Remind Us To Surrender


LORD, we need your love to remind us that our earthly home is NOT our eternal home.

Look Up - Jesus Is Coming Again
Look Up – Jesus Is Coming Again

It is hard to live in this world and not be distracted from this truth.  The rat race within the human race is perilous. From the outside your pace appears to be slowing down to where you can’t keep up with your peers.  External elements tell you that you are failing – physically, fiscally and socially.  There seems to be no reasonable human defense to wage – SURRENDER ALL INSTEAD!

This month’s principal is love. I am not focusing on any aspect of human love today. God’s love is my point of view.  I cringe when I consider how many times I failed to acknowledge His love for me. God loves you and me so much. He pours out His love through His grace.  His grace epitomizes His love. The magnitude of His grace in each of our lives is realized through daily salvation.  God’s grace has the Power to save us daily.

Whenever you are unsure of how to proceed in the midst of uncertainty, His grace is sufficient!

Whenever you are afraid you will loose something or someone you love, His grace is sufficient!

Whenever you are lonely with no one around to comfort and care, His grace is sufficient!

Whenever you are in need with no resources of your own, His grace is sufficient!

When you get tired and weary while running the race called “life,” His grace is sufficient!!!

Here are some Biblical references that will remind you to surrender:

Romans 3:23-26 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Romans 5:1-2 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 12:1-3 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

1Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Reflect on the way in which you and I are blessed to experience the grace of God. It reminds us to surrender. God’s love for you and I extends beyond human comprehension. “I find my purpose, my strength and my salvation in Christ Jesus daily as I live the Conqueror Lifestyle.” He gave His Son Jesus Christ to die for my sins, your sins and the sins of all who would by faith believe this truth. Then He allowed His Son to experience human/spiritual death – being separated from His Father as He bore the sins of sinners like you and me. Then He allowed for His Son to resurrect from the grave of human death and gave Him (Jesus Christ) the authority over all that is in Heaven and on Earth.

Colossians 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation,16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him — all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions,whether principalities or powers — all things were created through him and for him.
17 He himself is before all things and all things are held together in him.
18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in the Son 20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross — through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

The reminder to surrender to the authority of Jesus Christ and the blood He shed for you and me is where we are guaranteed to meet up with, find ourselves in and rejoice with praise and thanksgiving forevermore – GOD’S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT! By His grace you and I are blessed to be able to sit in “Heavenly places” IN Christ Jesus while we live life here on earth. By God’s grace you and I are also blessed to be adopted IN Christ and made one with Him. By God’s grace you and I are blessed with the  promise that we will be with Him eternally.

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Ephesians 1:13-14 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

We all need a reminder to surrender to the authority of Christ over every aspect of our lives today. It may appear that the Enemy is winning, but that is just not so!  He is already defeated so winning is not an option from God’s perspective. We need our human perspectives checked with His “omniness” (courtesy of my brother Len the Gloryteller)on a regular basis to thwart the deceptions of evil. God’s sovereignty maintains His will over Heaven and Earth. We are promised an eternal place with His Son – a reminder to continue surrendering to His authority and to do all we can to share the truth of His Word while we live here. One day He IS coming back to rapture us to our Heavenly home in glory!

1Thessalonians 4:16-18 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

His love is the reason we can live with a blessed hope. Remind one another to surrender!

Rev. D

Courage To Pray and Trust In God’s Providence


We are blessed to have Sister Cheryl DeGroat, my mom, provide us with another potent “shot” to fuel your soul. We all must develop a courageous willingness to trust in what God just does.  There is much Biblical evidence to support this Divine characteristic of the Godhead. Mom is invested in exposing real truth by expressing God’s Word to expel any error that may cause you to miss out on what being a child of God is all about. Be empowered living the Conqueror Lifestyle. Enjoy and stay in the race!

Darrin

Prayer and Providence

There are two paths of communication between you and God:

(1) Searching the scriptures —the path by which God speaks to you.

(2) Prayer —the path by which you speak to God.

The Doctrine of Providence

Providence is different from preservation. The doctrine of Preservation is God’s work in upholding and supplying the needs of that which He has created i.e. sustainment.

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The doctrine of Providence is God’s continuous control over the entire physical and moral universe to fulfill His original intended purpose.His providence is:

1. Universal (because He is omnipresent)

2. Powerful (because He is omnipotent)

3. Wise (because He is omniscient)

 4. Holy (because He is Righteousness, Goodness, and Truth)

Prayer and Providence go hand in hand. The prayer of faith petitions God’s care and control over any issue at hand. God provides for us in overwhelmingly, gracious developments which only He can manifest.

Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God and there is none like me.

Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. Isaiah 46:9-10 KJV

Always remember this – God’s Providence is already in place every time you pray. Have the courage to trust in the fact that He already knows the plans He has for you. Your prayers will expose your faith in Him.  You don’t have to know His plan for you to trust in Him. You have to know Him to trust in Him. Reading His Word regularly helps you get acquainted with who He is. The more you know Him the more you will possess the courage to trust in His providence.

By faith in Him, the Holy Spirit will open your eyes of understanding to see Him through His Word. Trust Him when you pray and stay in fellowship with Him through His Word. Consequently,  you too will know the plan as your walk, talk and lifestyle reveals His will for you. This is the Conqueror Lifestyle in action. Prayer changes things!

The next “shot” will focus on your courage as it is revealed through your faith. Faith is both objective and subjective.

Related articles

When A Celebrity Is Conquered: Justin Bieber’s Self-Destruction


The celebrity lifestyle includes destructive behaviors.  It alarms us all when we hear of a celebrity who has been pronounced dead after a short lived life fueled with the excesses of drugs, alcohol, sex and the phenomenon of “more” naturally.  There are many people who are in position throughout the music, film, television, comedy and sports entertainment industries, all of whom are there strictly to provide the celebrity with “more” destructive devices.  These “yes people” provide the means for more opportunities to spin out of control and ultimately follow in the footsteps of legendary performers like Billy Holiday, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Len Bias, Michael Carl Blaze, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Chris Farley, John Belushi and countless others both well known and unknown.  Celebrities are so much more prone to the excesses to offset the absolute nature of insanity induced by a life absorbed in the abuse of alcohol and drugs. When will we – as a regenerated people – stand for what is right and oppose such tragedies?

Today is a day when such a stand is possible. Justin Bieber is not alone in his quest to “have a good time.” No! However, because of his recent arrest at 4am in Miami, Florida after allegedly being under the influence of drugs and alcohol and operating a Lamborghini in a drag racing scenario, his actions are enough to initiate all of the help opportunities we can as Christians.  Christians are in no way perfect. Yes, my book “A Conqueror In Training” intimately portrays the level of imperfection we experience in our Christian walk. But what we are not, when we are living the Conqueror Lifestyle, is “conquered by sin.”  Justin’s behavior and his recent arrest are all examples of how he is in the grips of the origins of being overtaken by drugs and alcohol. People who are conquered by sin manifest this spiritual condition through the excesses of drugs, alcohol, sex and music. The history of the entertainment business, including the sports world, is such that we as Americans know how prevalent these behaviors are and yet they continue on year after year. Dr. Drew has even taken the syndrome to the television medium to publicly portray all of the negative proclivities by which human beings can realize their affinity to self destruct. Justin is conquered by sin. One of the ways being conquered by sin becomes possible is when various worldly tactics are employed exposing the innocent to their natural phenomenon of “more” – no matter how talented or smart one may be.

The Conqueror Lifestyle will safeguard you from self destruction
The Conqueror Lifestyle will safeguard you from self destruction

 

The problem is this: talent is a human condition that is used as a form of capitalization. Capitalism promotes wealth. Wealth promotes the love of money. “The love of money is the root of all evil.”  Evil is released into the lives of these unsuspecting, innocent, unsupervised youth and early adults as they travel up the “ladder of success” at a diabolical rate of speed and velocity. Ultimately they are consumed by the distractions of the world and all its vices and become overwhelmed with the cares of life. The downward spiral ensues and there is no where else to end up – with all the riches, fame, notoriety and increased opportunities to be of service to others – but 6 feet under.

How devastated were you when you heard of the death of Michael Jackson? Justin Bieber is on the same path. The Conqueror Lifestyle is available to you Justin to help you realize all that God designed you to be if you would by faith try this way of life. This lifestyle promotes experiencing the phenomenon of “more” spiritually.  However, if anyone else is interested in helping Justin, or anyone else, by getting help through what we do here at Conqueror Ministries we will do all we can to be of service to you to help anyone develop and maintain the Conqueror Lifestyle. It is an antidote to a life conquered by sin.

 

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Simple, Spiritual Self-Service


 

1.Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (NASB)
Self-service kiosk
Self-service kiosk (Photo credit: melitroncorp)

Self service is a common part of human services that we realize throughout the course of every day. Whether it is at the ATM, airport, gas station, supermarket, workplace, etc., there is always some type of self service facility where you can serve yourself.  It has become the basic standard of service that we as Americans have come to expect. It is a simple, time and cost effective service tool which provides us with a new level of independence.  You can go, choose what you want and quickly keep it moving. It’s that simple!

 

The key to spiritual self-service is the acceptance of Christ’s unconditional service to humans, through His birth, life, Earthly ministry, death and resurrection, thereby establishing and fulfilling a Divine plan of redemption through the forgiveness of sin.  His Service to us At the Cross was unconditional work because He was born to provide us with the means of spiritual salvation  that we all can benefit from Eternally.  Whether we choose to believe in Him or not, His service to us is forever established. When we surrender our bodies to our Heavenly Father because we need forgiveness of our sins on a daily basis, we begin the process of spiritual self-service. True holiness is realized through your own personal identity with your need for forgiveness.  Spiritual self-service is that simple!!

 

There is Spiritual power of unknown proportions available to you when you are willing to present your body to God on a daily basis, totally surrendered to His Sovereignty over your life. His Power is revealed in your walk, your talk and your manner of life. Through every opportunity that makes up your day, you can experience the spiritual freedom of the conqueror lifestyle.  You see, when you choose to start your day, or in some cases re-start your day, by surrendering yourself under God’s authority, you are securing His leadership over every aspect of your day.  However, if you go through your day without this simple, spiritual self-service,  you are living a life that is solely reliant on your own abilities. Every idea, desire, motive and goal is born out of a spirit that is quenched by a soul that is sickened by unconfessed sin. Your body becomes a host for evil rather than God’s goodness. Unconfessed sin is a breeding ground for a swarm of complications that are designed to continue to distract you from His goodness as the world’s appeal demands your attention.

 

Your life can greatly benefit from the simple, spiritual self-service of surrendering to the saving grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ daily.  The reasonable service begins with a mindset to pray without ceasing, having a thankful heart and mind willing to submit your body, mind i.e soul and spirit to Him all reliant on His will for your life from day to day.  A healthy prayer life and daily attachment to His Word completes the simple, spiritual process. It is a simple process that can humbly begin every time you wake up from rest you are blessed to realize. It gets you going spiritually!

 

Find out how I was trained to realize the importance of this self-service model in my new book     “A Conqueror In Training

 

Let Him Lead You


"Lead Me, Guide Me" by Doris Atkers
Verse 1 
I am weak and I need Thy strength and power,                                        
To help me over my weakest hour. 
Let me through the darkness Thy face to see, 
Lead me, oh Lord lead me. 
Chorus 
Lead me, guide me along the way, 
For if you lead me I cannot stray. 
Lord, let me walk each day with Thee. 
Lead me, oh Lord lead me. 
Verse 2
Help me tread in the paths of righteousness.
Be my aid when Satan and sin oppress. 
I am putting all my trust in Thee: 
Lead me, oh Lord lead me. 
Verse 3 
I am lost if you take your hand from me, 
I am blind without Thy light to see.
Lord just always let me thy servant be,
Lead me, oh Lord lead me.

“Where Your Feet Are IS Where You Are”

Solid as a rock
Solid as a rock (Photo credit: Joybot)

     For years I struggled with the TRUTH in the slogan above.  Furthermore, for decades I maintained enormous opposition against the idea of “God‘s leading” over my life. As I look back over my life I can now see that all of my struggling with the prospect of surrendering to God’s will for my life was due to me wanting to be in control, my ego leading me in the fulfillment of the desires of my flesh and my human affinity towards being a product of this world rather than a servant of the God who created me. I could not “Be still and KNOW THAT GOD IS GOD” and appreciate all of the goodness that He brings into my life through His Sovereignty over my life. The best I could do was to continue spinning my wheels of human potential landing in life situations where I ultimately got stuck in ditches that got deeper and deeper over time. I could not appreciate the joy in the journey because I was always frustrated with one aspect (or another) of my life’s reality where I kept coming up short. 

     Along the way to the point of realizing God’s mission for my life, I came to appreciate all of the hardships, pain and suffering, grief, loss, guilt, shame and remorse my life manufactured. Today “I do not regret the past nor do I wish to shut the door on it.” Like Iyanla, “I did my work.” The evidence of the task is soon to be realized publicly with the release of the books. Today I can be grateful for where my feet are because my heart and mind are humbled under the “mighty hand of God.” There is a consistent awareness of God’s presence that sustains me. The reason for the presence of peace, love, joy, thanksgiving, faith and hope that wakes me up every day and preserves me throughout most of my days is because GOD IS LEADING ME. The essence of His leadership in and over my life is realized in the Conqueror Lifestyle that He prepared just for me. 

God has a Conqueror Lifestyle prepared just for you as well. To find out more about the Conqueror Lifestyle follow me on twitter @ConquerorShots.

 Darrin D. Payne

 

 

 

Forgive + Forget =Freeness


This month we will talk at length about forgiveness on Conqueror Talk.  Every human being has experience with this principle in one way or another. All week this ConquerorShot has lingered in my spirit and I pray that you will be as blessed by the formula revealed in the title of this article.  It adds up every time.  When you can forgive anyone who wrongs you and forget anything that caused you to linger in an unforgiving stupor, you will experience a freeness in your spirit that is life-giving.

How many times have you held a grudge against someone because they did not do what you wanted them to?  Perhaps they could have done something for you that you needed but they did not.  Maybe they had no idea of your expectations and they were unable to meet your unrealistic mark.  More importantly, God is allowing the disappointment you must eventually forgive and forget to demonstrate the gracious, loving kindness His Son Jesus Christ manifested at the Cross.  There are so many wonderful gifts available to us. His hand reveals just a few good ones.Power In His Hand

During Jesus’ Earthly ministry to the Jews, the Gospel of Luke  reveals specific analysis relative to the formula we are using. Luke 17:4  “And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.” His message helps us to be aware of our human propensity to be trespassed against i.e. disappointed numerously by one or many individuals. What comes to mind for me is family. Whether it is immediate family or distant relatives, family will trespass against you. In fact, no one can hurt us more than our family members. They can gutt us to the core with their words, actions, attitudes, silent scorn and whatever else their flesh can think of. But Jesus reminds us that when they are willing to admit they have wronged us, it is our duty as humans to forgive them. When we make the decision to disagree with their appeal and disallow for them to experience our forgiveness through our personal charity, we CHOOSE to stay in spiritual bondage. This bondage includes a loss of spiritual unity with the finished work at the Cross for you and the effectual working of His Hand in our lives.

  • 2 Corinthians  2:10  To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ

  • Colossians 3:13  Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. 

  • 1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

Your forgiveness of anyone else is required because of the continual forgiveness Christ supply’s you with on a daily basis. When you can’t extend that to someone else/anyone else it is most likely because His Hand is not working in your life. God can and will fix it EVERYTIME!

Next week we will get into the second part of the formula “forget” here on ConquerorShots.

 TUNE INTO CONQUEROR TALK ON THURSDAYS 6PM EST ON GOSPELBODYRADIO.ORG. AS WE TALK ABOUT IT.

If You Believe……..



Imagine Her Cameo Perfomance in "The Wiz"

“If you believe
Within your heart
You’ll know that no one can change
The path that you must go
Believe what you feel and know you’re right because the time will come around when you’ll say it’s yours…………That’s why I want you to believe in yourself right from the start. Believe in the magic right there in your heart. Go ahead believe all these things not because I told you to. But believe in yourself; If you believe in yourself; Just believe in yourself as I believe in you.” source:http://www.lyricsondemand.com/soundtracks/w/wizmusicallyrics/ifyoubelievelyrics.html

The Wiz was released on October 24, 1978. I was entering the preadolescent stage of development. My toddler aged sister was with my mom and I when we saw this groundbreaking movie. This was during a tumultuous season in my history as the dysfunction of my family was negatively impacting my maturity. The imagery of Ms. Lena Horne‘s performance singing “If You Believe” was a breathtaking moment as she entered the scene with an entourage of small, black babies, adorned in identical, purple outfits, complete with head coverings, as Ms. Horne captivated the screne and a stellar display of sparkling stars illuminated their background. At the close of her dialogue with Dorothy, the orchestral score initiated the transition and Ms. Horne delivered the soul stirring vocal captioned above.

How does this timeless portrayal of Glenda the good witch tie into this month’s theme – spiritual integrity? Here at ConquerorShots we maintain the definition of integrity as the quality or state of our spirit being complete or undivided. We stand on the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and rely on the finished work at Calvary to realize spiritual completeness. This is the foundation of our belief in the power of God, NOT THE “MAGIC” IN YOUR HEART, through the Holy Spirit working in and through us from day to day. The results of which are a cumulative source of power to spiritually conquer our biggest enemy – sin.

The lyrical content of “believe” in the song has a strong identification in one’s self. However, ConquerorShots maintains that “self” needs a Savior in order to be its best. The Word clearly defines the condition of our heart i.e. “self” as “deceitful and above all desperately wicked…..”So, today the lyrical content helps to apply the principle of spiritual integrity in a defining way where we can attain belief in “self.”

When you have “Blessed Assurance” in your heart – not in your mind – about the finished work at Calvary and how it serves your spiritual needs from day to day, you are NO LONGER left with the task of being the source of your own destiny. God has provided all of the Mastery of ordering your steps before you lived your first day. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, unto good works, which God has prepared in advance that we should walk in them.”

The spiritual principles of Honesty, Hope, Faith and Courage, all stemming from a healthy spiritual appetite for the Word of God and prayer, serve our daily belief system in “The Christ in us”. If you believe in yourself from this prospective, as God believes in you because He CREATED you, you have a ROCK SOLID foundation in spiritual integrity that can NOT be shaken from day to day.

Experience the blessing of SECURITY in CHRIST which yields FREEDOM to be who GOD created you to be IF YOU BELIEVE.



	

Have You Heard………?


Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

In the Book of Joshua the 2nd chapter you can read about the story of Rahab.

Rahab and the Emissaries of Joshua
Rahab and the Emissaries of Joshua (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The mere mention of her name elicits the world of prostitution. Her Biblical story reveals that she was a ‘working girl’ who was willing to help 2 Israelite men who Joshua sent to spy on the land, including Jericho. The fact that she was willingly accommodating to these young, viral men could suggest the theory she was preying on their vulnerability giving rise to an opportunity for her to capitalize and get paid. The human mind will also fantasize about the origins of the spies ending up at a harlot’s house. In fantasy they may have deliberately ended up there to “blow off some steam.”

In the story’s enticing opening the reader will want to find out what happens. This is a great read in and of itself. However, the emphasis for this “shot” is on what Rahab heard and how she responded. As she takes the liberty to check on the spies she divulges her true nature. Here we see that the word was spreading about God‘s power being demonstrated through the chosen Israelites. The news worthiness of their trek through the Red Sea and the conquering of 2 kings was a source of awakening in the hearts of many. Rahab’s awakening is clearly stated in verse 11″When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath .”

Rahab heard what God had done and her heart awakened to TRUST IN GOD. The Israelite men were God’s men. She did not view them as objects for capital gain. Instead she was IN POSITION as a vessel for God to use as He deemed necessary. It is this design for FAITH THAT WE WILL NEED TO REALIZE IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN A CONQUEROR LIFESTYLE. We live life from day-to-day under the auspices of God’s Sovereignty. NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, HAPPENS BY SURPRISE IN THE CREATOR’S WORLD. Yet human beings are constantly attempting to act as “the controlling force” of their destiny. Psalms 24:1 says the Earth is the Lords and the FULLNESS thereof. If you are ever going to be of use to anyone it is because of God and God alone. God is ALWAYS UP TO SOMETHING GOOD BECAUSE GOOD IS ALL HE DOES.

You have to hear about God’s power; hear about God’s grace; hear about God’s love; hear about God’s faithfulness; hear about God’s Sovereignty. Have you heard that Jesus Christ SAVES to the UTMOST?

Hear how He provides, protects and preserves His people. Hear how He can DO ANYTHING BUT FAIL. You can hear it from Genesis to Revelations as you read about the Mighty God we serve. All the while your heart will awaken to a continuous cultivation of FAITH in all that you hear about Him. As this faith matures, a newness in the way you think and respond to ANY life situation erupts. You will say things that you thought you would never say, do things you thought you would never do and life will take on new meaning. This and more is likely when you HEAR of his goodness, strength and power and discover He is always available for you. Faith comes by what you heard and what you hear from the Word of God.

A Taste


A Taste

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