Over the next several days we will look at four stages of discipleship. Pay close attention to your own life and ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you are in your walk with Jesus so you can take your next steps and grow as a disciple.

For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. – Hebrews 5:13

The first stage for a new believer is the salvation stage. Salvation is amazing! If you have given your life to Christ, you are a new person! You have been born again! The Bible often compares this stage to that of an infant. I call it the infant stage.

You’ve seen a newborn—they’re helpless! Babies rely on the food, comfort, and care of their guardian. They don’t know how to cope with life, so they cry and stretch out their arms to be held. They don’t understand why things happen; all they think about is how they feel—me, me, me.

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men? – 1 Corinthians 3:1-3

Newborn believers live by their five senses and not by faith. Their spirit has been born again, but their mind has not been renewed by the Word of God. That is why it’s so important for a new believer to begin to feed on the milk of the Word of God.

1 Peter 2:2-3 says Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Every Christian needs the milk of the word of God. But we don’t want to get stuck on milk and stay in the infant stage of Christianity. The milk of the Word of God will shine a light on some big areas of your life that need to be changed (language, relationships, bad habits, music and movie choices).

Romans 12:2 reminds us to keep growing, And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Some of you are stuck in this infant stage. The Word of God is pointing out areas in your life where you need to change, but you continue to live like the world. You haven’t let your inner heart transformation be reflected in your lifestyle choices. Your life looks just like the world. Maybe your next step is cutting off bad influences and getting in a godly community of friends. Maybe it’s changing your language. Maybe it’s to stop looking at pornography, or getting drunk with your friends, or having sex with your boyfriend or girlfriend. Today, take your next spiritual step by reflecting on today’s verses and asking God to help you see areas of your life that need to be surrendered. It’s time to move to the next stage in your relationship with God!