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2023: The Revelation of God You Need for the Season

By
Nkem Okemiri
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0

Your faith in God is according to the revelation of God you have. God reveals Himself uniquely in each season. God’s people must know God in a certain way in 2023. Here are five ways you need to see God in 2023:

1. A REVELATION OF GOD AS THE SOVEREIGN LORD

Isaiah 42:8: I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.

Isaiah 43:12-13: I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says the LORD, “that I am God. [13] Indeed before the day was, I am He; And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?.”

Isaiah 44:6: “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.

Isaiah 44:24-28: Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself; [25] Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, And drives diviners mad; Who turns wise men backward, And makes their knowledge foolishness; [26] Who confirms the word of His servant, And performs the counsel of His messengers; Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’ To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’ And I will raise up her waste places; [27] Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry! And I will dry up your rivers’; [28] Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd, And he shall perform all My pleasure, Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,” And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”‘

Isaiah 45:18-19: For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain, Who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other. [19] I have not spoken in secret, In a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain’; I, the LORD, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

Isaiah 48:17: Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go.

Isaiah 51:15: But I am the LORD your God, Who divided the sea whose waves roared- The LORD of hosts is His name.

2. A REVELATION OF GOD AS THE LORD OF HOSTS

Isaiah 2:12: For the day of the LORD of hosts Shall come upon everything proud and lofty, Upon everything lifted up- And it shall be brought low-

Isaiah 5:16: But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.

Isaiah 8:13: The LORD of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear, And let Him be your dread.

Isaiah 9:19: Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts The land is burned up, And the people shall be as fuel for the fire; No man shall spare his brother.

Isaiah 23:9: The LORD of hosts has purposed it, To bring to dishonor the pride of all glory, To bring into contempt all the honorable of the earth.

Isaiah 31:4-5: For thus the LORD has spoken to me: “As a lion roars, And a young lion over his prey (When a multitude of shepherds is summoned against him, He will not be afraid of their voice Nor be disturbed by their noise), So the LORD of hosts will come down To fight for Mount Zion and for its hill. [5] Like birds flying about, So will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem. Defending, He will also deliver it; Passing over, He will preserve it.”

Isaiah 37:16-17: “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. [17] Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God.

Isaiah 48:2: For they call themselves after the holy city, And lean on the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is His name:

Isaiah 54:5: For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.

3. A REVELATION OF GOD AS REDEEMER

The word “Redeemer’ is used only in 18 verses in the Bible. Thirteen of those verses are in the 23rd book of the Bible – Isaiah. This indicates that ‘the Redeemer’ is so needed in the 23rd season.

Isaiah 41:14: “Fear not, you wortm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you,” says the LORD And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 43:14: Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: “For your sake I will send to Babylon, And bring them all down as fugitives- The Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships.

Isaiah 44:6: “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.

Isaiah 44:24: Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;

Isaiah 54:8: With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; But with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” Says the LORD, your Redeemer.

Isaiah 59:20: “The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,” Says the LORD.

THE LORD IS THE REDEEMER WHO HAD REDEEMED AND WILL REDEEM HIS PEOPLE

Out of the 59 verses where the word ‘redeemed’ is used in the Bible (NKJV) 13 verses are in Isaiah – the 23rd book of the Bible. That’s more than 20%.

Isaiah 29:22: Therefore thus says the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob: “Jacob shall not now be ashamed, Nor shall his face now grow pale;

Isaiah 35:9: No lion shall be there, Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; It shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there,

Isaiah 43:1: But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.

Isaiah 44: 22-23: I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.” [23] Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it! Shout, you lower parts of the earth; Break forth into singing, you mountains, O forest, and every tree in it! For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And glorified Himself in Israel.

4. A REVELATION OF GOD AS THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL

Isaiah’s ministry began with a revelation of the Holy God. Isaiah 6:1-7 says, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. [2] Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. [3] And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” [4] And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. [5] So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.” [6] Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. [7] And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.”

The title, ‘The Holy One of Israel’, is commonly used in the 23rd book of the Bible (Isaiah). This should take our minds back to Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy where God revealed Himself as the Holy God. The Lord God of Israel is not an unholy God. He detests filthiness, sin and iniquity. 2023 is the year of the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 1:4: Alas, sinful nation, A people laden with iniquity, A brood of evildoers, Children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward.

Isaiah 40:25: “To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.Isaiah 52:11: Depart! Depart! Go out from there, Touch no unclean thing; Go out from the midst of her, Be clean, You who bear the vessels of the LORD.

Isaiah 57:15: For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

HIS HABITATION IS THE HOLY MOUNTAIN

Isaiah 11:9: They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.

Isaiah 66:20: Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the LORD out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the LORD, “as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.

5. A REVELATION OF GOD AS SHEPHERD

Psalm 23:1-3: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. [2] He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. [3] He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.

Psalm 23 reveals God as Shepherd and in 2023, God’s people need to know God as the Shepherd Who cares, protects, provides and guides. Isaiah 40:10-11 says, “Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. [11] He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young”.

2023: GOD’S PRESENCE – A GREAT NEED

By
Nkem Okemiri
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0

The most important thing you need in 2023 is the Presence of God. That is the greatest need of the season. The presence of God will guide you, make a way for you and preserve you. The presence of God will give you everything else. The 23rd book of the Bible (Isaiah) bears witness to the power of God’s presence:

Isaiah 19:1 says, “The burden against Egypt. Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst”.Isaiah 63:9 says, “In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the Angel of His Presence saved them; In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; And He bore them and carried them All the days of old”.

Isaiah 64:1-4 says, “Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence- [2] As fire burns brushwood, As fire causes water to boil- To make Your name known to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence! [3] When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down, The mountains shook at Your presence. [4] For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him”.

The presence of God guided David away from death in First Samuel 23. Psalm 23 shows the difference God’s presence can make in your life in a 23rd season. With the presence of God in 2023, the year will be a Psalm 23 year for you. Psalm 23: 4: “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me”

YOU NEED NOT FEAR IN 2023

Those who are conscious of God’s presence with them do not fear any circumstance, man or spirit (Psalm 23:4). Fearful things may happen in 2023 but we need not fear anything when our Redeemer, the Lord of hosts, the Holy One of Israel, is with us.

Isaiah 7:4-7: “and say to him: ‘Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. [5] Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, [6] “Let us go up against Judah and trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel”- [7] thus says the Lord GOD: “It shall not stand, Nor shall it come to pass.

Isaiah 35:4: Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.”

Isaiah 41:10-14: Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ [11] “Behold, all those who were incensed against you Shall be ashamed and disgraced; They shall be as nothing, And those who strive with you shall perish. [12] You shall seek them and not find them- Those who contended with you. Those who war against you Shall be as nothing, As a nonexistent thing. [13] For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’ [14] “Fear not, you worm Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you,” says the LORD And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 43:5-6: Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west; [6] I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth-

Isaiah 44:2: Thus says the LORD who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you: ‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant; And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

Isaiah 44:8: Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.’”

Isaiah 51:7-8: “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the reproach of men, Nor be afraid of their insults. [8] For the moth will eat them up like a garment, And the worm will eat them like wool; But My righteousness will be forever, And My salvation from generation to generation.”

Isaiah 54:4-5: “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; For you will forget the shame of your youth, And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. [5] For your Maker is your husband, The LORD of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth.

Isaiah 54:14: In righteousness you shall be established; You shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; And from terror, for it shall not come near you.

HOW TO ENSURE GOD’S PRESENCE IN 2023

1. GIVE YOUR ATTENTION TO GOD’S WORD

In Second Kings 23, the reformation of Josiah began with the reading of the word. The king and the people read the book of the Law that was found in the Bible. 2023 is a year to bring your life into alignment with God’s word. This is a season to read the word of God and give it the attention it deserves. Reading the word and paying attention will open your eyes to things that need correction in your life and challenge you to take necessary action.

2 Kings 23:1-3: Now the king sent them to gather all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem to him. [2] The king went up to the house of the LORD with all the men of Judah, and with him all the inhabitants of Jerusalem-the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the LORD. [3] Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant.

2. REPAIR THE HOUSE OF GOD IN YOUR LIFE

Your body is the temple of God. It is the dwelling place of God. It is the House of prayer where men ought to meet with God and receive answers to their problems and needs. The House of God is a great need in the 23rd season.

In Psalm 23:6, the psalmist said, “… I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever”.Isaiah 2:2-3: “And it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. [3] Many people shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Isaiah 37:1: “And so it was, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.

Isaiah 37:14-20: “And Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the LORD, and spread it before the LORD. [15] Then Hezekiah prayed to the LORD, saying: [16] “O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. [17] Incline Your ear, O LORD, and hear; open Your eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. [18] Truly, LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, [19] and have cast their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but the work of men’s hands-wood and stone. Therefore they destroyed them. [20] Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the LORD, You alone.”

Isaiah 38:20-22: “The LORD was ready to save me; Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments All the days of our life, in the house of the LORD.” [21] Now Isaiah had said, “Let them take a lump of figs, and apply it as a poultice on the boil, and he shall recover.” [22] And Hezekiah had said, “What is the sign that I shall go up to the house of the LORD?”

Isaiah 66:1-2: “Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? [2] For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the LORD. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word.

Isaiah 66:20: “Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the LORD out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the LORD, “as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.

Second Kings 12 reveals the importance of having the house of God in order in the 23rd year of the 21st century:

2 Kings 12:4-12: “And Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the dedicated gifts that are brought into the house of the LORD-each man’s census money, each man’s assessment money-and all the money that a man purposes in his heart to bring into the house of the LORD, [5] let the priests take it themselves, each from his constituency; and let them repair the damages of the temple, wherever any dilapidation is found.” [6] Now it was so, by the twenty-third year of King Jehoash, that the priests had not repaired the damages of the temple. [7] So King Jehoash called Jehoiada the priest and the other priests, and said to them, “Why have you not repaired the damages of the temple? Now therefore, do not take more money from your constituency, but deliver it for repairing the damages of the temple.” [8] And the priests agreed that they would neither receive more money from the people, nor repair the damages of the temple. [9] Then Jehoiada the priest took a chest, bored a hole in its lid, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one comes into the house of the LORD; and the priests who kept the door put there all the money brought into the house of the LORD. [10] So it was, whenever they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king’s scribe and the high priest came up and put it in bags, and counted the money that was found in the house of the LORD. [11] Then they gave the money, which had been apportioned, into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they paid it out to the carpenters and builders who worked on the house of the LORD, [12] and to masons and stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone, to repair the damage of the house of the LORD, and for all that was paid out to repair the temple.

2 Chronicles 23:18-19: “Also Jehoiada appointed the oversight of the house of the LORD to the hand of the priests, the Levites, whom David had assigned in the house of the LORD, to offer the burnt offerings of the LORD, as it is written in the Law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was established by David. [19] And he set the gatekeepers at the gates of the house of the LORD, so that no one who was in any way unclean should enter”.

3. DO AWAY WITH IDOLS AND ABOMINATIONS

Idols are offensive to God especially in the 23rd season. Idols are unnecessary because God said, “I am the Lord and there is no other”. Idols are alternatives to faith in God and they are mocked in the 23rd book of the Bible. Do not allow anything to strive with God for space and loyalty in your life. God will declare war against 21st century idols in 2023. Let God have His space and time in your life in 2023.

When King Josiah began his reformation in Second Kings 23, it was an all-out war against idolatry – idols (images), their altars and their worshippers.

2 Kings 23:4-8: And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the articles that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. [5] Then he removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem, and those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven. [6] And he brought out the wooden image from the house of the LORD, to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and ground it to ashes, and threw its ashes on the graves of the common people. [7] Then he tore down the ritual booths of the perverted persons that were in the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the wooden image. [8] And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba; also he broke down the high places at the gates which were at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were to the left of the city gate.

Isaiah 2:8: Their land is also full of idols; They worship the work of their own hands, That which their own fingers have made.

Isaiah 2:17-19: The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; The LORD alone will be exalted in that day, [18] But the idols He shall utterly abolish. [19] They shall go into the holes of the rocks, And into the caves of the earth, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily.

Isaiah 2:20-22: In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver And his idols of gold, Which they made, each for himself to worship, To the moles and bats, [21] To go into the clefts of the rocks, And into the crags of the rugged rocks, From the terror of the LORD And the glory of His majesty, When He arises to shake the earth mightily. [22] Sever yourselves from such a man, Whose breath is in his nostrils; For of what account is he?

Isaiah 10:10-11: As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, Whose carved images excelled those of Jerusalem and Samaria, [11] As I have done to Samaria and her idols, Shall I not do also to Jerusalem and her idols?’”

Isaiah 19:1: The burden against Egypt. Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst.

Isaiah 19:3: The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel, And they will consult the idols and the charmers, The mediums and the sorcerers.

Isaiah 31:7: For in that day every man shall throw away his idols of silver and his idols of gold-sin, which your own hands have made for yourselves.

Isaiah 45:16: They shall be ashamed And also disgraced, all of them; They shall go in confusion together, Who are makers of idols.

Isaiah 46:1: Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle. Your carriages were heavily loaded, A burden to the weary beast.

Isaiah 48:5: Even from the beginning I have declared it to you; Before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you, Lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them, And my carved image and my molded image Have commanded them.’

Isaiah 57:13: When you cry out, Let your collection of idols deliver you. But the wind will carry them all away, A breath will take them. But he who puts his trust in Me shall possess the land, And shall inherit My holy mountain.”

Isaiah 65:2-4: I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in a way that is not good, According to their own thoughts; [3] A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face; Who sacrifice in gardens, And burn incense on altars of brick; [4] Who sit among the graves, And spend the night in the tombs; Who eat swine’s flesh, And the broth of abominable things is in their vessels;

Isaiah 66:17: “Those who sanctify themselves and purify themselves, To go to the gardens After an idol in the midst, Eating swine’s flesh and the abomination and the mouse, Shall be consumed together,” says the LORD.

4. GIVE UP HYPOCRISY AND SUPERFICIALITY. PRACTICE RIGHTEOUSNESS AND TRUTH

The Lord will be reacting against hypocrisy and superficiality in the in 2023. The Lord is fed up with superficial faith that has no life or power. Read God’s reaction to superficial religion in Isaiah 1:11-20: ”To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?” Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. [12] “When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? [13] Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies- I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. [14] Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. [15] When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. [16] “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, [17] Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. [18] “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. [19] If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; [20] But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword”; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

The Lord Jesus denounced the Scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23. He called them hypocrites, blind guides and whitewashed tombs. He told the disciples to not emulate them. In Acts 23, Paul also called the High Priest a whitewashed tomb.

5. BE OPEN TO NEW THINGS GOD WANTS TO DO IN 2023

The 23rd year (of the 21st century) is a year of new things. The Angel of God’s presence will go with those who are ready to go all the way with God. If God moves and you do not move with Him, you will be left behind.

(a). HE IS MAKING YOU AN INSTRUMENT OF WAR (THRESHING SLEDGE)

Isaiah 41:15: “Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth; You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, And make the hills like chaff.

(b). GET READY FOR NEW PROCLAMATIONS

Isaiah 42:9: Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

(c). PREPARE TO SING NEW SONGS TO GOD

Isaiah 42:10-13: Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise from the ends of the earth, You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, You coastlands and you inhabitants of them! [11] Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice, The villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing, Let them shout from the top of the mountains. [12] Let them give glory to the LORD, And declare His praise in the coastlands. [13] The LORD shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies.

(d). EXPECT TO SEE NEW THINGS IN OLD PLACES

Isaiah 43:19-21: Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. [20] The beast of the field will honor Me, The jackals and the ostriches, Because I give waters in the wilderness And rivers in the desert, To give drink to My people, My chosen. [21] This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My praise.

(e). BE READY FOR NEW REVELATIONS

Isaiah 48:6-7: “You have heard; See all this. And will you not declare it? I have made you hear new things from this time, Even hidden things, and you did not know them. [7] They are created now and not from the beginning; And before this day you have not heard them, Lest you should say, ‘Of course I knew them.’

(f). EXPECT CHANGES THAT COME WITH NEW NAMES

Isaiah 62:2-4: The Gentiles shall see your righteousness, And all kings your glory. You shall be called by a new name, Which the mouth of the LORD will name. [3] You shall also be a crown of glory In the hand of the LORD, And a royal diadem In the hand of your God. [4] You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, Nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; But you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; For the LORD delights in you, And your land shall be married.

g. PREPARE TO HARVEST YOUR NEW WINE:

Isaiah 62:8: The LORD has sworn by His right hand And by the arm of His strength: “Surely I will no longer give your grain As food for your enemies; And the sons of the foreigner shall not drink your new wine, For which you have labored.

Isaiah 65:8: Thus says the LORD: “As the new wine is found in the cluster, And one says, ‘Do not destroy it, For a blessing is in it,’ So will I do for My servants’ sake, That I may not destroy them all.

h). EXPECT A NEW WORLD. GOD CAN FIX CLIMATE CHANGE

Isaiah 65:17-18: “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. [18] But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, And her people a joy.

Isaiah 66:22: “For as the new heavens and the new earth Which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the LORD, “So shall your descendants and your name remain.

6. SEEK GODS PRESENCE WITH PRAYER AND REPENTANCE

Isaiah 9:13: For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them, Nor do they seek the LORD of hosts.Isaiah 11:10: “And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious.”

Isaiah 26:9: With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Isaiah 31:1: Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the LORD!

Isaiah 41:17: “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, Their tongues fail for thirst. I, the LORD, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.Isaiah 45:19: I have not spoken in secret, In a dark place of the earth; I did not say to the seed of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in vain’; I, the LORD, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

Isaiah 51:1-2: “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. [2] Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.”

Isaiah 55:6-7: Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. [7] Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.

Isaiah 56:4-7: For thus says the LORD: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, [5] Even to them I will give in My house And within My walls a place and a name Better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name That shall not be cut off. [6] “Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants- Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant- [7] Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.“

Isaiah 58:2: Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God.

7. WALK IN HUMILITY.

1 Peter 5:5-6: Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” [6] Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,

Isaiah 2:11-17: The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day. [12] For the day of the LORD of hosts Shall come upon everything proud and lofty, Upon everything lifted up- And it shall be brought low- [13] Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, And upon all the oaks of Bashan; [14] Upon all the high mountains, And upon all the hills that are lifted up; [15] Upon every high tower, And upon every fortified wall; [16] Upon all the ships of Tarshish, And upon all the beautiful sloops. [17] The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; The LORD alone will be exalted in that day,Isaiah 5:15-16: People shall be brought down, Each man shall be humbled, And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled. [16] But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.

Isaiah 10:33-34: Behold, the Lord, The LORD of hosts, Will lop off the bough with terror; Those of high stature will be hewn down, And the haughty will be humbled. [34] He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, And Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.

Isaiah 13:11: “I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

Isaiah 29:19-20: The humble also shall increase their joy in the LORD, And the poor among men shall rejoice In the Holy One of Israel. [20] For the terrible one is brought to nothing, The scornful one is consumed, And all who watch for iniquity are cut off-

Isaiah 57:15: For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones.God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.

LEADERS WHO WENT DOWN IN 1923

March 9 – Vladimir Lenin suffered his third stroke, which rendered him bedridden and unable to speak; consequently he retired from his position as Chairman of the Soviet government.

Hjalmar Branting leaves office as Prime Minister of Sweden, after the Swedish Riksdag has rejected a government proposal regarding unemployment benefits. Right-wing academic and jurist Ernst Trygger succeeds him.

May 20 – British Prime Minister Bonar Law resigns, due to ill health.

June 9 – A military coup in Bulgaria ousts prime minister Aleksandar Stamboliyski (he is killed June 14).

June 13 – President Li Yuanhong of China abandons his residence because a warlord has commanded forces to surround the mansion and cut off its water and electric supplies in order to force him to abandon his post.

July 20 – Pancho Villa is assassinated at Hidalgo del Parral, Chihuahua.

July 24 – The Treaty of Lausanne (1923), settling the boundaries of the modern Republic of Turkey, is signed in Switzerland by Greece, Bulgaria and other countries that fought in the First World War, bringing an end to the Ottoman Empire after 624 years.

August 3 – President Warren Harding suddenly dies. Vice President Calvin Coolidge is sworn in as the 30th President of the United States as a result of the sudden death of President Warren G. Harding in San Francisco a day earlier.

September 13 – Military coup in Spain: Miguel Primo de Rivera takes over, setting up a dictatorship. Trade unions are prohibited for 10 years.

November 8 – Beer Hall Putsch: In Munich, Adolf Hitler leads the Nazis in an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the Bavarian government; police and troops crush the attempt the next day. 20 people die as a result of associated violence

November 23 – Gustav Stresemann’s coalition government collapsed in Germany.

SCRIPTURE FOR 2023: “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19).

The Lord will do it and make it good for you in 2023!

2023: A YEAR OF REFORMATION AND RECOVERY

By
Nkem Okemiri
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The one reason we need to understand times and seasons is to know what we ought to do and how we ought to pray. If gaining knowledge of times and seasons does not lead to knowing what to do or having prophetic direction, something major is missing. Whatever we receive concerning 2023 should come with what we need to do. When God spoke to Noah about the flood, He also guided him to build an ark of safety. When Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream concerning surplus and scarcity, he told Pharaoh what Egypt must do to escape scarcity resulting from famine. When Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream concerning an impending judgment, he also told him what to do to avert the judgment: “Therefore, O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous, and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity” (Daniel 4:27).

God did not tell Noah to just pray to stop the flood. Joseph did not tell Pharaoh to gather people to pray so that famine will not come. Daniel did not offer to pray for the king to avert judgment. The times are not looking great for our world. Disaster is in the air. What are we supposed to do: stand to watch or turn around? We need a swift change!

The 23rd book and chapters are our guiding light for this season.

  1. WE NEED REPENTANCE AND RECOVERY!

This should be in our response to divine displeasure. We need to make a full return to God. We need to judge our ways with the Word of God and make necessary corrections. This will lead to repentance, rejecting some ideas and ways of doing things and returning fully to God. It will also lead to the restoration of things in the word that had been ignored. We need to return to the Word of God, to the Will of God and to the Ways of God. We need to call ourselves and our world to order for three reasons:

1. Judgment is coming because our world has erred and drifted grossly. If we return to God, we may avert or escape the impending judgment.

2. To draw His presence. God’s presence will go where He is pleased. God withdraws His blessed presence from rebellious people.

3. To provoke the release of God’s power on earth. The pleasure of God will attract the presence of God and the presence of God will cause the release of the power of God.

So, the Lord is saying 2023 is a year to focus on reformation by returning to the Word. It is a year to return to witness the presence and power of God by returning to do His pleasure.

LESSONS FROM THE 23RD CHAPTERS OF THE BIBLE

The 23rd chapters of the Bible indicate that the 23rd season is ripe time to confront for change. 2023 is clean-up year around the world.Josiah began his sweeping reforms in Second Kings 23.Jeremiah spoke against the shepherds of Israel (religious leaders) in Jeremiah 23.In Ezekiel 23 is the prophet’s declarations against Israel and Judah (Oholah and Oholiba).Jesus denounced the religious leaders of His day in Matthew 23. What the Bible records in the above 23rd chapters of the Bible is a prophetic pattern for what He wants done in 2023. God wants action towards change.

PULLING DOWN AND BUILDING

Reformation is about pulling down and building up. Isaiah was a prophet of reformation. Isaiah was a prophet of reformation. The 23rd book of the Bible gives us a picture of what reformation involves. The first part is pulling down the wrong thing. (Isaiah 1-39). The second part is restoring and establishing the real thing. Reformation is about pulling down the evil and establishing the good. It is about confrontation on one hand and restoration on the other hand. We cannot afford to have one without the other. Casting out without restoring what should be is a waste of time. Restoring what should be without pulling down just won’t work. The 23rd book of the Bible records the fall of the mighty and proud beginning with Uzziah. We need reformation that touches the church, family, government and business.

LESSONS FROM JOSIAH, KING OF JUDAH

What King Josiah did in 2 Kings 23 is a good illustration of how to carry out a reformation.

1. He had the Law read to him. He first went through a personal change.

2. He gathered the people together and they came.

3. He read the word of God to them. The word of God was the instrument of reformation.

4. He challenged and led them to make a covenant with God.

5. He dismantled things and people in the land that were offensive to God.

6. He led the people to observe an exceptional Passover as Moses commanded.Reformation begins with the individual, extends to the people around and then hits the wider society.

IT IS SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Reformation is spiritual warfare. It is as tough as swimming against the tide. We need preparation of the whole man for this season. Agents of reformation are enemies of those who do not want the status quo to change. So, they are satan’s targets. The enemy wants them destroyed or weakened and hell will go any length to fight against reformation and the agents.

In Genesis 23, Abraham was attacked through the death of Sarah.

In 2 Samuel 23, Saul wanted to eliminate David. People were ready to betray David.

Josiah died in a battle he shouldn’t have fought in Second Kings 23.

The spirit of death rose against Hezekiah in the 23rd book of the Bible.

In Luke 23, the religious leaders of the Jews moved for the crucifixion of Jesus.

In Acts 23, the Jews wanted to kill Paul.

OUR STRENGTH IS IN GOD

Psalm 23 shows what God’s peopleshould think and say daily. Psalm 23 is the reformers’ Psalm. 2023 is also a Psalm 23 year for those standing for God. The Lord must be the strength and backbone of a reformation generation in 2023. They can count on the Lord for protection, provision and preservation. The presence of God and consciousness of it is the strength of agents of reformation. Preparation for warfare is very necessary in this season. Second Samuel 23 tells us about David’s mighty men and shows the kind of preparedness we need in this season. May the Lord give us mighty men and also help us to raise mighty men in this season.

PARTNERING WITH THE NEXT GENERATION

Revivals are always in danger of losing power. It is important to think of, and plan for, the future of any reformation effort. Josiah’s reformation did not outlive him. It died with him. His sons and successors could not continue the good work. They were a disappointment. The sons of Josiah are the subject of Jeremiah’s admonition in Jeremiah 22.

Jeremiah 22:11-19 says, “For thus says the LORD concerning Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, who went from this place: “He shall not return here anymore, [12] but he shall die in the place where they have led him captive, and shall see this land no more. [13] “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness And his chambers by injustice, Who uses his neighbor’s service without wages And gives him nothing for his work, [14] Who says, ‘I will build myself a wide house with spacious chambers, And cut out windows for it, Paneling it with cedar And painting it with vermilion.’ [15] “Shall you reign because you enclose yourself in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink, And do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. [16] He judged the cause of the poor and needy; Then it was well. Was not this knowing Me?” says the LORD. [17] “Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence.” [18] Therefore thus says the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: “They shall not lament for him, Saying, ‘Alas, my brother!’ or ‘Alas, my sister!’ They shall not lament for him, Saying, ‘Alas, master!’ or ‘Alas, his glory!’ [19] He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, Dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem”.

We cannot afford to run without the next generation. We must be intentional about connecting with the younger generation. They are the future!

LESSONS FROM THE UNITED STATES

The 23rd season is for landmark decisions that create changes:

In the 23rd year of the 19th century, the US foreign policy took a new turn with the (Monroe) Doctrine of President James Munroe that drew boundaries prohibiting European nations from meddling with states in the Americas.

The 23rd President of the United States lost re-election bid to the same person he defeated to become President. The 23rd position exposed his weakness.

The 29th President of the United States, Warren G. Harding, died in office in 1923 (the 23rd year of the 20th century). Scandals that followed his death revealed his hypocritical lifestyle.

Franklin D. Roosevelt became President of the United States within the 23rd seven years of the United States. Change was desperately needed in this season.

The 23rd season is a time of confrontation, correction and change.

PRAYER POINTS FOR 2023

1. Pray that God will raise prophecy-fulfilling revolutionary leaders like Josiah for the church and nations around the world in this season.

2. Pray for the restoration of God’s word its central place in the church. Pray for church leaders to take the people back to the Word of God.

3. Pray that the church will a experience a long lasting reformation from this season

4. Pray for the protection and preservation of leaders who will emerge in this season to do the will of God in this season. Pray against miscarriage of God’s will in this season. Pray protection over frontline and out-spoken Christian leaders in this season.

5. Pray that God will stir the hearts of people to gather around leaders of reformation in this season as with Josiah in Second Kings 23 and as with David as his mighty men in Second Samuel 23.

6. Pray that 2023 will be a year of experiencing Psalm 23 in the church and the nations.

7. Pray that the mercy of God will push back the hand of judgment stretched against our world in this season.

8. Pray, in this season, for the global release of Isaiah-type multifaceted prophetic mantle that touches religion and politics upon the church. This is also the Elijah anointing that released for change or judgment.

9. Pray for an inter-generational move of God that will impact both the older generation and the younger generation – fathers and sons and mothers and daughters. extends to the people around and then hits the wider society.

2023: A PSALM 23 YEAR

By
Nkem Okemiri
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Every scripture is a word in season. Bible passages are where they are in the Bible because of the season they speak to. Psalm 23 s a word for all times but it is also a prophetic word for a 23rd season – day, week or year. It is a word for 2023 and for everyone moving from a 22nd year into a 23rd year.

IMPLICATIONS OF LIVING IN A PSALM 23 SEASON:

Here are six implications of being in a Psalm 23 season – the season of the Great Shepherd and His sheep:

a). The Lord will fight for His sheep to deliver them in 2023. God fought for Israel in Numbers 23. He made it impossible for Balaam to curse Israel. God fought for Hezekiah and Judah (against Sennacherib and Assyria) in the 23rd book of the Bible. The Lord Jesus fought for Paul and delivered him the conspiracies against him in the 23rd chapter of Acts. In the 23rd week of 1967 (June 5-10), God fought for Israel in the Six-Day War against Jordan, Syria, and Egypt; and gave her victory. In this season, no devil can mess with God’s people who know who and Whose they are.

b). The Lord expects leaders in the church and the world to express the Shepherd’s heart in 2023. He seeks shepherds after His heart for His people and will rebuke leaders who do not express the heart of the Shepherd in this season. He spoke of Cyrus as a shepherd to Israel in the 23rd book of the Bible (Isaiah 44:28). God rebuked the spiritual shepherds of Israel in Jeremiah 23. Jesus denounced the Pharisees in Matthew 23. Leadership will matter to God in 2023. Heaven will rebuke proud, arrogant and insensitive leaders in 2023.

c). The Shepherd is the Lord and will not tolerate those who will compete with Him or rise against Hm. The 23rd book of the Bible records the fall of Lucifer, Babylon, and Sennacherib. Ayatollah Khomeni of Iran fell in the 23rd week of 1989. He died on the last day of the 22nd week (June 3) and his two-day funeral was June 5-6. General Sani Abacha of Nigeria died suddenly on June 8, 1998. The 23rd season is Fall Season for the mighty who stand in the way of God.

d). It is risky and dangerous to not submit to the leadership of the Shepherd. This is a season to be guided by God. A sheep that strays from the Shepherd will be at risk. Psalm 23 speaks about being led beside still waters and being made to lie down in green pastures. In First Samuel 23, David escaped falling into the hands of Saul through divine guidance. In Second Samuel 23, David celebrated the Great Shepherd who had blessed him with mighty men. In Second Kings 23, Josiah and Judah returned to the great Shepherd and prospered. That was the last revival before the captivity of Judah. King Josiah died in battle because he would not be guided by God in the battle that consumed him (2 Chronicles 35: 20-24). Ezekiel 23 is about rebellious Israel and Judah (Oholah and Oholibah) that rejected God’s leadership. 2023 is a season to be taught, guided and helped by the Spirit of God.

e). It is a season to be protected from death and the shadows of death. Sarah died in Genesis 23 at age 127 – within the third 49 years of her life. David escaped death in First Samuel 23. King Josiah died in Second Kings 23, Psalm 23 speaks of walking through the valley of the shadow of death. Jesus was crucified in Luke 23. Paul escaped death in Acts 23. The 29th President of the United States, Warren G. Harding, died in office in the 23rd year of the 20th century. Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in the 23rd week of 1968. He was shot on June 5 and pronounced dead on June 6. Kudirat Abiola of Nigeria was murdered on June 4, 1996.

f). it is a year of trusting in God and experiencing His Sufficiency. It is a year of multi-faceted blessings for those who trust and hope in God. Psalm 23 reveals that God is All-In-One to those who trust in Him – especially in a 23rd season. That is the reason Psalm 23 says, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want”. In 2023, the Great Shepherd of the Church is all you need. He will provide everything else. He is sufficient for every need. There is nothing to fear. There is nothing to worry about. In this year, God will set a table for you in the presence of your enemies and your cup will run over with blessings. 2023 is a year of great needs – safety, guidance, provisions and relationships. People will need miraculous interventions. People will need help from above. They will need the Way-Maker to make a way where there is none. As you trust the Lord in 2023, He will be, and give, all you need!

RELATED ARTICLES

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2023: The Revelation of God You Need for the Season

23 PRAYER POINTS AND DECLARATIONS FOR 2023

By
Nkem Okemiri
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Zechariah 10:1 teaches us to pray for things in their particular seasons: “Ask the LORD for rain In the time of the latter rain. The LORD will make flashing clouds; He will give them showers of rain, Grass in the field for everyone”. The time of rain is the time to ask the Lord for rain. As all purposes have their seasons, all seasons have their purposes. Here are 23 things we should ask of the Lord in the 23rd year of the 21st century:

1. As Sarah was buried in Genesis 23, Josiah in Second Kings 23 and Jesus in Luke 23, and as Psalm 23 speaks of the valley of the shadow of death, and the 23rd book of the Bible (Isaiah) ends with “corpses of men who have transgressed against me”, pray that 2023 will not be a year of deaths and funerals.

2. As Abraham took advantage of Sarah’s death, in Genesis 23, to purchase a burial ground and secured the future in the Promised Land, pray that the Lord will guide you in 2023 to make decisions that will secure the future and give you a stronghold in the land you dwell.

3. As God blocked and thwarted the efforts of Balak and Balaam to place a curse on Israel in Numbers 23, pray that the Lord will frustrate those who seek your harm and downfall in 2023. Pray against sorcerers warring against God’s people with their sorcery. Pray and destroy altars of wickedness raised against God’s people in different lands

4. As God delivered David from the hand of Saul in First Samuel 23, and He delivered Paul from the evil conspiracy of Pharisees and Sadducees in Acts 23, pray that God will deliver His people from the plots of enemies in 2023. Pray that the Lord will frustrate and destroy the evil plans of the wicked this year.

5. As King David prospered by the Word of the Lord and faithful relationships in Second Samuel 23, pray that you will prosper in 2023 by the word of the Lord and be helped by faithful and supportive mighty men and women.

6. As Josiah, driven by the Word of the Lord, carried out sweeping reforms in Judah in Second Kings 23, and as Jehoiada led a revolution that enthroned young Joash and dethroned wicked Athaliah in Second Chronicles 23, pray that the Wind of the Lord will overthrow and scatter evil seeds in the nations of the earth in 2023. Pray that the spirit of 21st century ‘Athaliah’ be crushed in this 23rd year of the century.

7. As Jeremiah 23 spoke against false prophets, and as Jesus denounced the Scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23 and exposed their superficiality, pray that the Lord will lift the rod of His Voice in 2023 against fakery, exploitation and manipulation in the Church and in the nations. Pray that the hypocrisies of evil leaders and nations will be exposed in 2023.

8. As the 23rd book of the Bible (Isaiah) spoke of the fall of Lucifer, Sennacherib, Babylon and other ungodly kingdoms, pray for the fall of proud leaders and evil kingdoms that blaspheme the name and ways of God and seek to hinder His moves and purposes.

9. Pray that God will raise prophecy-fulfilling revolutionary leaders like Josiah for the church and nations around the world in this season.

10. Pray for the restoration of God’s word to its central place in the church. Pray for church leaders to take the people back to the Word of God.

11. Pray that the church will experience a long lasting reformation from this season

12. Pray for the protection and preservation of leaders who will emerge to do the will of God in this season. Pray against miscarriage of God’s will in this season. Pray protection over frontline and out-spoken Christian leaders this season.

13. Pray that God will stir the hearts of people to gather around leaders of reformation in this season as with David and his mighty men in Second Samuel 23, as with Josiah in Second Kings 23 and as with Jehoiada and the king’s son in Second Chronicles 23.

14. Pray that 2023 will be a year of experiencing Psalm 23 in the church and the nations. Pray that, in this Psalm 23 year, God’s people will experience the shepherding and protection of the Lord as David testified in Psalm 23. Pray also that God’s people will listen to His voice and follow Him as His sheep. Pray that God’s people will enjoy, and be conscious of, His protective presence in 2023. Pray that the Lord will protect His own who may walk through the valley of the shadow of death in 2023.

15. Pray that the Lord will fight for His people against those who contend with them. Pray that the Great Shepherd of Israel will rise to help His people again, this year, as He had done in the past.

16. Pray and prophesy against leaders (in nations and institutions) who exploit people and serve themselves instead of serving the people.

17. Pray and prophesy against ‘powerful people’ who have risen against God and the cause of His kingdom in the nations. Pray, in this season, for the fall of the wicked and ungodly.

18. Pray that this 23rd year of the 21st century will be a season of awakening, by the Spirit, in the church and the nations. Pray that this is a season of returning to God and aligning with Him in the nations. Pray that the hearts of people are awakened to the word of God in the nations.

19. Pray that 2023 would be a season of awakening to the sufficiency of God. Pray that the needy in all nations will open their hearts to the All-Sufficient God. Pray that the eyes of those who have the opportunity to hear or receive the gospel this year will be opened to the All-Sufficient God. Pray that those who carry the gospel in all nations will reveal, through signs and wonders, the All-Sufficient power of God.

20. Pray that the mercy of God will push back the hand of judgment stretched against our world this season. Spare your people, O Lord!

21. Pray, in this season, for the release of Isaiah-type multifaceted prophetic mantle that touches religion, economy and politics upon the church. This is also the Elijah anointing that was released for change or judgment.

22. Pray for an inter-generational move of God that will impact both the older generation and the younger generation – fathers and sons and mothers and daughters.

23. Pray for reformation in ‘closed nations’ like Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea, China – where freedom is suppressed.

RELATED ARTICLES by Nkem Okemiri

2023: The Year and its Prophetic Significance

2023: 7 Ways to Ensure God’s Presence

2023: A Year of Reformation and Recovery

2023: A Psalm 23 Year

2023: The Revelation of God You Need for the Season

PRAYING INTO THE 52ND WEEK OF THE YEAR (DECEMBER 24 – 30)

By
Nkem Okemiri
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0

The 52nd week is the last full week of the year. It is the exit gate from the year and the bridge to the new year. The full week following the 52nd week of the year belongs to the New Year. This is a book of First Thessalonians week. It is also a 52nd chapters of the Bible.

Here are five things about the 52nd season that could guide us to pray into the 52nd week:

1. The 52nd season is for the celebration of triumph. The 52nd book and chapters of the Bible indicate that the 52nd is testimony time. Nehemiah built the wall in 52 days amid stiff opposition. The 52nd book of the Bible is a celebration of victory and triumph for a church that should not have survived but did. It is a testimony that God’s word triumphs over persecution and hardship. Persecution drove Paul and his team out of Thessalonica but could not uproot the gospel or the church there. The Lord overthrew the plans of the evil one to establish this church. The book is also about hope and comfort in the midst of affliction and conflict. Celebrate the triumphs if the year this week. Rejoice and give thanks for the things the enemy fought to hinder that came through.

2. The 52nd season is for changing leadership batons. King Uzziah died in the 52nd year of his reign. He was king for 52 years – the second longest serving king of Judah – following Manasseh. His son, Jotham took over the baton of leadership. Isaiah spoke of Uzziah’s death in Isaiah 6:1: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple”. Jeremiah 52: 31 mentions the shift of power to Evil-Merodach, king of Babylon. The sixth president of the United States lost re-election to Andrew Jackson in 1828 – the 52nd year of the United States. 1952 was a year of change of batons in the nations. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1952 following the death of her father, George VI on February 6. On February 26 Vincent Massey was sworn in to become the first Canadian-born Governor General of Canada. Dwight Eisenhower, Republican became 34th President of the United States – a shift from the 20 year reign of Democrats.

3. The 52bd season is for overthrow and establishment. It is a third day of creation season. It is a time to re-enact the overthrow of the waters and the manifestation of hidden dry ground and vegetation. Psalm 52 speaks about the end of the wicked and comforts the righteous. Psalm 52:1-7 says, “Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually. [2] Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. [3] You love evil more than good, Lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah [4] You love all devouring words, You deceitful tongue. [5] God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah [6] The righteous also shall see and fear, And shall laugh at him, saying, [7] “Here is the man who did not make God his strength, But trusted in the abundance of his riches, And strengthened himself in his wickedness”.

Isaiah 52 reveals that the 52nd week is when God says ‘Enough’ both to the wicked and to His suffering ones. Isaiah 52:1-10 says “Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you. [2] Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion! [3] For thus says the LORD: “You have sold yourselves for nothing, And you shall be redeemed without money.” [4] For thus says the Lord GOD: “My people went down at first Into Egypt to dwell there; Then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. [5] Now therefore, what have I here,” says the LORD, “That My people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them Make them wail,” says the LORD, “And My name is blasphemed continually every day. [6] Therefore My people shall know My name; Therefore they shall know in that day That I am He who speaks: ‘Behold, it is I.'” [7] How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” [8] Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, With their voices they shall sing together; For they shall see eye to eye When the LORD brings back Zion. [9] Break forth into joy, sing together, You waste places of Jerusalem! For the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. [10] The LORD has made bare His holy arm In the eyes of all the nations; And all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God”.

Jeremiah 52 is about the fall of Judah, the humiliation of King Zedekiah, the plundering and burning of the House of God and the carrying of the last captives to Babylon. This 52nd chapter of Jeremiah also mentions the end of affliction for Jehoaichin, king of Judah. He was released from prison on the 25th day of the twelfth month. Jeremiah 52:31-34 says, “Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. [32] And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. [33] So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. [34] And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day until the day of his death, all the days of his life”. Rebellious Judah was overthrown and dethroned Jehoiachin was restored. The book of Jeremiah is the only book of the Bible that ends at the 52nd chapter; and that chapter is about how it ended for rebellious Judah and her king. Jeremiah 52 shows that God’s Word is supreme. God overthrows and establishes in this season.

4. The enemy seeks to kill and destroy in the 52nd season. So, in the 52nd book of the Bible, Paul answers questions about ‘the dead in Christ’ because the brethren were worried about those dying. 1952 was a year of deaths and disasters. Tornadoes ravaged the lower Mississippi River Valley on March 21, leaving 208 dead, through March 22. On April 9, fifty people were trampled to death in the Basilica of Saint Teresa in Caracas, Venezuela, after someone shouted “Fire!”. On April 26, the United States Navy aircraft carrier Wasp collided with destroyer Hobson while on exercises in the Atlantic Ocean, killing 175 men. On August 12 – Night of the Murdered Poets: 13 Soviet Jewish poets were executed. August 16 – Lynmouth, North Devon, England is devastated by floods; 34 people died. November 4: The 9.0 Mw Severo-Kurilsk earthquake hits the Kamchatka Peninsula of the Soviet Union with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). A tsunami took the lives of more than 2,300 people. December 20 – The crash of a U.S. Air Force C-124 Globemaster at Moses Lake, WA killed 86 servicemen. The 52nd year of Nigeria, 2012, was a year of tears in Nigeria – from flood, terrorist attacks and the Dana Air plane crash that claimed 153 lives. For those worried about death, especially in the 52nd season, the 52nd book of the Bible shows that death will be overthrown when Lord Himself descends with a shout, the voice of the arch-angel and the trumpet – and the dead in Christ will rise to meet Him with those who remain alive till His coming. In the meantime, we must use prayer, faith and wisdom to hold death in check. The 52nd is a time to look back and see what the Lord has done and also to look forward with responsible hope concerning the future.

5. The 52nd week is Christmas week and is a season of beautiful garments. In my country and other parts of Africa, Christians put on their best clothes in this season. It’s called ‘Christmas clothes’. I think this is something prophetic because in Isaiah 52:1, the Lord said, “…Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you”. Jeremiah 52:33 says, “So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments….” The new clothes of the Christmas season is a prophetic announcement that change has come.

Providence made Christmas celebration part of the 52nd week to show us that the season is about the triumph of God’s word. It’s not about when Jesus was born but about remembering He was born. Jesus was miraculously conceived, born, and preserved against all odds. Today, He is preached all over the world. If God made good His word concerning the virgin conception and birth of Jesus, we must know that He will also make good His word concerning every other thing. God’s word prevails in the 52nd season. The 52nd is a season of keeping hope alive and counting on God’s faithfulness. It is a time to look up with confidence and remind ourselves that God will fulfill His word and bring His purposes to the desired end.

PRAYER POINTS FOR THE 52ND WEEK

1. Give thanks to God for the grace of coming into the last week of the year.

2. Decree that this will be the last week of certain experiences that came with this year in the nations. Pray that evil and wicked people who will not turn back will go down.

3. Pray that affliction will end for many in this week as it ended for Jehoaichin on the 25th day of the 12th month in Jeremiah 52.

4. Pray that this will be a week of salvation from diverse struggles and troubles as the world marks the birth of the Saviour this week.

5. Pray against the spirit of death and the loss of lives in this season.

6. Pray against despair and loss of hope in the hearts of God’s people in the nations.

BIBLE READING SUGGESTIONS FOR THE WEEK

December 24: Isaiah 52
December 25: Jeremiah 52
December 26: 1 Thessalonians 1
December 27: 1 Thessalonians 2
December 28: 1 Thessalonians 3
December 29: 1 Thessalonians 4
December 30: 1 Thessalonians 5; Psalm 52

SCRIPTURES FIR THE WEEK

Isaiah 52:1: Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you.

Happy 52nd and last week of the year Merry Christmas ❤️ !!!

NIGERIA: PRAYING INTO DECEMBER 24 – 30 (THE 52ND WEEK OF THE YEAR AND THE 13TH WEEK OF NIGERIA’S YEAR)

By
Nkem Okemiri
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0

The 52nd week is the last full week of the year. It is the exit gate from the year and the bridge to the new year. The full week following the 52nd week of the year belongs to the New Year.

Here are four things about the 52nd season that could guide us to pray into the 52nd week:

My1. The 52nd season is for the celebration of triumph. The 52nd book and chapters of the Bible indicate that the 52nd is testimony time. Nehemiah built the wall in 52 days amid stiff opposition. The 52nd book of the Bible is a celebration of victory and triumph for a church that should not have survived but did. It is a testimony that God’s word triumphs over persecution and hardship. Persecution drove Paul and his team out of Thessalonica but could not uproot the gospel or the church there. The Lord overthrew the plans of the evil one to establish this church. The book is also about hope and comfort in the midst of affliction and conflict. Celebrate the triumphs if the year this week. Rejoice and give thanks for the things the enemy fought to hinder that came through.

2. The 52nd season is for changing leadership batons. King Uzziah died in the 52nd year of his reign. He was king for 52 years – the second longest serving king of Judah – following Manasseh. His son, Jotham took over the baton of leadership. Isaiah spoke of Uzziah’s death in Isaiah 6:1: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple”. Jeremiah 52: 31 mentions the shift of power to Evil-Merodach, king of Babylon. The sixth president of the United States lost re-election to Andrew Jackson in 1828 – the 52nd year of the United States. 1952 was a year of change of batons in the nations. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1952 following the death of her father, George VI on February 6. On February 26 Vincent Massey was sworn in to become the first Canadian-born Governor General of Canada. Dwight Eisenhower, Republican became 34th President of the United States – a shift from the 20 year reign of Democrats.

3. The 52bd season is for overthrow and establishment. It is a third day of creation season. It is a time to re-enact the overthrow of the waters and the manifestation of hidden dry ground and vegetation. Psalm 52 speaks about the end of the wicked and comforts the righteous. Psalm 52:1-7 says, “Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually. [2] Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. [3] You love evil more than good, Lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah [4] You love all devouring words, You deceitful tongue. [5] God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah [6] The righteous also shall see and fear, And shall laugh at him, saying, [7] “Here is the man who did not make God his strength, But trusted in the abundance of his riches, And strengthened himself in his wickedness”.

Isaiah 52 reveals that the 52nd week is when God says ‘Enough’ both to the wicked and to His suffering ones. Isaiah 52:1-10 says “Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you. [2] Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion! [3] For thus says the LORD: “You have sold yourselves for nothing, And you shall be redeemed without money.” [4] For thus says the Lord GOD: “My people went down at first Into Egypt to dwell there; Then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. [5] Now therefore, what have I here,” says the LORD, “That My people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them Make them wail,” says the LORD, “And My name is blasphemed continually every day. [6] Therefore My people shall know My name; Therefore they shall know in that day That I am He who speaks: ‘Behold, it is I.'” [7] How beautiful upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!” [8] Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, With their voices they shall sing together; For they shall see eye to eye When the LORD brings back Zion. [9] Break forth into joy, sing together, You waste places of Jerusalem! For the LORD has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. [10] The LORD has made bare His holy arm In the eyes of all the nations; And all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God”.

Jeremiah 52 is about the fall of Judah, the humiliation of King Zedekiah, the plundering and burning of the House of God and the carrying of the last captives to Babylon. This 52nd chapter of Jeremiah also mentions the end of affliction for Jehoaichin, king of Judah. He was released from prison on the 25th day of the twelfth month. Jeremiah 52:31-34 says, “Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. [32] And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. [33] So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. [34] And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day until the day of his death, all the days of his life”. Rebellious Judah was overthrown and dethroned Jehoiachin was restored. The book of Jeremiah is the only book of the Bible that ends at the 52nd chapter; and that chapter is about how it ended for rebellious Judah and her king. Jeremiah 52 shows that God’s Word is supreme. God overthrows and establishes in this season.

4. The enemy seeks to kill and destroy in the 52nd season. So, in the 52nd book of the Bible, Paul answers questions about ‘the dead in Christ’ because the brethren were worried about those dying. 1952 was a year of deaths and disasters. Tornadoes ravaged the lower Mississippi River Valley on March 21, leaving 208 dead, through March 22. On April 9, fifty people were trampled to death in the Basilica of Saint Teresa in Caracas, Venezuela, after someone shouted “Fire!”. On April 26, the United States Navy aircraft carrier Wasp collided with destroyer Hobson while on exercises in the Atlantic Ocean, killing 175 men. On August 12 – Night of the Murdered Poets: 13 Soviet Jewish poets were executed. August 16 – Lynmouth, North Devon, England is devastated by floods; 34 people died. November 4: The 9.0 Mw Severo-Kurilsk earthquake hits the Kamchatka Peninsula of the Soviet Union with a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (Extreme). A tsunami took the lives of more than 2,300 people. December 20 – The crash of a U.S. Air Force C-124 Globemaster at Moses Lake, WA killed 86 servicemen. The 52nd year of Nigeria, 2012, was a year of tears in Nigeria – from flood, terrorist attacks and the Dana Air plane crash that claimed 153 lives. For those worried about death, especially in the 52nd season, the 52nd book of the Bible shows that death will be overthrown when Lord Himself descends with a shout, the voice of the arch-angel and the trumpet – and the dead in Christ will rise to meet Him with those who remain alive till His coming. In the meantime, we must use prayer, faith and wisdom to hold death in check. The 52nd is a time to look back and see what the Lord has done and also to look forward with responsible hope concerning the future.

The 52nd week is Christmas week. Providence made Christmas celebration part of the 52nd week to show us that the season is about the triumph of God’s word. It’s not about when Jesus was born but about remembering He was born. Jesus was miraculously conceived, born, and preserved against all odds. Today, He is preached all over the world. If God made good His word concerning the virgin conception and birth of Jesus, we must know that He will also make good His word concerning every other thing. God’s word prevails in the 52nd season. The 52nd is a season of keeping hope alive and counting on God’s faithfulness. It is a time to look up with confidence and remind ourselves that God will fulfill His word and bring His purposes to the desired end.

PRAYER POINTS FOR THE 52ND WEEK

1. Give thanks to God for the grace of coming into the last week of the year.

2. Decree that this will be the last week of certain experiences that came with this year in the nations. Pray that evil and wicked people who will not turn back will go down.

3. Pray that affliction will end for many this week as it ended for Jehoaichin on the 25th day of the 12th month in Jeremiah 52.

4. Pray that this will be a week of salvation from diverse struggles and troubles as the world marks the birth of the Saviour this week.

5. Pray against the spirit of death and the loss of lives in this season.

6. Pray against despair and loss of hope in the hearts of God’s people in the nations.

THE 13TH WEEK OF NIGERIA’S YEAR

The week of December 24-30 is the 13th week from October 1. This is the week ending the third month of Nigeria’s year. Patterns in the Bible reveal the following about the 13th season.

1. The 13th season is for separation to purpose. In Genesis 13, Lot separated from Abraham. In Exodus 13, Israel separated from Egypt and also separated the firstborn to God. In Judges 13, Samson was separated to God from the womb. In Nehemiah 13, Jews separated from foreigners. In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas were separated to the task God gave them. In the 13th book of the Bible, First Chronicles, David was separated from the rest of men. Revelation 13 is about separation through the Mark of the beast. In the 13th Century Bible narratives were separated into numbered chapters. In the loop ppp13th year of Nigeria, 1973, Nigeria created the Naira and separated from the use of the British Pound Sterling.

2. The Bible also reveals that 13th season is Brotherhood Season. The 13th chapters of the Bible are the Love-chapters. In Genesis 13, Abraham told Lot, “We are brothers”. In John 13, Jesus said LOVE is the proof we are His disciples. Romans 13 says Love is the fulfilling of the Law. First Corinthians 13 says Love is the greatest. Hebrews 13 says, “Let brotherly love continue”. This is a week of love and separation to purpose. This is the week of Christmas. Let us spread the Love of God in Christ Jesus. The NYSC scheme was established in 1973, the 13th year of Nigeria, “to foster unity in the nation”.

3. The 13th season is a gate of time for ungodliness and wickedness. It is a season of stiff resistance to the will of God. Ten spies brought evil reports to Moses concerning the Promised Land. Saul began to disobey Samuel in First Samuel 13. Atrocities are recorded in David’s family in Second Samuel 13. Satan filled the heart of Judas in John 13. Elymas worked against the ministry of Paul in Acts 13. Revelation 13 is about the beast and the mark of the beast. 2013 was a year of prosperity for Gay people across the world. God’s people need to watch against the ungodly spirit of rebellion in this season.

4. The 13th season is for gaining territories. God spoke to Abraham about land in Genesis 13:14-17: “And the LORD said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him: “Lift your eyes now and look from the place where you are-northward, southward, eastward, and westward; [15] for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever. [16] And I will make your descendants as the dust of the earth; so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered. [17] Arise, walk in the land through its length and its width, for I give it to you.” Moses sent 12 spies to survey the land in Numbers 13. God told Joshua there were yet more lands to be conquered in Joshua 13. The missionary journeys of Paul to take territories for God began in Acts 13. The NYSC scheme that gave young Christian graduates opportunity to take the gospel to Islamic strongholds in Nigeria began in 1973 – the 13th year of Nigeria.

PRAYERS FOR THE 13TH WEEK

1. Pray to separate Nigeria to enter her prophetic destiny. May the Lord separate Nigeria from those drawing her back. Pray that Nigeria be separated from Nigerians who who are not true Nigerians – from those who have set themselves against the good and progress of Nigeria.

2. Pray for a revival of unity in the Body of Christ. Pray also for the unity of like-minded progressives in Nigeria. Pray that Nigerians will unite in heart and mind against evil and wickedness in the land.

3. Pray to break the strength of wickedness this week.

SCRIPTURES FOR THE WEEK

Isaiah 52:1: Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you.

John 13:34-35:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. [35] By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Have a happy 52nd week of the year and a peaceful 13th week of Nigeria’s year. Merry Christmas ❤️!!!

NIGERIA: PRAYING INTO SEPTEMBER 24 – 30 (THE 39TH WEEK OF THE YEAR AND THE 52ND WEEK OF NIGERIA’S YEAR

By
Nkem Okemiri
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0

This is a very significant week in Nigeria. It is the last week of Nigeria’s year. It is the week preceding the Independence Day. This week in Nigeria, the old is ending to give way to the new. The Lord has shown His faithfulness and helped us amid challenges in the year. This is a week of reflection, thanksgiving, and prayers.

THE 39TH WEEK OF THE YEAR

Here are five things about the 39th season – from the 39th book and chapters of the Bible.

1. The 39th is the end of a phase, and the beginning of a new story. Malachi, the 39th book of the Bible, is the end of the Old Testament. It is the book before the New Testament. In Genesis 39, Joseph’s time in Portiphar’s house began and ended. He parted with his garment of slavery in this chapter. He never returned to that house. Genesis 39 is the bridge chapter in the life of Joseph. From being Portiphar’s slave, he went to prison where He met his change. It was in the 39th year of Azariah king of Judah that the Northern Kingdom experienced a power-shift from Zechariah to Shallum to Menahem (2 Kings 15:8-17). After the 39th chapter of Isaiah, the Lord moved from confrontation to comfort. The 39th season is transition season.

The work on the tabernacle, under Bezalel, ended in Exodus 39 with the preparation of the garment of the priests. The tabernacle was dedicated in the 40th chapter. Job 39 marked the end of God’s first round of questions to Job. Isaiah’s four-chapter story about Hezekiah that began in the 36th chapter, ended in Isaiah 39. In this chapter, Isaiah spoke of the captivity of Judah. Isaiah 39:5-7 says, “Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: [6] ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the LORD. [7] ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’” In Jeremiah 39, Jerusalem finally fell to the Babylonians according to God’s word; and Jeremiah was freed and favored by the Babylonians. In Ezekiel 39, the Prophet saw Israel restored to her land.

How has this played out in modern history?

The stories of men and nations confirm there is a shift that occurs in the 39th season.

The War of 1812-1814 between the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ended with a Peace treaty in the 39th year of the United States. That war was the second and last war of America’s independence. The United States became completely free from British domination in the 39th year of the nation – following that war of 1812-1814. The Camp David Accord between Israel and Egypt happened in the season of Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States. It was the beginning of a new day for the two countries. Margaret Thatcher became UK Prime Minister in the 39th seven years of the United Kingdom; and she was the first woman to hold that office. Nigeria moved from military rule to democracy in 1999, the 39th year of her nationhood. That was when she began to move into the New Testament side of her political destiny. Nigeria became independent on October 1, 1960; the day following the end of the 39th week of the year. Nigeria ceased to be a British colony after the 39th week of 1960.n the 39th season men may reflect on the frailty of human life and call upon God for deliverance from death. In Psalm 39:4-6, the psalmist says, “LORD, make me to know my end, And what is the measure of my days, That I may know how frail I am. [5] Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah [6] Surely every man walks about like a shadow; Surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches, And does not know who will gather them. In Jeremiah 39, Jerusalem fell as Jeremiah prophesied. In Ezekiel 39, Tog is deceived to march against Israel. The forces of Gog were defeated and destroyed; and their carcasses given to the birds of the air. 1939 was a year of great loss of lives. January 13 was Black Friday in Victoria where 71 people died in one of Australia’s bushfires. On January 24, earthquake killed 30, 000 people in Chile. On December 27, earthquake shook eastern Turkey and left over 32, 700 people dead. This is besides the lives consumed by the Second World War that began September 1. The war was an invite from the spirit of death. This week in 1992 (26 September) a Nigerian Air Force plane NAF911 crashed three minutes after take-off from Lagos, Nigeria. A total of 159 military officers including 8 foreign nationals (151 from Nigeria, 5 from Ghana, 1 from Tanzania, 1 from Zimbabwe, 1 from Uganda) were confirmed dead.

2. In the 39th season, heaven permits men to be tempted and tested for their future and destiny. In Genesis 39, Joseph was tempted to commit immorality. He refused, and was victimized. His mind was on truth instead of fantasy. He passed the test of the season. In Exodus 39, God gave commandments to Moses about the priestly garment and the Ephod. The ephod was used to determine the will of God. The 39th season is a time to discern the will of God before taking action. It is not a time to do your own thing. If only Adolf Hitler knew that, he would not have commanded the invasion of Poland in 1939. At least, he would have saved his own life. He was deceived and deceived others to go with him on a journey that did not favor him and his large company. In the 39th chapter of Psalms, the psalmist speaks of using his mouth carefully. In Psalm 39:1-2, the psalmist says, I said, “I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me.” [2] I was mute with silence, I held my peace even from good; And my sorrow was stirred up”. Words matter in the 39th season. The season is also when the worth of men are weighed in a balance. In Malachi, the 39th and last book of the Old Testament, the Lord entered into controversy with Israel but they were full of defenses. The contested every point God made n the book. How can men argue or contend with God?

3. The 39th season is a time of temptation and tough choices. The subject of the temptation is usually “Lie with me”. If the tempter does not get, peacefully, what he wants, he turns to victimization. Dissidents are victimized in the 39th season. Hezekiah faced that temptation in Isaiah 39 – whether or not to receive the royal guests from Babylon. Hezekiah did not know he was being tempted. Hezekiah unadvisedly received Babylonian guests and showed them everything in his palace. Isaiah rebuked Him for that; but the king did not understand the weight of what he did. In the 14th book of the Bible where the incident is also reported, 2 Chronicles 32:31 says, “However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart”.Judah and Jerusalem faced that temptation in Jeremiah 39 – whether to surrender to Babylon or not. That was the temptation Poland faced in 1939 concerning Germany’s interest in the city of Danzig. This week in 2022, parts of Ukraine will face this temptation. Russia mastermind a “Lie with me” referendum in parts of Ukraine she occupies. Wisdom and divine guidance are grossly needed in this season.

4. The 39th season is for humbling the proud. Asa the king of Judah became proud and incorrigible. He imprisoned a messenger of God that brought correction to him. He became sick in the 39th year. The proud and arrogant get stuck in the 39th season. 2 Chronicles 16:12 says, “And in the thirty-ninth year of his reign, Asa became diseased in his feet, and his malady was severe; yet in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but the physicians”. The destruction of Jerusalem is recorded in Jeremiah 39. Those who did not believe the words of the prophet were humiliated.

5. The 39th season is a time to trust God for restoration because the old is coming to an end. The 39th book of the ended with a promise of restoration. Malachi 4:5-6 says, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. [6] And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

PRAYER POINTS FOR THE 39TH WEEK

1. Pray that the Lord will help you, and all your people in the nations, as He helped Joseph in Genesis 39, to walk in the spirit and overcome every trial and temptation of this week.

2. Pray that the Lord will deliver us from blindly questioning Him in this 39th week as Israel questioned Him and argued with Him in the 39th book of the Bible.

3. Declare that the Old Testament side of this year is ending this 39th week. Pray that the pains of this year may end with this 39th week and let good news of God love and mercy greet the nations as we step into the 40th week of the year

4. Pray that the Lord will vindicate the faithful in the nations in this 39th week of the year as He vindicated Jeremiah in the 39th chapter of the book of Jeremiah.

5. Pray against unnecessary provocations or unjust wars that seek to rise in the 39th season.

PRAYER POINTS FOR THE 52ND WEEK

What does the Bible reveal concerning the 52nd?

  1. 1. It is a time for change of baton. It is an endpoint.

2 Kings 15:1-2,27 says, “In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, became king. [2] He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. [27] In the fifty-second year of Azariah king of Judah, Pekah the son of Remaliah became king over Israel in Samaria, and reigned twenty years. Pekah was succeeded by Hoshea the last king of the Northern Kingdom. King Azariah’s reign ended in the 52nd year because of pride” (2 Chronicles 26:15-21).Psalm 52 reveals that the 52nd season is an endpoint for the proud, boastful, and wicked. Psalm 52:1-7 says, “Why do you boast in evil, O mighty man? The goodness of God endures continually. [2] Your tongue devises destruction, Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. [3] You love evil more than good, Lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah [4] You love all devouring words, You deceitful tongue. [5] God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah [6] The righteous also shall see and fear, And shall laugh at him, saying, [7] “Here is the man who did not make God his strength, But trusted in the abundance of his riches, And strengthened himself in his wickedness.”

2. The 52nd is a turnaround season. Isaiah 52 is prophecy about the end of captivity and reproach for the people of God. Isaiah 52:1-2 says, “Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you. [2] Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion!”

3. The 52nd season is ‘the end’. Jeremiah 52 is a review of the fall of Judah and Jerusalem and the release of Jehoiachin from prison. The book of Jeremiah ends at the 52nd chapter because the book is about the captivity of Judah and fall of Jerusalem. The subject of the book of Jeremiah is ‘the end’ of Judah and the end of her rebellion. That is the prophetic reason it has 52 chapters. Every year ends after the 52nd week. There are seven 52 (7×52) days in a year.

4. The 52nd season is when the unexpected happens. The 52nd year of the 20th century (1952) was a good year for Republicans in the United States. The GOP returned to power after 20 years of Democrats’ leadership. Dwight D Eisenhower (Ike) became the 34th President of the United States. The same year, Queen Elizabeth II ascended the throne following the death of her father, King George VI. She was never expected to become the Queen of England but the turn-around came in 1952. The 52nd season is a season of taking back control. It is a season of breakthroughs. This week, the unexpected will happen again; this time, in your favor. ‘The dominating waters’ will be moved away; and your ‘dry ground’ will appear as the new productive platform. This is Dry Ground’s Week!

5. The 52nd is about the triumph of God. Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians is the 52nd book of the Bible. The 52nd book of the Bible is a celebration of victory and triumph for a church that should not have survived but did. It is a testimony that God’s word triumphs over persecution and hardship. Persecution drove Paul and his team out of Thessalonica but could not uproot the gospel or the church there. The Lord overthrew the plans of the evil one to establish this church. The book is also about hope and comfort in the midst of affliction and conflict. It is a book of exhortations for those who are concerned about, or mindful of, ‘the end’. It also speaks of vengeance from the Lord. The message of the 52nd is, “It is over! God has won”; or “God wins at the end”.

PRAYER POINTS FOR THE 52ND WEEK:

1. Give thanks to the Lord for His mercies through the past 51 weeks of our year.

2. Pray the Lord will stop the proud and boastful in Nigeria in this 52nd week of our current year.

3. Pray that the Lord will bring the pains and reproaches of the past 12 months to an end in this 52nd week.

4. Pray that the Lord will cause the release of things and people held captive by the enemy in Nigeria as He did for Jehoiachin in Jeremiah 52. Remember those held captive by bandits. This week, release Nigeria from the prison of this passing year.

5. Pray that as in the 52nd book of the Bible, this 52nd week of Nigeria’s year will be a season to celebrate the triumph of God and His people in Nigeria over the afflictions of the ending year.

SCRIPTURES FOR THE WEEK

Malachi 4:2-3: “But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. [3] You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this,” Says the LORD of hosts”

Isaiah 52:1-2 “Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you. [2] Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion!”

Have a happy 39th week of the year and a triumphant 52nd week of Nigeria’s year year!

NIGERIA: PRAYING INTO SEPTEMBER 17-23 (THE 38TH WEEK OF THE YEAR AND THE 51ST WEEK OF NIGERIA’S YEAR)

By
Nkem Okemiri
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Welcome to the 51st week of Nigeria’s year. This week is also the 38th week of the year. Among other things, the mercy of God will stand out this week.

THE 51ST WEEK

There are 52 weeks in a year. We are very close to a new year in Nigeria. This is a time of reckoning and reflection. It is a time to think about what happened, what did not happen, and what could (or should) have happened, in the year. Did we make progress or retrogress in the year? What should we have done differently? What are we going to do differently in the coming year. A time to give thanks for things God did in the past 50 weeks of our year. A time to repent and seek mercy for our sins and failures.

As we reflect on the journey through our current year, how should we live or pray in this 51st week of our year when we are approaching the end of our current year? The Bible indicates three major things about the 51st season:he 51st season is a time to lean on the power of God’s mercy where we failed or are weak. The 51st psalm is a plea for mercy. Read the entire 19 verses. In a season when judgment is deserved, it is only mercy that can protect people. When there is no merit, mercy is all we require and are qualified to ask. The 51st book of the Bible says we have redemption in Christ – even the forgiveness of sins. In our 51st year (2011), mercy made Goodluck EBELEJonathan, a man from a minority group, an elected President. This is a week to ask mercy for Nigeria – especially because of things we have not done right.

The 51st season is a time to give focused attention to the Voice of God. Three times in Isaiah 51, the Lord says ”Listen to me” (verses 1, 4, and 7). In verse 21, He says, “Please, hear this…” This week, we must stay focused on the word of God and on our root in God and refuse to be distracted by the many voices of hopelessness and discouragement seeking attention. Whom we listen to, or look to, in this season is important. The 51st book of the Bible (Colossians) calls us to turn away from vain philosophies and focus on Christ our Life in whom we are complete. Isaiah 51: 1-2 says,
“… Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug. [2] Look to Abraham your father, And to Sarah who bore you; For I called him alone, And blessed him and increased him.”
We must look away from ourselves and focus on our root in God. Our strength is in God and not on ourselves.

The 51st season is when the destroyer is destroyed and the plunderer is plundered. It is a season of judgment against the enemies of God’s people and God’s purposes. The 51st chapters of Isaiah and Jeremiah bear witness to this.

Isaiah 51:22-23 says, “Thus says your Lord, The LORD and your God, Who pleads the cause of His people: “See, I have taken out of your hand The cup of trembling, The dregs of the cup of My fury; You shall no longer drink it. [23] But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you, Who have said to you, ‘Lie down, that we may walk over you.’ And you have laid your body like the ground, And as the street, for those who walk over.”

Jeremiah 51 is about the destruction of Babylon.

In Jeremiah 51:24-26, God said, “And I will repay Babylon And all the inhabitants of Chaldea For all the evil they have done In Zion in your sight,” says the LORD. [25] “Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain, Who destroys all the earth,” says the LORD. “And I will stretch out My hand against you, Roll you down from the rocks, And make you a burnt mountain. [26] They shall not take from you a stone for a corner Nor a stone for a foundation, But you shall be desolate forever,” says the LORD”.

THE 38TH WEEK OF THE YEAR

The 38th week is a turning-point week in the year; as the book of Zechariah (the 38th book of the Bible) meant to the Jews returning from captivity.

How should we live and pray in this 38th week? What’s in the heart of God for the 38th week?

Here are eight things the Bible reveals concerning the 38th season:

  1. It is a season of desperate cry for mercy from God. Psalm 38: 1-22 is a cry for mercy. It will be good to read the entire chapter. Mercy bypassed death and helped Judah and his family in Genesis 38. Mercy delivered Hezekiah from death in Isaiah 38. Mercy saved Joshua the High Priest in the third chapter of the 38th book of the Bible. Mercy saved the 38th President of the United States (Gerald Ford) from two assassination attempts in September 1975. Mercy saved Nigerians from the Abacha regime in the 38th year of the nation (1998) when the killer-Head of State died suddenly.

2. It is a season of gracious intervention against death. God intervened to reverse the pronouncement of death against Hezekiah in Isaiah 38. He also intervened in the family of Judah (Genesis 38); through Ebed-melech to save Jeremiah’s life (Jeremiah 38); for His people against Gog (Ezekiel 38).

3. It is a season when men and powers who are like towering Cedars and Oaks may fall (Zechariah 11: 1-2). Not only did Gen. Sani Abacha fall in 1998, Archbishop Benson Idahosa died earlier in the year.

4. It is a season of revelation. It is a time learn and receive knowledge. It is a season to uncover things covered up. God teaches in the 38th season. He took over to question His servant in Job 38. He taught Zechariah the prophet in the 38th book of the Bible.

5. It is a season of recovery and vengeance when God rises against those who rise up against his people (Ezekiel 38; Zechariah).

6. It is a season of construction and reconstruction in the House of God. The Tabernacle was in the making in Exodus 38.

7. It is a season of divine visitation. God began the restoration of His servant Job in the 38th chapter of the. Book of Job. The servant of God did not hear the Voice of God until the 38th chapter.

8. It is a season of battle to dethrone self because it seeks to get in the way of God’s purpose in this season. The Bible mentions two self-centered people who emerged kings in Israel in 38th seasons. The first was Ahab – who became king in the 38th year of Asa (1 Kings 16:29). The second was Zechariah the son of Jeroboam – who became king in the 38th year of Azariah (2 Kings 15:8). There are 60 first-person pronouns (me, my and I) in the 22-verse Psalm 38. Judah and his sons exhibited selfishness in Genesis 38. Exodus 38 opens with the making of the altar of burnt offering where lives are laid down by sacrifice; and the making of the Bronze Laver for washing. In the 41-verse 38th chapter of Job, God asked His servant 38 questions to pull self out him. Isaiah 38:10-17 has 33 first-person pronouns (me, my and I). The Book of Zechariah (the 38th book of the Bible) is about God’s determination “to cast out the horns of the nations that lifted up their horn against the land of Judah to scatter it” (Zechariah 1:21). The British -America War of 1812 ended in 1814 (the 38th year of the United States). It was a victory against the selfishness of the Colonial Master.

B. PRAYER POINTS

1. Pray that God will be merciful to Nigerians and turn things around in this nation as the psalmist prayed in Psalm 38 and in Psalm 51; as God had mercy on Hezekiah in Isaiah 38, and the man who suffered 38 years in John 5. Families have failed. Schools have failed. The Church has failed. Courts have failed. Government and law enforcement agents have failed. This is a week to raise a cry for God’s mercy!

2. Pray that God will raise an intervention-force for Nigeria as He used Ebed-melech to help Jeremiah in Jeremiah 38.

3. Pray that the Lord will bring down hindering oaks and cedars in our nation as He did to Babylon in Jeremiah 51 and Gog In Ezekiel 38; and as He did with the Abacha regime in our 38th year.

4. Pray that we would see, hear, and understand what the Lord will be showing us in this season as it was with Zechariah in the 38th book of the Bible. O Lord, lead us to pay attention to You this week as Isaiah 51 demands.

5. Pray that the Lord will raise His craftsmen to terrify the horns scattering Nigeria as He did for Judah in the 38th book of the Bible.

6. Pray that this will be a week of reconstruction and restoration in the House of God in Nigeria as in the 38th book of the Bible. Pray that Heaven will break silence this week as in Job 38.

7. O Lord, purge my heart of selfishness in this week and season. Dethrone Selfishness and take down the selfish in the nations this week.

C. THE PROMISE

Isaiah 51:3: “For the LORD will comfort Zion, He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden, And her desert like the garden of the LORD; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody”.

Have a happy 51st Nigeria-week and a greatly blessed 38th week of the year!

NIGERIA: PRAYING INTO OCTOBER 15 – 21 (THE 42ND WEEK OF THE YEAR AND THE 3RD WEEK OF NIGERIA’S YEAR)

By
Nkem Okemiri
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0

The 42nd week of the year is the (7th) week ending the sixth seven weeks of the year. As a 7th season week, it is for bringing people into rest. The 42nd season is a time to turn situations around through prayer, prophetic decrees and the release of the Power of God.

1. It is an end-point to WAITING:

a). WAITING FOR PRAYERS TO BE ANSWERED

In the 42nd book of the Bible, Zechariah received answers to his prayers. Simeon and Anna, with others who waited for the redemption of Israel, also saw the answer to their prayers in the same book.

b). WAITING FOR PROMISES AND PROPHECIES TO BE FULFILLED

In the 42nd book of the Bible, a virgin conceived and gave birth to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy. In Luke 24, Jesus spoke of sending the Holy Spirit – the Promise of the Father. In Luke 4, Jesus said He is the fulfillment of Isaiah 61. The 42nd season is a special time to see Isaiah 61 fulfilled

c). WAITING FOR DREAMS TO COME TRUE

Joseph’s dreams came to pass in Genesis 42. Joseph remembered his prophetic dreams when he saw his brothers bow to him as they came to buy grain in Egypt. He saw his dreams fulfilled. His brothers fulfilled the dream they sought to destroy. This is a season when impossible dreams and promises become reality.

d). WAITING FOR AFFLICTIONS AND TRIALS TO END

Job’s troubles ended in the 42nd chapter of Job. In Job 42, God turned the captivity of Job around and gave him double blessings for his losses. In the days of Elijah, the judgmental drought ended in the 42nd month. Revelation 11:2 says the gentiles “will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months”. They will not go beyond the 42nd month. Revelation 13:5 says the beast “was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months”. He will not be allowed to go beyond the 42nd month. The 42nd seasons is an endpoint to trials

2. It is a season to test patience and perseverance in prayer. The 42nd season is a time to pray and receive answers. However, the kind of prayer that works in this season is persevering prayer. People are tempted to give up praying in this season because it looks like it’s not producing any result. That is the reason the 42nd book of Bible tells us about those who waited in the place of prayer and about tarrying to receive power from on high. Luke 11 and 18 teaches importunity in prayer. Sweat dropped from Jesus like drops of blood as He prayed in Luke 22. This is time to pant for God’s visitation as the deer pants for the water brooks (Psalm 42). This is a week to battle weariness and resistance to breakthrough as we pray to birth change.This week the kingdom of darkness will battle to resist prayers, fulfillment of prophecies and answers to prayers – and it may seem that heaven is shut against our prayers. This week, as we pray, we shall be shutting the gate of the week against things that will hinder answers to prayer and the delivery of God’s promises in our lives and nations. We should not give access and room to weariness, discouragement, unbelief, prayer-lessness, and sin.

3. It is a time to get results and change situations by the power of the Holy Spirit. The 42nd book of the Bible attests the Holy Spirit is behind all God-results. When Mary wanted to know how she would conceive a child, in Luke 1, the angel told her the Holy Spirit would come upon her. “For with God nothing shall be impossible. In Luke 4, Jesus did exploits in Galilee when He returned from the wilderness in the power of the Spirit. In Luke 24, Jesus commanded His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they are endued with power from above.

PRAYER POINTS FOR THE 42ND WEEK:

1. The 42nd book of the Bible (Luke), opened with God answering the prayer of Zachariah and Elizabeth, let the 42nd week of the year be a week of answers to prayers in Nigeria. Let it be a week of divine visitation for waiters in Nigeria as He visited Simeon, Anna, and those waiting for the redemption of Israel in the second chapter of the 42nd book of the Bible.

2. As God fulfilled the impossible promise and prophecy of virgin conception in the 42nd book of the Bible, this week, let the unprecedented happen in Nigeria to fulfill the prophecies and promises for the year. Let the impossible become possible for Nigerians this week. Let dreams, promises and prophecies become reality this week

3. In Genesis 42, Joseph saw his dream come to pass as his brothers came to buy food in Egypt. They bowed before him as he had dreamt in Genesis 37. This 42nd week, let the wicked bow before those they sought to destroy in Nigeria. Let forgotten prophetic dreams concerning Nigeria’s prophetic destiny begin to come to pass this week. Let there be confirmations of the Word in Nigeria this week.

4. In the fourth chapter of the 42nd book of the Bible, Jesus read out Isaiah 61 in the synagogue and said He is the fulfillment of the prophecy. It means there is a spiritual connection between Isaiah 61 and this 42nd season. So, pray in this 42nd week of the year, that the prophecy of Isaiah 61 also becomes reality in Nigeria. Let this week bring good news to the poor, freedom to captives, joy and comfort to mourners, sight to the blind, and healing to the broken hearted in Nigeria.

5. In Job 42, God turned the captivity of Job around and restored double to him for his losses. Let this 42nd week be a turn-around week in Nigeria. Let the afflicted in Nigeria be restored. Let the afflicted and pitied of Nigeria rise from the dust and dung-hill in this 42nd week. Let this week be a week of recovery from losses.

6. The 42nd book of the Bible is a book of prayers and and answers to prayers. Prayer opened every ‘new chapter’ or experience in the 42nd book of the Bible. At baptism, Jesus was praying before he received the voice from heaven. He was praying before the transfiguration happened Jesus taught importunity in prayer in Luke 11 and 18. In Luke 22, sweat dropped from Jesus as thick drops of blood as He prayed. Twice in Luke 22, He told His disciples to pray so they will not enter into temptation. In the 42nd season you do not take NO for an answer. So, pray that unquenchable prayer-fire will burn all over Nigeria in this 42nd week. Pray for a mysterious outpour of he spirit of prayer upon the Church in Nigeria in this 42nd week.

7. In 2002, the 42nd year of Nigeria, Lagos experienced the January 27 Armory explosion that wasted lives and property. A week later in February, Lagos experienced a 4-day riot that claimed several lives. On May 4, the EAS Plane Crash that claimed over 140 lives happened in Kano. Pray and shut the gate of this week to disasters. Pray that Nigerians will have a disaster-free 42nd week at home, work, school, church, at sea, on land, or on air.

8. As you take your part in this 42nd week, ask the Lord to visit and touch areas of concern in your life. This is a week of divine visitation in around the world. Nigeria and Nigerians must get their share of the good news in Jesus’ Name.

THE THIRD WEEK OF NIGERIA’S YEAR

October 15-21 is the third week of the 10th month and the third week of Nigeria’s year. The third season (third day, third week, third month, third 7 weeks, third year) is a game-changing season. In the Bible, “the third day” is a day of turnarounds. Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. When a messenger of God says a woman will give birth “about this time next year” (as in 2 Kings 4:16), it means the woman will conceive in the third month from the prophecy because it only takes 9 months to grow a baby in the womb. The third king of Israel, Solomon, took Israel to new level in every way – good and bad. Narratives in the books of the Bible take a new course from the third chapter.

The third chapters of the Bible have three special features that are applicable to the third season or third week:

1. God speaks to change direction (Genesis 3; Exodus 3; First Samuel 3; Jonah 3; Matthew 3; Luke 3). The third season is the time to set the direction of the future (Genesis 3; Exodus 3; Joshua 3; First Samuel 3; Second Samuel 3; First Kings 3; Second Kings 3; Esther 3; Daniel 3; Jonah 3; Matthew 3; Luke 3; Acts 3). It is a season to shut the gate against hindrances to hearing God and obstacles to change and progress.

2. Sacrifice opens the door and lays foundation for a new direction (John 3:16; First Kings 3; Second Kings 3: 26-27; Ezra 3:3).

3. The enemy starts a challenge that reveals and magnifies God (the serpent in Genesis 3; Haman in Esther 3; the fiery furnace in Daniel 3). This is the season for the Serpent to go to work. It is the season for Haman to be promoted. It is the season for Nebuchadnezzar to set up his provocative golden image It is a season to stir up anger leading to persecution. Be watchful. Every road the enemy chooses this week will end at God’s destination.

PRAYER POINTS FOR WEEK 3 OF NIGERIA’S YEAR

1. Pray against confusing, deceiving, and distracting voices that may rise in our nation this week. Pray that God’s people in Nigeria will hear the voice that will set the course of the current year and respond appropriately

2. Pray for boldness and courage against spirits and agents of intimidation that may be working in Nigeria this week (Pharaoh, Haman, Nebuchadnezzar).

3. Prophesy and declare a positive change of direction in Nigeria beginning from this third week.This is a week of changing situations in Nigeria through prayer (42nd week) and sacrifice (3rd week).

SCRIPTURES FOR THE WEEK

Isaiah 42:14-16: “I have held My peace a long time, I have been still and restrained Myself. Now I will cry like a woman in labor, I will pant and gasp at once. I will lay waste the mountains and hills, And dry up all their vegetation; I will make the rivers coastlands, And I will dry up the pools. I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, And crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, And not forsake them”.

2 Kings 3:16-17: “…Make this valley full of ditches.’ [17] For thus says the LORD: ‘You shall not see wind, nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you, your cattle, and your animals may drink.’

Have a triumphant 3rd week in Nigeria’s year and a joy-filled 42nd week of the year!

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ABOUT ME

Nkem Okemiri is a herald of patterns, principles, and seasons, for the restoration of eternal purposes on earth. He has a mandate to bring understanding of times and seasons to the nations using a biblical model. He proclaims that NOW is the time to actualize dreams and expectations leading to the manifestation of The kingdom on earth

Contact Me: gotawakening@gmail.com
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