Idolatry

Any activity that's giving you your identity is an idol and is only contributing to the false self. Our false self thinks it needs external things or activities to give it life. It wants the stroking, the external affirmation, the place of authority, or the public place to make pronouncements. We are dangerous living out of our flesh, because we're using others to validate us. But when we no longer need those externals—when who we are in Christ and who He is in us has become foundation truth in our life—then we can handle the externals, because we don't need them for our identity.— The Rest of the Gospel: When the partial Gospel has worn you out, page 107

<idle musing>
This sounds a lot like some of the stuff in Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis. Of course, there is a major difference in that Stone would say we aren't imitating Christ, we are being indwelt with Christ—a difference that should not be minimized.
</idle musing>