Over 100 million Bibles are sold every year. That is a lot of Bibles. This means millions of people are purchasing new Bibles each year. They have their names imprinted on the cover and take them home. They write their name inside and often add important dates to the beginning pages. They are excited to carry their new Bible to church and anxious to open the pages and study at home.
Then they open the Bible.
Once they open the pages of their new Bible, they see words that they don’t understand, names that seem impossible to pronounce, customs and traditions that make no sense in today’s world, and they just feel overwhelmed. Soon the Bible becomes more of a bookshelf fixture or part of the home décor, but it no longer becomes a part of them.
What can we do when those whom we minister to find that reading and studying the Bible are just too hard? We mentor them.
When a woman is struggling to read and understand the Word, begin by praying for her. Ask God to help you either become her mentor or help connect her with a mentor. She is going to need guidance in how to study God’s Word and how to make it a part of her everyday life.
The truth is, we simply cannot mentor every single woman that crosses our path. This is why mentorship is so great! You mentor a woman and after some time, she is able to go out and mentor another. Then you mentor another and after some time, she goes out to mentor. The cycle continues on and on.
If you have connected a young believer with a mentor, make sure they know how to get in touch with one another to set up a meeting time. Be sure to follow up to make sure their meeting hasn’t fallen through the cracks. It’s a good idea to connect with the mentor later on to see how things are progressing.
If you are mentoring her yourself, make arrangements to meet. You could invite her over for tea, meet at your local coffee shop, share a park bench while the kids play on the playground or even meet at the library. Bring your Bible, of course, a notebook or journal, and pens and highlighters. Show her all of these great tools to have on hand while doing her own Bible study.
Lead her in how to read the Bible, how to cross reference, how to look up commentary, how to journal and how to pray the Word. Once you show her how to dig into the Word, encourage her to begin to use that knowledge at home. Remind her, the more she does it, the easier it will be and the more she will learn from God’s Word. When something doesn’t make sense, remind her to use the things you have shown her. Let her know that you are available. You may choose to meet several times, once a week or once a month. Whatever is best for both of you.
Lastly, make sure she never feels like she is inadequate or biblically stupid. Reassure her that you are not a Bible genius and you were once right where she is. If you had someone come alongside and teach you as you are teaching her, share that story with her. And tell her that one day, she will get to come alongside another lady and teach her. Having a Bible mentor is a life-changing domino effect!
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