The Goal of Mentoring

This is about understanding our purpose and mentorship as a way of life. Mentoring is God using you as a vessel to help heal children of God, reflecting our identity as His children. When mentoring, it's an honor from God, guided by the Holy Spirit, to touch others' lives. It’s not about recognition but about serving. Sometimes mentoring happens informally, such as in conversations, and it's rooted in experiencing and sharing Christ. Ultimately, our goal is to live visibly Christlike lives that clearly show whether someone is a born-again believer.

Holy Spirit Helps You Connect

We want to be ourselves and remain influenced by our actions, but we can't face the world alone. We can walk around with the Bible, and I've been in places where people stare at me. I ask, 'What do you want?' and I tell them to ask me what they need. You're not alone; you have a helper. If you prepare your presentation based on a relationship with the Holy Spirit, it will help you connect more effectively.

Hear the "Voice" of the Holy Spirit

How do you talk to the Holy Spirit? When you were baptized in the Holy Spirit, you were introduced to your best friend. You should glorify Him because He manifests through you. You can't do that if you don't understand what He's saying. He wants to show Himself through you, and you're likely praying in a language that is not your own. That's fine, a good start. But after praying in tongues, stop and listen. If you don't, you're missing the relationship. It's not just about me; you don’t say, "I know you're my friend," but you only act when I need you. What I'm saying is that you need to recognize when the spirit is speaking to you rather than your own thoughts. This is key to effective mentoring. If you can't hear him even when you're doing something else, you won't be able to mentor effectively.

12 Step Program - Forgiveness

In Alcoholics Anonymous, where sponsors help guide others through the 12 steps, without the Holy Ghost, sponsorship relies on intellect, and some steps, like inventory, may already be addressed through transformation and forgiveness. The sponsor emphasizes not revisiting past issues already covered by the blood and notes that program participants are continually reminded to stay free. Keep in mind that the program doesn't address the full spiritual dimension of this issue, so they must rely on their own resources. This could be a higher power. I won't dismiss it; it has qualities, but it's incomplete and not healing.

Step one of Transformation aligns with the 12 steps of AA because it involves walking in forgiveness and being healed from the wounds we've experienced. That's what taking inventory means. You no longer need to take inventory if you genuinely forgive—God's forgiveness is active, and you're walking in the power to overcome what you've confessed. When people seek mentoring and want to resolve issues, we've identified seven key areas to work on through transformation. There may be many more, but these seven are generally the most significant in people's lives.

Acknowledge the Problem

What's the first step to forgiveness? It's to acknowledge it. You need to recognize that you have a problem. As it says in Lamentations 3:40 [AMPC], “Let us test and examine our ways, and let us return to the Lord!” The first step is to examine your ways and confess them to God and someone else. Bring it into the light — in other words, after you examine yourself, confess to God and yourself. Whatever you don't talk about and confess, you'll eventually act out in your body. There's no power in that because there's no solution.

Transformation - Get Freedom

But on the other hand, in transformation, all that you're bringing up and doing, you're going to take it to God because you want freedom from it. And that’s the only way to get freedom, because God said, 1 John 1:9 [AMPC] “If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action].” Psalm 103:12 [AMPC], “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us”.

Give it to God

But unless you do that, there is no real freedom because you're still working on it. You're still manipulating it. You're still trying to raise the thoughts and overcome them by thinking your way away from them. Much of this happens because we don't give God enough time to establish trust. People often give up when dealing with shame while trying to achieve something. And the guilt. And so, instead of turning to God, we turn away from Him.

I will repent because my purpose changes, and I won't stay in that place. Galatians 5:1 states that we are set free for this reason, so we shouldn't allow ourselves to become entangled again. Galatians 5:1 [AMPC] “In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand firm then, and do not be hampered or held ensnared, nor submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].”

Mentoring Requires the Holy Spirit

I love this Scripture because it says that those who are not of God won't listen to us and will return to their previous lifestyle. It means you're not listening to God or the Holy Spirit and haven’t yet established a connection with them. You can't mentor with just a book; it's only a guide. When God sends you to help someone, the Holy Spirit is with you. After mentoring a few people, you'll realize the Spirit is guiding you. If people don't stay after forgiveness, it means you haven't built trust or demonstrated spiritual gifts. God wants you to be anointed, which involves drawing from the Spirit during guidance.