Hebrews 5:11-14

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand.  In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

            With so much deception in the world, every believer needs spiritual discernment.  Although we have access to God’s wisdom, it’s not something we automatically possess.  It must be diligently sought, and His Word is the place to start because spiritual discernment comes only when we know the truth and can think scripturally about every situation we come across.

            It’s foolish to think that our own wisdom is enough to guide us.  The human mind, while rational, is not able – or even capable – of seeing the true nature of many situations and events.  What is good may not always be best, and what is presented as truth is sometimes a lie.  Pride in our own judgment hinders access to godly wisdom.

            In contrast, by being regularly in God’s Word and understanding His Word develops our insight, because it is spiritually discerned. The Holy Spirit illuminates our minds and interprets the Scriptures, and therefore we can see life, more and more, from God’s perspective. Through the Spirit of the Word, we have a direct link to the very mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).  That is amazing!  From Genesis to Revelation, God is revealing His thoughts, His principles, and His wisdom so we can live accordingly in any situation.

            The Lord doesn’t simply pour knowledge into our head after we’re saved.  It’s important to regularly seek His will and study the Word in order to know Him better, all the while asking the Holy Spirit to help us understand Scripture and obey what it says.  Let’s not be satisfied with simply knowing the basics of the faith. By digging deeply into the Word and wrestling with and ‘pondering’ the deeper truths and issues, we’ll gain a much greater understanding of what the Lord desires and expects.

            But no matter how much information we accumulate, discernment only happens by putting what we’ve learned into practice.  It does no good to sit in church week after week without ever applying the scriptural truths and principles taught there.  One author put it this way: Spiritual maturity is measured not by what we know but by how faithful we are to apply what we know.  It’s through our obedience that God trains us to discern good and evil – then we can live wisely and righteously.