A Memorial to mother
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
Monday, June 28, 2021
The meaning of the Lord's prayer
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Explanation |
(NKJV) Matthew
6:9-15 |
Original text
references and Bible verses |
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The Lord’s prayer is a complete guide on what is
required of us akin to Micah 6:8, Deuteronomy 10:12-13 and Psalm 145:8. The purpose is to teach and help us develop the
nature of godliness; to be more like your father, the God of Israel. |
9 In this manner, therefore, pray: |
Micah 6:8 He hath shewed thee, man, what is good; and what doth
the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk
humbly with thy God? [Entry for Strong's #06800
- צָנַע
Word Definition [ Brown-Drivers-Briggs | Strong ] Brown-Driver-Briggs' Definition 1) to be humble, be modest, be lowly 1a) (Qal) to show humility 2) (Hiphil) modest] Deuteronomy 10:12-13 12 And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require
of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love
him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, 13 To keep the commandments of the Lord, and his
statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? Psalm 145:8 The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to
anger, and of great mercy. Isaiah 57:15-16 15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth
eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him
also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the
humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. 16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be
always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I
have made. Psalm 37:11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight
themselves in the abundance of peace. |
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Only when we are humble, will we be
able to surrender to the will of God and acknowledge his rule over all
things. Isaiah 57:15 says that the Lord will
dwell with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit. As in Psalm 37:11, the meek and the
righteous shall truly inherit the earth when the Lord will cause the wicked
and the violent to be cut off from his inheritance and perish. |
Our Father in heaven, 10 Your kingdom come. |
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Bread in the Bible means both edible food
and the word of God. Even on the Sabbath rest days, we are allowed and should
continue to eat and drink like any other day. Deuteronomy 8:3 indicates that the word
of God is what sustains us and that God is both the bread of life and living
waters. In the Book of John chapter 6,
Jesus revealed and declared that he is the bread of life and living waters. That was why Moses survived for 40 days twice
over without food and water because the Lord gave to Moses all that was needed
in order to live (bread and water – Exodus 34:28). Under normal circumstances, a person would
in most instances but not all, die after 14 days without food and water. |
11
Give us this day our daily bread. |
Exodus 16:15And when the children of Israel saw it, they
said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses
said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. Deuteronomy 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed
thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that
he might make thee know that man doth not live by
bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord
doth man live. John 6:31-35 31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is
written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the
true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from
heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this
bread. 35
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never
hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. Exodus 34:28 And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights;
he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the
words of the covenant, the ten commandments. Jeremiah 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken
me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken
cisterns, that can hold no water. John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift
of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest
have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. |
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The Lord forgives our debts, offenses
and sins because of his great mercy; likewise, we are to emulate his mercy
when we learn to forgive those who have done us wrong or sinned against us. |
12 And forgive us our debts, |
Strong's Concordance opheiléma: that which is owed, a debt Original Word: ὀφείλημα, ατος, τό Mark 11:25-26 25 And when ye stand praying, forgive,
if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may
forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither
will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. |
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The KJV word on “temptation” or
“tempt” in its original text in Greek or Hebrew leans towards the meaning of
trials and being tried and tested instead of enticing someone by charm or
seduction in the English language. So, does the Lord tempt people? I would
say sometimes, day and night we are being tried and tested for our own good –
in accordance to James 1:2-4, because trials builds up our patience so that
we can be like the Lord who is slow to anger because of his infinite
patience, compassion and gracious nature. |
13 And do not lead us into temptation, |
Strong's Concordance peirasmos: an experiment, a trial, temptation Original Word: πειρασμός, οῦ, ὁ Strong's
Concordance maccah:
temptation Original
Word: מַסָּה Brown-Driver-Briggs I.
[מַסָּה] noun
feminine despair (literally melting,
failing); — only לְמַסַּת נְקִיִּים יִלְעָ֑ג Job 9:23 at the despair of innocent ones he mocketh; so ᵑ7 Ew Di Bu Du > Ges
Hi and others trial (by calamity), √ נסה. II. מַסָּה noun
feminine test, trial, proving; — ׳מ Psalm 95:8;
construct מַסַּת Job
9:23; plural מַסֹּת Deuteronomy
4:34; Deuteronomy 7:19, מַסּוֺת Deuteronomy 29:2; — testingsor provings of
Pharaoh and Egyptians at Exodus, Deuteronomy 4:34 (see
Dr), Deuteronomy 7:19; Deuteronomy 29:2 ("" אֹתֹת);
— test, trial, of innocent person Job 9:23 according
to Hi and others, but see I. מַסָּה below מסס.
James 1:2-4 2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers
temptations; 3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh
patience. 4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be
perfect and entire, wanting nothing. Psalm 12:6 The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in
a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Genesis 22:1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did
tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. |
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For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory
forever. Amen. |
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14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. |
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Thursday, August 14, 2014
PRAYER
Prayer and
faith, a living sacrifice;
Who are we suppose to pray to?
We
are to pray to the One Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Living God of
Abraham, Isaac and Israel; we do not pray to a piece of rock or statue nor do
we pray to angels, prophets or demons.
What is prayer?
We
have to go back to Hebrew sources to see how Israel would define
prayer or a more proper word used is “Tefillah”.
http://www.jewfaq.org/prayer.htm
http://www.torah.org/learning/rambam/tefillah/mt.tf.1.01.html
Tefilah
/ Tefillah came from the root word “l'hitpalel” / "li-heet-pallel" /
“lehispallel” = meaning to judge oneself / inspect
or act of personal introspection / to make oneself think.
Prayer in the context of Tefillah is about bringing yourself to the
acknowledgement, subjection and connecting with the Creator of all things. The purpose of personal introspection is to
examine ourselves in faith with the Holy Spirit of the Lord to find our role in
the universe and to develop our relationship with Him. As such, prayer or Tefillah is so much more
than just asking or petitioning to God for something; through prayer, you
present to God your world for His approval, you lay the foundations of your
desires and build up solid promises that you can keep and set up clear pathways
to follow through.
Most of the time, prayer is a private declaration of our faithful
convictions in the Lord and prayerful proclamations that we make in private are
for strengthening our relationship and awareness of the Lord. However, for the Levite Priests and Church
Pastors, they are expected to also be able to pray in public, leading in a
group or congregational prayer. The
Psalms of King David are not just songs; they are some of the best examples of
Tefilah.
Matthew 6:6-7
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6 But you, when you pray, go into your
room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the
secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
7 And when you pray, do not use vain
repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for
their many words.
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The Psalms are the prayers of King David; note the structure and
prose. King David’s prayers usually
contains praises and declaring the power and greatness of the Almighty Creator
and then he pleads his cause, gives just defence of his own actions, pass
judgements upon his enemies, make resolutions of faith and justice.
Why do we pray?
The reason why we pray is to learn to take control of our lives and set
our priorities straight through our faith in God. Prayers helped King David take control of his
life that was often falling apart, as well as help govern the nation of Israel
and Judah. Prayers must only be set up
in truth, propagate godly justice and advancing the Kingdom of God.
In Tefilah, we are actively “thinking” and “focused” in our mind and
soul, it would mean that pagan type of prayers of mumbling, chanting, mindless
speaking-in-tongues and loud repetitions must be automatically removed from the
equation.
According to language translators, the Latin word “precari” means to
pray or to beg. Asking or begging the
Lord for something is normally what people think prayer is all about, although
not entirely wrong, it is just a small fragment of our vast tapestry of
introspection, mind and spiritual relationship with the Lord.
Matthew 6:8
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“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father
knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
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Tefillah prayer is NOT
about a two way conversation with God, where you get to tell God all your
stories and troubles (as if He does not already know) and then God gives you
answers and lessons in “audible voices” telling you what to do next – as what is
being practised by those that speaks-in-tongues Charismatics/Pentecostals.
Repetitive chanting and speaking-in-tongues mindless utterances and
shaking of heads and body can be considered as obscene and self deluded
presumptions of what prayer is all about.
Apostate Christians, teachers and Church leaders have lead millions of
people to misconstrue Romans chapter 8 especially “Romans 8:26”.
Oxford Dictionary: “Groan” – make a deep
inarticulate sound in response to pain or despair or oppression.
The “groaning” of the Holy Spirit in Romans 8:26 is the Lord’s understands our pain and despair
that we are at lost for words to describe; the Lord then intercedes for us or
intervene on our behalf; for example, preventing something bad from happening
to us or altering some events or help change our minds. The Lord groans because He bears our
griefs and carried our sorrows; He knows what we are going through and feels
our struggles and our inner groanings.
[When the Lord intercedes for us, it is not that he prays to the Father
on our behalf like what he did in the flesh 2000 years ago as a Jewish man as
an example for us to follow. ] It is
very important to know that Jesus and the Lord Most High, is one and the same
person.
When you pray to the Lord for help but are at lost for words; the Lord
will help or show you the way to take control of your life again. All you need is to put your trust in the
Lord.
PSALM
146
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The
Happiness of Those Whose Help Is the LORD
PSALM
146:1-10
1Praise
the LORD!
Praise
the LORD, O my soul!
2
While I live I will praise the LORD;
I
will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3
Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor
in a son of man, in whom there is no help.
4
His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In
that very day his plans perish.
5
Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose
hope is in the LORD his God,
6
Who made heaven and earth,
The
sea, and all that is in them;
Who
keeps truth forever,
7
Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who
gives food to the hungry.
The
LORD gives freedom to the prisoners.
8
The LORD opens the eyes of the blind;
The
LORD raises those who are bowed down;
The
LORD loves the righteous.
9
The LORD watches over the strangers;
He
relieves the fatherless and widow;
But
the way of the wicked He turns upside down.
10
The LORD shall reign forever—
Your
God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise
the LORD!
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Romans 8:26 is closely related to Isaiah 53:4 and it has NOTHING to do
with what the Charismatic and Pentecostals do when they pray with strange
groaning sound effects and mimic animal howling or nonsensical ramblings, etc.
Isaiah
53:4
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Surely
He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. |
Praying and worshiping the Living God “in spirit and in truth” in the
Biblical context, is having clarity and understanding of all things that God
has created, with words or without words.
Truth is clarity and understanding. Sometimes, though the Lord’s Holy
Spirit guidance, we are able to come to an understanding about many things even
when no language is spoken. God is able
to transliterate clearly and gives understanding to those who earnestly seek
after Him but to the proud and lofty, He sometimes speaks in parables and gave
them up altogether to their own devices.
Sometimes, languages of the peoples of the earth are not enough to
express our inner most desires and thoughts.
Even as the Lord lifts us up to pray in the Spirit, connecting our human
spirit with his own Holy Spirit, our mind becomes evermore clearer and even
greater understanding than any language on earth is able to convey.
(NKJV)
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Romans 8
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8:1 There is therefore now no
condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to
the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do in
that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the
likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 that the righteous requirement of
the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but
according to the Spirit.
5 For those who live according to the
flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live
according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death,
but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity
against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
8 So then, those who are in the flesh
cannot please God.
9 But you are not in the flesh but in
the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not
have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
10 And if Christ is in you, the body
is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised
Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will
also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are
debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
13 For if you live according to the
flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the
body, you will live.
14 For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15 For you did not receive the spirit
of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we
cry out, “Abba, Father.”
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness
with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 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.
18 For I consider that the sufferings
of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall
be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the
creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to
futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope;
21 because the creation itself also
will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of
the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation
groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
23 Not only that, but we also who have
the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves,
eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
24 For we were saved in this hope, but
hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?
25 But if we hope for what we do not
see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.
26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in
our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but
the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered.
27 Now He who searches the hearts
knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the
saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know that all things work
together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called
according to His purpose.
29 For whom He foreknew, He also
predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the
firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom He predestined, these
He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He
justified, these He also glorified.
31 What then shall we say to these
things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give
us all things?
33 Who shall bring a charge against
God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is he who condemns? It is
Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand
of God, who also makes intercession for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love
of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written:
“For Your sake we are killed all day
long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more
than conquerors through Him who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that neither
death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present
nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other
created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
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Today, in a highly competitive material world, majority of people think
highly of extroversion and repulses introversion.
According to the Dictionary: - an “extrovert” is praised and thought of
as “socially confident, outgoing and predominantly concerned with external
things or objective considerations”; while an “introvert” is being demoted
to a person who is “quiet, shy, reticent and predominantly concerned with
their own thoughts and feelings rather than external things”.
This
would be nicely exemplified in the story of Mary and Martha in Luke chapter
10:38-42.
The
introspection of Tefillah makes prayer a form of introversion. If you have no
thoughts of your own, you are an empty vessel.
An empty vessel can be an easy target for the evil spirits of
unscrupulous men/women. An extrovert
will likely get caught up in the image of Babylon, being “too busy” or “too
concerned” with material wants and external reputation where he can become a
victim of culture and tradition of the period.
Luke 10:38-42
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Mary and Martha
Worship and Serve
38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain
village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet
and heard His word.
40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she
approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to
serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”
41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are
worried and troubled about many things.
42
But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not
be taken away from her.”
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Prayer
is different from a conversation with another person face to face or via
telephone or any electronic devices. If you are speaking to Jesus of Nazareth
face to face, it would not be called prayer but a conversation between two
persons. When the Lord answers your prayers, he is not communicating to you in
prayer as it is considered as the Lord giving you a revelation or giving you
non-audible answers that you can clearly understand liken unto thought
transference. However, most of the time,
prayers are answered in the most inconspicuous manner of effecting the intended
change without your immediate direct knowledge.
Prayer
is also not about talking to yourself or being in a state of
schizophrenia. Although many people
would like to treat prayer like a conversation with God, but in this way we can
easily get lost and might turn it into speaking to an imaginary friend because
most of the time God will remain silent for quite some time and does not answer
our prayers immediately. The Lord uses
various ways to give us His answers.
That
is why RELIGION and THEOLOGY has become a God that is made after the image of
man because of the way we try to understand who God is by our own experiences
instead of waiting faithfully for God to come to us and revealing Himself to
us. Our soul & spirit is made after
the image of God. No other creation on
earth have this soul/spirit; not animals nor plants or rocks. The Lord speaks and worlds are created.
Prayer is your careful thought in
the Lord and things shall come to pass. A complete prayer/tefillah should already
contain the answers.
Many
people fall prey to Charismatic/Pentecostal speaking in tongues spirits are
because they demand evidence that their prayers are heard and answered
immediately. Prayers are not you
demanding from God and God giving in to you, or pretending to be someone
standing beside you, telling you what to do.
As
wide ranging as any conversation one would hope to have with our creator, tefillah
is not about conversation. Prayer in the
Spirit toward the Lord Most High although seemingly who is not physically
standing in front of you but He is all seeing and all knowing, where nothing
escapes Him; your prayers given towards
Him or laid before Him is a private proclamation to the Lord after carefully examining
yourself and the situation that you are in and through the Lord’s Holy Spirit
you are empowered, sanctified and properly guided to carry out what you
have declared to do.
(NKJV)
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Leviticus
22:32
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32 You
shall not profane My holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of
Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you,
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Prayers/Tefillah
can be summarized into 12 basic groups or types:-
1)
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Pronouncement
of Love, Praise, Honour, Worship, Blessing and Thanksgiving to the Lord Most
High, creator of the heavens and the earth;
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2)
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Pronouncement
of Blessings and Healing for other people;
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3)
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Pronouncement
of Judgments and Resolutions;
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4)
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Pronouncement
of Curses, Binding of evil spirits and Deliverance;
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5)
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Pronouncement
of Encouragement, Strength, Peace and Protection from the Lord;
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6)
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Requests,
Petitions, Supplications and Seeking Guidance & the Will of God;
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7)
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Sanctification,
Consecrate* yourself as a Living Sacrifice unto the Lord.
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8)
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Intercession
for other people (family, friends, and even strangers)
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9)
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Seeking
Forgiveness; forgiving self and others
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10)
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“Quiet
watchfulness”, is when we are at lost for words, by trust and faith, put our
whole dependence and focus on the Lord to intercede for us.
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11)
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Cleansing,
wellbeing, safety and good maintenance of land, house or living
space/city/state/country around you, material goods, livestock, wildlife and
even pets as well.
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12)
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Seeking
vindication, redemption and salvation
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Matthew 6
(NKJV)
The Model Prayer
9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name. ……………….. (1 – pronouncement of honour) 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done ………………………….(6 – seeking the will of God) On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, ……………...(9 – seeking forgiveness) As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. ………………(4 – seeking deliverance from evil) For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. ……………….. (1 – pronouncement of honour to our God and King)
14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if you do not forgive men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
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Sample of Biblical
references of the aforesaid 12 types of prayers:-
1)
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Pronouncement
of Blessing to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Psalm
145
145:1
I will extol You, my God, O King;
And I will bless Your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.
Genesis
24:27
27
And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not
forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the
way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”
Psalm
18:46
46
The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.
Psalm
66:8-10
8
Oh, bless our God, you peoples!
And make the voice of His praise to be heard, 9 Who keeps our soul among the living, And does not allow our feet to be moved. 10 For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. |
2)
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Pronouncement
of healing for others.
Numbers
12:13
13
So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “Please heal her, O God, I pray!”
2
Chronicles 30:18-20
18
For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and
Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to
what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord
provide atonement for everyone
19
who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he is
not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.”
20
And the Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.
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3)
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Pronouncement
of Resolution and Judgment towards the wicked.
Psalm
62:1
New King James
Version (NKJV)
A Calm
Resolve to Wait for the Salvation of God
62:1
Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation.
Psalm
129
129:1
“Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth,”
Let Israel now say— 2 “Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth; Yet they have not prevailed against me. 3 The plowers plowed on my back; They made their furrows long.” 4 The Lord is righteous; He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked.
5 Let all
those who hate Zion
Be put to shame and turned back. 6 Let them be as the grass on the housetops, Which withers before it grows up, 7 With which the reaper does not fill his hand, Nor he who binds sheaves, his arms. 8 Neither let those who pass by them say, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you; We bless you in the name of the Lord!” |
4)
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Pronouncement
of Curses and Deliverance
Deuteronomy
27:19
19
‘Cursed is the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, the fatherless,
and widow.’
“And
all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’
Deuteronomy
27:18
18
‘Cursed is the one who makes the blind to wander off the road.’
“And
all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’
Psalm
40:13
13
Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me;
O Lord, make haste to help me! |
5)
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Pronouncement
of protection
Psalm
25:20
20
Keep my soul, and deliver me;
Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. |
6)
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Petitions
1 Samuel 1:27
27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has
granted me my petition which I asked of Him.
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7)
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Consecrate:
Dedicate, devote as sacred or holy – let your life embody the sound
doctrine of Christ.
Psalm
2:12
King
James Version
2:12
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is
kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Douay
Rheims Bible
2:12
Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from
the just way. When his wrath shall be kindled in a short time, blessed are
all they that trust in him.
Exodus
37:29
(NKJV)
Making
the Anointing Oil and the Incense
29
He also made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of sweet spices,
according to the work of the perfumer.
2
Corinthians 2:15
(NKJV)
15
For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and
among those who are perishing.
1
Peter 2:5
New
King James Version (NKJV)
5
you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ.
Romans
12:1-2
12:1
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your
reasonable service.
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.
Genesis
22:8
And
Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt
offering.” So the two of them went together.
Luke
9:23
23
Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
Mark 10:38-39
38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know
what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized
with the baptism that I am baptized with?”
39 They said to Him, “We are able.”
So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink
the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be
baptized;
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8)
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Intercession:
as the Spirit of the Lord intercede for us, so shall we learn to by His
example to also help intercede for our friends or enemies alike, to bring
them back to the Lord.
Isaiah
53:12
(NKJV)
12
Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors. |
9)
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Seeking
Forgiveness
Psalm
25:16-18
16
Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me,
For I am desolate and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses! 18 Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins. |
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“Quiet
watchfulness”
Our
trust in the Lord must be still as the grave, to wait for the Lord by faith
alone to take away our heart of stone so that we may be raised from our
spiritual death, just as Lazarus was raised from the dead unto life.
Bible in Basic
English
Romans 8:26 And in the same way the Spirit is a help to our feeble hearts: for we are not able to make prayer to God in the right way; but the Spirit puts our desires into words which are not in our power to say;
(NKJV)
Romans 8:26-30
26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.
For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for
us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
27 Now He who
searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes
intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
28 And we know
that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who
are the called according to His purpose.
29 For whom He
foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that
He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom
He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also
justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
John
11:38-39
(NKJV)
Lazarus
Raised from the Dead
38
Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a
stone lay against it.
39
Jesus said, “Take away the stone.”
Ezekiel
36:26
36:26
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the
heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
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11)
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Cleansing,
wellbeing, safety and good maintenance of land,
2
Samuel 24:25
25
And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and
peace offerings. So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague
was withdrawn from Israel.
Ezra
8:21-23 (Fasting and Prayer for
Protection)
21
Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble
ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our
little ones and all our possessions.
22
For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen
to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king,
saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His
power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.”
23
So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.
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12)
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Seeking
vindication and redemption
Psalm 26:1-3
(NKJV)
A Prayer for Divine Scrutiny and Redemption
A Psalm of David.
26:1 Vindicate me, O Lord,
For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip.
2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me;
Try my mind and my heart. 3 For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have walked in Your truth. |
Throughout
the thousands of years, the true meaning of prayer to the God of Israel has
been heavily adulterated and sometimes completely transformed into the
attributes of pagan worshipers.
I
personally do not know Arabic words, but there are those who are able to
translate, says that in Islam, Quran chapter 33:56 – “Sallallahu Alaihi Wa
Sallam (PBUH)” has been translated as or in short - “Allah prays upon
Muhammad”. This very declaration demotes
the Almighty’s position to that of lower than a man that God should pray upon a
man who is a sinner. Who are the ones
who constantly seek to undermine God’s authority and position in the Heavens
and the Earth? Fallen angels and fallen
men.
1 John 1:8-10
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8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His
word is not in us.
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Are
Muslims submitting to God’s will or that of the will of man? If your God is lower than of a man, you
better get your compass right again on which direction you are going or forever
be trapped in another man’s fantasy, where heaven is a place for men that are perpetually
satisfied in their flesh being served by women??
The
Quran is basically known as the word of “Gabriel”, whereas the Torah is direct
instructions from God. We cannot base
our faith on another person or angel’s talk; we must base our faith on our
Creator alone and listen with discernment to God’s chosen Priests the Levites.
2 Corinthians 11:14
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And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel
of light.
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The
real “Angel” Gabriel has never visited Muhammad in a cave or anywhere else for
that matter. Gabriel would never dictate
words that need to be recorded to someone who is unable to write it down
immediately. One of the duties of Gabriel is a bringer of good tidings and
birth of children, as such, it does not make any sense that Gabriel should make
Muhammad foam in the mouth with fear as Muhammad himself reported to have
initially believed the angel to be Satan himself. Throughout history, unless a person was
suffering from epilepsy seizures or some kind of
illness, otherwise only Satanic inflictions and possessions may cause a
person to foam in the mouth and contort in fear.
Although
Gabriel did make Zacharias,
the father of John the Baptist to become speechless but Zacharias was a
strong leader; he can handle it and Zacharias did not foam in the mouth,
neither did Mary nor Abraham and Sarah.
One of the three persons that visited Abraham to bring the news of the
impending birth of Isaac was Gabriel.
Are any of you foaming in the mouth now?
Not likely if you are still alive because as a messenger of death,
Gabriel was also at Sodom and Gomorrah when it was destroyed. If Gabriel had
visited Muhammad as a messenger of death, Muhammad would be dead before he had
time to give in to his fear.
Just
because billions of people believe in a religion, does not necessarily make it
legitimate because wide is the road that leads to destruction.
Matthew 7:13
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13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is
the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
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Prayers
must issue from a person’s faith and trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob.
A
person entreating the Lord without
true faith and belief in the Lord is as a pagan in his ritual of
Self-Realization and trance, typical of Eastern religions, in some cases can
sometimes be effective and even seemingly prophetic because we are spiritual
beings and instead of opening ourselves to the guidance of the Lord’s Holy
Spirit; Charismatic/Pentecostal people,
Apostate religious people and Pagans open themselves to become subjects of evil
spirits telling you things in areas of prophecy, fortune telling, and such
like, because the world we live in, the space, earth and natural resources are
interconnected in a sense that every movement has its consequences and
repercussions, therefore it is very easy to so call “predict” what will happen,
if you can see the pattern of things connected.
Palmistry
for example, the lines on your palms of your hands are tell-tale signs of what
you do with your life that reflects into the palms of your hands. It is NOT that what you have on your palms
that dictate what will happen in your life; therefore it is pointless to have
your palms read. A person who does a lot
of manual labour with his bare hands will have more lines than someone who does
not do any work at all.
People
throughout thousands of years have developed skills in watching and calculating
these movements of nature like in “Feng Shui”.
If you have any skills, have the courtesy to ascribe it to the Lord who
created you.
Anything
done in “Self” is occultism having no bridle and can go out of control with
dire consequences. Those who deal in
occultism and black magic shall be judged accordingly.
Acts
19:18-19
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18 And
many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds.
19 Also,
many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned
them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it
totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver.
20 So the
word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.
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The
purpose of bringing every power that we have into the captivity and
obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5) is not about giving up our freedom or
relinquishing our freewill but showing ourselves trustworthy
before the Lord and allowing the Lord to curb our powers of destruction and
turn it into fruitful endeavours.
Know
and understand that as a created being, we have our limitations and our mind
are not as wide searching as our creator, therefore, we are bound to make
choices that may not be to our best interest or we cannot see other options
because of our limitations. But the way
of the Lord is perfect and even though we might not think so at times, in time
we will come to see the truth and come to fully trust in the Lord to lead us.
Seeking the will of God does
not negate your own choice and will to follow God. In other words, the purpose of the will of
God or predestination is not to nullify your own free will but to protect it
against misuse. The will of God is
basically good advice. Everyday, people
seek advice and recommendations in all areas of their lives – for example, medical
advice, technical advice, career advice, so on and so forth; so why not seek
the ultimate advise from the Lord.
2 Corinthians 10:1-6
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(NKJV) - The Spiritual War
10:1 Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and
gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am
bold toward you.
2 But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with
that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as
if we walked according to the flesh.
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the
flesh.
4 For the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down
strongholds,
5 casting
down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge
of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,
6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience
is fulfilled.
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Proverbs 18:7
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7 A fool’s mouth is his destruction,
And his lips are the snare of his soul. |
Proverbs 18:20-21
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20 A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his
mouth;
From the produce of his lips he shall be filled.
21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit. |
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
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16 Rejoice always,
17 pray without ceasing,
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus for you.
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What did Paul meant by pray without ceasing? Become a Roman Catholic monk and lock
yourself up in a tower and pray for the rest of your natural life? Chant 12 hours a day? Maybe it’s because of
the way Paul wrote his letters that has caused some misunderstandings in
several areas including the case of “rapture”.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 “pray
without ceasing”
Same as in 1 Thessalonians 2:13
“thank God without ceasing”,
1 Thessalonians 1:3 “remembering without ceasing”,
Romans 1:9 “without
ceasing I make mention”
and in Psalm 77:2 “My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing”;
Pray
without ceasing is not about the actual act of praying or thinking of only one
thing all day. It is about having
faith in the Lord that is so ingrained in our lives that there is not one
minute that our faith is lost or have ceased to exist.
In
Psalm 2:12 translation from original language is not exactly “kiss the son” but
more closer to “Embrace discipline”. We
become or develop ourselves into what we embrace.
Oxford
Dictionary:
“Embrace” –
hold closely in one’s arms, especially as a sign of affection. Include or
contain. Accept or support willingly.
“Discipline” –
train in obedience or self-control, the practice of training people to obey
rules or a code of behaviour.
Husband
and wife embrace to become one - I am not talking about the part on what happens in the flesh; but more importantly
a married couple share each other’s purpose, motive and deliberation; that in
the court of law a husband or wife cannot be a witness for each other because
they are considered as one.
When
we embrace the anointing Holy Spirit of the Lord, we are conformed to his image
(Romans 8:29)
When
you embrace anything that is not from the Lord, for example spirits that call
themselves “father, son and holy spirit” or Jesus, Yahweh, Jehovah and etc,
spirits that gives you prophecy and predictions, spirits that leads you to do
strange and shameful things, spirits that centralizes on gifts, so on and so forth;
you slowly become the strange spirit that you embrace.
When we embrace the
discipline of the Lord, we are trained to trust in the Lord unceasingly. We
develop unceasing faith, and hence, unceasing tefillah or prayer.
King James Version
Psalm 2:12
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Psalm 2:12
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and
ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are
all they that put their trust in him.
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Douay Rheims Bible
Psalm 2:12
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Psalm 2:12
Embrace discipline, lest
at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the just way. When his
wrath shall be kindled in a short time, blessed are all they that trust in
him.
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Bible in Basic English
Psalm 2:12
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Psalm 2:12
For fear that he may be angry, causing destruction to come on
you, because he is quickly moved to wrath. Happy are all those who put their
faith in him.
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Romans 8:29
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29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to
the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
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The following movie script extract
explains quite uniquely what “prayer” is.
How
green was my valley (1941 motion picture)
[The following is a transcript of
conversation between Mr. Gruffydd (a Pastor played by Walter Pidgeon) and Huw
(a coal miner’s son played by Roddy McDowall)]
Mr. Gruffydd: You have been lucky, Huw, lucky to
suffer, lucky to spent these weary months in bed for so God has given you a
chance to make spirit with yourself; and as your father cleans his lamp to have
good light, so keep clean your spirit.
Huw: How sir?
Mr. Gruffydd: By prayer, Huw, and by prayer, I don’t
mean shouting and mumbling and wallowing like a pig in religious sentiment.
Prayer is only another name for good
clean direct thinking.
When you pray, think well what you are
saying.
Make your thoughts into things that are
solid and that way your prayer will have strength and that strength will become
a part of you, body, mind and spirit.
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