生命的道路 45
我們的盼望是在主裡
倘若我們更加愛神並親近祂，這會是我們最棒的一年。沒有比親近神更具感染力的事了，而這是我們可以為我們愛的人所做最偉大的事，吸引他們來到人類終極目的─愛神並服事祂。
每一年似乎我們都在說『總算擺脫』過去的一年，充滿盼望迎接新的一年。倘若我們的盼望是在主裡，並持守在祂裡面，今年我們必不會失望。
正如我先前曾分享過，這是我第二次經歷七年時間沒有領受太多先知性的啟示。在頭一個七年後，我領受有生以來最大的先知性下載，我將其內容寫在收割異象一書中。我經歷完那七年後，我領受關於收割的異象，但這次主告訴我將會看見收割。另一波大覺醒的徵兆越來越顯著，今年會更加顯著。
我允諾要在這週結束2012年總統大選的討論，我想用每週一話的格式，將最重要的功課留到今年的最後一週。在帖撒羅尼迦前書五章16-18節告訴我們：
『要常常喜樂，不住地禱告，凡事謝恩。』
的確有許多人很難感謝2012年的總統大選，但聖經說要『凡事』就代表每一件事。我們有許多可以感謝的，在我一生中沒有一位總統可以像歐巴馬一樣來甦醒教會，他第二次的當選比第一次帶來更大的衝擊。
即使此次選舉可能會在許多方面為我們國家帶來更大的困境，但它也會帶來更大的機會。在使徒行傳十四章22節告訴我們，使徒保羅去堅固與勸勉教會說：『我們進入神的國，必須經歷許多艱難』。稍微改變一下措辭，我們可以這樣說，在每一個試煉或艱難中，都有進入神國度的門。試煉或艱難對成熟的人而言是鼓舞人心的，因為他們已經學到此真理。當試煉臨到，成熟的人開始尋找進入神國度的門。他們也知道這些試煉是如何堅固我們，幫助我們在主裡成長，這比任何地上的財寶都來得有價值。
我們國家所面臨的一些試煉可能比以往大許多，所以它們也會成為進入神國度最大的門，超過我們從前所能進入的門。我們需要讓人們進入神的國，此遠比要人們去投票重要多了，而我們即將要擁有如此的大好機會。
這並不是在說此次總統大選的結果是出於神的旨意，祂允許其發生是因為我們先前在詩篇一百一十五篇16節曾說過：『天，是耶和華的天；地，祂卻給了世人。』這即是何以主不會在地上做什麼，直到我們禱告。我們可能會認為許多神的子民為這次選舉禱告，而他們的禱告沒被應允。為什麼呢？
有沒有可能許多禱告的人應該要協助教導與動員基督徒去投票呢？當然禱告比任何投票都更有能力，但也有停止禱告與採取行動的時候。基督的身體可能需要比現在更多的禱告，但許多人則是禱告太多─在他們應該做些什麼時，他們卻仍在禱告。
我們對許多應該更多禱告而如此回應的人充滿感恩，他們願意更多禱告是因為心中煩亂。同樣地，許多應該更投入動員的人也對此深信不疑，已經有一些人開始為2014年的中期選舉動員。我相信2014年的選舉會比2012年的更為重要，特別是美國參議院的選舉。參議院需要批准聯邦法官、最高法院法官與許多法案，現在聯合國所提出的法案正威脅著我們的一些基本自由。
在2004年選舉過後，歐巴馬並沒有關閉他的競選總部，美國各地仍有超過五千人全職在他的競選總部工作，特別是在一些搖擺州，最後他成功了。教會在哪裡呢？可能保守黨要進行這場地面戰的唯一希望，就是教會動員起來。
許多為選舉禁食禱告的人，覺得他們的禱告沒被應允。其實他們並沒有白費苦心，儘管結果可能與我們所禱告的不一樣。主不會違反人的自由意志，美國人民顯然想要我們可能不認同的東西，但這並不代表我們為選舉禁食禱告是錯誤的。
醫生無法幫助病人，直到他瞭解病人的狀況。倘若美國的狀況先前並不太明朗，現在應該很明朗了。無論誰當選，摧毀我們國家的真正癌症並不能在投票所裡得勝。我們必須有另一波大覺醒，否則我們的共和政體無法存活太久。
一些關乎生死、自由或暴政的終極議題現在正被決定。我們正在『斷定谷』，在地上的每一個人都必須選擇他們要事奉誰。這次的總統大選在十一月6號結束，但對此終極決定，每一天都是選舉日。目前美國正選擇死亡文化和惡行，而沒有選擇生命並行神眼中看為正的事，主已經在祂的話語中清楚指出何為祂看為正的事。
美國不是單知道怎樣投票投得好就夠了，美國需要重生。現在我們清楚知道病人的狀況，我們就可以對症下藥。我們或許可以先來聚焦在可以真正改變美國的事情上─天國的福音。
我們也應該思想，歐巴馬是能將美國轉向神的不二人選。神吩咐我們要為領袖禱告，不單是為好的領袖，也要為我們所有的領袖，目前我們的領袖是歐巴馬。下面是我們需要思想的一些『假使性』問題。
假使他與神相遇，聖靈帶他認罪，開始引導他走向真理呢？想一想看，他不會再次選總統，他不再對任何特殊利益團體有義務。
現在我們應當定意比以前更多為歐巴馬禱告，誰知道神可以透過他做什麼？倘若我們禱告國家轉向主，為何不為這國家所選擇的領袖轉向主禱告呢，這領袖不正反映出國家的狀況嗎？
『首要的事就是讓首要的事放在首要的事上』，首要的事就是將我們的心轉向神，也協助他人這麼做，直到我們的國家再次尊榮祂、愛祂，打開心向著祂。
(摘自喬納 word for the week, Week 52, 2012)
Our Hope Is In the Lord - The Path of Life, Part 45
Week 52, 2012
Rick Joyner
This can be our best year yet if it is one of increasing love for God and drawing near to Him. Nothing is more contagious than a person who is getting closer to God, and this is the greatest thing that we could ever do for our loved ones, drawing them to the ultimate human purpose—loving God and serving Him.
Every year it seems that we say “good riddance” to the past year and turn with hope to the new year. If our hope is in the Lord and remains in Him, we will not be disappointed this year.
As I shared before, this is the second time I have been through a seven-year period where I received very little prophetic revelation. After the first time, I received one of the greatest prophetic downloads I’ve ever received, which I wrote about in my book, The Harvest. The last time I went through such a period I received a vision of the harvest, but this time I was told that I would see the harvest. The signs of another Great Awakening are becoming prominent. They will become more so this coming year.
I promised to finish our discussions of the 2012 elections this week, and in this WFTW format, I think we have saved one of the most important lessons for last. We are told in I Thessalonians 5:16-18:
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks.”
No doubt many people are having a hard time giving thanks for the 2012 elections, but “everything” in this Scripture does mean everything. We have a lot to be thankful for. No President in my lifetime has awakened the church like Obama, and his reelection seems to have been a much bigger shock than his first.
Even though this election likely means much greater hardship for our country in many ways, it is also an even greater opportunity. We are told in Acts 14:22 that the Apostle Paul went about “strengthening and encouraging the churches, declaring that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” To rephrase this just a little, we could say that in every trial, or tribulation, there is a doorway to the kingdom. Trials or tribulations are encouraging to the mature because they’ve learned this truth. When trials come, the mature begin looking for the doorway to the kingdom. They also know how these trials strengthen us, helping us to grow in the Lord, which is more valuable than any earthly treasure.
Some trials we are facing as a nation are bigger than possibly ever before; so they are also some of the biggest doors to the kingdom than we may have had before. Far more important than getting people to the ballot box, we need to get them to the kingdom, and we are about to have a great opportunity for this.
This is not to say that the outcome of the presidential race in the recent elections was God’s will. He allowed it because as we have covered in Psalm 115:16, “The heavens are the heavens of the Lord, but the earth He has given to the sons of men.” This is why the Lord will not do things on the earth until we pray. We may think that many of His people were praying for this election and their prayers were not answered. Why?
Could it be that many people were praying who should have been working to help educate and mobilize Christians to vote? No doubt prayer is far more powerful than any ballot, but there is a time to quit praying and take action. The body of Christ may need to pray much more than we do now, but many are praying too much—praying when they should be doing something.
We can be thankful that many who need to pray more are doing so because they are disturbed. Likewise, many who should be more engaged have been convicted about that. An amazing number are already mobilizing for the 2014 mid-term elections. I believe these can be even more important than the 2012 elections, especially for the U.S. Senate. The Senate has to ratify Federal judges, Supreme Court judges, and ratify treaties. Treaties are being proposed by the U.N. right now that threaten some of our basic freedoms.
After the 2004 election, Obama did not shut down his campaign, but kept more than 5,000 people working full-time all over the country, especially in the swing states. It paid off. Where was the church? Possibly the only hope of the conservatives ever mounting such a ground game is for the church to mobilize.
Many fasted and prayed for the elections and then felt that their prayers were not answered. They were not in vain, even though the outcome may not have been what we were praying for. The Lord will not violate the free will of people, and the American people obviously want something we may not have agreed with, but that does not mean we did not do the right thing to pray and fast for the elections.
A physician cannot help a patient until the condition of the patient is known. The condition of America should now be clear if it was not before. Regardless of who had been elected, the real cancer that is destroying our country cannot be overcome at the ballot box. We must have another Great Awakening or we will not survive much longer as a Republic.
Ultimate issues of life and death, freedom or tyranny, are now being decided. We are in “The Valley of Decision,” and everyone on earth will have to choose who they will serve. This election was not final on November 6, but every day is Election Day for this ultimate choice. Right now America is choosing the culture of death and wickedness over life and doing what is right in the sight of the Lord, which He has made very plain in His Word.
America needs to be born again, not just convinced how to vote better. Now that we know clearly what the condition of the patient is, we can do something about this. Now maybe we can focus on what can truly change the heart of America—the gospel of the kingdom.
We should also consider that Obama is in the best position of anyone to turn the nation back to God. We are commanded to pray for our leaders, not just the good leaders, but the ones we have. Right now Obama is our leader. Here are some “what ifs” to consider:
What if he had an encounter with God, and the conviction of the Holy Spirit came upon him and began leading him to the truth? Think about it. He does not have to run again. He no longer is under obligation to any special interest group.
We should resolve to pray far more for Obama now than we ever have. Who knows what God could do through him? If we are praying for the heart of our nation to be turned, why not begin with praying for the heart of the leader chosen by the nation that reflects the nation’s condition?
“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing,” and the main thing is turning our hearts to God, and by this helping others to do the same until our nation is again one that honors, loves, and opens its heart to Him.
