In Psychology there is a phenomenon known as the “mere-exposure effect.” It relates to the correlation between our familiarity with something and our preference for them. There is something in the human psyche where we find that which we are familiar with more likeable, and we are more likely to believe something which we have heard three or more times as opposed to something which is new to us (technically referred to as the “illusionary truth effect”).
This dynamic should be of particular concern to anyone seeking to orient their lives around Jesus, and the teaching of Scripture. Unless we make an effort to be in the Bible regularly, it is possible that other ideas or worldviews which we are exposed to regularly in the course of our lives will gain traction in our lives. We will find them more appealing and compelling over time. Sheer exposure to ideas, repeatedly, will conform our minds to them.
What are you constantly exposed to and how might it be shaping your sense of identity, purpose, or morality? How often are you in the Bible, allowing God to renew your mind, so that you might engage life with a sense of identity, purpose and morality that comes from what God says about you?
