Supremely, spiritual directors/mentors/pastors are persons who have a sense of being 'established' in God. Otherwise they are too dangerous to be allowed into the soul space of others.
Interpretation
True spiritual guides must have a deep connection to their faith to be safe mentors for others.
Richard Foster emphasizes the importance of spiritual directors, mentors, or pastors being firmly rooted in their faith in God. Those who lack this grounding can negatively impact others' spiritual journeys, making it crucial for such individuals to have a profound sense of their own spiritual establishment before guiding others.
In practice
In a sermon about choosing the right spiritual mentor, this quote highlights the essentials of being grounded in faith.
Pride is one of the socially acceptable sins in some corners of the evangelical culture. It's just straight-out ego gratification - how important I am; whether my name gets on the building or on the TV program or in the magazine article.
Leadership is an act of submission to God. To be a leader means listening to all kinds of people and situations. Out of that listening, we are hoping to discern the mind of God as best we can. This is the price of leadership - it's an act of sacrifice. So leadership is part and parcel of the work of submission to God.
There is no specialized art of prayer. All of life must be a training to pray. We pray the way we live.
The inattentive, slovenly way we drift into the presence of God is an indication that we are not bothering to think about Him. Whenever our Lord spoke of prayer, He said, "Ask." It is impossible to ask if you do not concentrate.
May we have communion with God in the secret of our hearts, and find Him to be to us as a little sanctuary.
Prayer is the human response to the perpetual outpouring of love by which God lays siege to every soul.
We never become truly spiritual by sitting down and wishing to become so. You must undertake something so great that you cannot accomplish it unaided.
When prayer fades out, power fades out. We are as spiritual as we are prayerful; no more, no less.
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