In the main text, the author of Hebrews writes to an audience of people who was called to be teachers, but they only wanted to remain as students. The reason is because their senses had not be exercised to develop the sixth sense of discernment, which was why they remained drinking on milk. Milk symbolized the type of food for a newborn infant, which in this case is the teachings that newly born-again, converted Christians received. Just as with a natural baby, a spiritual infant has to depend on someone else for everything. A parent has to feed them, clothe them, and teach them how to walk before they can ever walk on their own. They even have to show them how to talk! The whole course of that child’s life is based upon what a set of parents or grandparents shows them. It is no different spiritually. When people first start out in their walk and relationship with God, they are not perfect. In fact, even twenty years into this thing, you are not going to fit into your definition of perfect! You are not going to ever have it altogether, but when someone begins to enter into spiritual maturity, they do not always depend on someone else to teach and show them the way, and they are not always drinking milk. Instead, they are eating strong meat, exercising their sixth sense so that they do not fall into a trap of sin and destruction. They maintain a lifestyle of prayer, fasting, and devotion to God’s Word, continuing on a path of victory and success.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3 says, “1And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” Milk represents the basic fundamentals of God’s Word, discovering what to do and what not do, and how to live a good, moral, and Christian life. It illustrates a lack of knowledge of the Bible, being unskillful in knowing and abiding in a righteous lifestyle. The apostle Paul did not preach anything to tough for them to bear or receive because they were still walking in envying, strife, and divisions, and this stuff had to be dealt with before revival could take place and each one could find their rightful place within the body of Christ. Where there is bickering and gossip is immaturity and worldly wisdom that is void of godly wisdom. 1 Peter 2:1-3 says, “1Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: 3If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.” For babies to grow, they must have milk, and from time to time, adults must drink milk from time to time. We can never forget or overlook what the basic parts of scripture says. Babies need this so that they can overcome and let go of hypocrisy, jealousy, and gossip. They need it so they can understand how great God’s grace really is Nonetheless, using milk inappropriately can cause damage to a baby. A baby’s teeth can potentially rot out when a baby continually falls asleep with a bottle in its mouth or when his or her parents give them a bottle every time that they are fussy. In other words, some people may never be ready for meat if they allow milk to stay in their mouth while they are sleeping and never digest it, and when they only want it their way all of the time. We have to quit spoon feeding what everybody wants all of the time, but we must seek after what God’s plan and will is for our lives!

Once people grow up and catch a kingdom vision of working together and reaching to the lost, hurting, and broken, then people can begin to eat strong meat. Strong meat belongs to them who are of full age. To become of full age actually means to be perfect. Perfection is not ever making a mistake, but it the maturity to know how to do right and actually doing it. It is becoming more like God, for Matthew 5:48 says, “Be ye perfect as your father which is in Heaven is perfect.” This can only come through the Holy Spirit and abiding in a consistent and continual relationship with God. Just as Leonard Ravenhill said, “A praying man does not sin, and a sinning man does not pray.” If we are engaged in prayer, we will say “no” to sin and “yes” to Jesus every time! Strong meat belongs to those who pray and are willing to work and exercise their faith. Infants cannot exercise or work, but mature adults can and will. They will have the ability to exercise their sixth sense of discernment to know good from evil, meaning that they know what God’s will and plan is. They will not sit around and always wondering what God’s will is for their lives, neither will they have to have a preacher always standing next to them to tell them what is right or wrong, but they will distinguish the two from each other. Jesus said, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (John 4:34). Our meat is not only knowing what God’s plan is for our lives, but it is doing and completing it. It is more than just be hearers of the Word, but doers of it (James 1:22). It is living out the gospel that we preach or hear preached on a weekly basis. We cannot just be part-time Christians, but we must be full-time! This is how we grow healthier spiritually in God!

When you do not know this Word and you do not follow this Word, you will have spiritual malnutrition, making you unavailable for God to use for his Kingdom. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The Word of God is what births discernment in our lives, insomuch that we can read people’s minds and know their intentions. It allows us to walk in divine truth and avoid being fooled by the adversary. It allows us to separate sin from righteousness. Too many have thrown out the Word of God and discernment altogether and have craved junk food Christianity. They have covered up discernment with a mimicked shout, a plagiarized message, a counterfeit tongue, and a popularized dance. Nowadays, people in the church live like hell and think they can get away with it because they know how to jump up and down in church. If we cannot love and have discernment, then it profits nothing! If we walk with God and exercise godliness, we will have discernment, protecting our pulpits from allowing not just anything behind it. But if we choose to follow false teaching and prophecy and have no order in the house of God, then we will feast off of an unhealthy, junk food Christianity that only causes spiritual malnutrition. Junk food Christianity is when we treat God like a Santa Claus by giving Him a huge wish list of what we want but only giving Him in return chocolate chip cookies. We may go to church once a month if He gives us what we want, and if He does not, then we will not honor Him with our presence. All junk food does is tickle people’s ears and makes everyone happy, but it is destructive to their eternal soul and influences them to refuse any type of strong meat! It is time we return to the fresh manna that Jesus offers to those who believe!