The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” 2 Timothy 2:2

The command to teach others spiritual truth is pretty clear throughout the Scriptures. While many of us are consumers of God’s Word, Bev Coniaris, a leading teacher with Bible Study Fellowship, points out that we don’t always recognize the call to become spiritual mentors and disciple others on their faith journey.

“We take in a lot of spiritual truth; Christian radio is a great way to take in spiritual truths, we read our Bibles on a regular basis, we go to church, etc. We can fool ourselves into thinking we’re doing that and we’re not. Men and women can sit in Bible studies their entire life and they’re really not being squeezed out.”

Bev explains the value of mentoring others by using the analogy of a sponge.

“You’re a dry sponge and you’re getting all of this beautiful water, the living water of God’s Word and of Jesus Christ Himself. You got all that water in you and if you don’t get squeezed out and squeeze that out to others, what happens to a sponge? It becomes moldy and it smells.”

“We want to be a sponge that regularly gets squeezed out. Anything God gives us is not meant for just us, it’s meant to be shared with others. We are to learn, to do and then to teach others.”

To be a mentor, you don’t have to have it all together. By being willing to share the godly wisdom you have with others, you already have what it takes. Bev speaks to our common struggle with insecurity.

“That’s a way that the devil keeps all of us from not doing it. We just feel insecure. But you are secure in Christ. If you know Christ, you are to tell someone else how to know Christ, that’s as basic as it gets.”

“You don’t have to have a degree from a seminary to be mentoring. Mentoring is coming alongside and encouraging someone else. There is such joy in mentorship, and then there is such joy to watch these people your mentoring start to come alive.”

With so many lies floating around our culture today, we are called to be spiritual mentors and change lives for Christ. We can be the voice of truth for someone who is searching for it and lead them into a deeper walk of faith.


Bev Coniaris is a leading teacher with Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and has mentored many women in the study of God’s Word and leadership.

The value of spiritual mentoring