Faith

The Key that Unlocks the Power of God
by Tony V. Hammack

To listen to this message (podcast) on faith please click here.  To watch the video please click here.
Introduction:

Faith according to Hebrews 11:1 is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Hope that is sure
Hope - to desire with expectation of obtainment
The invisible made certain

The Importance of Faith
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Believe and Receive
Matthew 21:21-22
21Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."


Body:

Faith and Unbelief?
Mark 9:17-26
17A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not."  19"O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." 20So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood," he answered.  22"It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.“ 23" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." 24Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"  25When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. "You deaf and mute spirit," he said, "I command you, come out of him and never enter him again." 26The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, "He's dead." 27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

Some points from the above passage:

1. Take your problems to Jesus
2. Not all unclean spirits are the same
3. Unbelief is the reason the disciples cannot drive out the unclean spirit
4. The unclean spirits can see the anointing and will manifest in the presence of God
5. Asking diagnostic questions is important to know what you’re dealing with
6. Because Jesus is in faith for the boy he can expel the unclean spirit. The father does not expel the spirit.
7. Prayer and spending time with God builds faith

1.  Take your problems to Jesus.
Today with so many solutions to all our problems I encourage you to take your problems to the Lord first.
Mark 5:26 She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.


2. Unbelief hinders God from moving in the miraculous.
Because of this reality Jesus is selective
Mark 5:36-43
36Ignoring what they said, Jesus told the synagogue ruler, "Don't be afraid; just believe." 37He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38When they came to the home of the synagogue ruler, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39He went in and said to them, "Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep."  40But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child's father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41He took her by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum!" (which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get up!" ). 42Immediately the girl stood up and walked around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished. 43He gave strict orders not to let anyone know about this, and told them to give her something to eat.

3. Unbelief is the reason the disciples cannot drive out the unclean spirit
Mark 11:23 "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.


4. The unclean spirits can see the anointing and will manifest in the presence of God
Mark 5:6,7
6When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. 7He shouted at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won't torture me!"


5. Asking diagnostic questions is important to know what you’re dealing with
Jesus asks the father in Mark 9:21, how long has the boy been like this. I believe Jesus is trying to determine the spirit’s entry point. Sometimes this gives the minister a strategy to know what they are dealing with, perhaps a generational spirit or maybe a more recent intruder.


6. Because Jesus is in faith for the boy he can expel the unclean spirit. The father does not expel the spirit.  What seems to motivate Jesus to act is the approaching crowd (v. 25). Perhaps he would’ve worked with the father and or the disciples to get him/them up to speed had the crowd not been running to the scene.

• Often in scripture we see Jesus avoiding the crowds and telling people to not speak of the miraculous work he’s accomplished. My belief is that Jesus wants to be able to travel freely in towns and other areas but the crowds end up hindering him.
• Mark 1:45 – A Leper Healed Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.
• Another reason we see Jesus wanting to avoid crowds is so he can focus his attention on his disciples. 
• Mark 9:30b-31  Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31because he was teaching his disciples.

Sometimes we can have the same prayer to the Lord, “I believe help me with my unbelief.” However I don’t think we’ll see the miraculous as long as were in this condition. I believe we need to experience the mercy and grace of Christ to help us with our unbelief but until we get the unbelief out the father of the boy doesn’t have the authority to drive the unclean spirit out and neither will we.

Faith Comes by Hearing
Romans 10:17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.  The word for “word” here is rhema, it’s the spoken word of Christ meaning that you need a spoken word of God for faith to come.

The significance of rhema (as distinct from logos) is exemplified in the injunction to take "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," Eph 6:17; here the reference is not to the whole Bible as such, but to the individual scripture which the Spirit brings to our remembrance for use in time of need, a prerequisite being the regular storing of the mind with Scripture.

The spoken Word of God comes as we meditate in the logos word of God, the written Word. I encourage you that if you need a miracle meditate in the logos word of God speaking the word over yourself quoting scripture until the rhema comes.

Jesus only does ministry today through people who are filled with Christ. Very often I believe we are praying for God to do something he’s given us the authority to do.

• 2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
• Colossians 2:9,10  9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.

7.  Prayer and spending time with God builds faith
It’s interesting to note that Jesus says this kind comes out by prayer. However we see that Jesus doesn’t go into a long drawn out prayer time to his Father regarding this boy's condition but speaks to the unclean spirit commanding it to come out.  To me the obvious conclusion is that Jesus is “prayed up” before this situation occurs. The disciples however are not. Now if they had more time there’s a good possibility that Jesus would’ve allowed the father to get prayed up or the disciples and let them cast the spirit out.

It’s important that we practice the presence of God. We should pray continually, always having the Lord on our hearts and prepared for every good work   Getting into the presence of God is where we hear from heaven and learn about our authority. How we get free from sin and develop a real love for God.

Take some time to pray and ask God to drive out any unbelief by speaking His rhema word into your heart.

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 793-9124


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Getting Victory Over Fear

by Tony Hammack 

Fear is caused by information
The Information can be

1. False
2. Factual

A common acronym people use for fear is False Evidence Appearing Real.

However we must consider the Truth of God’s word before we embrace any information that is presented to us.

1. False Information
    Anxiety, worrying over nothing. Misjudging reality and seeing things worse than they really are.

Don’t be Anxious
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Do Not Worry
Matthey 6:25-34
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

2. Factual Information
This type of fear, based on facts as we understand them can be more crippling than the type of fear based on false information. This fear is based on facts.

Fear is an emotion that can cause you to take action. Often this is a good response to what you’re feeling. However it’s Godly to get control of the fear and react out of wisdom and scriptural knowledge. Not allowing the fear to have dominion over you.

Decisions made when motivated by fear can become decisions that create regret in the future.  Think of some examples of decisions you've made in the past when fear was in your heart that upon a retrospective look at what you decided the fear caused you to go in the wrong direction.

Ways to Overcome Fear

1. Fear the Right Things
2. Trust in the Lord
3. Know the Lord is with you
4. Know the Lord will Help you
5. Our Reality is Different
6. Receive Perfect Love

1. Fear the Right Things
Ecclesiastes 8:13 Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.

2. Trust in the Lord
Isaiah 35:4 say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you."

3. Know the Lord is with You
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

4. Know the Lord Will Help You
Isaiah 41:13 For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

5. Our Reality is Different
1 Peter 3:13-15
 13Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.“ 15But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.

A comparison between Elijah and his servant - The same facts but two different realities
2 Kings 6:15-18
15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked.
 16 "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them."
 17 And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
 18 As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, "Strike these people with blindness." So he struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.

6. Receive Perfect Love
1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

Getting immersed into the presence of God and allowing him to Love on You will displace all fear according to 1 John 4:18.

Fear Cripples Our Faith

The enemy attack’s us with fear because He’s trying to stop us from believing God.

Focus on Overcoming Fear
The facts aren’t as powerful as the truth about your situation. What I mean by that is you can have a doctor tell you, “You’ve got 3 months to live”.  Those are the facts the doctor has and according to the doctor’s experience and his training in science and medicine that’s the way it is. However the truth is, you are an heir of the covenant promises of Abraham and by the wounds of Jesus you’ve been healed according to Isaiah 53:5 & 1 Peter 2:24 .

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 793-9124


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An Old Dog a Leopard and a Monkey

A wealthy old gentleman decides to go on a hunting safari in Africa, taking his faithful, elderly dog named Killer, along for the company.

One day the old dog starts chasing rabbits and before long, discovers that he's lost. Wandering about, he notices a leopard heading rapidly in his direction with the intention of having lunch.

The old dog thinks, "Oh, ho! I'm in deep trouble now!" Noticing some bones on the ground close by, he immediately settles down to chew on the bones with his back to the approaching cat. Just as the leopard is about to leap, the old dog exclaims loudly, "Boy, that was one delicious leopard! I wonder, if there are any more around here?"

Hearing this, the young leopard halts his attack in mid-strike, a look of terror comes over him and he slinks away into the trees. "Whew!", says the leopard, "That was close! That old dog nearly had me!"

Meanwhile, a monkey who had been watching the whole scene from a nearby tree, figures he can put this knowledge to good use and trade it for protection from the leopard. So, off he goes, but the old dog sees him heading after the leopard with great speed, and figures that something must be up.

The monkey soon catches up with the leopard, spills the beans and strikes a deal for himself with the leopard.

The young leopard is furious at being made a fool of and says, "Here, monkey, hop on my back and see what's going to happen to that conniving canine!

Now, the old dog sees the leopard coming with the monkey on his back and thinks, "What am I going to do now?", but instead of running, the dog sits down with his back to his attackers, pretending he hasn't seen them yet, and just when they get close enough to hear, the old dog says...

"Where's that monkey? I sent him off an hour ago to bring me another leopard!

If you'd like to learn about becoming a Christian please click here.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 793-9124


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The Ever Enduring Kingdom

by Tony V. Hammack

These notes are best when used in conjunction with the audio or video.  Please click here to watch the video.  Click here to listen to the podcast.

Daniel 2:44
God’s Kingdom will Fill the Whole Earth

Daniel 2:35b But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.

Earthly Kingdoms of Men
Golden Head - the Babylonians
Silver Chest and Arms the – Medo-Persians
Bronze thighs and belly - the Grecians
Iron legs - the Romans
Some civilization that occurs after the Roman Empire.


God’s Kingdom
Daniel 2:44
"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.

Chaff
On the roads in South India, threshing rice. Some wind is necessary for the chaff to blow away.

Daniel 2:35a Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace.

All the kingdoms of men are going to be destroyed and will come to nothing. The kingdom of God will however continue and will eventually take over the entire Earth.

Understanding this reality will cause a person to evaluate their priorities and place the majority of their time energy and effort into spending time with the Lord, sharing their faith, winning souls, helping the needy, loving their family, loving the unlovable, etc. in an effort to express the Kingdom of God.

There aren’t any hearses with trailer hitches.

The Davidic Covenant

2 Samuel 7:12-16
12"When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13"He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14"I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, 15but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16"Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever."'"

Jesus is the Rightful Heir of the Davidic Covenant

Luke 1:31-33
31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

Studying the genealogies of Jesus Christ we find that Mary is in the blood line of David making Jesus a literal descendent of David.

The Rock is The Kingdom of Jesus Christ
The subjects of Christ’s Kingdom are people who have the law of God written on their heart. People who are saved and redeemed from the world and Satan. People who walk in obedience to the word and voice of God.

I believe the Kingdom of God is here and now and the subjects of the Kingdom are you and I
Luke 17:21 nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."

I don’t believe we’ve become all that God’s destined us for yet however.

Ephesians 4:13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

The whole measure of the fullness of Christ

1. Kingdom Expression
1. Holy Spirit Manifestations
2. Character

I believe that before Jesus comes back there will be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that empowers believers just like you and I to imitate the ministry of Jesus in the way described in Ephesians 4:13

Jesus is Coming Back for a Glorious Church
Ephesians 5:27 and to present her (the church) to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

The Rock Not Made with Hands
Acts 17:24 " The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;

The law was also not made with hands. God wrote the law on the tablets in Exodus 34
He dwells in us.
I’m not sitting around waiting for Jesus to come back. I believe we, as a church are supposed to be radiant, glorious, powerful and effective at transforming our culture to the culture of the Kingdom of God one heart at a time.

Ever Increasing Glory
2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Jesus Describing the Kingdom of God
Mark 4:30-32
30Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."

Fire is the symbol of the Glory of God

1. Tabernacle
2. Temple
3. People

1.  Tabernacle
Exodus 40:34-38
34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. 35 Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.  36 In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; 37 but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. 38 So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.

2.  Temple
2 Chronicles 7:1 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

3.  People
Acts 2:3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

We Need God’s Glory
I don’t want to miss the time of God’s visitation. (Luke 19:44) I don’t want to have my head down or focused on something else and miss the wave of his spirit.
Let’s pray for a fresh out pouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives for personal holiness, and boldness.

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 793-9124


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by Tony V. Hammack

Bible Study Humor

LOT 'S WIFE

The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot 's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted, 'My Mommy looked back once while she was driving,' he announced triumphantly, 'and she turned into a telephone pole!'

GOOD SAMARITAN

A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan. She asked the class, 'If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?' A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, 'I think I'd throw up.'

DID NOAH FISH?

A Sunday school teacher asked, 'Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark ? ''No,' replied Johnny. 'How could he, with just two worms.'

HIGHER POWER

A Sunday school teacher said to her children, 'We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. But, there is a Higher Power. Can anybody tell me what it is? One child blurted out, ' Aces!'

MOSES AND THE RED SEA

Nine-year-old Joey was asked by his mother what he had learned in Sunday School. 'Well, Mom, our teacher told us how God sent Moses behind enemy lines on a rescue mission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt . When he got to the Red Sea , he had his army build a pontoon bridge and all the people walked across safely. Then he radioed headquarters for reinforcements. They sent bombers to blow up the bridge and all the Israelites were saved.'

'Now, Joey, is that really what your teacher taught you?' his Mother asked.

'Well, no, Mom. But, if I told it the way the teacher did, you'd never believe it!'

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most quoted passages in the Bible - Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter. Little Rick was excited about the task - but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line.
On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, 'The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know.'

UNANSWERED PRAYER

The preacher's 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day, she asked him why.
'Well, Honey,' he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages. 'I'm asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon.'
'How come He doesn't answer it?' she asked.

UNTIMELY ANSWERED PRAYER

During the minister's prayer one Sunday, there was a loud whistle from one of the back pews. Tommy's mother was horrified. She pinched him into silence and, after church, asked, 'Tommy, whatever made you do such a thing?'
Tommy answered soberly, 'I asked God to teach me how to whistle, and He did!'

ALL MEN / ALL GIRLS

When my daughter, Kelli, said her bedtime prayers, she would bless every family member, every friend, and every animal (current and past). For several weeks, after we had finished the nightly prayer, Kelli would say, 'And all girls.' This soon became part of her nightly routine, to include this closing. My curiosity got the best of me and I asked her, 'Kelli, why do you always add the part about all girls?'
Her response, 'Because everybody else always finishes their prayers by saying 'All Men'!'

SAY A PRAYER

Little Johnny and his family were having Sunday dinner at his Grandmother's house. Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served. When Little Johnny received his plate, he started eating right away.
'Johnny! Please wait until we say our prayer.' said his mother.
'I don't need to,' the boy replied.
'Of course, you do.' his mother insisted. 'We always say a prayer before eating at our house.'
'That's at our house.' Johnny explained. 'But this is Grandma's house and she knows how to cook!'
If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Christian please click here.

Visit with us at Jubilee Family Church this Sunday at 10:00 AM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or Wednesday evening at 6:30 PM Central Standard Time U.S.A. or via internet video on Jubilee T.V.

Jubilee Family Church
45 Thunderbird Dr.
Batesville, AR 72501
(870) 793-9124


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