“But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” — Hebrews 5:14 (NIV)
I remember the first time I tried to tell the difference between two nearly identical wines at a friend’s dinner party. I couldn’t do it. My palate just wasn’t trained for it. But my friend, who’d spent years paying attention, could tell you the region, the year, even the soil. That kind of skill doesn’t come from one good class. It comes from tasting, noticing, and tasting again — thousands of small moments of paying attention.That’s exactly the picture the writer of Hebrews paints for us.
Discernment — the ability to tell good from evil, wisdom from foolishness, truth from a good-sounding lie — isn’t something we’re born with. It’s trained. And it’s trained by “constant use.” Not a one-time decision. Not a single sermon or a single hard lesson. Constant, repeated practice of choosing what’s right and paying attention to why.Here’s the part that convicts me: the verse right before this one talks about people who are still on milk when they should be eating solid food. They never grew past the basics.
I think the reason isn’t usually rebellion — it’s just neglect. It’s skipping the daily reps. It’s reading the Word occasionally instead of constantly. It’s making decisions on autopilot instead of asking, “Does this actually line up with what God says is good?”Discernment grows the same way a muscle grows — through resistance, repetition, and time. Every time you choose honesty when a lie would be easier, every time you test what you hear against Scripture instead of just accepting it, every time you pause before reacting — you’re doing a rep. You’re training.
Don’t be discouraged if discernment doesn’t come easily yet. That’s not a sign of failure. It’s a sign you’re still in training — and training is exactly what God intends. He’s not asking for perfection today. He’s asking for constant use. Show up again tomorrow. Read the Word again. Practice again. Over time, what once required careful thought becomes almost instinctive, because you’ve trained your senses to recognize what’s good.
Prayer for today:
Lord, thank You for Your Word, which trains and shapes me. I confess the times I’ve settled for milk when You wanted to grow me toward solid food. Sharpen my discernment. Help me practice choosing what is good, day after day, until it becomes who I am. Give me the patience to trust the process of growth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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