上帝正在幕后为你动工（第一部分）
I know what it feels like to be under a cloud of oppression. Something happened to my mind when I was a young adult. I read a book that claimed you could lose your salvation if you did not walk in complete obedience to God. Somehow,I believed that and it put me under a terrible bondage that lasted more than a year. Back then,I did not know about the grace of God and the truth that I was justified by faith alone and not by works.I thought I needed to obey God's laws perfectly. But the more I tried to fully obey all the commandments, the more I fell short and constantly believed I had unforgiven sins.Even if I could control my actions,I could not control my thoughts.It was as though the wrong belief that not all my sins were forgiven had opened the floodgates in my mind,and my mind became filled with filth and blasphemous thoughts against God.The more I tried to stop them,the more they took control of my mind,and I was convinced I was condemned to hell.I struggled to sleep because I heard voices talking to me and telling me to kill myself.
我知道黑云压顶是什么感觉。年轻的时候，我在一本书上看到如果你没有完全顺服上帝，你可能会失去救恩。我相信了，这让我陷入了持续一年多的捆绑中。那时我还不认识恩典，也不知道因信称义，我不知道救恩不依靠人的行为。我认为我需要完全遵守律法。但我越试图遵守所有诫命，我越觉得自己不够格，我觉得自己的罪不会被赦免。即使我能控制自己的行为，我也不能控制自己的思想。我的罪没有被赦免---这个错误的想法，打开了我脑海里的闸门，让我头脑中充满了对上帝亵渎和污蔑。我越想阻止这些想法，他们就越多地控制我的思想，我深信我被定罪，应该下地狱。我挣扎着入睡，我听到了和我说话的声音，那声音告诉我我应该自杀！
During that period,I tried everything.Every opportunity I had,I went up to my leaders for prayer.I went for “deliverance sessions”to cast out the “demons”that I wrongly believed were in me.I prayed,I fasted, and I confessed my sins endlessly.I was so sincere about wanting to be right with God that in the midst of conversations with people,I would stop to confess my sin to God if I felt like I had exaggerated a point, or if I thought I had looked at a lady longer than I should have.I took to street evangelism hoping that if I got more people saved, maybe God would remember me when I was languishing in hell.But no matter what I did,i t felt like God had rejected me because I had committed a sin that could never be pardoned.I felt like there was no light, no salvation, and no hope for me.I am sharing all this with you because I want you to know that even when you cannot see a way out of your discouragement and depression, there IS hope for you.What you are going through right now might feel like it is going to crush you, but it won't.The enemy is always playing mind games with you, and he wants you to think you are alone in your struggle and that you will never overcome the challenges in your life.
那段时间里，我尝试了一切方法。一有机会我就请领袖为我祷告。我参加了“释放大会”，以赶走我认为有但实际上并没有住在我里面的“魔鬼”。我祈祷，我禁食，我不停地认罪。我是如此真诚地希望与上帝和好，以至于在与人交谈中，如果有一点夸大事实的成分，或者我看一位女士的时间比应该看得更久，我就会停下来认罪。我去街头布道，希望有更多人得救，这样当我在地狱里受苦的时候，也许上帝会想起我。但无论我做了什么，我都觉得上帝拒绝了我，因为我犯了永远无法原谅的罪。我觉得对我来说，没有光明，没有救赎，没有希望。我和你分享这些，因为我想让你知道，即使你看不到摆脱沮丧和抑郁的出路，你仍有希望。你现在所经历的似乎要压垮你了，但实际上并不会。敌人一直在和你玩思维游戏，他要你认为你在挣扎中是孤独的，你无法克服生命中的挑战。
Even when you cannot see a way out of your discouragement and depression, there is hope for you.
即使你看不到摆脱沮丧和抑郁的方法，你仍有希望。
But the Bible tells us,“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape,that you may be able to bear it”(1 Cor.10:13).God is faithful,and I believe He has sent me to encourage you. Hold on,my friend,your breakthrough is coming.Hold on,the Lord is your refuge(see Ps.28:7-8).He will never leave you nor forsake you(see Heb.13:5).Your story isn't over yet.Keep trusting Him!
但圣经告诉我们：你们所遇见的试探，无非是人所能受的。神是信实的，必不叫你们受试探过于所能受的。在受试探的时候，总要给你们开一条出路，叫你们能忍受得住。（哥林多前书10:13）神是信实的，我相信他让我来鼓励你。坚持住我的朋友，你的突破即将来临。坚持住，主是你的避难所。（诗篇28:7-8 ）他总不撇下你，也不丢弃你。（希伯来书13:5）你的故事没有结束，你要继续信靠他！
Not a Failure Even When You Fail
即便你失败了，神永不失败
Coming back to my story,my mind was so riddled with uncontrollable thoughts that it felt like it would snap at any moment,but it didn't.I survived.And not only did I survive,I am now living a life in Christ that is truly exceedingly,abundantly,above all that I could imagine(see Eph.3:20).The enemy tried to bring me down,but the Lord saved me.I do not deserve any of the blessings I am enjoying,nor can I ever earn the unimaginable goodness of His grace toward me.But today,He is using me-this formerly oppressed man who was a stammerer and stutterer when He picked me up------to preach around the world the good news about the finished work of Jesus Christ. And I will keep preaching until there is no breath left in me because this life that I am living is not mine but His.
回到我的故事来，当时我脑海中充满了我无法控制的想法，我觉得我随时都会崩溃，但我没有。我活了下来。不仅如此，如今我活在基督里，极其丰富，超过我的所求所想（以弗所书3：20）。敌人试图击倒我，但主救活了我。我正享受着不配得的祝福，这祝福不是我能赚取的，而是他对我难以想象的美善的恩典。今天，祂使用我这个曾经被压制的人，一个结巴和口吃，他扶起我，使用我向全世界传讲耶稣基督完工的好消息。我要继续传道，直到我离开世界那天，因为我现在所活的生命不是我的，而是他的。
I will keep proclaiming that of Him we are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, because this was the verse that God used to break me free from my mental oppression (see 1 Cor.1:30).I pray that this verse will minister to you too as you see yourself IN Christ.Those who are in Christ are new creations(see 2 Cor.5:17).Those who are in Christ are blessed with every blessing(see Eph.1:3).Those who are in Christ are safe and protected in the secret place of the Most High(see Ps.91:1).Christ Himself is our wisdom,our righteousness,our sanctification,and our redemption!
我将一直传讲我们得以在基督耶稣里是本乎祂，神又使祂成为我们的智慧、公义、圣洁、救赎。（哥林多后书1:30）神使用这段经文释放我脱离了精神压迫。我祷告当你们看到自己在基督里的时候，这节经文也能帮助你们。那些在基督里的，就是新造的人。（林后5:17）那些在基督里的人，就被各样的祝福所祝福。（以弗所书1:3）那些在基督里的人是安全的，他们被至高者保护在隐秘的地方。（诗篇91：1）基督他自己成了我们的智慧，公义，圣洁和救赎。
It was God who placed you and me in Christ.No one can take us out-not even ourselves.Once we have invited Jesus into our lives,we can never lose our salvation(see John 10:28).“Neither death nor life,nor angels nor principalities nor powers,nor things present nor things to come,nor height nor depth,nor any other created thing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”(Rom.8:38-39).The moment we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior,all ours sins----past,present,and future were completely forgiven(see Eph.1:7,Col.2:13).Though our sins were as scarlet,the blood of Jesus has washed us whiter than snow(see Isa.1:18),
是神把你我放在基督里。没人能把我们带出去，甚至我们自己也不行。一旦我们邀请耶稣进入我们的生活，我们就永不会失去救恩（见约翰福音10：28）。"无论是死，是生，是天使，是掌权的，是有能的，是现在的事，是将来的事，是高处的，是低处的，是别的受造之物，都不能叫我们与神的爱隔绝；这爱是在我们的主基督耶稣里的。"（罗8:38-39）当我们接受基督为我们的主和救主时，我们所有的罪——过去的、现在的和将来的——都已被完全赦免（见以弗所书1：7，西2：13）。我们的罪虽朱红，耶稣的血必将我们洗净为雪白；（以赛亚书1：18）。
I will keep preaching the good news that we are saved by grace through faith,and there is nothing we can do to earn His blessings,because it has nothing to do with us and everything to do with His undeserved,unmerited favor(see Eph.2:8).I will keep announcing that even when we fail,God does not see us in our failures,He sees us in Christ.We can come boldly to God because as Christ is,so are we in this world(see 1 John 4:17).As Christ is completely holy and blameless,so are we! Why? Because He who knew no sin became sin for us,that we might become the righteousness of God in Him(see 2 Cor.5:21)!
我将不断传讲我们得救是本乎恩也因着信的福音，我们无法赚取神的祝福，因为这与我们无关，这是他那白白所赐的恩惠（见以弗所书2：8）。我将一直传讲，神在我们失败时看到的不是失败中的我们，而是在基督里的我们。我们可以坦然无惧地来到神面前，因为基督如何，我们在这世上也如何。（约翰一书4：17）基督既是完全圣洁，无可指摘的，我们也是如此！为什么？因为神使那无罪的（“无罪”原文作“不知罪”），替我们成为罪，好叫我们在他里面成为神的义。（参林后5：21）
Knowing that we are completely forgiven and irrevocably saved is so important to our mental well-being and putting a stop to the enemy's mind games.I've shared with you how having a wrong belief in this area brought me into depression.Some years ago,I met a renowned psychiatrist when I was preaching in Palermo,Italy.He told me he had countless patients who had been committed to mental care institutions because they did not believe their sins were forgiven and struggled with guilt and condemnation.He told me that many in his profession would be out of a job if people truly believed their sins were forgiven and their salvation was secure.That made me want to preach even more strongly on the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ so that more will come to know Him and understand the perfection of His work on the cross!
确信我们已被完全宽恕和不可逆转地拯救对我们的精神健康是如此重要，这也能停止敌人的思维游戏。我已经和你们分享过，错误的信仰如何让我陷入沮丧。几年前，我在意大利巴勒莫宣教时遇到了一位著名的精神病医生。他告诉我，无数病人因为不相信他们的罪已经被赦免，而在和内疚与定罪作斗争，以致被送进了精神病院。他告诉我，如果人们真的相信他们的罪被赦免了，他们的救恩是稳固的，许多精神病医生将会失业。这使我想更激进地传讲我们主耶稣基督的恩典，好让更多人认识祂，明白祂在十字架上所做成的工作是何等完美。
（第一天到这里就可以了day1）
God Is Working Behind the scenes
神正在幕后动工
I want to show you something from the life of Jacob that I pray will help you catch a glimpse of just how good God is,and why you can trust Him even when your situation appears bleak.Genesis 37 records how Jacob had mourned for many days because he believed his son,Joseph,whom he loved 'more than all his children'(Gen.37:3),had been devoured by wild beasts.He refused to be comforted and said,“For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning”(Gen.37:35). Maybe you are mourning a loss in your life right now and it feels like the pain will never stop till you die.It could be the death of a loved one,or perhaps the death of a dream you had worked many years for.I know the pain can feel like it is too much to bear,but keep trusting the Lord,my friend. Well,years passed and Genesis 42 records how Jacob sent ten of his sons to Egypt to buy grain because a severe famine had stripped the land of food.When they were there,the governor of Egypt accused them of being spies and detained one of the brothers,Simeon, and demanded that the rest go back and bring their youngest brother,Benjamin,to prove that they were telling the truth.When they got back to their father and told him what had happened and how the governor wanted Benjamin,Jacob cried out,"You have bereaved me:Joseph is no more,Simeon is no more,and you want to take Benjamin.All these things are against me”(Gen. 42:36）
我想让你看到雅各生命中的一些东西，我祷告这些能让你看到神有多好，以及为什么即使情况看上去很糟，你仍可以信靠神。创世记37章记录了雅各哀恸数日，因为他相信他的儿子约瑟，“他最爱的儿子约瑟”（创37：3），已经被野兽吞吃。他不肯受安慰，他说：“我要下到阴间我儿子那里去悲哀。”（创37：35）。也许现在你正在为你生命中的损失哀伤，感觉痛苦永远不会停止。这痛苦可能由于你爱的人去世了，可能是你努力多年的梦想破碎了。我知道这种痛苦是难以忍受的，但请继续信靠主，我的朋友。创世记42章记载了一场严重的饥荒，雅各为此差派他十个儿子到埃及觅粮。到了那里，埃及的宰相却指责他们是奸细，扣下了他们中的西缅，要求其余人回去，把最小的兄弟便雅悯带回来，证明他们没有说谎。他们回到父亲那里，把所发生的事和埃及宰相对便雅悯的要求告诉了他，雅各就喊着说，“你们使我丧失我的儿子：约瑟没有了，西缅也没有了，你们又要将便雅悯带去；这些事都归到我身上了。”（创42:36）
Perhaps that is the cry in your heart right now.Maybe you are looking at the challenges in your life, and you are asking,"Lord,what happened to Your promises?”Maybe it feels like everything in your life is against you.But I want to announce to you that whatever may be happening in your life, these things are not against you.Your God has gone ahead of you to prepare a place for you that is greater than where you are right now.Jacob despaired because he looked at the lack of food and loss of his son.If only he had known that God was working behind the scenes for him.If only he had known that the governor of Egypt was actually his beloved Joseph, who was alive, and that because of Joseph, his whole family would be well provided for even in the midst of famine(see Gen.45).
也许这就是此刻你心中的呼求。也许你正看着生命中的挑战，你正在问：“主啊，你的应许怎么了？”也许你觉得一切都在与你作对。但是我想告诉你们，无论在你的生活中发生了什么，这些都不是与你做对的。你的神已经在你前面为你预备了一个比你现在所在的更大的地方。雅各的绝望是因为他看到食物的缺乏和他所失去的儿子。除非他知道神正为他在幕后动工。除非他知道埃及总督是他所爱的约瑟，他还活着，他的全家必因约瑟的缘故在饥荒之时得饱足（见创45）。
All Things Will Work Together for Your Good
万事为你的益处互相效力
My friend,open your eyes.The Lord Jesus---your heavenly Joseph-----is working out everything for you.Soon,you will be rejoicing.Soon,you will see that all the things that look like they are against you are actually for you.He is causing ALL things to work together for your good(see Rom.8:28).That means even when negative things happen to you---things that are painful and that cause you to cry till you have no tears left-God can cause them to work together for your good!
我的朋友，睁开你的眼睛。主耶稣，你属天的约瑟，正在为你解决一切问题。很快你就会欢欣快乐，很快你将看到你以为与你做对的事情实际上是为你的益处而来。他叫万事为你的缘故互相效力。（罗马书8：28）那意味着当负面的事情发生时，那些让你感到受伤的事情和那些让你哭泣的事情，神将使他们为你的缘故互相效力！