Audio: Praying Into the Week of December 3 – 9
What is the mind of the Lord concerning the 49th week of the year and how should we pray? The Bible indicates three things. Please take note of the prayer point(s) at the end of each section (A, B, C):
A. IT IS A SEASON FOR CRITICAL REVELATION AND INSTRUCTION.
This is a season when the Lord communicates deep things. There are ‘deep things’ in the 49th book and 49th chapters of the Bible. In them, the Lord draws attention to who you are, what you have, what He wants to do and how you should live. The demand of the season is that you listen carefully and pay attention to the Word. Notice how the 49th chapters of Genesis, Psalms and Isaiah begin:
Genesis 49:1-2: “And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: [2] “Gather together and HEAR, you sons of Jacob, And LISTEN to Israel your father”.
Psalm 49:1-4: “HEAR this, all peoples; GIVE EAR, all inhabitants of the world, [2] Both low and high, Rich and poor together. [3] My mouth shall speak wisdom, And the meditation of my heart shall give understanding. [4] I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will disclose my dark saying on the harp”.Isaiah 49:1-3: “LISTEN, O Coastlands, to Me, And TAKE HEED, you peoples from afar! The LORD has called Me from the womb; From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name. [2] And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, And made Me a polished shaft; In His quiver He has hidden Me.” [3] “And He said to me, ‘You are My servant, O Israel, In whom I will be glorified.’Jeremiah 49:20: “Therefore HEAR the counsel of the LORD that He has taken against Edom, And His purposes that He has proposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely the least of the flock shall draw them out; Surely He shall make their dwelling places desolate with them”.The 49th book of the Bible (Ephesians) is not left out:Ephesians 1:17-19: “…That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, [18] the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, [19] and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power”
PRAYER: Pray that you will receive the critical instruction or word God intends for you this week. Pray against distractions. Pray for wisdom and understanding.
B. IT IS FULLNESS OF TIME FOR RESULTS AND REST. IT IS A GENESIS 2:1-3 WEEK.
This is the week ending the seventh seven weeks of the year. This is the seventh of the seventh seven. This is a ‘seventh day of creation’ week. We know four things about this season from Genesis 2:1-3:
1. IT IS A WEEK TO END BURDENSOME YOKES
Genesis 2:1-2: “Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. [2] And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done…” This week, we are to declare “IT IS DONE” . We are to enter the finished work by faith. This is a week of freedom from burdens, yokes and afflictions.
2. IT IS A WEEK OF REST
Genesis 2:2: “…And He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done”. God rested on the seventh day so all people and things may rest in seventh seasons. Jesus gave distressed bodies rest from their troubles on the Sabbath. The religious leaders of His day were upset by this.The 49th week is a Sabbath week. God wants it to be a blessed week of rest but the enemy wants it to be a week of unrest and distress. As spiritual gatekeepers, we must align with God to secure the gate of this week.The Communist Party took control of China in 1949.Apartheid became official in South Africa in 1949 with the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act.Book Haram became a distressing force in Nigeria in 2009 – the 49th year of the country.
3. IT IS A BLESSED WEEK
Genesis 2: 3: “Then God blessed the seventh day…because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made”.Of the seven days of creation, God blessed only the seventh day. So, the seventh season is a blessed season. When people come into the seventh season, they are to be given the blessing that is on the season. The 49th season is blessed. So, we are to pronounce blessings on people this week. Jacob blessed his sons in Genesis 49. The 49th book of the Bible (Ephesians) says God had blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places. As we are blessed and we bless others, curses are broken. This week, release a blessing over someone, some people or some places.
4. IT IS A HOLY SEASON
Genesis 2: 3: “Then God …sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made”.This is a week of God’s pleasure. Pray that it does not become a week of abomination and sacrilege in the nations.Isaiah 58:13-14 says, “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, [14] Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken.”PRAYER: Pray that the evil one does not hijack this week for evil purposes in the nations. Pray Genesis 2:1-3 over this week.
C. IT IS A WEEK OF REDEMPTION FROM OPPRESSION AND DEATH
The 49th book and 49th chapters of the Bible reveal that the 49th season is a season of redemption. God is a Redeemer and Restorer in the 49th season. He redeems from bondage, death, and destruction in this season. When the 49th season is unmanned, death and destruction hold sway. The spirit of death was unleashed through Boko Haram in the 49th year of Nigeria’s independence. Jacob died in Genesis 49 after prophesying over his sons. Psalm 49 says that no man has the power to redeem his brother from death. Isaiah 49 reveals God as Redeemer of Israel. Isaiah 49:8 says, “Thus says the LORD: “In an acceptable time I have heard You, And in the day of salvation I have helped You; I will preserve You and give You As a covenant to the people, To restore the earth, To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages”. Jeremiah 49 is a prophecy of judgment against the enemies of Israel. Until enemies are subdued, redemption cannot be executed. Redemption often requires ‘binding the strong man’ before plundering his goods.The 49th book of the Bible (Ephesians) highlights our redemption in Christ.PRAYER: Pray that the Lord will exert His Redeeming Power in the nations to plunder the plunderer and set their captives free.T
THE TENTH WEEK OF NIGERIA’S YEAR
The tenth book and tenth chapters of the Bible reveal six major things about the tenth season:
(a) The tenth season is a season of battles, conflicts, and overthrows. It is a season of power clashes, victories and overthrows. Noah was the tenth from Adam; and in his days, God battled rebellious humanity with the most deadly flood in history. The genealogy of the sons of Noah is listed in Genesis 10. They formed the new earth of Noah’s day. In Exodus 10, God fought Egypt with locusts and darkness. In Leviticus 10, the two sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu perished for offering profane fire. In Joshua 10, God fought for Israel against the five kings of the Canaanites with the forces of nature. In Judges 10, Israel was greatly distressed because of their enemies. Tola and Jair were Judges in this chapter. The trouble in this chapter paved the way for the emergence of Jephthah. In Second Samuel 10, David fought the Ammonites and the Syrians. The troubles of David began when kings went to war and he sat back in his palace. The tenth season is not a time of ease. In Daniel 10, Michael fought the resisting Prince of Persia so Gabriel can deliver answers to Daniel’s prayers. In Acts 10, God gave Peter new light against the understanding he had always had. Grace overthrew Law. First Corinthians 10 talks about those who came out of Egypt but were overthrown in the wilderness. In Second Corinthians 10, Paul reminds us that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through. The tenth season is a battle-season! It is a season of intense spiritual warfare.
(b) The tenth season is for the establishment and realization of dreams and expectations. It is a season of delivering answers to prayers. In Exodus 10, Egypt had darkness, but there was light in Goshen. It was the end of dialogue and negotiation between Moses and Pharaoh. In Joshua 10, the servant of God, Joshua, withstood darkness from overtaking him by commanding the sun and the moon to stand still. They obeyed him. In the tenth chapter of First Samuel, Saul was anointed the king secretly and prophesied publicly. Samuel also told him his father’s donkeys had been found. David became king in the 10th book of the Bible. In Esther 10, Mordecai sat beside the King of Persia and ruled with Him. In Daniel 10, Michael fought against, and overpowered, the prince of Persia that withstood Gabriel and the revelation (understanding) he was bringing to Daniel. Zechariah 10 says if we ask the Lord for rain in the time of the latter rain, He would send us lightning, showers of rain, and food in the fields. In the tenth chapters of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, prayers were answered through the ministries of Jesus and his disciples. In Acts 10, Cornelius prayed four days to receive angelic visitation and the word and revelation that came to his household and friends from Peter. Cornelius’ prayers were answered and he and his family were filled with the Spirit as Peter preached. The tenth season is a season of pressures that makes prayer a life line.
(c). The tenth week is a season of “no more delay”. The angel of Revelation 10 declared there shall be no more delays. In Joshua 10, Joshua prayed for an extended day instead of a delayed victory. He didn’t want the night to push the battle to another day. In Acts 10, things happened in quick succession. There was no delay. God told him to go with those who came to see him “doubting nothing”. Peter said, “I came as soon as I was sent for”; “and while Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell on those who heard the word”. Delay is dangerous in the tenth season. It was a delay that killed the ‘counsel of Ahitophel’ in the 10th book of the Bible. Ahitophel did not want delay in attacking David’s camp; but Hushai introduced the element of delay to undermine Ahitophel. Amasa died because of delay in the 10th book of the Bible (chapter 20). Psalm 70, which applies to the 70th day of the year (the last day of the tenth week) begins with “make haste” and ends with “do not delay”. When the 9th president of the United States, William Harrison, died after one month in office, there was no constitutional succession plan. The Vice President, John Tyler, did not wait for any new law to be passed. He assumed the presidency. No delay!
(d). The tenth season is for anointing with the Holy Spirit and power. The Spirit came upon Saul in First Samuel 10 and he was turned into another man and prophesied. Cornelius and his household were filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 10. This week is for moving to another level by the Holy Spirit.
(e). The tenth season is for the manifestation and promotion of the humble. God honored Joshua in Joshua 10. He manifested and promoted Saul in First Samuel 10. God promoted David in the tenth book of the Bible. He manifested Solomon in First Kings 10:when the Queen of Sheba visited Israel. God manifested Mordecai in Esther 10 and Peter in Acts 10. The disciples of Jesus were manifested in the 10th chapters of Matthew and Luke.
(f). The enemy disappears in the tenth season. In the tenth book of the Bible, the house of Saul finally went down and David became king of all Israel. In this book, David and his mighty men subdued the Philistines and the surrounding enemy nations. He established Jerusalem as the city of God and brought the ark to Jerusalem. Psalm 10:15 says, “Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; Seek out his wickedness until You find none”.
PRAYER POINTS FOR THE 10TH WEEK
1. O Lord, keep our land from bloodshed and evil news this week. Deliver us from blood-thirsty men and women. Those who have power are tempted to shed blood in the tenth season.
2. O Lord, bring down every resistance to answered prayers in our nation. Release the angel of your purpose in our nation to war against opposing spirits of darkness.
3. Deliver our leaders and nation from costly mistakes and decisions that will trouble us. Deliver us from ‘the errors of David’.
4. O Lord, strengthen me and all your people, to fight and win battles, this week, according to your will.
5. Pray Psalm 10 against the wicked in Nigeria:O Lord, in this 10th week of Nigeria’s year,
(a). Let the wicked in Nigeria be caught in the plots which they have devised (Psalm 10:2).
(b). Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; in Nigeria Seek out his wickedness until You find none (Psalm 10:15).
(c). Do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more (Psalm 10:18).
SCRIPTURES FOR THE WEEK:
Isaiah 49:26: “I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh, And they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. All flesh shall know That I, the LORD, am your Savior, And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”Psalm 10:17-18: “LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, [18] To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more*.
Have a happy 49th week of the year and a greatly blessed 10th week of Nigeria’s year!.
