Born of God

January 20

As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God…born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. — John 1:12–13

Scripture reading: Romans 4:8–5:2

I see before me faces I know, and I can tell that these people are born of God (John 1:13). Sometimes I see that this power of God within us is greater when we are weak than when we are strong, just as this power in Abraham grew stronger as his body grew weaker.

Looking at him, Sarah would shake her head and say, “I never saw anybody so thin and weak and helpless in my life. No, Abraham, I have been looking at you, and you seem to be going right down.” But Abraham refused to look at his own body or Sarah‘s; he believed that the promise would happen.

Suppose you come for healing. You know as well as possible that, according to the natural life, there is no virtue in your body to give you that health. You also know that the ailment from which you suffer has drained your life and energy so that there is no help at all in you, but God says that you will be healed if you believe. It makes no difference how your body is. It was exactly the helplessness of Sarah and Abraham that brought the glorious fact that a son was born, and I want you to see what sort of a son he was.

He was the son of Abraham. His seed is the seed of the whole believing church—innumerable as the sands on the seashore. God wants us to know that there is no limitation with Him, and He wants to bring us to a place where there will be no limitation in us. This state would be brought about by the working of the Omnipotent in the human body, working in us continually—the One who is greater than any science or any power in the world—and bringing us into the place to comprehend God and man.

Some of you would like a touch in your bodies; some would like a touch in your spirit; some would like to be baptized in the Holy Spirit; some want to be filled with all God‘s power. It is there for you.

Now come into a position of faith. I want you to see that you can be healed if you will hear the Word. Some people want healing; maybe some need salvation; maybe others want sanctification and the baptism of the Spirit. Romans 5:2 says that it is by faith that we have access into grace. Grace is omnipotence; it is activity, benevolence, and mercy. It is truth, perfection, and God‘s inheritance in the soul that can believe. Grace is God. You open the door by faith, and God comes in with all you need and want. It cannot be otherwise, for it is “of faith that it might be according to grace” (Romans 4:16). It cannot be by grace unless you say it will be so.

This is believing, and most people want healing by feeling. It cannot be. Some even want salvation on the same lines, and they say, “Oh, if only I could feel I was saved!” It will never come that way. So God brings you to hear the Scriptures, which can make you “wise unto salvation” (2 Timothy 3:15), which can open your understanding and make you so that if you will hear the truth, you will go out with what you want. Then you have power to shut the door and power to open the door to healing.

Thought for today: Three things work together. The first is faith. Faith can always bring the second thing—fact—and fact can always bring the third thing—joy.

神所生

1月20日

凡接待他的，就是信他名的人，他就赐他们权柄，作神的儿女；这等人不是从血气生的，不是从情欲生的，也不是从人意生的，乃是从　神生的。——约翰福音 1:12-13

经文阅读：罗马书 4:8–5:2

我看见在我面前的面孔是我认识的，我可以分辨这些人是从神生的（约翰福音 1:13）。有时我看到，我们里面的神的能力在我们软弱的时候比我们强壮时更大，就像亚伯拉罕的这能力随着他身体的虚弱而变得更强一样。

看着他，萨拉会摇摇头说：“我这辈子从没见过有人这么瘦、这么虚弱、这么无助。不，亚伯拉罕，我一直在看着你，你似乎正在一天天好下去。”但是亚伯拉罕拒绝看自己的身体或萨拉的身体；他相信那个应许会实现。

假设你来寻求治愈。你非常清楚，根据自然生命，你的身体没有任何能力给予你健康。你也知道，你所遭受的疾病已经耗尽了你的生命和精力，所以你体内根本没有任何帮助，但上帝说，如果你相信，你将会被治愈。不管你的身体状况如何，这都没有关系。正是撒拉和亚伯拉罕的无助，带来了一个荣耀的事实——一个儿子诞生了，我希望你看到这个儿子是怎样的。

他是亚伯拉罕的儿子。他的后裔是整个信徒教会的后裔——多如海边的沙子。上帝希望我们知道，在他那里没有限制，他也希望把我们带到一个我们内心没有限制的境地。这种状态将通过全能者在人体内的工作实现，持续在我们里面运行——那位比世界上任何科学或力量都伟大的存在——并将我们带到理解神和人的位置。

你们中的一些人希望在身体上得到触碰；一些人希望在灵里得到触碰；一些人希望受圣灵的洗；一些人希望充满神的一切能力。这一切都为你们而准备。

现在进入信心的立场。我希望你明白，如果你听从神的话，你是可以得医治的。有些人想要医治；也许有些人需要得救；也许还有些人想要成圣和受圣灵的洗。罗马书5:2说，我们凭着信可以进入恩典。恩典是全能；它是行动、善意和怜悯。它是真理、完美，是能够信的人灵魂中的神的产业。恩典就是神。你凭信心开启门，神就会带着你所需和所想的一切进来。情况不能反过来，因为‘这乃是按信称义，叫所应许的可以按恩典归于众后嗣’（罗马书4:16）。若你不说愿意这样，就不可能凭恩典成就。

这是信仰，而大多数人希望通过感觉来获得治愈。这是不可能的。有些人甚至希望按照同样的方式获得救赎，他们说：“哦，如果我能感觉到自己得救了就好了！”那种方式永远不会发生。因此，上帝让你去听经文，圣经能使你“在救恩上有智慧”（提摩太后书 3:15），能开启你的理解，使你如果愿意听真理，就可以带着你想要的出去。然后你就有能力关上治愈的门，也有能力打开治愈的门。

今日的思考：三件事情相互作用。第一件是信念。信念总能带来第二件事——事实——而事实总能带来第三件事——喜悦。