There's a saying that says "familiarity breeds contempt." It's true.

It can be especially true of Christians. Trust me, I've been there. Playing the whole church every Sunday, youth group and worship band, Wednesday night small group, summer camps, fall conferences, spring conferences, winter retreats. In college, going to church on Sunday morning, Breakaway on Tuesday, and homegroup on Thursday.

What I'm saying is that it is very easy to inundate yourself with Christian "stuff." None of it is bad, in fact it is all very positive. But when you over-involve yourself in Christian "stuff," it is very easy to get comfortable and substitute all the "stuff" for a real relationship. Remember, familiarity breeds contempt. I realize that becoming too familiar with Christian stuff may not lead to true contempt, but it can certainly lead to complacence, because it makes you feel like you're doing all the right stuff. It's as if church and all the other Christian stuff you do become the "crutches" of your faith. If those things were taken away, your faith would fail.

All of this makes me wonder if Satan's greatest scheme is convincing Christians that they must attend every Christian event that comes up. It would be brilliant on his part. Think about it.

If Satan can keep Christians at all of the nice events, if he can convince Christians that the more teaching they hear, the better (which is not true because too much teaching leads to being overwhelmed), if he can keep Christians from digging into the Scriptures themselves and only listening to speakers, if he can create a false sense of "doing the right Christian thing (i.e. attending all Christian events)," if he can keep the Christians only in their nice, safe Christian sphere, then not only is he keeping Christians from loving those who need love and sharing Christ with those who need it, he also is making Christians think that they are doing the right thing.

Please understand that I'm not trying to rag on Christian ministries. My point is that these ministries should only be a supplement to your faith and that you yourself should be the one pursuing God.

My advice is that if you read something good in the Bible, or come across a great speaker, allow yourself some time to chew on it and let it impact your life. Don't inundate yourself with teaching and overload your system. The Christian life is a journey, and trying to get to the end too fast will only slow you down.