Step 7 - Follow

We humbly ask God’s Spirit to change our hearts and minds in order to follow Christ fully.

Foundation 7

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-25)

Key Theme

Respond to God’s grace by relying on him for change.

Remember

God chooses you. He will heal, strengthen, and restore you if you rely on him and entirely follow him.

Things to Remember

• Fix your eyes on Christ. Set your heart to follow him fully.
• Distrust or an unwillingness to obey God in certain areas of life may indicate that you are struggling with previous steps. When you set limitations and boundaries around God, there is a trust issue.
• The fullness of God’s blessings comes by trusting and obeying his perfect will. He looks for a willing heart to display his power.
• As you follow Christ, the Spirit changes you to become like Christ.
• Because God loved us through Christ before we loved him, we can respond to his love by loving others like Christ.

Key Questions

As you review the lesson, ask God which questions to focus on for the lesson. Some possibilities are:

• Day 1, Q1: In what ways do you struggle to believe that you are a new creation in Christ?
• Day 3, Q2: In what ways are you not experiencing the fruit of the Spirit?
• Day 5, Q3: How has your love for others been directed by how they love you, rather than upon how Christ loved you?

Encouragement for Participants

• If God is trustworthy for eternity, he is trustworthy for today. His goodness is able to carry you through any circumstance. God’s power is greater than your inability. He will give you everything you need to follow his will. Go all in.
• Participants need a solid foundation of previous steps to fully follow Christ through the remaining steps. Encourage them to review the previous steps and to be honest with their mentor and leaders about areas of doubt or steps that haven’t yet been completed.
• God is not shortchanging us. The path to his blessings is not always easy, but it is worth it.

Encouragement for the Leaders

• This is a good time to communicate with mentors. Let them know you are heading into Step 8, Forgiveness and Step 9, Amends. Encourage them to help participants complete any previous steps.
• Recall ways that God has blessed your life when you’ve trusted and obeyed him, especially in difficult circumstances. Be ready to share some of these experiences with your group, and the intimacy with God that you’ve been blessed with.
• Are there areas where you are putting limitations on God’s will for you or setting up boundaries with God?
• Remember God is trustworthy for eternity, and for today.
• Set your heart fully on him. “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9)