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Wrestle in Prayer

2026-08-31 in /by

When the son of his friend died, “Elijah stretched himself out on the child three times, and cried out to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him’” (1 Kings 17:21 NKJV). Elijah had no precedent upon which to base this prayer. Up to this point in Scripture, no person had been brought back to life. He did this because he believed in a living God.

There are occasions in which we rest in prayer. There are other occasions in which we wrestle in prayer. Elijah wrestled. Elijah did first what mattered most: he prayed…passionately, dramatically, thunderously. Let’s do likewise. Let’s heed the command of Scripture: “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God…” (Hebrews 4:16 NLT).

更大的挑戰

2026-08-30 in , /by

〈約書亞記〉 12:7 a  約書亞和以色列人在約旦河西擊殺了諸王。

閱讀經文：〈約書亞記〉 12:1-24

看到約書亞做的報告，可以感覺到他是一個很正直的人。他沒有隱藏摩西的功績，雖然河東的仗也是約書亞帶頭在打。但那時是摩西帶領以色列人，所以把功績歸給摩西是應當的。有人拿摩西的戰績和約書亞的相比較，摩西殺了亞摩利王西宏和巴珊噩，而約書亞殺了31個王。所以約書亞比摩西厲害功高，你同意嗎？我覺得那是相當無聊的比較。其實在擊殺河東之王時，摩西已經120歲，在這之前和亞瑪利人的爭戰，摩西到山上禱告，約書亞在戰場上爭戰。仗都是約書亞打的，但是摩西的禱告卻是勝負的關鍵。摩西舉手，以色列人就打勝仗；摩西的手放下來，以色列人就打敗仗。所以亞倫和戶珥必須扶助摩西的手，直到戰事結束。

約書亞的順服

2026-08-28 in , /by

〈約書亞記〉 11:15  耶和華怎樣吩咐他僕人摩西，摩西就照樣吩咐約書亞，約書亞也照樣行。凡耶和華所吩咐摩西的，約書亞沒有一件懈怠不行的。凡耶和華所吩咐摩西的，約書亞沒有一件懈怠不行的。

閱讀經文：〈約書亞記〉 11:1-23

在約書亞結束迦南地南部的爭戰之後，迦南地北方的王也結盟要攻打以色列。他們聚集在米倫水邊，就是加利利海的北面。約書亞看到敵人的人數多如海邊的沙，並有許多馬匹車輛，正在愁煩不已。再一次，神對約書亞說：「你不要因他們懼怕」，然後把打仗的方法教給約書亞。神的話及時臨到，把應對之計告訴約書亞。約書亞立刻起身作戰。神的話就是這樣有能力，使人在面對最可怕的敵人時，也能衝鋒陷陣，因為神與他們同在。

The Strategy for the Tragedy

2026-08-28 in /by

“Some time later the son of the woman who owned the house became ill. He grew worse and worse and finally stopped breathing…Elijah lay on top of the boy three times. He prayed to the Lord, ‘Lord my God, let this boy live again!’” (1 Kings 17:17, 21). The Lord answered Elijah’s prayer, the boy began breathing again, and was alive.

What if Elijah holding the dead boy is a picture of you and me in the midst of a sick society? Did you know that nine out of ten young people in Great Britain believe that life has no meaning? What happens when ninety percent of a generation find no reason to live? Anxiety, anger, depression, despair, suicide. We, like Elijah, have been handed a corpse. Elijah shows us what to do. Prayer was his strategy for the tragedy.

迦南地的產權

2026-08-27 in , /by

〈約書亞記〉  10:42 約書亞一時殺敗了這些王，並奪了他們的地，因為耶和華以色列的神為以色列爭戰。

閱讀經文：〈約書亞記〉   10:28-43

在滅了五王之後，約書亞帶著以色列人衝鋒陷陣，從瑪基大往立拿，再打拉吉，伊磯倫、希伯崙和底璧，擊殺城中的一切人口，沒有留下一個。從這些戰役裡再來看現在的以巴衝突。可能有的人會很同情當地的迦南人，覺得神為了把迦南地給以色列人，就趕盡殺絕，豈不應當讓每個人都有容身之地嗎？但是我們看以色列的仇敵對以色列人是絕不手下留情的，他們志在把以色列人趕到地中海。最近以色列和阿拉伯國家終於簽訂合約，開始有了來往，實在也是一個神蹟。

Pray It Through

2026-08-27 in /by

No verse in the Bible promises the absence of struggle. Quite the contrary. Scripture is stained with tears, problems, injustices, immorality, and wars. Tough times come with life. But troubling times don’t have to take the life out of your life.

God gives us this invitation: “Pray it through.” It is what troubles you, fatigues you, shames you. It won’t have the last word. God will. Prayer slaps handcuffs on the culprit. Prayer marches the problem into the presence of God, the One who can solve it.

The prophet Elijah is remembered as an example of radical prayer. He is living proof that “when a believing person prays, great things happen” (James 5:16 NCV).

Faithful Obedience

2026-08-26 in /by

We’d prefer to fill a storehouse with a lifetime’s worth of courage, cash, and convictions. Yet God wants us to trust him day by day. Elijah’s word to the widow is God’s word to us: “The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry” (1 Kings 17:14 NIV). Elijah spoke to her with faith; she responded in faith. She turned and obeyed.

In order to swim upstream in a downstream culture, we, like the widow, have to make a choice. Will we obey God? When you are weary, God is your strength. Lonely, God is your friend. Weak, God is your provider. Fortitude follows faithful obedience. Do what the widow did. Go to the kitchen, empty the jar of oil and flour, trust. The God who filled it today will fill it again tomorrow.

歷史上 最長的一日

2026-08-26 in , /by

〈約書亞記〉  10: 14  在這日以前，這日以後，耶和華聽人的禱告沒有像這日的，是因耶和華為以色列爭戰。

閱讀經文：〈約書亞記〉  10:1-27

南方的五王攻打基遍，基遍要求以色列人相助的這場戰役，實在是驚心動魄，成為膾炙人口的一個故事。耶路撒冷、希伯崙、耶末、拉吉和伊磯倫五個大城， 很可能原先與基遍有合約，要一起對抗從沙漠而來的以色列人，萬萬沒有想到他們會先投降以色列，讓其他五王在害怕憤怒之餘，連合起來懲罰基遍。因為基遍是一 座大城，如都城一般，比艾城更大，並且城內的人都是勇士，倘若沒有他們的力量，其他五王得勝的機會就減少了，因此他們決定去攻打基遍，給約書亞一個下馬威，也給迦南的其他族裔看看，誰敢歸降約書亞，他們就去打誰，讓大家都不敢去和以色列人和好。

從卑賤到榮耀

2026-08-25 in , /by

〈約書亞記 〉9:22-23   約書亞召了他們來，對他們說：「為甚麼欺哄我們說『我們離你們甚遠』呢？其實你們是住在我們中間。現在你們是被咒詛的！你們中間的人必斷不了作奴僕，為我　神的殿作劈柴挑水的人。」

閱讀經文：〈約書亞記〉 9:1-27

身處在這個時代，沒有受騙過的人真是很少。每個人一說起被騙的經驗，至少有兩三個故事好講。有許多聰明人不把聰明用在正經事上，專門拿來走捷徑發不義之財。只可惜，你會騙人，人家也會騙你，到最後誰吃虧呢？當然是騙人的，因為他對人根本無法產生信心。他自己滿口假話，又怎能相信有人會講真話？這真是神的幽默感，自以為聰明的人，經常反被聰明誤。但是有一種人，為了保存性命而想出的詭計，倒是令我感到他們是真的聰明。

Sufficiency in All Things

2026-08-25 in /by

Soon after I began following Jesus, I sensed a desire to write Christian books. I cobbled together a manuscript and mailed it to fifteen publishers. Fourteen rejected it. I was beginning to think I should take the hint when one said, “Yes.” Before I knew it, my writing ministry was airborne.

It’s been over forty years and nearly fifty books. I seem to have more book ideas than I have time to write them. I am a testimony to God’s provision. Trust him. If he calls you, he will equip you. He will give you what you need when you need it.

“God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV).