Greg Locke, a pastor, firecracker preacher, patriot, and author released his newest book, Accessing Your Anointing on November 16, 2021. Greg is a good friend of mine and I have had the opportunity to speak at events with him, travel the road with him, and spend copious amounts of time with him. I have seen Greg grow as a person and grow in his relationship with God. Greg is always learning Scripture and always has a strong desire to dive deeper into what God has said. I have had the opportunity of a lifetime to have a front-row seat to observe that Greg is indeed a man of the Lord.
Although Greg is a man who is in tune with the Holy Spirit and the things of the Spirit, he used to be a cessationist (one who believes the gifts of the Spirit have ceased). This book, Accessing Your Anointing: Understanding The Spiritual Gifts, is the aftermath of a deep dive that Greg has made into the Scripture. Because of taking this deep dive, Greg has come out as a stronger Christian, a better man, and someone who is harmonizing with the Holy Spirit more than he ever has before.
As I previously stated, Greg was a cessationist for many years. Greg started the book off by saying, “I’m a Word man – I’m a Bible guy. You have to convince me using the Bible. Your experiences don’t convince me.” Greg then talks about how his deep dive into Scripture showed him how the gifts of the spirit are still available today. Greg’s book covers a multitude of topics associated with the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit Spirit. There is plenty of information and knowledge to be gained by reading this book.
Greg spent a great deal talking about lies or false theologies that are promoted by false teachers. It was vital for him to do so because there are indeed many who will take this line of theology and exploit it for their own monetary gain. Many of these people have televised shows, fiery charisma, healing sessions, and the like. Others will make outrageous claims such as, “You have to speak in tongues to be a Christian.” Greg is adamant about the fact that you will have spiritual gifts at the point of salvation, but no one has the same spiritual gifts. I remember one scenario at an event that we were at with many pastors. Each of the pastors, including Greg, were on the stage and they all started speaking in “tongues”, but not Greg. I say this to say that Greg knows the proper, Biblical context of tongues and he won’t go with some form of a faulty view of Scriptural matters for clout or fame.
Greg has an aversion to Strange Fire, which is a form of deception that the devil creates that closely imitates the miracles that come from God. Greg writes, “He does this, not just to create confusion, but to cause such deep division that we develop a hatred and aversion to the real thing – he keeps us from the real thing by accentuating the wrong thing.” Greg points out that there is very much confusion and disinclination towards miracles and healings because of the Strange Fire which is caused by the devil. This scheme of the enemy is continually active and will continually be active for many years to come.
Greg then defines and clarifies what exactly the Real Thing is. The Real Thing is anything that is completely aligned with the Bible. If it is in any way off-base with the Bible, it is Strange Fire from the devil. At first, Greg was uncomfortable with it because of the way that he was raised and the things that he previously taught, but when analyzing the miracles he was seeing, he could see that they did indeed align with Scripture.
One of the main topics that Greg focused on was love. Each and every Spiritual gift should come from a place of the love of Christ. When used in the Spirit of love, the gifts of the Spirit will make a profound impact on not only believers but also unbelievers who are willing to listen to the Word. Greg also points out the fact that even if the gifts of the Spirit were to fail, love should never fail, as it talks about in 1 Corinthians 13.
Accessing Your Anointing: Understanding the Spiritual Gifts is a tremendous book that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. Reading how Greg changed his perspective on different theological matters have changed to align with Scripture was truly amazing. I appreciate Greg’s willingness to be open to Scripture and to learn to change the things that formerly believed and even taught. It has been a great honor being friends with Greg, traveling with him, learning from him, and reading his books. This book was a great in-depth look at the gifts of the Holy Spirit and why those gifts are important today. I loved reading about God and Scripture changed Greg’s perspective on these matters. Please read this book!
Greg Locke is an unrepentant “pastor” who traded in his first wife for another. Biblically, he is not qualified to teach or preach.