Hebrews 5:11–14 (NKJV) ~ “Of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
You Cannot Remain Where You Began, in Hebrews 5, the writer is explaining the priesthood of Jesus Christ and His role as our great High Priest. But before continuing into a deeper explanation, the writer pauses to address the spiritual condition of the people receiving the message. There is more to teach them, but they have become “dull of hearing.” They are not progressing in their understanding and application of God’s Word as they should. The writer uses the picture of milk and solid food to explain the difference between spiritual infancy and maturity. Milk is appropriate for a baby. A baby needs nourishment, care, patience, and time to develop. There is nothing wrong with beginning there. But as a child grows, their ability to receive and digest food must grow too. What was sufficient at one stage of development cannot remain their only source of nourishment forever.
The concern in Hebrews is not that these believers once needed milk. It is that, after having time to grow, they still needed to be taught the foundational truths again. They had not developed the understanding and discernment that should come from consistently receiving and applying God’s Word. Hebrews 5:14 tells us that mature believers have their senses “exercised to discern both good and evil.” Spiritual maturity is not simply knowing more Scripture or having been a believer for many years. It involves putting God’s Word into practice until your judgment, responses, and decisions increasingly reflect what He has taught you. And that brings us to today’s question: Are you growing in what God has taught you, or are you still waiting for someone to teach you the same lesson again?
Yesterday, you were challenged to examine what still has power over you. You were asked to look beyond whether something is permissible and consider whether it is beneficial. You were reminded that just because you can do something does not mean you should, and that the freedom Christ has given you should not be surrendered to another desire, habit, emotion, or influence. But today, the conversation moves a little deeper. Because once you recognize what has been influencing you, you have to decide whether you are willing to grow beyond it, for growth requires more than recognizing what needs to change.
You can recognize that you need to become more patient and still refuse to practice patience. You can acknowledge that your words sometimes cause unnecessary hurt and still insist that people should simply accept the way you speak. You can identify a habit that is interfering with your responsibilities and continue making room for it. You can know that God is calling you to greater discipline and still wait for somebody else to motivate you every time you need to follow through.
At some point, what you know must begin changing how you live. That is the challenge in Hebrews 5. The writer is not telling these believers that they need to become perfect. He is confronting the fact that they have had opportunities to grow, yet they are not progressing as they should. They still need someone to return to the beginning and explain what they should already be learning to practice.
Now, think about your own journey. How many times has the Holy Spirit brought you back to a lesson you thought you had already learned? How many times have you prayed about the same pattern, recognized the same warning signs, or received the same correction, only to find yourself standing in a familiar situation making a familiar choice? Sometimes you find yourself revisiting a lesson because there is something more God wants to teach you. But sometimes you are revisiting it because you have not yet put into practice what He has already shown you and there is a difference.
And this is where you have to be willing to have an honest conversation with yourself. You cannot keep measuring your spiritual growth only by how long you have been saved, how many sermons you have heard, how many Bible studies you have attended, or how many Scriptures you can quote. Those things can contribute to your growth, but the evidence of maturity is also found in how you respond when the Word you have heard is tested in your everyday life. James 1:22 says, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” You can hear a message about forgiveness and agree with every word, but what happens when you have an opportunity to forgive? You can hear a teaching about controlling your tongue and even encourage someone else to apply it, but what happens when you are frustrated and have something sharp to say? You can study the importance of trusting God, but what happens when His direction requires you to wait longer than you wanted? That is where the Word moves from something you have heard into something you are learning to live.
Do you remember what we discussed during Crucify It? That your flesh does not get the final say. You have to stop feeding what you are trying to crucify. Denying yourself is not denying your destiny, and new territory requires new discipline. But now the question is whether those truths are becoming part of the way you live or whether they remain words that encouraged you for a moment.
You cannot keep celebrating a lesson while refusing to live it. Perhaps you have learned that every feeling does not require an action, but when someone disappoints you, do you still allow that feeling to determine your entire response? Perhaps you have learned that you need healthier boundaries. But when the opportunity comes to establish one, do you abandon it because you are afraid someone may be upset with you? Perhaps you have learned that some conversations are difficult but necessary. Yet when the time comes, do you still avoid the conversation and hope the situation will somehow resolve itself?
This is not about condemning yourself for the areas where you are still growing. It is about recognizing that the next stage of growth requires you to exercise what you have already learned.
Hebrews 5:14 says that mature believers have their senses exercised “by reason of use.” Notice those words: by reason of use. Discernment develops through practice. You do not develop stronger spiritual judgment merely by wishing you had it. You grow as you study the Word, seek God’s wisdom, apply what He teaches you, and learn from the choices you make. Think about someone learning to walk. At first, they need support. They may stumble, fall, and reach for a steady hand. But as they continue practicing, their balance develops. Eventually, they can take steps that once seemed impossible. They do not become stronger by remaining seated and talking about walking. They become stronger as they begin to use what they are developing and your spiritual growth requires that same willingness to practice.
You may not handle every situation perfectly, but you can begin handling familiar situations differently. You can pause before responding. You can pray before making a decision. You can recognize when your emotions are rising and choose not to allow them to govern your words. You can establish a boundary and maintain it with kindness. You can acknowledge when you are wrong without immediately explaining why somebody else was wrong too, it may appear to be small choices, but they are opportunities to exercise what God has been teaching you. So, don’t overlook the importance of being teachable. Sometimes you can become so familiar with a scripture, a sermon, or a spiritual principle that you stop allowing it to challenge you. You may know the words so well that you assume you have mastered the lesson. But familiarity with a truth is not the same as maturity in that truth.
The writer of Hebrews says the people had become “dull of hearing.” That should cause you to examine not only whether you are hearing God’s Word, but how you are receiving it. Are you still allowing the Word to correct you? Can you receive instruction without immediately becoming defensive? When the Holy Spirit reveals something uncomfortable, are you willing to consider it, or do you quickly explain why it does not apply to you? Here is something for you to think about, sometimes the evidence that you are growing is not that you have stopped needing correction, but it is that you have become more willing to receive it and respond to it. Proverbs 12:1 says, “Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” The language is direct because correction matters. If you want to grow in wisdom, you cannot continually reject the very instruction that would help you develop it.
Are you praying for greater responsibility, a deeper assignment, healthier relationships, and greater influence, in your life; then you must know that growth is going to require you to develop the maturity needed to carry what you are asking God to place in your hands. You cannot keep asking for greater while insisting that you should never have to change. Remember, the cost of transition is letting go of the excuse you have used for years, it is accepting responsibility for a decision without blaming the circumstances surrounding it. It is learning to receive a no without allowing disappointment to become rebellion. It is choosing consistency when nobody is watching or allowing God to develop your character before you receive the opportunity you have been praying for. And it is admitting, “I should be further along in this area, and I am ready to do the work required to grow.” That admission does not have to come from shame, it comes from hope. Because the fact that you recognize an area where you need to grow means you have an opportunity to begin responding differently today.
Philippians 1:6 reminds you that “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” God is not finished with you. But as He continues His work, you are called to participate through faith, obedience, and a willingness to be taught. And remember, Sunshine, spiritual maturity is not the same as spiritual independence. Getting off the milk does not mean you no longer need encouragement, teaching, prayer, or the support of other believers. It does not mean you have reached a point where you can no longer stumble or where you should be ashamed to ask for help. Mature believers continue learning, receiving correction, and depending on God. The difference is that you are no longer content to remain unchanged.
Now you have begun taking responsibility for applying what you have learned. You recognize when you need help and seek it rather than pretending everything is fine. You stop treating every difficult situation as though you have never encountered God’s truth before. Instead, you ask, “What has God already taught me that I need to put into practice right here?” And as you grow, your discernment begins to develop. You start recognizing patterns earlier. You become more attentive to the difference between what your flesh wants and what the Holy Spirit is leading you to do. You begin noticing when an opportunity is drawing you away from your priorities, when a conversation is moving toward unnecessary conflict, or when a familiar desire is trying to regain influence over you.
You may still feel the pull of an old pattern, but you are learning that you do not have to follow it.
That is growth. You may still have moments when you want to respond the way you once did, but now you recognize that you have another choice. That is growth. You may still need to have a difficult conversation, but instead of avoiding it for weeks, you pray, prepare, and approach it with truth and love. That is growth. You may still be learning how to discern God’s direction, but you are becoming more willing to seek Him before making a decision rather than asking Him to approve one you have already made. That is growth. Please do not despise the beginning of your journey, and do not become discouraged because there are areas where you still need to mature. But do not make a permanent home in a stage God is calling you to grow beyond.
Milk was meant to nourish you at the beginning, not become an excuse to refuse the solid food that will strengthen you for what comes next. Today, ask the Holy Spirit to show you one area where you have been hearing the lesson but have not consistently practiced it. Do not begin by examining everybody else’s maturity. Begin with your own heart. Ask God what you already know but need to start doing. Because the next step in your journey may not require another explanation. It may require you to exercise what God has already taught you.
Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father, thank You for continuing to teach me and for loving me enough not to leave me where I began. Thank You for every lesson, every correction, every opportunity to grow, and every moment when Your Word has challenged the way I think and live. As I come before You today, I ask You to search my heart and show me where I have become comfortable with hearing Your Word without consistently applying it. Help me recognize the areas where I have been revisiting the same lesson because I have not yet responded to what You have already shown me. Father, forgive me for the times I have confused knowing Your Word with living Your Word. Forgive me for the moments when I have been quick to recognize what someone else needs to change but slow to acknowledge what You are addressing in me. Remove pride, defensiveness, and the need to justify every response. Give me a teachable spirit and a heart that welcomes Your correction, even when it challenges something I have grown accustomed to doing. Holy Spirit help me move beyond spiritual infancy. Teach me to receive the deeper truths of Your Word and give me the courage to practice them. When I am frustrated, remind me of what You have taught me about patience. When I am offended, help me remember what You have taught me about forgiveness and self-control. When I face a difficult conversation, give me the maturity to speak truth in love rather than allowing fear, anger, or avoidance to determine my response. When I am tempted to return to an old pattern, remind me that I have already learned another way to walk. Lord, I do not want to keep asking You to take me into new territory while refusing to develop the discipline and maturity that new territory requires. Help me accept responsibility for my choices. Teach me to stop making excuses for what I need to address and to stop postponing the obedience You are asking of me today. Where I need wisdom, help me seek it. Where I need correction, help me receive it. Where I need support, give me the humility to ask for it. And where I already know what is right, give me the strength to follow through. Father, develop my discernment as I exercise what You have taught me. Help me recognize the difference between what is familiar and what is beneficial, between what my flesh desires and what Your Spirit is directing me to do. Let my spiritual senses become more attentive through prayer, study, obedience, and practice. Teach me to recognize the warning signs I once ignored and to respond to Your direction before a small compromise becomes a familiar pattern. Thank You that You are not finished with me. I do not have to become everything You are developing in me overnight, but I do need to remain willing to grow. Help me be faithful in the small decisions, consistent in the private moments, and obedient when the lesson I have learned is tested in real life. Let my words, attitudes, relationships, responsibilities, and daily choices begin reflecting the maturity You are producing in me. Lord, I do not want to remain where I began simply because it is comfortable. I want to grow in Your Word, become stronger in discernment, and learn to follow the Holy Spirit with greater consistency. Let my desire for greater be matched by my willingness to mature. Continue the good work You have begun in me and help me become a doer of Your Word and not a hearer only. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Nugget: Spiritual maturity is not measured only by how much of God’s Word you know, but by how willing you are to live what He has taught you. Don’t keep returning to the beginning because you refuse to practice the lesson. Get off the milk, exercise your discernment, and let your daily choices show that you are growing. Think about a lesson God has brought to your attention more than once. It may involve patience, forgiveness, discipline, boundaries, stewardship, communication, or trusting Him with something you cannot control. Ask yourself: “What do I already know God is asking me to do, and what has kept me from consistently putting it into practice?” Choose one specific way to exercise that lesson today. Do not wait until you feel completely ready. Begin with the opportunity already in front of you.
Blessings…
Love, Dr. Jean….
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