The Lord spoke to me as He was showing me this picture. He said, “Moses’ flesh wasn’t comfortable. His passion for Me was greater than the desire for comfort.”

Not what I wanted to hear, as I sat on my comfy couch. Ha! Lord…. you mean you showed me this glorious sight, wrecked me emotionally at the sight of this man of God just moments after the most Glorious God-Encounter EVER, so you could address my fleshly desire for comfort?!

I sat and forced myself ponder this a while.

Moses was an old man. He walked on this mountain for 40 days (well, actually 80 in all). No food or water that we know of. No soft place to sit. No blanket and pillow to rest on. No bed to climb into at night. No shower, bath or warm coffee. No twinkies. Have you watched man vs. wild? What about those TV shows where someone is lost on a mountain with no food or water for days and nearly dies?

They have nothing on Old Moses.

He had to press through the veil of his flesh. He MUST have had to subdue his screaming human needs.

But His LOVE for the Greatest Lover of all was greater. Oh so much greater.

It drove him.

He wasn’t motivated by the pursuit of spiritual experience. He didn’t know the glory that awaited him. He just loved His God. He needed His God. The voice of God caused an immediate response of utter surrender and obedience. He hungered to know this powerful, mystifying God more than anything else. In the Presence of God his request wasn’t for a pillow, a drink of water or something warm to cover himself in the desert night. After all these days, nights and weeks on the side of a mountain…. his request was “show me your Glory Lord!”

I want to know You. THAT’S what rose up within Moses as his greatest desire. To know HIM.

TO KNOW HIM.

Then God drew him into Himself.

Our Lord and King longs to be known. I believe GODS greatest joy is our hunger to know Him.

What do we press through? What do we overcome?

We don’t strive to conquer our flesh so that we can grow spiritually. That’s selfish ambition. The ‘pressing through’ that causes striving is absolutely counter productive.

We let our spirits come to the front. We surrender to His Love. We will set aside our screaming flesh when our hearts are abandoned. We yeild to His Lordship, and allow our hearts to fall passionately in love with our mysterioius Father, Lover and King.

Lord, let our hunger to know You, to see You, to be fascinated by who you are, rise above all else.

This morning in prayer the Lord took me into a vision. I could see myself standing there, then it was like someone took an invisible icecream scooper and scooped out a part of my mid-section. As I watched this, I knew this was symbolic of loss. I saw another scoop falling out of me…. then another. It was painful to watch!

In all of our lives there has been much loss. These are places of pain that can cause us to withdraw from life a little more each time… cultivating fear and trepidation. Those places of loss feel lonely and empty. Grief and sorrow can become friends, fear and apprehension can become our approach to life if we don’t see what God’s hand is doing.

The Lord opened my eyes in this vision to see what was REALLY happening. As part of me was taken away, I saw His hand reach over and fill the hole with gold. The very place of painful loss became the most beautiful part of my whole being. Then as another ‘scoop of loss’ was taken, His hand put gold in it’s place, and so on. Each time we lose something the Lord Himself not only heals and restores, but brings and astonishing beauty and strength to that very place within.

He wasn’t causing the loss. But He was absolutely filling in every single space of pain with the most beautiful gold I have ever seen.

We really can’t lose! We can freely live life with abandon knowing that every bump, bruise, loss or trial will be met with an intimate moment of His transforming power. Our God turns small crawly harry things into butterflies. And He turns places of loss within our soul into beauty and treasure.

We worship, eat, laugh, prophecy, pray for you, worship some more, pray ….  soak in His Presence….  worship some more…

It’s simply a glorious time.

Recently I felt the Lord ask me to offer this retreat in other places as well.  We’re praying about locations and timing.   If you have friends around the country who may be interested in helping us to host this retreat in their city, please contact me.  akouo@me.com.

Blessings!

Chris

What a crazy season! Oh my goodness. Busy, yet wonderful.

The Inward Transformation class is wrapped up. I have to say that I thuroughly enjoyed teaching this class! Many of you have asked for the audio recording of this class. There were some technical difficulties that made the audio nearly impossible to hear. We’re trying to fix the problem… so I’ll let you know if and when they will be available.

We just finished our women’s retreat and it was absolutely glorious. Swimming in His Presence for hours upon hours…. what can ever top THAT?!

We leave for Beirut on the 21st, and I’m simply giddy with excitement to be with our Middle East friends again. I have to say that the Middle East is on the top of my “favorite places on the planet” list! The anticipation for this conference is growing more fervent every single day. The people in the Middle East are writing and telling me of what they’re sensing. They feel such momentum in the Spirit, such build up of His Glory and tremendous open heavens as the name of Christ is exalted…. they can hardly wait another day for this conference to arrive. Lord…. what are you up to??

I do ask you for your prayer cover. The swirl of spiritual activity over the Middle East is intense, as you can imagine. Syrians, Jordanians, Egyptians and Lebanese will all be with us. We have invitations on the table to other countries in the Middle East as well. As long as these doors are opening, we want to boldly charge forward with the Love of Christ as our banner. Intercession is the key. Please pray as the Holy Spirit leads. And if the Lord shares anything with you, please feel the freedom to write me, o.k.?

Other activity:
In April I have the priveledge of speaking at the regional Women’s Aglo retreat. I’m so looking forward to this!
In June we will be moving to Indianapolis. Grace grace to it, Lord. Because of the move, we wont be taking our Greece/Macedonia trip this year. I’m so sad about this, but it feels like the Lord’s plan. My heart is still with you, my Balkan friends!
In July we’re heading to England to minister at two different conferences – one in Exeter, and one outside of Oxford.

I’m so thankful for all of you… you simply have no idea. The support I feel from your presence, your faith, your encouragement, your emails, your prayers and your giving is beautifully overwhelming to me.

Thank you.

I pray you receive a hudnred fold in return,

What we’re sensing for this weekend? Impartation.
Impartation of all kinds. Prophetic. Healing. Wisdom. The heart of the Lion. A vision and anointing to advance the gospel no matter the cost.

We’ll be meeting at Believers Church, 4705 S. Memorial Drive, Tulsa.
Friday February 17th, 7:00pm
Saturday February 18th; 9:00am, 2:00pm, 7:00pm

No Charge. No registration necessary. JUST COME!

Email me with any questions you may have; chriswesthoff@me.com

This conference honestly feels like it’s at a crucial time in Americas history. Is that too dramatic? Ha! It’s really what I feel. I believe that individuals who come will receive deep prophetic ministry, and empowering impartation to walk through next seasons. I also feel Rana, Emil, Tommie and Rick are carrying a word from the Lord for the Body of Christ corporately.

SO COME!

There’s a big part of me that trembles at 2011.  Yet there’s another part of me that knows deeply and intimately that all pain, all grief, all difficulty, all chaos and catastrophe…   HAS AN END.

But His glory, His majesty, His beauty has no end.

Our eternal joy, our eternal Love, our eternal peace, victory and ecstatic union with Him

HAS NO END.

Death only lasted three days.

Resurrection Life is eternal.

Firefighters of Ladder Company 4 — which lost seven men on 9/11 — perched together on their aerial ladder, watching a news bulletin in Times Square declaring that Osama bin Laden was dead on May 2.

Cars are abandoned on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive during the “Snowpocalypse” in February.

Christians protect Muslims during prayer in Cairo, Egypt.

A monstrous dust storm (Haboob) roared through Phoenix, Arizona in July.

A before and after shot of Joplin, Missouri after a massive tornado on May 22

This sightseeing boat, Hama Yuri, was pulled 1300 feet from the coast and somehow balanced itself on a two story house during the tsunami in Japan.

An aerial shot of the damage immediately following the Japanese tsunami.

A mother comforts her son in Concord, Alabama, near his house which was completely destroyed by a tornado in April.

Chile’s Puyehue volcano erupts, causing air traffic cancellations across South America, New Zealand, Australia and forcing over 3,000 people to evacuate. (Reuters)

A woman jumps from a burning building during the London riots in August. (Amy Weston / WENN.com)

Blessings Blessings Blessings!!!!

Click here for the 2011 word that was written in November of 2010.

As I was reading this word again (above link) I felt the Lord speak to me:  ”I’m standing in your future, speaking into your present, guiding you to where you need to be.”   We can trust Him!  We can trust His words and lean on His guiding arm! Praying into 2012 I see a man that has been pushing against a huge, thick, cement wall.  The wall hasn’t budged…   yet he has remained pushing for a long time.  He became tired and weary.   In this transitional season I see the man stand up and ‘give up’…   surrendering his pushing.  Then a crossing over happens internally.  A crossing over into hope happens within himself and he steps into place of peaceful, assured faith. At this moment the wall just falls down in front of him.  I heard the Lord say that tremendous breakthrough is coming in 2012.  The kind of breakthrough that no words can describe.  Tidal wave of breakthrough…  a breakthrough of LIFE. True, deep, IMMENSELY POWERFUL LIFE being poured on dry bones.   (I also heard the Lord say that I would be speaking this to many people who would have a hard time believing it because they’ve allowed cynicism into their hearts.  False hope has been deferred and the enemy has taken advantage of this to cause doubt and unbelief.  Grab hold of faith, my friends….  grab hold of HIS hope, the hope that is our anchor)  I see people crouched to the ground, in a position of humility….    they’re hunched over on dry scorched earth with large open cracks.   Then a massive wave of liquid, spiritual LIFE washes over them.  It’s overwhelming.  2010 thanksgiving morning I woke up and simply stared in wonder as I looked at a vase of previously dead, withered roses that had quite literally come back to life.  I should have thrown them away several days prior, but hadn’t gotten around to it.

Here it was, thanksgiving morning (2010) and I was gazing at resurrected roses.  (click here for the full article)

When I looked at those roses, a promise of resurrection exploded within me.  I knew the Lord was speaking resurrection into 2011.   Before resurrection comes death.   (I hadn’t counted on the death happening first, had you?)  2011 has been a year of death for many people.  I think it’s beautiful that the Lord promised resurrection before we even experienced the death.  Oh how kind He is! He did this with Jesus too.  Jesus prophesied his resurrection before he even faced the cross and went to his grave.  He gave the promise of LIFE as the people were about to face death.  This is His way.  (josef is another example, peter yet another one…) He’s given promises to people and they haven’t seen the fruit yet.  That’s because he gave the promise of life before they had to face the death.   He spoke forth the resurrection even before they knew that death was coming.  He spoke breakthrough into being because He knew that things were going to get more difficult before the breakthrough happened.    Holding on to the promise of rebirth is essential as we walk through seasons of death.  2011 was transitionShifting…Change…Death… Confusion… Many are currently in the grave wondering how they got there.
There are some that are still walkin their Isaacs up the mountain.  Take courage, trust in Him.  The Lord of hosts is cherring you on, so very proud of your obedient heart.

There are some that have already come out on the other side.  Breath deeply my friend.  I’m proud of you.  You can start running soon.  Resurrection is coming.  He gave you the promise of resurrection,  then He asked you to take Isaac up the mountain and sacrifice.   It doesn’t make sense now, but it soon will.
The Lord is moving us down a road from hope to faith.  Today we’re going to step into the promise internally.   Really and truly…  you can step into His promise of resurrection life TODAY.  It’s an internal shift of the heart into an experience of His LIFE even while you’re still surrounded by death.   Then somewhere, somehow the scene in front of us will change….
LIFE IS COMING.   2012 is the season of His establishing.   Deep foundations have been shifted, uprooted, shaken….   and re-poured…   the cement is now setting, drying solidly….. making it immovable.  An army of positioned, transformed, resurrected ones is emerging.

This morning I was looking back to the words the Lord spoke to me about 2011.  In December of 2010 the Lord began to speak repetitively and strongly about what was coming in ’11.   (I reposted it below)

I was so encouraged to see once again that the Lord stands in our future, holding us in the Present, leading, healing, coaching….

He’s absolutely astonishing.

December 2010

2011

Do you know that scene in the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, where Gene Wilder was taking his visitors for a ride on a boat.  It started out pleasant and peaceful but continued to go faster and faster until it felt nearly out of control?

Yeah…   that’s what I feel is happening.  When I look towards this next year I see this movie scene in my head.  Only the Lord is driving the boat, all is really going as it should, but things in the Spirit are moving faster and faster and faster.   It’s important that we keep our eyes fixed upon Him as things speed up.  If we look at things around us we will give opportunity to fear.

I believe the Lord is quickly putting people in place.  It’s like a fast paced checkers game where He’s setting the stage for something big.  He doesn’t have time to waste, so things are picking up speed.  I hear Him asking us to please hold on to Him tightly because He needs to put us in place to accomplish His purposes.  We really have no idea what’s coming, and that’s o.k.  Our plans will be falling by the wayside as we see His plans unfold before us.  Many people will have great moments of decision.  Will you take His plan, or will you fight for your own plan to come forth?  We are often so convinced that our plan is really God’s plan so we hold onto it a bit too tightly.  The Lord will be quickly unfolding His plan before many people this year, and our moment of decision will be defined by our ability to recognize His hand and let go of what we thought we knew.

The other big thing that I keep hearing Him whisper is that there will be many big season changes this year.  I hear Him saying ‘make sure you recognize the season change and move with it not against it.’  Our biggest mistake would be to miss the season change.  We don’t want to find ourselves wearing winter coats in June.  Things we needed in previous seasons are simply unnecessary in the next.  Things that worked before wont work in the new season.  Perspectives will need to change. Relationships will sometimes change.  Priorities must change.  Some things will need to fall away as other things rise to the top.   It feels like the shifting of land mass, like in an earthquake.  We may find our piece of land suddenly in a completely different place.  Shifting the way we think, function, perceive and act will need to be necessary as the season changes (or the land mass shifts places).

Keep moving forward.  Keep your eyes on the goal – which is Christ Himself.  Fix your face like flint.

We’re in for a heck of a ride.

Next.  Our friends in the Middle East have had too much change shoved on their doorsteps.  Violence in the streets.  Religious tensions turned to blood baths.  Power struggles with no peaceful end.  I needed and wanted to be with them, but it was most assuredly dangerous.  I spent several days working this through with the Lord and with my family.  We all stood before God, knowing it would be an honor to die for the name of Christ.  Love was bigger.  I was going to go.  My heart was ready for anything.

Next.  Two weeks ago my husband received a phone call.  It was another job offer.  He gets many.  But this time we both felt the Holy Spirit stop him from turning it down (it’s a knee-jerk reaction).  We both looked at each other in stark fear as the realization slowly dawned that God was asking us to pilgrimage.   We’re very very…  oh so very rooted and grounded in Tulsa Oklahoma.  Church family has become the air we breath.  The ministry team we have is richly built on long-term, blood-soaked friendship.   Leave?  Wait!  Wait! LEAVE??   Yes.  He’s moving us to Indianapolis Indiana.  (For details, click here.)

Next.  Last Friday I received yet another phone call.  My mom was on the other end saying I should fly home (Detroit).  My 45 year old sister, who had been struggling with brain cancer and winning, had taken a turn for the worse.  I was on a plane that afternoon with thoughts of spending some good time standing and praying with my life-long friend.   Her turn for the worse plunged speedily downward, so quickly that we all stood there in such shock it felt like our skin was falling off.   She was gone by Saturday evening at 6:40pm.  I never saw the lights of her eyes.

Not all change is welcomed.

On this Friday morning I’m surveying the land around me, still shocked and deeply shaken.

I’m not going to the ME in November.

We’re preparing to uproot our whole life.

My father and sister are gone.

Change.

From start to finish these last few months have been all about surrender.  Surrender my hold on my own right to life.  Surrender my love clench on life as I know it in Tulsa.  Surrender to the hand of the Lord moving, choosing, Divinely orchestrating.

At the core of healthy grief is a surrendered will.   In the root system of peaceful suffering is clinging trust.

Every now and then life throws you overboard without a life preserver.

It’s then we realize that He is the water, and all we need to do is float.

Heaven is stable.  His Kingdom is unchanging, unwavering.  His atmosphere never alters.

In me, as it is in Heaven.