I remember about three or four years ago there was a season where I kept hearing the Lord declare, in a loud voice, CHANGE!  CHANGE!  CHANGE!
As I heard His voice call out this word over and over again it felt like He was standing on a cliff, seeing a season soon to come and calling it in.  And it was going to be a season of massive change, on a broad scale.    It felt like thousands of people’s lives were going to change…..  careers, homes, cities, circumstances, family, etc.  It felt like cities were going to change….  countries were going to change…    whole atmosphere’s and cultures were going to change.  I had a hard time putting words to it because it felt so strong.   I knew it was going to be both glorious and dreadful.  Great and mighty breakthroughs, amazing outpouring of the Presence of the Lord,  alongside ever increasing darkness in this world.

I know that this season of change has begun.  It’s been building for a year now, and it will continue to increase over the next few years.

BUT HERE’S THE THING;  I feel like the Lord has (recently) poured out His grace in such a huge measure it’s overwhelming.  He’s pouring out grace for us to stand firm.  Grace and strength to draw near to Him like never before.  He’s putting a strong wind at the back of His church to rise up and remember all that is SOLID AND TRUE.    We are right now seated in Heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1;20-21, and Ephesians 2:6).  We are TRULY ambassadors of a Heavenly Kingdom, a Holy Culture saturated with the radical love of our Jesus.    He is calling us to draw near to the Throne in prayer.

I honestly don’t think He’s gently wooing anymore.   It feels like the Lord is lovingly grabbing us and pulling us up higher!  Ha!

I had a season last year where the Lord allowed me to glimps some amazing things in prayer.  I wrote a couple of these experiences out in my blog (www.akouo.net), called the Atmosphere of Heaven (part one) (part two) (part three).   If you would like, I would encourage you to read these.  There’s something about setting our minds on Heaven,  keeping our focus on the eternal and fixing our hearts on the age to come that will prepare us to live out these days as true Ambassadors.  I believe these experiences were just a first taste of what the Lord wants to do with us in prayer in these coming days.  As Paul’s life and ministry advanced mightily through the darkness the Lord took him up higher in revelation and understanding of the heavenly realms.  It wasn’t for his enjoyment alone…   the revelation of the Lord is purposeful for advancing His Kingdom in power.

I’ll just say it.  I believe the Lord wants to give many of us a greater experience (in prayer) of the atmosphere of Heaven to equip us in His Holy Spirit to be powerful witnesses in these coming days.    This is brewing so strongly within me it’s hard to find the words (happens often!).    If you know me, you’ll know I’m not one that will exalt experiences over raw faith.  I don’t glorify encounters over the person of Jesus Christ.  I don’t even talk about most experiences I have for many many reasons.  I just truly feel that the Lord is speaking these things to His Body right now.  So please weigh them out.

Here’s the update!
The Middle East pastors gathering in November has been cancelled.  This was pretty devastating to me, but they were circumstances beyond my control.  Instead I’ve been meeting with each of the pastors (from Syria, Jordan and Lebanon) on Skype.  We’ve been praying and seeking the heart of the Lord and His instructions for this next season.  They feel a great call to prayer!  Prayer is their greatest weapon, their greatest resource and the most powerful source of strength for what they are facing.  The communities are gathering regularly for corporate prayer and they’re hungry to go deeper.  They’ve asked me to do some Skype classes on prayer for their community, and I’m eager to do this.  We’ll be doing these meetings via skype fairly regularly over the next couple of months.

We are still planning on holding the conference in March in Beirut.  Will you please join us in prayer to cover this?  I’ll fill you in on more details a bit later…  but we feel that this conference will be a focus on prayer as well.

Our schedule for the next few months:

January;

  • Women’s retreat in Bicester England (near Oxford)
  • Conference at the IHOP in Exeter England
  • Sunday morning at Revelation Church in Chichester England

February;

  • Conference at the 24/7 Boiler room in Vancouver Canada

March;

  • Conference in Beirut Lebanon

April;

  • Women’s Conference in North Carolina
  • Women’s retreat in Tulsa OK

May;

  • Tentative schedule for womens conference in Egypt.

June;

  • England (plans still unfolding)

Hope you’re all doing well!!

Love love love.

Chris