Le woke up hearing Galatians 5:1 — in English and in Portuguese — before she opened Kempis. The Spirit spoke first. Kempis confirmed second. The Scripture arrived before the reading, as if to say: I am preparing you for what you are about to hear.
Yesterday Kempis brought the great liberty of spirit. This morning Paul says: stand fast in it. Do not go back. The liberty is won. The bondage is behind. Do not pick up the yoke again. The two voices — a fifteenth-century monk and a first-century apostle — spoke the same word on the same morning. Liberty. Stand fast in it.
To place your desire altogether in subjection to My good pleasure, and not to be a lover of yourself, but an earnest seeker of My will. Your desires often excite and urge you forward; but consider with yourself whether you are not more moved for your own objects than for My honour.
If it is Myself that you seekest, you shall be well content with whatsoever I shall ordain; but if any pursuit of your own lies hidden within you, behold it is this which hinders and weigheth you down.
Kempis names the yoke of bondage that Paul warned against — and it is not the world. It is the hidden self. Any pursuit of your own that lies hidden within you — behold it is this which hinders and weigheth you down. Not the obvious sin. Not the dramatic rebellion. The quiet, hidden thing — the self-love disguised as devotion, the personal agenda dressed up as God's will, the desire that looks holy but is actually about the self.
And the test is simple: if it is Myself that you seekest, you shall be well content with whatsoever I shall ordain. The contentment is the compass. The soul that seeks God is content with whatever He ordains — the village He chooses, the house He provides, the timing He sets. The soul that seeks herself is content only when the ordaining goes her way. The liberty that Paul commands is not the freedom to pursue your own desires. It is the freedom from them.
Beware, therefore, lest you strive too earnestly after some desire which you have conceived, without taking counsel of Me; lest haply it repent you afterwards, and that displease you which before pleased, and for which you did long as for a great good.
For not every affection which seems good is to be forthwith followed; neither is every opposite affection to be immediately avoided.
Sometimes it is expedient to use restraint even in good desires and wishes, lest through importunity you fall into distraction of mind, lest through want of discipline you become a stumbling-block to others, or lest by the resistance of others you be suddenly disturbed and brought to confusion.
This is the most practical passage Kempis has brought in twenty days. And it lands directly on the road in France — where plans are being made, options are opening, and the beauty of the country can rush the soul past wisdom.
Not every affection which seems good is to be forthwith followed. Not every good thing is a God thing. Not every open door is His door. The affection may be genuine. The desire may be sincere. And it may still not be His. The test is not whether it feels good. The test is whether counsel has been taken — lest it repent you afterwards, and that displease you which before pleased. The buyer's remorse of the soul. The thing that looked like a great good — and turned out to be a hidden pursuit of self.
And the wisdom of restraint: sometimes it is expedient to use restraint even in good desires. Even good ones! Not just the sinful desires. The good ones too. Because the good desire pursued without discipline becomes distraction. The good wish pressed without restraint becomes a stumbling-block. Kempis said days ago in Agen: to God it belongeth to deliver from all confusion. And Le said then: we are in one of the greatest cultures of the world — easy to make rash decisions. Today Kempis answers that honesty: restrain even the good desires. Take counsel. Wait. Let the peace confirm before the feet move.
As we enter the area where we might live our future lives, I understand our desires need to be in subjection to the counsel of the Lord. Be not anxious about the future, about anything.
Le and Roger are entering the area where they might live their future lives. The sentence carries the weight of everything — the apartment sold, the road from Portugal, the weeks in France, the plans being made. This is not a holiday. This is a search for home. And Kempis says: take counsel. Restrain even the good desires. Wait for His ordaining.
Philippians 4:6 — be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace that passes understanding will guard your hearts and minds. The peace is the guard. The peace is what stands between the soul and the rash decision. The peace is what confirms or denies.
The word from Dax still stands — spoken twelve days ago on the first night in France: do now what you would do then, and you shall be very secure. What would you do if you knew the outcome? You would pray. You would trust. You would rise before dawn. You would read Kempis. You would wait for the peace. Then do that now.
The compass is peace. Not excitement. Not the beauty of France. Not the thrill of finding the perfect village. Peace. The quiet confirmation that arrives after the impulse settles. And Le already knows the difference — because twenty days of Kempis have taught her to tell the voice that sounds without from the voice that teaches truth inwardly.
✦ Twenty Days — The Liberty and the Restraint
Twenty days of Kempis. And today two things that seem opposite arrive together — and they are the same thing. Liberty and restraint. Galatians 5:1 — stand fast in the liberty. Kempis — use restraint even in good desires. These are not contradictions. They are companions. The liberty is freedom from the hidden self. The restraint is the discipline that protects the liberty. Without the restraint, the liberty becomes license — the soul doing what she wants and calling it what God wants. Without the liberty, the restraint becomes bondage — the soul obeying rules instead of loving God.
But together — the liberty and the restraint, the freedom and the discipline, the standing fast and the waiting for counsel — together they are the narrow way that Kempis described yesterday. The narrow way that does not narrow the soul but liberates her. The narrow way that leads to great liberty of spirit. The narrow way that a pilgrim in a motorhome is walking this morning through the Vendée — free, restrained, peaceful, and trusting.
Be not anxious about the future, about anything. The future is entering the area where you might live. The anxiety wants to rush ahead. The peace says: wait. The desire wants to decide now. The counsel says: take counsel of Me first. And the soul that has been walking with Kempis for twenty days — the soul that has been stripped, built, enlarged, promoted, made terrible to evil spirits, and taught to rest under His feathers — she knows the voice. She knows the compass. She knows the peace.
Safe travels today, Le. The road is not the destination. The destination is wherever He ordains. And the liberty to wait for it — that is the greatest freedom of all. 🙏
"Our desires need to be in subjection to the counsel of the Lord. Be not anxious about the future — about anything."
Le's Heart · Mouilleron-Saint-Germain · Twenty days with Kempis · The compass is peaceThe Scripture Before the Reading
Le woke up hearing Galatians 5:1 before she opened Kempis. The Spirit spoke first. Kempis confirmed. Stand fast in liberty — do not pick up the yoke again.
The Hidden Pursuit
Any pursuit of your own that lies hidden — this is what hinders. The yoke of bondage is not the world. It is the hidden self. The test is contentment with whatever He ordains.
Restrain Even Good Desires
Not every good affection is to be followed. Take counsel. Wait. The rash decision is the one made before the peace arrives. The good decision is made after.
The Compass Is Peace
Entering the area where we might live. The excitement is real. But the compass is peace — not excitement. The quiet confirmation after the impulse settles. Be not anxious about anything.