By Michael Griffith, Contributing Writer

When we think of mentorship, what usually comes to mind is the formal and frequent meetings with someone who can guide you through life, or a season of life… Ideally that someone is honest with you, a role model, committed to you, and a good teacher. Someone you look up to and desire to learn from, not to be just like them, but to apply what they teach you or what you learn from them, to your life.

A mentor is someone you can trust and can turn to continually for advice and guidance. A mentor is someone who won’t be shy with you and will not just offer great advice but will occasionally tell you things you need to hear but don’t really want to hear.

Finding a mentor is ideal, and often times we have one without realizing it. Often times older men in the church will take a younger man in the church under his wing and become that mentor for him. They meet for coffee or lunch a few times a month, and continue on with that relationship for some time.

But what  if you don’t have that kind of person in your life, what if there is no one you can look to and intentionally seek out a mentorship relationship with. What do you do then?

Here are a few tips on what to do if you do not have a mentor

1) Read great books.

The online world is booming. With this you can tap into a plethora of resources that you would otherwise not know of. Reviews of books can be found with a simple google search and you can get a feel of the book before you buy it.

2) Follow men you look up to.

I enjoy keeping up with John Macarthur’s sermons, but I particularly like to watch his Q&A’s on YouTube. If you follow GTY’s YouTube channel you can catch them at any time. Search for “Q&A” and find them all there. If you click HERE you will be taken right to that search.  Others I enjoy following along with and learning from their wisdom are Alistair Begg and Ravi Zacharias.

3) Join a bible study.

This is a great way to lean and discuss difficult topics with other men in controlled setting. The premise of a bible study is to study the word and learn more of His will in our lives. This could be one of the best times to lean and obtain guidance from other wiser men.

4) Intentionally Serve

Join the men’s ministry, help with building repairs at your church, and help serve other families alongside the men of your church. Find ways to surround yourself continually with wiser and godly men. While none of them may be your “official” mentor, you will learn from them by being around them.

Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another”.

 

5) Stay consistently in the Word.

This goes without saying, but it’s necessary to say. The best guidance we can find is found in the Word. Staying in It consistently, praying daily, and reading the Word daily are essential.

John 17:17 “Sanctify them in truth; your word is truth”.

 

1 Timothy 4: 5 “for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer”.