Ephesians 6:13. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Oh Friends, can you feel the LOVE pouring down from heaven with the new mercies and blessings on this new bountiful day? Wow! What a wonderful God we serve! It always amazes me how He protects and provides for us anew each day! I sure hope that all you believers realize this and appreciate it, because if you don’t, you’re missing out on a lot of good stuff. And I’m not merely talking about physical and material possessions, although the Lord does bless us with them, but I mean the personal relationship with Him that just boosts all parts of us, and helps us live a righteous life in this evil world. Oh my people, please get up close and personal with Jesus, so that He can set you on the right path. It’s the ultimate wisdom! And now a bit of sad news; re the floods in Florida from tropical storm Debby and the forest fires burning out of control in Colorado. Ah Friends, please let’s pray some mighty prayers for those unfortunate people involved in those calamitous natural disasters. Whatever the cause or reason for them, let’s ask our kind, LOVING and merciful God to help them bear up under the serious adversity that’s befallen them. That brings us to our Bit: ‘Wherefore take (up) unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ Yes Friends, if there’s ever a time we need to do that it’s right now, for we’re living in very evil times. That means we’ve got to be clothed in our spiritual armour at all times and then stand strong because the enemy is moving against us with a mighty push to get us to break down and repudiate our Christian heritage. That must never happen though! And the only way to ensure that it doesn’t is to be always prepared; dressed in your helmet of salvation, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, sandals of peace, armed with your shield of faith, waving your mighty spiritual sword in earnest prayer. Now yesterday after reading Bruh Paul’s description of the armour of God, I gave you a brief description of them. Today though I want to share a more in depth perspective, re how the terms came about back in the olden days, courtesy of the scholars. Here goes: ‘The whole armour of God consists of six pieces. (1) Truth (v.14a) is a knowledge of the truth of God’s Word. The ancient soldiers loins (waist) were girt about with a leather belt which held most of the other pieces of his armour in place. Similarly, the other pieces of the Christian’s armour depend on, and are held in place by, his spiritual ‘belt’ or his knowledge of the ‘truth’ of Scripture. (2) The breastplate of righteousness (v.14b) may be read ‘the breastplate which is righteousness.’ It represents a holy character and moral conduct. Obedience to the ‘truth’ known produces a godly life (righteousness). (3) Preparation of the gospel of peace (v 15) means ‘eagerness that comes from the gospel of peace’ That is, as the Roman soldier wore special shoes called ‘caligue’ on his foot, enabling him to advance against his enemy, so the Christian must have on his feet (possess) a sense of ‘eagerness’ or ‘willingness’ to advance against the devil and take the fight to him. Such ‘eagerness’ to contend with Satan ‘comes from the gospel of peace.’ The gospel gives peace to the believer, freeing him from anxiety though he advances against such a powerful opponent. (4) The shield of (which is) faith (v 16) means taking God at His word by believing His promises. Such trust will protect one from doubts induced by Satan. (5) The helmet of salvation (v 17a): Since the readers are already Christian they are not here urged to be saved. First Thessalonians 5:8 describes this helmet as ‘the hope of salvation’ that is, the certainty (assurance) of salvation. (6) The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (v 17b): The Greek term rendered ‘word’ is not ‘logos’ referring to the whole Word of God, but ‘rhema’ referring to certain portions of selected verses of Scripture. Praying (v 18) is grammatically linked to ‘stand’ in verse 14. Without prayer God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Prayer is indispensable. Always (v 18) means ‘on every occasion,’ that is, when Satan attacks. In the Spirit signifies that with the Spirit’s help such prayer for divine aid is to be made. Watching thereunto means ‘being vigilant in this very matter’ of prayer. They are to pray not just for themselves but also for all saints; spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’ Oh Friends, I hope those thoughts from the scholars either provided some new knowledge or reinforced what you already knew about spiritual warfare. But whatever stage you’re at, this spiritual warfare is indeed a serious matter, so please let’s take it as such and ramp up our knowledge and practice of it, because it’s becoming more important with each passing day in these evil, troubled, confused and calamitous times. We can never know enough about the powers of darkness and their evil intention to allow us to sit on our laurels. We must always be diligent, in possession of all the accoutrements of battle and praying with great fervour and sincerity. That’s the only way to defeat Beelzebub! Much LOVE!…to battle, to battle…we all must go…dressed in our spiritual armour…earnestly praying…and bravely battling the foe…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 June 2012 Ephesians 6:13
28 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: a bountiful day, constant diligence, fervent prayer, LOVE from heaven, new mercies and blessings, pray for those undergoing adversity, spiritual armour, stand your ground in hard times, wonderful God we serve
Today’s Scrip-Bit 27 June 2012 Ephesians 6:13
27 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, dressed for battle, helmet of salvation, prayer, sandals of peace, shield of faith, sword of the Spirit, the spiritual armour of God
Ephesians 6:13. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Oh Friends, who says our God isn’t a wonderful Deity eh? Foolish people! Remember yesterday I was wondering whether I had the parts to stand strong during the adversity of a root canal operation? Well I believe I do, but the truth is it wasn’t necessary to prove it yesterday, for when I got to the dentist, he still couldn’t find anything wrong, and couldn’t guarantee that the root canal would solve my problem. In any case, it has improved over the last few weeks, so in our mutual wisdom (smile) we decided to leave well enough alone and see what happens in God’s good time. Praise the Lord! But what really amused me is that I was late getting there, and I don’t know anybody else who would be rushing to the dentist for a root canal. Hn! Most people would be delaying even more. I wasn’t really rushing, but trying to get there as fast as I could, given my penchant for hating to be late anywhere at all. Anyway, the important thing is that this morning my mouth isn’t all bloodied and battered. And that deserves a big: ‘Thank You Lord!’ But enough trivia for now. (smile) Let’s move on to more worthy matters like our Bit: ‘ Wherefore take (up) unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.’ Yes Friends, we’re continuing the message on spiritual warfare, which is vitally important for believers to understand, as there are truly evil, demonic forces at work in the spiritual world. Here’s what the scholars have to say about our Bit: ‘Wherefore means “because of this,” that is, because we face such a formidable foe, we must avail ourselves of God’s provision lest the enemy destroy our Christian witness and ministry. The evil day refers to the periodic demonic onslaughts and Satanic assaults. Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God’s armour and resisting Satan. Having done all these, be ready, for the Devil will attack again and again.’ And that my Friends, is the living, gospel and total truth! Beelzebub is guaranteed to keep coming at us every chance he gets, so it’s up to us to be clothed in God’s protective armour at ALL times, so we give him not even one iota of a chance to invade our bodies and souls. And what is the whole armour of God that Bruh Paul’s talking about? I’ll let him explain it. ‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about (your waist girded) with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness. And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall 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, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:14-18) Yes my people, the basic accoutrements of spiritual warfare are: the helmet of Salvation, to guard our minds; the breastplate of Righteousness to guard our inner man, our hearts, will and emotions; the belt of Truth, so that we can stay centred in the Word, testifying to the truth at all times; the sandals of Peace, so that we’ll go everywhere in peace and tranquility, boldly anchoring our feet in the bedrock of Jesus; the shield of Faith, that massive protection that allows us to deflect the fiery arrows of the enemy and stand safely behind it in true faith.And then we need the almighty sword of the Spirit, the Good Book, the spiritual weapon that cuts deeply to bring about conviction and repentance. And finally, the catalyst that brings it all together my people, Prayer. With any of those missing from our arsenal Friends, we’re very vulnerable to the sneaky, conniving advances of Lucifer and his band of evildoers. So Friends, today, RIGHT NOW, let’s take serious stock of our spiritual armour, and make sure that we’re not vulnerable in any area. Let’s also be sober and diligent, so that we don’t give the enemy any chance at all to infiltrate our defences, for remember he’s always on the prowl, like a roaring lion, seeking to devour all and sundry. (1 Pet.5:8) More on this spiritual warfare stuff tomorrow, provided God’s willing, so that we can get it totally ingrained in our hearts, bodies and minds. Till then, please my people, let’s be very careful of our earthly walk, let’s stay under the LOVING protection of God’s embrace, and may He bless and keep us all in true peace. Much LOVE!…in this evil world…a believer can only fight successfully…when he’s totally prepared…that means…fully dressed in all God’s armour, with the catalyst of prayer right at hand…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 June 2012 Ephesians 6:10-11
26 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: armour of god, grow where you're planted, inconsistent temps, protective armour, spiritual warfare, stand strong in adversity, stand strong in God's power, the whole armour of God, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, West Indian living, wiles of the devil
Ephesians 6:10-11. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God; that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ah Friends, no wonder people get sick and suffer from so much joint illness as arthritis in this country yes! The weekend was fairly warm, in the mid to high twenties, then along comes yesterday barely breaking the twenty degree mark, with strong, cool winds. Now today is supposed to be in the mid twenties, and climbing each day until it gets to about thirty-four on Friday. Chuh Steups! Oh, I like that combination of West Indian disgust, never thought of putting them together before (smile) Oh to be in the wonderful West Indies, where the temps stay steady and don’t move up and down like a yo-yo! But hear me talking about the West Indies nuh, as though I know so much about it, having not lived there for almost forty years. I’m sorry Friends, but I am biased. Although Canada is the best big country in the world, the West Indies IS the best place to live! Matter fixed! (smile) The long and short of the story though, is that wherever the Lord appoints us to be, wherever He chooses to plant us, be it in an arid desert, or a well-watered oasis, that is where we have to stay, grow, flower and bear fruit. But the only way we can do that is by adhering to the strategy outlined in our Bit: ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God; that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ Yes Friends, the only way we can stand strong during adversity, and prosper too, is by putting on ALL of God’s wonderful protective armour, so that we can protect ourselves against the advances of the wicked enemy, and fight back too. Because one thing Jesus doesn’t want His followers doing is running from Beelzebub! In Jesus’ war manual, the gospel, He declares that the best method of defence is offence! So it’s vitally important that before the evil one comes a calling, we’re prepared, and that we pounce on him, before he gets a chance to attack. Hn, hn! I certainly hope I can stand strong when I go to my dentist for some root canal work this afternoon. (smile) Now hear how the scholars explain the two verses of our Bit: ‘Finally may be rendered “from now on” or “henceforth.” The Spiritual battle Christians are engaged in exists “from now on” until the Lord’s return: there is no quarter given, no cease fire, no temporary truce, no cessation of hostilities. “From now on” till the end there is all-out war. The remainder of the verse may be paraphrased, “let yourselves constantly be strengthened by the Lord, more precisely by His mighty power.” And ‘Put on (Greek ingressive aorist imperative) -whatever that means – denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate action. To stand has military overtones. This verb was used in classical Greek meaning to resist the enemy and hold a critical position in battle. The wiles of the devil (or, “the Devil’s strategy”): Satan carefully devises schemes and tactics against believers.’ Oh my brethren, that most certainly tells us that we’re in a serious war! Sometimes it might include physical battle, but there’s ALWAYS a spiritual fight going on in our members and our minds. As Bruh Paul continues explaining to the Ephesians: ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world (age), against spiritual (hosts of) wickedness in high places.’ (Eph.6:12) Yuh better believe that mih people, because it’s the gospel truth! And here’s how the scholars decipher that verse, re the activities of demons: ‘Several activities in the Bible may involve demons. Sometimes they cause physical disease or mental suffering. However, not all mental disorders are demonic in origin. Demons also tempt people into immoral practices. They originate and propagate false doctrines taught by heretical religious groups (1 Tim.4:1). The Bible also teaches that some people were possessed by demons (Mark 1:23). Although demons are committed to do evil, God will use them to accomplish His plan during the end of the age (Rev.16:14). Illustration: Demons are also objects of worship in various occult practices forbidden by God. These include divination (an illegitimate means of determining the will of God), necromancy (efforts to communicate with and interrogate the dead), magic (using formulas and incantations), sorcery (perhaps the non-medical use of drugs), witchcraft, and astrology (Deut.18:10-12) Application: When the Ephesian Christians who were “dabbling” in the occult repented, there was a great revival in that place. No Christian can ever justify his participation in demonic activities. (First Ref. Ex.7:11; Primary Ref, Eph. 6:12, cf. Heb.1:4) Oh Friends, for those of you who don’t believe it, or take it seriously, there is indeed a great battle continuously going on in our souls for supremacy, both by Lucifer and Jesus. As Christians though, followers of Jesus, we simply cannot allow the evil one to get a foothold, even a toe or finger hold in us. I didn’t have time nor space to copy the scripture references that the scholars gave, but please read them, I did, for they are very valuable in helping to understand what this whole spiritual warfare is about. Please take it very seriously, for it can mean the difference between spending life in purgatory with Lucifer, or in heaven with Jesus. Much LOVE!…a wise man hears wisdom…thinks about it…then acts wisely on it…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 25 June 2012 Jeremiah 29:11
25 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: believe the awesome promises of Jesus, encouragement, faith, hope, humble servants, invincible, jeremiah 29 11, light burden, LOVE, sacrificial lamb, spiritual armour, stand up for Jesus, sure conquerors
Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Well hello there mih Lovelies! Rise and shine to greet a brand new beautiful day, full of joy and unconditional LOVE! Unfortunately it’s called Monday, (smile) which means that we have to go back out and labour for massa to earn a paltry living. Now that’s the bad news Friends. But here’s the good news, the gospel news: It’s simple, but oh so powerful! All of us who are staunch, true, faithful believers in Jesus Christ, the ONE and ONLY SUPERSTAR, have nothing whatsoever to worry about, because He’s already taken care of everything for us. He’s paid for our disgusting sins by sacrificing His holy, sinless life on the cross at Calvary, even though we didn’t, and will never deserve it! He’s promised us His perfect peace, very different and much more refreshing than that of man! He’s called us to lay down our heaven burdens at His nail scarred feet, and instead offers His easy yoke and light burden! He’s promised to be always with us, wherever we go, and to never leave or forsake us, which He’s faithfully done by sending His Holy Spirit, His Comforter to live within us, to lead and guide us along the straight, narrow, righteous but difficult way! And above all He’s promised the magnificent but free gift of grace through salvation and eternal life! Wow! A place where there’s no more pain, suffering, sorrow, darkness, hatred and tears, but till eternity, His brilliant light will light our golden paths, with joy, fellowship, and an exceedingly good life filled with LOVE! Mama Mia! And all we have to do to receive His generosity is believe in Him; believe that He is indeed the WAY, the TRUTH, the LIGHT and the LIFE, and that no one can come to Father God besides through Him, the SON, the SACRIFICIAL LAMB, our LORD and SAVIOUR, to whom ALL Power has been given, both on earth and in Heaven, and to whom ALL knees must eventually bow. And all God’s people raised a mighty shout to Heaven! ‘Praise be to Jesus Christ, who is indeed worthy to be praised!’ Yes Friends, what awesome promises, most of which have already been fulfilled and are continuously being fulfilled every single day in our lives! How much more do we need before we can trust Him, surrender our lives totally to Him eh? How much better can it get? The gospel truth is that it cannot get any better than that mih breddren! So with all those great things going for us, why are Christ’s people still so sad, miserable, scared, resentful and lacking true joy? Because we either don’t truly believe His Word, or we’re allowing the enemy, the evildoers to bamboozle us with false info. Anyway, on this historic Monday morning, let us all rise up and remember that the joy of the Lord God Jehovah is our strength! Yes, ALL God’s people, let’s rise up and reclaim that joy that so many believers have sadly lost, or simply set aside because of their rough and unfortunate circumstances! Let’s let the whole wide world know that Jesus’ people are ready to ride into battle, even to the death, for Him! And we can start the process by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with overwhelming exhilaration, in loud, tuneful, soaring voice. All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together. We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies. But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’ Oh Friends, I was looking for something to stir up our spirits today, something to get us actively participating in the ongoing LOVE Revolution, and this is where the Spirit led me. I sure hope it has the desired effect, of encouragement, hope, trust and faith, and that we’ll readily and gladly accept, without any reservations, the awesome promised contained in our Bit: ‘ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (hope and a bright future).’ And I want to testify here Friends to the Lord’s true and awesome power, because I wrote all that stuff without a Bit in mind, then within a few seconds of contemplating what would be an appropriate one, the Spirit flashed that one in my mind, and not only that, I knew exactly where to find it. (smile) So please put all your trust and faith in Him, for He will NEVER LET YOU DOWN! Much LOVE mih beautiful people!…STAND UP, STAND UP FOR JESUS…THE TRUMPET SOUNDS OBEY…TILL EVERY FOE IS VANQUISHED…AND JESUS HOLDS ETERNAL SWAY…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 24 June 2012 Psalm 141:3
24 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: gospel truth, guard your mouth, heights of excellence, negative words, Praise the Lord, talk too much, words are powerful
Psalm 141:3. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
Oh Friends, it’s a new day, and we’re still alive and kicking, full of God’s breath, vim and vigour! Praise the Lord for His goodness to the undeserving children of men! And thankfully, I don’t have any negative testimony to report re the use of my mouth, at least as far as I know. The Lord didn’t pull me up on anything either. So, so far, so good! (smile) But seriously though Friends, these days we talk far more than is necessary, and logic dictates that the more we do something, the more opportunities we have to make mistakes. Just listen to all the angry, resentful, evil words that are being spoken all over our rapidly declining world nuh! Many of them are leading to wars and strife between nations, between different levels of society, and unfortunately way too much in the foundation unit of our society, the family. Too often I’m hearing appalling stories about strife between parents and children, or between siblings that just boggles my imagination. At those times I thank my dear departed mother that I was an only child yes! That’s because in most of the cases there’s absolutely no need for the anger and resentment that’s tossed around, nor the dissension and divisions that are created, for they usually stem from greed and petty jealousies. I’ve been telling my children from they were old enough to understand, that if I see or hear them carrying on with such nonsense, I will come back from my grave to haunt them. And that still stands mih children! Now to help us understand how powerful our words are, listen to this quote from Rudyard Kipling, (1865-1936) the renowned British author of novels like ‘The Jungle Book,’ and ‘The Man Who Would Be King.’ He declared, even way back then: ‘Words are, of course, the most powerful drug, used by mankind.’ That’s the living truth my people! And can you imagine if it was that way almost a century ago, what it’s like today? There’s nothing else that has the awesome power to effectively change our minds, moods, feelings and attitudes, either for evil or good, like the words that trip off our tongues. That’s why so many of us are taken in by the many scam and fraud artists so prevalent today, plus politicians, preachers, teachers, friends, family and even virtual strangers. Oh yes Friends, there is mighty power in our words! But it’s vital, of the utmost importance that we learn to use words to bless and not curse, to bring about good, positive, godly results, not evil, negative ones, if we’re going to stop the decline of our civilization. Look at all the animosity between the world’s main religions, with Father Abraham the source of them all, and also the many divisions and distinctions within each of them. The acrimony, resentment and outright hatred that exists all stem from inappropriate words, and can be traced back to inappropriate thoughts. But fortunately we don’t have to continue down that ungodly path, because as Norman Vincent Peale, the father of the Power of Positive Thinking, so rightly says: ‘Change your thoughts and you change your world.’ Gospel truth mih people, gospel truth! But how do we do that eh? Well, like every change we desire to make, by first invoking God’s help, one individual at a time. By raising up serious prayers to heaven, along the lines of our Bit: ‘Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep (watch over) the door of my lips.’ But then we have to consistently and diligently do our part; find and study the scriptures that pertain to the particular problem, and there are many that pertain to the mouth, then practice and persevere to bring about the necessary change(s). It won’t be easy Friends, especially in these evil, troubled, ungodly times, with so many distractions vying for our attention. But if we stand strong in our beliefs and keep in constant contact with our God, always asking for His guidance, there’s no doubt we’ll eventually rise to a height of excellence that’s pleasing to Him. Remember that we can do all things through and in association with Christ, who strengthens us. (Phil.4:13) Then we’ll be able to say like Bruh David, in his prayer for protection against oppressors: ‘Thou hast proved (tested) mine heart; thou hast visited (searched me out) in the night; thou hast tried (examined) me, and shalt find nothing (evil): I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. ‘ (Ps.17:3) Oh my brethren, when we can truthfully say something like that, then we’re on our way to glory, we’re using the awesome power in our words aright; in the service of God, not of Beelzebub! Much LOVE!…the power of our words…will only be used aright…when they’re guided by…the all-encompassing Power of the WORD…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 June 2011 Psalm 141:3
23 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: Achilles heel, bridle your tongue, conscious discipline of our minds, the reward of cautious speech, think before we talk, walk your talk
Psalm 141:3. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
Oh Friends, it’s another new day, another day of life with which we’ve been gifted! Arise and greet the brilliant sunshine of a new morn, the brilliant daystar that’s the embodiment of Jesus rising steadily and powerfully above the horizon! It’s time to get up and get your daily manna, your daily blessings provided from heaven! Let’s not do like the Israelites of old and be ungrateful. Let’s appreciate all that God’s gifted us with; the good, the bad and the indifferent, because that’s the appreciative attitude He wants all His children to possess, but more importantly, to also manifest, show it to the world at large. Unfortunately many believers don’t have it, and thus don’t manifest it. We complain about any and everything, most of them rather petty and unimportant. Now that’s definitely to our detriment, for we can’t have complaining, cursing tongues and yet walk in true step with Almighty God. That’s just not possible. And it’s why Bruh David, in his prayer for help in trouble, wrote the words of our Bit. ‘Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep (watch over) the door of my lips.’ And my people, do we ever need the Lord to do that in our angry, resentful, complaining, talk too much society! Yesterday we heard James’ discourse on the evil state of the tongue; a veritable poison and all that. Those are words of awful truth Friends! And it’s a bad trend, that we, as believers, HAVE TO CURB, if we want to enjoy the fullness of God’s goodness. And here I’ll like to make a confession. Yesterday morning, mere hours after writing the Bit and admonishing us to bridle our tongues, I was on my way home, stopped at a traffic light, intending to turn left. But for reasons known only to the people who regulate them, this light has an early green going east, but none going west. To make matters worse, they have another light down the street on green at the same time as mine, so trying to turn left on a busy morning is painstaking. You either quickly squeeze through when there’s a short break in the traffic or wait until the light turns red and go through then because it’s usually bumper to bumper traffic. Anyway, there I was sitting at the light behind this older van, and several times I thought the driver could have safely made the turn between the oncoming traffic, but he refused to do so. He waited till every car had passed before turning. Luckily the light was still green. Sadly though, my impatience got the better of me and I used some rather inappropriate language at another human made in God’s image. Not so that he could hear, but out loud to myself. And as you’d expect, as soon as the words left my lips, the Lord draped me up on them. ‘Weren’t you the one just telling others to guard their tongues? And you want to be a teacher of My Word, when you can’t guard your own tongue?’ Oh Friends, I was caught red-handed and had to repent and ask His forgiveness right then and there. That’s exactly what James was warning the teachers about in our scripture passage yesterday. Now over the last few years of writing the Bit, I’ve noticed that as soon as, or shortly after I use certain words, or teach certain principles, the Lord always provides some exercise or situation to test me on them. Most of the time I pass them, but obviously I failed the test yesterday morning. But He knows that in my heart I am sincerely trying to improve, I’m just a slow learner. (smile) However my brethren, the problem is that before we can control our tongues, we need to control our thoughts, and therefore our minds, because that’s where it all begins. The words of our mouths flow from the thoughts in our minds. So the first thing we need to do is discipline our minds to provide proper, godly thoughts, and not negative, ungodly ones, which then lead to a spewing forth of negative, ungodly words. That’s why Cousin Sol cautions us so wisely in Proverbs: ‘He that keepeth (guards) his mouth keepeth (preserves) his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.’ (Prov.13:3) Or as the scholars explain: ‘The reward of cautious speech is fuller life and the avoidance of unnecessary trouble.’ And isn’t that the gospel truth mih people! Cousin Sol also imparts this bit of wisdom re the tongue. ‘Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from troubles.’ (Prov.21:23) However Friends, before we can successfully do those things, we have to make a conscious decision to discipline our thoughts, then take time to think about what we’re going to say before saying it. Like so much else in a believer’s life, it’s a question of hope and faith backed by practice, patience and perseverance. But unless we consciously choose to control our thoughts, minds and tongues and practice doing so with patience and steadfastness, our mouths will always get us and our souls in trouble. Unfortunately some of us are so passionate about what we believe in, we simply blurt out what comes to mind without consciously and seriously thinking it through. Sadly that’s my Achilles heel and I readily acknowledge it. But don’t worry Friends, if I can improve, with God’s help of course, and I’m still improving, any body can. As Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say, I haven’t reached where I’m going yet, but I’ve sure come a long way from where I was. And all God’s people said a loud ‘Amen!’ because it applies to all of us in some form and fashion. So Friends, please take strength and courage from my lapse, but please, please, let’s all try and model our thoughts and therefore our words after Jesus, as best as we can, with His help. We’ll never be perfect like Him, but we must strive for excellence in all matters. More tomorrow on this, if we’re still alive and kicking. I never intended to have a testimony on it today. (smile) Much LOVE!…a mind that thinks right and godly thoughts…will cause a mouth to speak right and godly words…
Todays Scrip-Bit 22 June 2012 Psalm141:3
22 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: fellowship, Friday chant, guard your mouth, human degradation, inhumane suffering, rest and relaxation, silence is golden, TGIF!, the tongue can no man tame
Psalm 141:3. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
Oh Friends, it’s Friday! The weekend’s here, bringing us a l’il rest from our weekly labour. Praise the Lord! Because if the enemy had his way, we’d all be working seven days a week, from sun-up to sundown, for a mere pittance. Thankfully though, the majority of us have gotten away from that, but there are still some folks – even one is too many – who have it worse than slaves. Please, let’s pray for them; pray that their situation improves, and quickly too, and also let’s do something to help remedy the untenable situation in whatever way we can; with our time, time, talents or financial resources, for the human being was not made in Almighty God’s image to suffer such horrible oppression and degradation. Oh my people, we really don’t know how good we have it nuh. And I’m not talking about some undeveloped, third world country where these atrocities are happening, but right here in our supposed first world societies. Oh Friends, if we only knew some of the brutal, inhumane stuff that goes on, not only on the underside of our society, but also within the hallowed halls of our wealthy and powerful, we’d be totally flabbergasted. So while many of us can gleefully shout ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ a sizeable portion of our society unfortunately can’t declare those glad tidings. So please, let’s remember them when we’re joyous over the two days off that we have, and do whatever we can to alleviate their sad and oh so wrong situation. Now let’s chant our Friday Chant that will give us the right perspective on how to use these valuable weekends. As one voice now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ And having read and digested all that, (smile) it’s time to look at our Bit: ‘Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep (watch over) the door of my lips.’ Ah Friends, this mouth business is so important in a believer’s life, and sadly too many of us flunk it! And I suppose the first scripture we ought to contend with, is found in the immortal and true words of James, re the dangers of the tongue. He solemnly declares: ‘My brethren, be not many masters (let not many of you be teachers), knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation (stricter judgement). For in many things we offend all (stumble). If any man offend (stumble) not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm (rudder), whithersoever the governor listeth (pilot wants). Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold how great a matter (forest) a little fire kindleth (sets on fire)! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity; so is the tongue (the tongue is so set) among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature (existence); and is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind. But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude (likeness) of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.’ (James 3:1-12) Oh Friends, I didn’t intend to write all of that, but after looking it over, the Spirit nudged me, and I realized that I would be doing us all a serious injustice if I tried to beak it up, because there are few other places in the Good Book where such an important topic is so extensively and well reasoned in such a short space. And I figured that though many of us have heard the particular part about the tongue, some might not have heard it in its proper context. I also highlighted that part because it’s so true and even more meaningful today than it was back in James’ time. What with the explosion of communication technology, talking and now texting have become such huge aspects in our society and are also beginning to cause huge problems. More and more people are getting in trouble for their words everyday! Now this passage was originally written to the early teachers in the church, whose primary tool was their tongue, and the source of their teaching, their wisdom. He’s warning them of the pitfalls of teaching. First, ‘the teacher will receive greater scrutiny from God, because the teacher often passes judgement upon his hearers, and secondly, the primary teaching tool is the tongue, which no one can control sufficiently.’ Now that’s an undeniable truth my Friends! However, as James reasons, we can’t use it to bless God and curse mankind, who’s made in His image. But such is the widespread use today. My people, we have to definitely control our tongues more carefully than we’re currently doing, or else we’ll find ourselves in serious trouble, both with man and God. So from today, let’s take these memorable words of Bruh David to heart and try and make them our individual goal. ‘Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength (my rock), and my redeemer.’ (Ps.19:14) Oh Friends, if we all made that a habit, what a wonderful place our world would be! More on this tomorrow God willing. Till then, let’s go and practice taming our tongues nuh. Good luck with that! (smile) Much LOVE!…this generation needs to learn…that oftimes…silence is truly golden…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 June 2012 Romans 8:16
21 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: assurance of salvation and eternal life, children of God, feast or famine, grieve not the Holy Spirit, holy spirit, ministry of the holy spirit, obedience to God's will, spiritual insight
Romans 8:16. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.
Oh mih people, for once the weather forecasters were right. Yesterday was a pretty hot day. And they promise more of that summery weather for today. The A/C units will be again running nonstop, working overtime, and the power producers and technicians will be making loads of money. The technicians might be even too busy to attend to some of the service calls. Sometimes we just can’t win, because it’s either feast or famine, no safe and comfortable in between. But as I keep reminding us, we are children of the Most High God Jehovah, and consequently ours is not to worry, but to turn all our problems over to Him in prayer. And some of you might be led to ask, how do we really know that we’re children of God? Well, for a start, listen to our Bit: ‘The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.’ Yes Friends, when the Spirit of God dwells in us and works in tandem with our spirit to produce a Christ-like character in us, then we can be assured that we are indeed children of the Most High! Remember yesterday we said that one of the reasons we can be assured of salvation and eternal life is because we have the inner witness of the Holy Spirit? Oh Friends, without that Spirit of God dwelling in us, we’d be completely lost! Such is its importance in the lives of believers. Hear the scholars tell it: ‘The witness of the Spirit is the inner assurance of God’s truth. One of the conditions of this inner conviction concerning the things of God is obedience to His known will: ‘My doctrine is not mine, but him that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of (concerning) the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.’ (John 7:16-17) God uses this ministry of the Holy Spirit to convince us of truth that cannot be understood other than through divine help. ‘And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt.16:17) Illustration: This witness was obvious in Peter’s confession of Christ. Even though others had observed Christ and drawn certain erroneous conclusions, Peter received spiritual insight from God as to who Jesus really was. This enlightenment did not mean he had nothing more to learn, because perhaps within minutes of his confession, he was being rebuked by Jesus for his lack of spiritual insight. ‘But he (Jesus) turned and said to Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savourest not (are not mindful of) the things that be of God, but those that be of men.’ (Matt.16:23) Application: Christians should be careful always to obey the clearly revealed will of God, so as not to hinder this ministry in their lives.’ We can therefore see my brethren that the Holy Spirit is of the utmost importance in the lives of all believers. He is to be the chief mover and shaker in all that we do. Now the million-dollar question is, do we allow the Spirit to do His job? That’s entirely up to us as individuals. But please note that as much as we allow the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us, that’s how much we’ll be in God’s good graces. Remember the Spirit is the workhorse of the Holy Trinity, so if He’s not busily working in and through us, then simple logic dictates that God isn’t working in and through us. Hear Bruh Paul talking to the Ephesians re the spiritual blessings in Christ. ‘That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ (Jews). In whom ye (Gentiles) also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.’ (Eph.1:12-13) Here are some thoughts on that from the scholars. ‘There is no difference between the Jewish and Gentile Christians. Christ bestowed the same Spirit on them all. Right when, you believed you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, not after. The sealer is Jesus; the seal is the Holy Spirit. In biblical times a seal denoted both identification of ownership and protection provided by the owner.’ Oh Friends that definitely means when we’re sealed with the Holy Spirit of Jesus that we belong to Him and are protected by Him! And all God’s children shouted: ‘Glory Hallelujah to the Lamb who is most worthy to be praised!’ I like how the scholars further explain the sealing of the Holy Spirit. ‘The sealing of the Holy Spirit guarantees the benefits of our salvation, as a person might seal an envelope to guarantee its enclosures. The Holy Spirit is the seal. Illustration: The Holy Spirit as the seal to the believer is also a ‘down payment’ of His commitment to someday give him all other things God has promised. Application: Christians should be careful to ‘grieve not the holy Spirit of God, by whom ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.’ (Eph.4:30) There we have it Friends, the facts, and not fiction, on the reality that we are children of God! And we’ll end with this most appropriate verse: ‘And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.’ (Rom.8:17) Wow mih people, what an awesome promise! Now why would I trade all of that for some stupid, earthly possession that corrodes, get’s rusty and which I cannot take to heaven with me eh? No way Jose! Please ponder, think seriously on these things. and I sure hope you come to the same conclusion that I did. It’s wisdom at its highest point! Much LOVE…to know, know, know Him…is to LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Him…just to feel His LOVING touch…makes it all worthwhile…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 June 2012 1 John 5:13
20 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: answered prayer, assurance of the believer, believe on the name of Jesus Christ, children of God, hot hot hot, keeping God's commandments, LOVE each other, memorizing scripture, not ashamed of Christ, understanding the scriptures, witness of the Word
1 John 5:13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Oh Friends, yesterday was ‘Hot, Hot, Hot!’ And today will be ‘Hotter, Hotter, Hotter!’ (smile) Yes, we’re finally getting some real summer weather, thirty odd degrees. However, it will definitely impact greatly on the hydro-electricity bill with the A/C on continuously, especially since we’re now on this pay more during the day scene. Ah mih brethren, the ole crooks and them know just how to ramp up a bill! Yet they sell power to other jurisdictions for much less than the production cost when they have an over-abundance of it. And who do you think pays for that? The poor, lowly consumers of course! Unfortunately, when the government, the main producers, and the others lesser ones are in cahoots, you can’t do much else but grin and bear it. Anyway, seeing that we’re children of Almighty God, that means we’re privileged, so we’ll just continue doing our thing, laying our problems in the Lord’s hands, because He’s so graciously invited us all who are weary and heavy laden, to come to Him for rest, to bear His easy yoke and light burden. (Matt.11:28-30) Oh Friends, you’ll be proud to know that the ole fella didn’t have to look up the Concordance to find that scripture, but rattled it off from the top of his head. Glory Hallelujah! Rhyming off chapter and verse is not my strongpoint, so anytime I remember a scripture and where it’s found, that’s an improvement. Thank the Lord mih people! Now this is one of those times when I don’t know what I’m going to write about, for before I was ready to write, the Spirit floated the ‘Hot, Hot, Hot’ idea, and I just ran with it. So I’ll have to take a break and check the Good Book to see what the Lord wants us to talk about today. So, soon come! I’m back mih breddren; about half an hour later! Not because it took me so long to find a Bit, but because I was catching up on some other reading that I should have done before starting the Bit. In fact I found our Bit in less than five minutes. And yuh know my biggest blessing is when the Lord guides me fairly easily to a Bit. Sadly, it doesn’t happen all the time, and some days I have to plod and plough through the Good Book to find something my head can get around. But here’s our Bit for today: ‘These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.’ Ah mih people, what a wonderful and blessed assurance! And we’ll break it down so we can all understand it, by sharing what the scholars say about assurance, but in between I’ll write out the references they give, so that we’ll have them all right at hand. Here goes: ‘The Scriptures clearly teach that it is possible to know whether you are saved or unsaved. The assurance of the believer is not based on feeling, (though the Christian may “feel” saved), but on the principle of God’s Word. We can know we are saved because Christ is in our hearts. ‘To whom God would (willed to) make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ (Col.1:27) ‘He that hath the Son hath (the) life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not (the) life.’ (1 John 5:12) Because of the witness of the Word of God: ‘He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record (testimony) that God gave his Son. And this is the record (testimony), that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.’ (1 John 5:10-11) Because of answered prayer: ‘If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.’ (John 14:14) ‘And this is the confidence we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired (asked) of him.’ (1 John 5:14-15) Because of our understanding of the scriptures: ‘And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.’ (1 John 5:20) Because we keep His commandments: ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (creation): old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.’ (2 Cor.5:17) ‘We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth (guards) himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.’ (1 John 5:18) Because we LOVE the brethren: ‘We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we LOVE the brethren. He that LOVETH not his brother abideth in death.’ (1 John 3:14) Because we have the inner witness of the Holy Spirit: ‘The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.’ (Rom.8:16) Illustration: Paul claimed to have this inner confidence and was fully persuaded concerning the keeping power of God in salvation. ‘For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against (until) that day.’ (2 Tim.1:12) Application: Because of this assurance, the believer need not be ashamed of Christ, even when he finds himself in difficult circumstances.’ (2 Tim.1:12) Oh Friends, it’s a bit on the long side, but it is all very worthwhile since it gives us some strong foundation of why we’re Christians, of why we believe so firmly in Almighty God and His graceful gifts of salvation and eternal life, expensively purchased for us through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. Please, let us take these scriptures to heart so that they may enable us to stand strong in our Christian Faith. That’s wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!…I am the way, the truth, and the life…no man cometh unto the Father…BUT BY ME…
Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 June 2012 Psalm 116:17
19 Jun 2012 Leave a comment
in Inspirational Living Tags: call upon the Lord, glorify the Lord, humble contrite heart, offer sacrifice, psalm 116, sacrifice of thanksgiving
Psalm 116:7. I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.
Oh Friends, it’s one more morning, one more day that we’re alive and kicking on this beautiful planet earth, so LOVINGLY created by our heavenly Father for our enjoyment! Wow! It’s something we should all be very thankful and grateful for everyday, even though our personal lives might be a tad on the rough side these days. And that’s exactly where our Bit today comes in: ‘I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.’ It’s when times are hard, or some unforeseen, sudden dilemma crops up that we need to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving. When things and times are good and oodles of blessings are being bestowed upon us, we ought also to offer thanks, but under those circumstances, it’s not a sacrifice. A good example of what I’m talking about is the other morning when I felt that sudden, unexpected, excruciating pain in my left knee, as I got out of my car in the church’s parking lot. Now I could have gotten angry and blamed and berated somebody, including the Lord, especially after I asked for an explanation and received none. But instead, I wisely thanked Him for whatever was happening because I knew that He was still in control and had my welfare at heart. The Lord knew that I wasn’t thrilled by the situation, but I got a passing mark because I kept my cool, grinned and bore my pain in reasonable silence. Oh Friends, whenever problems befall us, we’re too quick to blame and complain and get angry, when as believers, we ought to try and take it in our stride and go first to the Lord in prayer, asking for answers and direction. That is where the sacrifice part comes in; when we’re hurting and confused, but wisely lay it all before our wonderful, helpful and LOVING God. That will bring peace to our souls and help us to handle the situation appropriately. Listen to the psalmist Asaph, as he wisely declares in Psalm 50, God is the judge. ‘Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’ (Ps.50:14-15) That is exactly what we constantly need to do in these very troubled times my people, instead of complaining and whining and finding fault with everybody except ourselves, where the problems most often lie. We have become such an ungrateful society that I’m sure the Lord shakes His head in wonder and disgust everyday when He hears us angrily clamouring over petty stuff we lack, and not being thankful for all the glorious stuff we do have. Appreciation Friends, vocal appreciation of our God’s goodness is of the utmost importance in a believer’s life! What’s the saying: ‘Complain and Remain, Praise and be Raised.’ That’s gospel truth my brethren! A negative, critical fault-finding spirit disconnects us from God. If in anger and negativity we keep dialling heaven, we’ll always get a busy signal, or no signal at all. Only when we come to Him in a humble, contrite manner do the lines to heaven open up. Hear Hosea’s prescription for entreating the Lord: ‘O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God, for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves (fruits, sacrifices) of our lips.’ (Hos.14:1-2) And the scholars explain that thus: ‘Calves of our lips: The word calves (Heb, par, ‘a young bull or produce’) is best understood metaphorically, referring to the words that the lips produce – in this context praise to the Lord. The nation had used its lips to praise the idolatrous calves; now it will use its lips in praise to the Lord God.’ Meanwhile, Bruh Paul, re the ways of the believer, tells the Ephesians, and us, that our ways should be channelled towards: ‘Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph.5:20-21) As I keep reminding us Friends, living a true Christian life is not easy, but if we are serious about it, in partnership with Jesus, we can do a worthwhile, and even an excellent job. But we have to let thanks, praise and glory to our God be THE central aspect of our lives. Without that all-important ingredient directing us, we’ll most likely sink like a heavy stone, or keep treading water, going nowhere, until we get tired and succumb to the irresistible pull of the depths. Only with praise and thanks in our souls and coming from our lips will we swim to safety. And we’ll end with an appropriate scripture from Hebrews, re service well-pleasing to God. ‘By him (Jesus) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks (confessing to) his name. But to do good and to communicate (share) forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.’ (Heb.13: 15-16) That’s the awesome truth mih people! So please, starting today, right now, let’s turn our lives around nuh. Too many of us supposed believers are negative and complaining, and are therefore disconnected from the Lord, that’s why we can’t get ahead. Let’s begin being more positive, joyful and uttering more thanks and praise, both during the good and bad times, because above all else, God wants us to praise and glorify Him. If that doesn’t impact a great portion of our waking moments, then we’re not obeying His Word. Much LOVE!…to him that hath ears…let him hear…then having heard…let him give much thanks and praise…as is his bounden duty…
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