谦卑的操练

谦卑的操练

艾芙琳·克里斯滕森（Evelyn Christenson）——一位在祷告事奉上享誉国际的导师——提供了一份可能的罪状清单，帮助你开始认识罪在你生命中的力量。每一个“是”的答案，都是你生命中需要认罪的罪。请把你正面对的罪写下来，并且具体说明。

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“凡事谢恩，因为这是神在基督耶稣里向你们所定的旨意。”（帖前5:18）
你是否为任何事忧虑？是否没有为一切事——无论看似好的还是坏的——感谢神？你是否在用餐时忽略感谢祷告？

“神能照着运行在我们心里的大力，充充足足地成就一切，超过我们所求所想。”（弗3:20）
你是否因为觉得自己才干不够而不敢为神尝试？是否因自卑感而不敢事奉神？当你为基督完成一件事时，是否没有把一切荣耀归给祂？

“圣灵降临在你们身上，你们就必得着能力，并要在耶路撒冷、犹太全地和撒玛利亚，直到地极，作我的见证。”（徒1:8）
你是否没有用你的生命为基督作见证？是否认为只要过基督徒的生活就够了，而不必用口向失丧的人作见证？

“不要看自己过于所当看的。”（罗12:3）
你是否过分为你的成就、才能、家庭骄傲？别人会不会形容你为傲慢？你是否高估自己在基督身体中的重要性？你是否觉得自己比教会中其他人更重要？你是否抗拒神改变你？

“不要彼此说谎，因你们已经脱去旧人和旧人的行为。”（西3:9）
你是否说过谎？夸大其词？是否不认为“小白谎”是罪？是否按自己的喜好而非事实讲述事情？

“一切苦毒、恼恨、忿怒、喧嚷、毁谤，并一切的恶毒，都当从你们中间除掉。”（弗4:31）
你是否常抱怨、挑剔、争论？是否有批评的灵？是否对不同宗派的基督徒怀有芥蒂？是否在背后说别人坏话？你是否对自己、别人或神生气？

“岂不知你们的身子就是圣灵的殿吗？”（林前6:19）
你是否轻忽你的身体？是否在饮食和锻炼上不当照顾它？是否以不圣洁的性行为玷污你的身体？

“污秽的言语一句不可出口。”（弗4:29）
你是否用过污秽的话，或讲带颜色的笑话？是否纵容别人这样做，无论是在你面前还是在你家里？

“不可给魔鬼留地步。”（弗4:27）
你是否看不见，当你藉着超觉静坐、瑜伽、灵媒预言、神秘学书籍、暴力或色情电影等向它敞开心思时，你就是为撒但预备了降落场？你是否从星座运程而非神得生活指引？你是否藉批评、闲言、缺乏支持等，成为撒但破坏教会的工具？

“殷勤不可懒惰。”（罗12:11）
你是否拖延还债，甚至逃避还债？是否用信用卡超出偿还能力？是否在税务记录上不诚实？是否参与不正当的生意交易？

“不可停止聚会。”（来10:25）
你是否聚会不规律？聚会时是否人在心不在，交谈、看书、走神？你是否缺席祷告会？忽略家庭灵修？你是否拒绝让其他基督徒在小组中监督和为你祷告？你的信仰旅程是否过于孤立？

“要禁戒肉体的私欲。”（彼前2:11）
你是否对异性怀有淫念？是否用性取向的电视、电影、书籍、杂志充满心思？是否从事淫乱、奸淫、变态等神的话语所禁止的行为？

“若有彼此相爱的心，众人因此就认出你们是我的门徒了。”（约13:35）
你是否在教会里制造或参与派系、分裂？你是否宁可加剧误会，也不愿化解？你是否只爱自己教会或宗派的人？只爱自己种族或阶层的人，并盼望某些人不要来教会？你是否暗暗为别人遭遇不幸而高兴，或因他们成功而烦恼？

“一个人不能事奉两个主……你们不能又事奉神，又事奉玛门。”（太6:24）
你的目标是否是赚尽可能多的钱？累积更多财物？你是否扣留了神在你收入中应得的份？金钱是否成了你的神？

“倘若这人与那人有嫌隙，总要彼此包容，彼此饶恕。”（西3:13）
你是否没有饶恕那些冒犯你的人？是否对某些人心门关闭？是否怀恨在心？

“从前偷窃的，不要再偷。”（弗4:28）
你是否藉偷懒、早退等方式偷窃雇主的时间和金钱？是否虚报开支？是否欺骗他人并以“他们也骗我”为理由合理化？

“外面显出公义来，里面却满了假善和不法。”（太23:28）
你是否明知自己是假冒的，只是在装作真正的基督徒？是否用教会会员身份掩盖满是罪的生活？是否为了社交地位、教会或社区接纳而假装虔诚？是否在主日讲道时笑容可掬，却一周活在罪中？你在家里是否与在外人面前的形象完全不同？

“凡是真实的、可敬的、公义的、清洁的、可爱的、有美名的……你们都要思念。”（腓4:8）
你是否喜欢听闲话并传出去？是否相信关于仇敌或竞争对手的谣言或半真半假的话？你是否每天没有花时间读圣经和祷告？是否未能常常思想神的事——那些美好、真实、纯洁的事？

 

THE HUMILITY EXERCISE

Evelyn Christenson, internationally known authority on prayer, provides a list of possible sins that may help you to begin to understand the power of sin in your life. Every “yes” answer is a sin in your life that needs to be confessed. Write down the sin you are dealing with and be specific.

• In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thessalonians 5:18, NKJ). Do you worry about anything? Have you failed to thank God for all things, the seemingly bad as well as the good? Do you neglect to give thanks at mealtime?
• Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us (Ephesians 3:20, NKJ). Do you fail to attempt things for God because you are not talented enough? Do feelings of inferiority keep you from trying to serve God? When you do accomplish something for Christ, do you fail to give Him all the glory?
• You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8, NKJ). Have you failed to be a witness with your life for Christ? Have you felt it was enough to just live your Christianity and not witness with your mouth to the lost?
• I say…to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think (Romans 12:3, NKJ). Are you overly proud of your accomplishments, your talents, and your family? Would it be fair to describe you as arrogant? Do you overestimate your importance to the body of Christ? Do you think that as a Christian you are more important than others in your church? Do you rebel at God wanting to change you?
• Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds (Colossians 3:9, NKJ). Do you ever lie? Exaggerate? Do you fail to see “little white lies” as sin? Do you tell things the way you want them rather than the way they really are?
• Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice (Ephesians 4:31, NKJ). Do you complain, find fault, argue? Do you have a critical spirit? Do you carry a grudge against Christians of another group because they don’t see eye to eye with you on all things? Do you speak unkindly about people when they are not present? Are you angry with yourself? Others? God?
• Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own (1 Corinthians 6:19, NKJ). Are you careless with your body? Are you guilty of not caring for it as the temple of the Holy Spirit in eating and exercise habits? Do you defile your body with unholy sex acts?
• Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth (Ephesians 4:29, NKJ). Do you ever use filthy language, tell slightly off-color jokes? Do you condone others doing so in your presence, in your home?
• Do not…give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:26,27, NKJ). Do you fail to see that you are a “landing strip” for Satan when you open your mind to him through Transcendental Meditation, yoga, psychic predictions, occult literature, and violent, sex-driven movies? Do you get advice for daily living from horoscopes rather than from God? Do you let Satan use you to thwart the cause of Christ in your church through criticism, gossip, and non-support?
• Not slothful in business (Romans 12:11, NKJ). Do not fail to pay your debts on time? Avoid paying them altogether? Do you charge more on credit cards than you can pay when due? Do you neglect to keep honest income tax records? Do you engage in any shady business deals?
• Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25, NKJ). Are you irregular or spasmodic in church attendance? Do you attend preaching services in the body only, whispering, reading, or planning while God’s Word is being preached? Are you skipping prayer meetings? Have you neglected family devotions? Do you allow any other Christians the chance to hole you accountable and pray with you on a regular basis (small groups)? Is your faith journey too isolated from others?
• Beloved…abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul (1Peter 2:11, NKJ). Are you guilty of a lustful eye toward the opposite sex? Do you fill your mind with sex-oriented TV programs, movies, books, magazines? Their covers? Centerfolds? Do you indulge in any lustful activity that God’s Word condemns-fornication, adultery, perversion?
• By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35, NKJ). Are you guilty of being a part of factions and divisions in your church? Would you rather add fuel to a misunderstanding than help correct it? Have you loved only the ones in your own church, feeling those of other denominations are not of the body of Christ? Have you loved only the ones of your own race or socio-economic group, wishing that some people would not attend your church? Are you secretly pleased over the misfortunes of another? Annoyed by their successes?
• No one can serve two masters…You cannot serve God and (money) (Matthew 6:24, NKJ). Is your goal in life to make as much money as possible? Accumulate things? Have you withheld God’s share of your income from Him? Is money your God?
• Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do (Colossians 3:13, NKJ). Have you failed to forgive anybody anything they might have said or done against you? Have you turned certain people off? Are you holding grudges?
• Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor (Ephesians 4:28, NKJ). Do you steal from your employer by doing less work, staying on the job less time than you are paid for? Do you “pad” your expense account? Are there any others you cheat and then justify because you think they somehow cheat you?
• You outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (Matthew 23:28, NKJ). Do you know in your heart that you are a fake, just pretending to be a real Christian? Are you hiding behind church membership to cover a life still full of sin? Are you faking Christianity for social status, acceptance in your church, community? Do you smile piously during the Sunday sermon, but live in your sin all week? Are you the person in your home that you are trying to impress people you are?
• Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things (Philippians 4:8, NKJ). Do you enjoy listening to gossip? Passing it on? Do you believe rumors or partial truths, especially about an enemy or your competitor? Do you fail to spend time every day reading the Bible and praying? Do you fail to think on the things of God – only good and true and pure things – always?