Lesson 2 Characteristics of a Mentor
Question 5
So, putting this all together, those who are walking and living by the Spirit will not be gratifying the lusts of the flesh, as a habit pattern of life. Our concern then is not “how to be free from pornography” or “how to lose weight”, or "how to be free from substance abuse", etc. but rather “how to walk and live by the Spirit.” The simple answer to this is that we learn to wash at the cross. The effect of this is to worship at the cross!
As we live at the foot of the cross, continually viewing Jesus’ work for us, we experience tremendous love and wonderful humility. We are not perfect; we are not experts, but we are those who are receiving grace and love from Jesus and take our title of servant seriously.
Before we move on to questions specifically related to mentoring in courses at Setting Captives Free, there is one more essential characteristic of a mentor to consider, and that is courage. In Deuteronomy 20:5-8 NIV, God speaks to His people about warfare and makes specific allowances and recommendations for those who should not go into combat such as the newly married, those who just built a house or planted a vineyard, and most significantly, those who are afraid. "And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, 'Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.' "Deuteronomy 20:5 NIV
Friend, washing at the cross, and walking by the Spirit leads to warring against our flesh. Mentoring is spiritual warfare, not against flesh and blood, but against "powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12). We need to continue washing, walking, and warring to rid our lives of fear, to be bold in our declaring the gospel and our story to others.
And so what do we do here at Setting Captives Free regarding qualification to mentor? We want to make sure that all prospective mentors understand that we are not requiring sinless perfection. We understand that life in Christ is a marathon, not a sprint and that we grow all through our lives, so we do not expect our mentors to be at the finish line when they start. And yet guidelines are needed, so we’ve assembled some below. Please read through these and consider them:
To mentor in the A United Front course, you must be married and have a testimony of how God is working through the gospel in your heart and in your marriage.
To mentor in the Purity courses, you need to have a testimony of freedom through the power of the gospel.
To mentor in the Substance Abuse course, you need to have a testimony of how the gospel has set you free.
To mentor in the Media Addiction course, you must have a testimony of how the gospel has affected your use of media.
To mentor in the Weight Loss course, you must have a testimony of how the gospel is working in your heart and affecting the stewardship of your body. There are no specific weight requirements though you should have a testimony of some excess weight loss if needed. We just want to know that you are experiencing a change in your heart and mind and that this is being evidenced outwardly in your eating and exercise habits. Many weight loss mentors let their students know they are still a work in progress and still losing weight along with the student.
To mentor in the Depression course, you need to have a testimony of the power of the cross lifting heaviness of heart empowering you to rejoice in the Lord.
To mentor in the Set Free, Set Free by Love or Faith Building course, you need to have a testimony of freedom through the power of Christ's death and resurrection applied to your life.
Question 5. In which course(s) are you wishing to mentor, and do you meet the above guidelines for your course?
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