying, "I am the president of USA. Respect me?" The fact is, I never heard him saying like this but every one knows that he is the president of USA. So there is no need to say, what he is.

And the same thing is with Jesus. He need not to say, "I am God, worship me." However many a times Jesus said that, "He is God" and "He is the Son of God."

Jesus was worshipped by people, demons, angels and heavenly hosts:-

1.Jesus was worshipped by people

Three wise men inquired about Jesus saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." (Matthew 2:2)

They followed the star and they went to the place where Jesus was born and

worshipped Him as we read in Matthew 2:11, "And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

Again we see when Jesus rose up from the dead and appeared before His disciples, they worshipped Him. And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. (Luke 24:50)

Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.( Luke 24:51) And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.( Luke 24:52)

2.Jesus was worshipped by demons

Bible very clearly says that demons and those who had unclean spirits worshipped Jesus.

We read in Mark 3:11, "And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."

In Mark 5th chapter we see about a demon possessed person, when he saw Jesus, he came running and worshipped Him as we read in Mark 5:6, "When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped Him."

And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me." (Mark 5:7)

3.Jesus was worshipped by Angels and heavenly hosts

Jesus was worshipped by angels and heavenly hosts - Revelation 7:10, "and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, (Revelation 7:11)

saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen." (Revelation 7:12)

The Bible also says in Revelation 5:13, "And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"

Revelation 5:14, "Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshipped Him who lives forever and ever."

(Plese visit Sajita’s web: http://bibleandquran.org)

CHILD LIVES WITH

If a child lives with criticism,

He learns to condemn

If a child lives with hostility,

He learns to fight

If a child lives with ridicule,

He learns to be shy

If a child lives with shame,

He learns to feel guilty

If a child lives with tolerance,

He learns to be patient

If lives with Encouragement,

He learns confidence

If a child lives with praise,

He learns to appreciate

If a child lives with fairness,

He learns to be just

If a child lives with security,

He learns to have faith

If a child lives with approval,

He learns to love himself

If lives with acceptance and friendship,

He learns to find love In the world

SATAN'S CONVENTION TO

PLOT AGAINTS CHRISTIANS

(by: Mrs. Aleyamma Samuel, Kuala Lampur, Malaysia)

Satan called a worldwide convention to plot against the Christians. In his opening address to his evil agents, he said - " We can't keep the Christians from going to church or from reading their bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from conservative values. But we can keep them forming an intimate, abiding relationship and experience with Jesus Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken. So let them go to church, let them have their conservative lifestyles, but steal their time so that they can't gain that experience in Jesus Christ".

"This is what I want you angels to do", said Satan. "Distract them from gaining hold of their saviour and maintaining that vital connection through out their days."

"How shall we do these?" asked his evil angels.

"Keep them busy in the non - essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds. Tempt them to spend, spend, spend and then borrow, borrow, borrow. Convince the wives to go to work long hours and the husbands to work six or seven days a week, 10 - 20 hours a day, so that they can afford their lifestyle. Keep them away from spending time with their children so that their family fragments and there will be no escape from the pressure of work."

Satan continued "Over stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still soft voice of God."

" Persuade them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive, to keep the T.V, V.C.R, CDs, video games and their PC's going constantly in their homes". "And see to it that every store and restaurants in the world plays non-biblical music constantly". "This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ".

" Fill their coffee tables with magazine and news papers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day. Invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mail boxes with junk mails, mail order catalogues, physic information and every kind of newsletter and promotional offerings, free products services and false hopes".

"Even in their recreation let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted, disquieted and unprepared for the coming week."

"Don't let them go out in nature to reflect on God's wonders. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts and movies instead and when they met for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they live with troubled consciences and unsettled emotions accomplishing nothing spiritual."

"Let them be involved in soul-winning. But crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family unity for the good of the cause."

In the end the evil angels went eagerly to do their assignments to stir up the Christians everywhere to get busy, busy and rush here and there.

Can the evil angels succeed over the children of God at their scheme? You will be the judge!

Projects of “Salem Voice”:

*Education for the poor children *House for the homeless *Mobile dispensaries for slums, interior villages and hill places *Medicines, clothes and food for the poor and needy *Win muslim world unto the Salvation *Bible schools and correspondance courses *Cross cultural training *Mentoring successors *Increasing cell groups *Publishing leaflets, literature, journals *Intercessor Prayers