Beyond the Checklist

Learning to stay in step with the Spirit, not just follow directions

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” – Galatians 5:25

It’s no secret to anyone who knows me well that I love a plan! I love knowing that if I want to get to point 3 then as long as I follow steps 1 and 2, then it’ll get me there. Even better if it’s colour co-ordinated and gold stars scattered along the way to make me feel like I’m achieving something!

Yet, if you’re wired even the tiniest bit like me, I think there’s a danger that when we think about following God, we imagine Him laying out a map—step one, step two, step three—like a project plan we can tick off. But sadly for some (it’s good news really!), the Spirit doesn’t lead us by spreadsheets. He leads us by presence.

God’s guidance is less about a checklist and more about companionship. Paul doesn’t say, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us follow His steps.” In fact, when Paul writes about walking with the Spirit, he actually uses two different Greek words in Galatians 5. In verse 16, he uses peripateo—the normal word for walking, a picture of the “walk of life.” But in verse 25, he shifts to stoicheo—which means “to walk in line with” or “to keep in step.” He says, “let us keep in step with the Spirit.” The picture isn’t of someone handing you a set of directions and then leaving you to it—it’s of walking alongside Someone, matching your pace with theirs.

I remember crawling along in traffic a few years back and watching a father and his very small preschooler walking to kindy (clearly we were in New Zealand and not the UK at that point!). Behind the giant backpack that almost obscured the small child bar their chubby little legs and two wildly gesticulative arms either side, the Father was walking at what seemed to be a painfully slow pace.

But you know what? They were in step. The father cared enough to listen to his little one chat away. They even paused together to inspect something on the ground at one point… this is walking in step.

And when we imagine this with our Heavenly Father and us, it changes everything.

• If I fall behind, His grace slows to meet me.

• If I have questions, He engages with me.

• If I rush ahead, He gently calls me back.

• If I stumble, He steadies me.

Staying in step is about proximity and rhythm. It requires attention, trust, and surrender—not perfect planning. Sometimes God doesn’t reveal the whole path because the point isn’t the destination, but the intimacy of the walk.

I’m learning that myself at the moment. Again and again I find myself palms cupped in front of me, holding my unknown future up as an offering before the Lord. And my repeated prayer is this,

Lord, I don’t know what the future holds. I don’t understand all that You’re doing, I don’t see the end goal or what this looks like, but my answer is “yes”, wholeheartedly “yes”. I’m all in for walking with You and letting you lead the way.

So perhaps we don’t need to know the next ten steps. Maybe we only need to know the next One you’re walking with.

Holy Spirit, teach me to stay in step with You today. Free me from the pressure of needing to see the whole map. Help me slow down when You slow down, move when You move, and never lose the rhythm of Your presence. Amen.

Let’s chat and grow together:

Where are you tempted to chase “step-by-step certainty” instead of “staying in step with the Spirit”?

Thanks for letting me share a little of what God’s been teaching me. Here’s to slowing down, listening in, and keeping in step with Him—together.

Em 💛