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(James 2:26)
Like most people, when I would hear the statement "faith without works is dead", I used to translate this automatically as "faith without good deeds is dead." Not that doing good is unnecessary or even unprofitable (we could and should all do a lot more), but it is not at all what James is talking about here.
James starts explaining this essential truth in verse 2:14. He goes on to say that if you see someone without clothes or food and simply wish them well when you have the means to help them and alleviate their suffering, you haven't done anything. This is where our concept of the works he is talking about originates. We stop reading right here and imagine that feeding starving children in Africa proves our faith is alive (even though there are undoubtedly atheists who do this, too). While this is a wonderful expression of caring and compassion it is totally missing the point. He goes on to say in 2:17, "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." He was using the illustration of refusing care to the needy as an example of what faith without works would be like, not what it is. Remember that he is writing to Christians. Ignoring someone's need shows a lack of love, of a changed heart. Now he is going to show us what proves our faith is alive.
But first James takes what appears to be an interesting though unrelated detour, that is if you're still thinking in the works = good deeds mode. He says, You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe --- and tremble! (James 2:19). What in the world does that have to do with works? Only everything. See, demons know (to their eternal torment) that the Father exists. They even recognized His Son before anyone else did (including James, who was Jesus' half-brother). But there's one crucial thing they can't, won't, and never will do. Rely on Him. That is the works James is talking about: proving our faith is alive by doing something that demonstrates our reliance and trust in God. In other words, faith without corresponding action is isn't just under the weather, it's flatlined, pull up the sheet.
Look at the two examples he gives for this: Abraham and Rahab. What works did Abraham do? Was he a philanthropist? Who knows? That is not the point here. His work was that he was willing to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice (he didn't even have to go through with it). He proved that he believed God by his actions (works). That was enough. James then says, You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only (James 2:24).
And what of the (formerly pagan) prostitute Rahab? What great works did she do to be mentioned with the Father of Our Faith, Abraham? Did she run a soup kitchen in Jericho? Not even. She just believed God. She had heard of all the mighty things He had done and at great risk to herself hid Joshua's spies on the roof of her brothel, then trusted in this "new" God to save her when "the walls came a tumble-in down." He did, and she is listed in the Hebrews Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11) along with Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Joseph, Moses and the rest of those exciting people whose works we are encouraged by and still celebrate. Whatever else she did is not remembered.
James closes this topic with the verse that started today's message. In this short 12 verse section he says faith without works is dead three times. But the final way he states it here is particularly illuminating: For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead (James 2:26). I see it like this: As our spirit is our connection with God, so our works (of faith) are the point of contact between God and our faith. This is where He enters in and breathes life into what, without our complete reliance on Him, is just empty theology. And verse 19 showed us how far that will get us.
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(Philippians 1:6)
This is a very special day for me as it marks the first anniversary of this ministry. While that might not mean much to you, it is a near Herculean accomplishment for me. To be honest, I wasn't sure that I should even try to do this. After all, I don't have any formal training in Biblical Studies. I hold no degrees and am not a titled person. No one calls me Pastor, Reverend or Father (Hey You is not officially recognized by the Church). Beyond these excuses, could I actually come up with something to say that would be worth reading every week? And why in the world would anybody read it?
Of course when you've made Music your chosen career, as I have done, you don't let little things like the probability of success slow you down. (To be fair to myself, I also trained as an actor so I'd always have something to fall back on). I think God must have realized this and thought to Himself, "Wow. This guy will believe anything! I'll have him start a weekly ministry on the Internet." Who says God doesn't have a sense of humor?
But while God gets an obvious kick out of using the wrong people to do the right things, He also empowers them to do it. Which brings us to our verse for today: Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). In context, this verse is referring to the work of salvation begun by the church at Philippi, but it can be applied in a much broader sense to the work God calls any of us to do on an individual level. If He's given you something good to do, He'll help you finish it, whether it's as obviously "spiritual" as spreading the Good News or as seemingly mundane as raising good children. It could even apply to healing God has begun in your body.
Never thought of it that way? Look at the word good as used in the verse. It is the Greek word agathos. Here's how the Spirit Filled Life Bible explains the Strong's definition: Good, in a physical and moral sense, and which produces benefits. The word is used of persons, things, acts, conditions and so on. A synonym of agathos is kalos, good in an aesthetic sense, suggesting attractiveness, excellence (SFLB p.1802).
Every good work God begins in us produces benefits, to ourselves and others. That's how you know it's from God. That's what I was counting on (or was confident in) when I began this weekly message: that someone somewhere would benefit from it. Even if it were just one person.
That is happening. The email I have received has been very positive. Some has been quite touching. It has also made me realize that there is more to this gig than just sitting down for a few hours a week and writing something inspirational. This is an awesome responsibility. There are lives at stake. There is eternity to think about. Time is running out. The day of Jesus Christ could be tomorrow.
I don't know what this work will lead to for me personally, nor do I really care. It certainly hasn't led to anything resembling an income, and I must tell you that this is some of the hardest (though most rewarding) work I've ever done without getting paid. Quite often I spend the better part of a day writing this short article (I figure roughly 350 hours so far). But so what? I didn't get into this to make money. And true to His word, God continues to meet all our need. We're healthy, happy and, hey, we live in Hawaii for crying out loud! I could be doing much worse (and can fortunately still remember when I was). This has been a wonderful year for me. I've learned more writing this every week than I would have ever imagined, which in itself is reason enough to do it. To you who have written, thanks, to you who have read, write, and to all of you, pray for this little flame flickering in cyberspace. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all and may He complete the good work He's begun in you.
The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)
God has many names. None of them is Quitter.
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(Leviticus 24:17)
Like most people in this country I have been following the Timothy McVeigh trial with some interest. As we were living in Texas at the time of the bombing this act of cowardice was a little too close to home for us. I was relieved at the prompt manner in which the various branches of law enforcement rounded up suspects and dealt with the situation. The government case was well prepared and yesterday a not surprisingly unanimous verdict of death was announced. Some folks were delighted with this, some weren't.
You may suppose that because of this opening scripture from Leviticus you are about to read a pro-death penalty message. You aren't. This isn't about the death penalty. It's about us.
During the trial and especially during the punishment phase of this case I have heard dozens of people quote Leviticus, usually the infamous "eye for an eye" passage (Lev. 24:20). Many of these people would consider themselves Christians and would go so far as to actually admit it publically. These are quite often the same people who know one other verse from Leviticus, that forbidding homosexuality (Lev. 20:13). They use these two verses to prove their twin points: that murderers deserve death and homosexuality is wrong.
Well, they're right. Murderers do deserve death and homosexuality is wrong. But what about the rest of the Mosaic laws? Do we want to be held to those, too? How many of us would like to see the death penalty for adultery (Lev. 20:10) enforced? How about the death penalty for blasphemy (Lev. 24:16)? If that first one didn't thin out our families and friends the second one would certainly do the job. And let's not forget the death penalty for Sabbath breaking (Numbers 15:32-36). Yes, you should only die for going to Walmart on Sunday. Then there's the one that would give us much more room in our highschools: death for cursing one's father or mother (Lev. 20:9). I could go on and on. Moses does.
If you have broken any of these laws, you should be dead right now, at least according to the Old Covenant. And you would be, too, except for one thing: a man named Jesus dying in your place. He gave us a New Covenant, and a new way of looking at the old one. Look at what He has to say about "an eye for an eye" (Matthew 5:38), for instance, when you have time.
He also gave us a new way of looking at murder and the law in general. Jesus said that we are guilty of murder if we so much as call our brother a "fool" or are angry without cause. I figure, according to Jesus, that qualifies me as a mass murderer. He said that if we even look at someone in lust, we are guilty of adultery. Ouch. But we have His forgiveness. We have His Blood, not just covering, but totally obliterating our sins. We are not under judgement.
I think we should try to remember this when we scream for justice and demand punishment ... for others. That's not to say we don't need laws or that the people that break them should not be held accountable. It's the way it has to be. I'm not making a plea for leniency. But maybe we shouldn't be so darned happy about seeing anyone punished, considering the even worse punishment we've each escaped, and that through no fault of our own.
The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)
I feel like the guy in the electric chair that is pardoned at 11:59.
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(Psalm 33:3)
As I was preparing this week's message in our continuing study of praise, I came upon this verse from Psalm 33. It wasn't new to me, but I saw something in it I had never noticed before. I realized that this is not just another cheerful admonition to praise God; it's step-by-step instructions on how to do it right. I am not talking legalism here but effectiveness. If we are not seeing the power of God manifested in signs and wonders in our churches as a result of our praise, maybe we're omitting one (or more) of these important principles that King David has so concisely outlined for us.
Principle #1: Sing to Him. Do we tend to forget this one or what? Praise is directed to God. We are singing to Him, not about Him to each other. He is the audience, not the congregation.
Principle #2: Sing a new song. In other words, be creative. God appreciates it. He desires creativity from us, that's why He made us creative. God is not stuck on one style of music either. If He were we'd still be singing Gregorian chants. We can praise Him with rock, rap, R&B, classical and even country music (though personally I wish there was an Eleventh Commandment that forbade Twanging). Also important to remember is that praise is not intended to be a nostalgic experience for the congregation. It's not about us and our precious memories. Of course this is not to say that singing some old, beautiful hymn like "Amazing Grace" is wrong, but God has heard it a few billion times. Let's surprise Him once in a while with something new.
Principle #3: Play skillfully. Apparently of importance to God. Enough said. But here's one last thought: What if if we had better musicians playing in the churches Sunday morning than were playing in the bars Saturday night?
Principle #4: Joy. A shout of joy, David says. See, old David was a wild man. He'd start praising God and he just couldn't be quiet about it. He'd be strumming his harp when suddenly he'd shout, "Owwww. I feel good (da na na na na na nuh), like I knew that I would!" Then he would slide to the right, do a split, pop back up, throw his harp in the air, spin around, catch it and say, "Have mercy!" A few folks, including his wife, thought he was nuts but he did it anyway. Besides, God seemed to enjoy his exuberant, loud, even undignified praise and that's all that mattered. It's called knowing your Audience.
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(Psalm 22:3)
You can't study the purpose and the power of praise, as we have been doing for the past few messages, without eventually getting around to this verse from Psalm 22. This one line explains the reason that there is power in true, heartfelt praise: God is in it.
In the original King James it states that God inhabits the praises. The Hebrew word for this is yawshab which means to sit down (as a judge), to remain, to settle and to marry. It does not imply a temporary visit, but a permanent place of residence and rule.
I like the term enthroned in this verse in the New King James because it shows that God is doing more than just hanging around when we praise Him. It reveals that our praise brings a kingly response from Him. It brings His reign, something we could use a lot more of.
This is not to say that God is not omnipresent. Obviously He's everywhere. And if we are born again, we know He lives in us. But praise invites His presence and especially His rule to be manifested in our midst. It says to God that it's more than alright with us if He just takes over for awhile. He's welcome to go ahead and start issuing decrees from His throne. It's His kingdom. We will not stand in the way, in fact we expect Him to have His way, right here, right now.
So what kind of things can we expect God to decree? What can we expect to happen when God sets up His throne in our little church building, in our living room or in the back seat of our car (hey, you can praise God anywhere)? The same thing He's always done when His people enthrone Him in their praises: send prophecy and wisdom, healing and deliverance, and miracles too spectacular to even imagine. Sometimes during this kind of serious praise the greatest miracle of all takes place: salvation. God's presence can become so overwhelmingly powerful and beautiful that unbelievers suddenly aren't unbelievers anymore. Boom! A brand new person is created.
You may have noticed that I have used the word expect a few times in this message. That is because true praise is founded on the knowledge of who God is and what He's capable of. When you praise Him for something He's already done your faith for what He will do grows. Look at what David says:
But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You delivered them. They cried to You, and were delivered; they trusted in You, and were not ashamed (Psalm 22: 3-5).
David is basically reminding himself (and God) of past victories. His praise is not based on some vague theological concept. He's not doing it because it's written somewhere that all good Jews should do this. He knows that praising God will help him. He is expecting a definite response from God. And why not? He's standing right in front of His throne.
The Bottom Line
(or get to the point, Kona!)
Could praising God more make any problem worse?
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(II Chronicles 20:22)
In the last message we began to look at the importance of praise. I said that God made praise for our benefit, not His. After all, He will be God whether we praise Him or not. He is not emotionally needy. He doesn't need our praise to feel good about Himself. He gave us praise, like prayer, to accomplish the impossible.
Today's verse is a good example of this. It shows that praise can be used as a powerful weapon (an uncommon and radical thought to most of us). But first, let's back up to the beginning of II Chronicles 20 for a little background:
Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, was doing quite well. He was overseeing a prosperous kingdom and had instituted reforms that got his people back on track spiritually. Everything seemed to be going his way. Then he received the alarming news that the Moabites, Ammonites and some armies from Syria had combined forces and were marching his way to destroy Judah. The odds weren't good. Judah would be severely outnumbered and overwhelmed.
Jehoshaphat was scared spitless, but he was still king and he knew what to do. Immediately he sought God's help. He declared a nationwide fast and assembled the people from all the cities of Judah. When the people came together, men, women and children, Jehoshaphat began to pray. He laid out the desperate situation very clearly: For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You (II Chron. 20:12). Then Jahaziel began to prophesy victory. He told the people not to be afraid, God would do all the fighting. They just needed to pick a good place to watch the battle from.
At this point the people began to praise God "with voices loud and high." Jehoshaphat even appointed singers to walk in front of the army . Now when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. Guess how: the attacking armies suddenly began to kill each other. Looking down on the plain, the people of Judah saw that all their enemies were dead. None had escaped. And they hadn't lifted a finger, just their voices.
This would be more than good enough, but God wasn't quite done yet (He never is). The people of Judah were allowed to gather up the spoil of battle. There was so much jewelry and other valuables that it took them three days to cart it all away! Hey, how did a prosperity message get in here? Could it be that praise also brings ... ?
One thing I forgot to mention: the word Judah actually means praise. So if you've got an extra minute, reread this entire message substituting the word praise everywhere you see the word Judah. You might be very surprised by what you find. I was.
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(Psalm 100:1)
When people visit my church for the first time, they invariably make the same comment: It's not boring. They are surprised to find a full band with drums, congas, bass, guitars and keyboards. They are amazed to see people clapping their hands, dancing, laughing, shouting and generally having what's called in the secular world 'a good time.' This is, after all, church. Church is supposed to be a somber place, a quiet place of dim lights and hushed voices. Or is it?
Yes and no. There are times for quiet worship. There are inspired songs that are slow, beautiful and capable of moving us to tears of joy or repentance. There are times for quiet introspection. But there are also times to just cut loose and celebrate our Father, His Son and the victory He's given us with everything we've got. That's called praise, and it's not a Charismatic or Pentecostal invention. It's as old as God. It's His idea. Let's look at just a few of the instructions He gave one of His all-time favorite people, David, on the subject of "How to Let God Really Know We Think He's Great."
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; let those who love Your name be joyful in You (Ps. 5:11). Praise the Lord with the harp; make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy (Ps. 33:2-3). Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph! (Ps. 47:1). Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! Sing out the honor of His name; make His praise glorious (Ps. 66:2). But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God; yes, let them rejoice exceedingly (Ps. 68:3). Sing aloud to God our strength; make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob. Raise a song and strike the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the lute (Ps. 81:1-2). Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms (Ps. 95:1-2). Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord all the earth (Ps. 96:1). Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises. Sing to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of a psalm, with trumpets and the sound of a horn; shout joyfully before the Lord, the King (Ps. 98:4-6). Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing (Ps. 100:1-2). I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation (Ps. 111:1). Let them praise His name with the dance; let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and harp (Ps.149:3). Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise him with loud cymbals; praise Him with clashing cymbals! (Ps. 150:3-5).
Do you get the feeling that this praise thing is supposed to be fun? Creative? Exuberant? Maybe even a little bit (gasp) loud? (It is hard to shout and play trumpets and cymbals quietly). So why is this the exception in our churches instead of the rule? What would happen if we all took David's Spirit-inspired advice and really did praise God with everything we've got? What if churches all across this country were full of people dancing, shouting, clapping their hands and singing new songs to the Lord? Well, how does God always respond to obedience to His Word? With action.
In the next few messages we'll look at the power of praise. Remember, God didn't tell us to praise Him just so He could hear His name shouted at Him all day. He created it for us. While it pleases Him, it directly benefits us. Come to think of it, there isn't one thing He ever told us to do that doesn't benefit us.
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(Exodus 18:24)
At first reading, today's verse from Exodus does not seem particularly profound. It certainly isn't the kind of Scripture you would turn into an up-tempo Christian song, build a ministry on or confess over and over (and over). This is not a verse you would quote to a sick friend, use to initiate an altar call or stand on to get those bills paid. In other words, this ain't shoutin' ground. It is remarkable though, if you back up a few verses.
As Chapter 18 opens, Moses has just been involved in yet another miracle. While fighting the Amelekites, it is discovered that whenever he holds up his hand, the Israelites prevail and whenever he drops his hand, the Amelekites start to win. So Aaron and Hur hold up the exhausted Moses' hands until sunset and the Israelites whip the Amalekites into oblivion.
This would tend to make even the most humble guy feel pretty good about himself. When you add to that the fact that he has just miraculously led the whole nation out of Egypt, parted the Red Sea, called down manna from heaven and brought forth water from a rock, one could probably forgive Moses a little pride. He is, after all, the most powerful man on earth.
Enter Jethro, Moses' father-in-law. He had been getting some sketchy reports of Moses' exploits through the Midianite grapevine, but now he knows that all these wonderful tales are really true. He declares to Moses, "Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods", which is a somewhat tardy revelation considering that Jethro is a priest.
Now here comes the good part. The very next day, Moses is back at work judging the people of Israel. In other words, he was listening to their grievances, giving them answers to their problems and settling minor and major disputes. This went on all day, with people lined up from morning till night to talk to the Guy God Talks To. Up strolls Jethro and says, "What do you think you're doing?" Moses politely explains his job to him, to which Jethro replies, "The thing that you do is not good." He then goes on to scold Moses for spreading himself too thin and proceeds to give him a lesson on the delegation of authority. He tops this by informing Moses that if he listens to his advice, God will be with him.
I think Moses could have said a few choice words at this point. I mean, here's the greatest prophet that has ever lived being lectured by a guy who just yesterday figured out who God is. He has brought the greatest civilization on the face of the earth to its knees, demonstrated the incredible power of God time and again, and has millions of people hanging on his every word. He knows God like nobody ever has before. But he does an amazing thing. Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. And it worked.
This is eye-opening for two reasons. First, it shows us why Moses was as successful as he was. He listened to God and he was incredibly humble (not falsely modest). This allowed him to realize that God was speaking to him through Jethro and that the advice was truly sound. Any pride he might have had in his many accomplishments did not get in the way. This would be a good thing for all of us to remember: God may choose to speak to us through someone we do not consider our spiritual equal. Secondly, God can put us to work right away. He didn't make Jethro go through some long training period before He began to use him to impart some much-needed wisdom to the over-burdened Moses. He doesn't make us wait, either. As soon as we put our trust in Him, He can start sharing some of His ideas with us. And we can use those ideas to start changing things immediately.
So Moses took Jethro's advice. It proved to be a good thing when he began to delegate authority and devote his time to the really crucial issues facing his people. It was a good thing that Jethro spoke up and Moses listened. Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went his way to his own land (Exodus 18:27), thereby avoiding the problem of having too much of a good thing.
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( I Samuel 10:8)
I have a confession to make. I hate to wait. It doesn't matter what I'm waiting for, I don't like it. Even unpleasant things, like going to the dentist, are made worse by waiting. But waiting for God is really tough.
In today's message from I Samuel we will see that Saul had the same problem. He hated to wait.
As chapter 10 of I Samuel opens, Saul is anointed by Samuel as Israel's first king. The fact that the day before his big mission in life was to find his father's missing donkeys is not lost on him. Now he finds himself the center of attention, with the top prophet in all the land making a huge fuss over him. Things are moving very fast, and he still hasn't found those donkeys.
At this point Samuel begins to prophesy concerning Saul. Allow me to paraphrase:
"When you leave here today you're going to find two men at Rachel's tomb at Zelah. They are going to tell you that those stupid donkeys you can't stop thinking about have been found. Now your dad is worried about what happened to you. Keep going and you'll come to the terebinth tree of Tabor. You'll meet three guys, one with three little goats, one with three loaves of bread, and another with a skin of wine. They'll say hello and give you two loaves of bread (they keep the wine). As you approach the hill where the Philistine fort is, a band of prophets playing a guitar, a tambourine, a flute and a harp will run into you. You will start prophesying with them and be changed into a new man. Head to Gilgal and I'll definitely meet you there and do the burnt offering and the peace offering. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do."
Now if I had been Saul, the first thing I would have asked is, "Why do I have to wait seven days? You just went into minute detail about everything that is going to happen, even down to what instruments the prophets are going to be playing. Why can't you tell me what I'm supposed to do now and save yourself a trip to Gilgal? And why didn't I get the wine?"
Of course Saul didn't say this, but he didn't wait either. A little problem came up with some of the local Philistines and the Hebrews were getting nervous. Samuel was late. Even though everything Samuel had told him had come true, Saul still became impatient. He then made the worst mistake of his life: "Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me." And he offered the burnt offering (I Samuel 13:9).
While the smoke from the offering is still in the air, Samuel shows up, and he's not smiling. Saul tries vainly to justify his impatient (and illegal, according to Hebrew law) behavior. Samuel isn't buying it: You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you (I Samuel 13:13-14). Goodbye Saul, hello David.
If Saul had been patient for five more minutes he wouldn't have lost it all. He wouldn't have ended up a raving, homicidal, and eventually, suicidal maniac. But he just couldn't do it. I try to keep this in mind when God makes me wait. I still don't like it but I figure He has His reasons. I would hate to think that I quit believing five minutes before my answer showed up and God had to give it to someone with a bit more patience. Someone that would wait. Someone after His own heart.
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HAVE FAITH IN GOD!
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