Life

I’ve decided to be a little more personal with this blog now, don’t worry, the prophetic ranting will never cease, but I feel a compelling to simply write about life tonight.

So…

Last night was my farewell with Gamaliel’s Counsel… I am amazed and incredibly thankful that God has poured out His Spirit on them the way He has. I don’t know if I could have expected or imagined a group of my generation more godly or Spirit-led. A blessing was prayed over me and I am fully confident that God heard the prayer of that righteous man; there will be mighty work done through him. That group was my battalion this whole summer. The war we went into together was something none of us expected and yet God was preparing us all for individually. I cannot express with words how overwhelmed with joy I am at seeing their openness to the Holy Spirit and their love for one another- they are the firstfruits of my generation, the foundation and beginning of what God is doing with us here in America. I miss you.

I left Missouri and arrived home today. It seems as if my time spent in Missouri was far too short, yet I am very excited for the work God has in store for me here. Prairie Camp comes before everything else and I have been praying that at least one of my guys finds himself wrecked for the Holy Spirit by the end of the week (or the first day, to accurately reveal the prophetic impatience in my soul); you’re welcome to join me in praying for that as well! I don’t know what comes after that; God hasn’t allowed me to see anything concerning a job or school or the weeks between camp and anything else. It’s the time of limbo for a apostle I suppose, that time of knowing there’s something around the corner but you’re not quite sure what it is… you just have to wait until you’re there and then eventually look backwards shaking your head at God in amazement because you know He knew what it was the whole time.

In my seven hour car ride I discovered that every single (prophetic absolution) O.C. Supertones song corresponds to at least one distinct moment in my life. I recalled how “Grounded” was a battle cry in my life throughout my teenage years and how “Return of the Revolution” demanded I stand firm when faced with compromise and gave me a vision for my life. I reflected on the song “I Will Follow,” from the “Revenge…” album for quite awhile. This is the chorus:

And it was a sacrifice…
But there are those who give their lives.

Lord, I'll follow, if I have to leave all that I know
Where You go, I'll go, and I know that I don't go alone
Even if it's only me that goes
Even if it's only me that goes
Even if it's only me that goes
I will follow.

It blows me away to think that a few years ago I believed I understood that song and was ready to live out the proclamation, to say the least it has such a different meaning now! I know it is all that we have and can do, but there is something different about expecting to be ridiculed and tossed aside rather than saying you’re ready if indeed it does happen. I know that God is up to something in this Northern Indiana area. I believe there are a few of my generation who are ready for it and I pray God will direct me to them before it comes and things get shaken up.

My heart is still burdened for my generation. I call it a painful love because that is truly what it is. I was reading an older writing and discovered that this burden has been here for a long time; I simply didn’t know what it was at the time- the enemy had been trying to convince me that I couldn’t stand my generation in all of its darkness. My prophetic sister shared a life-changing observation with me and noted that it was not a loathing I feel towards it, but a true love. I feel as if God has given me a small notion of what He felt when dying for the world even when He knew many would reject Him, such a burden that cannot be shaken for anything- ice cream doesn’t even make it go away! My message cannot change; I have no right to change it… indeed I have no rights at all. I am a slave to His work. I know the status of sonship and I embrace it wholeheartedly, but even the Son could do nothing but the work of the Father, indeed I want to do nothing but the work of my Savior. Let us each press on.

-greg

July 20: I still hope

Dear you,

Sometimes I wonder where you are. I know you should be here by now, but when I look around, you’re not. Perhaps my hopes and expectations are unreasonable, but I don’t think so- Dad said you’d be back. You’ve found what it is you believed you were looking for, but I don’t believe that’s all there is to it. I know you long for more. He’s been calling you your whole life; I don’t know how you’ve managed to ignore Him. He just tried to call again a bit ago- I was here watching- you didn’t answer. What is it you’re waiting for? For what are you holding out? That is honestly the most perplexing thing about all this- what holds you back? I know you’re in bondage, yet you can still move or at least answer the call… can’t you? Maybe I’ve forgotten what’s it’s like over there… maybe I’ve forgotten who I used to be… I don’t think so. I think I’ve simply healed of that past, of those times with you in that place. I don’t care about that life anymore; freedom is far too precious to give up for one moment. Don’t you get homesick at all? I know that if you came back for just a moment you’d never leave- why don’t you? “The cost is too great,” you say, “I have to leave my friends and my life,” yeah, you know that will never change. I’m not sorry about it, either, even that price is a steal compared to what it cost Dad to bring us back! Did Lucky convince you that isn’t worth it? That no true love would ever demand so much? HE’S LYING.

Sometimes I wonder if you’re coming home at all. I know my hope is not unfounded; He’ll never stop calling so I know it’s on your end that the breakage has occurred. What keeps you back? Don’t be afraid, really, there’s nothing to fear at all. That fear is an enemy keeping you where you do not belong. The people you find your identity in- they’re fooling you. The lover you find your happiness in- he’s tricking you too. You know I heard him call you filthy things and lie about you; telling all his friends what he does to you and how you’re wrapped around his finger. Why don’t you believe me when I say he’s not at all what he seems? Sometimes I wonder how long it will be before it’s too late. He’s such a liar and I can’t stand to hear him say those things about you! I know we’ve got some time left, yet even that is fading so quickly. I heard you had some fun the other day- he took you out and showed you off to the others. Does that make it worth it? That he prized you for a day before reminding you of your worth in his eyes? You’re not even married to him- what keeps you there?

Dad keeps teaching me new things, showing me bigger pictures, and helping me understand what He intended- that that plan isn’t over and hasn’t failed; it’s not done and there is hope. He hasn’t given up; neither will I. I know you’ll be here eventually, that time seems so far away. There are gifts sitting in the room you left, every day a new treasure is added to the pile; it’ll take a long time for you to get through them all, but we’ll have time then. Right now I just miss you… again… a lot. Right now I’m getting ready to come and get you. I’m not fully prepared yet, but it’s the mission I must pursue. I’m getting weapons and others; we’re coming. I wonder where you are and how long it will be before you come home. You know where to find me because you know where I go to look for you. I’ll not stop believing you will be free someday. I’ll not stop believing you will be home someday.


Love,
Me

Doing VS Being

Recently I’ve had the opportunity to walk with a few good friends through some identity crises. In each case their life has seemed so much different than what it used to be and it’s confusing to them. Who are they now? They know for sure where they've come from and who they used to be; now Jesus is here and they're not sure if they're the same... who are they now? In each case it has more to do with their undoing themselves and letting God do His own work than anything else. Each case has more to do with being who God created them to be than doing what God created them to do. We are all created to do the same thing- DECLARE GOD’S GLORY, yet we somehow believe that we will all do this through different and unique actions. I disagree; I think it has more to do with declaring His glory in simply being. Jesus did not tell us that we are to shine the light of the world- that would be doing something; He told us that we are the light of the world. He didn’t tell us to spread salt on the earth- that would be doing something also; He told us we are the salt of the earth. He did not reveal Himself to Moses by saying “I do what I do,” He revealed Himself to Moses by declaring, “I AM THAT I AM.”


When we are who God created us to be, without the masks and the distortions, without the lies that hold us back in bondage and shape our actions and perspectives- we can’t help but “do” what will declare God’s glory- it is at the core of who we are! It runs out of our life and we can’t stop it! It is understandable that my friends were so confused at what God was doing to them; He is transforming their lives to the point that their lives and lifestyles has nothing to do with what they do or have done and everything to do with who Christ is in them! They were expecting God to give them something new to do- actually He was reforming who they will now BE- that His, the likeness of HIMSELF. That is transformation from dirt to spirit! That is being REBORN. That is what happens when we die to ourselves and let Christ live! When the husband is who God made him to be, declaring God’s glory is not about intentionally, actively making a choice to love his wife in a godly way- declaring God’s glory is done in the fact that he can’t NOT love his wife in a godly manner- HE MUST, it is part of the Holy Spirit indwelling him and living the life of Christ through him! Declaring God’s glory is about being filled with His Holy Spirit and thus living as Jesus would live and continuing HIS Kingdom here while loving in the way that compels us to obey all that He has commanded!


We miss the point when we ask the question “what would Jesus do?”(emphasis mine) His life wasn’t about displaying reproducible acts and manufacturing world change through robots or systematic, strategic actions- that’s religion- anyone can do that. It was about declaring the glory of God in every moment of life itself no matter what the circumstance and situation- that cannot be done without the Holy Spirit. Maybe we ought to ask “who would Jesus be?” That question will first of all demand that we revolutionize our lifestyles to the point of perplexity and fear of insanity for us in the lives of those in our life (Jesus' family, anyone?) and secondly convict us to the point that we must throw our hands up in frustration and DIE. That is the point- we must die. Living the life of Jesus cannot be done by our strength; we’ve already displayed that, look around. Living the life of Jesus can only be done by dying to ourselves and asking Him to declare His glory by living in us. It is by the Holy Spirit guiding and instructing every thought and action. It is about becoming a slave to righteousness and knowing that you are not your own. These things are the acts of God in our lives declaring His glory through the creation He gave His own image. It is about being, not doing. It is about who you are and not what you do. It is not about seeking forgiveness and then moving on without declaring yourself dead to that sin (rather than declaring that sin dead to you). Before you can be reborn- you must die.


We spend our lives looking for the next thing we need to do, all the while we ought be searching God’s will out and giving Him the right to do what He wants in us. This can only come through declaring ourselves dead to the flesh (rather than declaring the flesh dead to us- there’s a difference). It is only when we renounce and give up every right we ounce thought we had that we can truly find the purpose and identity we long for, because it has nothing to do with our lives and everything to do with Him living through us (Galatians 2:20). Have you declared yourself dead or do you still hold to expectations and “rights” of what your life is supposed to look like? The Holy Spirit is not about to destroy you to prove to you that you can’t hold on to anything. Look at your own life- if it looks anything like my own, you’ll see that you’re heading toward destruction of some sort anyway; we don’t need God’s help to see our lives wrecked, but we need His life to see them fulfilled. This is about the voluntary act, the submission of will and life itself to a Holy God that has intended a holy life for you to declare His glory through. It is not about struggling with sin while hoping for rapture. It is about running the earth declaring God’s glory before it’s too late.


Just like my friends; it is seems as if the church is in an identity crisis as well. It doesn’t know if it should be passive or active, political or disconnected, powerful or meek, set apart or involved. What question is it asking? Are we seeking out “what would Jesus do?” or are we seeking out His life itself. Has it declared itself dead? Has the church of America decided it has no rights? It doesn’t seem so, at least not when we’re fighting so hard to be to be seen on every television network and in every school as if we have a right to be heard. We fight to be relevant and fresh. What are we even saying? Does this declare God’s glory? Honestly, what are we even saying? There are no words worth hearing but those that come through the Holy Spirit’s whisper and leading. Is the church struggling to stay alive in itself? To remain above the water and decide it isn’t going down without a fight? Maybe that’s the point- we’ve believed for so long in our right to live that we’ve forgotten that we live to die. Not until the church of America (and our whole generation with it) decides and understands that its sole purpose is to declare the glory of God and dies to itself in order to live only as Jesus lives in it will it be what it is purposed to be and thus do what it was meant to do.


We’re spending too much time trying to figure out what to do. Who is it we were meant to be? Can you answer that question? If I asked, “Who are you?” how would you respond? Would you tell me what you do? Or would you tell me who you are?


Well, who are you?

Letters From War

To my generation:

Dear you,

We have cowered in fear of the darkness around us for too long. We have misunderstood our role and our calling for too long. We have seen the enemy work in our lives and the lives of those we love all around us. Some of us are captive, others are free, some of us are wandering, others are lost, some of us are frightened, others are simply misplaced, a few of us are in the war, but we are few and calling you out. It is time to rally and fight. It is not our time to sit and pretend the Sabbath has arrived; it has not. It is not time to make believe everything is okay or escape into some fantasy world where you’re not who you truly are. The draft is inescapable. You have been born, you exist, and therefore you are in this war. The question is- are you active or passive. Passivity is useless, it simply means that you’re lying down on the battlefield and getting the life beat out of you, wondering where it’s coming from and why the enemy is picking on you (don’t be surprised, the intentionally lame are some of his favorite targets!), to those active I must ask, “For whom do you fight?” To fight for yourself is useless; you have not even been set free! To fight for the earth is meaningless; it is cursed and destined to be replaced. To fight for the church is to miss the point; her Rescuer is on His way and you will not take His place. To fight for the King is your place- to take your stand advancing (not defending) His kingdom is your birth-purpose. Own it and come. There is nothing else to live for; nothing else to die for.

Love,
me


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To the wandering of my generation:

Dear you,

We are not fighting for ourselves, neither for our world; we are purposed to fight for our Redeemer King and Savior. There is no one else worth the calling or the price, He has rescued us from the slavery we once lived in and has done it so that we may remain free from it always. The calling is clear- your life, right now. The most painful idea and scariest time is the cost of joining- death to self, there is no other way. Recently I have seen the enemy and his tactics, they are fierce and they are divisive- still we must go, have no fear. We have no other choice. Our God has blessed us with spiritual weapons and understanding so that we do not enter this war blind and powerless. However, if you choose to fight with the weapons the world has given you- you will fall and fail. This is not a joke and it is not a scare, this war is raging around us and the best thing you can do is discover your purpose within it. You are being called to freedom so you can go and set others free. Free from pain, free from sin, free from worry and bondage that keeps them from entering this war and seeing the glory of their Maker. Bring them with you, train them in the Spirit; let’s go.

Love,
me


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To the hiding of my generation:

Dear you,

Come out of your caves of self-introspection and pointless pursuit of meaningless things. Come out of the places you hide in hoping the oppressor will not find you. Come out of the low areas. Come off of the mountain. You cannot escape; the war will come upon you soon. There is no way to hide. Come out and fight; come out and take your stand. Give up the obsessions you have been pleased to spend your time pursuing- take up your armor and your weapons. Come to the valley and take your place. The place you reside is not your home, it is where you have decided to escape, but beware- the enemy is coming for you soon, and where you are is not under the Lord’s protection. Withdrawing from the battle does not equal amnesty- it equals desertion.
Come out and come on.

Love,
me


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To the threshed of my generation:

Dear you,

I know that the Lord has produced fruit in your life, however, as long as you lie in the barn and attempt to scatter seed- you are not in the battle and your seed benefits no one. Come to the field. Come to the place where the ground has been tilled and we are ready for your work. You have been blessed to be taken in to the shelter, but your time there has expired and it is now time for you to join the fight. The rain is on the way, but we have no seed! You have been beaten and prepared- for what you did not know- now you must come and see for yourself what was happening around your place of protection. It is a lie that your place is in the barn with the other wheat- that time has not yet come. The truth is that your place is out here in the battle, using what training you have received to set other captives free indeed. Come and be put to use, you have died to yourself already- you simply haven’t left the threshing floor. It’s time to see the outside. Come.

Love,
me


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To the captives of my generation:

Dear you,

I still love and miss you and I’ve decided something… I don’t care if you don’t like it or what it means ultimately, I just know that I must do this.

I’m coming to get you. I’m coming and I’m bringing the army.

I’m tired of hearing of the beatings. I’m tired of hearing of the abuse and the pain in your life and how you think it’s all there is. That’s a lie. It’s false, there’s so much more. This is war now; I know what it means and I am ready. I’m bringing everyone you know, we’re coming to get you and we won’t stop till you either tell us to back off or you’re safe and free. Lucky takes captives to make them his own; they’re useless in this war as long as you’ve locked away in sand castles. You are the treasure we are out to pay everything for. You are the pearl we will take back from the earth. I can’t wait any longer for you to respond to my letters (you probably can’t anyway), it’s simply time to come get you. Your strong Deliverer is coming; we ride with Him too. Help is on the way.

Love,
us


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To the enemy of generations:

Dear you,

Your tactics are futile and your lies pathetic. You desire the glory you once had but you cannot know it ever again. You removed yourself from the glory of heaven long ago, no matter how you desire it back- it cannot be done. Your ways are known, therefore defensible and discernable. We come knowing your plans and your territory’s- they will be His soon enough. Look to the North, the South, the East, and the West- your demise is coming soon. This generation is one of impatience for your destruction. Though you have enslaved it in many areas, you will not hold your ground when this army comes. You hold many of those whom we love in your prisons- we will have them among us before you are aware they are gone. You hold many of those whom we love in high places- your authority will be removed and your destiny revealed once again. You will be chained and thrown into that dreadful place- the one made just for you. The free will set others free by the authority of the Name above all names- Jesus Christ. We come covered in His blood and reflecting His light. We come covered in His grace and filled with His truth. We come prepared to die; indeed dead already; there is no hope for you. We come with a battle cry of “Holy, Holy, Holy!” and firmly established on the Rock of ages! We come protected by a Shield you cannot see, one you cannot move or break. Shake as you know your fate! Your lies are old and undone. Your roar muffled in the ears of the holy. You have been defeated already- it is time for the routing. Do you remember the day of Calvary? It is our day of redemption- your day of destruction. Long live the King!

Your enemy,
The Redeemed

Great expecations and the act of surrender

Hebrews 12:28
Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29for our God is a consuming fire.

Okay, so there are a few things I understand about fire… the most basic thing about it is that it does not exist without something to consume. Nothing to burn off of= no burning. Simple, eh? Without wood- no fire, without oxygen, no fire- SOMETHING must be consumed. This verse declares that our God is a consuming fire, and here my thought began- what is being consumed?

I’m not going to beat around the bush with all the different explanations I’ve heard about this idea, I’m simply going to throw out how I’ve been understanding it. It begins with the Old Testament and the sacrifices; something there is consumed as something precious is given up. Something is laid out and put on the altar to God. We often see a separation between the Old and New Testaments, but I don’t think we should. Anyway, in a different verse of the New Testament, I do think we’re given the answer to what exactly is being consumed:

Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship

You see, we must lie down on the altar willingly; it is an offering of ourselves to God so He can consume us. Our flesh must be done away with, the old nature, the old man- it must be destroyed… consumed. 1 Thessalonians 5 commands us to “NOT quench the spirit,” what can that mean if not that we can indeed end the fire in our lives by withdrawing what the fire consumes and burns off? Our God is a consuming fire and He has set a high standard of following Him- our very lives. It cost Him His own to even give us this chance; can we dare lower the bar of following? When Jesus called His disciples, He did not call them to a ten week trial experience, He called them to die. In my understanding, His commitment expectation was one of hatred towards family members and closest friends, abandonment of social positions or worldly statuses, giving up every possession they could claim, the possibility of ending up in a coffin, and disappearing from society altogether if necessary! His fire burns and consumes, we must present the fuel- it is our very lives. We must begin to realize that we have no rights anymore… to submit to Jesus everything is to say to Him, “I don’t care what it looks like in the end, I don’t care if I’m rich or poor, sick or healthy, weak or strong, smart or foolish, dead or alive, married or not, accepted or not, trusted or not, understood or not, or regarded or not- I’m going with you. I can’t do anything else.” We have no rights to will our own lives; we have no rights to expect anything at all.

I sometimes think that we forget what we truly deserve…

“For the wages of sin is death…”

I think that that we treat eternal life (the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord) as some sort of bonus feature for a life of expected prosperity, happy marriage, and fame. WE DON’T DESERVE ANYTHING OF THE SORT. It is by the grace of God alone that we do not get what we deserve, yet we gripe and whine about what we don’t have or about how we’re not being blessed in such and such way…

We don’t have rights anymore. Are you okay with that, or would you rather work out dig yourself out of hell on your own strength? To agree is to declare your sole allegiance to His name and to His will… to obey His commands because He’s your LORD. Do we know what that word really means? If it’s one thing we don’t think we have to do it’s obey- that won’t fly, check out Luke 6. John 15 says that the definition of love is obedience, hmm… so without obeying we can’t even claim to love Him. Seems fairly straight forward, His call to us is all or nothing- right now. We have no right to hold back any part of our lives from Him, not one relationship, not one moment of time in one week of our one life- it’s all His. To live in any other way is to tell God you know better than He does how to have an abundant life and that you don’t need His help, to disobey and declare your love for something else. 2 Peter says that whatever you obey is your master- Jesus says you can have only one master. Sooo… who’s it gonna be? Honestly, I’d rather He plan my life than me… I’m only twenty and I already screwed it up; He can have it and He can have it all. He gave me His life- I have given Him mine, that’s the trade, that’s His exchange offer, there’s no other way. He sets the bar because He paid the price. He’s the consuming fire and I’ll gladly be the fuel that His glory burns off of.

Submit.

Lay down on that altar.

Be consumed.

Die.

There’s no other way.

You can dress 'em up but....

SURPRISE!
So... yep, decided I was bored with the blue page and that in light of how God has been working in my life so much lately that I'd revamp the page to better represent both the boredom and the renewal. Don't forget to take your shoes off, the black stains easily- haha. Something new- there's a neat little poll to the right that will be featuring a new question every week (or on my whim), please leave your input. Wadda ya think? I hope you like it, though I probably won't change it even if you don't- this took a lot of work ;).

-G