by Josh Etter
Pastor John writes:
I am often asked what a Christian should do if the cheerfulness of obedience is not there. It is a good question. My answer is not to simply get on with your duty because feelings are irrelevant! My answer has three steps.
First, confess the sin of joylessness. Acknowledge the culpable coldness of your heart. Don’t say it doesn’t matter how you feel.
Second, pray earnestly that God would restore the joy of obedience.
Third, go ahead and do the outward dimension of your duty in the hope that the doing will rekindle the delight.
Desiring God, 25th Anniversary Reference Edition, (Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2011), 301. Paragraphing mine.
