have you attained maturity?

11*About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. *12*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, *13*for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. *14*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 5:11–14.

Are you drinking milk or solid food?

This passage is a challenge to us to consider our maturity in faith. It causes us to consider our own maturity.

From this passage, spiritual maturity comes down to whether you are putting into practice your faith or not (v14).
So are you? Are you regularly acting and reacting from a place of faith in God?

v14 tells us that part of growing up in faith is being able to distinguish good and evil, yet it is not only being able to tell the difference, but being able to put the right way into practice. In the everyday challenges of life, in the little, unseen moments, how are you responding? Are you walking right even when no-one else knows about it? Are you putting into practice the things God is prompting you about?
The way to maturity is distinguishing and practicing what you know God’s will is - walking in faith means you will grow up and become skilled in righteousness. Isn’t that something you want to aim for?

What is so important about attaining maturity? Well,  do you want to stay a baby forever?! No-one really wants that - to be fully reliant on others for basic needs and safety, only ever drinking milk and unable to perform the basic functions of life independently. It is essential that you grow up. It is a natural process, we see growth from a baby to a toddler, teenager and beyond. So it should be as we continue our journey of faith - the longer you follow God, the more you should be learning, developing and practicing the ways of God. As a part of the process there will be; training, discipline, comfort, listening, reading, prayer, challenges and mistakes. Experiencing these things and allowing them to form your character means that you gain righteousness and maturity.

Being mature doesn’t happen overnight, it’s a gradual process. Like learning to ride a bike, you have to take it slow, listen to others, have a go, take advice and keep practicing until you learn to balance and ride. It is scary, it doesn’t feel comfortable, but  it is putting faith in practice that helps us grow up.
Like riding a bike, seeking spiritual maturity means learning from others. You need to rely on others wisdom and experience to give you the wisdom and lead you to practice ‘good’. There are faithful disciples around you, fellow members of God’s church, who will walk with you and encourage you. Seek out those who can help you with the next steps of faith, what is it that God is teaching you right now? Are you ignoring or taking up the challenges God is giving you?
If you are a person of spiritual maturity - do you have the opportunity to teach others? How can you impart the knowledge, wisdom and practice of faith into the loves of others so that they too can grow up in their faith?

is God really real?

This is a question that is easy to ask periodically in life, it’s a good one too and it usually arises at times of difficulty, especially if you’ve been believing, hoping maybe even fasting and praying for a certain outcome that does not manifest.

What then?

Is God really real?

Is God as real when things don’t go your way as when they do? Can you believe and trust in Him even when the answer to your greater desire is no? Is God still good when the worst happens? Does He still love you or even exist when the answer to pouring your heart out is silence?

 These are the very real  situations that we all come face-to-face with at some point in our lives. Disappointment, loneliness, grief, debt, illness, failure - these things can all lead us to question the very existence of God. How can God exist or be considered good when there’s suffering in the world? When I’ve asked God for help and He didn’t answer -where was He?
These questions are heart-wrenching responses to the battles of life, in times where we feel confused, alone, overwhelmed and desperate - where is the one who’s meant to love us? Is God really real?

As a believer in God, I am not immune to these questions, to these very real, confusing and desperate emotions that are a result to the circumstances we find ourselves in.
Maybe now you expect me to give you an eloquent answer to all of these confusing questions interlaced with a bit of knowledge and theological input - well, I’m not, and I’m not sure I could if I tried. You and I need to work out our own answers in response to these things, your faith cannot rest on my answers - you need to work out your own and your own standing with Almighty God. I will, however, tell you a few thoughts of my own that keep me going through the terrible times;

1) God is either real or He isn’t - His existence is not dependent on whether today is the best or worst day of my life. I either believe He is real or I don’t, circumstances and feelings are irrelevant to this fact. I may become angry, confused, lack hope, but I cannot alter from the crux of this matter - either God is really real, or He isn’t.

2) Don’t tell my kids - but I don’t know everything! There are things that are out of my realm of understanding, there are circumstances I cannot predict or understand, I also make mistakes. Therefore I cannot tell what will happen long-term, and although I feel bad or sad about things, this does not mean that I ultimately know best and that God has got it wrong. I am fallible, God is not.

3) God is not in it for instant gratification like we are. God sees the long game, He knows the beginning from the end, and whatever is going on will bring about good for His people.
We do not like discomfort or suffering, yet God can see the effect of this and that it is actually for our benefit and for those around us too in the long-run.

4) God is good and loving always. I try to think of it like this; as a parent, I have to disappoint my kids sometimes, I have to say no, I have to limit them in some capacity - why? Well, sometimes they need to learn, they need to wait, they need to understand and grow, they need to develop relationships, forgive people, be patient, be aware of risk and probably a million other things! They need to learn to be responsible so that they become adults, not remain children. Therefore there are boundaries, and at times I will limit them, they will also have to navigate situations they don’t want to because I know that they are learning something in the process.
Now, God is a greater parent than I ever will be, so His reasons for our discomfort are greater than ours for our children. He wants us to learn, He does not want us to remain with a childish faith, but wants us to grow up, He wants us to realise who we are and who those around us are, this means we will have to navigate situations we don’t want to because we need to grow up!

5) God is God of the impossible.
We can easily miss what God is doing when we focus on our own emotions. In times of persecution I see the christians in the Bible praising God and even thanking Him for what He is doing in their lives. We have forgotten this lost treasure. We forget God’s bigness when we allow the bigness or our situations to override who He is. We can end up relying on our own capabilities, skills and resources instead of remembering who God is.
God is God of the impossible - He can answer 101 questions at the same time, He can turn around situations, He can bring rest and relief, He can resolve issues, He can breakthrough, He can wait, He can be silent, He can led you, and He can allow you to make your own decisions. He is Love, He is good. He never fails.
So, can you fail to trust Him?

Is God really real to you?