I’ve found an amazing little book about Jesus Christ written in the 1680s by a woman in France. The book is called Experiencing The Depths of Jesus Christ by Jeanne Guyon. I just had to plug it, because it is a great read for those who want more of Jesus Christ.

“There is only one way to conquer your five senses, and that is by inward recollection. …Your soul must turn all of its attention and energies within, not without! Within to Christ, not without to the senses. When your soul is turned within, it actually becomes separated from your external senses; and once your five senses are separated from your soul, they receive no more attention. Their supply of life is cut off! They become powerless. … Your main concern, therefore, is with the presence of Jesus Christ. Your main concern lies in dwelling continually upon the God who is within you. Then without particularly thinking of self denial or “putting away the deeds of the flesh,” God will cause you to experience a natural subduing of the flesh!” pp..50-51 Jeanne Guyon

Here Guyon is teaching a great deal about turning to the Lord. I believe what she teaches here is synonymous with seeking first the kingdom of God for the Christian.

She refers to the subduing of the sins of the flesh as a natural result of this inward centering on Jesus Christ. It happens naturally and rather easily. It’s not a matter of trying hard to overcome the flesh. Which really is a fruitless meaningless exercise in failure.

Turning to the Lord within is a great way to describe what she is teaching.

Guyon did not originally intend to write this to publish but to help friends. It was so helpful that she decided to publish.

I wonder if she imagined that her book would be helping people 340 years later on the other side of the world. Goes to show how important it is for Christians, men and women, to let their light shine, to share, to write, to speak, and to publish.