Banning Liebscher > Quotes

“That morning I sat in the front row with my head in my hands, totally stressed, praying, God, please don’t let my sermon be bad. I’m sure people thought I was in deep prayer for people in the room to have a fresh encounter with Jesus, but unfortunately I was only praying for myself. I desperately didn’t want to look like an idiot in front of the guest speaker who had been so amazing the night before. Then the Lord spoke to my heart: Banning, you have a choice. You can either be a preacher or you can be a son. If you decide to be a preacher, you’ll be good sometimes and at other times you won’t be that good. But if you decide to be a son, you’ll be great all the time, because you are a fantastic son. Everything changed for me in that moment. I said, God, I want to be a son. I don’t want to be anything else. I don’t want to be a preacher. I want to be a son. From that point on, something shifted for me. I was motivated by something different. Now, of course, I do want to be a good pastor, a good preacher, and a good leader. But none of that stuff is what drives me, because when I step off a stage and get alone with Jesus, I don’t want to hear Him say, Banning, you’re a great preacher. I want Him to say, Banning, you’re a great son.”
― Banning Liebscher, Rooted: The Hidden Places Where God Develops You

“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened. (Billy Graham, quoted in Liebscher, 96)”
― Banning Liebscher, Journey of a World Changer: 40 Days to Ignite a Life that Transforms the World

“I understand why a lot of us have a hard time focusing on what is in front of us, becase it usually doesn't look like the promise, dream, or vision we have in our hearts. It takes faith and commitment to trust God who gave us both the dream and our current assignment and to say, "I don't understand how You're going to get me from here to there. But getting me there is Your job, and this wall in front of me is my job”
― Banning Liebscher, Rooted: The Hidden Places Where God Develops You

“Just because you may have a bad day and do something wrong, it doesn’t change what Jesus has accomplished in you. You are still “seated…with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6 NASB).”
― Banning Liebscher, Journey of a World Changer: 40 Days to Ignite a Life that Transforms the World

“I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. Psalm 4: 8”
― Banning Liebscher, Rooted: The Hidden Places Where God Develops You