I think it will always be human nature to seek God outside of ourselves. But if, when we do, it brings us back to our own center, then I don’t see anything wrong with that. Especially when, intellectually, we already know we carry God on the inside, and we never have to go seeking God anywhere else.
Therefore, if a certain church, group, prayer, or book makes you more aware of God’s presence in your own life, then by all means, seek it out and discover all it can teach you. God is just as much outside of us as It is inside of us. And because God is “everywhere present,” God is in you, God is in others, and God is in the space between you and others. Thus, there is nowhere that God is not. There is nowhere that God can’t be found. Just as God lives in you, God lives outside of you.
So, for the times when you’ve lost track of where God is living inside you, it may be the perfect time to seek God outside of yourself. As long as that God is eventually recognized within your own Self, and you come to realize that you don’t need any outside God, then the experience has served its purpose. If it brings you back into awareness of your own Godliness, your own perfection, and your true authentic nature, then perhaps a “God outside of ourselves” is not such a bad concept after all.
What I have found is, it has been this “outside God” that has brought me back into alignment with my authentic self, my personal power, my belief systems, and my convictions time and time again. When I have lost my way, it has been this outside God that has reminded me what’s true for me, and ultimately, led me into greater acceptance of the idea that there is not just one way to view God.