*God made time for His purpose and controls time. He created all things by imposing His will on time. Each day of creation produced what He wanted. He wants His will done in all seasons. So, He made man in His image and after His likeness so that man can seize time and fill it with God’s purpose through prayers, prophetic decrees and actions.
THE 34TH WEEK
What does God want to see in the 34th week or season?. Here are five things the Bible indicates concerning the 34th season:
1. It is a Season of Celebration and Testimonies. That is how the week should end. This is a season when those who trust in God prove His faithfulness. In Psalm 34:1-10, the psalmist said, [1] I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. [2] My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. [3] Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. [4] I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. [5] They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. [6] This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. [7] The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. [8] Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! [9] Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. [10] The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.
PRAYER: Worship the Lord and prophesy (decree) that the righteous will have testimonies and joy this week. Turn Psalm 34:1-10 into prophecy.
2. It is a Season of Vengeance. God judges the wicked in this season to give them the harvest of their labors. Psalm 34:16,21 says, “The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth”. [21] “Evil shall slay the wicked, And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned”.
Nahum 1:2-3 says, “God is jealous, and the LORD avenges; The LORD avenges and is furious. The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies; [3] The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. The LORD has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet”.
God introduced Himself to Moses in Exodus 34:6-7: ‘And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, [7] keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”
In 1934, John Dillinger, tagged Public Enemy #1 was shot and killed by FBI agents on July 22. He was charged of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Twice, he escaped from jail. He was so notorious that the US Department of Justice offered $25000 reward for him. Another notorious bank robber, Pretty Boy Floyd, was shot and killed by FBI agents three months later on October 22.
Within the 34th seven years of the United States, the Barak Obama administration took vengeance for the United States against Osama Bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda network. The strong man of Al-Qaeda was killed on May 2, 2011. In the same year, on October 20, Muammar Ghadaffi, the strong man of Libya was killed in the ninth month of an armed revolution against his government. Both men did not position themselves well in America’s season of vengeance.
In the 34th week of 2019, a man hijacked a bus and the 37 people on board on a bridge in Rio de Janeiro. He became the strong man of the day for about four hours. That was all. He was shot dead by police sniper. The hostages came out unhurt. The hijacker misread the time and it cost him his life. The 34th season is a season of vengeance.
In Genesis 34, the sons of took vengeance on the people of Shechem because the prince of the land abused their sister sexually.
PRAYER: This week release judgment of the wicked in the nations. Psalm 34: 21 says, “Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous shall be condemned
3. It is a season of deliverance for the righteous. One reason for judging the wicked is to deliver the righteous.Psalm 34:15, 17-20, 22 says, [15] The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry. [17] The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles. [18] The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. [19] Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. [20] He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken. [22] The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.
PRAYER: Pray for God’s people going through afflictions in the nations. Pray protection over God’s people in the nations – missionaries, military personnel and Aid workers.
4. It is a Season of Boundaries and Containment . This is a season to set boundaries that must not be crossed. In Exodus 34, God told Moses that no man or animal should come near the mountain. In Exodus 34:3, God said to Moses, “And no man shall come up with you, and let no man be seen throughout all the mountain; let neither flocks nor herds feed before that mountain.”The death of Moses is recorded in Deuteronomy 34. The Lord had set a boundary he could not cross because he disobeyed God at Meribah.
The 34th President-of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, fought segregation in public schools and even used military force to contain segregationists. The Eisenhower administration also labored vigorously to contain the Soviet Union and protect the world from the colonization of communist forces and ideology. The communist strong man, Josef Stalin, died in the second month of Ike’s presidency; on March 5, 1953. His successor, Georgy Malenkov, was ousted after six months in office; on September 8, 1953.
In 1994, the 34th year of Nigeria, the Abacha-led military regime arrested and imprisoned Moshood Abiola for treason because he set up a parallel government (as deprived winner of the 1993 presidential election) and declared himself head of the government of national unity. That was the beginning of the end of M.K.O Abiola’s earth-journey. He died in the prison four years later in 1998. He misread the times.
PRAYER: This week, make a proclamation of containment against forces and agents of darkness. Decree that they shall not prosper, progress or advance. Release judgment against those who dare to cross divine boundaries.
5. It is a Season to ascend and dwell in the mountain of God’s presence. In Exodus 34, God invited Moses to the top of the Mount Sinai to spend time with Him and return with the Word to the people. Moses was with Him 40 days and returned with a face that others could not look at. He received instructions and commandments from God. His face shone. This week, there is a call leave the cares at the foot of the mountain and climb up to the mountain of His presence.
PRAYER: This week, pray that nothing will receivekeep you from spending time in His presence to instructions and directions from His mouth.
THE 47TH WEEK OF NIGERIA’S YEAR
Ecclesiastes 9:12 says that men suffer from evil surprises because they do not know their times. “For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them”.What is the divine agenda for the 47th week? What is the significance of this week? God’s word is our Light and it can reveal hidden things that lie ahead of us.
The pattern for understanding the week is in the 47th book and 47th chapters of the Bible. The 47th book and chapters of the Bible indicate that the 47th season is to look away from the material and focus on the spiritual. Life flows from the spiritual in this season. This is a season when the spiritual must have ascendancy over the fleshly. In Genesis 47, sustenance flowed from Joseph to all Egypt and all the world.Jacob blessed Pharaoh and also said he must not be buried in Egypt but in Canaan. In this chapter also, the land of the priests were never taken from them. In the 47th book of the Bible, Second Corinthians, Paul says “we walk by faith and not by sight”. In the same book, he said “we do not look at the things that are seen but at things that are unseen”. He also says “hough the outward man wears out, the inner man is renewed every day”. This book says, “henceforth, we know no man after the flesh”. This week, you must not focus on the appearance of things but on the spiritual reality beneath appearance.Psalm 47 directs our attention to God who is king over all nations and to whom the shields of the earth belong. In Isaiah 47, the imposing Babylon comes under a prophetic axe. In Jeremiah 47, proud Philistia comes under prophetic judgment. In Ezekiel 47 healing waters flowed from the sanctuary and healed whatever it touched in the land. The spiritual has enormous power especially in the 47th season.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Read Isaiah 47 and pray accordingly that God will humiliate the wicked and oppressive people who occupy seats of power and authority in Nigeria.
2. As Naira and the economy staggering, pray that the Lord will make a way for struggling Nigerians – individuals, families, ministries, and businesses – as He helped poor Egyptians in Genesis 47.
3. Read Jeremiah 47:2-3 and pray that God will deliver Nigeria from the flooding waters of terrorism arising from the North.
4. Read Ezekiel 47:1-12 and pray that the healing waters flowing from under the threshold of the temple will flow to and touch every aspect of life in Nigeria and bring healing to our country.
SCRIPTURES FOR THE WEEK
Psalm 34:7: “The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them”
.Psalm 47:1: “Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!”LolHave a happy 34th week of the year and and a greatly blessed 47th week of Nigeria’s year.
