– Israel Odebode
Before going into this topic in its entirety, it is important to lay the foundation first. The bible says in Proverbs 11:14: “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety” (NKJV).
This simply emphasizes the importance of receiving Godly counsel as it relates to our spiritual lives. Godly mentorship plays a huge role in standing firm spiritually.
What is Mentorship in the context of Spiritual Maturity?
Mentorship simply means proper guidance provided by a mentor to a mentee. A mentor is an experienced or more mature individual who gives advice, counsel and guidance to a receiving individual regarded as the mentee (the one seeking growth).
The counsel is geared towards helping the mentee discover or uncover certain areas of his or her life as it pertains to their relationship and walk with God while growing spiritually.
In mentorship, there must be evidence of growth. The ultimate and center focus of Spiritual mentorship and maturity is the help of the Holy Spirit. The mentor consistently submits to the leading of the Holy Spirit for help with counseling correctly and carefully, while the mentee also depends on the Holy Spirit to receive counsel and act on it.
For mentorship to be successful, the posture of the mentee’s heart matters a lot—he must be teachable. Likewise, the approach of the mentor also plays a huge role as well.
Several great examples of mentorship were shown in the bible, e.g., Abraham and Isaac; Elijah and Elisha; Moses and Joshua; Paul and Timothy; Jacob and Joseph, etc. One thing was consistent—the mentors were role models who exemplified spiritual maturity.
Whoever you consider a mentor must be one who sincerely loves and cares, one who is real and genuine, speaks the truth, rebukes, and corrects with love and encourages with compassion. This can be your parent, pastor, elder, spiritual role model or one you consider a more matured believer in Christ. Spiritual mentorship must be built on the premise of good relationship and trust.
Additionally, mentorship is no respecter of age or spirituality. At every point, you need some level of guidance since we must all keep progressing.
I like to use a soccer team as an example. The best soccer players in the world, although skilled, still need to play with a team to win (talk about iron sharpening iron)—they still need a coach to guide (mentor?), instruct, strategize and give tactical counsels that if well received and implemented by the team players (mentees), can land them victory.
Christianity is not defined if there is no growth, hence the need for Spiritual maturity. Hebrews 6:1 says: “So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God” (NLT).
The above tells us that the Christian walk must amount to maturity as we consistently work out our salvation with fear and trembling. The question now is, how does mentorship help our spiritual maturity?
Mentorship keeps you accountable
One of the greatest gifts that come with knowing Jesus is being set free from sin, which means sin no longer has dominion over us. However, Paul says something in Galatians 5:1. He said: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (NKJV).
Why this scripture?
Well, there is a need for us to not just be free, but stay free (by standing firm and not being “entangled again”). Prayer and reading the Word are great ways to stand firm. But in addition to that, one of the very productive ways is “accountability”.
Mentorship opens room for accountability. Accountability stems from admitting you cannot do it on your own. Even at times when your Spirit is willing, the flesh could be weak. That is the time to get up, pick your phone up and speak to a mentor. Your mentor must be there to open his or her arms to welcome your honesty and transparency and must be able to tell you what to do to get back on track. In being accountable to your mentor, they could also join you in prayers as you walk the path.
Mentorship connects (or reconnects) you to God (and not man)
The goal of mentorship is to consistently draw your attention to God, reconnect you when you feel disconnected and ensure you are consistently walking in the spirit and not yielding to your flesh. Spiritual mentorship should never be approached with the lens of the world.
This kind of mentorship should completely implement Romans 12:2: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will” (NIV)
Mentorship is a place of affirmations
In this walk, we need to consistently listen to affirmative words that push us and help us get back to our feet. A mentor consistently reminds the mentee of his or her value. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 tells us: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (NIV).
Mentorship is a place of rebuke and correction in love
Corrections and rebuke are positioned to make the mentee a better person. When these are properly done (with and in love), they prevent the mentee from wrongdoings or mistakes.
One of the reasons we see spiritual backsliding occur is due to consistently making costly errors and rejecting Godly counsel. Proverbs 10:17 says, “Whoever heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray” (NIV).
Mentorship helps with spiritual sensitivity and clarity
With the help of the Holy Spirit, the mentor consistently guides the mentee when it comes to clarity regarding certain short- and long-term decision-making areas of his or her life.
Sometimes we encounter seasons when specific paths seem blurry or confusing (e.g., choice of life partner, marriage, career, family issues etc.). Having a mentor guide you through the process helps a whole lot. It is important to note here that mentors DO NOT make decisions; they primarily guide the mentee into what the Holy Spirit is saying and emphasize the need to receive clarity from God (which helps the mentee make decisions).
Mentorship builds your faith
When you are properly guided by a mentor, your faith and stand in Christ becomes firm. Good mentors show mentees the path to a solid relationship with God, and this in turn furnishes faith and confidence.
In summary, in the context of spiritual maturity, it is important to note that the choice of a mentor must be properly prayed over and carefully selected. It is also important that the mentee remains teachable and ready to listen, obey and learn.