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Spending Time with the Kids

As parents, you all know how good it is to see your kids after a long separation – what a joy to hug their necks and be able to give them a kiss and just see them face to face. I can only imagine how our heavenly Father must feel when we chose to be separated from Him.

The joy He must feel when we come back to His presence must be unspeakable. And how it must light His day when we take time to stop throughout the day to check in and say hi. I so appreciate knowing that my Heavenly Father is always wanting me to come to presence and spend time with Him.

Take time today to make your Father smile – give Him a hug and tell Him you love Him.

“We are telling you about what we have seen and heard because we want you to have fellowship with us. The fellowship we share together is with God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. 4 We write these things to you so that you can be full of joy with us.” I John 1:3-4

“With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16

“The true children of God are those who let God’s Spirit lead them. 15 The Spirit that we received is not a spirit that makes us slaves again and causes us to fear. The Spirit that we have makes us God’s chosen children. And with that Spirit we cry out, “ Abba, (Daddy) Father.” 16 And the Spirit himself speaks to our spirits and makes us sure that we are God’s children.” Romans 8:14-16

Spending time with the Father sounds like a good way to spend the day.

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The Heart Connection

The heart and the mouth are connected – Jesus knew that and He gave some specific teaching in that regard.

“Every tree is known by the kind of fruit it produces. You won’t find figs on thorny weeds. And you can’t pick grapes from thornbushes! 45 Good people have good things saved in their hearts. That’s why they say good things. But those who are evil have hearts full of evil, and that’s why they say things that are evil. What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts.” Luke 6:44-45 ERV
Listen to your words today. What do they say about you, the real you, the heart of you?

You don’t change your heart but changing what you say. What you say will change when your heart is transformed.

Say with the Psalmist David, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord my strength and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:13-14

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He Knows My Name

From time to time I like to watch movies I’ve seen before on television. One that I particularly like is “Ever After” with Drew Barrimore. Cute movie – close to the end Henry, the prince, realizes he can’t live without Danielle, Cinderella, so he rides out to save her from her indentured life to Jacque LePew.

As he comes up the hill to the fortress walls, she is walking out, having gained her own freedom. He apologizes, tells her he loves her and can’t live without her. She stops him in his conversation and says, “Say that again.” He starts to apologize again for failing to trust her and then she says “No, not that. Say the part where you call me by name again.” And then he says her name, Danielle, and declares his love. AWWWW!

There is nothing so sweet than to hear the one you love say your name. It stirs the heart and words can’t explain fully explain the feeling it gives you. WOW! It is completely over-the-top.

I’ve been reading about Samuel and how God called him to service.
“The boy Samuel was Eli’s helper and served the LORD with him. At that time the LORD did not speak directly to people very often. There were very few visions…. 4 The LORD called Samuel, and Samuel answered, “Here I am.” 5 Samuel thought Eli was calling him, so he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.”
But Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.”
…Finally, Eli understood that the LORD was calling the boy. 9 Eli told Samuel, “Go to bed. If he calls you again, say, ‘Speak, LORD. I am your servant, and I am listening.’”
So Samuel went back to bed. 10 The LORD came and stood there. He called as he did before, saying, “Samuel, Samuel!”
Samuel said, “Speak. I am your servant, and I am listening.”I Samuel 3:1-10

Can you imagine? The voice of God calling your name, what a joy! God who created the universe knows my name.

Then I remembered that God called others by name as well. It started with Adam & Eve; Noah, David, Daniel, Jeremiah, Zacchaeus, the disciples, Mary at the garden tomb, Saul on the road to Damascus and John on the Isle of Patmos; all of these and more had that same wonderful experience of hearing God call them by name.

See what Isaiah says to the children of Israel.
“Descendants of Jacob, I, the LORD, created you and formed your nation. Israel, don’t be afraid. I have rescued you. I have called you by name; now you belong to me.
2 When you cross deep rivers, I will be with you, and you won’t drown.
When you walk through fire, you won’t be burned or scorched by the flames.
3 I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, the God who saves you. I gave up Egypt, Ethiopia, and the region of Seba in exchange for you.
4 To me, you are very dear, and I love you. That’s why I gave up nations and people to rescue you.
5 Don’t be afraid! I am with you.” Isaiah 43:1-5

God the Father has called us by name as well. Yes, He has! In His love He called our name telling us that He has a plan for our lives; a plan to be in fellowship and relationship with Him; a plan of adoption so that we can call Him “Abba Father.”

Hearing God speak your name shouldn’t be a one time experience, limited only to the day you accepted Him as Savior. How sad it would be if I only heard David say my name the one time when he made me his wife. No, daily he says my name and tells me he loves me and it never gets old.

Daily God is calling our name and telling us He loves us. Do you hear it or are you too busy and distracted?

Take time to listen…and take time to respond. Can you imagine how it thrills His heart to hear you say, “Abba Father, I love you. I want to spend time with you today.”?

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Influence Without Compromise

This morning I was reading the first chapter of the book of Daniel. As a young man Daniel was taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Jerusalem had fallen to this King when Daniel was a young man, probably in his teens. He and other Jewish young men, along with young men from Babylon were taken into Nebuchadnezzar’s palace to be trained as servants to the King. This was a 3 year training period.

During that time the king wanted all the young men to be on a special diet of rich food and wine. Daniel asked for permission to be excluded from such a diet because some of the food that they were to eat would make him unclean according to Jewish law. At first the man who was responsible for the well-being of the trainees was resistant. However, he was persuaded to allow Daniel and three others a 10 day trial and if they continued to look well-fed and healthy he would allow them to continue with the foods that Daniel considered clean. Daniel’s diet worked and so for the rest of the training time they were allowed to eat the way they requested.

I know, I know; nice story but…what’s that got to do with everyday living. Daniel and his friends had plenty to complain about. They were young men taken from their home town of Jerusalem. They were prisoners, captives in a hostile nation. However, they were singled out to be trained as servants for the King, a high position for a slave.

They could have possibly written letters home asking for a rescue team to be sent in or maybe even plotted to overthrow their guards and at the very least they could have walked around complaining about their circumstances and the hopelessness of their future. (Sound familiar)

How many people around you are complaining? Talking about how awful everything is – “this is the worst it’s ever been. Woe is me! What are we to do? Christians are being singled out for their beliefs and no one is speaking up for them.” You hear it all the time.

Is there a comparison on how rough it was for Daniel and how it is today? If there is then we should be looking at what Daniel did. Daniel continued to serve His God! He didn’t compromise the teachings that he had received in Jerusalem.

“So the guard agreed to test Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah for ten days. 15 After ten days, Daniel and his friends looked healthier than all the young men who ate the king’s food. 16 So the guard continued to take away the king’s special food and wine and to give only vegetables to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

17 God gave these four young men the wisdom and ability to learn many different kinds of writing and science. Daniel could also understand all kinds of visions and dreams.

18 At the end of the three years of training, Ashpenaz brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked to them and found that none of the young men were as good as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So these four young men became the king’s servants. 20 Every time the king asked them about something important, they showed great wisdom and understanding. The king found they were ten times better than all the magicians and wise men in his kingdom. 21 So Daniel served the king until the first year that Cyrus was king.” Daniel 1:14-21 ERV

How long are we “imprisoned” in some way before we start to complain? How long do we go before we start to compromise what we know is God’s will and truth? These young men were in training, in captivity for 3 years and they showed great wisdom and understanding and the King came to rely on them. They were godly men living a godly example in a very ungodly nation.

I tried to figure out from an historical perspective how long Daniel actually served the King of Babylon. Based on the first and last verse of this chapter, I figure it was about 65 years. That’s correct – and in all that time Daniel kept his integrity, served God and didn’t complain! Now that’s an example to follow.

Complaining only changes the heart of the person doing it; it embitters them. Standing for godliness and righteousness keeps us usable and influences kings. Let God be magnified in what you do today!

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Love and Protection

Now before we look at the final few verses of Psalm 91 I must make a statement. I hear from time to time from well-meaning people, “You can’t just take verses out of the Bible and really believe that they will work for you. Sometimes God doesn’t work like that.” Well, if you or I made a promise and we didn’t keep it we would be lying and God’s not a liar. When He makes a promise He keeps it!

He is a loving, compassionate Father and He desires the very best for His kids. When you come face to face with the love of God, you find He is so much greater than we can possibly comprehend. God’s love is the basis of all He does. He is love! When you see how love works, you see God! The verses in I Corinthians 13, the love chapter, are a description of God.

Love is “patient and kind, not jealous, not boastful, 5 not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not gloat over other people’s sins but takes its delight in the truth.7 Love always bears up, always trusts, always hopes, always endures.8 Love never ends…” vs 4-8 CJV

Now replace love is with God is “patient and kind, not jealous, not boastful,5 not proud, rude or selfish, not easily angered, and it(He) keeps no record of wrongs.6 Love (God) does not gloat over other people’s sins but takes its (his) delight in the truth. 7 Love (God) always bears up, always trusts, always hopes, always endures.8 Love (God) never ends”.

That’s who our Father is! Now let’s look at the last 3 verses of Psalm 91. This is God talking about what He will do for those who live in the “secret place, under the shadow of the Almighty”.

“Because he loves me, I will rescue him; because he knows my name, I will protect him. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him when he is in trouble. I will extricate him and bring him honor. 16 I will satisfy him with long life and show him my salvation.” Vs 14-16 CJV

Now one more thing – replace the 3rd person pronoun “he” with your name and read it again. This is who God is and what He desires to do on our behalf!

“Because he (Kristi) has set his (her) love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him (her); I will set him (Kristi) on high, because he (She) knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness—trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him (her), no, never].

15 He (Kristi) shall call upon Me, and I will answer him (Her); I will be with him (Kristi) in trouble, I will deliver him (her) and honor him (her).

16 With long life will I satisfy him(Kristi) and show him (her) My salvation. Vs 14-16 AMP

There’s an old song that talks about the love of God. One verse says this

“Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.”

Next time you see that beautiful expanse of sky imagine that it is filled with the words “I Love You”. Written there over and over again, the Father conveying His love for us. His love has no end.

Knowing God’s word and fellowshipping with the Father in prayer is the greatest thing we as His children can do!

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Rattlesnakes & Storms

I forgot to tell you the other day when we started this study in Psalm 91, I like to read this Psalm in the first person. It makes it personal and I am also really enjoying reading it in the Complete Jewish Bible. It gives me additional insight on this Psalm.

“For you have made Adonai, the Most High, who is my refuge, your dwelling-place.
10 No disaster will happen to you, no calamity will come near your tent;
11 for he will order his angels to care for you and guard you wherever you go.
12 They will carry you in their hands, so that you won’t trip on a stone.
13 You will tread down lions and snakes, young lions and serpents you will trample underfoot.” Vs 9-13 CJV

For I have made the Most High my refuge and my dwelling place – no disaster will happen to me and no calamity will come near my tent.

When we would go back to work in Iowa I was introduced to tornado warnings. I had never experienced anything like this before. I would have to fight fear the first couple years and then the last few years, I could go through those experiences in peace because the Holy Spirit brought these verses to my heart – not just my mind – but really settled them in my heart. “No calamity will come near my tent or RV as the case may be”.

When I read these verses I am often reminded of Peter and the other disciples that were on the sea with the waves beating against the boat and the wind blowing a gale force. Jesus was sleeping while the disciples were bailing water. They woke him up and said “Master don’t you care – we’re about to sink”. But Jesus reaction was completely different.

“And a furious storm of wind [of hurricane proportions] arose, and the waves kept beating into the boat, so that it was already becoming filled. 38 But He [Himself] was in the stern [of the boat], asleep on the [leather] cushion; and they awoke Him and said to Him, Master, do You not care that we are perishing? 39 And He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Hush now! Be still (muzzled)! And the wind ceased (sank to rest as if exhausted by its beating) and there was [immediately] a great calm (a perfect peacefulness). 40 He said to them, Why are you so timid and fearful? How is it that you have no faith (no firmly relying trust)? 41 And they were filled with great awe and feared exceedingly and said one to another, Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey Him?” Mark 4:37-41 AMP

No fear! Resting in the promises of God’s word.

If you remember satan used Psalm 91:11-12 as one of the temptations that he brought to Jesus. “for he will order his angels to care for you and guard you wherever you go. 12 They will carry you in their hands, so that you won’t trip on a stone.” But Jesus comment was that He would not tempt the Lord, His God.

We can confidently trust in God’s protection and power when circumstances come against us but we also have the admonition not to be foolish in our actions and then say we are using these verses as our protection.

Years back we lived verse 13 on a daily basis. “You will tread down lions and snakes, young lions and serpents you will trample underfoot.” Farming alfalfa in the Arizona desert we had daily encounters with rattlesnakes. We learned to live and walk cautiously. We taught our children how to play wisely and we prayed this verse and Luke 10:19

“Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.” AMP

We put God’s work to work! And we saw it come to pass on several different occasions. Working late at night, changing water, we had a couple of experiences of actually stepping on rattlesnakes and not having them coil, rattle or strike. We saw God’s word at work on our behalf.

This Psalm is your personal promise from the Father. It was confidence in God and His word that let Daniel sleep in a lion’s den and Jesus sleep on the stormy sea. God’s word is practical and He has given us His word to use in our lives.

Live it daily!

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Never Forget!

This is a day when we ALL remember. Remember where we were 16 years ago – remember how our hearts sank, remember lost lives, remember loved ones, remember the fear and the prayers that followed for days and weeks.

” Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

” And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. 15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Colossians 3:14-16

Let peace, the Prince of Peace, rule in your heart today.

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Going Through Dangerous Times

Yesterday afternoon I got to thinking about how good God is and the writing I had posted yesterday morning. The thought came up in my heart that you might think I am saying that when we live under the shadow of the Almighty that evil circumstances don’t even come our way. That’s not it at all! God’s hand of protection keeps us from some things and guides us through others. We’ll never know how many times we were spared from certain situations and that’s a testimony to God’s protection but when we do go through situations and recognize that God is bringing us through victoriously that too is a testimony.

“A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand; but it won’t come near you.
8 Only keep your eyes open, and you will see how the wicked are punished.” Psalm 91:7-8 CJB

David had faced many battles. He had faced the Philistines when he was just a young man. Then as he grew older he faced many enemies and was engaged in hand to hand combat. He knew about enemies falling at his side. He even had King Saul pursuing him through the desert; Saul was jealous of David and even though David destroyed Goliath, Saul was set on killing David himself. Time and time again, David saw the Lord deliver him.

The Bible is filled with examples of those who followed the Lord, depended on His protection and were saved. First example would be Noah. He preached repentance the whole time he was building the ark but no one repented – only he and his family were saved.

Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, Abindego, Rahab, Esther, Peter, Paul, John and Jesus – now these are some folks with testimonies of God’s protection and power. Their stories are to be examples for us. Paul wrote in his letter to the Christians in the church at Thessalonica

“We always thank God that you believed the message we preached. It came from him, and it isn’t something made up by humans. You accepted it as God’s message, and now he is working in you.”

I Thessalonians 2:13 CEV

It’s important that we recognize and receive God’s word as exactly that – God’s word. There is no higher authority – there is no error. It is truth!

Jesus said that in the last days men’s hearts would fail them for fear. We are seeing so many things around us that can cause us to be fearful and anxious but when we look to God’s Word we find protection, peace, joy, hope – we find the God and Father of our salvation!

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We’re Protected – Under His Wings

Remember when you were little a thought there might be monsters under the bed? As a child, I was plagued with nightmares. Until one night I made friends with the biggest monster in my dreams. After that whenever I would have a nightmare I would just call on my monster friend and he would come scare off all the other monsters that were there to hurt me. When I saw the movie Monsters Inc, I was reminded of my friend because he looked a lot like Sulley.

But now I don’t make friends with monsters, instead I can rely on the Father and His Word.

“3 For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

4 [Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler.

5 You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day,

6 Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday.” Psalm 91:3-6 AMP

In this day of terror plots, road rage, random shootings and all the mayhem that is loose in our world, not to mention the daily dangers we are exposed to, living in the power of God’s Word is such a comfort.

These are the verses above from the Complete Jewish Bible.

“he will rescue you from the trap of the hunter and from the plague of calamities;
4 he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge;
his truth is a shield and protection.

5 You will not fear the terrors of night or the arrow that flies by day,
6 or the plague that roams in the dark, or the scourge that wreaks havoc at noon.” Vs 3-6

The way I see it, the Lord promises to protect us from hidden peril – from the things we can’t see. A bird doesn’t see the trap until it’s caught and plagues come without advance warning.

Then He also protects from disasters that can be seen. The picture in verse 4 is that of a mother hen or bird that sets herself down over the top of her chicks to protect them from danger. She risks her own life and cuddles her young under her wings. Isn’t that what Jesus did for us? He gave His own life to protect us from the ravages of sin and its effects.

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

32 He that spared not 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 lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh 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?” Romans 8:31-35 KJV

No matter what time of day – night, daylight, or noon day, the Lord promises to be there and be our protection. When my children were little, Dave and I would pray with them and over them each morning before they headed out to school. We would pray these verses over them then and we still do now. But now we’ve added their spouses and our grandchildren. Just the other day our daughter was protected from being hit by a car as she was out jogging and I have no idea how many times our son has been protected as he has been at work, he’s a firefighter in a very busy city.

We have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles, literally, in our vehicle without ever having an accident. We’ve been in the presence of danger many times and not even known it until later and then we saw how God’s hand protected.

We can take these verses as our own and use them to bring a covering of protection for our families as well. God’s word is true; He does not lie! But it doesn’t just come automatically we have to appropriate it – we have to believe it. Just like the electricity that comes into our homes; it’s there but we will sit in the dark and the cold unless we turn on the switch and put the power to work.

Turn on the switch in prayer and watch the power of God work in your life! Let me end with this. God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours – His plan of protection is better than ours. As the rain is higher than the earth and comes down to cover the earth; God’s ways are higher than our thinking and He rains down His protection to cover us.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

12 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.” Isaiah 55: 8-12 KJV

God’s word will cause our lives to bring in a crop of good fruit – it will cause us to prosper and our lives to be filled with joy and peace.

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A Place of Protection

In the last few weeks we have been overwhelmed with pictures on the news: pictures of floods, fire and the devastation of hurricanes. This morning I heard of a large earthquake in Mexico and I’m sure there will be pictures from that as well. Seems there are disasters everywhere.

I hear people around us expressing their thanks and gratitude for living in an area that isn’t subject to such conditions. I agree completely. But there really is no place that is assured of safety, no place but one. Let me ask you, where do you live? Over the next few days I want to take you through the verses of Psalm 91. It’s there we find what God says about dwelling in safety.

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].” AMP Psalm 91:1

If we live in the “secret place” we will remain stable and fixed but where is the secret place? Where is that place that God’s shadow falls on us and covers us with protection? Let’s see what the Bible tells us about a secret place.

Our time in prayer is called secret. Our time of communicating with the Father one on one, is a secret time of sweet fellowship. The time we spend meditating on the Word of God can also be a “secret” place. When we are in this place of close communion, His shadow covers us. It’s refreshing, like being in the shadow of a tall tree on a warm day or being covered by the shadow of a tent or canopy when the hot sun is beating down.

“But when you pray, go into your [most] private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.” Matthew 6:6 AMP

When we are spending time in the Father’s presence in prayer and “hiding” His word in our hearts we dwell in the secret place of the Most High.

“I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!” AMP Psalm 91:2

All through the Psalms, David talks about the Lord being a strong tower, a hiding place, a refuge, a fortress, a place of protection. And here he is emphasizing that again. David definitely knew something about the Lord being a refuge and fortress of protection – after all, he faced a lion, a bear and a giant – he was the underdog more than once but God miraculously intervened. David relied on Him completely.

So answer this question, am I dwelling where the Lord is my deliverer, my refuge, my fortress? If not, go to the secret place of your prayer closet, renew your relationship and put God’s word in your heart. There is the place to live, under the shadow of the Almighty!

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