{"id":5645,"date":"2026-10-19T16:00:50","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T20:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cedarville.edu\/studentlife\/?p=5645"},"modified":"2026-10-07T16:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T20:36:10","slug":"when-your-faith-seems-weak-how-to-avoid-complacency-when-youre-surrounded-by-the-gospel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cedarville.edu\/studentlife\/2026\/10\/19\/when-your-faith-seems-weak-how-to-avoid-complacency-when-youre-surrounded-by-the-gospel\/","title":{"rendered":"When Your Faith Seems Weak: How To Avoid Complacency When You’re Surrounded by the Gospel"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

John 3:16 is perhaps the most well-known Bible verse: “<\/span>For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the Gospel in a nutshell \u2014 a message of life-saving truth.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, those who grew up in the church or attend a Christian school like Cedarville may find it easy to become complacent or even calloused to John 3:16 (or, more broadly, the Gospel and other biblical truth).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We heard the stories, sang the songs, and did all the \u201cChristian\u201d things, but how do we make sure we are living out our faith in genuineness rather than going through the motions?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I want to suggest three ways we can avoid complacency in our faith.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Saturating Ourselves in the Word (And Doing It Rightly)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Our daily bread is the Word of God, the Bible.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When it comes to complacency in our Bible reading, I view it in two ways: We\u2019re either consuming more spiritual junk food than the Word, or we\u2019re consuming the Word too quickly to savor its rich flavor.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Whenever I found myself becoming lazy with my Bible reading and skipping days or weeks at a time, I was consuming other media that wasn\u2019t nourishing. I was content with the lesser pleasures and \u201cjoys\u201d of the world.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As C.S. Lewis once said, \u201cWe are far too easily pleased.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s the solution?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s feeding our souls with a greater pleasure and joy \u2014 beholding the glory of God.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What does this mean practically?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Preaching the Gospel to ourselves daily is an excellent way to see God\u2019s glory.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Gospel isn\u2019t just for unbelievers; it\u2019s for believers too!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Paul describes it as \u201cthe light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We will become what we behold.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If we\u2019ve become complacent, then perhaps we\u2019ve been settling for lesser glories rather than being transformed by the greatest glory (2 Corinthians 3:18).<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

But maybe we do read our Bible every day, go to church, attend chapel, and rehearse the Gospel daily. How can we still feel stale in our faith when we\u2019re surrounded by the Gospel?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I felt this way for a while attending Cedarville, but looking back, I was reading the Word to check a box without <\/span>listening<\/span><\/i> to it \u2014 without meditating on it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The idea of meditating simply means soaking in the Word by reflecting and thinking on its life-giving truth. When we\u2019re intentional about savoring the Word, we\u2019re more like Mary, who was attentive to Jesus and eager to learn, rather than Martha, who was busy and just hearing Him from the other room.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Holy Spirit is the One who helps us understand Scripture. We just need to slow down and humble ourselves to listen to Him.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Communing With Our Savior in Prayer<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

I often forget the privilege that prayer truly is.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By the blood of Christ and the grace of God, I can enter the throne room of God and talk to the Sovereign Creator of the World, who holds my life in His hand and desires to commune with me as Father to a son.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But too often, I let the responsibilities of college life reduce my prayer life to three quick prayers before meals.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can\u2019t grow to love the Lord more if you don\u2019t talk to Him! When we become complacent in our faith and reduce our prayer life, we\u2019re missing out on the joy and eternal pleasures in God\u2019s presence (Psalm 16:11).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are these joys and eternal pleasures?\u00a0 They\u2019re enjoying God Himself \u2014 the source of life and everything good.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So how do we avoid complacency in prayer? We remind ourselves of the privilege of prayer and what it cost to be possible.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What does this look like? Set aside a dedicated, uninterrupted time to talk with God; otherwise, you may keep falling into the trap of rushed prayers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Praying with other believers in a prayer group or <\/span>discipleship<\/span><\/a> context is also a great way to practice love for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

For me, keeping a prayer journal is a helpful way to stay intentional with my prayers while serving as a reminder of God\u2019s faithfulness, even in unexpected ways.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In these ways and more, we can move from only meal prayers to fully enjoying communion with Christ!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Encouraging and Serving Others as the Body of Christ<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

Cedarville University is known for having <\/span>chapel<\/span><\/a> five days a week.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s truly a gift and blessing to worship God every weekday morning and hear from the Word.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, chapel is not the church.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

God wired us for community in the <\/span>local church<\/span><\/a>, which means not just going to Sunday service and leaving but also encouraging and serving one another with the spiritual gifts the Spirit has given us (1 Peter 4:10).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By doing this, we are contributing to the body of Christ and actively living out our faith.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

College is a special season in life, but that doesn\u2019t mean students can\u2019t get plugged in. Becoming a member at a local church is an excellent start. Consider attending Sunday school or signing up for a small group as well. Seek out opportunities to serve, whether musically, in the community, through hospitality, etc.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And get to know people in the church! When we live in community as God intended, we will find the lasting joy in serving the body of Christ.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Living With Kingdom Purpose<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

So, how do we avoid complacency in our faith?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We consume and savor the daily bread of God\u2019s Word, remember the privilege and joy of prayer, and serve Christ\u2019s church with our gifts.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The glue that binds these together is the glorious Gospel of God.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When we forget the Gospel or take it for granted, we deprive ourselves of beholding a glimpse of God\u2019s glory and being in awe of Him every day.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When we truly live out our faith empowered by the Holy Spirit, we will find that the Christian life that God intended is anything but complacent!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Going to a Christian school can sometimes make us apathetic to the power of the Gospel. We hear it preached so often that it seems ordinary or mundane. But it doesn’t have to be that way \u2014 Here are some practical ways to avoid becoming complacent in your relationship with God!","protected":false},"author":142,"featured_media":5650,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[224,69,419,47,53],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-church","category-experience","category-practical-tips","category-religion","category-well-being"],"yoast_head":"\nWhen Your Faith Seems Weak: How To Avoid Complacency When You're Surrounded by the Gospel<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Being around Gospel-centered teaching every day can numb our hearts to the Gospel's wonder. 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