I’m glad to welcome you to my page and the 21st episode of my blog posts. In this week’s episode with your permission, I’ll like to continuously use my personal experiences along with relevant scriptures to explain the concept. Haven mentioned that, I hope to expose you to a particular truth that has helped me and is still helping me through the journey of life. Just as your eyes and ears compliment your functionality, so friends and mentors are added spice to ensure fulfilment of time on earth.
This post covers the quality of friends and mentors which I believe will help you think and make necessary adjustments to your life. Just as tomato and water is to stew so are mentors and friends to your life. You need both to have a smooth ride in life. Have you ever tried making stew without adding water to the tomatoes? Yes! I have tried it once and it turned black. I put tomato paste in the pot and put it on fire expecting it to turn liquid. I kept stirring it but it remained the same way and after a while, it started burning and turned black. I became discouraged and didn’t eat but the next day, while coming back from school, the Spirit of the Lord asked me a question “how will you make the tomato paste turn liquid?” I responded add water and I immediately got the gist. I got home that day and the story was different Because the stew was sweet ehn! Oya bring your mind back to our topic and stop asking in your mind if I can cook 😜🤪. I am a master chef o. Your friendship will need the compliment of a mentor for a smooth journey.
Let us start by talking about Friends. Hmm! Friendship is an association you form willingly as a result of common interests, believes or even looks. Friendship talks about reliability, mutual respect and other great qualities that varies from person to person.
For me, making friends has always been a challenge because I’m shy and probably reserved (I have improved now tho). I always prefer people coming to make friends with me than me going to make friends and I’m very selective. Believe me, this helped me to sift through people before calling them friends. I’m quite intense in my relationships which is why I don’t easily let people in.
Friends are very important especially when you have the right ones. I bless God for the people He has always brought my way because they have continued to bring positive results. Time and space will fail me if I decide to mention names and I will also not pass across this message to you. I have friends that have and are still praying for me, scolding me when I’m wrong, helping me in down times, making a scene when there is celebration and many more. Even God knows the importance of association that’s why the Bible clearly states it.
1 Corinthians 15:33 GNT
“Do not be fooled. “Bad companions ruin good character.””
Be careful the people you hang around and call your friends. Surprisingly, my dad led us in a particular prayer that has stood in our family for over 4years now as part of our prayers before entering any new year.
“Father, in the name of Jesus and by any means necessary, cut me off from any friend that will not allow me actualise my glorious destiny”. This is a prayer I’ll encourage any serious person to make frequently. Any friend that doesn’t believe in your faith will kill your faith so beware.
The next is mentors. They are likened to Spiritual leaders or guide. They are people that have gone ahead of you in the journey of life and they can offer guidance that will make your own journey less stressful if you know and have them in your life.
Jeremiah 6:16-17 KJV
“Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.”
Pride is one of the the reasons why our generation will keep struggling in my opinion. We most times have no regard for history and the things of old. If you refuse to ask questions of what has happened in the past, you will be flawed by the things that kept them down and hinder your progress. Pride is responsible for not allowing yourself learn.
In 2009, God gave me this simple analogy, a bird has wings but if it’s not aware of what the wings can do, it will hop down the stairs like a chicken. Having a mentor, gives you the ability to ride on the wealth of their knowledge and experience. After having an understanding of this, I was in serious need of a mentor and I went in search and prayed for the appropriate persons. If you have read the past few posts, you will remember that when you pray in faith, your answer is sure (please visit the last few posts, they will bless you totally). The Holy Spirit led me to 2 scriptures.
Jeremiah 3:15 NCV
“Then I will give you new rulers who will be faithful to me, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.”
Isaiah 30:20-21 KJV
“And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction,
yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left”.
God saw my heart and directed me to my first mentor while in my first year of University. Then I had a conversation with God asking questions and obtaining answers.
Me: My Heavenly Father, how can I get the best out of my mentor
God: Honour them in the best way you can
Me: Sir, what do you mean by in the best way you can?
God: in your time, energy and resources (money and material gifts).
At this point, my excitement was the fact that I had a genuine conversation with God about my heart desires. Immediately I set out with the formula God gave me and that has been with me till date. After a short while I started commanding similar testimonies as my mentor. When he was about to graduate, I took sometime again to pray for the next person in line with our scriptures. This time was different because I led myself to who I thought because the person was popular and well known. Then a certain challenge came up and I rushed to mention but his response didn’t bring rest to me and I heard a voice in my Spirit that said to me “I never led you to him”. I was sad but immediately apologised and walked according to God’s leading since I was asking Him for help. Friends, when you pray to God, don’t give yourself answers and claim it’s from God. God’s response is for your individual pleasure.
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
He then led me to a mentor that my heart still holds In high esteem. I wanted to confirm the credibility of this mentor so I took some challenges of my life to share with him and immediately after speaking to me, he prayed for me to find the best answers. Just as he finished praying, I felt peace and warmth which confirmed that he was sent to feed me with knowledge and understanding. You can also choose your mentors but they must be in line with Jer. 3:15 and Isa. 30:20-21 and above all, you can use my formula to get the best for them.
There are many more stories (message me privately for more 🤪) but what am I saying in essence, is that you must choose your friends and also discover your mentors. I have friends that have turned family likewise, I have mentors that have priority in my life at all times.
Finally I urge you, if you can, be open to talk to people but if that’s not your personality type, you can be selective like me which will help easily manage the people you talk to. People might call it pride like they have told me but you will be better off without extra drama. Make sure that the people around are those that can give you wise counsel at all times no matter the situation. Life without control will always end in chaos. If you like, friends and mentors serve as a thermostat to ensure your life doesn’t break down. People come into your life for a reason and season. So I urge you to place value on people to draw the virtues that they carry.
Proverbs 28:26 GNT
“It is foolish to follow your own opinions. Be safe, and follow the teachings of wiser people.”