Key scripture- “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14).

Pastor, Tony Evans tells us that the writer of Hebrews included a simple test to determine who is a “milk” Christian—a carnal Christian—and who is a “meat” Christian—a mature Christian. “By this time you ought to be teachers” (Hebrews 5:12). You should be able to sit down with your children and others and be explain simple Bible truths. Husbands should be able to sit down with their wives and answer their questions. By this time, if we are meaty, mature Christians, we should be able to sit down with the Bible and help someone else know the Truth. We should be able to lead an unbeliever to the Lord.

If we willfully refuse to go deeper into the things of God, we will not be able to use the Word because we won’t know the Word. The old saying goes, “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” That is why the writer of Hebrews said, that if you do not get acquainted with the teachings about righteousness, then you are like an infant who is still living on milk, because solid food is for the mature, and the only way they became mature is by constant use of God’s Word, which enables them to train themselves to be able to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:13-14). We can’t lose our salvation, but if we do not read and meditate on God’s Word, we can forget how to walk in the Word and how to be His representatives.

If you are a mature Christian you use God’s Word every day. You practice His Word in your everyday life. The phrase “discernment trained” comes from the Greek root word for gymnasium, like a training ground, which means, when you read and meditate on His Word you are trained in the discernment of good and evil, duty and sin, truth and lies.

In order to move from spiritual milk to spiritual meat you need to learn God’s Word and practice it until it becomes a habit, a natural way of thinking and doing things, and a normal way of perceiving things.

Are you ready to put down your baby bottle and pick up your knife and fork so that you can eat the meat? If so, start by getting up fifteen minutes earlier each morning and read God’s Word, and meet with Him in prayer.

Pray this – Our Precious Heavenly Father, I want to have wisdom, understanding and to be able to discern good and evil, duty and sin, truth and error. I want to go deeper and experience more of the knowledge of God and the only way to do that is to read and meditate on Your Word, which will nourish me as a Christian. Show me Your ways, Lord, teach me Your paths, teach me Your Word, and lead me in Your truth. In order for my spiritual eyes, spiritual appetite, and spiritual taste to be strengthened, improved and made more quick and strong I will meditate on Your Word so that I taste what is good and true, and that will give me the ability to be able to immediately recognize the bitterness of what is false and evil. Your Word will not only strengthen my reason and faith but my spiritual senses too, so that I know what is pleasing to You, and what is helpful and hurtful to my own soul. Open my heart and mind to receive and to understand Your Word. In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.