Spiritual Mentors or Parents

[Ramya]

I've been thinking about this for a while. Personally, I learn from example. I need to see certain things in order to receive certain things. My pastor is excellent in what he does. I have really been growing and learning under his leadership. I read and study the bible for myself as well and have been challenged quite a bit by doing so. BUT I am trying to grow myself into a woman of God in a place where a relationship with Jesus is not encouraged. It's hard to be "set apart" from my peers and have to constantly be around my peers who eventually influence behaviors and actions.

I've been thinking about getting a spiritual "mother" to help me with my spiritual development and to offer encouragement.

Do you have spiritual mentors/parents?
How long have you known him/her?
Do you feel that you have benefited from the relationship?

 

[HeChangedMyName]

I guess, my pastor and his wife are in that place in my life. both of my parents are deceased and although my pastor and his wife are not nearly old enough to be parents to me, they are on the righteous path and I look to them for advice on spiritual issues.


I've known them for going on 5 years. I've also made the concious effort to surround myself with more Christians so that I can have other people to discuss things with and not have them come with worldly advice.

I've tried to position myself in such a way that with the people in my life, both younger and my own age, they can come to me if they need to on spiritual issues. I'm not too high and mighty to say, "I don't know" but still be able to direct them to someone or a scripture that may have a resolution.

 

[Ramya]

See I go to a mini-mega church and my pastor and his wife are not readily available to me. There are a few times where I really get to talk to them but more often than not I have to speak to one of the many ministers at my church. I guess I need something more intimate

 

[HeChangedMyName]

See I go to a mini-mega church and my pastor and his wife are not readily available to me. There are a few times where I really get to talk to them but more often than not I have to speak to one of the many ministers at my church. I guess I need something more intimate

That may be the case. I would say to pray about it. Ask God specifically for a spiritual mentor. Someone you can have face time and fellowship with and build a relationship with. You may be directed to someone right in your church.

 

[PinkPebbles]

I've never had spiritual mentors / parents. I started out in a mega church when I received salvation. As a result, I had to lean and trust Jesus for everything because the leaders of the church were not easily accessible.

However, I became heavily involved and active in the church where I met a few like minded sisters in Christ. We created a spiritual bond. If I needed someone to pray, vent, ask for advice or encouragement they were right there and vice versa. As I look back on everything, I'm glad God set it up that way!

 

[PinkPebbles]

See I go to a mini-mega church and my pastor and his wife are not readily available to me. There are a few times where I really get to talk to them but more often than not I have to speak to one of the many ministers at my church. I guess I need something more intimate

Ramya -

I use to feel the same way. My mom died right after I graduated college, my father was never around, I lived in a different state from my other relatives, and I was led to attend a mega church. There were many lonely days and nights; I used to ask God why.

Well, Jesus took me on another route that was totally different from the average person. I had no other choice but to lean on Him, and oh my Lord...my faith and hope grew in Him like no other. I was able to test the faith and accumulate so many testimonies. God knew me better than I knew myself. If he would have placed so many people in my life to give me advice, I would not have stepped out on faith and experience the glory and goodness of God.

I've shared all of this with you to say, don't get caught up in having a spiritual mentor. As long as you are going to a bible believing church that ministers the word of God in spirit and in truth, God will take care of you. He will divinely place people in your life that are like minded and have purpose in your walk. Your question probably is when, how, and where....just remember that He is an on time God!

 

[Ramya]

Ramya -

I use to feel the same way. My mom died right after I graduated college, my father was never around, I lived in a different state from my other relatives, and I was led to attend a mega church. There were many lonely days and nights; I used to ask God why.

Well, Jesus took me on another route that was totally different from the average person. I had no other choice but to lean on Him, and oh my Lord...my faith and hope grew in Him like no other. I was able to test the faith and accumulate so many testimonies. God knew me better than I knew myself. If he would have placed so many people in my life to give me advice, I would not have stepped out on faith and experience the glory and goodness of God.

I've shared all of this with you to say, don't get caught up in having a spiritual mentor. As long as you are going to a bible believing church that ministers the word of God in spirit and in truth, God will take care of you. He will divinely place people in your life that are like minded and have purpose in your walk. Your question probably is when, how, and where....just remember that He is an on time God!

Thank you. And when I thought about it, you're absolutely right. I love my church and Jesus would have to personally tell me to leave that place. lol but I realize a lot of the reason I want a spiritual mentor is because it's "safe." It's hard out here when there aren't many people like you. I'm going to trust God on this. He put me here for a purpose and never said it was going to be the way *I* would like it to be.

 

[mrselle]

I’ve had one true spiritual mentor to date. I met her at a very critical time in my life and I know for sure that God set it up just right for our paths to cross. You know how there are people you are friends with and under normal circumstances you wouldn’t have befriended that person? Well, that was her. She and I worked at the same daycare center. When I first met her I thought she seemed a bit odd, but not in a bad way. I could just tell that she was Christian. Something about her demeanor let me know that there was something different about her. We didn’t teach in the same classroom, so there really wasn’t ever a reason for us to speak to one another outside of the normal pleasantries. One day both our classrooms were out on the playground and out of the blue she asked me where I went to church. The rest is history. I wasn’t saved at the time, but I was desperately searching. I was going to church every Sunday, busting my tail to make it to Bible Study during the week and praying, but I still hadn’t taken that final step. She is the person God used to push me in the right direction. That was back in 1996.

I had friends who were saved, but their lifestyle was no different from mine. I would ask them questions about Jesus and other things that someone who had been raised in the church would probably know. I wasn’t raised in a church so there was so much I didn’t know. Most of the time, they couldn’t answer my questions. But my new friend, not only did she know a lot about the Word, and had the kind of faith I’d never seen, she also lived the Word. It was her actions, the way she lived her life that drew me closer to Christ. I learned from her and the church that I was attending at the time that there was nothing wrong with speaking in tongues and it was very real. I learned what it meant to be slain in the spirit. God knew He was going to be doing some big things in my life, so he allowed me to meet someone who could help me achieve the kind of faith, dedication and diligence I would need to make it through.

I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I benefited from that relationship and she did too. Unfortunately, she and I are not as close as we used to be. I think things got to a point where I felt like she could do no wrong and God had to show me that everyone is human, everyone has faults, we all fall short of the glory and as I heard T.D. Jakes say, “Everyone is a hypocrite about something at one time or another.”

Right now I don’t have anyone I trust who will pray with me and for me. I don’t have anyone who can give me a word of encouragement when I need it. I miss that, but maybe God is still trying to teach me to rely on Him and no one else.