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VISION – HEIRS OF GOD
Think Like an Heir, Not a Slave
Based on the message by Pastor Chad Everett
OVERVIEW
Are you living according to who God says you are, or are you allowing your past, emotions, and circumstances to determine how you see yourself?
Through faith in Jesus Christ, we have become sons and daughters of God. But our identity doesn’t stop there. According to Galatians 4 and Romans 8, we are also heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ.
Yet it’s possible to be an heir by position and still think like a slave. Just as the Israelites were delivered from Egypt but continued to struggle with a mentality shaped by bondage, believers can receive salvation while continuing to live under the influence of old thought patterns, fear, and fleshly desires.
God calls us to something different. Rather than allowing our experiences to define our identity, we must renew our minds to agree with what He has declared about us.
This transformation isn’t accomplished by willpower or simply trying harder to change our behavior. As we seek the things of God, set our minds on Christ, and yield to the Holy Spirit, His power transforms us from the inside out.
The Holy Spirit continually reminds us that we are God’s children. And as His children, we have an inheritance through Jesus Christ that is meant to influence how we live today.
“God wants us to think like heirs while we’re here, not just when we get to heaven.” – Chad Everett
HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDE
Read → Respond → Reflect
Read each passage carefully before answering the Respond questions. Keep your Bible open and allow Scripture itself to provide the answers.
Then use the Reflect questions to examine your life in light of God’s Word. Consider where your beliefs, attitudes, relationships, and actions agree with Scripture and where they need to change. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what you need to surrender and how you can begin living according to your identity as an heir of God.
This guide is designed for individual study, family discipleship, and Roads Groups.
WORD DEFINITIONS
Heir – klēronomos – A person entitled to inherit what was left to them; an inheritor who receives possessions, a portion, or an inheritance.
Child – nēpios – A very young child, often still nursing or not yet speaking; an infant.
Carnal – Controlled or directed by the flesh or human nature. (1 Corinthians 3)
Condemnation – katakrima – A verdict of guilt resulting in punishment.
Put to Death – thanatoō – To stop or cease completely with lethal determination; to execute.
Bears Witness With – summartureō – To testify and provide supporting evidence.
Joint-Heirs – sugklēronomos – A co-heir; someone who shares in the same inheritance with another.
SECTION 1 — SEE YOURSELF AS GOD SEES YOU
Focus
Through Jesus Christ, we have received adoption as sons and daughters of God and become heirs through Him. Our identity is not determined by our feelings, failures, accomplishments, or circumstances but by what God declares in His Word. We must learn to see ourselves through His eyes and allow that truth to shape how we think and live.
Read
Galatians 4:1–7
Respond
- According to Galatians 4:1–3, how does Paul describe the condition of an heir who remains a child?
- What did God do when the fullness of time had come?
- According to verses 4–5, why did God send His Son?
- Where has God sent the Spirit of His Son, and what does the Spirit cry out?
- What does verse 7 declare about our identity and relationship to God?
Reflect
- When I examine how I actually live, what reveals that I believe I am a son or daughter of God? Where do my attitudes, decisions, or responses suggest that I still question my identity in Him?
- Do I approach my relationship with God as a son or daughter who is loved, or as someone constantly trying to earn His approval? How does that mindset affect my prayer life, obedience, and willingness to draw near to Him?
- Have I allowed my failures, accomplishments, or the approval of others to determine my worth? How might truly embracing my identity in Christ change the way I see myself and treat others?
Further Scripture Reading
Romans 8:15–16
SECTION 2 — THINK LIKE AN HEIR, NOT A SLAVE
Focus
Just as the Israelites were delivered from Egypt but continued to think like slaves, we can experience freedom in Christ while remaining bound by old ways of thinking. Our past, upbringing, and experiences do not have to determine our future. God calls us to bring our thinking into agreement with our identity as His sons and daughters rather than allowing our experiences to define what we believe is possible.
Read
Galatians 4:1–7; Romans 8:12–15
Respond
- What comparison does Paul make between an heir who remains a child and a slave in Galatians 4:1?
- According to Galatians 4:3, what held people in bondage?
- What change in identity does Paul declare in Galatians 4:7?
- According to Romans 8:12, to what are believers no longer indebted?
- What contrast does Romans 8:15 make between bondage and adoption?
Reflect
- What attitudes, habits, or responses have I excused by saying, “That’s just how I am”? Have I allowed my history, upbringing, or personality to become a justification for remaining unchanged?
- When circumstances don’t go my way or someone treats me unfairly, do I take responsibility for my response, or do I allow frustration, fear, resentment, or self-pity to control me? What does that reveal about what is leading my life?
- Where am I expecting God to change my circumstances while resisting the changes He wants to make in me? What old way of thinking must I surrender to begin living in the freedom He has given me?
Further Scripture Reading
2 Corinthians 10:3–5
SECTION 3 — RENEW YOUR MIND TO MATCH YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST
Focus
Colossians 3 calls us to seek the things above, set our minds on Christ, and put off the old ways of living. Renewing our minds requires intentionally replacing thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs that do not agree with God’s Word. Jesus, not our experiences, opinions, or the world around us, must become the standard for how we think and live.
Read
Colossians 3:1–10
Respond
- According to Colossians 3:1, what are believers instructed to seek?
- Where does verse 2 tell us to set our minds?
- What does Paul say about our lives in verses 3–4?
- What attitudes and behaviors are believers instructed to put off in verses 5–9?
- According to verse 10, how is the new man renewed, and whose image is the standard?
Reflect
- If someone examined how I spend my time, what I watch, what I listen to, and what occupies my thoughts, would they see evidence that I am seeking the things above? What does my daily life reveal about what I value most?
- When God’s Word challenges something I believe or a way I have always lived, am I willing to change my thinking, or do I look for ways to justify what I already believe? Where have I allowed culture, personal opinions, or familiar traditions to become my standard instead of Christ?
- Are there attitudes or behaviors I tolerate in myself that I would readily recognize as wrong in someone else? What specific changes would bring my thinking and conduct into greater agreement with the image of Christ?
Further Scripture Reading
2 Corinthians 5:17
SECTION 4 — BE LED BY THE SPIRIT, NOT THE FLESH
Focus
Romans 8 teaches that we are no longer obligated to live according to the flesh. Lasting transformation does not come through willpower or simply trying harder to change our behavior. As we pursue God and yield to the Holy Spirit, His power works within us to overcome fleshly desires and produce a life that reflects our identity as His children.
Read
Romans 8:12–14; Colossians 3:1–10
Respond
- According to Romans 8:12, what obligation do believers no longer have?
- What warning does Paul give about living according to the flesh in verse 13?
- By what power are believers instructed to put to death the deeds of the body?
- According to Romans 8:14, who are identified as the sons of God?
- How do the instructions to seek and set our minds on things above in Colossians 3:1–2 connect with putting off the behaviors listed later in the chapter?
Reflect
- When I face pressure, disappointment, conflict, or inconvenience, what comes out of me? Do my words and reactions reflect the leadership of the Holy Spirit, especially toward the people who know me best?
- Are there fleshly attitudes such as pride, anger, jealousy, selfishness, bitterness, or unforgiveness that I have learned to manage, conceal, or justify rather than genuinely surrender to God? How do these attitudes affect my relationships and my witness to others?
- When the Holy Spirit or another person confronts an area of my life that needs to change, do I respond with humility and repentance or defensiveness and excuses? Am I relying on willpower to improve my behavior, or am I intentionally yielding that area to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit?
Further Scripture Reading
Galatians 5:16–25
SECTION 5 — LIVE IN THE INHERITANCE YOU HAVE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST
Focus
The Holy Spirit bears witness that we are God’s children, and as His children, we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Our inheritance is not merely a future promise of heaven. God calls us to live today with the understanding of who we are in Him, allowing that identity to shape our faith, expectations, decisions, and daily lives.
Read
Romans 8:14–17; Galatians 4:6–7
Respond
- According to Romans 8:14, what characterizes the sons of God?
- What kind of spirit have believers received according to Romans 8:15?
- What does the Holy Spirit testify to our spirit in verse 16?
- According to Romans 8:17, what follows from being children of God?
- What additional relationship with Christ does Romans 8:17 reveal, and what does the verse say about suffering and being glorified with Him?
Reflect
- Have I reduced my relationship with Jesus to receiving salvation and going to heaven, while overlooking His call to live under the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit today? How is that reflected in my daily decisions and expectations?
- When I face opposition, temptation, fear, or spiritual struggles, do I respond according to the freedom and authority Jesus has given me, or do I assume defeat? What does my response reveal about my understanding of who I am in Christ?
- How is my identity as an heir of God influencing the people around me? Do my words, priorities, and relationships reflect the character of Jesus and encourage others toward Him, or am I primarily living for my own comfort and interests?
Further Scripture Reading
Ephesians 1:17–23
FINAL ENCOURAGEMENT
“God wants us to think like heirs while we’re here, not just when we get to heaven.” – Chad Everett
Through Jesus Christ, you are no longer a slave but a son or daughter of God and an heir with Christ. Your past, emotions, and circumstances do not define who you are. God’s Word does. But living in that identity requires renewing your mind and bringing your thoughts, attitudes, and actions into agreement with His truth.
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal where you are still thinking and living like a slave. Surrender those areas to Him, pursue His presence, and allow His power to transform you from the inside out. Don’t just know who you are in Christ. Let that truth change how you live.