Jon Bellamy spoke with revivalist Carl Anderson

Carl Anderson

A new book inspiring a younger generation to rise up has recently been released. Carl Anderson, author of Changing Of The Guard: The rising of generation Xtreme, is a revivalist, founder of Born to Blaze Ministries and president of a tent-making media corporation. Having read the book and met the man earlier this year when he was over ministering in the UK, Jon Bellamy decided to catch up with him to find out more of what's on his heart.

Jonathan: Now this book Changing of the Guard that you wrote. Tell us a little bit of the history - the background to writing this book.

Carl: Yeah, you know incredibly, I was given this vision from the Holy Spirit back in 1993, 94 and 95; during a fresh move of the Spirit at the time. I saw the despair that the enemy was going to be bringing upon the rising generation and this all out attack that was coming. At the same time I saw God infusing the young generation, the Joshuas, to rise up in fresh anointing and more glorious power to confront the darkness. I was only 25 years of age at the time. So I sat down at a five day period at a little remote cabin in the woods of Wisconsin in America. In five days the Lord gave me the entire book. I wrote 12 hours a day for five days, and finished it. The Lord said well done; now put the book away. I said, but God; and He said - He said it's for a coming time. I was obedient and I hid the book for about 10 years. Then just recently within this past year we published it and are starting to spread it worldwide.

Jonathan: Why do you feel now is the time, in terms of it being for a coming time as this was more than fifteen years ago? Why now?

Carl: Well you know that's a good question. It's just been confirmation upon confirmation. After I wrote the book and I saw the vision and I saw the guard was changing and the Lord was infusing a fresh anointing on this rising generation. I had awaited and watched. I'd been waiting and watching these 10 or 15 years now and just seeing this incredible move of the Holy Spirit through multiple camps around the world. Actually many of them from the UK, including several 24/7 prayer movements and worship movements. IHOP in Kansas City was birthed. The passing of the baton of Moses has come to Joshua now and it's time now for the young church - the church in their teens twenties and thirties to rise up and take the Lord a little more seriously. Because these times are desperate and I believe that they require a desperate response from us.

Jonathan: Can you describe what God's looking for in any younger generation?

Carl: Absolutely Jon. He is looking for those whose hearts are completely His. This is not a battle of earthly religions that we're fighting. I think the enemy and many people and politics will make us think we're fighting this battle of earthly religions. We're not! We're fighting a battle of light and darkness. So the Lord is establishing his warrior generation to be those that are full of light and have hearts that are pure; have hearts that worship; and have desperation in their spirit; that say, you know Lord enough is enough, we need to change and by us individually changing, we can transform our culture for the glory of God again. That's what He's looking for.

Jonathan: Do you think that is an easy process? Because in many ways there's been words on this younger generation for many years; probably going back at least fifteen years. People have kept saying this younger generation's is going to be a generation that's going to rise up. How difficult do you think it is for that generation to break through and come into this?

Carl: Well you know I think looking at our fatherless generation, maybe even many people listening tonight tuning in across the world are saying, you know I lacked something, or I lacked something in my home life and I don't have those relationships that I would like. There's brokenness and there's desperation. I think that the Father is pouring out in fresh measures His relationship anointing to His sons and daughters. I remember this old statement, God has no grandsons. There are only sons and only daughters. Jesus is the I Am; He's not the I was. He's not the I am just to come. He's the I Am tonight. He's the I Am for Stoke-on-Trent; He's the I Am for England; He's the I Am for the world. He very much desires every person that says yes to Him, I'll put it this way - He is willing to pour out incredible amounts of His relational understanding, His anointing for fatherhood. Every heart that says no to Him, He passes them by. He's that kind of a God. He yearns for relationship; but if people aren't willing to go that way - they just want a little bit of Him, that's all they're going to get. But at the same time if they want more and more and more and more of Him, He's going to pour out more and more and more of Himself.

Jonathan: Now something you mention in your book is not just about a Joshua generation rising up, but also you talk about the Moses, if you like the fathers in that sense. You talk all about mentoring and fathering. How important do you think that is for a young person to have in their life?

Carl: I think every young person listening and that's going to read this book is going to come to realise that the Father has put in their life one, two or three older people - be they pastoral leadership, be they elders in a church, be they friends or family, be they spiritual leaders that are in connection with them. I think it's vital for every person that's younger, a Joshua, to find a Moses, or find two or three Moses. Or if you're a female, to find a Miriam, to find an older woman that's got wisdom, that's gone places that you've not gone. I think it's vital for our generation, the young to seek out those relationships. It's vital for the Moses generation to reprioritise everything now. To lay aside all the programmes; to lay aside all the ways they've been doing ministry and to prioritise the young and to say who are the one, two or three people that I can begin to connect with and disciple and sow into. I think this is the time. When I wrote this book this wasn't happening. Apprenticeship, mentoring; none of those words were buzz words like they are now. All of a sudden I think with the shaking that's a going on, there is something that's being shaken and people are realising the need for the Moses generation and the Joshua generation to link arms; you know just like Gandalf linked arms with Aragorn, who linked arms with Frodo Baggins and together the fellowship of the ring got the job done. I think it's a season for the fellowship to join again.

Jonathan: Now with some of the western trappings; materialism, entertainment, all those kind of things; in some ways you could look at that and think it's very difficult for God to break out in the west. But actually we don't need to go back very far to see that He's broken out many times and young people have risen up. I'm thinking of people like Whitfield or Rees Howells or many others. How inspired are you by some of those great warriors of the past?

Carl: Absolutely. You know every generation I think it's on the Lord's heart to evangelise. Even more important perhaps is on the Lord's heart, to find young warriors who will shine that light of Jesus Christ in every corner of this globe, that literally the glory of the Lord would cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. I've looked at it in the book and throughout history; these revivals that began by these men and women, they were young and they did not have these trappings of people saying you can't do it. They just went out on the field and they searched the Lord and the Holy Spirit ignited them and said you can do it. You know I think of in the days of Whitfield there was a young man called Howell Harris. He was from Wales; he was uneducated. He fell on his face at aged 20 in a bell tower. He crawled up to a bell tower, fell on his face before God and wept, received Jesus went out and he actually was a forerunner in the field of preaching before Wesley and Whitfield. He went out upon the stone worralls around Wales; he began to preach Jesus Christ. People began to shake and tremble. Whitfield heard of him. They began to exchange letters. All of a sudden you find there was this move of the Spirit of God in these young men and young women. They don't even connect, they didn't even know each other existed and they were all hearing the same thing at the same time with the fresh direction of the Holy Spirit. That's what excites me for right now.

Jonathan: Say there's some young people tonight and they're listening to what you're saying and they think I want to be like that. What should they do now?

Carl: Well I think it's a time to fast. I think it's a time to pray. I think it's a time to lay aside earthly relationships and in terms of the trappings of the world and of the allurements of the flesh. I think it's a time for discipline. I write about that in my book. I cover certain disciplines that young warriors can put in their own lives that will be unique to them. I don't like to ever cover disciplines that are sort of blanket things, say you know - do this, do that. I'm more general; pray, fast and worship. Then you just need whatever costs you something. See if it's God it's probably going to hurt. It's not going to be easy in other words. It's going to be a path that's in front of you that's going to be the more difficult road perhaps to take. That's the road I want to challenge young listeners to go out on by faith. Whatever that looks like for you in your context, that's the one. The Holy Spirit's probably ahead of you, beckoning you, saying, I've given you some words, I've given you some confirmations, now I'm waiting for you to come to me on that road. Whatever that road looks like it's going to be a discipline road; it's going to be a hard road. There's going to be some tears, but there's going to be a whole lot of the presence of God and a whole lot of glory. So I think fasting and prayer is the key. I remember many years ago I was seeking the Lord about a career in Hollywood because I'd been out there when I was 19 years old. I was trained at USC Film School, University Southern California where Spielberg got trained. I was trained for film making and I wanted to make a career out of film making. I sought the Lord in the woods one day for three days. At the end of that time the Lord said, Carl, I want you to gain an eternal perspective. Now I was 19 years old Jon. He said I want you to get an eternal perspective for your life. You can choose the road of stardom; you can choose this path of film making; you can live in Hollywood, I'll even bless you Carl in that way; or you can take this other road that I've ordained for you to take on, from the foundation of the world. If you take that road Carl, you're going to come to eternity with a whole reward waiting for you and not empty handed. That day I repented for wanting to take it my way. I began to seek the Lord as never before. He led me in all sorts of ways on the journey. I can tell you, I'm looking back and I'm so happy I chose a path that He ordained. So the key for every individual is to say, God you've given me a purpose; you've put gifts in me; you've put talents in me; you've ordained a path that only I can fulfil. What is it Lord? Show it to me and help me to walk it by faith.

Jonathan: It's great advice Carl. I wonder Carl whether you would now pray? Just pray for a younger generation. Many may already be in the church; some might not have even found the Father yet, but I wonder if you'd pray for that younger generation?

Carl: Yes. Let me pray now. Let's pray together. Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I declare a clarity and a fresh vision for every individual warrior that's reading this now. First of all Father to those that are reading this and this is new to them and they are saying, really do I have a purpose? Father I ask you in Jesus' name, to show them the path of Jesus Christ and the incredible way that you've opened up through Jesus to have relationship with you. That Father you are the only way and Jesus is the only way to get to you. Lord may you reveal tonight to those that are maybe on the fence; maybe that have never said yes to Jesus Christ. Lord let them say yes tonight. Let them bow the knee and say yes to a relationship with you through your Son Jesus Christ. Let them be infused with power in the Holy Spirit from on high. To those listening tonight that are already walking with you Father, I declare fresh purpose for that generation. I declare a fresh anointing from the Spirit. I declare a fresh vision for the path that lies ahead of them. Lord I pray for courage. I ask for courage for the bold hearted courage to take those paths of relationship with you that cost them something. To say yes to Jesus Christ and yes to the commitment to Jesus Christ in spite of all odds. May they carry with them the banner of truth and the torch ever brighter starting this night. In the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

Jonathan: Amen. Carl it's been great to talk to you. No doubt we'll speak to you again in the future.

Carl: Wonderful. Thank you Jon it's been a pleasure.

You can buy Changing Of The Guard: The rising of generation Xtreme from Cross Rhythms Direct for £10.44.