1216 在神面前摔跤
所以要拿起神所賜的全副軍裝，好在磨難的日子，抵擋仇敵，並且成就了一切，還能站立得住….靠着聖靈，隨時多方禱告祈求，並要在此儆醒不倦，為眾聖徒祈求…《以弗所書6:13,18》
你必須學會與阻礙你與神交流的事物摔跤，為人禱告時亦然；但在禱告中與神摔跤是不符合聖經的。如果你真的與神摔跤，你的餘生都會殘疾。如果你像雅各一樣抓住神並與祂摔跤，僅僅因為祂正在做的，未得你的首肯，那你就強迫祂使你脫臼了。（見創世記 32:24-25）。不要與神的道路摔跤而成為瘸子，但要做個在神面前與世界事物摔跤的人，因為「靠着愛我們的主，在這一切的事上已經得勝有餘了。」（羅馬書 8:37）。在神面前摔跤會對祂的王國產生影響。如果你要我為你禱告，而我在基督里並不完全，我的禱告就一無所成。但如果我在基督里完全，我的禱告就總是會帶來勝利。禱告只有在完全中才有效——「穿戴神所賜的全副軍裝…」
始終要區分神的完全旨意和祂的許可旨意，那是祂用來實現祂對我們生命的神聖目的。神的完全旨意是不可改變的，而祂許可的旨意，或祂允許進入我們生活中各種事物，我們必須在神面前與它們摔跤。就是我們對祂許可旨意下這些事物的反應，使我們能夠看到祂對我們的完全旨意。「我們曉得萬事都互相效力，叫愛神的人得益處…」（羅馬書 8:28），那些繼續忠於神完全旨意的人，忠於祂在基督耶穌里的呼召。神的許可旨意是祂用來顯明祂真正兒女的考驗。我們不應該軟弱無力並自動地說：「是的，那是主的旨意。」我們無須與神爭戰或摔跤，但我們必須在神面前與事物摔跤。小心，不要懶惰地放棄。反之，應當進行一場榮耀的爭戰，這樣你會發現自己被祂的能力賦予力量了。
來自章伯斯的智慧
新約根本不容許那些聲稱他是靠着恩典得救卻未生出恩典的好果子的人。耶穌基督以祂的救贖可以使我們的實際生活與我們的宗教信仰相符合。《登山寶訓研讀》
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