11月18日 迈进自由

天父的儿子若叫你们自由，你们就真自由了。（约八36）

人若还存在留任何的自负，总是说：“我办不到。”但“人格”永不说“办不到”，它会不断吸取。“人格”总是渴求得到更多，因为我们是被造成这样的。我们被造，对神有极大的渴求；阻隔我们近神的，是罪和我们的“个性”。神救我们脱离罪；我们却要救自己脱离个性，就是要天然的生命作活祭献给神，直至因顺服而改变成属灵的生命。

在属灵生命的过程中，神不会理会我们天然的个性，他的命令会直闯我们天然的生命。我们要协助神，而不要阻挡他说：“我办不到。”神不会操练我们，我们要操练自己。神不会管制我们每一个念头与幻想，这工作我们要自己做。不要说：“主啊，我思想时常浮游，好苦！”那就不要再浮游，不要再受个性的操纵，乃要释放出来，活出真正的个性。

“天父的儿子若叫你们自由……”不要用“救主”代替“儿子”，救主救我们离罪；这个自由却是从“儿子”而来的。保罗在加拉太书二章20节正是这意思：“我已经与基督同钉十字架”，他天然的“个性”已破碎了，他的人格与主合一，不是混合，乃是合一。“你们就真自由了”，自由的本质是内里的自由。我们坚持的是主动，而不是被动的推向与主耶稣认同。

祈祷◆主啊，我何等需要你和渴慕你。求你完完全全地回到我里面，将你的生命注满我们的意念和心灵，直至满溢，愿荣耀归于你的名。

November 18 Winning Into Freedom

“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36

If there is any remnant of individual conceit left, it always says “I can't.” Personality never says “I can't,” but simply absorbs and absorbs. Personality always wants more and more. It is the way we are built. We are designed with a great capacity for God; and sin and our individuality are the things that keep us from getting at God. God delivers us from sin: we have to deliver our selves from individuality, i.e., to present our natural life to God and sacrifice it until it is transformed into a spiritual life by obedience.

God does not pay any attention to our natural individuality in the development of our spiritual life. His order runs right across the natural life, and we have to see that we aid and abet God, not stand against Him and say – I can't do that. God will not discipline us, we must discipline ourselves. God will not bring every thought and imagination into captivity; we have to do it. Do not say – O Lord, I suffer from wandering thoughts. Don't suffer from wandering thoughts. Stop listening to the tyranny of your individuality and get emancipated out into personality.

“If the Son shall make you free ...” Do not substitute ‘Saviour’ for ‘Son’. The Saviour sets us free from sin; this is the freedom of being set free by the Son. It is what Paul means in Gal. 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ,” his natural individuality has been broken and his personality united with his Lord, not merged but united. “Ye shall be free indeed,” free in essence, free from the inside. We will insist on energy, instead of being energized into identification with Jesus.