The following is from Spurgeon. Every Christian, if they are doing anything worth hindering, will experience the enemy's hand upon their life. He is the adversary, the accuser of the brethren. I'm reading the book Monsters Among Us and have to say with all certainty I've experienced a thing or two mentioned in that book. Even people who aren't fighting the enemy will experience some of those things, and even more so those of us who are fighting the enemy. Know for sure if you fight against satan he will fight back. Don't think you can tap out, either. Once you are in the battle, you better keep fighting, because the enemy won't let up. You're in it for good. If he's fighting you, you must be doing some damage to his kingdom. Good job! I'm worried about Christians who never have any trouble. They must not be doing anything worth hindering. Of course, hindering and all-out war are two different things, but let's just post this and be done with the babbling.
Okay, let me add something. If you see a man or woman of God with a gift you want, go ahead and ask for it. Realize it may not be as easy as they impart it to you. You may have to go through something to get it. Ask God for it, though, because it's worth it. Just know that person may have had to go through something life-changing to have received that gift. The greatest men of God went through a purifying fire. Think Job. But go ahead and ask because it will be worth it. Quoted text: Since the first hour in which goodness came into conflict with evil, it has never ceased to be true in spiritual experience that Satan hinders us. From all points of the compass, all along the line of battle, in the advance party or in the rear, at the dawn of day and in the midnight hour, Satan hinders us. If we work in the field, he seeks to break our implements; if we build a wall, he tries to cast down the stones; if we are serving God in suffering or in conflict—everywhere Satan hinders us. He hinders us when we are first coming to Jesus Christ. We had fierce conflicts with Satan when we first looked to the cross and lived. Now that we are saved, he tries to prevent our growth in Christian character. You may be congratulating yourself: “So far I have walked consistently; no one can challenge my integrity.” Beware of boasting, for your virtue will soon be tested; Satan will direct his energies against the very virtue for which you are most famous. If you have to this point been a firm believer, your faith will soon be attacked; if you have been meek like Moses, expect to be tempted to speak unadvisedly with your lips. The birds will peck at your ripest fruit, and the wild boar will dash his tusks at your choicest vines. Satan is sure to hinder us when we are faithful in prayer. He hinders our persistence and weakens our faith in order that, if possible, we may miss the blessing. Satan is equally vigilant in obstructing Christian effort. There was never a revival of religion without a revival of his opposition. As soon as Ezra and Nehemiah began to work, Sanballat and Tobiah were stirred up to hinder them. What then? We are not alarmed because Satan hinders us, for it is a proof that we are on the Lord’s side and are doing the Lord’s work, and in His strength we will win the victory and triumph over our adversary. Thank you for reading, and God bless.
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The biblical account of Jezebel and Ahab is unusually detailed. A lot of those Old Testament kings either did wrong or did right, and God didn't spend a whole lot of time writing about them. But with Ahab and Jezebel, it is a different story. When God goes in-depth with a story, pay attention because it has a lot to offer. Also, God spends a lot of time penciling in details of Jezebel, which is even more unusual. Men lead kingdoms. Not women, certainly not back then. But she has a prominent role in the kingdom. Is it interesting to note the Bible mentions women ruling as a curse? Not very progressive of me to say that, I know, but the Bible doesn't kowtow to modern mores.
The whole story can be found here. This story is so rich, I could spend hours writing about it, but I want to focus on specific things and how they pertain to our lives today. Also, this is a partial picture of Ahab and Jezebel spirits and how they work. Move in the knowledge that God gives you. Every person is unique, and the devil adapts accordingly to work against God's plan for our lives. With Christians, I believe the devil comes up with a plan when that person is born, depending on their personality traits. He knows he can't stop us from being saved, so instead he focuses on causing us to lead defeated lives. Ahab and Jezebel spirits can do just that. If you find yourself up against the spirits of Ahab and Jezebel in your home, workplace, church, community, state, country, etc., bind the spirits of Ahab and Jezebel, but don't forget to loose godly spirits of Elijah and Jehu to counter. In the account of Elijah and the priests of Baal, after he killed 400 of them, he fled at the word that Jezebel was after him to kill him. Here was a man of God who just performed one of the most amazing miracles in the Bible by calling down fire from heaven and then the mighty victory of the slaughter of 400 wicked priests of Baal, and he turns tail and runs when he hears a little woman wants to kill him? Huh? It doesn't make sense unless you understand the power of Jezebel. A bit of personal perspective belongs here. The few times in my life when I felt my life was in danger was when I was dealing with someone who had a spirit of Jezebel. It is a wicked spirit like no other. I asked for a spirit of not just Elijah but Jehu to defend me in those circumstances. Jezebel spirits are so strong, they will literally drive a good man out of a workplace or home, they are that detestable and ugly. They drive a good man away and then complain that no man can stay. So they have to do everything themselves, which is how Jezebel likes it anyway. Jezebel is a master manipulator. And Ahab is eternally manipulatable. How bad is Jezebel? I had my life threatened by a Jezebel spirit multiple times at a job (knife to throat) and also in my home by my ex-wife (said she was going to cut my throat in my sleep). I was also physically assaulted (coworker came up behind me and put me in a headlock, choking me) at work by a Jezebel spirit. Jezebel does not like a strong man, or a man in control, or a godly man. She hates all men, but she tolerates a weak man she can control. I should mention Jezebel can also reside in men. It is not gender-specific. Also, all demons are male, so when I say "she" or "her," I'm referring to the person the demon is in. In Hebrew, Jezebel means "priest of Baal," not priestess, which shows the masculine, authoritative tendencies of the demon. I hope that clarifies. But, back to the story. Ahab cannot exist without Jezebel, and vice versa. They need each other. It is a symbiotic relationship. If you come across a woman with a Jezebel spirit, she is paired with a man who has an Ahab spirit. Sometimes you'll find an Ahab over several women who have Jezebel spirits, such as in a workplace. They play off each other. And Ahab also tends to hate women, at least secretly. He may be abusive on some level and, if a man is married, he will be neglectful of her as well as his duties. Resentment is a common emotion for Ahabs. Ahab wants to turn his wife into more of a mother figure, so he can continue to be the spoiled little boy, the Peter Pan character. Bedroom problems such as withholding sex or sexual blackmail can cause an Ahab man to seek extra-marital affairs, or at least to abandon his marriage on some level. He is frequently not at home, which is a better solution than having to deal with Jezebel. An Ahab man will always see women other than his wife as more attractive, which generates all sorts of problems for the couple. Premarital sex and extramarital sex are common with Ahab/Jezebel because sex is more about power than love. Another type of Ahab/Jezebel relationship is the gay son/overbearing mother, which seems common these days. It's not just heterosexual couples. A brief description of the Ahab spirit is in order. Read the account and you get a good idea, though. First of all, he is in rebellion against God. He is a weak leader. He has no backbone. He caves to what Jezebel wants. She was the one who led him, and thus the nation, into idolatry and Baal worship (which includes sacrificing babies). He is immoral. He wanted a man's land and when he was told he couldn't have it, went a moped for days. His wife told him to have the man killed and take the land, which he did. But you may not see those specific things in this day and age. So what do you see? Ahab men don't like serious, grownup things. They like to play, prance about, peacock, whatever. They are almost always interested in sports to an unusual degree. (Little boys like to play.) They don't want to grow up. They have a variety of arrested development issues. They will not take responsibility for their actions. They bend to what other people want (such as Jezebel). They make bad decisions as a result. Which makes Jezebel bitter and resentful, of course, because he is so weak and ineffective, which causes ... Jezebel to take up the slack, putting her into a position of authority for which she is not designed. Jezebel is also known to be a bit slutty. Sex is power. Jezebel is all about power, which she uses to constantly get her way at home, in the workplace, at the grocery store, in traffic, wherever. She is also immoral, doing anything for momentary pleasure. She also insists she is right — always. And she will get her way, come hell or high water. She has a temper. Watch out. Don't piss her off, people say. Ahab is scared of her, too. Maybe her children are, also. Of course, someone can have a spirit of Ahab or Jezebel and not exhibit all of these tendencies. But you will always find Ahab with a Jezebel (or cluster of them). An interesting note is Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians. She is royalty and acts like it. But, look at her father's name. Baal is even a part of his name. He and Jezebel were wholly given over to Baal worship, which was strictly forbidden for the Jews. Maybe Ahab married Jezebel as part of a political alliance, but Baal worship was part of the package. Baal worship brought a terrible curse and judgment upon the land, which Elijah upheld. When Jezebel died, God didn't even allow her to be buried, which was the tradition in Israel and Judah. Instead, dogs ate her, which is a decidedly fitting end for an evil woman. God did not want her to be honored in any way after her death, and the way she was dispatched and disassembled speaks volumes. God especially hated Jezebel. In the end, Ahab did humble himself, and God noticed. But Jezebel never did. Ahab was one of the wickedest kings in the Bible, and that wickedness was aided by his wife. God used lying spirits in the mouths of the prophets to persuade Ahab to go to war, where he was mortally wounded. He was buried, whereas Jezebel was not. Also, in Revelation 2:20-23 we see Jezebel show up again. I pasted it here because it is worth noting again how God feels about that spirit. "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works." In my marriage, I expected my now-ex-wife to handle certain situations because I was not at home much, working odd hours. I probably gave her too much authority. (I still hate dealing with food, though I did help with chores around the house, which is common for American men.) She had Jezebelic tendencies anyway, coming from a family of feminists/lesbians (feminists and lesbians are almost always Jezebels). My father was an Ahab, as was hers. These demons pass down through the family line. When I resisted the Ahab-Jezebel nature of my marriage, there was trouble. Crying. Fighting. Pitching a fit. Death threats. Forced sex (rape). Manipulations. Battles for control. It was ugly. Jezebel is a mean spirit. She is clamorous and loud and wants her way, though sometimes she does things passive-aggressively. Gives the silent treatment, withholds love/affection, uses sex to get her way, whatever. She is controlling, manipulative, proud, and almost never submissive (unless it suits her purposes). Submission is how a Proverbs 31 woman should act. For a woman in bondage to spirits of Jezebel, loose spirits of the virtuous woman, Elijah, and Jehu on her, in addition to binding spirits of Jezebel, manipulation, witchcraft, controlling, witchcraft control, etc., whatever you can think of. After Elijah slew the priests of Baal, Ahab went and told Jezebel (notice he deferred to her authority), to which Jezebel replied the same would be done to Elijah, which caused him to flee into the wilderness and have a proper pity party. He asked God to take his life at that point. Never before that point do we see the prophet cower like that. Jezebel is such a powerful spirit (and I felt this in my own life), many godly men run from it in fear and despair of life. This happened to me many times. But, I should note that Elijah was fresh off a tremendous victory. The tables had rightly turned on the priests of Baal. God humiliated them and then killed them through Elijah. He was likely under tremendous spiritual pressure, and exhausted, as well, from the physically demanding task of killing 400 people, and then running into the wilderness. He was low not only spiritually but physically. And that is exactly when the devil likes to counter-attack. He did it to Elijah, and he will do it to you and me. Beware after you've had a tremendous victory because that is often when the devil will target you. Not only that, but Elijah had surely forgotten to eat, as we see an angel come and make food for him while he was despairing of life under a juniper tree. He simply forgot to eat. After all of that physical exertion, God knew what he needed and provided food in the wilderness. The pity party continues when God asks Elijah what he's doing out there in the wilderness, to which Elijah replies he and only he was left to fight the Lord's battles, which is funny on many levels, but we've all been there. The devil likes to make us feel all alone. God informs him He has 7,000 still left in Israel, which is still a small number, but Elijah was certainly not alone. Unfortunately, Ahab and Jezebel are ruling spirits of the age. Look for them to increase and proliferate. Sports, entertainment, and mainstream media constantly reinforce the idea of a "strong woman" who supplants men. In fact, men are barely needed in our Western culture. Women raise children by themselves, go to school, have careers, friends, etc., all without the help, support, and direction of a man. That's because men renege on their responsibilities. Little boys can't raise families. They want to be out playing, messing around with flavor-of-the-week girls, drinking, playing video games, and watching sports instead of raising their kids and working hard, building a future for their families. If we can get men back in order, we can save families, communities, and our country. But men are full of Ahab spirits. And women are full of Jezebel spirits. We need more Elijah and Jehu spirits. Amen? When reading the Old Testament, parts of it read like a manual for war. What was true in the physical then is true in the spiritual now. The names of the kingdoms and kings in the promised land, for instance, pertain to the spiritual promised land in us. The wicked nations that lived there are now the demonic kingdoms in us. If you are involved in spiritual warfare (if you're not, why not?), you will see many tools and strategies in the Old Testament for routing the enemy. If you don't know the name of specific spirits (as a believer, you can command spirits in the name of Jesus Christ), you can label them by what they do or by a personality in the Bible who exemplified certain traits. For instance, when I am praying for someone enduring an unfair situation, I can loose spirits of Mordecai and Esther upon the situation to turn the tables and cause the enemy to fall into their own pits and snares or be hung on their own gallows. That is a wonderful tool. King David was a man after God's own heart. What was David known for? He was perhaps the bloodiest warrior in the Bible and went to war as often as possible. God wouldn't let him build His temple, his hands were so bloody. When he didn't go to war, that's when he got in trouble with Bathsheba. Even though King David screwed up royally, committing adultery and murder (both punishable by death under Mosaic law) and the census (leaning on the arm of flesh), God still said he was a man after His own heart. That shows how much God is willing to overlook our sins when we repent. Though our sins were as scarlet, now they are as white as snow. (God doesn't ask that we are perfect. The devil says we should be perfect because he knows we never will be, and he wants us to strive for that, and fail. He is the original lawyer, and legalist, insisting we never make mistakes. The quickest way out of trouble is to confess, repent, and move on. The devil wants to heap upon us guilt. Don't let him. If God forgave Moses, a murderer, and David, an adulterer and murder, and used them mightily, he will certainly do the same for you.) And, of course, Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. If God said David was a man after His own heart and when God Himself came to earth in the flesh, His stated purpose was to destroy the works of the devil, then why aren't we spending more time in spiritual warfare? Because the devil wants us to live defeated lives. We have the pathway to victory (deliverance) and the keys to the kingdom (binding and loosing spirits). God wants to save, heal, and deliver as many people as possible. Those who turn their backs on such powerful promises will lead defeated Christian lives when compared to the great victories they could have. Do not go backward. Do not sit still. Go forward and claim the victory that is already won. The devil will beat you up, no matter what. You may as well get in some good licks on him. And much treasure in heaven in the process. The enemy isn't going to stop coming after you just because you stop going after them. But you'll never win a battle you don't fight. The story of Ahab and Jezebel is still relevant. It isn't a dead old story. It is alive when one considers the spiritual implications. It shows us demons come in families and clusters. They work together in couples, families, workplaces, etc. They affect our relationships with others. They embed themselves in our personalities and get us to agree with them. Once we come out of agreement with them, we can turn the tide through spiritual warfare. When a person is in agreement with the demons inside them, not much can change their behavior. You can bind those spirits, but they will get free. You can ask God to change that person's heart and hope for a miracle. Ask God to change their wanter. Whatever you can think of. But if those spirits aren't thrown out in deliverance, that person will always struggle with those things. And if they are in agreement, not much can be done to dislodge them. Those who came to Jesus and the disciples for healing and deliverance knew they needed help and freely accepted what was given to them (who else but a desperate person would accept someone spitting in mud and putting it on their eye?). If you are dealing with someone who won't admit they need help, that's not likely a winnable battle. They have to see a need for change. (After all, you can't bind/loose a person's free will.) The more desperate they are, the more likely they will see freedom. Finally, here are some warfare prayers for Ahab and Jezebel spirits. Upon all Ahab and Jezebel spirits, I loose: spirits of Elijah (I Kings 17- 21, Luke 1:17), Jehu (II Kings 9), the hounds of heaven (II Kings 9:36). I also loose upon us: aggressiveness (Mark 11:22-26), boldness, zealousness, willingness (Matthew 26:41), readiness (Mark 14:38), service, fairness, honesty, obedience; creativity, ingeniousness, inventiveness, retentive mind, (Prov 8:22), maturity, purity, holiness, righteousness, guileless (Psalms 32:2), perseverance, steadfastness, (Romans 12:11), a new spirit (Ez 18:31; 36:36), good (Neh 9:20, 30), right (Psalm 51:10), excellent (Prov 17:27; Daniel 6:3), praise (Isaiah 61:3), thankfulness, worship (John 4:24), singing (I Cor 14:15), prayer (I Cor 4:21), quiet (I Peter 3:4), constraining (Job 32:18), contrite (Psalm 34:18), broken (Psalm 51 :17), judgment (Isaiah 4:4; 28:6), repentance, conviction (Isaiah 57:15, 66:2), and all the fruits (Gal 5:22-23), love, joy, peace, patience and longsuffering (Eccl. 7:8), gentleness, kindness, goodness faithfulness (Prov 11:12), meekness (I Cor 4:21; Gal 6:1) and humility (Prov 16:19, 29:23; Isaiah 57:15), temperance, self-control and all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (I Cor 12:8-10), wisdom, knowledge, faith (II Corinthians 4:13), prophecies, healings, miracles, (Rev 19:10), tongues and interpretation of tongues, discernment of spirits. We ask this to help us become more like Jesus and to prepare us for our marriages families and ministries. We loose: each person's angels (Matt 18:10), grace, mercy, supplication (Zech 12:10), life, health, healing, restoration, wellbeing, and life -giving spirits (II Cor 2:6; Rev 11:11); counsel and skill to rule, might and strength (Luke 1:80), fear of the reverence for the Lord (Isaiah 11:2), the seven spirits of God (Rev 1: 4, 3:1, 4:5, 5:6), quickening (John 6:63); success, victory, profit, prosperity, abundance, plenty, sound economy, good weather, and salvation. (Loose the opposite of the demons and add anything the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.) Thank you for reading, and God bless. Revelation 3:9, KJV: "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee."
Very concerning to me is the amount of anti-Semitic rhetoric I'm seeing on conservative/conspiracy platforms and posts. I'd like to say a few things about that. A person can be called a Jew if they are either 1) genetically a Jew or 2) worship as a Jew. So only two ways to be a Jew. However, the Bible says in the verse above some call themselves Jews but are not (they lie), but are, rather, of the synagogue of satan (satanists). As Christians, we know there is only one God. But there are two sources of power and inspiration in this world: God and satan. (By the way, I dislike capitalizing his name simply because I do not like him, as he has made my life miserable for 43 years, so you will never see me capitalize satan, unless it is the first word in a sentence.) Those in power in this world (sometimes the Bible calls them "the rich men of the earth") owe their power to satan. We saw when Jesus Christ was tempted by satan, satan offered to give him the kingdoms of the earth. They are his to give, after all, at least for a time. By the way, that whole progression of temptations is how satan will approach us, but not many will resist even the first temptation. Satan won't take time out to personally tempt any of us anyway, only those deemed a major threat to his operations. Still, we are tempted by his minions or are drawn away of our own lusts, most likely. By the way, recently I was laying in bed thinking about something, hoping to fall asleep, and remembered a particular house my family used to live in, which we rented. My oldest brother had been away, lived in a different town, etc. for a year. Perhaps he rethought his life over the year he was away, deciding to pursue a godlier path. As he was praying in the basement of our home, a dark, hooded figure with fierce, glaring eyes appeared on the steps to the upstairs. It never said anything. He rebuked it in Jesus' name, and it left. Though I have often felt an evil presence, I've never seen anything like that, and I've certainly never been tempted by satan. Most Christians aren't doing enough damage to warrant a visit by satan or one of his minions. Apparently, my brother was doing some damage, as the entity that visited him was not happy (are they ever?). Anyway, they are subject to the supreme power of the name of Jesus Christ, so they can't hurt those who use His name. But I'm getting off track a bit. Some say the Bible is anti-Semitic. I don't understand that line of thinking, as I've read the Bible many times and have never felt it was anti-Semitic. The Jews were God's chosen people, who rejected Him many times, and then ultimately rejected the Messiah that was prophesied, crucifying Him. As a result, the Jewish religion is dead, as they passed on Jesus Christ, who is our only hope and salvation. But God still loves the Jews. Many simply do not know Him, though. I love the Jews, as well, as my Savior came in the flesh of a Jewish man and God tells us to love all mankind. Without the Jews (and perhaps without the rejection of Jesus by the Jews), salvation would not have spread to the rest of humanity. When I think it was Paul who was talking about the rejection of Jesus by the Jews and the subsequent grafting in the gentiles, he said something peculiar. He said the gentiles were adopted. Under Roman law at that time, which Paul most certainly was aware, adopted children were never to be disinherited, unlike natural-born children, which could be. Consider that incredible truth. As a gentile believer, I can never be disinherited. Anyway, my point is the Bible is certainly not anti-Semitic, as these are God's chosen people. They rejected Him, however, so lost out on the promises which were then given to the gentiles. We all have free-will, which carries consequences. I guess what a lot of people in the conservative/conspiracy realm see are the Jewish names of those who are behind a lot of new world order/one world government crap. Many are bankers (they came to power during a time in Europe when it was one of the few things Jews were allowed to do) and other influential men. Yes, many of the evil people in this world are Jews. That is not to say all Jews are part of a conspiracy or are even one iota bad. Jews are like the rest of us, that is to say, varied. But, hold up. The Bible says many who call themselves Jews are not even Jews. I believe many of these Illuminati names like the Rothschilds and Rockefellers simply say they are Jews. I'm not an anthropologist, so I don't know the genetic side, but that's only half of the ways they can be Jews. Many crimes have been carried out upon the Jewish people because people blamed them for what some rich Illuminati (supposed) Jews did. Case in point: the holocaust. Some are so anti-Semitic they say there wasn't even a holocaust, that it was all a hoax. My grandfather on my mother's side (who was adopted) was one of the first paratroopers to enter Hitler's palace in Germany (they weren't sure where he was). His partner was killed on the mission, which was to assassinate Hitler. The palace was deserted by that time and Hitler supposedly killed himself elsewhere (he did not, he escaped), so my grandfather gathered up things from the palace like bathroom tiles and golden drinking vessels, and took them home, where his wife (my grandmother, now almost 104) promptly threw them away. Anti-Hitler sentiment was so intense, she could not see the value of them. And my grandfather never talked about what he saw, but it affected him profoundly. He died of cancer a few years later. And here I got off track again. I'm getting weird in my old age. Firsthand accounts of the holocaust atrocities are widely documented. We are losing WW II veterans at a staggering pace, so we're also losing that memory legacy of the holocaust, it seems. Whenever evil people come to power, they attack the Jews; that's all I know. They always persecute Jews (and now Christians). Satan hates the Jews especially. Someone once asked an influential man to prove God existed, and his answer was, "The Jew," because wherever the Jews go, persecution follows. Yet, they continue to flourish because God loves them. They exist in probably every country in the world. No amount of hate can wipe out those people. What is troubling is seeing propaganda directed at Christians/conservatives/conspiracy folks that is eerily similar to the propaganda used to demonize the Jews before and during the holocaust (even depicting us as rats/vermin, just as they did the Jews), as well as a ramping up of anti-Semitism on various media platforms. The devil doesn't create anything new. He uses the same, tired tactics over and over. If he created ten trees, for instance, they would all look the same. God created a world rich in diversity. The devil creates sameness. My point is, he's using the same tactics now as he used in the past (but Americans are not known for being students of history). We can learn his tactics and defeat him. In that way, we have an advantage. We as Christians also have the advantage of belonging to the most powerful Being in the universe, Almighty God. I guess my point is we in the above said communities need to take a stand against anti-Semitism, and also against the propaganda directed at us. It's getting ugly out there. I've never seen so much unthinking rhetoric as right now. Look for things to accelerate under the twin puppets of Biden/Harris. The new world order agenda will streak ahead in 2021, so if you have some stuff still left on your bucket list, you might want to get it done. And keep loving one another. On a personal note, I would appreciate your prayers because I am going through something hard. Thank you for reading, and God bless. |
A nameless warrior“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” - John 8:32 Archives
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