“The simplicity that is in
Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3
Simplicity is the secret of seeing things clearly.
A saint does not think clearly for a long while, but a saint ought to see
clearly without any difficulty. You cannot think a spiritual muddle clear, you
have to obey it clear. In intellectual matters you can think things out, but in
spiritual matters you will think yourself into cotton wool. If there is
something upon which God has put His pressure, obey in that matter, bring your
imagination into captivity to the obedience of Christ with regard to it and everything
will become as clear as daylight. The reasoning capacity comes afterwards, but
we never see along that line, we see like children; when we try to be wise we
see nothing (Matthew 11:25).
The tiniest thing we allow in our lives that is not
under the control of the Holy Spirit is quite sufficient to account for
spiritual muddle, and all the thinking we like to spend on it will never make
it clear. Spiritual muddle is only made plain by obedience. Immediately we
obey, we discern. This is humiliating, because when we are muddled we know the
reason is in the temper of our mind. When the natural power of vision is
devoted to the Holy Spirit, it becomes the power of perceiving God's will and
the whole life is kept in simplicity.