Millennials Matter: Go And Make Discipling Leadersናሙና

Mentoring Knowing

What is meant by “knowing”? It is deep and certain knowledge of who you are at the core, your moral center. When discipling a young Christian leader to this area, they will develop the courage, the strong moral fiber, to stand for what is right over what is easy. Both Moses and Joshua developed this knowing. Note: Morals are personal, internal, whereas ethics are societal, external.

How do you build a wide, long, and deep foundation of knowing what is right morally, so your emerging leader can stand upon that knowing when tough ethical decisions are to be made?

Using Galatians 5:22-23, create a list of the fruit of the Spirit. Then, on a scale of 0 to 10 (with 10 being good), rate yourself, and have your mentee rate him-or herself, on what you’ve observed about yourself in the last week. In the same way, list the attributes of love as described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, and then rate those. Use both to assess yourself personally and professionally, even to the point of performing a self-check in each role of your life, that of spouse, parent, customer, employee, and other spheres of influence you are in.

From there, you can develop knowing oneself morally in three major ways. First, we allow God’s Word, the Bible, to instruct us as to what is moral. Second, we allow the exemplar of Jesus to demonstrate morals in action. Third, we open ourselves to the directing of the Holy Spirit. We can do this through focus, effort, and spoken prayer that God will help us and our Christian mentee to continually develop clearer and stronger morals. This spurs knowledge and sharpens it.

Knowing who you are morally becomes solidified by practice. We practice what the Bible instructs, what Jesus did, and do what the Holy Spirit directs us toward, even in the little things that seem to have minimal moral consequences. If we practice these consistently in everyday life, then they become the go-to position when ethical pressure exerts its negative force.

Through those steps we build up our moral muscle in preparation for standing against moral decisions that can bring significant harm. With this "knowing", your mentee can eventually disciple others to do the same.

Seek and pray for moral knowledge and growth. God will give it.