1 Peter 2:2-3 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

As I opened up my bible app to study about hearing and feeling the Spirit in order to walk in the Spirit, this was the opening verse. As I pondered those words I reflected upon being born again and this newness of life as related to these verses. What struck me was the issue of sincere milk.

I was not raised on formula, cow’s milk, or goat’s milk, but rather on mother’s milk. Is mother’s milk the sincere milk? It is rather personal, bonding, emotional, and the best milk for babies. If this is true, how does this fact translate into sincere milk of the Word?

It too must be born of the same essence of mother’s milk, personal, bonding, emotional and good for you. That fact is related to the simple statement of growth in that the sincere milk of the word will promote spiritual growth. Here is the point to that observation; are you getting your milk of the Word from the source of the Word or are getting the store bought brand?

If I were to peradventure the reason many people tell me they do not get it, relating to bible study and spiritual growth, it is because they are consuming the store bought brand. It is pasteurized, sanitized, fortified, certified, packed and sold as nutritional, but it is not mother’s milk.

Some time ago I wrote a piece called Bible 101 and one of the first things I said about bible study was that one has to take it personally. I would add to that born out of our relationship with the Lord. The primary purposes has to be that bonding process, very much like a baby feels the love and warmth of the mother without understanding anything more than she is there.

The surety of presence is critical in the sincere milk of the word.

John 5:7-9 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.

Yesterday I ended with this question; Is it really that simple? Answering that question by using these verses allows me to break down the elements into their component parts as they relate to the gospel.

The impotent man knew he could not save himself and confessed his plight to Jesus. Jesus spoke to the man. Here is the most important part and easily overlooked. The man was made whole, changed, ref. 2 Corinthians 5:7 a new creation. Don’t you think this man knew he was changed before he took up his bed and walked?

The answer to yesterday’s question is in your recognition of changed. Are you that new creation in Christ or not? Your ability to walk in the Spirit is totally dependent on that fact, not belief, not faith, but fact. Belief and faith follow after fact.

Many religions have beliefs and faiths, but only in Christ is there the fact of life. The promise of the Comforter is given only to those who are changed, this newness of life, the born again Christian.

John 3:3,8 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

If you are born again, you can hear the Spirit and feel the Spirit. That is a fact.