第二章 左右心意

那大骗子大多直接偷袭人的意志与良心，对此没有人应该感到惊奇。要想使我们远离上帝，撒但就必须以某种方式得到对根据地的控制，那是全部生命功能的集中地。作为心思科学的大师，撒旦懂得并利用感觉的途径把他的信息传达给人的大脑。毫无疑问，对他来说使人违背上帝律法的最有效的方法就是通过吸引人的感官功能。

依靠那些支配着我们现在这个邪恶世界的腐败的交流渠道，撒旦获得途径进入视觉和听觉的有效通道来左右并迷住人的心思意念——就是人所有立志行事的管理中心。既明白人心的弱点，他便自私地利用了自然律法，这些自然律法本是上帝设立来保护我们的智力和体力的。

那些自然律法的其中一项命定：我们常注意什么，就变成什么。我们慈爱的上帝意欲为了人类的全然成圣与完全才开动这一神圣的法则。通过选择看清洁的与公义的景象，人类就可以与圣灵合作在堕落的人类身上恢复上帝的形象。请注意造物主为每个人都打开了那美好的可能性。祂造作的人心有美妙的才能可以完全适应经由五感官进来的信息。随着大脑中百亿细胞的联合运作，传达着外部世界的景象、声音与感觉，那些数据就流向大脑的记忆基地。从所有感官获得的信息总量都永久地保存在那里。思维与想象都从这一知识储存库中汲取；并且有命令传达到身体的各个器官，使之履行其指定的功能。

通过在圣灵感化下的这一神奇的电脑式能力操作程序，上帝已经应许祂自己的心意可以复制到那些同意与祂合作之人里面。但这一切都依赖于人的意愿和能力来选择让正确的画面与声音传送进大脑。惟有那些心思完全蒙上帝执掌的人，才能够一直做出正确的决定。

在那柔软神奇的大量细胞中的某个地方，上帝万无一失地深埋下了自由选择的能力。在理智与意愿的中心点，任何外界的势力都是不允许侵入的。这里就是做最后决定之处，——决定眼睛要看什么，耳朵要听什么，舌头要说什么。在心思的这一隐蔽的秘室中，将要最终权衡决定该大脑与身体是要接受永生还是要遭遇永死。

当撒旦第一次知道上帝的保护完全依人的自由意志的选择而转移时，你能想象他是何等雀跃吗？倘若没有人藉着让圣灵监管那些进入大脑的信息来与上帝合作的话，那么也就没有人能够得胜罪恶了。撒旦欣喜地看出上帝为他留了路，可以平等地使用心思的通道。他只需诱使人用邪恶的景象与声音喂养他们的感官就行了。因为上帝所造的人心可以受外界影响的塑造，而这些影响正是通过感官传达到人心的，所以撒旦在他与上帝的战争中就有了最后一次得胜的机会。他在天上的圣殿中夺取上帝的位置已经失败了，但他仍然有权使用那些上帝所依靠来为祂辩白之人的人性的殿。通过控制他们的身体与心思，撒旦仍能挫败整个救赎计划。倘若上帝出示不了一个胜过罪的人，祂就要同意撒旦的控告说祂对其创造物的要求太多了。

我盼望现在我们开始明白魔鬼为什么如此抱定决心要用身体的吸引来把我们拉进罪里了。然而在教会中却有许多人不幸地降低了对这些外界刺激的关注。如果关心我们所看，所听，所摸或所吃的，就被看作像是吹毛求疵或是律法主义了。可是我们可以看到这些（所看、所听、所摸或所吃的）正是撒旦最普遍的攻击路线，为要腐蚀人心。随着主题的展开，我们就会发现藉着最初的一次向基督献身并不自动地使我们这些敏感的试探通道得到保护。为要予以适当完全地保护，我们自己必须蓄意采取坚决的行动。心思得胜的真正秘诀，就在于正确地理解一个成圣之意志的实力。我们越学习它，就越觉得惊奇。意志力实际上包含着指挥人体组织所有行动的总开关。此为独立的个人主权，上帝自己也不干涉。这是人与动物最大的区别之一。动物或许看起来非常像人，但却没有意志，良心或理智。

不久前，我曾读过关于一个科学家的事，他用一只猴子来做实验，想发现它可能具有人类的哪些特征。这位研究科学家努力地要使那只猴子把一些简单的拼图拼起来。但猴子几乎不配合，他最后决定猴子可能由于他的在场而觉得不好意思，于是就悄悄走到门外边，跪下身来通过钥匙眼朝里头看那只猴子。可以想象，当他看到猴子正从另一头通过同一个钥匙眼看着他时，有多么惊讶了。因此，他至少发现猴子也有好奇心这种人类特征。可是，我们不像猴子，我们有意志与选择的能力。

你是得救还是失丧将完全取决于意志的决定。如果你选择要得救，没有任何邪恶势力能拦阻你得救。如果你选择要失丧，上帝也无法阻止你走这一步。你也许会问，“撒旦既然不能控制我的意志，又怎么能伤害到我呢？”虽然魔鬼不能拦阻你选择得救（如果你愿意得救的话），但是他可以通过你的情感来间接攻击你的意志。意志之最大的仇敌就是你对感觉的依靠。你的情绪可能会大受影响，大大被搅动，以至完全否决了意志。只要圣化的良心、意志与理智的高贵之能统治支配着情感，它们就极其奇妙美好。情感在宗教、爱情与友谊上有适用之地；但是强烈的情感会突然爆发失去控制，使意志完全瘫痪。我们今天所面临的最大危险之一，就是撒旦的网罗要通过未成圣、不受控制的情感来削弱我们的意志。

魔鬼知道人类情感之潮的强烈程度，并且他已经认识到某些景象和声音有一种使人迷醉着魔的吸引力。魔鬼已经编造了一个闪光耀眼的虚幻世界。只要翻翻几页现代的杂志就会发现那里有最具吸引力的广告。被禁止的罪中之乐常常以最绚丽的色彩、最喧哗的音乐和最耀眼的光芒被广而告之。我们的仇敌正潜伏在我们感官的每一道门户前，期待他那情感上的吸引刺激能为他打开进入我们思想的路。

现在有人也许要问，“为什么在关系到上帝的范围之内，最有吸引力的事物，也是错误的事物呢？”我相信我们可以回答这个问题。假如我们在一块板上写下一串数字，每个数字都有几位数，然后划一条线把它们加起来得出总数。我们能得到多少个可能是错误的答案呢？我们能拿出多达几百万个错误的答案。但是我们能得到多少个正确的答案呢？当然了，只可能得到一个。魔鬼能用虚假的色彩和欺骗描绘他的图画。他能用华而不实、虚假的兴奋和虚谎的错觉来呈现他的试探。而上帝只能用一幅图画来吸引我们，就是那幅真实的图画。当提到那恶者的作为时，事情就并非是看起来的那样。在魔鬼化了装的邪荡中，滋生有伪安全与假平安。

Chapter 2　REACHING THE MIND

　
　　IT should be a surprise to no one that the great deceiver directs most of his sneak-attacks against the human will and conscience. If he is to alienate us from God, Satan must somehow gain control of that citadel where all the life functions are centered. As a master of the mind sciences, Satan understands and uses the avenues of the senses to communicate his message to the brain. Without question, the most effective way for him to lead into transgression of God's law is through the appeal of the sensory powers.

　　By means of the corrupt channels of communication which dominate our present evil world, Satan accesses the powerful visual and auditory paths to reach and captivate the mind-the control center of all decision and action. Understanding the vulnerability of that mind, he has exploited the natural laws which God set up for the protection of our mental and physical powers.

　　One of those laws decrees that by beholding we become changed. Our loving God intended that this divine principle would operate for man's total sanctification and perfection. By choosing to look at scenes of purity and righteousness, human beings could cooperate with the Holy Spirit in restoring the image of God to fallen man. Notice the beautiful possibility that the Creator opened up for every individual. He made the mind with the fantastic ability to fully conform to the messages communicated through the five senses. As the network of ten billion brain cells conveys the sights, sounds and sensations of the outside world, that data feeds into the memory base of the brain. There a permanent record is kept of the sum total of all sensory information obtained. From this pool of stored knowledge, the thoughts and imagination are drawn, and commands are sent forth to each organ of the body to perform its appointed function.

　　Through the process of this marvelous computer power operating under the influence of the Holy Spirit, God has promised that His own mind can be reproduced in those who will consent and cooperate with Him. But everything depends upon the willingness and ability of the person to choose the right pictures and sounds to be transferred into the brain. Only those whose minds are fully under the control of God will be able to make the right decisions all the time.

　　Somewhere in that soft mass of miracle cells, God buried deeply and securely the power of free choice. In that center of reason and will, no outside force is permitted to intrude. Here the final decisions are made as to what the eyes will gaze upon, the ears listen to, and the tongue speak. In this cloistered sanctum of the mind, the deliberate choice will ultimately be made as to whether this brain and body will receive immortal existence or suffer an everlasting death.

　　Can't you imagine how Satan exulted when he understood for the first time how God's defense hinged entirely upon man's free-will choices? If nobody cooperated with God by allowing the Holy Spirit to monitor those messages into the brain, then none would be able to gain the victory over sin. With delight Satan recognized that God had left the way open for him to have equal access to the avenues of the mind. All he needed to do was entice people to feed their sensory powers with evil sights and sounds. Since God had created the mind to be molded by external influences communicated through the senses, Satan would have one last opportunity to win his war against God. He had failed to take God's place in the temple in heaven, but he still had access to the human temples of those whom God was depending upon to vindicate Him. By controlling their bodies and minds, Satan could still frustrate the whole plan of salvation. If God could produce no one with victory over sin, He would be acceding to Satan's accusation of requiring too much from His creatures.

　　I hope by now we are beginning to understand why the devil is so intent on using physical appeals to draw us into sin. There has been an unfortunate attempt by many in the church to downgrade any attention to these external stimuli. It has been made to look like nit-picking or legalism for anyone to be concerned over what we see, hear, touch or eat. Yet we can see that these are the most popular attack routes to corrupt the mind. As we proceed with our subject, we shall discover that these sensitive lanes of temptation are not automatically secured by an initial commitment to Christ. There are deliberate and determined actions that we ourselves must take in order to be properly protected. The real secret of victory in the mind is to rightly understand the strength of a sanctified will. The more we study about it, the more amazed we are. The will actually contains the main switch which directs all the actions of the human organism. Here is a sovereign personal power that God Himself will not interfere with. It is one of the great distinguishing factors between man and beast. An animal may look very much like a human being, but he has no power of will, conscience, or reasoning mind.

　　Some time ago, I read about a scientist who was experimenting with a monkey to discover what human characteristics it might possess. The research scientist was trying to get the monkey to put some simple puzzles together. There was very little cooperation, and the man finally decided that the monkey might be embarrassed by his presence, so he slipped out the door and knelt down to peer back through the keyhole at the monkey. Imagine his surprise to see the monkey on the other side peeping through the same keyhole at him. So he found at least that monkeys have the human trait of curiosity. Unlike the monkey, though, we have a will and a power of choice.

　　Whether you are saved or lost will be determined entirely by the decision of that will. If you choose to be saved, no devil can stop you from being saved. If you choose to be lost, God Himself cannot prevent you from taking such a step. You might ask, "How can Satan hurt me then if he cannot interfere with my will?" Although the devil can't keep you from choosing to be saved if you want to be, he can make an indirect attack upon your will through your emotions. The greatest enemy of your will is your dependence upon feeling. It is possible for your emotions to be so affected, so deeply stirred, that they will completely overrule the will. As long as the kingly powers of sanctified conscience, will and reason are ruling over the emotions, they are very wonderful. Emotions serve a place in religion, in love, and in friendship, but powerful emotion can suddenly surge out of control, paralyzing the will completely. One of the greatest dangers we face today is the snare of Satan to weaken the will through unsanctified, uncontrolled emotions.

　　The devil knows how strong those tides of human passion can be, and he has learned that certain sights and sounds have a fascinating appeal. He has fabricated an illusory society that flashes and glitters. Just turn the pages of modern magazines and you will see where the most attractive ads are to be found. The forbidden pleasures of sin are usually advertised with the sharpest colors, the loudest music, and the brightest lights. Our enemy is lurking at every gate of our senses hoping that his emotional appeals will open the way for him to enter our minds.

　　Now someone may ask the question, "Why is it that the most alluring things are also the wrong things, as far as God is concerned?" I believe we can answer that question. Suppose we put down a column of figures on a board with several digits in each number. Then draw a line to add up and get the sum of those figures. How many possible wrong answers could we get? We could come up with multiplied millions of wrong answers. But how many right answers could we get? Of course, only one would be possible. The devil is able to paint his pictures with false colors and deception. He can use tinsel, false excitement and lying delusions in presenting his temptations. God will only use one picture to attract us and that is the true picture. Things are not really what they seem to be when it comes to dispensations of the evil one. There is a false security and counterfeit peace which stems from the devil's masquerade of carnality. 9