Thanks be to God Who led us through the thick and thin of the past year and brought us into this new year. All glory to Him!
Stepping into a new year is like stepping into the unknown but all things are naked and bare before our God (Hebrews 4:13). He may not reveal everything to us but He has promised NEVER to leave or forsake us (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13: 5-6). That is a more sure word of prophecy. Moreover, the God of the last year is the same God in the New Year (Hebrews 13:8).
THE MYSTERY OF THE FIRST WEEK OF THE YEAR
As we seek to pray into this week, let me share some insights about the season:
A. The first week of the year is a very strategic time-gate in the year. It is the week that opens the womb of the year. As “the opener of the womb”, it belongs to the Lord. It is true that all times belong to Him but He has a special claim on the first (Exodus 13: 1-2; Proverbs 3: 9-10). God is First and the first belongs to Him. This a week to honour the Lord specially as the Owner and Giver of time. Honour Him through Worship, Thanksgiving, Praise, spending time in His Word and Obedience. This is a season to give Him special attention.
PRAYER: Pray that you will not be distracted from giving the Lord the honour due to Him in this season. Break the ‘alabaster’ before Him for Who He is and for all He had done.
B. The first week of the year is a first day of creation season (Genesis 1: 3-5). On the first day of creation, God declared war against by speaking light into existence. This is week to speak LIGHT into the year. This is a week to everything that represents light – the presence of God, the word of God, wisdom knowledge and righteousness. Give no room to the works of darkness. This is a week to take steps to free year from the influence of the powers of darkness.
PRAYER: Speak LIGHT into the year as God did on the first day of creation. Pray that His Light will dominate in the nations. Pray that things covered by darkness will be uncovered and neutralized.
C. The first week of the year is a Book of Genesis season. It is a foundation-week in the year. As the Book of Genesis is the foundation of the Bible, that is how the first week of the year is the foundation of the year. The first week of the year is a season to guard jealously for God and for yourself. Use it to lay a solid foundation for the year (Luke 6: 47-49). The first part of the foundation is to put God first (Psalm 127:1). Put good works in the foundation too (Luke 6: 31).
PRAYER: Pray to be guided by the Spirit to lay the right foundation for the year. Pray against deadly visitations in the nations in this first week of the year – such visitations as seen in first book of the Bible (Genesis 3, 4, 7 and 19). Do not give room to the tempter.
As book of Genesis season, I will suggest reading through the book of Genesis as follows:
January 1: Genesis 1-8
January 2: Genesis 9-15
January 3: Genesis 16-22
January 4: Genesis 23-29
January 5: Genesis 30-36
January 6: Genesis 37-43
January 7: Genesis 44-50
D. In 2024, the first week of the year is a Jeremiah Chapter 1 week. Jeremiah is the 24th book of the Bible and is Guiding Light for 2024. As Jeremiah consists of 52 chapters, there are 52 weeks in a year. So you can take a chapter for a week. In the first chapter of Jeremiah, the word of the Lord came to the prophet revealing what He wanted Jeremiah to be and do. In this Jeremiah chapter 1 week, I pray the Lord will speak to you about you!
PRAYER: Pray that the Lord will reveal His heart to you and show you the person He wants you to be and the work He wants you to do for Him in 2024.
E. The first week of the year is a week of beginnings and endings. It is a documented fact that the deadliest season of any year is the first week of the year. The happenings of the first week have a great impact in the year. In this week of 2020, on the third day of the week, the US killed a top Iranian General, Qassem Soleimani, in a targeted air-strike near Iraqi airport. Iran vowed ‘severe revenge’ and the US threatened to do more harm. That was a week of pain for Iran and a week of fear and anxiety, over war, for the world. This same week, in 2024, almost 100 were killed (and many more wounded) in a drone strike in Iran in a gathering to commemorate the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani.
PRAYER: Pray for the overthrow of the evil and the wicked in the nations this week (Genesis 6: 5-7).
Happy New Year to you and all yours! Have a greatly blessed first week of the year.
