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Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2). John Wesley, a great man of God, once said, It appears that God will do nothing except we ask Him. Its no wonder that he was credited to have, through prayer, effected remarkable changes in his day, both in his own life and ministry and in the society at large. In Luke 18:1, Jesus taught that men ought always to pray and not to faint. Its our priestly ministry as believers to pray for our brothers and sisters all over the world, that through them, Gods Word will be preached in the nooks and crannies of their nations. Paul in his epistles, admonished believers to pray for his missionary work: Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds (Colossians 4:3). This lets us know that we also must pray that the Holy Spirit will grant the saints all over the world utterance and opportunities to preach the gospel where they are. In the scripture we just

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read, Paul highlighted two important points: utterance and opportunities. You might have the utterance and not have the opportunity to preach the gospel, and vice versa; this is the reason we must intercede as admonished by the Spirit through Paul in Colossians 4:3. If every Christian would pray with this consciousness, there will be a great change throughout the world. Also, Paul said, that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith (2 Thessalonians 3:2). The Greek word translated delivered is rhuomai; it alludes to the rushing current or flood. By implication, hes saying that God will rush to deliver get His people out of the clutches of wicked and unreasonable men, who are against the preaching of the gospel. Get concerned about what happens to Christians in your nation and around the world, and let your concern drive you to your knees in prayer.

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I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons (Psalm 16:7). In our opening scripture, David talks about his reins instructing him in the night seasons. This refers to the human spirit. He reveals the importance of listening to Gods instructions from within. The Apostle Paul calls the human spirit the inward man (2 Corinthians 4:16), while Peter describes him as the hidden man of the heart (1 Peter 3:4). This is because the human spirit is not visible to the physical eyes. The Bible says in John 4:24 God is a Spirit hence, we can only make contact with Him through our spirits. When He wants to communicate with you, He does so directly with your spirit, not your head or your mind; its a Spirit-to-spirit communication. This is also the kind of communication that takes place when you pray in the spiritin other tongues; its a God-ward communication. Your spirit makes direct contact with Gods Spirit: For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries (1 Corinthians 14:2).

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Proverbs 20:27 says The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly. Whatever instruction, leading or guidance the Lord seeks to give you, He contacts your spirit. Thats who He deals and relates with; not your physical body or outward man. When the Bible says And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left (Isaiah 30:21), it isnt talking about your natural senses, but your spirit. No wonder Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:14: But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. So dont be overly concerned about whats going on in your outward man, and then lose sight of your real selfyour spirit. Always pay attention to your spirit. If youre going to walk in health, prosperity and victory, you must initiate them from within. God has deposited in your spirit everything you require to live a successful and victorious life. So learn to look inwards, and live from inside

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Dont become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. Youll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it (Romans 12:2 MSG). One of the ways of training your human spirit is educating him to respond to God at once; learning to respond quickly to His instructions. A lot of the problems many of Gods children get themselves into would be averted if only they respond quickly to the Holy Spirit. Imagine a guy driving on a journey, and somehow begins to feel sleepy, the Spirit says to him, Get a convenient place to stop and rest awhile. He ignores that voice and continues in his journey. Then before he knows it, he veers off the road or crashed into a ditch somewhere. Unfortunately, many have lost their lives like that because they didnt respond to Gods Spirit when He tried to warn them. Sometimes you may even find yourself in fellowship with certain people the Spirit of God doesnt want you to make friends with, and then He tells you to distance yourself from them.

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Obey immediately. Consciously train yourself to respond quickly to His voice. Dont let Him have to repeat instructions to you over and over again. Remember, Gods guidance in your life doesnt have to be spectacular. If its from the Holy Spirit, its supernatural and can be trusted. If you train yourself now to respond to Him like this, youll be able to hear Him in the time of crisis because your spirit would have been trained to recognize His voice.

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But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit (Jude 1:20 AMP). You may have wondered how come therere some Christians who are often intimidated or overwhelmed by the circumstances of life. They easily become afraid when challenged by unpleasant situations, thereby making themselves vulnerable to the fierce attacks of the enemy. The reason for this is not that such believers dont have faith, for every Christian has been given the measure of faith (Romans 12:3). But the real problem is that many who find themselves in such situations have allowed the power of the Holy Spirit lie dormant in them. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says, But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. So theres no question as to whether or not the power of God is in you, for it is! But you must stir up that power within you continually, otherwise it will be inactive. Youre to make that inherent ability and divine energy in your spirit available for use anytime you want. That power

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is stirred as you meditate and talk the Word, and, as you pray fervidly in tongues. God expects us to function in the earth with His power. He wants you to learn and know how to activate His power in you as much as He wants you to learn about faith and how faith works. When you study 2 Timothy 1:5-6, youll discover something striking. Right after the Apostle Paul commended Timothy, his grandmother Lois, and his mother Eunice for their unfeigned faith, he charged Timothy to stir up the power of God in him. There, Paul was talking about the power of the Holy Spirit that Timothy received when he (Paul) laid hands on him (Read 2 Timothy 1:5-6). This means its possible for someone to have faith yet have the Holy Spirits power remain latent in his spirit. Most of the attacks the devil launches against people are either against the body or the soul. So that power shouldnt only remain in your spirit. You have to stir it up until it inundates your soul and permeates your physical body. That way, youre able to ward off whatever attack satan launches against you. When youre stirred, the anointing will surge through every fibre of your being; from your

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spirit, to your soul, and your body. Therell be an influx of the power of the Holy Spirit into your mind, will, emotions, and it will move through your whole body, causing you to be immune to the vices of the enemy.

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The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working] (James 5:16AMP). From our opening scripture, its evident that you can change anything through prayer, because the divine power necessary to cause that change is in you; it was deposited in you the moment you received the Holy Spirit into your life: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you (Acts 1:8). Through prayer, we can activate the power of God and effect changes in the realm of the Spirit. We can bring that power to bear on situations and circumstances we want changed. For example, we can put a stop to the recurrent spate of wars, natural disasters and violence that result in wanton destruction of lives and property as experienced in many parts of the world today. Through our effectual, fervent prayers, we can implant lasting peace in wartorn, disasterravaged and terrorism-prone countries in our world. Weve been mandated to do this: And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace (Jeremiah 29:7).

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Consequently, the onus is on us to seek the peace of our cities. Were to pray to the Lord for it. You should pray today, and for as long as it takes for peace to mantle the nations of the earth and rule the hearts of men all over the world. Pray fervently in other tongues and declare that Gods angels of peace are released into every hitherto troubled region in the earth, to cause the peace of God to garrison the hearts of men and women domiciled therein. With authoritative words, rebuke satanic forces and break the stronghold of evil, wickedness and violence over the nations of the world. Declare that satans dominion over and his desire to foment and insight nations to war is broken! Affirm that his manipulative tendencies to lure men into acts of terrorism are thwarted. Set yourself to pray like this oftenearnestly, fervently, passionately and intensely for peace on earth, and therell surely be greater peace and prosperity all over the globe.

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But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the father in spirit and in truth: for the father seeketh such to worship him (John 4:23). In the verse above, Jesus outlines true worship as that which is done in spirit and in truth. This means worshipping the Father from your spirit and according to His Word. True worship involves a union of ones spirit with Gods Spirit. Thus, its only if youre born again and filled with the Holy Spirit that you can truly worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. Today, the goats, bulls, blood, incense and all the articles of worship in the Old Testament temple have been done away with. In fact, Hebrews 10:4 clearly states that it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. We are now in vital fellowship with the Father. Theres now a union of our spirits with His Spirit. Its not just in the singing or the words we offer in worship, but in the fellowship that takes place in the realm of the spirit as we worship the Lord. This is why, sometimes, as you worship, you feel enrapturedtaken away from the earth-realm

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into the warmth of Gods Spirit. You find yourself completely oblivious of everyone and everything around you as Gods glorious presence envelopes you. Thats because theres a union of your spirit with Gods Spirit. This blessing is for everyone whos born again. Were the ones who worship the Father and experience such a glorious transportation into His presence, as our spirits are mingled with His

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The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working] (James 5:16 AMP). From our opening scripture, its evident that you can change anything through prayer, because the divine power necessary to cause that change is in you; it was deposited in you the moment you received the Holy Spirit into your life: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you (Acts 1:8) Through prayer, we can activate the power of God and effect changes in the realm of the Spirit. We can bring that power to bear on situations and circumstances we want changed. For example, we can put a stop the recurrent spate of wars, natural disasters and violence that result in wanton destruction of lives and property as experienced in many parts of the world today. Through our effectual, fervent prayers, we can implant lasting peace in wartorn, disaster-ravaged and terrorism-prone countries in our world. Weve been mandated to do this: And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace (Jeremiah 29:7).

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Consequently, the onus is on us to seek the peace of our cities. Were to pray to the Lord for it. You should pray today, and for as long as it takes for peace to mantle the nations of the earth and rule the hearts of men all over the world. Pray fervently in other tongues and declare that Gods angels of peace are released into every hitherto troubled region in the earth, to cause the peace of God to garrison the hearts of men and women domiciled therein. With authoritative words, rebuke satanic forces and break the stronghold of evil, wickedness and violence over the Middle East and Gulf Region. Declare that Satans dominion over Europe, Asia, the Americas and other parts of the world, and his desire to foment and insight nations to war is broken! Affirm that his manipulative tendencies to lure men into acts of terrorism are thwarted. Set yourself to pray like this often earnestly, fervently, passionately and intensely for peace on earth, and therell surely be greater peace and prosperity all over the globe.

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And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God (Mark 11:22). When Jesus said in Mark 11:22 Have faith in God, the literal connotation of the expression is: Have the faith of God, or Have the Godkind of faith; the supernatural faith that God applies. This implies that you can apply the same principles as God did throughout the scriptures and be guaranteed the same results. For example, when God told Abraham, I have made thee a father of many nations (Romans 4:17), he was about a hundred years old at the time, and Sarah his wife, who was already ninety years old, apart from being barren had also reached menopause. Hence it wasnt naturally possible for them to bear children. Yet, God told Abraham, a father of many nations have I made thee (Genesis 17:5), and called Sarah mother of nations (Genesis 17:16). This was the faith of God in operation; it calls things that be not as though they were (Romans 4:17). And true to Gods Word, the Bible says Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him (Genesis 21:2).

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Youve been called to operate the God-kind of faith. You too can call things that be not as though they were! Through your faithproclamations you can call forth your desires and bring into existence your favourable expectations, based on the Word of God. Remember, as He is, so are we in this world (1John 4:17); we can function like God; we can emulate His faith and have His kind of results.

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Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world (Philippians 2:14-15). In Matthew 5:14, Jesus said youre the light of the world; meaning that without you, those in your worldyour sphere of contactwill be in darkness. Youre to quell the works of darkness through your good works; the preaching of the Gospel. In the midst of the prevalent darkness in todays world, Jesus said, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16). The Bible says in Isaiah 9:2, The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Gods desire is for this prophecy to be fulfilled through you, as you shine the light of the Gospel to those around you whore still in darkness. How do I do this? you might want to ask. First of all, you must pray for the salvation of the souls of men and women in your environment: you must haul back the forces of darkness through fervent

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prayer, and claim the souls of men into the Kingdom. Secondly, you must share the Gospel with passion. Someone you share the Gospel with and lead to Christ today might just be the member of a gang of robbers or a terrorist group. By saving his soul, youve made the world a safer place. Never be intimidated by the evil and wickedness thats seen in the world today. Dont allow your heart to be troubled because of the activities of wicked and unreasonable men, for greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). The Holy Spirit in you is infinitely more powerful than all the forces of wickedness in the world. Therefore get passionate about the Kingdom. Light up your world for Jesus! Share the good news of His salvation with everyone around you. Thats the cure for the evil and wickedness in the world today: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16).

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Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.(Ephesians 6:18) The more time you spend in fellowship with the Lord through prayer, the more His character and personality are revealed in and through you. This is one of the most exciting benefits of prayer. Through prayer, your spiritual antenna is raised to pick Gods thoughts and think like Him. Some people only pray when theyre compelled to do so by certain challenges they face in life, and thats not right. As Christians were called into fellowship with our heavenly Father. You get to know the Lord and love Him more as you fellowship with Him through prayer and study of the Word. Praying, and praying the right way, is an important activity in the life of every Christian. It makes your life beautiful, vibrant, and exuberant with praise at all times. Take your personal times of prayer, devotions, and meditation very seriously. Create the opportunities in the course of your day to fellowship with the Lord through prayer.

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When you pray often, especially in the spirit, youll live with a pure heart towards all men; you wont criticize others as youll see only the good in them. Learn to intercede for others more than ever before. 1 Timothy 2:1 says, I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men. Take this admonition of the Spirit seriously. Consciously practice this today! Take some time to pray for those around you, and for those in distant lands; its your priestly responsibility to do this. As you spend more time in prayer, your life will flourish from glory to glory because prayer is more than just an opportunity to get God to do something for you! Its a time to commune with the Lord and bask in rich spiritual consciousness; so give more time and attention to prayer.

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As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them (Acts 13:2). Its our priestly responsibility as Christians to minister to the Lord, and its important that you understand how to do it, and the benefits that accrue from it. The first thing to do in ministering to the Lord is to focus your attention on Him in worship. Secondly, learn to speak words of praise to Him from your spirit; words that extol His majesty. Such praise should have content. For example, simply saying, Lord, I praise you, isnt enough. Youve got to tell Him what youre praising Him for. Tell Him how wonderful, loving and kind He is; you ought to give substance to your praises of Him. So in ministering to the Lord you focus your attention on Him and praise Him from your spirit with words of worship and thanksgiving. The Lord responds to you when you minister to Him like this. When the apostles ministered to Him and fasted as we read in our opening scripture, He responded by giving them direction regarding an important issue. In the same way, God gives you

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guidance and enlightens your spirit as to what you need do in specific circumstances as you minister to Him. He ministers strength to you and prepares you for the task ahead. Your fellowship with the Holy Spirit becomes effective as you learn to minister to Him from your spirit; He participates in everything you do and dispenses His blessings into your life. You also experience His transportation as He moves you from one level of glory to another.

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Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you (2 Thessalonians 3:1). Its our priestly ministry as believers to pray for our fellow brothers and sisters everywhere in the world, that through them, Gods Word will be preached in the nooks and crannies of our world. Paul in his epistles, admonished believers to pray for his missionary work: Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us as a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds (Colossians 4:3). This lets us know that we also must pray that the Holy Spirit will grant Gods people utterance and opportunities to preach the gospel where they are. In the scripture we just read, Paul highlighted two important points: utterance and opportunities. You might have the utterance and not have the opportunity to preach the Gospel, and vise versa; this is the reason we must intercede as admonished by the Spirit through Paul in Colossians 4:3. Therere certain countries, provinces and settlements in some parts of the world today where people cant openly preach the gospel. We must pray that

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Christians in such places be strengthened with the might of the Spirit, and that opportunities and utterance be granted them to preach the mystery of Christ. If every Christian would pray with this consciousness, there will be greater impact of the Word of God throughout the world. Also, Paul said, that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith (2 Thessalonians 3:2). The Greek word translated delivered is rhuomai; it alludes to the rushing of a current of a flood. By implication, hes saying that God will rush to deliver get His people out of the clutches of wicked and unreasonable men, who are against the preaching of the gospel. Get concerned about what happens to Christians around the world, and let your concern drive you to your knees in prayer.

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It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High. (Psalm 92:1) People generally love to sing and praise the Lord when theyre happy. At such times, its easy to pick a song and sing it merrily. But not many have learnt to be exuberant with praise in the face of adversity. God wants you joyful at all times, irrespective of your situation. Whether or not your immediate circumstances are such as should elicit joy makes no difference, for true joy is of the spirit. Its a feature of your recreated human spirit and hence independent of circumstances. Ephesians 5:18-20 says: And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Singing to the Lord has nothing to do with how you feel at the moment; youre expected to praise Him at all times. Once, the children of Israel were downcast because they had to battle an invading army that was far larger than theirs.

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They received a prophecy from the Lord telling them not to be afraid of the enemy. King Jehoshaphat admonished his army, saying: Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper (2 Chronicles 20:20). Having encouraged the people, he appointed singers to go before the army and sing praises unto the Lord. He made them praise God exuberantly, despite the adversity they faced. As they sang praises unto God, the Lord set an ambush against their enemies and they were all smitten (2 Chronicles 20:14-22). The power of God is activated in your life when you praise Him exuberantly from your heart, irrespective and independent of circumstances. So today, dont hold back your praise. Be exuberant in worship, and lavishly praise the Lord for all Hes done in your life this year. Let your peculiar praise get heavens attention. Sing merrily to the Lord, thanking and appreciating Him for how He graciously and gloriously brought you through this year in health, victory, success and prosperity.

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By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name (Hebrews 13:15). Jesus taught on the importance and benefit of worship and thanks giving using the story of the ten lepers: And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole (Luke 17:12-19). He commended the one who returned to give glory to God, and said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. By coming to thank God for his miracle, he got

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something more than healing; he was made whole. Everything he had lost as a result of the leprosy was completely restored. As you take stock of the year, its not a time to complain, grumble, or reminisce over the failures and disappointments of yesterday! Rather, let it be a time of gratitude, praise, joy, and thanksgiving. Let it be a time to count your blessings and worship the Lord specially and passionately from your spirit. So today, as you review your experiences and achievements for the year, its important that you count your blessings and rejoice over what the Lord has done for you. Celebrate His goodness and many blessings upon your life throughout the year. Appreciate and worship Him from the very depths of your heart, for His great love, kindness, mercy and grace experienced this year. Celebrate Him for His goodness and wonderful works in your life. Give Him the sacrifice of true worship, make confessions to His Name. Show Him how grateful you are for leading and guiding you through the year in safety, health, victory, success, and prosperity!

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Express yourself lavishly in worship and praise to the Lord today as you count your blessings this year, and contemplate the greater blessings He has in store for you. Rejoice and be glad, for its a day of joy and thanksgiving.

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