1 Corinthians 14:20 challenges believers to pursue spiritual maturity by thinking with wisdom, discernment, and godly understanding. In this devotional, Whitney Hopler explores the difference between childish thinking and mature faith, reminding Christians that age alone does not produce spiritual growth. God calls His people to remain innocent regarding evil while developing the wisdom and discernment needed to navigate a world filled with competing voices, misinformation, and spiritual confusion.

Highlights

• Spiritual maturity requires growing beyond childish patterns of thinking.
• God calls believers to be innocent toward evil but mature in wisdom.
• Prayer helps align our thoughts with God's perspective and guidance.
• The Holy Spirit teaches believers how to think with discernment.
• Wisdom involves applying God's truth to everyday decisions and challenges.
• Regular Bible study strengthens our ability to recognize truth and avoid deception.
• Mature faith responds thoughtfully rather than reacting impulsively.
• Spiritual growth happens gradually as believers consistently seek God.

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Full Transcript Below:

Think Like Adults
By: Whitney Hopler 

Bible Reading:
“Brothers and sisters, do not be children in your thinking; rather, be infants in evil, but in thinking be adults.” – 1 Corinthians 14:20, NRS

When my late mother was living in a retirement home, she dated a man who also lived there. Women far outnumbered men in Mom’s community, and out of the few men who lived there, Mom’s boyfriend was the only one who could still walk unassisted. Not only that, but he could still drive! Some of the women there were happy for Mom, but many of her neighbors excluded her from events and gossiped about her and her boyfriend. 

“That’s so immature!” I complained when Mom told me about it. “They’re acting like a bunch of jealous high school girls. I thought they would know better at their age.” 

Mom just smiled and said something I’ll always remember: “Reaching a certain age doesn’t guarantee reaching maturity.” 

In 1 Corinthians 14:20, the Bible reminds us that spiritual maturity in the way we think is important. It points out that we should stay far away from sin by being as innocent as infants toward evil. That way, we can stay pure and sensitive to God. 

But at the same time, this verse urges us to think like adults. Adults are meant to be mature, thinking carefully and wisely. God wants us to use the amazing minds he has given us. He doesn’t want us to accept every idea without examining it, or follow every voice we hear without first considering if it’s credible. We shouldn’t be reacting to situations immaturely. Instead, we should grow spiritually mature by seeking God and developing discernment to recognize what comes from God and what doesn't. 

When we think like adults, we can ask questions about any situation to help us adopt the perspective God wants us to have on it. Instead of asking what we want, we can ask what God wants, and instead of asking what’s easiest, we can ask what’s right.

This kind of thinking grows as we walk with God, and prayer is an important part of that growth. When we pray, we invite God into our thoughts and decisions. Prayer slows us down so we can connect with God’s presence with us. Then, we can listen to whatever God is trying to tell us and perceive those messages more clearly than we could if we weren’t giving God our full attention.

As we pray, we can ask God’s Holy Spirit to work within us. Then, we’ll develop the wisdom we need to say and do whatever is best in any situation we face. Wisdom is more than knowledge. Knowledge tells us facts, but wisdom helps us know how to live like God wants us to live. When we pursue wisdom by asking the Holy Spirit to guide our thinking, we can learn how to recognize what’s actually true versus the lies that spread in this fallen world. We can also learn how to make the best choices, even in the most challenging circumstances.

The Holy Spirit serves as our teacher throughout this journey. The more the Spirit shows us how to think like adults, the more we learn to stop reacting to situations like children and to start responding to them wisely, by carefully considering our choices.

Along the way, we’ll make mistakes, but God is patient with us as we grow. Just like a child slowly matures into adulthood, our mature thinking develops step by step. Each time we read the Bible, pray for guidance, or seek advice from a wise believer, we take another important step toward mature thinking.

Maturity matters! Far too many people are becoming confused and deceived by messages spreading in this world from unreliable sources. As we grow in mature thinking, we become stronger in our faith and better able to help other people. We can point the way to what’s really true and give people the real hope they need. 

So today, let’s ask God to help us think like adults and grow to become spiritually mature in the process. Together, we can keep learning to think with God’s wisdom. 

Intersecting Faith & Life:

As you consider how important it is for you to think with spiritual maturity, reflect on these questions: 

• In what ways do you sometimes approach your faith with childish thinking rather than mature understanding? 
• How can prayer help you develop wisdom and clearer thinking? 
• What voices or influences in your life might distract you from God’s truth? 
• How can reading the Bible regularly strengthen your ability to discern what’s right? 
• What’s one step you can take this week to grow in spiritual maturity?

Further Reading:
Hebrews 5:14
James 1:5
Proverbs 2:6
Romans 12:2
Philippians 1:9-10