不要讓困難折殺你的夢 by Sister Gwen Shaw石桂林
NEVER LET DIFFICULTIES CAUSE YOU TO LOSE YOUR DREAM
（選自： 看哪﹗那做夢的來了﹗Behold, the Dreamer Cometh!）
譯： 金幼竹（Bambi Wright)
光是得到一個夢是不夠的﹐你必須在你心裡保持那個夢的活力﹐每一天﹐每一晚﹐每一小時﹐每一個時刻都不中斷。絕對不要因為生活裡的陰霾和困難﹐灰心喪志﹐以至於放棄了那個夢終會實現的信心。
約瑟雖然被丟到深坑﹐被賣成奴隸﹐又被關進監牢﹐受盡了折磨﹐但是﹐在他心裡﹐那個夢一直活著。如果他心裡有疑而丟棄了他的夢﹐那麼﹐那個夢永遠也不會實現。約瑟曾經落到人下之人的地步﹐但是﹐他後來終於在地位﹑權力﹑名望方面﹐都成了人上之人。
約瑟年幼的時候﹐急於告訴他人他得到的夢﹐但是﹐當他成熟以後﹐他能夠聆聽別人的夢。真正的大人物會用心聽別人要說什麼﹐他們知道自己並不是萬事通。你的弟兄姐妹可能有一個異象﹐要和人分享﹐他們可能須要一些鼓勵﹐不要在他們向你打開心房的時候﹐急著用你自己的觀點否定他們。好好聽他們說﹐很可能﹐他們有值得你學習的地方。
沒有做夢的人 世界就會荒蕪
『異象』在希伯來文字裡是Chazowr﹐它的涵義是『心裡的景象﹐夢﹐異象﹐啟示﹐預示﹐預言。』《箴言》裡最深奧的經文包括了『沒有異象﹐民就放肆。』（箴言２９﹕１８）。
德文把這句經文翻譯成﹕『沒有異象﹐人們就變得狂野﹑蒼涼﹑混亂﹑墮落﹑粗俗﹑骯髒﹑空虛。』
今天的人性差不多就是如此﹗我們許多城市的市中心就是這個光景﹐而許況﹐多最奢侈﹑富裕和名人也是這樣。如果我們知道許多今天在政治﹑宗教﹑娛樂界有權勢的人的罪和他們的苦況﹐我們會驚訝得合不攏嘴。因為﹐很多人已經把他們的靈魂賣給了撒旦﹐才達到今天的地位﹐也因為如此﹐他們變得非常殘酷﹐雖然表明上他們好像很高尚﹐他們對於踐踏別人往上爬﹐眼睛都不會眨一下。他們也有『夢』﹐但是不是從神而來的夢﹐而是因為他們拒絕神給他們的夢﹐拒絕祂對他們一生的計劃。
在士師的時代﹐當撒姆耳還是幼兒的時候﹐以色列境內沒有異象﹐這就是說﹐當時沒有人有先知的話語帶領以色列民走在神的道中。其結果是﹐祭司變得墮落﹑粗俗﹑污穢和惡毒﹐以致於約櫃被非利士人劫走﹐許多年--包括掃羅在位的四十年--流落在外。一直要到大衛王有異象要把約櫃帶回神的子民當中以後﹐它才回到以色列人當中﹐而其中的過程充滿了試練和傷心之處。
來自神的夢和來自於人的謀算有很大的分別﹐我們必須小心﹐千萬別把祂所給我們的夢和人的謀算交換。
四種異象
FOUR KINDS OF VISIONS
1 開放的異象（OPEN VISION）﹕ 在你醒著的時候得到的。
2 夜晚的異象(異夢)（NIGHT VISION)﹕在睡著的時候得到的。
3 心靈內在的印象（AN INWARD IMPRESSION UPON THE HEART AND THE MIND）﹕聖靈在你心中給你的。
4 先知性的話語（A PROPHETIC WORD）﹕先知性的話語會在在你心中創造一個異象或夢﹐因為這是神所曉諭的﹐也因此﹐它具有創造性的話語大能﹐使之實現。
聖靈藉著約珥書２﹕２８告訴我們﹕『以後﹐我要將我的靈澆灌凡有血氣的。你們的兒女要說預言﹐你們的老年人要作異夢﹐少年人要見異象。』
彼得在五旬節聖靈降臨的時候肯定了這個預言﹕『神說﹕在末後的日子﹐我要將我的靈澆灌凡有血氣的﹔你們的兒女要說預言﹐你們的少年人要見異象﹔老年人要作異夢。在那些日子﹐我要將我的靈澆灌我的僕人和使女﹐他們就要說預言。』（使徒行傳２﹕１７－１８）。
異象可以改變人心
在前往大馬色的路上﹐一個異象把大數的掃羅轉變成使徒保羅﹐第一位偉大的世界性的宣教士﹐使他得到大能﹐馬上就開始宣『耶穌是神的獨生子』的信息。
也是因為一個異夢﹐保羅被呼召到歐洲﹐因為他看到一個馬其頓人向他呼求﹕『到馬其頓來幫助我們。』所以﹐雖然他在腓立比遭受棍打﹐並被關進監獄﹐他仍然毫無畏懼的繼續宣講神的道。事實上﹐腓利比成為他起初的愛﹐他給他們的書信充滿了他對他們的愛﹐異象會讓你對某一個國家產生極大的愛。
以前﹐我從來沒有想要去中國﹐坦白說﹐那時我有點怕中國人﹐但是﹐當我在多倫多唸聖經學校的的二年﹐神用預言和異象呼召我去中國的時候﹐祂在我心裡放了對中國人浩大的愛﹐我願意為中國擺上我所有的年月。從那以後﹐那個夢成為我生命的重心﹐它在1947年帶我到上海﹐使我能夠憑信心開始我的宣道工作到現在。
沒有夢﹐你不會有足夠的信心去忍受艱辛﹐也無法為神作祂要成就的事情﹐因為你會被自己的目光所限制。
選自： 看哪﹗那做夢的來了﹗FROM: Behold, the Dreamer Cometh! by Sister Gwen Shaw石桂林
閱讀原文：
NEVER LET DIFFICULTIES CAUSE YOU TO LOSE YOUR DREAM
It is not enough to receive a dream. One must keep that dream alive in one’s heart every day, every night, every hour, every moment. And one must never allow the darkness and the trials of life to cause such discouragement that one loses his faith in its final fulfillment.
Even though Joseph was thrown in the pit, and suffered as a slave, was thrown into prison, and tested to the extreme, he kept his vision in his heart. If he had ever, even for one moment, given up, he would never have seen it fulfilled. Joseph went as far down as any man can go, but he also rose to greater heights than any man ever has in positions of power and honour.
When Joseph was a youth he was anxious to tell others his dreams. But when he became mature, he was able to listen as others told him about their dreams. Great men and women take time to hear what others see and hear. Great men and women know that they do not know it all. Your brother and your sister may have a vision which they need to share. They may need encouragement. Don’t “roll over them” with your own vision when they are opening their hearts to you. Listen to them. It could be that you might learn something from them also.
THE WORLD WOULD SOON BECOME DESOLATE WITHOUT A DREAMER
The original word for “vision” in Hebrew is chazown2377. It means “a mental sight, a dream, a vision, a revelation, an oracle, a prophecy.”
One of the greatest proverbs is, “Where there is no vision, the people perish...” (Proverbs 29:18).
In German it is “Wo kein Weisagung ist, wird das Volk wild und wust...”
It can be translated, “Where no vision is, the people will become wild and desolate, confused, depraved, vulgar, filthy, void.”
What a picture of much of humanity today! It is a picture of many of our inner cities, and also some of our most luxurious, wealthy and famous people. If we knew the sins and the miseries that are in the lives of the men and women in powerful positions in the political, religious, and entertainment world circles, and in the business and great industrial fields, we would be appalled. For many have sold their souls to the devil to reach the top. As a result, they become ruthless, though they outwardly appear to be gracious. They think nothing of walking over people to get what they want. They have a dream too, but it is not a dream from God; it is the result of not having God's dream, nor plan for their lives.
In the days of the Judges, when Samuel was a child, there was no open vision in Israel. That means there was no one with the Word of Prophecy to lead and guide the people in the ways of God. As a result the priesthood became depraved, vulgar, filthy and vile. This finally resulted in the Ark of the Covenant being captured by the Philistines where it was kept for many years, — all during the forty year reign of King Saul. Only after King David had the vision to bring it back to God’s people, did it come home again; and that cost him many great trials and heartaches.
There is a big difference between a dream and a scheme. We must be careful that we never let go of our dream or exchange it for a scheme.
FOUR KINDS OF VISIONS
1. OPEN VISION: It is given when one is fully awake.
2. NIGHT VISION: It is given when one is asleep.
3. AN INWARD IMPRESSION UPON THE HEART AND THE MIND: This is given by the Holy Spirit within us.
4. A PROPHETIC WORD: A word of prophecy can create a vision, or a dream in the heart because it is the oracle of God. And as such it has creative word-power that can make it come to pass.
The Holy Spirit says in Joel 2:28, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:”
Peter confirms this on the Day of Pentecost when he says, “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:” (Acts 2:17-18)
A VISION WILL CHANGE A MAN'S HEART
It was the vision Saul of Tarsus had on the Road to Damascus that turned him into Paul, the first great World-Missionary and enabled him to immediately preach Christ in the synagogues, “that he is the Son of God.”
By a vision Paul heard the call to Europe, when in a night vision he saw the man of Macedonia calling to him, “Come over into Macedonia, and help us.” And although he suffered a severe beating and imprisonment in their city of Philippi, he was undaunted, and continued preaching there. In fact, it became the city of his first love. To them he wrote his most loving epistle. A vision will give you a great love for a nation.
I had never thought for a moment of going to China. In fact, I hate to confess that I was afraid of the Chinese people, and did not love them. But when God called me in a prophecy and vision to go to China while I was a young student in my second year of Bible School in the city of Toronto, He implanted such a great love for the Chinese people in my heart that I was ready to give China the rest of my life. That dream was what I lived for. It took me to Shanghai in 1947, where I was able, by faith, to begin a missionary career which has lasted until now.
Without a dream, you cannot have faith to endure hardships, nor to accomplish great things for God. You are limited by your ability to dream.
GREAT MEN WITH GREAT VISIONS GAVE THE WORLD GREAT GIFTS
Alexander Graham Bell, a Scottish American, had a dream that he believed it was possible to transmit speech by electric waves. People thought he was crazy. But today we speak to people around the world by picking up our telephone.
Marchese Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian American, had a dream that messages could be transmitted from one point to another. The first wireless message was transmitted in 1895. It was received one mile from where it was sent. But he kept on working on his dream, and in 1901 the first wireless message was transmitted by radio across the Atlantic.
Thomas Alva Edison had a dream that he could light up the world through an incandescent lamp called a light bulb, and also gave the world a song through the gramophone. Today hundreds of thousands of people can hear a man on a distant platform speak to them because of Edison’s microphone. The world would have been a much different place if Edison had not dreamed. When he perfected one dream, he went on to another, and another, and many more.
A couple of brothers by the name of Orville and Wilbur Wright owned a bicycle repair shop in the humble town of Dayton, Ohio. But they too had a dream — a dream that bicycles could be made to fly. Their first “bicycle” with wings “flew” less than a city block, but it flew! Today the mighty Boeing 737’s, 700’s and 800’s fly half way around the world without stopping to refuel. Some of them are so huge that one can hardly believe what one sees with his own eyes. And the flights can be so smooth that one can imagine he is in his own living room. The tea doesn’t even spill!
In Germany a man by the name of Karl Benz believed that the time had come when carriages could be made to move without horses. People thought he was crazy. But he had a dream, and in 1885 he invented the first horseless carriage. One year later, another German by the name of Gottlieb Damler had invented his own horseless carriage. Today the Mercedes Benz is still one of the finest cars on the markets, but it is expensive.
In America, a man by the name of Henry Ford said to himself, if they can make a carriage move without a horse in Germany, we can do it here too. But we need to make one that every man can afford. The first Model T Fords came off the assembly line in 1908. Soon, even women were driving these dangerous high-speed vehicles called “automobiles.” My husband’s mother, Olga, was one of the first women in Sacramento, California, to own and drive one of them. She left many people in shock as she “flew” by in her “Overland” at the break-neck speed of twenty-five miles an hour!
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