The era we live in today is one full of dangers and confusion, where we often feel like we are being troubled on every side. Now the COVID-19 pandemic is finally coming under control, yet the Delta variant is menacing. Apart from the seemingly endless pandemic, life also exposes us to various pressures. In terms of personal life, family, interpersonal relationships, and even the reopening of the church, we are faced with great difficulties, and many seem to be unsolvable.
A megachurch pastor encouraged Christians to remember "our God is the God who leads us to victory in all the difficulties of our lives" amid the situation of being troubled on every side.
In his recent sermon, Pastor Tong Liu of River of Life Christian Church in Silicon Valley, the United States said, “In the Bible, God revealed to us a name of His, Jehovah Nissi.”
“Nissi means ‘banner’,” said the pastor. "It means victory. Jehovah Nissi means that the Lord is our victory. Our God is the God who leads us to victory in all the difficulties of our lives. Amen!"
"As the apostle Paul wrote, 'We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed'. If you look at the environment that Paul was in at the time, it was indeed being pressed on every side. That was really being troubled on all sides - it is not an exaggeration, is it? Then why did he say 'I'm not crushed' in such circumstances? He gave his answer in 2 Corinthians 4:7: ‘…we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.’”
“As Christians, we are no different from the people of the world in terms of appearance, and perhaps no different in terms of circumstances either. But one thing is different, that is, there is a power in us from God. This power is the power that raised Jesus from the dead,” Liu added.
“The power of the Lord’s resurrection is working in you today," he said. “What God can accomplish for you is far beyond your imagination, even when your ability to imagine is limited... No matter what environment we are in, even with the Delta outbreaks surrounding us on all sides, we can still say that we are not crushed by the pandemic, as Paul did."
When God revealed his name "Jehovah Nissi" to Israel, the Israelites were fighting the Amalekites. In the Bible, the Amalekites and the Israelites were long-standing enemies against each other. The battles between the Amalekites and the Israelites were often depicted as spiritual battles faced by the people of God. When Joshua was about to lead the people of Israel to fight the Amalekites, Moses made a confident statement, "Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands."
"Moses was declaring that no matter what your yesterday and today were, you could be sure that you have a tomorrow, and you could trust that your tomorrow was in the hands of God. You need to know that God has a plan in your lives. When God looks at our life, He does not only see our past and present as we do. He sees our future because He has a plan."
"Remember this: forgetting what is behind and striving towards what is ahead. It is not a one-off thing, but we should continuously and constantly forget what is behind and strive towards what is ahead. Because we know that there is a goal in front of us. Therefore we do not forget just once but keep forgetting, and not strive forward just once, but keep striving forward."
Moses could lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, despite wandering in the wilderness, because God’s promise was with him. No matter how difficult the situation was, he was able to move forward courageously. When he stood in front of the Pharaoh and said “allow us to go”, he could speak boldly with the staff of God in his hand, since he knew that he had access to victory because of the promise of God.
The pastor claimed, "You have God's promise on you, and you have the authority that God’s promises bring to you. So don't live like a person without God's promise, being chased by the enemy all day long. You must cling on to God’s promise of victory. Don’t stay at the bottom of the valley. God does allow us to pass through the bottom of the valley sometimes, yet God’s will is not to let us stay there, but for us to stand on the top of the mountain and declare God’s victory."
"Prayer is always the ultimate key to victory." Pastor Liu explained, "What was Moses doing while standing on top of mountain holding a staff? If he was just standing there to watch the battle, he would be very anxious. But Moses not only declared victory by faith standing on top of the mountain, he also held up his hands and prayed (Exodus 17:11)."
"Standing on the top of the mountain, Moses held up his hands to pray. So similarly, today when you face difficulties in your life, be sure to rise up and pray for your battles. If you just watch the battles that you are facing, you will also be very anxious. When you are facing the Delta variant outbreaks becoming more and more serious, when you see that the public order and moral standards of society are getting worse, when you see your family and even your children being attacked by the enemy, you will become very anxious if the only thing you do is to watch. You can’t just watch, you must get up and pray, and keep praying."
"So we don't at all need to be afraid and anxious about the environment and battles we are facing today. Instead, we are taught here to rise up for the Lord and pray continually. Apart from praying individually, we also join together with our brothers and sisters in prayer."
Pastor Liu concluded, “When Moses began to pray, suddenly the battle no longer became a battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites, but a battle between the Lord God and the Amalekites. When Moses prayed, the very nature of the battle changed.”
- Translated by Grace Song
我们今天所处的世代是危险不安的世代，我们常常感觉我们活在四面受敌的光景。好不容易新冠疫情得到控制，现在德尔塔变种病毒又来势汹汹。不仅疫情好像没完没了，生活也让我们面对各种各样的压力。不但在个人生活上、家庭上、人际关系上，甚至在教会重开的事情上，我们都面对很大的困境。很多事情好像是无解的困境。
作为基督徒，我们应该怎样面对四面受敌的光景？
矽谷生命河灵粮堂的刘彤牧师在最近的一次证道中鼓励大家说：“我们的神是在我们人生一切的困境中率领我们得胜的神。”
“在圣经当中，神启示给我们一个祂的名字，”刘彤牧师说：“就叫做耶和华尼西。”
“尼西是旌旗，”刘彤牧师说：“意思是得胜。耶和华尼西，意思是主是我们的得胜。我们的神是在我们人生一切的困境中率领我们得胜的神。阿们！”
保罗说：“我们四面受敌，却不被困住。”但是看保罗当时所处的环境，那的确是一个四面受敌的环境。
刘彤牧师感慨地说：“哇！这真的是四面受敌，一点不为过，不是吗？那为什么他却在四面受敌的困境中说‘我却不被困住’呢？他在林后4：7给出了答案：‘我们有这宝贝放在瓦器里，要显明这莫大的能力，是出于神，不是出于我们。’”
“作为基督徒，外表上看我们和世人没有什么两样，也许从外在环境看来我们和世人也没有什么两样，但是有一件事情是不一样的，那就是在我们里面有一个从神而来的能力。这个能力是叫耶稣从死里复活的能力。”
“今天主复活的大能正在你里面工作，”刘彤牧师说：“无论你多么难以想象，神所能成就的远超过你所想象的。……无论我们所处的环境是如何，就算德尔塔疫情四面环绕，我们同样可以像保罗那样说四面疫情也不被困住。”
当神向以色列启示祂的名字“耶和华尼西”的时候，以色列人正在和亚玛力人征战。在圣经当中，亚玛力人和以色列人是世仇。他们之间的征战在圣经中也常常预表到是神的百姓所面对的属灵征战。当约书亚要带领以色列百姓与亚玛力人征战时，摩西做出了一个信心的宣告：“明天我手里要拿着神的杖，站在山顶上。”
他宣告，无论你的昨天和今天是如何，你要确信你是有明天的，而且你要确信你的明天在神的手中。你要知道神在我们一生当中是有计划的。当神看我们一生的时候，不像我们只看过去和现在，神看的是我们的将来。因为祂是有计划的。
“要忘记背后努力面前，”刘彤牧师说：“这里的忘记背后努力面前不是只是一次性的，是持续性的、不断要忘记背后努力面前。因为知道有一个标杆摆在我们面前，不是一次忘记而是不断的忘记，不是一次的往前，而是不断的往前。”
当摩西带领以色列百姓出埃及的时候在旷野漂流，为神的应许与他同在。无论遭遇多大的困境，他都能够勇往直前。当他站在法老王面前说容许我们去的时候，通过他手里有神的杖，他可以大胆直言，因着神的应许他知道他有得胜的权利。
“你是有神应许在你身上的，你就有神应许所带给你的权柄。所以不要一天到晚活得像一个没有神应许的人，一天到晚被仇敌追赶。一定要抓住神得胜的应许。不要停留在谷底。虽然有时神允许我们经过谷底，但是神的心意不是让我们停留在谷底，神的心意是让我们站在山顶上宣告神的得胜。”
“祷告永远是征战胜败最后的关键。”刘彤牧师讲道：“摩西拿着杖站在上顶上干什么？如果他只是站在山顶上观看打仗的话，他会非常着急的。但摩西在山顶上不但是凭着信心做宣告，他更是举起手来祷告（出17:11）。”
“摩西站在山顶上，他举手祷告。所以同样今天当你面对生命中的困境的时候，一定要起来为你所面对的征战祷告。如果你只是观看你所面对的征战，你也会很着急的。当你面对的德尔塔病毒疫情越来越严重，当你看到社会无论治安还是道德水准越来越败坏，当你看到你的家庭甚至儿女都操守仇敌厉害的攻击，如果你只是观看就很着急。你不能只是观看，你要起来祷告，而且持续祷告。”
“所以我们今天一点不需要为我们所面对的环境、所面对的征战心中害怕和着急，反而这里教导我们为主兴起、持续祷告。不但是一个人来祷告，更是与弟兄姐妹同心合意来祷告。”
刘彤牧师说：“当摩西开始祷告的时候，忽然间，这场战争不再是以色列人和亚玛力人的征战，而是耶和华神与亚玛力人征战。当摩西祷告的时候，整个征战的本质改变了。”
刘彤牧师：德尔塔变种病毒来势汹汹 但主耶稣会为我们兴起且得胜
The era we live in today is one full of dangers and confusion, where we often feel like we are being troubled on every side. Now the COVID-19 pandemic is finally coming under control, yet the Delta variant is menacing. Apart from the seemingly endless pandemic, life also exposes us to various pressures. In terms of personal life, family, interpersonal relationships, and even the reopening of the church, we are faced with great difficulties, and many seem to be unsolvable.
A megachurch pastor encouraged Christians to remember "our God is the God who leads us to victory in all the difficulties of our lives" amid the situation of being troubled on every side.
In his recent sermon, Pastor Tong Liu of River of Life Christian Church in Silicon Valley, the United States said, “In the Bible, God revealed to us a name of His, Jehovah Nissi.”
“Nissi means ‘banner’,” said the pastor. "It means victory. Jehovah Nissi means that the Lord is our victory. Our God is the God who leads us to victory in all the difficulties of our lives. Amen!"
"As the apostle Paul wrote, 'We are hard-pressed on every side, but not crushed'. If you look at the environment that Paul was in at the time, it was indeed being pressed on every side. That was really being troubled on all sides - it is not an exaggeration, is it? Then why did he say 'I'm not crushed' in such circumstances? He gave his answer in 2 Corinthians 4:7: ‘…we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.’”
“As Christians, we are no different from the people of the world in terms of appearance, and perhaps no different in terms of circumstances either. But one thing is different, that is, there is a power in us from God. This power is the power that raised Jesus from the dead,” Liu added.
“The power of the Lord’s resurrection is working in you today," he said. “What God can accomplish for you is far beyond your imagination, even when your ability to imagine is limited... No matter what environment we are in, even with the Delta outbreaks surrounding us on all sides, we can still say that we are not crushed by the pandemic, as Paul did."
When God revealed his name "Jehovah Nissi" to Israel, the Israelites were fighting the Amalekites. In the Bible, the Amalekites and the Israelites were long-standing enemies against each other. The battles between the Amalekites and the Israelites were often depicted as spiritual battles faced by the people of God. When Joshua was about to lead the people of Israel to fight the Amalekites, Moses made a confident statement, "Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands."
"Moses was declaring that no matter what your yesterday and today were, you could be sure that you have a tomorrow, and you could trust that your tomorrow was in the hands of God. You need to know that God has a plan in your lives. When God looks at our life, He does not only see our past and present as we do. He sees our future because He has a plan."
"Remember this: forgetting what is behind and striving towards what is ahead. It is not a one-off thing, but we should continuously and constantly forget what is behind and strive towards what is ahead. Because we know that there is a goal in front of us. Therefore we do not forget just once but keep forgetting, and not strive forward just once, but keep striving forward."
Moses could lead the people of Israel out of Egypt, despite wandering in the wilderness, because God’s promise was with him. No matter how difficult the situation was, he was able to move forward courageously. When he stood in front of the Pharaoh and said “allow us to go”, he could speak boldly with the staff of God in his hand, since he knew that he had access to victory because of the promise of God.
The pastor claimed, "You have God's promise on you, and you have the authority that God’s promises bring to you. So don't live like a person without God's promise, being chased by the enemy all day long. You must cling on to God’s promise of victory. Don’t stay at the bottom of the valley. God does allow us to pass through the bottom of the valley sometimes, yet God’s will is not to let us stay there, but for us to stand on the top of the mountain and declare God’s victory."
"Prayer is always the ultimate key to victory." Pastor Liu explained, "What was Moses doing while standing on top of mountain holding a staff? If he was just standing there to watch the battle, he would be very anxious. But Moses not only declared victory by faith standing on top of the mountain, he also held up his hands and prayed (Exodus 17:11)."
"Standing on the top of the mountain, Moses held up his hands to pray. So similarly, today when you face difficulties in your life, be sure to rise up and pray for your battles. If you just watch the battles that you are facing, you will also be very anxious. When you are facing the Delta variant outbreaks becoming more and more serious, when you see that the public order and moral standards of society are getting worse, when you see your family and even your children being attacked by the enemy, you will become very anxious if the only thing you do is to watch. You can’t just watch, you must get up and pray, and keep praying."
"So we don't at all need to be afraid and anxious about the environment and battles we are facing today. Instead, we are taught here to rise up for the Lord and pray continually. Apart from praying individually, we also join together with our brothers and sisters in prayer."
Pastor Liu concluded, “When Moses began to pray, suddenly the battle no longer became a battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites, but a battle between the Lord God and the Amalekites. When Moses prayed, the very nature of the battle changed.”
- Translated by Grace Song
Pastor Reminds Christians of God’s Promise of Victory in Turmoil of Delta Variant Outbreaks
