DAY 6
一日
雷克-喬納 Rick Joyner
翻譯：Kate
轉載/轉寄 請註明出處：國度禱告網

神稱光為晝，稱暗為夜。有晚上，有早晨，這是頭一日。（見創世記1:5）。

這裡我們看到，一天是從晚上開始的。這是一個預言，隨著主帶來的大事，通常在黎明之前會有黑暗。這是整個經文中一致的真理。

例如，以色列人在被帶入應許之地的自由之前，遭受了四百年的奴役。就在他們被神的能力釋放之前，他們的壓迫變得最嚴重。聖經中的偉大聖徒在被帶入神的旨意之前，通常要經歷一段黑暗時期。約瑟不得不經歷奴役和監禁。大衛王受到掃羅的迫害，並被他所要統治的人追趕。耶穌在復活到他的權柄和榮耀的位置之前，不得不走向十字架並死去。

在我們接受神的應許和這些應許的成就之間，幾乎總是會有一個與我們所應許的完全相反的曠野。為了考驗他們的信心，潔淨他們的心靈，以色列的孩子們在到達流著牛奶和蜜的應許之地前，不得不在無水的沙漠中流浪。我們也會經歷考驗。即便如此，正如雅各書1:2-4,12中告訴我們的：

我的弟兄們，你們落在百般試煉中，都要以為大喜樂；
因為知道你們的信心經過試驗，就生忍耐。
但忍耐也當成功，使你們成全、完備，毫無缺欠。
忍受試探的人是有福的，因為他經過試驗以後，必得生命的冠冕，這是主應許給那些愛他之人的。

我們生活中的每一個試煉都是為了兩個目的而允許的。第一是使我們符合耶穌基督的形象，這是聖靈的果子。第二是把我們帶到成熟之處，在那裡祂可以把更多的權柄交給我們，讓我們做祂所做的工作，這是通過聖靈的禮物。因此，我們必須像雅各所鼓勵的，抓住我們的試煉，把它們當作喜樂，因為它們總是通向黎明的光明。我們還有哥林多前書10:13中的偉大應許：

你們所遇見的試探，無非是人所能受的。神是信實的，必不叫你們受試探過於所能受的；在受試探的時候，總要給你們開一條出路，叫你們能忍受得住。

神是允許試探的那一位，他也在控制，所以我們受到的試探永遠不會超過我們所能忍受的。因此，當試探變得如此艱難，以至於我們越來越接近我們所能承受的極限時，我們也應該知道我們正在接近試探的終點。

我們也得到保證，每一個試煉都有一個逃脫的方法。逃脫的方法總是相同的，那就是十字架。如果我們願意走到十字架前，向自己、自己的野心和這個世界的憂慮死去，這些通常是我們試煉的根源，我們就會立即找到超越人類理解的平安。我們被稱為向這個世界死亡（見加拉太書6:14）。世界能對一個死人做什麼？一個死人不可能感到被拒絕，被虐待，被利用，或者擔心失去。如果我們願意每天帶著我們所有的東西到十字架上去，我們就會成為世界上有史以來最自由的人。

如果我們每天都能走到十字架前，為自己的利益而死，我們也會自由地毫無保留地去愛。不以自我為中心的愛，不會被對痛苦或損失的恐懼所控制。這種愛也不會試圖控制我們愛的對象。

就像沒有死亡就不會有復活；沒有爭戰就不會有勝利。就像我們在學校參加考試是為了進入更高的層次一樣，我們在生活中經受的每一次考驗都是為了讓我們在主裡達到更高的成熟。我們應該把每一次考驗看作是一個機會。考驗越大，機會就越大。永遠記住，無論看起來有多黑暗，光明一定會到來，就像太陽每天都會升起一樣肯定。

 

DAY 6
The Day
Rick Joyner

And there was evening and there was morning, one day (see Genesis 1:5).

Here we see that a day begins with the evening. This is a prophecy that with the great things the Lord brings forth, there is usually darkness before the dawn. This is a consistent truth throughout the Scriptures.

For example, Israel was subject to four hundred years of slavery before they were led into the freedom of the Promised Land. Their oppression became the greatest just before they were set free by the power of God. The great saints of Scripture usually went through a period of darkness before they were brought forth into the purposes of God. Joseph had to go through slavery and imprisonment. King David was persecuted by Saul, and chased by the very people over which he was called to rule. Jesus had to go to the cross and die before He could be resurrected to His place of authority and glory.

Between the place where we receive the promises of God and the fulfillment of those promises, there will almost always be a wilderness that is the exact opposite of what we have been promised. In order to test their faith and purify their hearts, the children of Israel had to wander through a desert, where there was no water, before they could get to the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey. We will go through trials too. Even so, as we are told in James 1:2-4,12:

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,
knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life,
which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Every trial in our lives is allowed for two purposes. The first is to conform us to the image of Jesus Christ, which is the fruit of the Spirit. The second is to bring us to a place of maturity where He can trust us with more authority to do the works that He did, which are through the gifts of the Spirit. Therefore, we must seize our trials as James encourages, counting them as joy, because they always lead to the dawn's light. We also have the great promise in I Corinthians 10:13:

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man;
and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able,
but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.

God is the One allowing the temptation, and He is also in control, so we are never tempted beyond what we are able to endure. Therefore, when it gets so hard that we are getting close to the limit of what we can take, we should also know we are getting close to the end of the trial.

We are also assured that there is a way of escape with every trial. The way of escape is always the same, and that is the cross. If we would go to the cross and die to ourselves, our own ambitions, and the cares of this world, which are usually the roots of our trials, we would immediately find a peace that goes beyond human understanding. We are called to be dead to this world (see Galatians 6:14). What can the world do to a dead man? It is impossible for a dead man to feel rejected, abused, taken advantage of, or be concerned with loss. If we would go to the cross daily with all that we are and have, we would be the most free people the world has ever seen.

If we would go to the cross and die to our own interests every day, we would also be free to love without reservation. Love that is not self-centered is not controlled by the fear of pain or loss. Neither does this love try to control the object of our love.

Just as there could be no resurrection without there first being a death; there can be no victory without a battle. Like the tests we take in school to go on to higher levels, every test we endure in our lives is so we can go on to higher levels of maturity in the Lord. We should see every test as a great opportunity. The greater the test, the greater the opportunity. Always remember that regardless of how dark it seems to get, the light will certainly come, just as surely as the sun will rise every day.