Church Planter Discernment Guide: Prayer & Fasting
How do you know if God is calling you to plant a church? Is it a feeling, or a stirring, or a burden? How can you tell the difference between a wild dream and a clear mission?
Step 1: Trust
The first step is to take a deep breath, and realize that God will not hide His wisdom from you. He will not keep you in the dark, confused, and guessing at the next step. Don’t be afraid.
A wise professor once asked me these three questions:
Do you want God’s will for your life?
Do you think He wants His will for your life?
Then what makes you think you will miss it?
So we start from a posture of surrender and trust, knowing that our Father is good and kind. And He will clarify the stirring and burden, until they catalyze into calling.
Scripture Meditation:
The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”
Exodus 33:14-15
Reflection:
What am I most afraid of?
Do I really trust Him fully?
What obstacles keep me from trusting fully?
What am I willing to lose in this process?
Prayer:
Lord, I am Yours. I have dreams and visions and hopes, but I surrender all of these to Your better wisdom and will. Before I even start this journey, I commit to say yes to where You lead me. I know You love me and I know You have a place for me in Your mission. I trust You. Put me where You want me. I am Yours.
Step 2: Seek
At these turning point moments in life, God often invites us to press into Him, and draws us into seeking Him with a focused and surrendered heart. He challenges us to quiet our souls, slow down our chaos, and listen.
Scripture Meditation:
Teach me Your ways, Lord, show me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.
Psalm 25:4-5
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13
Reflection:
What distractions might crowd out His voice? Am I in a posture to listen?
What do I sense He wants me to do?
What is the next step (not the next ten steps) that He is prompting me to take?
Is He asking me to take one single step of faith? What if He doesn’t show me the entire path? Am I willing to move one step at a time?
How has God revealed His will to me in the past? Is there a special place where He seems to speak to me most clearly? Is there a form of prayer (journaling, reading, retreat, prayer walk, fasting) that He uses consistently to communicate to me?
Why would He want me to plant a church? How does it fit with the gifts He’s given me? How does it fit with my ongoing passions and burdens? How does it fit into the story he’s been writing in my life?
Am I willing to go if He calls me? Am I willing to stay if He says no?
What does obedience look like right now?
Prayer:
Teach me Your ways, Lord. Show me Your paths. I want to go where You lead me. But I need You to make it clear. Holy Spirit guide my steps, and keep me in step with You.
Step 3: Fast
Fasting is an ancient form of prayer, an act of physical surrender designed to mirror the surrender of the spirit. It is a reminder that all I am and all I have is submitted to God. Fasting is not a hunger strike to get God’s attention or win His favor. You were born with that. Instead, it a reminder to us that Jesus is our deepest craving and our core necessity. We cannot sustain our lives without Him. We don’t fast to force God to act on our behalf. We fast to align our hearts, even our most primal cravings, with His heart.
Scripture Meditation:
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Acts 13:2
Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
Acts 14:23
Reflection:
What will you fast from during this season?
What can you put aside as a means of focusing your attention, affections, allegiance, even appetite with God’s heart?
What will you take up in place of the craving you are laying down?
What is this process teaching you about your deep cravings and needs?
What is this discipline teaching you about yourself? About your weaknesses? Your possible blind spots?
Prayer:
Jesus, You are the deepest hunger of my soul. I need You and I’m willing to strip away everything else for Your sake. My chief appetite, affection, and allegiance belongs to You.
Step 4: Share
This journey will require committed prayer partners to walk beside us, fight for us, hold us up when we cannot stand on our own. Who is that for you? Identify a small core of trusted friends and ask them to pray with you.
Scripture Meditation:
The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.
Proverbs 12:15
Reflection:
Who will you have praying with you?
How will you ask them to pray specifically?
Why do you trust them? How have they poured into you before? How have you experienced their wisdom?
Prayer:
Father, I am Your child. You’ve placed trusted voices of wisdom in my life, speaking Your direction at key turns. Please give them Your wisdom again, and teach them what to say. Help me to hear their wisdom and grow from it, whether I agree or not. Give me a discerning spirit in these conversations.
Step 5: Trust
You will notice that the first step is trust. And so is the last.
This will be true of our journey in church planting. The decision to follow Jesus as a disciple is only the beginning. He will continue that call, challenging us to take the next step in faith. And then the next. And the next again. Following Jesus is an unending adventure and He rarely shows us the whole map.
Scripture Meditation:
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Matthew 4:19-20
Reflection:
Do you have a sense of what God is asking you to do?
What is the call? Write it down and spell it out.
Are you willing to do it?
Prayer:
Jesus, I will follow. Where You go, I will go. I will trust You to lead me. I am Yours. I leave everything at Your feet. Lead on.
*by Matt LeRoy for The Circuit (Church Planting Network)
Step 1: Trust
The first step is to take a deep breath, and realize that God will not hide His wisdom from you. He will not keep you in the dark, confused, and guessing at the next step. Don’t be afraid.
A wise professor once asked me these three questions:
Do you want God’s will for your life?
Do you think He wants His will for your life?
Then what makes you think you will miss it?
So we start from a posture of surrender and trust, knowing that our Father is good and kind. And He will clarify the stirring and burden, until they catalyze into calling.
Scripture Meditation:
The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”
Exodus 33:14-15
Reflection:
What am I most afraid of?
Do I really trust Him fully?
What obstacles keep me from trusting fully?
What am I willing to lose in this process?
Prayer:
Lord, I am Yours. I have dreams and visions and hopes, but I surrender all of these to Your better wisdom and will. Before I even start this journey, I commit to say yes to where You lead me. I know You love me and I know You have a place for me in Your mission. I trust You. Put me where You want me. I am Yours.
Step 2: Seek
At these turning point moments in life, God often invites us to press into Him, and draws us into seeking Him with a focused and surrendered heart. He challenges us to quiet our souls, slow down our chaos, and listen.
Scripture Meditation:
Teach me Your ways, Lord, show me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long.
Psalm 25:4-5
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13
Reflection:
What distractions might crowd out His voice? Am I in a posture to listen?
What do I sense He wants me to do?
What is the next step (not the next ten steps) that He is prompting me to take?
Is He asking me to take one single step of faith? What if He doesn’t show me the entire path? Am I willing to move one step at a time?
How has God revealed His will to me in the past? Is there a special place where He seems to speak to me most clearly? Is there a form of prayer (journaling, reading, retreat, prayer walk, fasting) that He uses consistently to communicate to me?
Why would He want me to plant a church? How does it fit with the gifts He’s given me? How does it fit with my ongoing passions and burdens? How does it fit into the story he’s been writing in my life?
Am I willing to go if He calls me? Am I willing to stay if He says no?
What does obedience look like right now?
Prayer:
Teach me Your ways, Lord. Show me Your paths. I want to go where You lead me. But I need You to make it clear. Holy Spirit guide my steps, and keep me in step with You.
Step 3: Fast
Fasting is an ancient form of prayer, an act of physical surrender designed to mirror the surrender of the spirit. It is a reminder that all I am and all I have is submitted to God. Fasting is not a hunger strike to get God’s attention or win His favor. You were born with that. Instead, it a reminder to us that Jesus is our deepest craving and our core necessity. We cannot sustain our lives without Him. We don’t fast to force God to act on our behalf. We fast to align our hearts, even our most primal cravings, with His heart.
Scripture Meditation:
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Acts 13:2
Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.
Acts 14:23
Reflection:
What will you fast from during this season?
What can you put aside as a means of focusing your attention, affections, allegiance, even appetite with God’s heart?
What will you take up in place of the craving you are laying down?
What is this process teaching you about your deep cravings and needs?
What is this discipline teaching you about yourself? About your weaknesses? Your possible blind spots?
Prayer:
Jesus, You are the deepest hunger of my soul. I need You and I’m willing to strip away everything else for Your sake. My chief appetite, affection, and allegiance belongs to You.
Step 4: Share
This journey will require committed prayer partners to walk beside us, fight for us, hold us up when we cannot stand on our own. Who is that for you? Identify a small core of trusted friends and ask them to pray with you.
Scripture Meditation:
The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.
Proverbs 12:15
Reflection:
Who will you have praying with you?
How will you ask them to pray specifically?
Why do you trust them? How have they poured into you before? How have you experienced their wisdom?
Prayer:
Father, I am Your child. You’ve placed trusted voices of wisdom in my life, speaking Your direction at key turns. Please give them Your wisdom again, and teach them what to say. Help me to hear their wisdom and grow from it, whether I agree or not. Give me a discerning spirit in these conversations.
Step 5: Trust
You will notice that the first step is trust. And so is the last.
This will be true of our journey in church planting. The decision to follow Jesus as a disciple is only the beginning. He will continue that call, challenging us to take the next step in faith. And then the next. And the next again. Following Jesus is an unending adventure and He rarely shows us the whole map.
Scripture Meditation:
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.
Matthew 4:19-20
Reflection:
Do you have a sense of what God is asking you to do?
What is the call? Write it down and spell it out.
Are you willing to do it?
Prayer:
Jesus, I will follow. Where You go, I will go. I will trust You to lead me. I am Yours. I leave everything at Your feet. Lead on.
*by Matt LeRoy for The Circuit (Church Planting Network)
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