KEY SCRIPTURE: John 5:20 KJV “For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.”

Our key scripture is speaking about the favour of God. The father favours (love’s) the Son, and shows Him everything he does. The word favour is not a term that happens to people by chance, no! There are always definite steps or actions that one has to take that attracts God’s favour. Just consider the following statement about the Lord Jesus. John 8:29 KJV “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.” The scripture says, the Lord Jesus always does that which pleases the father. This is what makes the father to be with Him always. Favour is all about the Father being with you to face all life issues. Gen 39:2 KJV “And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.”

Joseph a slave boy, foreigner, prospered in the period of his servitude because God was with him. God helped him all through. He caused men to honour him, and therefore he excelled. Many admire the effects and results of a favoured life, yet are not ready to meet the terms for favour. The Lord said the following to Priest Eli, in 1 Samuel 2:30b as follows:”….. for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” This verse says it all. Those who honour the Lord by fearing His word and staying away from evil, will definitely attract the presence of God to go through various life situations with them. The Lord said, my father is ALWAYS with me because, I do that which pleases Him. What is the one main thing that pleases the Father? It is to win souls.

Winning souls into the kingdom of God is one of the major acts that really pleases the father.

In Luke 2:49 the Lord calls it the father’s business.

In John 4:34, He calls it my meat or food.

In Matthew 28:19 He calls it discipling the world.

In John 9:4 He says it is my assignment.

In John 15:8 He calls it the Father’s glory

In John 15:16 He says it is means for answered prayers.

Dear child of God, the call to win souls is the father’s heart desire or his heart beat. Anyone who engages in it would definitely attract the father’s presence to favourably relate with him. Remember that in our passage of discussion, the Lord had been involved in the work of winning the lost, that made the Father to reveal all things to Him.

THOUGHT: IT IS THE FATHER’S DELIGHT TO FAVOUR THE SOUL WINNER

FURTHER STUDIES

John 15:8 KJV” Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”

John 15:16 KJV “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 5:19 KJV”: Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.:”

The Lord says in the above verse that, He does nothing out of His own volition. He does it by the power of God, His father, and does what He sees the father do. What does this statement mean? This point is made clearer by the following statement, the Lord made. John 14:10 BBE ” Have you not faith that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words which I say to you, I say not from myself: but the Father who is in me all the time does his works.” Who is the Father in Him.? This is the Holy Spirit. The Lord is revealing a very great truth about what brings Him, so much success in His ministry. His absolute dependence on the Holy Spirit.

How does the Lord get to know and receive from the Holy Spirit what He wants from Him. This was seen in His consistent prayer life? Luke 6:12 BBE “And it came about in those days that he went out to the mountain for prayer; and he was all night in prayer to God. “The night of the Jews in bible days was from six pm to the next morning six am (6pm to 6am) This was a twelve-hour time. He might not have prayed throughout all the twelve-hour period, but a great part of the night. Prayer increases sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. Prayer also raises one’s confidence in God, that is, it strengthens faith in God. The Lord’s times of prayer was not only about request for various needs, but to enquire about what he had to do.

 Every child of God must also be involved in asking the Lord for definite directions about every important step in life.

Remember the Lord said, ” seek and you shall find.” I believe the many mistakes in ministry, business, marriage and other areas of life would have been avoided if the children of God would have developed their prayer life, such that, they could easily know what God wants them to do in various instances of life. Individual success and a corresponding fulfillment in life, would have been the experience of many. All we need to do, is to   always seek for the counsel of the Spirit. Dear child of God, we are in partnership with the Holy Spirit, and must never act without Him. He is our Counsellor, and guide in life.

THOUGHT:  GIVE TIME TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND INCREASE YOUR SUCCESSES IN LIFE

FURTHER STUDIES

John 14:26 KJV” But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

John 16:13 KJV “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come”.

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 5:18 KJV “Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.”

These Jews were very furious with Jesus because, they said, he had broken the sabbath and even wanted to kill him because he called God his Father. This meant he was equal with God. As discussed in our earlier studies religion does not build any relationship with God.

Religion creates followers of God, who misunderstand very basic operations of God, because they do not have any relationship with Him.

The sabbath is to liberate man from the stresses of life. It is not to suppress a man from expressing joy and fulfillment. The Lord asked the man to carry his mat not as a load or burden, but an expression of victory over the disease which has tormented him for thirty-eight years. These religious individuals had a big problem with that.

The Holy Spirit speaking through apostle Paul, said the following in Philippians 3:2 that “Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of concision.

Why does the Holy Spirit refer to these religious individuals as dogs? Their lack of understanding makes them attack those who live in the truth. These people wanted to kill Jesus because He said God was His Father. Everyone who is born again is a son of God. God is our Father. This is by grace. We stand in a far superior level than ordinary mortals. We are partakers of the divine nature.

Religion is about what one does to be acceptable before God.

Religious people are conscious of what their efforts have brought them, and so they do not understand what grace makes those who believe.

The Christian does not become anything by effort. He has become a participator of all that God is because he believed in what the Lord said He has done for him.

We are not anything by ourselves, rather our sufficiency is of God, for He has made us able ministers or servants of His, according to 2nd Corinthians 3:5 & 6. We are one with Christ 1st Corinthians 6:17 We are even superior to all devils Luke 10:19. There is a surpassing great power at work in us which is according to the power God He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from death. Eph 1;19,20. All these and many more is what we are, not by any effort that we made. It is all by grace through faith. Many Christians are living defeated lives because they are religious, counting on what their efforts could bring to them. They do not understand the scriptures. According to , Heb 11:3, we  understand by faith. Religious ones will not believe. They want to earn everything. They are so much engulfed in their self-effort that, they cannot appreciate and understand the truth.

WHAT IS THE ACID TEST THAT ONE IS RELIGIOUS?

SUCH A PERSON ALMOST ALWAYS HAS A PROBLEM WITH ANOTHER, OR HE HAS AN OFFENCE AGAINST ANOTHER

Anybody could be a religious person, a pastor, an elder, a deacon or church member. Religious people would miss heaven because they have no relationship with Jesus. Repent today and surrender to Him.

THOUGHT: LIVE BY GRACE AND ENJOY DIVINE PLACINGS.

FURTHER STUDIES

2nd Corinthians 3:5 KJV” Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;”

Colossians 3:12 KJV “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;”

KEY SCRIPTURE; John 5:15 KJV “The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.”

After the first (the impotent man who laid by the poolside for thirty-eight years) encounter with the master, that resulted in his healing, he was met by the Jewish religious leaders, who enquired about why he was carrying his mat on the sabbath day. He told them, the man who healed me asked me to carry it. After some time, he met the Lord Jesus in the synagogue who instructed him, not to go and live in sin any longer. It was here, that he knew that the Lord Jesus, was the one who healed him. When he met the Jewish leaders again, he now told them it was Jesus who asked him to carry his mat. The Jewish religious leaders, as a result of this decided to persecute Jesus, and even wanted to kill him.

When the Lord knew it, he never got mad with the formally impotent man. He rather addressed the Pharisees this way, my father is working and so I also work. This man’s statement to the Jewish leaders, actually called for the fury of these religious leaders. The Lord was not in any way moved by the supposed mistake of the man. Why was he not offended about the action of this man? I believe he did not just consider the outcome of the man’s action, but realised that, he acted out of a very sincere mind, not knowing that these Jewish religious leaders would act that way. He (the Lord) also acknowledged that the real evil doers were the religious leaders.

Many people get very offended with certain individuals because the outcome of their actions was very severe or may be injurious. Please, do not use an outcome of one’s actions to judge him. Consider dispassionately the merits and the demerits of the people involved, as well as their actions or inactions to know why one did what he did. The Lord carried the issue from the human plane to His relationship with His father. We as children of God should not allow our actions to be a response to what men may be doing or saying. His statement meant, I am not going to stop what my father has asked me to do, He is working, and has given me an assignment to do, and so I am going on with it.

There are some choristers who stop singing because certain people started commenting negatively about them. Who called you? Who are you singing for? Some even stop going to church because a job given to them was given to another person. Stop reacting to the actions and inactions of people. Settle it once and for all that it is God who saved you, and called you, and so you must be ultimately accountable to him.

THOUGHT: YOU ARE WISE IF YOU MAINTAIN YOUR RESPONSE TO GOD’S INSTRUCTIONS, BUT A FOOL IF YOU DERAIL TO REACT TO WHAT SATAN IS SAYING OR DOING THROUGH MEN

FURTHER STUDIES

John 5:17 KJV “But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.”

John 9:4 KJV” I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 5:14 KJV “Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.”

The Lord asked the man, healed of paralysis not to go and sin any longer. How can one stay and not be sinning? Please note; any instruction from the master has a divine enabling ability within that word. It is up to you to decide to accept God’s instruction and then you will see yourself acting in line. When Jesus asked the man to take his mat and go, he did not question, he acted on the word. If he says sin no more, act on that word too.

Is it possible to live above sin? The scripture reveals that sin shall not have the dominion over you. Romans 6:14. Sin in any man has two sources. These are the flesh and demonic sources. The main area to control the flesh, is to feed the mind with the truth, that is, certain verses of Scripture that shows our victory over sin. Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against you Ps 119:11.

The following passages will help a lot in dealing with the power of sin over the child of God. These passages are Romans 6:1-23, Romans 7:1-25, Romans 8:1-39. If the cause of sin comes from demonic sources, then you may need the assistance of another individual who can counsel and pray with you. You can also pray and resist those evil influences and it will depart from you (James 4:7). Understand that actions do not start in the flesh, they begin in the mind. Feed your mind with the truth, and the truth will make you free. (John 8:32) As you work on yourself, beware of external influences. Check the influence of bad friends, wrong films on television or your mobile devices. Delete numbers of people who will cause your love for Christ to reduce.

Now you must understand that sins of the flesh also proceed from

the longings of the flesh (wrong appetite) as well as the fears of the flesh. It is the fears of the flesh that gives birth to pride, lies, and basically secret sins in the heart.

You need to understand your place in Jesus. You died with Him and resurrected with Him. It is Christ Who is alive in you. Galatians 2:20. You no longer live for yourself.

No longer any sense of self praise, self-worth or self-esteem. It is now Christ praise, Christ esteem and Christ worth.

Phil 1:20. You now live to magnify Jesus and not yourself. It is all about Jesus and nothing about self or you. If you would understand these things and commit yourself to live by them, sin would have no place in you.

(Pray these things into your life. Tell yourself, it is not about you, it is all about Jesus)

THOUGHT: VICTORY IN LIFE IS TO LIVE FOR CHRIST, AND NOT FOR SELF

FURTHER STUDIES

Phi 1:20,21 KJV” According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Rom 6:14 KJV “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 5:14 KJV” Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.”

Dear patrons be reminded that we are considering the topic a walk with Jesus through the gospels. The Lord met the impotent man, and admonishes him, as follows: you have been made whole, do not go and sin again lest a worse thing comes upon you. This underscores the point that sin gives access to all kinds of evil coming on men. Sin is the mother of evil. Sin is transgression of the law. 1 John 3:4. Sin is also submitting to satanic instructions that gives the devil, the right or access to control, afflict or even choose to live in you. God our father did not make a world, filled with pain, danger, and destruction.

Why is sin so devastating? Sin defiles the sinner and rebels against the very authority of God. This is why the scripture says when one confesses his sin, the Lord is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse him from all unrighteousness. The Lord cleanses the filth of sin and forgives the rebellion of sin. Rebellion challenges the very authority of God. It rises against the very throne of God and this is the severity of sin. It makes God come against you. If God be against you, who will set you free. Pro 14:34 KJV” Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” Sin is also the sting of death, meaning sin kills. 1Co 15:56 KJV “The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law”. Toying with any kind of sin, is like playing with a viper on your laps.

The Lord asked the man, not to go and sin again, lest a worse thing come upon him. What is the worst thing that may come upon him?

This worse thing could be a severe sickness. Could it be death. I think death happens to men. What can be a worse thing that may come upon him? Romans 8:13 KJV” For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. What kind of death is the scripture speaking of. This kind of death is spiritual death. It is being separated from the Spirit of God. This is a worse punishment to come to any man.

THOUGHT:  IT IS ALWAYS TERRIBLE TO LIVE IN SIN.

FURTHER STUDIES

Romans 6:16 KJV “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

Hebrews 3:13 KJV” But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 5:12 KJV “Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?”

In our previous study we looked at some of the contrasts between conventional religion and true Christianity. Religion is basically an expression of one’s efforts without any special reliance on the grace of God, to please God. Love for God and man is very much lacking in the heart of a religious person. He is very strict with observing the law, yet breaks the law at the blind side of all. In our key scripture these religious people were insisting on why the Lord will ask him to carry the mat on a sabbath day. They were not in any way concerned about who he was, or why he should be carrying his mat in the first place. Religion from our topic is a legalistic catastrophy. This man was carrying his mat because the Lord Jesus asked him to do so. How on earth could Jesus have gone wrong with the observation of the sabbath. He is the Lord of the sabbath, yet these legalistic zealots were questioning his wisdom in asking the impotent man to carry his mat.

Religious people are self-driven individuals, whiles true Christians are spirit driven. These religious ones attribute a lot of things to themselves. Religious people have difficulty in believing the miraculous. John 9:18 KJV” But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.” In this verse the Lord Jesus healed a blind man, but the religious Jews argued with him whether he had been healed. Another sign of a religious person is that they speak more of their denomination, than the larger body of Christ. They are denominationalists, rather than looking at the church as a bigger body of believers coming from so many denominations.

Any person who does not believe in Jesus as his Lord and Saviour, but believes in some deity is a religious person. Dear one I wish to humbly submit to you, that, you must bow to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 KJV” Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Jesus is the only Saviour. There are many who profess to be Christians, yet they see the above traits of a religious person in them. Dear one do not argue with the truth. Just humble yourself in your heart, and repent from the deception of the devil. Thank God for exposing the truth to you and surrender your life to Jesus

THOUGHT: RELIGIOUSITY IS THE GREATEST DECEPTION OF ALL TIME, BREAK AWAY FROM IT.

FURTHER STUDIES

Galatians 5:4 KJV “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.”

1Corinth 15:56 KJV “The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 5:10 KJV “The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed.”

Humans are so religious that, they would attack God’s interest, thinking they are doing a great service to Him. The apostle Paul put it this way; Romans 10:2 KJV “For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.” What kind of knowledge do they not have? They lack God’s terms and standards for righteousness? God’s kind of righteousness is faith that worketh by love. The impotent man was healed and carried his bed around. The Jewish religious leaders asked him. Today is the sabbath day and you must not carry your bed around. This man has suffered almost throughout his lifetime and should have been celebrated. They rather came accusing him of something that posed no disobedience to God in any way.

The foundation of religion is self-righteousness.

This brings a sharp difference between real Christianity and religion.

The foundation of Christianity is justification by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ Romans 5:1

It gives no man any grounds to boast.

In theology, that is the study of God, religion is defined as faith in a divine being, with its corresponding practices, rituals and laws. By this definition some may say Christianity is a religion, yet there is a sharp difference in the practice of conventional religion and Christianity. In conventional religion man strives to obey certain laws and also to observe rituals stipulated within that faith so that he would be accepted by God. In Christianity we count on, or believe in the finished work of our Lord Jesus to be justified. We trust in the Holy Spirit to express His life through us. The Holy Spirit in us makes us Holy and so we are called saints. (1 Peter 1:2 “We do not compare ourselves with anyone, neither do we judge or condemn anyone.”)

These Pharisee were religious zealots who would find faults with others and were very strict in upholding the laws, although they faulted in many aspects. John 8:9 KJV” And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.”

The religious people’s act of defending God’s law, even to the point of killing offenders, does not proceed from a love for God, but rather a justification of themselves and condemnation of the offender. Religious people have no true love.

Sadly, there are many ‘Christians’ who are very religious. Sadly, such people are not saved, if they fall within the explanation said about religious people. If you are in such a state just repent and surrender to Jesus, before it is too late.

THOUGHT: ANY TIME YOU SEE YOURSEĹF AS BETTER THAN OTHERS, THEN YOU, HAVE FORSAKEN THE GRACE OF GOD

FURTHER STUDIES

Luke 18:11 KJV” The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.”

John 8:3 KJV” And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 5:8 KJV “Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.”

The Lord Jesus after a short discourse with the impotent man asked him to rise up take up his bed and walk. The man instantly took his bed and walked away. This time when the Lord instructed him to rise, he did not consider how difficult it has been all these thirty-eight years. He just acted on the word and to his own amazement he rose up and walked away. The word of God has life giving power. Hebrews 4:12 reads “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. The old English word ‘quick’ also alive, meaning it can give life.

This word means the word has the ability to create or perform what it says. It does not matter how weak, how sinful or even how dead you may be. All you need is to believe and act on the word. If you are bound by a particular sin or weakness, do not wonder and ask how can this word change me. All you need to do is to know and believe that this word of God is extremely powerful and potent. Just accept the word and act on it. If it is about healing just do not wonder the degree of seriousness of the disease. Believe and act on the word.

About two weeks ago a member of our congregation came to me and said that he just received a call that the baby of a friend of his, has just developed complication from an inoculation given to the baby. This brother came to me with this case, because I had earlier given him a word of instruction to tell that particular sister not to inoculate that particular baby. I asked him did you tell her not to inoculate the baby? He said yes, and added he does not know why she disobeyed the instruction. He then left. After about an hour he received a call from the lady that the child had died. I was shocked, yet I asked the Lord can something be done about this case? The Lord said, yes something could be done. I went to this brother asked him to call the lady for me. When he gave me the phone she was crying and wailing. I asked her to stop crying and follow my instructions. I asked her to go for water, and as she responded she has gotten some, I prayed over the water and asked her to sprinkle the water over the lifeless baby. All this while she had taken the baby to the hospital and he was with the nurses. She went to the nurse took the baby from her and sprinkled the water on the baby. I say to God ‘s glory the baby instantly started breathing and then cried as well. She just acted on the word and the life in the word brought life to her dead baby.

THOUGHT: GID’S WORD IS FULL OF LIFE, JUST ACT ON IT.

FURTHER STUDIES

Joh 6:63 KJV” It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

2Tim 3:16 KJV “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

KEY SCRIPTURE: John 5:6 KJV “When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?”

The Lord asked the impotent man, will you want to be made whole? His answer was, I have no man……The bible said, the Lord knew that he had been in that condition for thirty-eight years. He knew the man wanted to be healed, yet He asked him will you want to be made whole? I believe the Lord wanted him to say, yes, I want to be made whole. Certain challenges become so used to the people such that they accept that this is impossible to go. They have a number of reasons why nothing could be done about it. Why did the Lord ask if he wants to be made whole, although He knew the man needed healing.? The man’s answer showed what was on his mind. His thinking was, why was I not getting well, but should have been,

 I want to be well. Many people complicate matters for themselves by focusing on the negative, rather than the positive side of life.

 Jesus is always touched with the feelings of our infirmities. Heb 4:15 KJV “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. “Every difficulty or pain the Christian goes through is felt by the Lord. He appeared to Apostle Paul and asked, why are you persecuting me? Acts 9:4. Why did he not attend to the man early enough? The man did not call on him, he did not know him, nor believe in Him. Although the Lord will know your condition, it is your faith that takes the solution or answer

 Many children of God, complain why is the Lord not answering me?

This is a very subtle error of most people. It is one thing for God to answer a request, and it is another thing for you to take the answer. As we have physical hands that possesses whatever is given to us,

 faith is the invisible hands that takes from God. Mat 11:12 KJV” And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” Dear brother, stop waiting for your answer and receive it because the Lord says He finished His works from the foundation of the world. Hebrews 4:3, 4. Faith knows it has received. It does not worry or ask why has the condition not changed? Faith thanks God and says, God has answered and I believe, and so I have my answer.

THOUGHT: GOD ALWAYS SIMPLIFIES MATTERS; IT IS MAN WHO COMPLICATES HIS   MATTERS

FURTHER STUDIES

Heb 4:3 KJV” For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.”

3 John 1:2 KJV” Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”