Welcome to the 43rd week of the year. This is the first week in the seventh seven weeks (43-49) of the year. It is the beginning of a seven-week season that expresses the book of Judges (the 7th book of the Bible). See Video
Every week has its visiting purposes. The Bible helps us to understand the different purposes seeking access through each gate of time. When God speaks light, it is for war against darkness coming in the season. When God speaks abundance, it is because of scarcity. When He speaks life, it is because of death; and when He speaks fruitfulness, it is because of barrenness. Our concern as Kingdom watchmen and gatekeepers is to cooperate with Heaven to keep the gate of this week open to God’s purposes.and to resist or refuse access to satanic purposes by prayer, decrees and decisions.
BIBLICAL PATTERNS FOR THE WEEK
There are five Biblical patterns for understanding the 43rd week:The first day of creation. This is because the 43rd week is the first week in the 7-week season beginning October 22. This is a first-day-of-creation week.
The Book of John – the 43rd book of the Bible. This is a Book-of-John week.
The 43rd chapters of the Bible (Genesis 43, Psalm 43, Isaiah 43, Jeremiah 43 and Ezekiel 43). The 43rd week is a 43rd chapters of the Bible week.
Judges 1-3. The 43rd week is a Judges 1-3 week.
The first 10 books of the Old Testament (Genesis – 2 Samuel)
B. BIBLE READING SUGGESTIONS FOR THE WEEK
Going through the 43rd week of the year is like taking a journey through the 43rd book of the Bible (John). It is also like walking through the five 43rd chapters of the Bible. So, the Book of John and the 43rd chapters of the Bible are great guiding lights for the week.
You may want to read the suggested passages as follows or as led by the Spirit of God:
October 22: John 1-3;
October 23: John 4-6.
October 24: Genesis 43; John 7-9.
October 25: Psalm 43; John 10-12.
October 26: Isaiah 43; John 13-15
October 27: Jeremiah 43; John 16-18.
October 28: Ezekiel 43; John 19-21.
SIX THOUGHTS AND PRAYER POINTS CONCERNING THE 43RD SEASON
The 43rd book and chapters of the Bible indicate, at least, 6 things concerning the 43rd season:
1. It is a season of materialization when the intangible becomes tangible and the invisible becomes visible. In the 43rd book of the Bible God becam man (the Word became flesh) and lived among men. Jesus became the Tabernacle of God in the midst of men. Through him, people could see and touch God. He said anyone who sees Him has seen the Father.
PRAYER: Pray for the materialization of the word of God in the nation and nations. Let what God is saying and doing (or not doing) become visible to all this week.
2. It is a season of seeing and believing. It is also a season of believing and seeing. In Genesis 43, Joseph did not want stories about Benjamin. He wanted to see him. This week, those who believe will see and those who see will believe. In the 43rd book, Jesus said, “Unless you see signs and wonders, you will not believe”. When Thomas heard that Jesus had risen from the dead, he said, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” Jesus permitted him to test and be convinced. In the NT, the word ‘see’ ‘seeing’, ‘seen’, or ‘sees’, appears in about 370 verses but in the book of John alone, it appears in about 71 verses. That is about 19.2%. The 43rd book of the Bible also says a lot about believing. This book is about believing. The word ‘believe’ is used in 226 verses of the New Testament (NKJV). 84 of those verses is in the book of John. That is about 37.2%. The heroes of the 43rd season are ‘the believers’ who lead others to see and believe. This week, you will see as you believe; and you will believe as you see.
The 43rd season is a season of signs and wonders. There are 14 signs and proofs in the 43rd book of the Bible. The 43rd season is a season of both believing and seeing and seeing and believing. It is a season to shut the mouths of doubters. It is a season to go from doubting to believing. In Isaiah 43, God said, “I will do a new thing”. This is a week of ACTION.
PRAYER: Pray that this will be a week of signs and wonders in the nations – to inspire faith and silence doubters and critics. Pray that the Lord will give you proofs to back up words. Pray you will not be a doubter (like Thomas) this week.
3. The 43rd week is a family-season. The first miracle in the 43rd book of the Bible happened at a wedding ceremony; and the healing miracles touched families (the Nobleman’s son, the helpless man at the Pool of Bethesda, Lazarus and his sisters, the blind man and his parents). In the 43rd book, Jesus was also preoccupied with the Father and His status as the Son. The Son could not do a thing without the Father and the Father also handed over all things to the Son. This is a week to work together as family. You see the same thing in the first 43rd chapter of the Bible. In Genesis 43 Jacob gave his sons the backing they needed to go to Egypt and buy food. He also sent the son of his right hand, Benjamin, to go with them. Without Benjamin, they would not have found favor in Egypt. In that chapter, also, Jacob’s 12 sons sat and ate together in the house of their brother. They had not experienced such togetherness in many years. Genesis 43 is about ‘father’, ‘mother’, ‘brother’, ‘house’, and ‘home’. It’s about family. The evil one attacks and harasses families in this season. Anything that causes death in this season (war, crime, fire disaster, earthquake, flood, terrorism, plane crash, etc) is an attack on family. Stand against it. Pray for hurting families in this season of 2023 Israel – Hamas war.
PRAYER: Pray that this is a week of joy (not sorrow and tears) for families. Pray comfort to hurting families. Pray, this week, that God will visit and touch families in a unique way. Speak blessings over families.
4. The 43rd season is about making claims and proving your claims. The 43rd week is a week of verification, validation and vindication; not a week of just words and stories. It is a week of action-proofs. It is a week of truth and witnesses. The 43rd book of the Bible, John, has no record of the voice speaking from heaven that Jesus is the son of God. In 43rd book of the Bible, Jesus performed miraculous signs to prove He is the Son of God so that men would believe Him. He said, “If I do not do the works…don’t believe”. Jesus proved His Son-ship by the works He did. The book is about telling who you are by what you do. In the book of John, The Jews asked John, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” (John 1:25). They wanted to know Him by what he did – to match His work with His identity. This is a week to declare your identity (who you are) by your works. George W. Bush was the 43rd President of the United States. He proved himself the son of his father. He did and finished the work his father started. George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States, declared war against Iraq to save the oil-rich Kuwait from annexation. His son, Bush 43, also fought Iraq in a vengeful battle against terrorism. He captured and imprisoned the President, Saddam Hussein in 2003. The foe died in 2006 in the season of Bush 43 the son of Bush 41. In the 43rd book of the Bible, Jesus told the Father, “I have finished the work you gave me to do”. This is a week of confirming words – God’s word, your words, and the words of others.
PRAYER: Pray Psalm 43 this week: “Vindicate me, O God, And plead my cause against an ungodly nation; Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!” Pray the same for brethren who need vindication – especially those who are being persecuted. Pray that the Wisdom, power and love of your Father will be seen in your life.
5. It is a season of bold declarations and assertions. Be bold to declare your identity in God. Know who you are and declare it. Jesus made audacious “I am” declarations in the 43rd book of the Bible:
I am the Bread of Life
I am the Light of the world
I am He
I am the Door
I am the Good Shepherd
I am the Resurrection and the Life
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life
I am the True Vine
John the Baptist and Jesus did not speak of their identity in the flesh in the 43rd book of the Bible. This week, stand strong on your (spiritual) identity in Christ. The 43rd season does not respect or respond to fleshly credentials. In Genesis 43, Joseph related officially with his brothers – not as the Joseph the knew. This is the week of those who know who they are.
PRAYER: Pray that the inner eyes of God’s people are opened to understand, and live by, their spiritual identity. Pray for grace to be loud and strong concerning your true identity in Christ. Pray for Israel and declare her identity in God as you pray.
6. This is a season of life, light and love from heaven. The 43rd book of the Bible is about the life, light and love of God. That immediately reveals what the evil one thinks in the 43rd season – the opposite of life, light and love. This is a week of conflicts between life and death, light and darkness, love and hate. Terrorists unleashed wickedness against the United States in the season of her 43rd President. Beginning of this week in 2005, 117 people perished in Nigeria in the October 22 Bellview Plane Crash. In 1943 (the 43rd year of the 20th century), lives were lost both through WW2 and the Holocaust. In the 43rd season, people face temptation to walk away from truth – from the life, light and love of God. Jeremiah 43 and the 43rd book of the Bible bear witness to this. John 3:19-21. God wants people to live and not die in this season. He wants them to have abundant life in this season but the evil one wants to steal, kill and destroy (John 10: 9-10).
PRAYER: This week, pray that life, light and love will tri inumph and prevail over death, darkness and hate. Pray that life will swallow death, that light will shine in darkness and that love will overcome hate. Pray against the rejection of truth, life, light and love in the nations this week.
7. This is a season of supernatural supplies. God is a Sustainer and Provider in this season. Genesis 43 opens with famine being very severe in the land. Jesus performed 3 miracles of provision in the 43rd book of the Bible (chapters 2, 6 and 21). God is set against scarcity in this season. Joseph and his brothers ate food together in Genesis 43.
8 This is a season of victory over fear. People have a tendency to surrender to fear in this season. It was for fear of Babylonians that Jews at Jerusalem rejected the Word of God through Jeremiah and went to Egypt for refuge. In the 43rd of the Bible, Jesus told His disciples to damn fears: John 14:1 says, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me”. John 16:33 says, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Walking in the consciousness of divine presence keeps fear away in this season.
Isaiah 43:1-2, 5-6 – “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. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you”. [5] 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”.
Happy 43rd week of the year! See Video
