The Dangers of Spiritual Darkness

So if there were no light at your office, dorm, school, home, the world, and anywhere else you can imagine there being no light, you would not be able to see.  Many things that are dangerous could happen if everything were dark.  

We could bump into each other; cars could crash into each other; no one would have any direction about where they are going; there actually would be no need to go anywhere because everything would be dark and we would not be able to see; the death rate would drastically increase because even if we attempted to live in this world without light our risks for trying foods we cannot see and drink liquids we cannot see could possibly kill us.  Imagine learning about someone dying from drinking bleach, liquid soap, or a full bottle of Golden Grain alcohol because they could not see the packaging label.  

Darkness is dangerous.  

Light is an aid and an assistance to living.  It would take me years to tell you the advantages to having light, but we all know that people still die with light; but there would be far more fatalities if there were no light.  

Natural darkness is dangerous, but now imagine spiritual darkness.  

Spiritual darkness is a condition and to live in spiritual darkness is far worse because the breath of God is the substance that gave us life and there is no darkness in God.  He is the Light of the World and the He is the light that shines brightly in us.  When God gave us life, He did not breathe a dark substance in us, but He breathed life and in the life HE gave us there is light!  

There are a few ideas about spiritual darkness I want to share with you and feel free to think of more ideas about spiritual darkness.  First remember that darkness leads to death and light is an aid to improve life.  

Spiritual darkness is a condition of a person that disables them from choosing right from wrong and godly from ungodly.  Without going into too much detail about the "spirit man" and/or "inner man" our spirit has an anatomy.  Yes, our spirit has a body just as anything else that has life.  Plants have life therefore they have an anatomy.  Frogs have life and they have an anatomy.  I cannot at this moment, think of anything that has life that does not have an anatomy.  (If you think of something, please let me know in the comments)  If our spirit has an anatomy then our spirit has eyes and ears. Darkness is more associated with sight than deafness.  Therefore, when a person is experiencing a condition of spiritual darkness, they are unable to see the true essence of anything.  Meaning, they see things from a natural perspective than God's perspective.  God is spirit so we are actually supposed to view and approach our lives and other's lives from a spiritual perspective.    

We are spirit just as God is spirit.  God said, "Let Us make man in Our image."  God is spirit so God made us in His spiritual image bearing the glory and light of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Since God created us in His image, His intent was that whoever would look at us, they would recognize God in us. (Mendez-Ferrell, "The Spirit of Man")  Hebrews 12.9 says,"Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect.  Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?"  He is our Father and we are "sons of God." 

The overall issue is that to be spiritually blind means we cannot discern our spiritual condition and leaving our spiritual condition totally up to God was not the reason why He gave the gift of discerning spirits.  Therefore, we should not have an Eli attitude-which at best was a lazy attitude- that exudes this callously lazy yet whimsical behavior communicating that "I will leave my spiritual condition totally up to God because I have no power to do anything about it."  

There is something we can do and we have been given gifts to partner with God; to perform the works of the Spirit of the Living God!

Now in Jonah 4, God's sorrow with the people of Nineveh was that, even after they repented and turned from their ways, there were still more than 120,000 people in Nineveh who were living in spiritual darkness.  God's sadness and even frustration with their condition was warranted because He did not create them to live in spiritual darkness that lead to spiritual blindness.  The cure for spiritual darkness is salvation, and the cure to spiritual blindness is sanctification, a spiritual cleansing/conversion, as a result of being baptized with the Holy Spirit.

DISCLAIMER:  GOD DID NOT CREATE YOU TO LIVE IN SPIRITUAL DARKNESS TO BE SPIRITUALLY BLIND!

This article, in no way, shape, or form, was not written to ridicule anyone for being spiritually blind.  This article is to point out the dangers of being spiritually blind and to let you know that the Holy Spirit is the Helper that will cause you to see!  

The Holy Spirit will restore your eyesight, but you have to let Him direct your paths.  Stevie Wonder is blind and he needs help with getting around.  He realizes He needs help and that is why I believe Stevie Wonder is to be healthily blind.   

The Holy Spirit is your aid to get around, walk in the right direction, see what is in front, behind, around, and way ahead of you.  To rely on the Holy Spirit is to free yourself from the assistance of things that will not cause you to go in the right direction.  

If you want to see things that are coming, that are near, but that are far off from your viewpoint, ask the Holy Spirit to show the things that are coming.  In fact, you really do not need to ask the Holy Spirit to do something that He has been sent to do.  Its like, you do not have to ask, beg, and plead with a mop to mop the floor!  All you do is get the mop, and by faith, use the mop, and partner with the mop to clean the floor.  This is the same with the Holy Spirit; partner with Him.

Join in on the work of the Holy Spirit!  He will guide you into all truth and show you things to come; things you have not fathomed, thought about, saw coming, and even heard of.  The Spirit of God will show you things eyes have not yet seen, and tell you things ears have not yet heard, and give you intimate details about things that have not entered into the heart of man.  

When you go to God and say, I am available to receive, discern, know, understand, and utilize what you want me to know, who you want me to be, and what I must do, then you will no longer be spiritually blind maneuvering in the dark places in the spirit and in the natural.  

Your spirit married to the Spirit of God is a miracle waiting to take place; Your spirit married to the Spirit of God will find you healed;  Your spirit married to the Spirit of God is a breakthrough waiting to happen; Your spirit married to the Spirit of God is a changed life forever more.  

Don't you want to experience and do something new?  Don't you want to experience the adventures God wants you to experience in order to know Him on a deeper level?

Partner with the Holy Spirit in your inner man and as every body does, it will take on form, shape, and growth.  

Come out of spiritual darkness and live in the Light of Jesus Christ!

Escape to a Place to Hear God's Voice

When I first started blogging in 2009, I was led by the Spirit of the Living God to name this blog The Spirit Says.  

I read in the the Holy Scriptures that we should be led by the Spirit of God and not by our bodies/flesh.  When I read these words, I immediately believed that if I was led by the Spirit of God in my ways that I would prosper.  Therefore, I was led to call this blog The Spirit Says because everything I put out there would mostly be impressed upon me by the Holy Spirit.  

I try, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to behave and conduct myself under the influence of the Holy Spirit.  I look forward to be judged by Christ Jesus to be told if I did a good job or not by living a life that is influenced by the Spirit of God.  

Aside from how I live and behave, The Spirit Says, is a blog for me to share with you about what the Holy Spirit has impressed upon me to share. 

Today, I want to tell you that the Lord wants to bring you to a place of peace.  He wants to remove confusion and uncertainty from your life and bring clarity to what you are going to face.  

The photo below is a labyrinth that is located at my former place of employment.  I took this photo in the spring with my Canon 80d using a 70-200mm lens.  I edited the photo myself to bring out the greens a little more.  The reason why I actually photographed this place is because it became a place of answered prayer for me.  Sometimes, I would pray and other times I would sit silently hearing what the Spirit of God would say to me.  I would hear the birds chirping, see the squirrels running around the bushes, and often hear the buzz of a fly or two.  Overall, I would lie on my back and look up to heaven and just stare off into the realm of the spirit.  The Spirit of God would show me things to come, give me peace about a situation that troubled me, and provide clarity about things I did not understand.  

 

What was most powerful about this place was that I could enjoy this Prayer Garden without any interruptions.  More significantly, I could hear the Holy Spirit speak to me without any interruptions.

I must share with you that:  

God wants to bring you to a place where it will be just you and Him.  He wants to bring you to a place where you will, without a doubt, hear Him say He loves you.  He wants to bring you to a place where you will acknowledge His mercy that sets you free from things that eat away at your soul.  He wants to bring you to a place where He lays out His plan for your life.  He wants to bring you to a place where He can share things with you that were once mysterious.  He wants to pour out wisdom, knowledge, and understanding upon you. 

Get to a place where you will not be interrupted.  A place where you will not be distracted.  Perhaps a spiritual place of peace and joy that can only be birthed within you by the Holy Spirit instead of a show, food, person, and/or activity.  

Find a place to hear the voice of the Lord because your life depends on it. 

Your Life Depends On You Clearly Hearing His Voice! 

Self-Examination: Partnering with the Work of the Holy Spirit

2 Corinthians 13.5 admonishes us to,"examine ourselves as to whether we are in the faith.  Test yourselves.  Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?-unless indeed you are disqualified."

There are some goals that you want to accomplish during your lifetime, and I am sure there are some places you want to explore in your lifetime as well.  You have dreams, desires, visions, ambitions, and goals that you are presently putting into motion.

If you want to be honest with yourself, your intentions are to live a comfortable lifestyle and you desire to want for nothing.

Some individuals who are reading this want to have a life of luxury and some do not want to live a life of luxury.  Some just want to make a great impact in society.

The aspirations that are listed above cannot be judged by anyone except for by the Word of God.  In other words, I do not think someone is greedy just because they own a jet, live in a mansion, and drive a Mercedes.  I also do not think someone is lazy if they do not have a lifestyle that is luxurious.

When Jesus said,"What will it profit someone to gain the world than to lose their soul", I think Jesus was saying that it is more important to be spiritually healthy, mentally, and emotionally stable than to accomplish riches and fame.

Society, as a whole, is enamored with fame, prestige, achievement, popularity, and influence, but I've noticed when reflecting on the internal issues that torment people's private and personal lives, there seems to be a festering away from discussing these issues.

Just because your Facebook status raises awareness about depression, domestic abuse, and suicide does not fully eliminate inner struggles.

Disclaimer:  I believe that Jesus fully heals and delivers, and in John Eckhardt's book entitled, Deliverance and Spiritual Warfare Manual, John Eckhardt says,"Deliverance is more progressive than instantaneous."

My point is-Jesus can heal whatever internal struggle you battle.  And just because you call on the name of the Lord Jesus to set you free and ask Jesus to "take it away" a few times does not mean that God has not heard you.  It also does not mean your internal struggle is too powerful for God to destroy.

I believe some issues go away instantly and some are destroyed progressively.  Do you realize how many years the Philistines were a thorn in the flesh for the Israelites?  It took Israel a long time for Israel to finally defeat the Philistines and eventually they were no longer a problem for the Israelites.  Do not grow impatient and resentful with God because a prayer has not manifested instantly.

As you identify what your issues are that constantly attack you and you battle against, you must first be willing to co-labor with the Holy Spirit with defeating these demons.  Another reality you must face is that these issues are demons assigned to you by satan.

"Accepting the reality", as I mentioned in the paragraph above, is the process of what I meant in the title, partnering with the work of the Holy Spirit.  If you believe you have the Holy Spirit and you believe the Holy Spirit lives in you, then the Holy Spirit cleansed you through the baptism you once experienced.

Depression is a demon that can be defeated.  Anger is a demon that can be defeated.  Over-eating is a demon that can be defeated.  Perversion is a demon that can be defeated.  Rejection is a demon that can be destroyed.  Addiction is a demon that can be destroyed.  Failure is a demon that can be defeated.  Self-rejection is a demon that can be defeated.  Past is a demon that can be defeated.

Breakthrough is what happens when God comes in as a result of submitting and partnering with God to attack the enemy's plans, attacks, and strategies that come against you.

Please be aware: the demons that are assigned to you have been strategically sent to you and strategically attacks you at different highs and lows of your life.  El Shaddai is the God the Almighty, and He is the God of Breakthrough!  May the God of Breakthrough burst through and destroy your enemies, issues, torment, struggles, and problems in the name of Jesus!

I have battled in many of these areas myself and found myself victorious.  I am an overcomer by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of the testimony of Jesus Christ.

EVERYBODY HAS A BATTLE!  NO ONE IS EXEMPT!

So what good is it for me to gain the pleasures of the world while my soul, my emotions, my mental vitality is unhealthy?  What good is it for my soul to be sick, starving, and suffering when I possess material possessions?

Jesus will save your soul from sickness, impurity, and torment.  One cannot fully enjoy the byproducts of success while being spiritually tormented.  In the end, what good are those pleasures if they cannot be engaged, interacted with, and overall, enjoyed?

The reality is this:  God intended for us to enjoy the pleasures that are eternal as we live in harmony with His presence that lives in us.  "God will show you the path of life. In His presence there is fullness of joy and in His right hand are eternal pleasures." (Psalms 16.11)

I humbly suggest that there is a more aggressive hunger for defeating inner struggles than the aggressive hunger for material and worldly success.

The Biggest Hindrance to Experiencing, Demonstrating, and Receiving Miracles

It seems like the the hope of many have declined.  Not only does it seem as if people are hopeless, but  the behaviors and language of many believers in Christ Jesus indicates and communicates low ambition.  

I remember getting dressed on a Sunday morning to head over to the worship center, and I heard Holy Spirit say to me audibly,"My son's and daughter's ambition for Me has declined!"  So as I honed in on what Holy Spirit said, I pressed in more to hear specifically what He wanted me to do about what He said.  Holy Spirit said,"Tell My people that their ambition must increase and when they seek Me, come with an expectation that something life-changing and miraculous is going to happen."  

I did as God said and at first I did not notice any outward change of mind.  So as I sought God more, He told me that, "My people think they have to do something in order to receive a miracle."  I responded to God by telling Him that I thought I did have to take some action on my own in order to receive a miracle.  

The Lord immediately showed me in His Word in the book of Galatians 3.5 (NLT) where the apostle Paul exclaims,

                                  "I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among 

                                   because you obey the law?  Of course not!  It is because you believe the 

                                   message you heard about Christ."

So the biggest hindrance to experiencing, demonstrating, and receiving miracles is disbelief.  

Disbelief causes:

low ambition                       failing to dream and envision         unnecessary disappointment

laziness                               little faith                                         wasted time

a lack of productivity         no prayer life

quitting                               settling

a lack of consistency

lack of planning which means you are actually planning to fail without knowing you are planning to fail

I write this blog to tell you that just because whatever you are hoping for does not happen now, today, within the hour, in two days, a week, or months from now:  DO NOT STOP BELIEVING!

Re-Align Your Life with God's Kairos Appointed Time

Tishri 1^st and 2^nd, 5777 is the Jewish New Year known as Rosh haShana which is the Divinely Ordained holy day established by God.  This date translates on the Gregorian Calender (i.e. Western culture calendar), into October 3^rd & 4^th 2016 which-for some-just may be an ordinary day, but a huge day for God’s Chosen Jewish nation whom He has not rejected (Romans 11.1).  Gentile Christians who desire to honor God’s calendar above the Gregorian scheduled calendar will observe this day as God’s New Year as opposed to the secular New Year of January 1^st.  In other words, January 1^st will not mean anything remotely sacred to God as Rosh haShana.

      

     Chronos and Kairos time are Greek words that are used in the N.T. for time and they have different interpretations and understandings.  Chronos time has everything to do with the chronology of days, seasons, and years that were first established on the fourth day of creation (Gen. 1.14-19).  Kairos time correlates with God-Ordained times throughout history, right time, and appointed season/time.  When John the Baptist preached, he saw Jesus and John exclaimed, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1.15).  John knew that when he saw Jesus, prophetic history was being fulfilled; therefore identifying God sending His Son at a Divinely Appointed time (kairos). 

Satan knows his time of deception and wrath is short (Rev.12.12), and Satan’s demons know as well.  When the demon-possessed men that lived in the cemetery of Gergesenes saw Jesus, they cried out to Jesus saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God?  Have you come here to torment us before the time?” (Matt.8.29)  Even the demons knew that their time possessing these men had been brought to a halt when Jesus stepped foot onto the Gergesenes region. 

During a time when Jesus was teaching, Jesus’ rebuked the multitudes that gathered around Him because they could discern and predict the weather based on the appearances of the sky and earth, but they lacked such a connection with God that they could not “discern the time.” (Luke 12.58) 

During this time in the span of history, God desires a nation of believers in Christ that understand where we are in God’s kairos time that can declare what His bride should be doing during this chronos time.  We must spend our days (chronos) in God’s (kairos) perpetuated time.  In other words, believers in Christ should know we are the bride of Christ who is preparing for the glorious feast with the Bridegroom; and there are specific concerns that Christ has that we should be our concern as well.

        As the body of Christ experiences these evil and ungodly days, a question God’s holy prophets should be challenging the body with is: “What is the bride doing?”  What does Christ Jesus teach His followers to do in the last days that we are experiencing?  Jesus gives two points of direction: “watch and pray!”  (Luke 21.36)  Jesus desires that we be alert, sober-minded so that we will have self-control, and to be prayerful.  Jesus taught us that no one knows the day and the hour when He is returning for the bride, but only the Father knows.  Jesus says,

                “But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the

                 thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be

                 broken into.  Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming

                 at an hour you do not expect” (Matthew 25.43,44)

It will be during God’s appointed time that He releases Messiah to return for His bride, and we do not know the day or the hour of Messiah’s return.  On October 3^rd, 2016, i.e. 1 Tishri 5777, a greater spiritual shift about running after God will become more eminent in the hearts of God’s people that are in tune with what God is doing in the heavens and on earth.  This spiritual shift -for some- has already happened weeks and months past. 

            

           You do not have to wait to change your behavior, daily activities, and habits; you can start now.  Today is a Divine Day!  Today is the Day of the Lord!  For God says, ”At just the right time, I heard you.  On the day of salvation, I helped you.  Indeed, the “right time” is now.  Today is the day of salvation.”  This is the day that the Lord has made!  If you are alert, sober-minded, and watchful, you will see God moving in the earth within the next few minutes and even hours.  You will experience God moving in the earth tomorrow.  You will experience favor that can only come from the Most High God, Jesus Christ!  Dreams and visions will capture your heart and you will realize that God is speaking to you through these dreams and visions. 

     

          “Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness,” but partner and co-labor with God be delivered from the old mindset.  Get into the new flow of God’s appointed time. His expectancy for us is great!  Get into the flow of the Spirit of the Living God and experience what God has ordained for you in during these kairos moments that are awaiting you. 

          

             I pray that you will be filled with the knowledge of His will for this season and I pray that you will tap into the power of the Holy Spirit to wreak havoc against the enemy’s camp for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.  I pray you grow in greater knowledge of the width, depth, height, and length of Christ’s immeasurable love.  May God be with you!

Habits

I am reading a book, that is new to me, entitled, “the Power of Habit,” by Charles Duhigg and I highly recommend you read this book.  Without going into great detail about the book, the first chapter discusses the longevity a person whom has experienced severe brain damage and suffers to memory loss can, in many ways, enjoy life and be conscious of this enjoyment by creating intentional habits.  Charles Duhigg also suggests that “cues and rewards” trigger habits which can be a good or bad thing depending on what results those habits breed due to “cues and rewards.” 

The title of the book caught my attention because I know that every “great person” or individuals who are influential are influential because of their daily habits.  So I immediately thought about Jesus Christ when I saw the title “the Power of Habit” because Jesus had habits that shaped, defined, and affirmed His mission and character.  Not only did Jesus’ habits affirm His mission and character, but His habits affirmed His identity.  I also thought about an article I read about Mark Parker, the CEO & President of Nike.  Mark Parker meditates and exercises early every morning before making Nike greater and greater every day.

You may have once heard the saying, “we are what we think” and I believe that brain power can manipulate this dynamic.  Our brains are so powerful and so sharp that if we envision what we want to be, I believe we can ultimately become “that person.”  Although I believe this, I do not subscribe to this because as a follower of Jesus Christ, I was created and I am to live in the image, the manner, and ways of Jesus Christ.  So we do not project what we want to be, Christ has already created us to “be” what He has called us to “be.”  Now you must discover/rediscover and connect with who/what God has ordained you to be; and it will save you a lot of “projection work.” 

But on a serious note, your habits will shape who you are becoming in Christ Jesus.  What are the first 3 things you do when you wake up from the night’s rest? 

Jesus prayed every morning and randomly ditched His followers and disciples to pray.  Prayer was Jesus’ habit. In Acts 17.2, the Bible says that the apostle Paul, “as was his custom” went to the synagogue to discuss the Scriptures.  Everyone in Thessalonica who knew the apostle Paul were confident where to find the apostle Paul on the Sabbath.  The Apostle Paul frequented the synagogue.  Teaching in the synagogue was Paul’s habit.

I am writing this blog as a Christian Life Coach to let you know that your daily habits can make or break your success.  It can open or close doors of opportunity for you.  I believe the reason why Peter understood the revelation of Jesus Christ earlier and more confidently than others was because he knew God the Father and connected the nature and character of God with Jesus Christ.  Peter knew Jesus was God because of Jesus’ reliance on His Father.  When Jesus asked the disciples, “who do people say I am” one of the reasons Peter knew who Jesus was is because Jesus’ habits.  Jesus forgave, healed, loved, and had power and authority over everything on earth and no other man on earth and/or demon in hell ruled with that level of power.  Peter knew Jesus was the Savior of the world because Jesus’ habits. 

The reason why Jesus was able to give salvation is because of Jesus’ habit to be obedient and Jesus’ habit to suffer.  What made Jesus great was that He did not allow Satan to confiscate His identity when He was fasting and praying in the wilderness. 

What are your habits?  Are they habits that will catapult you into doing great things for the world, your family, your job, and/or your personal life? 

Re-establish your daily life with habits that will catapult you into greatness.  During my habitual lifestyle of prayer, the Holy Spirit shared this statement with me and I end this blog with this statement:  “Jesus did something great, and He called us to doing even greater things because He would go on to be with the Greatest!”  Start your day with the Greatest!

Invest in yourself and get a Life Coach and view www.themiraclecenterintl.com for Life Coach inquiries. 

PRAY! PRAY! PRAY!

"There needs to be more action......We just can't spend all of our time praying.....We have to get up and do something......Hannah rose......She prayed, but she got up because she had to do something......There has to be more to it than just prayer.....We always just say pray for him/her...as if something is going to change or happen...."

The statements above are some statements I've heard over the years about prayer.  These statements is comprised of an illustration of people's perspective and thoughts toward prayer.  Ultimately, these are thoughts about our Savior Jesus Christ.

During my last year in seminary, in 2010, I was privy to travel to Nigeria and we were stationed in Jos.  While we were there, Christian churches were bombed and Christians were killed by extremist Muslim groups.  The entire Plateau State of Jos was spent in an uproar with Christian youth bombarding the streets to guard their parent's shops in the market place from other attacks.  The Christian elders were disappointed with the Christian youths because they believed it was a time to stand committed to Christ during the face of persecution instead of fight with weapons.

Fortunately, my group was taken to Miango as refugees for safety.  At the time, I did not know what it was like to be a refugee, but the people of Miango welcomed us by feeding us, housing us, and sharing stories with us.  I never experienced such an immediate love from a stranger before because I was treated as if I was these strangers' children.  My heart and prayers, to this day, remain with the loving people of Miango.

Some time later we had a group discussion about what we would do as church leaders if our city, town, village, and state experienced this violent upheaval.  Many had their beliefs, but my belief was extremely awkward and misunderstood.  My suggestion was to bring God's people to prayer at my church.

In this blog, I do not want to spend much time explaining my reasons for suggesting I would call for prayer for the state, but in this blog I want to tell you that during tragic times we must pray!  Not only during tragedy, but even when times are peaceful we must pray because the devil is lurking and walking around seeking whom he may devour and prayer prepares us to overcome the attack of the enemy.  Prayer gives us the solution and when we receive the solution, we fight as we pray.

We do not grab guns, swords, bombs, machetes, and the other weapons, but the weapons of our warfare is the weapon of God's Word which is the sword of the Spirit!  When we pray God's Word, we win!  But when we rely on our intelligence, man-made resources, humanistic abilities to fight, we lose this battle we are fighting.

What America is experiencing is a spiritual battle.....it is not a battle against a group.  We must pray/fight against divorce, the collapse of families, abandonment of babies born and unborn, perversity, seduction, racism, capitalism, consumerism, sexism, and the other major strongholds brought about by the enemy planting hatred in the hearts and minds of humanity.

We must protest through prayer, not through arguing, debating, hating, and seeking revenge.  Vengeance is Mine, says the Lord!  He will vindicate on our behalf!

We must have faith!  I do not care what sect, branch, and form of Christianity you practice, Jesus taught us, even on the cross, to pray to the Father!  Even as he was dying, Jesus was in direct communication with the Father through prayer.

We must pray and not faint!  We must pray and not give in!  We must pray and not seek our way of resolving problems!  We must pray!  Because prayer causes miracles to happen!

PRAY!  PRAY! PRAY!