what I've been reading: what I feel vs what is real from CJ Mahaney's The Cross Centred Life

It's a common theme on this blog: talk to yourself instead of listening to yourself. Here it is again, put beautifully by CJ Mahaney. I was particularly interested in the idea that introspection is a common temptation for evangelicals.

We can either listen to ourselves and our constantly changing feelings about our circumstances, or we can talk to ourselves about the unchanging truth of who God is and what He's accomplished for us at the cross.

Far too often we choose to passively listen to ourselves. We sit back and let our view of God and life be shaped by our constantly shifing feelings about our ever-changing circumstances. ...

Sinclair Ferguson has noted, "The evangelical orientation is inward and subjective. We are far better at looking inward than we are at looking outward. Instead, we need to expend our energies admiring, exploring, expositing, and extolling Jesus Christ." ...

Think about this. How often in a typical day do you take an internal inventory in an effort to evaluate how you're doing? How often do you assess a situation by examining how you feel about it? How often do you make mental reference to how you feel, as opposed to what you know?

Don't listen to yourself; talk to yourself: Begin your day and at numerous points throughout the day expend your energies "admiring, exploring, expositing, and extolling Jesus Christ."

CJ Mahaney The Cross Centered Life 48-51

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