Discovering your calling is more than just deciding what you are going to do with your life, it s about who you are going to become.

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1 LEADER GUIDE

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4 Discovering your calling is more than just deciding what you are going to do with your life, it s about who you are going to become. Many people spend their entire lives searching in frustration for what God might want them to do. In 7 Commandments of Your Calling, Pastor Steven Furtick provides a set of practical, Christ-centered principles designed to point you toward the person God is calling you to be. We re praying that as you follow this sevenweek study, you will begin to see the uniquely specific calling God has for you. ^ estudents Staff

5 Session 1: Thou Shalt Start With Yes Session 2: Thou Shalt Stop Trying Out Session 3: Thou Shalt Work Your Weakness Session 4: Thou Shalt Protect Your Confidence Session 5: Thou Shalt Close Your Mind Session 6: Thou Shalt Fix Your Focus Session 7: Thou Shalt Just Show Up

6 HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDE 7 Commandments of Your Calling is a seven week, video-driven curriculum broken into seven sessions, with the Introduction and Session One combined for Week One, to get your group off to a great start. Each session is made up of several elements to help you lead your egroup from start to finish with ease. 7 COMMANDMENTS OF YOUR CALLING VIDEO CURRICULUM The video curriculum is the foundation for each of the seven sessions and consists of Pastor Steven s teaching of each of the 7 Commandments of Your Calling. COMMANDMENT Principles given to us in the video curriculum that will set up each session. These commandments will help students gain clarity and confidence in the plans God has for them. KEY SCRIPTURES Scriptures from the video curriculum referenced, or quoted, by Pastor Steven. These are great scriptures to memorize together as a group. MAIN IDEA A summary of the teaching for each session that provides clarity on the focal point for each week. ICEBREAKER Starts your egroup off well, so students in your group are talking and laughing.

7 QUOTES & DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Designed to help you facilitate a great discussion in your group. Quotes from the teachings are listed with correlating questions to drive discussion. LEADER TIP: You will not be able to get through all of the questions, so look at the quotes and questions ahead of time to determine which ones will encourage discussion within your egroup. #7COMMANDMENTS Social media challenges meant to help students further reflect on the commandment and discussion they had in egroup. The challenges give them an opportunity to communicate on a platform they already use. PRAYER A short prayer that can be led by you or any student in your group to close out your egroup. TAKE IT HOME Designed to help students solidify the commandment in their personal relationship with the Lord. This is an action step to reinforce the concept.

8 THOU SHALT START WITH YES

9 SESSION 1 INTRODUCTION Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom s instruction. PROVERBS 29:18 How can you develop a vision strong enough to guide your life in the right direction? Your calling is not primarily what you do, your calling refers to who you are becoming. What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word calling? Your calling is more about who you are becoming than about what you will accomplish. How does knowing that change who you want to become? KEY SCRIPTURES 2 CORINTHIANS 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are Yes in Christ. And so through him the Amen is spoken by us to the glory of God. GENESIS 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden? MATTHEW 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

10 SESSION 1 MAIN IDEA We have a God who loves to say yes to His children. It s easy to only see the no s in life, but even in the no s there is a better yes behind it. ICEBREAKER NAME THAT ANIMAL Think of an animal and write it down on a piece of paper. Then have the students ask yes or no questions to try and determine the animal. QUOTES & DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Satan will try to get you to question God s intentions. Have you ever questioned God s intentions? What made you do that? Have you ever felt like God was keeping you from experiencing something you thought was good? Why do you think He does that? Based on the truths and promises that you know from scripture, what do you believe God s intentions are for you? LEADER TIP: Activity Idea: Have students write out 3 scriptures with God s promises on them to put in their locker, on their mirror, or somewhere they will see it everyday. Sometimes we are so focused on the no that we run out of willpower. Because when we approach Jesus and Christianity with a no, we will eventually give up. Share a time when you relied solely on ambition or desire, and it ended unlike you expected.

11 What does it mean to burn out in your walk with Christ? How can you avoid burn out? Even when God is telling you no, it s because He is protecting you for a bigger yes. When has God said no in your life? Has there been a no that ended up protecting you? Where can you recognize God saying yes in your life? If He doesn t give you something, you don t want it God is holding out for you, not on you. What yes are you missing out on because you re focused on what seems like a no? Have you ever ignored God s no and been hurt by your decision? What was God trying to protect you from? Do you ever get frustrated with God for protecting you from things? What is one way to stay strong enough to believe that something greater is coming your way, when it seems like it never will? PRAYER Heavenly Father, thank you for being a yes God. You are faithful to your promises. Give us patience as we wait for Your best yes. Thank you for this group and giving us time to be together. In Jesus name, Amen. TAKE IT HOME Ask your students to make a list of some of the yes s that God has given them and come ready to share next week. #7COMMANDMENTS Use Social Media to demonstrate Thou Shalt Start With Yes in a creative way on Twitter or Instagram. Example: Take a picture of your group spelling out YES.

12 LEADING STUDENTS LEADING FROM THE OVERFLOW Broken vessels leak. Full vessels overflow. As an egroup leader, your lasting impact is not tied to your leadership ability, but to your spiritual availability to God. Granted, life is busy. Between full work schedules and commitments to family and friends, it s hard enough to find time to attend an egroup and even harder to lead one. As your life fills with more and more personal responsibility, you ll find your schedule (and your capacity) expanding rapidly. If you re not careful, however, that kind of expansion can lead to cracks not literally; but spiritually that you will need to fill. Perhaps you ve felt this before or are experiencing it right now. If preparing for your egroup is more stressful than it is rewarding, or if the anxiety of dealing with your own situation overshadows the opportunity you have to lead your students through their own life circumstances, you likely have a few cracks, and this may be draining your relationship with Jesus. However, if you make your heart available to Jesus above all else, you can invite Him to fill every crack and crevice in your life. Yet, even if Jesus fills you completely, your capacity may still fill beyond what you can hold for yourself. But without any cracks in your relationship with Him, Jesus love will begin to overflow from your heart. When you live from the overflow, your impact will be much greater than it ever could be on your own.

13 Here are a few practical ways to begin living and leading from the overflow : START YOUR DAY WITH JESUS. Even if you only spend two minutes reading or praying to Him, you can start each day by acknowledging His presence. Following a YouVersion reading plan is a simple and easy way to do this. LISTEN TO A SERMON OR WORSHIP MUSIC while you get ready for the day or while you are driving to work. PRAY OR READ SCRIPTURE OUT LOUD. Place scriptures where you will see them throughout your day. NOTES

14 THOU SHALT STOP TRYING OUT

15 SESSION 2 KEY SCRIPTURES JEREMIAH 1:4-5 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. MATTHEW 5:13-15 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. MAIN IDEA We are tempted to try and prove ourselves to God. The truth is, He s already chosen us. ICEBREAKER FAKE AUDITIONS Give each student two sheets of paper. Choose two students to audition. Have the first audition for the role of one of the worship leaders for the new album. Let the students rate the audition on a scale of 1 to 10. QUOTES & DISCUSSION QUESTIONS I called you to do, what I assigned you to do before you were even here. Read Jeremiah 1:4-5. What does this passage say about how God chooses people?

16 SESSION 2 Pastor Steven used the blind auditions on The Voice to illustrate how God has already chosen you and picked you for His team. What is one way you have been auditioning to seek God s approval? What role do you believe specifically God has appointed you for? What is one way you can live, practically, with that role in mind? A lot of people live their lives looking for approval from somebody or through something... God is saying I ve already chosen you. Name one practical thing you have consciously done to gain approval from someone. How do you allow the approval from others to affect your value? What would change about your life if you truly believed that God doesn t need you to audition to be approved by Him? You are called to be a city on a hill but you don t have to produce the light, you just have to let it shine. You are a city on a hill. God is the light inside you. If you are trying to fit in, you are hiding your light; you are hiding God. How have you struggled with hiding your light? What is one way you can let your faith shine this week?

17 Make the decision that if God approves of me that s all that matters. Do you believe God approves of you as you are, right now, in this very moment? Share a habit, or past mistake, the enemy uses to cause doubt over God s approval of you. Have you ever had a moment in your life where you felt God s authentic, genuine love or approval? LEADER TIP: Take a moment to pray that the students in your group begin to recognize God s approval and His love on a more consistent basis. PRAYER Jesus, thank you for already choosing us without having to do anything to gain your approval. Help us to walk in the knowledge that we are already approved by you this week. Give us the boldness to stand out and let our faith shine this week. Amen. TAKE IT HOME Encourage each student to share with another student in the group one way they can be praying for them to be bold in their faith, and not seek the approval of others this week. #7COMMANDMENTS Share on social media a statement about how God has already chosen you. Use the hashtag #7Commandments.

18 LEADING STUDENTS LEADING DISCUSSIONS WITH STUDENTS Students aren t always easy to talk to. But if you lead a student egroup, you have to talk to them. There s no way around it as a student egroup leader, you are the primary communicator for your group. You carry each meeting, eliminate any awkward silences and create opportunities for your students to encounter Jesus. Yet, one of the keys to leading a successful and thriving egroup is leading a great discussion with your students. Here are a few tips on how to facilitate a great discussion with your students: BE THE INITIATOR. The discussion starts as soon as the first student walks in the room. If your students feel comfortable before the discussion begins, they will be more likely to participate during your discussion time. Remember, an effective discussion begins the moment your first student arrives. If you need to, have a few questions and conversation starters prepared before anyone arrives. BE VULNERABLE. When you open up and share how God is actually moving in your life, students are more likely to do the same. You don t have to pressure your students to share every uncomfortable detail of their lives, but if you create an environment where they feel safe enough to be honest, you make room for God to speak directly to their weaknesses.

19 ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS. This Leader Guide provides questions for every session, but only you will know which questions are best for your students. As you get to know your group, choose your questions wisely. Be sensitive to what your students are going through that s what they will want to talk about. Also, avoid Yes or No questions and use follow-up questions such as, What makes you say that? or Why do you feel that way? GET CREATIVE. Divide students into smaller groups for parts of the discussion, or have them write their answers on a notecard before speaking out loud. Some students may want to process their thoughts internally, while some students will tend to dominate the conversation. You can even pass a ball or an object around the group to identify whose turn it is to speak. NOTES

20 THOU SHALT WORK YOUR WEAKNESS

21 SESSION 3 KEY SCRIPTURE2 CORINTHIANS 12:9-10 But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. MAIN IDEA We can often become too focused on our weaknesses. But if we allow God to use our weaknesses as a platform to show His glory, we can be strengthened in Christ. ICEBREAKER WEAKNESS CONFESSION Have students write down a silly weakness or bad habit that they have on the notepad we provided. (Example: Always leaving your soccer cleats in your bag.) Collect all of the notecards and then read them out loud. QUOTES & DISCUSSION QUESTIONS Thou shalt work your weakness, not work on your weakness. What s the difference between working on your weakness and working your weakness? Give an example of how you can work your weakness. Everyone has a calling and a conflict. The conflict is because what God says about you doesn t usually match up with what you see in you. What are some of the struggles that can cloud your view of your calling? What is one thing you think about yourself that contradicts what God says about you?

22 SESSION 3 Once you learn how to actually work your weaknesses, you ll learn to say I m going to decide to use the weaknesses in my life as a platform for God to show His power. Think of a weakness in your life. How could God use your weakness to help others? What are some ways to move past the shame and embarrassment of a weakness? Our strength comes from struggle. Everyone has struggles. What is the greatest struggle you ve faced in your life? How have you experienced Christ making you stronger in the midst of your struggles? LEADER TIP: This is a great opportunity to make yourself available for one-on-one conversations with students in your group PRAYER Jesus, thank you for choosing us despite our weaknesses. Help us to use our struggles as an encouragement to those we are around this week. Thank you for your grace. Amen.

23 TAKE IT HOME Pastor Steven says there are two levels of conflict: what we ll share and what we really struggle with. Write down your struggles and then seek out a mentor, a friend, or your group leader, and share with them. #7COMMANDMENTS Use the hashtag #7Commandments to share one of your favorite quotes from this week s video.

24 LEADING STUDENTS LEADING WITH VULNERABILITY Silence is awkward. But silence doesn t necessarily mean your students aren t engaged with the discussion. Sometimes awkward silence means your students are processing something at a level deeper than they feel comfortable sharing. Whenever your discussion topic enters into uncharted territory for your students, such as purity in dating relationships or personal emotional struggles, the fear of judgment or ridicule can drive your students into silence. However, as an egroup leader, you can create the safest environment your students may ever have to share and process what is going on in their lives. But in order to do that, you must feel comfortable enough to lead with vulnerability. Use your best judgment to decide what is appropriate for your students to hear. If you can be vulnerable in an honest, authentic way, your students will feel more comfortable in sharing their own struggles. Here are a few ways you can create a safe environment for your students to share what is really going on in their lives: BE HONEST WITH YOUR STUDENTS. Don t put up a façade of perfection you can connect with your students by sharing some of your real struggles. BE PREPARED TO SHARE A PERSONAL EXAMPLE for every topic your students discuss. If you can t relate to the topic in any way, neither will your group.

25 LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR STUDENTS SAY. You may be the only person in their lives that is willing to take the time to validate their thoughts. FOLLOW UP WITH YOUR STUDENTS. When your students know that you remember what they share, they will begin to see how much you sincerely care for them. POINT YOUR STUDENTS BACK TO JESUS. You re not meant to have all the answers they need. But if you can show them how to walk through struggles with a genuine faith in Jesus, your students will learn how to do the same. If, at any point, a student shares something that requires more care than you are able to give (such as cutting, suicidal thoughts, or abuse at home) inform one of our staff members immediately. We will then point you and the student toward the resources needed to work through the situation. NOTES

26 THOU SHALT PROTECT YOUR CONFIDENCE

27 SESSION 4 KEY SCRIPTURES 2 TIMOTHY 1:13-14 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us. HEBREWS 12:26-27 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. The words once more indicate the removing of what can be shaken that is, created things so that what cannot be shaken may remain. MAIN IDEA The enemy doesn t have the power to take your calling away from you, but he can attack your confidence in your calling. The more time we spend with God, the quieter the enemy s voice becomes. ICEBREAKER MOVE IT Give one student an object that is special and have them protect the object while attempting to move from one end of the room to the other. Meanwhile, all the other students should be trying to take the object from him or her. QUOTES & DISCUSSION QUESTIONS If the enemy can t take away your calling he will try to affect your confidence in your calling. He can t stop God from having great plans for you, but he can stop you from believing God has great plans for you. Give an example of how the enemy attacks your confidence in the truth that God has great plans for you? What are some ways you can remember that God has great plans for you? Read Jeremiah 29:11. How does this truth help transform the way you respond to the enemy s attack?

28 SESSION 4 The enemy can t take away the deposit God put inside of you, but he can cause you to stop guarding it. And eventually over time you ll begin to neglect it. God has entrusted each of us with a deposit. What do you think he has entrusted to you? How does it feel knowing God gave you that deposit for a specific purpose? How can you guard the deposit? Thieves don t break into empty houses. If you feel like you re being attacked in your mind, and your emotions, and your heart, that s a sign that there is something valuable inside of you. How do you think the enemy might be attacking you and your calling? You are valuable because of who God created you to be and the deposit he has given to you. What is a practical way you can gain greater confidence in the value God has given you? LEADER TIP: Take a moment to have your students write a list of strengths and talents they see in themselves. The closer to God that you become, the less your circumstances affect your faith. When do you have the greatest confidence in who you are? James 4:8 says, Come near to God and He will come near to you. What is one way you can commit to drawing closer to God this week?

29 Pastor shared this paraphrase of Hebrews 12:27, Everything that can be shaken must be shaken so that only that which cannot be shaken will remain. How does this scripture help you understand why you endure struggles and hardship? Share an example of a tough circumstance you endured that made you stronger once God helped you gain victory. PRAYER Jesus, we are grateful that you believe in us so much that you entrust us with value and purpose. Give us strength to protect our confidence in who we know you created us to be. Thank you for the opportunity to be encouraged and to encourage one another in egroup every week. Amen. TAKE IT HOME The enemy is frequently trying to steal our confidence because of the value that we have. On your mirror this week write out this statement, I am confident that God called me to. And fill in the blank. #7COMMANDMENTS Help one of your friends protect their confidence by encouraging them via social media. It s incredible how much confidence someone can gain from one bit of encouragement.

30 LEADING STUDENTS SPEAKING LIFE As an egroup leader, you have the unique opportunity to speak potentially life-changing words over your students. As a friend and trusted mentor, your words will carry a different weight than those of your students teachers, friends, or family members. Therefore, it s important to make the most of this opportunity. This isn t a license to preach to your students about how they should or shouldn t live. Most likely, they already have plenty of people in their lives do that. Instead you can use your authority to speak life over your students, rather then telling them what they can t do, tell them what they can do. Instead of pointing out their deficiencies, show them their strengths. What if, twenty years from now, one of your students called you to thank you for something you said to them? Here are a few easy ways to speak life over your students: ENCOURAGE YOUR STUDENTS. And do it realistically. Don t build up false hopes, but identify the strengths in each of your students and speak to those regularly. BE REPETITIVE. Whatever you focus on will tend to magnify and multiply itself in your students lives, so create a consistent atmosphere of encouragement and development. BE HONEST WITH YOUR STUDENTS. If they are making poor decisions, tell them. But don t leave it at that always point your students towards something greater that they can do.

31 NOTES

32 THOU SHALT CLOSE YOUR MIND

33 SESSION 5 KEY SCRIPTURES 2 CORINTHIANS 5:7 For we live by faith, not by sight. MARK 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. MAIN IDEA There are times when we have to protect our faith and close our minds to the pressure of having to understand everything logically. Stop feeling the need to have the answer to every question concerning God, Christianity, and faith, and focus on what He has done in your life. ICEBREAKER TRUE AND FALSE Before your egroup meeting, research some random, fun facts on the Internet. Change a few of the facts so that they are incorrect. Read the list to your group and have them decide if they are true or false. QUOTES & DISCUSSION QUESTIONS If you go through life believing whatever you re taught, and if you go through your whole life just basing your beliefs on what you mentally understand, it will become difficult to follow God. How do you respond to something you are not sure you agree with? How does the reality that God is beyond our human understanding change how you approach Him? To really approach God in faith you have to be wanting to learn, but willing to accept that you won t always understand all of God s ways. How do you define faith?

34 SESSION 5 What is one question you have about God, Christianity, or faith that you don t understand? How does not knowing the answer to that question affect your faith? Not everything about God is able to be explained that is why it takes faith. What types of questions do you get from friends, family, teachers, or co-workers about your faith? How frequently do you have to stand up for your faith and what you believe in? Do you ever feel defeated because you don t know the answer to some of the questions people ask you about your faith? What are some ways to respond when you don t know the answer to a question about your faith? Open your heart, but in some cases, it s best to close your mind. During controversial discussions, whether they happen spontaneously in the hallway among friends or in a facilitated class discussion, is it possible to listen, but protect your faith as well? How can you close your mind, but still stand up for what you believe in? PRAYER Jesus, give us the discernment to know when to listen and when to close our minds. Help us find the strength to walk by faith in all of our circumstances, even when we don t have all the answers. Amen.

35 TAKE IT HOME Pastor Steven said, make up your mind to commit your life to something you may not fully understand. As you are heading to school every morning this week, tell God that you are committing your life to Him even when you don t have all the answers. It can sound something like this, Lord, I know you are the creator of the earth, and all things submit to you. I trust you even when I don t fully understand. #7COMMANDMENTS This week s social media challenge requires less action and more restraint. Inevitably, controversial topics come up on social media. Take a week and refrain from getting involved in any of these discussions.

36 LEADING STUDENTS YOU DON T HAVE TO HAVE AN ANSWER Inevitably, your egroup is going to ask a lot of questions. Some will be more difficult than others. For instance, What college do you think I should go to? is a lot easier to handle than, Why would God allow my parents to get divorced? When the tough questions come up, remember this: You re not meant to have every answer. Sometimes, saying, I don t know, but I m here with you as we figure this out, will mean more to your students than anything else you could say. After all, your students will never find a single person capable of giving them every answer they seek. But you can be the person who always has the time and the love they need to work through life s most difficult questions. Here s a few practical ways you can navigate situations where you don t have the answer your students are looking for: PURSUE AN ANSWER. It s not okay to not pursue an answer, but commit to helping your students through whatever they re struggling with by supporting them and helping them find an answer if it s available. DON T SECOND-GUESS YOURSELF. You know more than you think you do. Even if you can t relate to the exact circumstance your student is in, you may be able to share a Scripture reference or another life experience that can give your student the principles they need to apply to their situation. SHARE YOUR RESOURCES with your students. There are countless Bible dictionaries, commentaries, and devotionals that can teach your students how to seek answers to their questions on their own.

37 NOTES

38 THOU SHALT FIX YOUR FOCUS

39 SESSION 6 KEY SCRIPTURE PHILIPPIANS 3:13-14 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. MAIN IDEA In our lives there is a lot that is out of our control, but we can control our focus. We have the ability to allow God s presence to be magnified more than our feelings or circumstances. ICEBREAKER STARE DOWN Pick two students to have a staring contest. In the middle of their staring contest, have the rest of the group surround them and try to break their focus. You can repeat this until you have the Ultimate Fixer of Focus. Instagram a picture of the winner! QUOTES & DISCUSSION QUESTIONS There s nothing more frustrating than trying to fix something or someone that you can t control Sometimes the only thing I can fix is my focus in the situation. What situation are you going through in which you have no control, and the only thing you can change is your focus? How have you allowed your emotions, circumstances, or past to dictate your focus? What you focus on in your life tends to magnify and multiply. Share an example of something negative you have recently focused on. How has this negativity magnified in your mind (and possibly affected your attitude)?

40 SESSION 6 How can you shift your focus from circumstances and feelings to God s promises? The misery that we feel is the result of what we focus on. Share an example of how you ve experienced misery because of what you were focusing on. Identify a situation, or a problem, that you need to choose to forget about. Learn how to magnify God s promise in the midst of your problem. As you magnify the promise, or blessing of God, it will multiply in your life. Share an example of how you can magnify the presence of God when you are facing a problem. How will this affect the way you approach your future struggles and problems? When we begin to grumble about the gifts that God gives, we miss great opportunities for gratitude. What areas of your life do you find yourself complaining about that you need to start being grateful for? PRAYER Jesus, thank you that we have the ability to choose what we focus on. Help us to remember that in every situation we can fix our focus and understand our situations differently. Amen.

41 #7COMMANDMENTS Creatively share this week s commandment on fixing your focus. Take a picture of something that represents what you should be focused on with everything else in the background being blurry. TAKE IT HOME This week choose a scripture that deals with your specific struggle or situation. Write it down on your hand, on an index card or on the front of your notebook to magnify the presence of God in your situation as a reminder.

42 LEADING STUDENTS TALKING ISN T EVERYTHING The key to communicating with your students isn t necessarily what you say. According to research done by psychologist Albert Mehrabain, whenever you communicate with others, what you say makes up only 7% of what they perceive. Your tone makes up 38%, and your nonverbal behavior makes up the remaining 55%. With that in mind, communication never stops. Whether your students won t stop talking or they won t speak at all, they are always communicating with you, and you are always communicating with them. As a leader, your responsibility is to connect with these students so that you might encourage them to grow their faith. In order to do that effectively, you should make an effort to sincerely understand each individual student in your group. As you get to know your students, you ll be able to tell how they typically act and react within the group dynamic, as well as if they are behaving unusually. By remaining perceptive to what your students are communicating, you will be able to identify what they need and point them towards the person God is calling them to be.

43 Here are a few practical tips to help you communicate effectively with your students: LOOK FOR CHANGES IN FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, body language, and emotions. You don t have to be a trained psychologist to observe a students behavior and gauge the level at which they are connecting with the rest of the group. CONNECT AT A DEEPER LEVEL with students when you notice any changes in them. Don t be afraid to check in to see if they are okay. Don t be suprised when they share something with you that they may not feel comfortable sharing with the rest of the group. ASK GOD FOR WISDOM and discernment in how to deal with your students. Some students may not know how to articulate their feelings, but if you make yourself available, God will use you to speak timely and effective words to them. NOTES

44 THOU SHALT JUST SHOW UP

45 SESSION 7 KEY SCRIPTURES ISAIAH 55:1 Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. REVELATION 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let the one who hears say, Come! Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. PSALM 119:105 Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. MAIN IDEA No matter how close, or far, you feel from God, your small step closer to Him is all He is waiting for. Your consistency helps you fulfill your calling. ICEBREAKER STEP BY STEP Blindfold one student at a time. Have another student guide them from one place in the house to another, giving them step-by-step instructions. QUOTES & DISCUSSION QUESTIONS God knows when He calls you that you don t have the resources. How does it feel to know that God doesn t expect you to come to Him with the answer to your circumstance? Can you remember a time when God asked you to take a step closer to him? How did you respond?

46 SESSION 7 You will be surprised what God can do in and through your life if you will just be consistent. What is one thing in your life that you have been consistent with and committed to? How has your consistency and commitment affected the outcome? Why do you think God values our consistency and commitment? Do you think you can commit to being consistent in a spiritual discipline? (For example, praying when you go to bed or before meals, reading a chapter of the Bible a day, attending your egroup or coming to a worship experience on the weekends.) What spiritual discipline do you want to be more consistent in? When you feel like you are living for God on fire or when you feel so cold that you don t feel like the Bible has anything to say to you just show up. What distracts you from showing up in your relationship with God? Share about a time when you didn t want to spend time with God. How did it make you feel? How can you seek God when you don t feel like you aren t getting anything out of it? If you believe that God wants you to come just as you are, how can this relieve the pressure of your current circumstance? The key to your spirituality and fulfilling your calling won t be what you do in the spiritual highs on the mountain peaks, that s easy. It will be what you do in the times when you feel so low that you don t know if God is even with you anymore.

47 When you feel distant from God how do your actions and habits change? As you pursue the calling God has placed on your life, what can you do to remain faithful in the low, difficult times? After discussing calling for the past few weeks, how would you describe a calling? How should you go about determining what your calling is? God s ultimate goal is not to get you somewhere, but to make you someone. How can you take your focus off of the destination and place it on the process and journey? What s your reaction to the reality that God cares more about who you are than what you can accomplish? How might your friendships, your family, and your academics be affected if you start showing up? PRAYER Jesus, thank you for caring more about who we are becoming than what we can do. Thank you for your unconditional love that covers us whether we are in the spiritual mountain peaks or the low valleys. Help us to commit to showing up every day. Amen. TAKE IT HOME Consistency leads to growth and development. Commit to being at egroup every week for the next 4 weeks, the times that you want to go and the times that you don t. See what God does when you just show up. #7COMMANDMENTS On social media, share a quote from 7 Commandments of Your Calling teaching that has made an impact on the way you will now pursue your calling.

48 LEADING STUDENTS LEADING A STUDENT EGROUP IS ABOUT MENTORING WITHIN YOUR STUDENT EGROUP. When most people think of leadership, they think of a one-way relationship between the leader and their followers. Leaders communicate information. Followers can either take it or leave it. Unfortunately, this misconception can actually happen within an egroup leaders can unknowingly use their platform to simply speak to their students, not with them. However, if you look at leading a Student egroup as being a mentor, you ll see that mentoring is actually more about walking through life with someone and sharing your experiences. Instead of standing at a distance and hoping your students come to you, you can meet them where they are and walk with them as they discover the direction God is leading them. Mentoring happens throughout the entire Bible, with one of the most notable relationships being Paul and Timothy. As described in 1 and 2 Timothy, Paul makes sure that Timothy is equipped, empowered, encouraged, and challenged to increase his effectiveness as a servant of Jesus. Along the way, Paul doesn t hesitate to acknowledge how he longs to develop this relationship with Timothy.

49 Here are a few simple strategies to help you be a better mentor to your students: SIDE BY SIDE: Walk through life with your students, don t walk in front of them. SPEAK TRUTH: Even when they do not want to hear it, speak the truth with love and grace. Your students will remember what you say. SPEAK ENCOURAGEMENT: Constantly uplift your students and speak to their strengths. SHOW THEM: Set a good example by consistently modeling good decision-making. SOLIDIFY PRINCIPLES: Ask the right questions to help your students develop the foundation for their faith. NOTES

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