1216 在神面前摔跤
所以要拿起神所赐的全副军装，好在磨难的日子，抵挡仇敌，并且成就了一切，还能站立得住….靠着圣灵，随时多方祷告祈求，并要在此儆醒不倦，为众圣徒祈求…《以弗所书6:13,18》
你必须学会与阻碍你与神交流的事物摔跤，为人祷告时亦然；但在祷告中与神摔跤是不符合圣经的。如果你真的与神摔跤，你的余生都会残疾。如果你像雅各一样抓住神并与祂摔跤，仅仅因为祂正在做的，未得你的首肯，那你就强迫祂使你脱臼了。（见创世记 32:24-25）。不要与神的道路摔跤而成为瘸子，但要做个在神面前与世界事物摔跤的人，因为「靠着爱我们的主，在这一切的事上已经得胜有余了。」（罗马书 8:37）。在神面前摔跤会对祂的王国产生影响。如果你要我为你祷告，而我在基督里并不完全，我的祷告就一无所成。但如果我在基督里完全，我的祷告就总是会带来胜利。祷告只有在完全中才有效——「穿戴神所赐的全副军装…」
始终要区分神的完全旨意和祂的许可旨意，那是祂用来实现祂对我们生命的神圣目的。神的完全旨意是不可改变的，而祂许可的旨意，或祂允许进入我们生活中各种事物，我们必须在神面前与它们摔跤。就是我们对祂许可旨意下这些事物的反应，使我们能够看到祂对我们的完全旨意。「我们晓得万事都互相效力，叫爱神的人得益处…」（罗马书 8:28），那些继续忠于神完全旨意的人，忠于祂在基督耶稣里的呼召。神的许可旨意是祂用来显明祂真正儿女的考验。我们不应该软弱无力并自动地说：「是的，那是主的旨意。」我们无须与神争战或摔跤，但我们必须在神面前与事物摔跤。小心，不要懒惰地放弃。反之，应当进行一场荣耀的争战，这样你会发现自己被祂的能力赋予力量了。
来自章伯斯的智慧
新约根本不容许那些声称他是靠着恩典得救却未生出恩典的好果子的人。耶稣基督以祂的救赎可以使我们的实际生活与我们的宗教信仰相符合。《登山宝训研读》
1216 Wrestling Before God
Take up the whole armor of God…praying always… —Ephesians 6:13,18
You must learn to wrestle against the things that hinder your communication with God, and wrestle in prayer for other people; but to wrestle with God in prayer is unscriptural. If you ever do wrestle with God, you will be crippled for the rest of your life. If you grab hold of God and wrestle with Him, as Jacob did, simply because He is working in a way that doesn’t meet with your approval, you force Him to put you out of joint (see Genesis 32:24-25). Don’t become a cripple by wrestling with the ways of God, but be someone who wrestles before God with the things of this world, because “we are more than conquerors through Him…” (Romans 8:37). Wrestling before God makes an impact in His kingdom. If you ask me to pray for you, and I am not complete in Christ, my prayer accomplishes nothing. But if I am complete in Christ, my prayer brings victory all the time. Prayer is effective only when there is completeness— “take up the whole armor of God….”
Always make a distinction between God’s perfect will and His permissive will, which He uses to accomplish His divine purpose for our lives. God’s perfect will is unchangeable. It is with His permissive will, or the various things that He allows into our lives, that we must wrestle before Him. It is our reaction to these things allowed by His permissive will that enables us to come to the point of seeing His perfect will for us. “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God…” (Romans 8:28)— to those who remain true to God’s perfect will— His calling in Christ Jesus. God’s permissive will is the testing He uses to reveal His true sons and daughters. We should not be spineless and automatically say, “Yes, it is the Lord’s will.” We don’t have to fight or wrestle with God, but we must wrestle before God with things. Beware of lazily giving up. Instead, put up a glorious fight and you will find yourself empowered with His strength.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
There is no allowance whatever in the New Testament for the man who says he is saved by grace but who does not produce the graceful goods. Jesus Christ by His Redemption can make our actual life in keeping with our religious profession. —Studies in the Sermon on the Mount