Ben Pettit

I ask you today to let this living text breathe into your soul today. After reading each sentence stop. Just meditate on what it means. My life has been shaped this morning by reading this. Don’t rush sentence to sentence, really get a deep understanding of what it means and even more so, how you can live it out today.

1 Corithians 13 taken from biblegateway.com, amplified translation used.

 1IF I [can] speak in the tongues of men and [even] of angels, but have not love (that reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion such ^[a]as is inspired by God’s love for and in us), I am only a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

    2And if I have prophetic powers (^[b]the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), and understand all the secret truths and mysteries and possess all knowledge, and if I have [sufficient] faith so that I can remove mountains, but have not love (God’s love in me) I am nothing (a useless nobody).

    3Even if I dole out all that I have [to the poor in providing] food, and if I surrender my body to be burned or ^[c] in order that I may glory, but have not love (God’s love in me), I gain nothing.

    4Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

    5It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride); it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (God’s love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].

    6It does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail.

    7Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and it endures everything [without weakening].

    8Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end]. As for prophecy (^[d]the gift of interpreting the divine will and purpose), it will be fulfilled and pass away; as for tongues, they will be destroyed and cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away [it will lose its value and be superseded by truth].

    9For our knowledge is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect), and our prophecy (our teaching) is fragmentary (incomplete and imperfect).

    10But when the complete and perfect (total) comes, the incomplete and imperfect will vanish away (become antiquated, void, and superseded).

    11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside.

    12For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as ^[e]in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand ^[f]fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been ^[g]fully and clearly known and understood [^[h]by God].

    13And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.

What you may not know is this… most of what I write about on this blog are things that I have been battling like a war in my head. For the past month or so I have been consumed with a little identified sin called worry. I have had a constant battle going on in my head. I battle every day, to only think about today. I like planning things A LOT. I like knowing what I am doing every day. Truth told though, it is not my job to know or worry about it.

This morning Evan (one of my college roommates) and I were talking. He made such a great point. He said, “you know, I think that’s the cool thing about Jesus. We don’t have to know about tomorrow”. That rang so true for me today. The Lord is teaching me daily not to be anxious. He knows the plans, he knows the thoughts. We have to grasp hold of that. Especially me. He wants me to sit in stillness and wait to hear his voice.

So where ever you are, this is my prayer for you and I today. I would love that after you read it that you stop, bow your head and talk to your heavenly Father. He is waiting, patiently for you to come to him. And in no way should you feel obligated but, pray for me today. I need it. Thanks guys.

Lord, come meet us where we are. Right now, Holy Spirit you are welcome with us. Come be our guide. Quiet our soul, our emotions, our worries, our fears, our aching self confidence and speak to us in a whisper. Let us love patience, a place where you can manifest your power because we will be obedient to wait for your timing. Perfect. Timing. Amen

What is Wednesday you ask?

I grew up in a minister’s family. Half of my life my Dad was bi-vocational, what does that mean you say? It means he did a full time job with part time pay. We never had money, so what? What does money matter anyway? I mean sure, everyone wants nice things, even me. BUT, how often do we let it consume us?

My prayer for myself and you the reader is this… That we would become consumed with giving every thing we have away.

Rick Warren from his enormous books sales has paid back his salary from Saddleback for the past 25 years and established 3 foundations. He now gives away 90% of his income and lives off of 10%. You would never hear about that in our liberal media though. You would rather hear slanders about pastors or hit and miss TV evangelist who are filthy rich.

So all that to say: You don’t have to have a lot of money, to do a lot of good. Sure Rick Warren has done some great stuff with his money, but who cares? What I mean is, good, good for him. Now what can we do better? It’s Wednesday, what can you do today, Wednesday, to better someone’s life? How can you love better? How can you give more? Who and how can you pour into people, today, Wednesday?

Here is a short list of some random ideas off the top of my head this morning:

• Take someone out to lunch and encourage them.
• Buy someone’s cup of coffee and have a meaningful conversation.
• Send your wife or girl friend flowers just to say this: It’s Wednesday and I love you.
• Buy or even better make, your husband or boy friends favorite dinner tonight.
• Visit the grandparents that you have been putting off seeing.
• Mow someone’s lawn for them.
• Grab the coffee pot at work on your break. Walk around cube world offer some coffee and an encouraging word.

Feel free to add any thoughts or ideas of your own as comments. I’d love to hear them.

Lord, I pray that we would put ourselves last. That we would fully become your servant so that others would see your love and compassion screaming through our bones. Lord let us constantly be advancing your Kingdom. We want to be vessels of your truth. Give us a hunger for your word like we have never felt before. The words of your mouth sustain us today. It’s Wednesday, today, Wednesday, speak through us, work through us, let us walk away from Wednesday changed.

UPDATE: I didn’t listen to Point of Grace’s country  song “How You Live” before I wrote this, but if you haven’t heard it, it makes for a nice invitational hymn.

It’s very good to be back in Spartanburg after a wonderful 5 days of vacation. Myrtle Beach was good to us. But, I did leave with a little pink skin and some random splotches of sun burn where my sun block faded away.

I’ve found lately that praying while driving might be one of the neatest ways to experience the Lord. Here is the thought for today. How often have you said this:

I’ll pray for you

And after you said it, you never thought another thing about it again. Personally I’m tired of living by the “I’ll pray for you” standard. Can we not move past that? Are we that elementary?

My challenge for you today is this: change your statement from I’ll pray for you to a question!

Can I pray for you?

Whatever you have going on is not that important. Stop right there and pray for them. Stop what ever you are doing and understand that the Lord will meet you where you are at.

So for the past three days I’ve been under going a fast with some new friends at Awaken. On Sunday I did a complete water fast. Monday and Tuesday I did a Daniel fast. It’s been about 6 days since I have eaten any meat. I feel absolutely great! I’ve never been able to think so clearly in my life. I feel like Paul when he had scales fall off of his face and he was able to see.

Since this was the first fast that I have ever under taken I was very careful. I drank lots and lots of water. I felt my body go through a full detox. I suffered a head ache on Sunday night that hasn’t really gone away until this morning. Lots of toxins in my body were released. I am probably the healthiest I have been in years now. The average American eats about 10 lbs. of chemicals, pesticides and preservatives every year. These are stored in your body! 10 lbs!!! Can you believe that? It blows my mind how unhealthy we are. Considering we live in the wealthiest nation in the world.

I can not tell you how rewarding it was. The Lord really spoke to me on Sunday night during a prayer gathering. I truly understand what it means to know that real food will not sustain us. I felt him saying that as I hungered for food that he wanted me to physically and emotionally hunger for him in that way. I could literally feel his love covering me.

I never realized that when a BIG decision in the bible was made, it was made with prayer and fasting. Jesus said “when you pray“, “when you give“, and “when you fast“. Fasting was part of the trio.

I loved hearing it explained that praying, giving, and fasting are a chord. A standard chord cannot be formed with out 3 pitches. You need 3 pitches to form a triad. Ironically, if you have two pitches you could assume that you know what the chord is. If you hear the notes C and E played, you could assume that it is a C major chord. Although without a third, there is no definitive truth to it being a C chord. If you do not have all 3 then you do not have a clear representation of that chord. In the same way, if you do not have all 3 of these in your spiritual life, do you have a clear representation?

If I lost some of you with the music talk, I apologize. Short side is, you cannot take Jesus, God, or the Holy Spirit away from the trinity and it still be the trinity. In the same way, you cannot remove fasting from your spiritual walk. Fasting should be practiced, even if you only do it once a year. I very much encourage you to do it.

Monday night we gathered together to talk and be open with each other. It was great to hear what the Lord was showing everyone under going the fast. I am especially excited about what the Lord has in store for Victoria. She is off to LA in a couple weeks where she will be serving the Lord there until February. She was very open and vulnerable with us and spoke truth into our lives.

Last night (Tuesday) we gathered for prayer and worship. A prayer team was there to pray with us. They prayed for us individually and the Lord met us there. The Lord moved last night. He moved in mighty ways and I know for sure we will never be the same.

This fast has improved so many of my relationships. Most importantly, my relationship with the Lord. I know he is going to do some things in my life that I never could imagine. I have to be obedient and follow him. I’ve never felt more close to him. The fast also improved my relationship with the love of my life. She and I have spent countless times over the past couple days praying with and for each other. It has brought us together in a pure, beautiful, God honoring, intimate way. I cannot wait to see what is next.

So where are you? What are your stories with fasting? How has the Lord used it in your life?

I’m here Lord. I’m here. Send me. Use me. I’m yours Father. You bought me with a price that I will NEVER understand. You sufferred so I could live in freedom and swim in your blood dripping grace.

Amen