Jeanne Guyon Quotes
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To rob God of nothing; to refuse Him nothing; to require of Him nothing; this is great perfection.
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The more wants we have, the further we are from God, and the nearer we approach him, the better can we dispense with everything that is not Himself.
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Faith and the cross are inseparable: the cross is the shrine of faith, and faith is the light of the cross.
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Prayer is the key of perfection and of sovereign happiness; it is the efficacious means of getting rid of all vices and of acquiring all virtues; for the way to become perfect is to live in the presence of God.
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I have never found any who prayed so well as those who had never been taught how. They who have no master in man, have one in the Holy Spirit.
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Nothing less than a divine operation can empty us of the creature and of self, for whatever is natural tends constantly to fill us with the creature, and occupy us with ourselves.
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It is in vain for man to endeavor to instruct man in those things which the Holy Spirit alone can teach.
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It is only by the death of self that the soul can enter into Divine Truth, and understand in part what is the light that shineth in darkness.
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How rare is it to behold a soul in an absolute abandonment of selfish interests, that it may devote itself to the interests of God!
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Whenever we endeavor to bring about our own perfection, or that of others, by our own efforts, the result is simply imperfection.
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All consolation that does not come from God is but desolation; when the soul has learned to receive no comfort but in God only, it has passed beyond the reach of desolation.
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Self-seeking is the gate by which a soul departs from peace; and total abandonment to the will of God, that by which it returns.
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“The Lord is very jealous over any saint who is utterly abandoned to Him. He does not let that believer have any pleasures at all outside of Himself.”
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“The greatest satisfaction I can have is the knowledge that He is what He is; and that, being what He is, He never will be otherwise. If I am saved at last, it will be the free gift of God; since I have no worth and no merit of my own.”
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“I entreat you, give no place to despondency. This is a dangerous temptation–a refined, not a gross temptation of the adversary. Melancholy contracts and withers the heart, and renders it unfit to receive the impressions of grace. It magnifies and gives a false colouring to objects, and thus renders your burdens too heavy to bear. God’s designs regarding you, and His methods of bringing about these designs, are infinitely wise."
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“But the misfortune is that people wish to direct God instead of resigning themselves to be directed by Him. We wish to take the lead, and to follow in a way of their own selection instead of submissively and passively following where God sees fit to conduct them. And hence it is, that many souls who are called to the enjoyment of God himself and mot merely to the gifts of God, spend all their lives in pursuing and in feeding on little consolations.”
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As one sees a river pass into the ocean, lose itself in it, its water for a time distinguished from that of the sea, till it gradually becomes transformed into the same sea, and possesses all its qualities; so was my soul lost in God, who communicated to it His qualities, having drawn it out of all that it had of its own. Its life is an inconceivable innocence, not known or comprehended of those who are still shut up in themselves or only live for themselves.
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My soul was not only brought into harmony with itself and with God, but with God's providence. In the exercise of faith and love, I endured and performed whatever came in God's providence, in submission, in thankfulness, and silence.
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I entreat you, give no place to despondency. This is a dangerous temptation–a refined, not a gross temptation of the adversary. Melancholy contracts and withers the heart, and renders it unfit to receive the impressions of grace. It magnifies and gives a false colouring to objects, and thus renders your burdens too heavy to bear. God’s designs regarding you, and His methods of bringing about these designs, are infinitely wise.
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To penetrate deeper in the experience of Jesus Christ, it is required that you begin to abandon your whole existence, giving it up to God. . . . You must utterly believe that the circumstances of your life, that is, every minute of your life, as well as the whole course of your life-anything, yes, everything that happens-have all come to you by His will and by His permission. You must utterly believe that everything that has happened to you is from God and is exactly what you need.
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True simplicity regards God alone; it has its eye fixed upon Him, and is not drawn toward self; and it is as pleased to say humble as great things. All our uneasy feelings and reflections arise from self-love, whatever appearance of piety they may assume. The lack of simplicity inflicts many wounds. Go where we will, if we remain in ourselves, we shall carry everywhere our sins and our distresses. If we would live in peace, we must lose sight of self, and rest in the infinite and unchangeable God.
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The soul seeks God by faith, not by the reasonings of the mind and labored efforts, but by the drawings of love; to which inclinations God responds, and instructs the soul, which co-operates actively. God then puts the soul in a passive state where He accomplishes all, causing great progress, first by way of enjoyment, then by privation, and finally by pure love.
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Showing posts with label Madame Jeanne Guyon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Madame Jeanne Guyon. Show all posts
Monday, June 3, 2013
Monday, November 28, 2011
Jeanne Guyon always talked of her utter dependence on God, rather than her self, and how she was indebted to God for all things.
Consequently, Guyon considered it a pleasure to endure the trials the Lord sent here way, preferring to endure them than for a moment be dependent upon herself.
Guyon said:
Consequently, Guyon considered it a pleasure to endure the trials the Lord sent here way, preferring to endure them than for a moment be dependent upon herself.
Guyon said:
It is my pleasure, my happiness, to be indebted to God for everything. In this state of mind, I cannot fail to be content in the trials which He sees fit to send upon me. In the spirit of acquiescence in God's will, I would rather endure them all my life long, than put an end to them in a dependence on myself.Many times Madame Guyon expresses her willingness and obligation to embrace the trials the Lord sent her way, and in many cases, was concerned when things were going too easy, as it is always easy to based contentment and joy on outward circumstances, rather than inner fellowship with Christ, which wasn't, in her eventual experience, dependent on what was going on the outside.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Madame Jeanne Guyon took what she lived and believed seriously, and concerning the work of the cross in her life, was very proactive and cooperative with the Spirit of God within her, concerning being smitten by Him in reference to anything and everything within her that may be in opposition to Him.
She said:
What's also important about this, was even though Guyon had been walking closely with the Lord for years, as far as lining up her soul with the person and will of Christ, she knew there could easily be something within her she missed, thus the prayer that if there was anything she wasn't aware of, that the Holy Spirit would battle against it for the glory of Jesus Christ.
It's one thing to say this, it's another thing to mean it. If Jeanne Guyon's life meant anything on this earth, it was that she definitely embraced the work of the cross in her soul and self.
She said:
O Holy Spirit, a Spirit of love! let me ever by subjected to thy will; and as a leaf is moved before the wind, so let my soul be influenced and moved by the breath of thy wisdom. And as the impetuous wind breaks down all that resists it, even the towering cedars which stand in opposition; so may the Holy ghost, operating within me, smite and break down everything which opposes Him.
What's also important about this, was even though Guyon had been walking closely with the Lord for years, as far as lining up her soul with the person and will of Christ, she knew there could easily be something within her she missed, thus the prayer that if there was anything she wasn't aware of, that the Holy Spirit would battle against it for the glory of Jesus Christ.
It's one thing to say this, it's another thing to mean it. If Jeanne Guyon's life meant anything on this earth, it was that she definitely embraced the work of the cross in her soul and self.
As Jeanne Guyon matured in her inner walk with Jesus Christ, she increasingly talked of loving the will of the Lord, no matter what it brought her.
Even though the imprisonment of Guyon has brought sympathy from those writing about and knowledgeable about the difficulties she faced, in general, she would have not of that, as far as attempting to escape, or even wanting to escape her circumstances. After all, she could have, if she had recanted her beliefs, which contrary to some writers' assertions, she never did.
Concerning imprisonment, Guyon said this:
What is important to note about Guyon and the work Christ had performed in her was this: she could have just as easily said the same words about a circumstance that was much more favorable to the human disposition.
When she said everything was "equal" to her, she simply meant that it didn't matter what situations she found herself in, as long as it was the will of God that she was there.
Guyon also and always, acknowledged that it was Christ Himself that did this work in her, and nothing of her own that brought this attitude and outlook about, other than cooperating with the Lord from His strength, to be content in whatever it was life brought her.
Even though the imprisonment of Guyon has brought sympathy from those writing about and knowledgeable about the difficulties she faced, in general, she would have not of that, as far as attempting to escape, or even wanting to escape her circumstances. After all, she could have, if she had recanted her beliefs, which contrary to some writers' assertions, she never did.
Concerning imprisonment, Guyon said this:
I have no desire that my imprisonment should end before the right time. I love my chains. Everything is equal to me, as I have no will of my own, but purely the love and will of Him who possesses me.
What is important to note about Guyon and the work Christ had performed in her was this: she could have just as easily said the same words about a circumstance that was much more favorable to the human disposition.
When she said everything was "equal" to her, she simply meant that it didn't matter what situations she found herself in, as long as it was the will of God that she was there.
Guyon also and always, acknowledged that it was Christ Himself that did this work in her, and nothing of her own that brought this attitude and outlook about, other than cooperating with the Lord from His strength, to be content in whatever it was life brought her.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
One of the experiences of Madame Guyon in her inner relationship with Jesus Christ was that of being extraordinarily peaceful within, even while the storms of life raged without.
Not only that, but within she could be full of peace, while at the same time, outwardly, i.e. her mind and emotions, could be troubled.
Guyon said:
Her comments here seem to point to being surprised and unsure of temporary, unforeseen events, even though within she is at peace concerning whatever would emerge from her circumstances. This is important because it can sometimes be misconstrued concerning Guyon that she was saying she had overcome all fear, which from what she says above ... she hadn't.
So while perplexed and concerned over immediate situations she faced, in the long term she was very much as peace.
Throughout her writings, Guyon distinguishes between the peace she had attained in all circumstances within, but still had perplexities arising in her outward man; referring to short-term involuntary thoughts and emotions coming from various events acting upon her.
In other words, it appears Guyon was very peaceful within, but face temporary fear in outward man.
Not only that, but within she could be full of peace, while at the same time, outwardly, i.e. her mind and emotions, could be troubled.
Guyon said:
I had a deep peace which seemed to pervade the whole soul, and resulted from the fact, that all my desires were fulfilled in God. I feared nothing; that is, considered in its ultimate results and relations, because my strong faith placed God at the head of all perplexities and events.So when Guyon says she feared nothing, she's separating fear related to ultimate results, and those temporal circumstances with can incite fear in a person, and evidently did in Guyon.
Her comments here seem to point to being surprised and unsure of temporary, unforeseen events, even though within she is at peace concerning whatever would emerge from her circumstances. This is important because it can sometimes be misconstrued concerning Guyon that she was saying she had overcome all fear, which from what she says above ... she hadn't.
So while perplexed and concerned over immediate situations she faced, in the long term she was very much as peace.
Throughout her writings, Guyon distinguishes between the peace she had attained in all circumstances within, but still had perplexities arising in her outward man; referring to short-term involuntary thoughts and emotions coming from various events acting upon her.
In other words, it appears Guyon was very peaceful within, but face temporary fear in outward man.
Concerning enduring everything as from the hand of God, Madame Jeanne Guyon didn't simply talk the talk, but she walked the walk.
Guyon considered everything as coming from God, even if His tool of use was the devil, enemies, circumstances, or even friends.
She stated:
But it's the content of her words that matter, and they're based upon that which came from the inner fellowship and work of Jesus Christ within her.
Bizzarely, but not surprisingly, some are attempting to portray Guyon as some type of feminist, something that her life and works, including her comments above, completely condemn and reject.
To paint Guyon as a feminist is a rejection of her entire life, which as mentioned in the quote above, accepted all things as from the hand of God, and wouldn't even think of some type of wicked self-assertion, which is the overall impetus of feminists. The majority of real Christian women reject the movement, which opposes Jesus Christ, having done more harm to families, relationships and bringing children to birth, than any other group of people in the world.
The life of Jeanne Guyon, and her massive amount of writings, totally reject this outrageous claim, and for those who have read the majority of her works, like me, understand the lie that it represents.
Look at her words above. Faith, love, endurance, providence, submission, thankfulness, silence, simplicity and not attracting attention. All of these of course are the opposite of the obsession with self represented by feminists.
Guyon considered everything as coming from God, even if His tool of use was the devil, enemies, circumstances, or even friends.
She stated:
In the exercise of faith and love, I endured and performed whatever came in God's providence, in submission, in thankfulness, and silence. I was now in God and God in me; and where God is, there is as much simplicity as power. And what I did was done in such simplicity and childlikeness of spirit, that the world did not observe anything which was much calculated to attract notice.Guyon was a masterful wordsmith, and in very short sentences and/or paragraphs, could say as much as many attempt in an entire book, as evidenced above.
But it's the content of her words that matter, and they're based upon that which came from the inner fellowship and work of Jesus Christ within her.
Bizzarely, but not surprisingly, some are attempting to portray Guyon as some type of feminist, something that her life and works, including her comments above, completely condemn and reject.
To paint Guyon as a feminist is a rejection of her entire life, which as mentioned in the quote above, accepted all things as from the hand of God, and wouldn't even think of some type of wicked self-assertion, which is the overall impetus of feminists. The majority of real Christian women reject the movement, which opposes Jesus Christ, having done more harm to families, relationships and bringing children to birth, than any other group of people in the world.
The life of Jeanne Guyon, and her massive amount of writings, totally reject this outrageous claim, and for those who have read the majority of her works, like me, understand the lie that it represents.
Look at her words above. Faith, love, endurance, providence, submission, thankfulness, silence, simplicity and not attracting attention. All of these of course are the opposite of the obsession with self represented by feminists.
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