Spiritual Vision Through Personal Purity (2)

Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place . . . —Revelation 4:1

A higher state of mind and spiritual vision can only be achieved through the higher practice of personal character. If you live up to the highest and best that you know in the outer level of your life, God will continually say to you, “Friend, come up even higher.” There is also a continuing rule in temptation which calls you to go higher; but when you do, you only encounter other temptations and character traits. Both God and Satan use the strategy of elevation, but Satan uses it in temptation, and the effect is quite different. When the devil elevates you to a certain place, he causes you to fasten your idea of what holiness is far beyond what flesh and blood could ever bear or achieve. Your life becomes a spiritual acrobatic performance high atop a steeple. You cling to it, trying to maintain your balance and daring not to move. But when God elevates you by His grace into heavenly places, you find a vast plateau where you can move about with ease.

Compare this week in your spiritual life with the same week last year to see how God has called you to a higher level. We have all been brought to see from a higher viewpoint. Never allow God to show you a truth which you do not instantly begin to live up to, applying it to your life. Always work through it, staying in its light.

Your growth in grace is not measured by the fact that you haven’t turned back, but that you have an insight and understanding into where you are spiritually. Have you heard God say, “Come up higher,” not audibly on the outer level, but to the innermost part of your character?

“Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing . . . ?” (Genesis 18:17). God has to hide from us what He does, until, due to the growth of our personal character, we get to the level where He is then able to reveal it.

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藉著個人品格而得的異象

你上到這裡來，我要……指示你。 （啟四1）

一個人的品格要習於居高，不趨於卑下，才會產生崇高的情操。要是你外在的生活，真與你最崇高的標準相稱，神就會對你說：​​[朋友，再高攀一點吧。 ]試探的金律是：[攀高一點。 ]當你升高了，就會碰見其他的試探，這在性質上與從前的不同。撒旦懂得用向上走的策略來試探人，神也是如此，不過效果卻有不同。當魔鬼把你放在高位，是教你對聖潔觀念的標準，固定在人血肉之軀無法忍受的地位上。這就變成屬靈的雜技表演，你只得立穩，卻不敢移動。但當神用恩典把你提升到屬天的境地，他不是找一個頂峰給你攀住，而是讓你有更廣闊的高原，可以任意驅馳。

試以這個禮拜的靈程與去年同一個禮拜作個比較，看看神怎樣領你往高處行。我們都站過高處瞭望，但千萬別讓神給你一種你不能立即活出來的真理。得了真理，總要努力去實現，而且保持在神的光中。在恩典中的長進，不是拿你有沒有後退來衡量，而是對自己現今的屬靈光景有一認知－－即站在哪裡。你聽見神對你說：[上來吧，登高一點！ ]這不是對你個人說，叫你得到更高的位置，乃是對你的品德說的，叫你在悟性上大大有長進。

[我要做的事豈可瞞著亞伯拉罕麼？ ]神往往要把他所做的向我們隱瞞，直到我們在性情品德上達到一個地步，然後他才向我們顯​​明。

祈禱◆噢，主啊，賜我在你裡面滿有喜樂。求你為我清楚所有的困惑、迷亂和煩擾，讓我在今天以清楚的目光看見你的道路。