Comments on: Fasting From Church Stuff

By: Swerve Favorites: Fasting from Church Stuff - LifeChurch.tv : swerve

Swerve Favorites: Fasting from Church Stuff - LifeChurch.tv : swerve — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 10:05:24 +0000

[...] [Repost from August 12, 2008] [...]

By: I want to do this! « Chris Lewis Blog

I want to do this! « Chris Lewis Blog — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:23:27 +0000

[...] want to do this! I read this post (Fasting From Church Stuff) by Craig Groeschel the other day. The basic premise of the thought is that we should periodically [...]

By: Terrace Crawford

Terrace Crawford — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:19:17 +0000

What a great idea. It reminds me of a message Perry Noble spoke at Whiteboard. He challenged the audience to stop downloading messages from other pastors and start downloading the revelation from God.

By: Mark Heywood

Mark Heywood — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:07:25 +0000

Hey Craig, Very true for my life right now. I would just like to encourage you by saying that what you write on here has a real impact in my life (often prophetic). I live in Canberra, Australia and I tell heaps of people about your church and ministry! Last year I was telling one of my pastors that I wouldn’t be suprised to see you speaking at Hillsong conference soon and now your speaking there next year! Looking forward to you having major impact in Australia.

By: Josh Hossler

Josh Hossler — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:14:56 +0000

Just a practical question… How long was that particular season in your life?

By: jimmy paravane

jimmy paravane — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:22:37 +0000

Danny, that was worthy.(grin)

By: Danny

Danny — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:18:39 +0000

I’m reading your new book - should I put it down? ;-)

pastoring from germany
Danny

By: Bill (cycleguy)

Bill (cycleguy) — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:11:54 +0000

Dang it Craig! Now who’s sermons am I going to preach? :) Great post. It goes right along with yesterday’s of being who God called you/me to be and not a shallow imitation of someone else.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:39:38 +0000

“I don’t know how long this period of fasting from resources and delving into God’s word and prayer will last…”

Sorry, I meant to say fasting from resources and, instead, using that time to delving more into God’s word and prayer. My previous comment would have only undermined pastor Craig’s post.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:24:17 +0000

Pastor Craig, thanks for this post. In preparing myself to become a pastor, I subjected myself to keeping with all of the latest resources. When the time came, I wanted to be best preacher and the best pastor that I could be. Along with some recent events in my life and this post, God has humbled and revealed that there was too much control that I was placing in this call and there was very little spirit of yielding and surrendering to him. All in all, this post has confirmed to me that God isn’t so much interested in how ‘good’ of a pastor I am, whatever that may mean, but is interested in the quality and depth of my personal relationship with him. It’s the pruning of the my rough character and the sanctification of my heart that God desires. I don’t know how long this period of fasting from resources and delving into God’s word and prayer will last but I’ve resolved to do so even if it could possibly mean that God has plans other than being a pastor. Again, thank you for your post. I’m thankful to God that there are those like you who have been in trenches and sharing your hard-earned wisdom with the rest of us. Thank you again and God bless your ministry, pastor Craig.

By: Jared

Jared — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:16:53 +0000

* I THINK that for me…

By: Jared

Jared — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:15:23 +0000

Good stuff! I thank that for me, I tend to want to learn as much wisdom from other leaders more than I want to learn techniques. The problem though, is that I’ve found myself stuck trying to repeatedly gain wisdom from that person….and instead of “Seek first the kingdom and its righteousness” I am seeking first to gain wisdom from a human!

God has been teaching me that I must look to Him. Seek Him first. Want wisdom? You gotta go to Him for it. Have a spiritual question? Seek Him first. Have a problem? Go to Him first. It’s all about seeking Him first……and then everything else will be given as well.

By: Norbert

Norbert — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:42:09 +0000

I have just returned from a month of abstaining from all the external influeces. It’s hard t odo that and most of my friends don’t understand why I would do that. God wanted me, to be with him so that I could be like him. Not like someone else, doing someone else’s thing. I’m back in the office with renewed vision for God’s Kingdom.

By: jimmy paravane

jimmy paravane — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:12:04 +0000

Dang it Craig, stay off mah topic! (grin)

By: Jim Watters

Jim Watters — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 16:32:17 +0000

Thanks Craig, I needed this today. Working with pastors and donors everyday, I get exposed to everyone’s recommended reading list. I have an insatiable appetite for what is happening in and around the Christian Community so I can easily get caught up in the latest books and ideas; not all bad I know, but I needed to hear about this nudge that you received from God. Thanks for posting that today!
Blessings, Jim

By: txmom4

txmom4 — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:56:46 +0000

You’re in good company Craig! Paul did the same thing…

12″I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
15But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased 16to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, 17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.

18Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter[b] and stayed with him fifteen days.
Galatians 1:12, 15-18

Paul realized the importance of getting his knowledge of God straight from God. I love the idea of leaving everything and everyone behind to get alone with the Lord. And I bet He loves it when we do that too.

By: Clif McKinley

Clif McKinley — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:48:02 +0000

Great post Craig, for me there are seasons where I have to cut myself off from the outside influences.

Probably a couple months out of every year I tune out, stop reading, back off of blogs, unplug from podcasts, and just get quiet.

There is so much great stuff out there, so many great leaders and new books, and great messages, and churches, and ideas that is can be overwhelming at times.

So I have to get quiet and stop taking in so I can process what God is really speaking to me and through me. When I fail to take these seasons I find myself simply repeating what others have said, not that that is bad, but I know God wants to speak through my unique voice to the souls He has entrusted me with.

In Thom Ranier’s book Surprising Insights from the Unchurched, he found that 90% of the unchurched chose a church based on the pastor/preaching. That number shocked me, but it was also very sobering.

I desperately need to use my God given voice. When I am trying to be someone else I lack authenticity, and the unchurched have a bunk detector that goes off loudly when they see someone inauthentic. I don’t want the unchurched or even the churched for that matter to miss out with God because I am trying to be like someone else.

That scares me and forces me to my knees and keeps me depending on God every time I get up front to speak. So I have to unplug ever now and again to keep myself in check. But that is just me :-)

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:41:59 +0000

I went through a time like this last year. I felt I was reling more on the wisdom of man than the wisdom of God. It was a revolutionary time for me.

By: Craig Groeschel

Craig Groeschel — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:42:05 +0000

Josh, Welcome to the conversation. Glad to have you.

David, I think we all battle some of those insecurities.

Jason, To answer your question, I was so dependent on others’ ideas, I simply wasn’t confident that God speaking to “me” was as good as God speaking to or through someone else.

Andy, Great quote.

By: Larry Mayer

Larry Mayer — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:22:23 +0000

At first I thought the title was “Fasting From Church STAFF.” That got my attention. I had a Christian Counselor have me fast for 3 months from God’s word because I was getting too legalistic about my time with Him. Sure enough, God drew me back into a love realtionship with Him after only a short time.

Fasting often serves to refocus in my life.