馬太福音 14:25-33 夜裡四更天，耶穌在海面上走，往門徒那裡去。 26 門徒看見他在海面上走，就驚慌了，說：「是個鬼怪！」便害怕，喊叫起來。 27 耶穌連忙對他們說：「你們放心！是我，不要怕！」 28 彼得說：「主，如果是你，請叫我從水面上走到你那裡去。」 29 耶穌說：「你來吧！」彼得就從船上下去，在水面上走，要到耶穌那裡去。 30 只因見風甚大，就害怕，將要沉下去，便喊著說：「主啊，救我！」 31 耶穌趕緊伸手拉住他，說：「你這小信的人哪，為什麼疑惑呢？」 32 他們上了船，風就住了。 33 在船上的人都拜他，說：「你真是神的兒子了！」
困境中真正的徵戰存在於信徒的意念中。魔鬼無所不用其極使動搖我們從神與神的話語轉迴環境。魔鬼試圖讓我們看事情的負面以及最壞的結果，使我們心生懼怕。透過我們所看見的、所感覺的、所聽見的負面信息，致使我們恐懼，失去心裡的平安。心裡的恐懼使我們企圖將事情攬在己身，就無法看見神為我們預備的突破。
許多時候影響我們的是焦慮與驕傲。焦慮使我們渴望立即看到結果，而不是花時間來尋求神。而驕傲誘使我們按自己的認知來看環境。
但我們所需要的是信心與耐心。首先要清楚自己所面臨的試煉，然後向神求應許，或是神話語的確據。倘若你能按自己的處境找到相對應的經文向神求告。再來就是耐心等待應許或話語成就。
馬可福音 4:26-29 又說：神的國如同人把種撒在地上。27黑夜睡覺，白日起來，這種就發芽漸長，那人卻不曉得如何這樣。28地生五穀是出於自然的：先發苗，後長穗，再後穗上結成飽滿的子粒；29谷既熟了，就用鐮刀去割，因為收成的時候到了。
這就像農夫撒種後要耐心等候穀物生長，同理，我們必須等待神話語成就。神的話語就是種子，時候對了便會生長成熟。在等待神賜下話語的過程中，操練神的話語是非常重要的。
以賽亞書 26:3-4 堅心倚賴你的，你必保守他十分平安，因為他倚靠你。4你們當倚靠耶和華直到永遠，因為耶和華是永久的磐石。
在等待神賜下應許的同時，倘若不沉浸在祂的話語當中，就容易喪失耐心。定睛在神的話語能幫助我們在景況中領受神所加添的力量。
希伯來書 6:12-15 並且不懈怠，總要效法那些憑信心和忍耐承受應許的人。13當初 神應許亞伯拉罕的時候，因為沒有比自己更大可以指著起誓的，就指著自己起誓，說：14論福，我必賜大福給你；論子孫，我必叫你的子孫多起來。15這樣，亞伯拉罕既恆久忍耐，就得了所應許的。
亞伯拉罕領受神的話語，他將會有個兒子。而憑著信心與耐心，他領受神的應許。他拒絕讓自己受現實與外在環境的影響。他不讓任何事來動搖他的信心！最終他成為信心之父。他選擇持守神的話語。在耐心等待之後，他得到了神的應許。
讓我們不要受外在環境的影響，按自己的認知來行事，便放棄意念的爭戰。只要憑信心耐心等候，無論身處何境我們終將得勝。
講章系列：神的智慧
Conquerors through Faith and Patience
Matthew 14:25-33 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid."28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." 29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."
Real battles in times of difficulties are in the believer’s mind. The devil will try his very best to shift our focus from God and His Word towards our circumstances. He puts fear into us by making us look at the negative and the worst outcome. Processing the negative through what we see, feel, and hear will cause us to be afraid and lose our peace. It causes us to take things into our own hands and thus never see the breakthrough that God has prepared for us.
Many times what affects us is impatience and pride. Impatience causes us to desire immediate results and thus there is no time to seek God. Pride lures us to look at the circumstances through our own knowledge.
We need faith and patience. First, we need to understand what the trial is then pray the promise or word of assurance from God to plead our case. The next step to do is to wait patiently for the promise or the Word to come to pass.
Mark 4:26-29 And He said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 "and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 "For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29"But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
Just like how a farmer needs to wait patiently for his yield once he has sown, we must wait, too. The Word of God is the seed and it will yield the crop at the right time. While we are in the waiting process for the Word to come to pass, it is important to practice the word of God.
Isaiah 26:3-4 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.4 Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.
While waiting for God’s promise to come to pass, if we do not dwell in His Word, we will wear out easily. Keeping ourselves in the Word will help us to draw God’s strength for the situation.
Hebrews 6:12-15 that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you."15 And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
Abraham had a word from God that He will have a son. It was through faith and patience that he inherited the promise. He refused to be moved by facts and circumstances. He was not moved by anything! Hence he became the father of faith. He chose to stand on the Word. After he had patiently waited, he obtained the promise.
Let us not give up on our battles by looking at the circumstances and taking things in our own hands with our own understanding. Through patient waiting in faith, we are called to be conquerors of every situation.
Sermon: God’s Wisdom