A few months ago I heard Graham Cooke talk about “Joyfully attacking every negative that surrounded his life”. When there is a negative present, God has something else instead He’d like to give you. I loved this truth, so in my bold naivety I said, “YES, GOD, YES!. LET’S DO THIS!” not expecting it to begin almost immediately.

Shortly after beginning this journey a situation came up a family member that left me a little bit more than angry and a lot hurt. I felt abandoned and felt my family (my wife and kids) weren’t important to this person. I was ready to tell them off. Like, in a bad way (not that there is a good way to tell someone off).

Immediately I hear “joyfully attack every negative.” But, I didn’t want to. I wanted to be mad. In reality I was hurt. My heart really hurt and my natural reaction was to lash back out. Which is what I wanted to do, but I kept hearing, “joyfully attack every negative”. I’d love to say that I immediately took action, but I didn’t.

Later that evening, I sat in my living room holding my phone, ready to message this family member and, again, I hear, “joyfully attack every negative.” Finally, I threw my phone across the room to the couch, grabbed my journal, put on quiet instrumental worship and began to thank the Lord. For the next half hour, I thanked Him for what He’d declared about Himself and me over. And I cried. A lot. Well, it was actually more of a sobbing like a little boy with a skinned knee.

Just before I finished this time I said, “Papa, is there anything you want to say?” He immediately said, “Read Romans 8:38. This verse is the basis for the rest of your life. Everything you do must be birthed in this truth. All you do must pass through this door.”

Romans 8:38 “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels for demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”

The skinned knee sob turned into a gut-wrenching sob. I could literally feel the Lord taking all the pain, hurt and rejection from years of this out and replacing it with this truth.

I then hear the Lord say, “My affection is…”

I start to laugh and say, “Is this like one of the statements you gave Moses. ‘I AM sends you’, a vague statement we will all wonder about.”

Then The Lord then says to me, “How about you just write that out.” So I wrote out “My affection is…” and this is what followed.

My affection for you is deep. Unending. It never sleeps. It never stops. It’s always present. It’s DEEP, son. It’s a stand in the cold rain and wait for you to open the door, type love. It’s patient. Gentle. It’s fierce. It’s a light. It will always guide you back to me. It doesn’t remember. It forgives. It’s fresh. New everyday. It’s elegant. It’s red with the blood of Jesus. It’s eternal. It’s dominating. It’s singular (meaning: its one focus is to simply love you. Regardless.) It’s flesh and blood. It’s timeless. It’s always for you. It’s freeing. It displaces fear. It’s written on your heart. It’s mine to give. It’s delightful. It’s like the sun rising on a cool morning.

At the end of the evening, all animosity and all the hurt was gone. What remained was love. But it’s the kind of love that I could immediately declare, “I am convinced I am loved.”

FAST FORWARD:

Two week later this family member called me to apologize and wanted to inform me that they were coming this summer to visit me and my family. As soon as I hung up the phone and I hear the Lord say, “You thought that the gift I had for you was just the displacement of the pain and hurt you felt. That was only one part. Their desire to come see you, I put that in them. This is fullness, son.”

One thing I love about The Warrior Commission is that you are surrounded by a company of like minded people. People who speak about life different; through the language of heaven. They won’t do things for you, but they are a company of people who will walk beside you and encourage you to go to God. Because He’s really the only one who can bring wholeness and healing.

Geoff Matero
Warrior Commission Member

Go to thewarriorcommission.com to find our more about The Warrior Commission, our warrior training in relationship with God, Identity and our passion in intercession.