Ambidextrous Faith
by Jimmy Toney
2016 · The Pentecostals of Alexandria, Alexandria, LA
Kind: sermon
Scripture: Romans 8:28, Leviticus 14:16, Judges 16:29, Proverbs 3:16, Ezekiel 39:3, Matthew 6:3, Romans 10:17, Mark 6:5, Mark 9:23, Matthew 19:26, Luke 18:8, Job 23:9, Genesis 1:2, Exodus 17:12, 2 Corinthians 6:3-10, Genesis 48:13-19, Isaiah 60:18, Nehemiah 4:17, 1 Chronicles 12:2, Isaiah 54:1-3

Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/jimmy-toney--ambidextrous-faith
Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page.
Free to copy and share with attribution.

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if you don't mind grab your Bibles while you remain standing what an honor to be it because of the times I give honor to the mangans and the sharks the Williams's for this awesome invitation and give honor to our general superintendent and I appreciate his passion for church planting and I am thankful for the I think at the last count the 48 North American missionary couples that are registered to be at because of the times and we'll make no bones about it we need Church planters and I personally feel like that church planting is the Premier call of God I'll say it like this this won't fit everybody but why take somebody else's problems well you can go create your own and give honor to my wife that's here with me today my daughter that's not here and I do want to ask for forgiveness in advance but Lexington is supposed to get 14 inches of snow tomorrow and I don't want to spend the next two days in the Atlanta airport so we're going to sneak out tonight and head home so I hate that I won't be here tonight and but I haven't seen my daughter in a couple of weeks so I want to go home and spend a couple of days with her I appreciate my wife on behalf of brother Howell and global missions myself and the North American missions I want to thank you in advance today for helping us with a great world changing missions offering won't you turn to the Book of Romans chapter 8 verse 28. very familiar passage of scripture usually the most familiar passages are sometimes the hardest to apply this might be one of those Paul wrote to the Church of Roman he said we know we know that all things work together for good to them that love God to them who are the called according to his purpose you know when preachers want to sound smart they'll tell you they looked up something in the Greek or the Hebrew and after following Brother Osborne and brother Williams I need all the help I can get so I looked up the word all things and do you know what the word all means you looked it up oh you wanted to be smart too oh things all things work together for good to them who love the Lord and are called now I may not know a lot of things but I know I'm standing before a group of people that love the Lord and I know I'm standing before a group of people that are called so I know I'm standing before a group of people that all things are going to work out the way they're supposed to work out if you'll help me preach a little bit today would you shout a man God bless you may be seated Abraham looked at lot and said is not the whole land before thee if thou will take the left hand then I will go to the right or if thou depart to the right hand then I will go to the left the miracle of the Red Sea is recorded like this and the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left The Book of Leviticus declares the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand judges 16 and 29 says and Samson took hold of the two pillars the one with his right hand the other with his left the wise man said in Proverbs 3 16 the length of days is in her right hand

and in her left hand riches an honor the Lord spoke to the prophet Ezekiel and said I will Smite thy bow out of thy left hand and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand Jesus said in Matthew chapter 6. but when thou doest arms let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth and we remember the story of the two thieves in Matthew 27 two thieves crucified with him one on the right hand and another on the left so I hope you've picked up on the fact that the Bible has a lot to say about our right hand and our left hand and I know there are more scientific studies to prove what I'm about to attempt to prove and I'm sure that there are some genetics and hereditary reasons why we are the way we are and there's no telling how many millions of dollars have been spent and how many countless hours have been worked to try to prove how many people are right-handed versus how many people are left-handed but since I'm a church planter at heart and since we usually do things on a much smaller budget I'll just do it like this if you're right-handed would you please stand the ushers would help me get a count real quick you can be seated if you're left-handed would you please stand you may be seated see how easy that was researchers have spent millions of dollars to prove what we just proved because it's been proven that somewhere around 75 to 80 percent of all people are right-handed and about 20 to 25 percent are left-handed further research proves that few people are truly ambidextrous now that's the biggest word I know that I can also pronounce and I've been sitting on it for three months ready to use it ambidextrous is defined as using both hands with equal ease now if your ambidextrous would you please stand Robbie Mitchell is there anything you can't do my goodness there are some baseball players who can hit the ball just as effective left-handed as they can right-handed they become a little more effective because they are able to change depending on the circumstance I don't have a fancy sermon today but I do feel like I have a simple word from the Lord that will help us and encourage us and I want to preach for a few moments on this thought ambidextrous faith what in the world does our left hand and our right hand have to do with our faith I'm glad you asked we know according to scripture that real faith comes from God 's given every man The Measure of Faith if it does not originate from God then you cannot call it faith you can call it mind over matter you can call it a wish a dream or a desire but you cannot call it faith because Faith must originate from its source the Apostle Paul said in Romans chapter 10 Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God so in order for Faith to work correctly and to accomplish that which it is set forth to accomplish it must proceed from the very essence of God and every one of us in here knows when faith is absent from a church service you know when it's not there it's tough sledding it's hard preaching you'd rather have your mother-in-law move in with you

has anybody ever had to preach in a service where there was little or no faith but every one of us also knows when faith is present and accounted for in a church service I don't think I'll ever forget the service a few years ago that brother Massey preached that because of the times a few years ago it was evident when faith became mixed with the word it was almost tangible that night I was so charged and fired up standing right there I could have ran through a wall or I could have hit somebody I was fired up you see when Faith shows up in a service it doesn't matter who is singing it doesn't matter who is preaching it doesn't matter if it's because of the times or if it's a storefront when the light switch of faith is turned on anything is possible for anybody and I feel like God wants to turn that light switch on in this place today somebody's going to tap into some Supernatural faith and when you do God's gonna show up and your prayers are going to be answered your dreams are going to be renewed your marriage is going to be put back together and Revival is going to become a reality in our church services if you want Faith Like That clap your hands right now and Shout yes I'm not preaching about a wish list I'm not talking about a falling star or blowing out a candle on a birthday cake I'm talking about true faith that our God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all whoa somebody shall faith you see faith is essential the Bible says whatsoever is not a faith is sin Hebrews said without faith it is impossible to please him and the reason why we need Faith so desperately is because we so desperately need God and God has connected himself to our faith Mark chapter 6 verse 5 says he could there do no Mighty work say that he laid his hands upon a few sick Folk and healed them now I want you to notice according to God's calculations from God's angel angle from God's advantage point a few sick folks being healed does not equal a mighty work foreign let me try it again a few sick folk being healed doesn't equal a mighty word now if we had a few sick folk healed we'd blow up Twitter Facebook we'd go on the circuit we'd start a Healing Ministry we'd write a book we'd bottle up some anointed water to sell we'd claim we got splinters off The Old Rugged Cross for sale after church in the foyer see one of our assistants but God looks down and it says a few sick folk being healed that's what I can do when there's still unbelief in the room imagine what I could do if my people could muster up some faith so three chapters later Jesus said in Mark 9 if thou can'tst believe all things are possible

I looked up that phrase all things all things are possible Matthew Chapter 19 Verse 26 with me in this is impossible but with God all things there's a phrase again all things are possible no wonder the devil's trying his best to disrupt discouraged and destroy our faith he does not want this Apostolic Church to tap into the Revelation that all all things are possible we live in a world full of doubt full of unbelief full of immorality full of perversion the last thing we need in a world full of faults is for the church to be empty of faith no wonder Jesus said in Luke 18 and verse 8 when the son of man cometh shall he find faith on the Earth the devil is working overtime he's doing everything in his power he's pulling out all the stops he's trying to steal and sabotage our ability to believe and some of you have come to this meeting and your faith has been attacked the devil has waged war on your church life has dealt some use some hard blows it seems like everything that can go wrong has went wrong some of you have showed up here on fumes your faith account is empty you've been writing NSF checks for a long time non-sufficient faith maybe the other one fits too I don't know but something's going to happen before you go home and somebody's going to get their faith back and you need to drive back into that City this weekend with faith you need to stand back in that Pulpit with faith you need to look the devil right Square in the eye and let him know we are not staggering at the promises of God young preacher you can preach you can hang on to the doctrine you can start a church you can have a Supernatural Ministry if thou can'tst believe all things are possible my God I feel like preaching a little bit right now I rebuke Every Lie of the devil I rebuke every Spirit of compromise I rebuke every demon of doubt this is our time it's time for church growth it's time for signs wonders and miracles we will plan churches we will start daughter works we will provide training we will give to missions we will teach a Bible study we will win a soul With God all things are possible somebody clap your hands right now and Shout I believe I believe let me try to explain it to you like this I grew up brother Mangan said I was from Leesville I grew about 45 miles from here dirt poor now a lot of people were poor and they didn't know it we were poor and we knew it and everybody else knew it you've heard of low-income homes we had a no-income home and I can't tell you how many times as a kid vividly remembering my mom pulling up to a gas station and getting like 2.75 cents worth of gas Buck 62 of gas digging coins out from under the seat walking in paying for it big old v8 car take three gallons just a crank never could afford to fill up just putting enough in to get to the next stop and you're gonna think I'm crazy but I made up my mind as a kid brother McGee standing at that gas station on the corner of ellick Highway and

Kirkwood Road I made up my mind as a kid standing there making up my mind I will never not fill up when I get a car every time I pull up at the gas station we gonna fill it up and I'm gonna let something just slosh out a little bit well I feel the same way about church I'm tired of just showing up getting enough to get me the next week and next month and six months down the road I want to fill up every time I get here David said my cup runneth over somebody needs to leave here full I don't care what's happening around you you need the Revelation that God is still in control and he's the same yesterday today and forever it might be crazy on your left hand if the enemy might be fighting you on your right hand but I've got ambidextrous faith and a thousand may fall at my side and ten thousand at my right hand but it shall not come nigh unto me somebody shout yes so so the Bible talks a lot about the right hand of God and we're usually quick to preach it but it also talks about the left hand as well as a matter of fact a couple of the disciples were trying to jockey for positions in the Kingdom that their own mama got involved now you know politics are deep when Mama gets involved which one of my sons is going to sit on the right which one's going to sit on the left you see the right hand of God is symbolic language for the power or authority of God that's why when the Bible makes reference to Jesus being at the right hand of the father or sitting on the right hand of God it's not referring to one man literally sitting beside another man it means that Jesus is now operating with the authority and the power of God but there's one little verse that grabbed my attention a few months ago Job chapter 23 and verse 9. on the left hand where he does work now the word left there now this is true all the all things that was a joke but this is true the word left there is a Hebrew word which also means dark so God's got power in his right hand but he works in the dark with his left hand his right hand is what you can see it's where the light is but do not mistake for one minute and believe that God is only a right-handed God or that he favors that hand over the other when you can't see him remember he's ambidextrous when everything looks dim he in control when everything looks dark that's where he's working he's got power on his right hand he's working in the dark with his left and some of you are here and you're going through some dark stuff your life is dark your family's dark your ministry is in a ninth season but don't freak out don't quit don't cuss don't give in be of good courage that's where God works and our text said all things as a matter of fact the Bible says at the night cometh when no man can work so moving when brother Jared Pugh began to holler like his grandpa the night cometh the night cometh when no man can work but just because a man can't work doesn't mean God can't work and maybe that's where God's trying to get us to the place where we can't do it but he can Genesis 1 and 2 says that the Earth was without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep and the spirit of the Lord moved before there was light at the right hand of God there was the hidden unseen left hand of God's spirit moving through the darkness ambidextrous they were standing at the Red Sea Pharaoh was in Pursuit the sun went down the Bible said that God caused a East Wind to blow all night that was his left hand

working in the dark but the next morning they walked across on dry ground that's his right hand ambidextrous it was dark and it was midnight when Paul and Silas was in prison but they had ambidextrous faith and before there was an earthquake on the right hand there was God moving through two people's worship on the left hand Pentecostals we can't just have faith after the Red Sea we can't just have faith after God said let there be light we can't just have faith after there's been a revelation of his power that would just be right-handed but we need some ambidextrous faith when we don't see a way out when we don't know how it's going to work out when we don't see any proof of anything we still know that our God is able and we're still going to trust them and worship him I wish somebody clap their hands right now and Shout him out we don't need to wait on the earthquake before we sing we don't need to wait on a revelation before we shout it's dark but God's in control we need to go ahead and sing now go ahead and worship now ambidextrous look at your right hand now look at your left hand now let's put it together and clap your hands all you people somebody shout this is our time we need to quit feeling sorry for ourselves we need to quit making excuses we need to quit sucking our thumbs God help us we need to quit griping and we need to believe that we're going to have Revival regardless of what happens over here and regardless of what happens over here all things work together for good there's not a devil in hell that can stop us you heard brother Bernard say God has set before us an Open Door no weapon formed against you shall prosper I want to remind you that the children of Israel would have suffered great defeat has mode has Moses just had his right hand up or if Moses would have just had his left hand done come here Joe help me preach you're Moses okay but Moses had to get both hands involved lift up both of them Moses had to have both hands up do that for a little while timoth that doesn't get tiring and then the Bible says in Exodus chapter 17 verse 12 but Moses's hands were heavy and Aaron and her stayed up his hands come here Dylan come over Dean you're Aaron so you get on his right hand you're her come get over himself so Aaron and her stayed up his hands Moses's hands were heavy and I know I'm preaching to somebody right now preaching to a pastor a church planter an evangelist a preacher's wife whose hands are heavy came here with your hands down your head down your faith down but something has happened in this place and you're going to leave because of the times foreign that must have been what the writer Hebrews meant when he said wherefore lift up the hands which hang down Paul said lifting up holy hands I dare some of you I know your hands are heavy but the Holy Ghost is about to help you I know you're tired of fighting a battle but the Holy Ghost

reach your hand over and pray with somebody right next to you right now pray that God has strengthened them pray that God will help them you came here with heavy hands but God's about to help you stay him up you came here ready to throw in the towel but God's about to help you lift him up clap your hands and Shout amen hahaha oh I feel some Faith coming in this house right now I feel the help of the Holy Ghost coming in this place right now okay the right hand of God is his power the left hand is where he works in the dark you need to remember that because it took both Aaron and her to have victory Aaron's name means lightbringer that's the right hand but the name her means a hole or an underground prison go look it up you don't believe me that's fine go look it up I would call that Darkness and it took both Aaron and her the light and the Darkness the good things that happened to you and the bad things that happened to you and we only preach about Aaron but I'm gonna preach about the whole for a few minutes because some of you showed up but because of times and you feel like you're in the hole you feel like your church is in a hole where's my church Planters you feel like your bank account's in the hole but I want to tell you God's going to use that hole Joseph I know you're in a pit right now but God's going to use that hole to help you reach your dream mighty man I know you're in a hole I know you're in a pit with a lion on a snowy day but I'm going to use that to elevate you a little bit Elisha I know you're you look dead I know they've buried you in a hole Elisha but God's going to use that hole to resurrect the bones of a dead man I don't know who I'm preaching to but you came here thinking your ministry was dead but God told me to tell you you got one more miracle in you you've got one more Church in you you've got one more move of God in you it's gonna take Aaron and it's going to take her all things all things all things work together for good clap your hands and give them a shot of praise we got to quit resigning when things go bad and we gotta stop getting self-righteous when things go good all things ambidextrous faith listen what the Apostle Paul said in second Corinthians chapter six he said given no offense in anything that the minister be not blamed but in all things are proving yourselves as the Ministers of God this is how we're going to prove whether or not we're preachers now listen to all this in much patience afflictions and Necessities distresses Stripes imprisonments torments labors watchings fastings by pureness by knowledge by

long-suffering by kindness by the Holy Ghost by Love unfeigned by the word of Truth by the power of God by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left by Honor and dishonor by evil report and good report by as deceivers yet true as as unknown and well known as dying and behold we live as chastened and are not killed as sorrowful yet rejoicing as poor yet making many rich as having nothing and yet possessing all things left hand right hand right hand left hand ambidextrous faith but look at look at verse 7. by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left Paul said that righteousness is our armor if you think holiness and and yes I'm referring to what's on the inside but I'm also referring to the outside how we live how we act how we react how we dress how we view the hair question in First Corinthians 11 how we view the distinction of dress in Deuteronomy 22 if you think that's a detriment to Revival and church growth you need to pray to God for revelation Paul said that our righteousness is our armor and it's on the right hand and it's on the left in Ephesians chapter 6 Paul refers to the armor of God as a breastplate of righteousness the breastplate is what protects the internal organs when Jesus said we should seek first the kingdom of God that's not all he said he said we should also seek his righteousness if we forsake righteousness and Holiness both Inward and outward then we are not seeking the kingdom of God and we are stripping off the armor that God has given us to protect our vital organs and you cannot take off the breastplate external what folks can see without it eventually affecting your heart internal what folks can't see and Paul said that it's an armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left hand so not only is our God ambidextrous and not only is our faith ambidextrous but our Holiness is ambidextrous let me testify so we had a lady show up and she was a free-spirited lady flowing in it in the prayer room just worshiping free-spirited she came for several weeks one day I was leaving the church Sunday afternoon and she was sitting in the lobby and she said oh Pastor oh Pastor I just want to tell you I just want to tell you how how much I love this church I just love what I feel here I just love the spirit of the Lord here I just love it she said I want to tell you she said she said I got saved in one of those real strict churches and I said really she said yeah but the Lord has brought me out of the UPC I looked at her and I said it looks like he might be trying to bring you back in that's what I said where are United Pentecostal Church she said some of the nicest people I've ever met in my life are the United she hasn't been back foreign both husband and wife are ministers in a denominal church they had straightforward questions about how we dress how we live how we conduct our platform I didn't pull any punches laid it out exactly the way I believe it they got all excited said we are ready to be baptized in Jesus name when can we join the discipleship class one didn't want it the other couldn't wait to get it but thank God I had some ambidextrous faith come on apostolics there's nothing wrong with righteousness on our left hand and righteousness on our right hand it's our armor it's what protects us you remember the story when Joseph brought Ephraim and Manasseh to Israel to receive their blessing Church Plant I want you to hear this young preacher I want you to hear this Genesis chapter 48 verse 13 and Joseph took them both Ephraim in his right hand

toward Israel's left hand and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand and brought them near unto him and Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on ephraim's head who was the younger and his left hand on manasseh's head guiding his hands-wittingly for Manasseh was the firstborn verse 17 and when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim it displeased him and he held up his father's hand to remove it from ephraim's head and Joseph said to his father not so my father for this is the firstborn put thy right hand upon his head and his father refused and said I know it don't let this old blind man fool you I know what I'm doing and I want to preach to every young preacher and tell you that God doesn't need anyone to help guide his hands you don't need anyone to try to position you in the right place you don't need to try to manipulate the father's hands too many times we think God is only a one-handed preacher and we spend so much time trying to preach for so and so and get brother so and so to lay hands on us and give brother so and so to give us a word and I know I'm preaching to some young preachers and you feel like you're on the left hand and you don't have a chance in the world and you'll never be able to amount to anything but he's an ambidextrous God and he's able to take this hand some of you pastors been thinking you positioned in the wrong place you're in the wrong Church you're in the wrong City that's a trick from hell that's a distraction from the devil you are not in the wrong place God's not just a one-handed God he knows what he's doing he's going to be able to he can bless Alexandria but he can bless New York and he can bless Detroit and he can bless San Diego he he can bless that established church but he can also put that hand on that brand new church he can bless a man but he's got a hand that can bless a Tony too our text says all things Nehemiah heard of the destruction of his hometown the walls had been torn down the gates torn off and he began to pray that God would give him the wisdom and the ability to rebuild I wish God would call somebody today to get a burden for a city whose walls have been torn down I wish God would get a hold of somebody today to accept that call to walk into that City and start that church to apply for that missions program and go overseas and rebuild those walls and restore those Gates you see nehemiah's message wouldn't wouldn't be accepted in most religious circles today because it seems like everyone today is saying Tear Down the Walls but Nehemiah said I want to go and rebuild the walls the reason why families are in the shape they're in the reason why churches are in the shape they're in ultimately the reason why our world's in the shape she's in is because we've torn down walls that should have never been torn down but Nehemiah rebuilt the wall and he repaired the gates and let me tell you why this is important why we make a big deal about the walls and why we put a lot of emphasis on the gates because Isaiah gives us this Insight in Isaiah chapter 16 and verse 18 but Thou shalt call thy walls salvation and thy Gates praise the walls are salvation the gates are praised and if there's anything we need to rebuild it's the Salvation message of Acts 2 38 and we need to restore real praise and worship in this end time generation before the Rapture of the church but I want you to listen to how Nehemiah did it Nehemiah chapter 4 and verse 17. they which build it on the wall and they that bear burdens with those that laid it everyone had everyone with one of his hands wrought into work and with the other hand held a weapon they were ambidextrous they had a sword in one hand

they had a tool in the other hand you're not going to build that church with just a tool and you're not going to build it with just a sword but if you could tap into some ambidextrous faith I feel like Nehemiah today I got a sword in one hand I got a trial in the other hand and I'm ready to do everything I can to rebuild the walls you see there will be times that we need to fight but you can't get that church off the ground as all if all you're going to ever do is fight but there's gonna also be times that you need to work but you're not going to get that church off the ground all you're going to ever do is just try to build balance using both hands with equal ease ambidextrous faith right hand left hand it is we came to because of the times but there's a shift and we're not going to leave because of the times we're going to leave because it is time I believe it's time I believe it's time for us to have Revival even in the midst of a world that's dark where sin doth abound the grace of God does much more abound if you're tired of the devil having the upper hand then you need to tap into some ambidextrous faith let's all stand because it is time brother how because it's time we got to send missionaries back without deputizing two years because it is time because it's time we've got a building that we can buy in Washington D.C for our career Church planter brother sister Staton they got a signed contract they need a hundred thousand dollars to get their down payment so they can quit having used to have church in the basement of a Baptist Church now we can have a church that you can see the state capital from their steps why do we need that because it is time we have brother Qatar here which is an Intercultural missionary to preach and reach the Filipinos in North America he desperately needs partners yet is they had a trowel in one hand they had a sword in the other ambidextrous faith and what looked like an impossible task and without doubt a long and arduous task was actually accomplished in 52 days you see when our faith is ambidextrous The Impossible becomes possible it's time to quit sitting on our hands and put our hands in the work of the Lord one hand had a weapon the other hand had a tool one hand was ready to build one hand was ready to battle build and battle battle and build that's what you call ambidextrous for knowing that all things the good the bad the left

the right the ups and the downs all things I opened up with these statistics and our little illustration proved it so clearly but let me tweak it just a little bit I would dare say that 70 to 75 percent of all Christians are right-handed that means they have faith after when they see the hand of God I would say that 20 to 25 percent of all Christians are left-handed they can have faith in the dark when God can't be seen but they know he's working but you saw how few people stood up that was truly ambidextrous we need more ambidextrous faith this is going to mess with your theology a little bit but don't don't read into this but we don't need more right wing and we don't need more left-wing and we don't need more right hand and we don't need more left hand we just need more both hands Jacob called his name Benjamin son of my right hand everyone knew his ancestors as the vegemites the right-handed people but you can imagine the surprise of the enemy when they realize that this right-handed name people were also just as effective with their left hand because before he was Benjamin son of the right hand he was benoni son of my sorrow and God took both the sorrow of a dying mother and the promise of a living father and said in first Chronicles chapter 12 verse 2 they were armed with bows and could use both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows out of a bow even of Saul's Brethren of Benjamin you may have come to b-o-t-t with just right-handed Faith but you're going to leave and what a surprise the enemy is going to have when you get back home and he realizes foreign 54 in our clothes seeing o Baron that it is not bear Break Forth into singing and cry aloud thou that it is not travail with child for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife saith the Lord listen to me Church planter enlarge the place of thy tent let them stretch forth the curtains of the habitations spare not lengthen thy cords strengthen thy Stakes for Thou shalt Break Forth on the right hand and on the left which is where it gets good and make the desolate cities to be inhabited that City that the devil said was desolate that nobody would ever be able to reach in you walk out of here with some ambidextrous faith and you begin to sing Old Baron thank you sister Mangan thank you Brooke pamer for letting us know that God can take the hurts of our left hand and he can join them with the victory of our right hand and we can have Revival if you believe God for ambidextrous Faith clap your hands and give him praise foreign