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提防心理戰 2月6日〔星期六〕

在困窘日子裏持守召命_1.jpg

「在困窘日子裏持守召命」靈修系列

賴若瀚牧師

26日〔星期六〕

提防心理戰

參巴拉聽見我們修造城牆就發怒,大大惱恨,嗤笑猶大人。(尼四1

當一支軍隊的信心被動搖後,得勝的機會就會降低。這正是兵法中所謂的「用兵之道,攻心為上」。撒但最擅長的戰略,就是用詭計與惡謀,在人的心思意念裏工作,神的兒女們不可不防。

 

這節經文的背景,是以參巴拉為首的敵幫再度出現(參二1019-20)。當尼希米帶領以色列人在重建聖城的工作上漸有進展,參巴拉等人就大大惱恨。這種惱恨是出於懼怕猶大人強盛起來,會削弱他們的政治勢力。在恐懼受威脅的情況下,他們便用「嗤笑」作為武器。

卡萊爾(Thomas Carlyle)曾說:「嗤笑是魔鬼的語言。」而在美國從事領袖訓練事工的麥斯威爾(John Maxwell)牧師則說:「作領袖要付的代價是被人批評。當你站起來作領袖時,你得預期有人會批評你。」亞里士多德亦指出:「要避開別人的批評並不困難,只要你不說甚麼,不作甚麼就可以了!」

參巴拉等人連續用不同的問題來質疑、嗤笑猶大人,藉着灰暗的、消極的、毫無建設性的說話,攻擊猶大人的心理弱點。今日我們若為神的緣故,站在領導的位置,也有可能遇到類似的攻擊、攔阻,但我們不用懼怕、灰心。因為主必與真心跟隨祂、為祂爭戰的人同在!

禱告:放心吧!

主啊,今天實在糟透了!

          一早起來就不好,

憂鬱的小鬼伏在我的床前,等着我醒來,

                   要襲擊我、蹂躝我、

                   把我籠罩在黑暗中!

我頭昏腦脹,

          我神經緊張,

          我的情緒瀕臨崩潰。

然後下起雨來……

          不是常見的、一瞬即逝的雨,

          乃是滲透性、使人煩悶,

                   下個不停的毛毛細雨,

          使我身心靈都被雨水所濕透。

主啊,我生命中有好些這樣的壞日子——

          沉重、煩悶、無意義的日子;

          沒有陽光照進來、心靈灰暗的日子,

                   只是平凡的、不如意的日子。

主啊,遇着這樣的情況,

                   祢的解決辦法是甚麼呢?

          我記得祢常說:「放心吧!」

                   當跟隨祢的門徒——

                             驚惶失措的時候,

                             失去勇氣的時候,

                             需要鼓勵的時候,

                   祢多次用這句話安慰他們。

主啊,我需要鼓勵,

          因此我的心平靜下來,等候祢說:「放心吧!」

主啊,我感謝祢!

—Flora Larsson, S. A

cited from The Illustrated Family Prayer Book,

edited by Tony Jasper, 1981, The Seabury Press, Inc.

An Awful Day

Today, Lord, has been awful!

          It started badly,

Imps of depression sat on the bedposts,

          waiting for me to wake,

                   ready to pounce on me, to harry me,

                   and fill me with their gloom.

My head ached,

          my nerves were edgy

          and I felt irritable.

And then it rained...

                   not a decent sort of rain,

                             soon over and done with,

                   but a penetrating, miserable,

                             drooling kind of rain

          that wet blanketed soul as well as body.

There are days like that, Master.

          Days when life is heavy, boring, meaningless;

          days when no ray pierces the inward gloom,

                   just plain bad days.

What is your recipe for such hours, Lord?

          I am reminded of some words

                             which were often on your lips: “Take heart!”

          They must have comforted your followers many times.

                   You used them…

                             when they were startled,

                             when they had lost their nerve,

                             when they needed encouragement.

I need encouragement, Master,

          so I quieted my mind and wait to hear you say: “Take heart!”

Thank you, Lord.

—Flora Larsson, S. A

cited from The Illustrated Family Prayer Book,

edited by Tony Jasper, 1981, The Seabury Press, Inc.