THE TRUE MENTOR

Last week, I have shared with you about mentoring, mentee, mentor, and secular mentoring. Early this week, I have imparted about Christian mentoring plus examples of my mentoring relationships. Today, I want to introduce to you the best mentor one could ever have—God.

As we have learned, mentoring is a personal relationship between the mentor and the mentee. We are in a relationship with God. We communicate to Him through prayers and He speaks to us through His Word (Scriptures), His Holy Spirit, circumstances, our conscience, His still small voice, visions, dreams, and spiritual authority. He wrote a guidebook or manual to give us life and to direct our lives. The characters, events, situations, promises, and prophecies incorporated in it can teach us to find meaning and purpose in this life.

If you do not have yet this personal relationship with God, come to Him now, ask Him to open your heart and receive His wonderful gift of salvation accomplished by the finished work of His Son Jesus Christ on the Cross. Afterward s, allow God to mentor you in conforming your thoughts, emotions, actions, and life in general according to the Scriptures.

For the Christians, establish a deeper intimacy with God by meditating on His Words and obeying His perfect will in every aspect of your life. You can invite God to penetrate your heart and spirit as you begin a mentoring relationship with Him. Human mentors may not be perfect and at times, fail you but the True Mentor will always be perfect and will never ever fail you.

There was a point in my Christian walk when I have stopped consulting my mentors for a time. I focused on hearing and learning from God without the aid of human voices surrounding me. I discovered that God is the best guide, teacher, counselor, and friend. He is just one prayer away.

Since then, I put much premium on what God has to say than what other people will admonish me. Although I submit to my spiritual authorities and honor what my family or parents have to say. When I obey my Supreme Mentor, I learn from His ways and consequently, become like Him in character.

Read Celebrate Recovery resources and attend an adult Bible study to discover a mentoring relationship with God.

REAL BEAUTY

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 1 Peter 3.3-4

Whosoever rules the world dictates the standard for beauty. For many decades, beauty is synonymous to being tall, white, blonde, and having pointy nose, perfect vital statistics, and flawless skin. In recent years, the exotic Asian appearance was being imitated then eventually, the darker or black top models had a strong following.

The media in the form of television, movies, radio, music, internet, magazines, billboards and its special forms influence society’s clamor for beauty. Women ought to resemble movie stars, models, music artists, and political figures. Commercials, infomercials, webcasts, and podcasts push women from all ages to avail and patronize their beauty and health products, equipment, self-help books, fashion forecasts and the like. The society has been bombarded with addiction to aesthetic beauty and insatiability for attention. Every week, there will be newer innovations in the fields of dermatology, cosmetology, body sculpture, and dieting. Couple these with tons of products promising perfect weight, skin, and sex appeal. Not to mention all the fashion accessories and objects used as a status symbol like mobile phones, laptops, cars, condos, bags, shoes, jewelry, and fat bank accounts.

God’s standard for beauty transcends the worldly paradigm. In the verse above, Peter writes to the women believers about the essence of womanhood and the true meaning of beauty. The externals like braided hair, clothes and fine jewelry does not make a woman beautiful. He mentions some keywords here—inner self, unfading beauty, gentle and quiet spirit. Though Peter does not emphatically say that outside accessories is bad but he emphasized on the importance of a woman’s character more than the physical side.

I believe that there is nothing wrong with appearing hygienic and beautifying oneself. Inasmuch as we fix our externals, all the more we need to clean our inner being or our character. When you are beautiful inside, such beauty will exude outwardly. I always see Christian women reflecting the glory of God in their countenance without the aid of make-up or accessories. It simply shows.

Attend an adult Bible study and read Christian books to discover the beautiful women in the Scriptures.

THE ANT

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provision in summer and gathers its food at harvest. Proverbs 6.6

Wherever you go, you will always notice ants parading into a procession carrying bits of food. Whatever the season, you will always find them storing, gathering, and working. They are so workaholic and preoccupied as if finding food is their only reason for living. Have you ever found an ant sleeping and staying put in one place doing nothing? Because of their industry and productiveness, the author of Proverbs (most likely, Solomon) noticed them and used them as an illustration to rebuke the sluggard.

As a background, King Solomon is the second son of King David and Bathsheba. In a dream, God asked him what he desires to have. Instead of asking for wealth, long life, and the death of his enemies, Solomon asked for wisdom or a discerning heart to rule God’s people. God was pleased and not only gave him supernatural wisdom but also those things he did not ask for. Solomon became the wisest and wealthiest king who has ever lived on earth. (Of course, next to Jesus) He authored most of the chapters in Proverbs and in its entirety, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs.

Let us take it from the author of the Books of Wisdom in Scriptures. He is commanding us to look to the ant and learn from its ways. Ants are so minute compared to bigger animals and humans yet Solomon was impressed by their activity and diligence. If by any chance you meet the wealthiest man on earth today and he voluntarily reveals his secrets to success and abundance to you, what will you do? I believe you will listen to him and certainly replicate his strategy. We can attend all the expensive business courses in Harvard or Yale to discover success in business but all the secular business strategies are all based on the Book of Proverbs.

If we emulate the ants in doing our jobs, raising our families, ministering in our churches, Proverbs assures that we will live a life of abundance and wisdom. Let us do our best in whatever area God calls us to function and work productively. Surely we will reap the same results the little ants are harvesting.

Read Proverbs to make you wise to make the right decisions every time.

Avail of Faith Lessons and bible study curriculum to enrich your knowledge about God and His ways.

FINDING COMFORT IN HIM

Was there ever a time that you suffered from a disease that no amount of medical attention can bring relief to your condition? How about a time when you grieved for the loss of a loved one, body part/function, business, career, pet or dream? How about when you lost interest, passion, sense of purpose, direction, and experienced heartbreak, emotional wounds, and misery?

In all these questions, the common denominator is finding comfort to ease the pain and afflictions. We can always find someone to support us physically, financially, relationally, and spiritually. However, the only one who can supernaturally intervene to end all our miseries or comfort us in our miseries is God. Time and again He has proven this in the Scriptures. Remember the Israelites on their way to the Promised Land? God has delivered them from bondage in Egypt, provided supernatural food (manna and quail) for them, subdued their enemies, and took care of them like a mother nursing a child.

In the New Testament, the Promised Savior referring to Jesus Christ taught the crowd the very words and ways of God, healed all their diseases, cast out demons, cleansed the lepers, raised the dead, and commissioned believers to preach the Gospel to the nations. The criminals, prostitutes, tax collectors, and the Gentiles found comfort in Him. He did not reject them instead He opened the kingdom of God to them by saving them from their sins, bondage's, and unrighteousness.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13.8) If God has comforted His children before, He will still do so today. How does God comfort people today? Through His Words--the Scriptures, through the power of His Spirit--the Holy Spirit, through His anointed people and through supernatural intervention. Do you need comfort today? Approach God and open your heart and spirit to Him. Let Him speak to you and embrace you.

Attend an adult bible study and visit Christian bookstore to assist you in finding the comfort you so desperately need.

STRENGTH WITHIN

“It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.” Psalm 18.32-33

During the times of crisis, tragedy, and affliction, people oftentimes become frail—losing necessary strength to go on. More often than not, we hold on to our crutches in the form of family, friends, mentors or even resources to support our ailing body, soul, and spirit.

For the past thirty (30) years of my existence, I have traversed a road replete with challenges and obstacles. I grew up in lack, want, and need because of the financial situations in the family. During my teenage years and adulthood, I have struggled with severe depression and utter hopelessness that almost cost my life. I thank God for healing me now but the family business we established for a couple of years faced insurmountable odds. Presently, I am left with my mom and younger brother because my parents separated while my two (2) sisters built their own families. Narrating these things seemed so easy but going through them in reality is painstaking.

If given another chance to re-live my life, I would still have chosen to pass through the same situations. However, I always catch myself wondering what could and might have been if circumstances are way much different. Despite that, I praise God for creating me this way, for putting me in the said circumstances, and enabling me to go through them gracefully. Yesterday, one of my co-workers in ministry and close friend called me to say she is so proud of me because I am so strong now in all areas of my life—that I do not need someone to carry me and support me in whatever situations I am in.

I believe that because of the gravity of my experiences, God has molded my character to withstand every pressure and adversity besetting me. He gave me the inner strength---that strength within that comes from Him to confront life’s challenges. I no longer wallow in misery and soak my pillow in tears every time I have a serious problem. Yes, I shed tears only when I cry out to God in prayer but afterwards, God sustains me with the much needed strength. I know that whatever comes my way, with God’s help I can make it.

Visit Christian bookstore for available Bible study curriculum about the strength that comes from the above.

BEING GRATEFUL

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5.16-18

“The LORD is good to me and so I thank the LORD for giving me the things I need . . . the sun and the rain and the apple seed. The LORD is good to me.” There goes a Scouting song we sing every time we remember God’s provision for the day in the outdoor life as we gaze in the stars, climb trees, build fire, trek the mountains and bathe in the rain.

Saying ‘thank you’ is probably one of the most important things my parents taught me early in life. It is such a simple two-word expression but it makes an indelible impact to one’s life. Gratefulness is a reflection of a humble heart. According to Merriam-Webster Online, its origin is from the Latin, gratus - more at grace. Answers.com defines it as “Appreciative of benefits received; thankful, expressing gratitude, affording pleasure or comfort; agreeable.

WikiAnswers tallied the number of times THANK and its different renditions were mentioned in the King James Bible. It totaled to 139 times while Bible Gateway tallied 134 times which simply follows that God wants us to be thankful about everything in all situations.

The patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob) along with David in his Psalms and the New Testament writers have reasons to be grateful to God. Old Testament people thanked God for keeping His covenants, leading them to Canaan, subduing all their enemies, and giving them hope for salvation. On the other hand, the New Testament characters thanked God for fulfilling the prophecy about the coming Savior, empowering them with the Holy Spirit to work the works of God, and revealing to them in a vision the future that awaits mankind.

Two thousand years afterward s, God still deserves all our gratitude for giving us life; saving us from sin, sickness, hell, and eternal death; providing for our daily needs; healing our afflictions; restoring our relationships; and keeping us safe and secure. Above all, we ought to thank God for being a loving Father who is faithful to all His children though at times we are unfaithful and ungrateful.

Read through the Celebrate Recovery kit available in Christian bookstore to supplement your understanding on gratitude.

MENTORING PART 2

Last week, I have shared to you about the meaning of mentor, mentee, and mentoring relationship, its illustrations in the Scriptures, and my personal experience as a mentee before converting to Christianity.

Today, I would like to focus on Christian mentoring. John Mallison defines it as “a dynamic, intentional relationship of trust in which one person enables another to maximize the grace of God in their life and service. True Christian mentoring is about enabling a person to develop a growing relationship with God through all he has done for us in Christ so they can live, serve and lead like Christ. (www.johnmallison.com)

For the past ten (10) years of being a Christian, I have attended quite a handful of churches in different denominations and have been used by God in a number of ministries in Sunday school, prison, youth and young adults, feeding/street children outreaches, teaching, preaching, counseling, missions, and in prayer/inner healing ministries. I have been mentored by several pastors, teachers, missionaries, professors, and prayer ministers in separate occasions.

But, I only would like to share just a few of the significant mentoring relationships I have had. The first one is Dr. Ayuk who is a Nigerian Doctor of Education in my seminary. He mentored me academically after he discovered my love/pursuit for learning. He challenged me intellectually and encouraged me to pursue writing for God’s glory. Next is Mom Marcia who is an American missionary educator granting me scholarships? She believed in my capabilities and calling even helping me towards my healing. Eventually, she referred me to Mom Denie, a Canadian pastor’s wife who helped me in my deliverance from bondages.

After some time, I was introduced to Sister Fely, a UN economist, ex- Catholic nun, former Undersecretary of Dep’t. of Social Welfare and Development-Philippines. God used her ministry in Elijah House, Healing Rooms and Wholeness Ministries Int’l. to completely heal me and deliver me from 12 years of depression. I can vividly remember the first time I met her in a coffee shop as my former Christian clinical psychotherapist, Dra. Cleo introduced us. I was so desperate, hopeless, helpless and so messed up in my body, mind, emotions, heart and spirit. Because of ministry and prayers, I was delivered and God called me and placed me in the same ministries as a prayer minister and intern. My online mentor from Japan, Cecil still ministers to me on a regular basis. Imagine how a remote mentoring relationship is still as effective and spirit-filled as the hands-on ones. Nathan, our former Healing Rooms intercessory head, still mentors me in Bible interpretation and application. Sister Gay will always be a source of joy and comfort to me especially in hard times. Sister Virmi, Resie, Rogel, Lucy, and all the people behind the above ministries mentor me in one way or the other. I will always be thankful to all these people.

You may want to read Christian books and resources like Faith Lessons to point you to the True Mentor.