You need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food.
Hebrews 5:12

I often hear people say, “I’ve tried to read the Bible but I just couldn’t understand it.” Here we have God’s explanation.

If I want to understand the Bible I need, first of all, to listen to and absorb the basic principles of God’s revelation of Himself. That begins with my humbly asking Jesus to forgive my sins, and come into my heart as Lord of my life.

Then I need someone to spoon-feed me the basics. That would mean something like a catechism or a class for “new believers” in a good, Bible-believing church. Most such churches have a midweek Bible study or a Sunday class for children and adults.

Then, He says, “Solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:14)

So, without skipping those first steps, I need to start practicing discernment. Guided by the basics that I’ve learned from the Bible, I have to develop the habit of choosing to reject ideas that contradict God’s opinion, values, and commandments.

It’s not as easy as it sounds, because the world around me is full of lies, twisted reasoning, and dark confusion. I’ve been hearing and believing foolishness disguised as wisdom my whole life.

But if you want to understand the Bible, this is how it’s done. Light received brings more light; light rejected brings darkness.

Lord, open my heart by Your Holy Spirit to receive true wisdom and to discern right from wrong, truth from lies and light from darkness. Feed me, Lord, whether it’s milk or solid food that I need; strengthen me by it, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles