You were meeting a friend over coffee. She was raving about her lunch a day ago. Her eyes bright, hands gesturing, smile beaming. A filet mignon, medium rare. She told you about the perfect sear, how it melted like butter, and the rich aroma.

You felt her excitement. You told yourself you must try this one day. However, here is the reality, no matter how well she described it, you were still hungry. You cannot taste the steak. You cannot feel the texture. You share her joy but you are not experiencing the meal.

The Danger of Second-Hand Faith

As Christians, some of us are living dangerously on a second-hand diet. We scroll through Instagram testimonies, listen to powerful podcasts, read inspirational blogs, and say Amen to the stories of God’s faithfulness.

God is so good. It feels so good to hear those stories. It is encouraging. However, like the steak you heard, it is not nourishment.

Hearing about God’s mercy is like reading a menu. Experiencing God personally is the feast. We have become a generation of spectators, we watch others eat while our our souls are left unfed.

Why Testimonies Aren’t Enough

Make no mistakes about it – testimonies are biblical and beautiful! They “overcome the enemy” (Rev 12:11). However, a testimony is meant to point us to God, it is a signpost, it is not a destination.

Excitement is contagious, but it isn’t sustaining.

You can be fired up by a Sunday sermon and be spiritually cold by Tuesday because you don’t have fire burning inside you.

Information isn’t Intimacy

You can know about someone without actually knowing them. Knowing that God provided for your friend is information. Knowing he is your provider is intimacy.

Do Not Stop at Reading the Menu

If we want to know the “honey in the rock,” we have to stop settling for the description of the honey. We must move beyond the Filet Mignon Fallacy and realize that God is not looking for fans of His work, He is looking for followers of His Person. He wants to be in your life.

Actionable Advice

This week, take stock of your spiritual intake. How much of your time with God is spent consuming someone else’s experience (books, videos, social media)? How much of it is sitting in silence with your Bible (paper or electronic version) in the presence of God?

In the same series, the Kitchen of the Kingdom, Tasting the Honey in the Rock.