37th National Prayer Conference

Amidst Word expositions, prophetic declarations and outpourings of the Holy Spirit, the 37^th Intercessors for Nigeria Prayer conference themed “I WILL DO A NEW THING” held between Wednesday 7^th and Saturday 10^th of September 2016 at Royal Tropicana Hotel, Utako Abuja.

Here are excerpts from the Conference teachings:

PLENARY SESSION 1

TITLE: UNDERSTANDING THE CONFERENCE THEME – ‘BEHOLD I WILL DO A NEW THING.’

SPEAKER: Dr. Steve Ogan

SCRIPTURES: Isaiah 43:18-21, Revelation 3:20

We are at a critical time in our nation Nigeria, but like Job, we must be able to declare the word in Job 42:2– ‘Lord, I know that you can do everything and that no purpose of yours for Nigeria can be withheld from you’.

Key Points to note about the conference theme: Behold I will do a new thing!

1. The word ‘BEHOLD’ is an attention grabber. Many of the things happening in our nation today, from the divine point of view, are attention grabbers. God is saying to us ‘Behold!’ Which means, ‘tune your ears to this thing; be sensitive!’ Most times we invite God, but when He comes to knock at the door, many are asleep (Rev. 3:20).

DECLARE: “HEAVENLY FATHER, REMOVE EVERY SPIRITUAL WAX THAT HINDERS MY HEARING, HELP ME TO BEHOLD WHAT YOU ARE SAYING TO ME.”

2. ‘Remember ye not the former things…’ This is a call to rethink our old ways so that God can do a new thing. It is important that we own the pattern of thinking that God wants us to have. Phil. 4:8 – “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Nigeria is in a season of famine and there is a tendency for us to think ‘problem’ rather than solution. Remember that God blesses His people even in times of famine. Lets learn to think ‘solution’ not ‘problem’.

DECLARE: “LORD, HELP ME NOT TO REMEMBER THE FORMER THINGS!”

3. ‘I will make a way in the wilderness…’ Some of the greatest miracles in the Bible were done in the wilderness. In this season of Nigeria’s wilderness experience, God will do miracles. The wilderness is a place of dryness, and confrontation, yet it was in the wilderness that Israel did not need to cultivate the ground to get food; manna came from heaven, they spoke to the Rock and it gave them water. That Rock is still alive today.  

4. There is a divine intention to do a new thing, but that divine intention cannot happen except we align ourselves with it by obeying the instructions in Ephesians 2:22 -24 “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; ²³ And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; ²⁴ And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” God is calling us into a season of ‘circumcision’ in preparation for the new things He is about to do. Just as we undergo physical circumcision, we must also put off the spiritual foreskin of fear, unbelief, rebellion, resistance to God’s will, negative mindset, etc. There can be no new thing without circumcision.

5. ‘…Will you not know it?’ Every rhetoric question in the Bible is an implied instruction. So, this rhetoric question is calling us to know the new thing that God wants to do. You must identify the new things that God wants to do in your life and the new things He will use you to do in Nigeria. Take note of the areas in your life that you want God to do a new thing, and then make a note of the areas God will use you to do a new thing.

6. Possibilities in the midst of seeming impossibilities. The wilderness is not the normal place to see a highway but God says, ‘I will make a highway in the wilderness.’ The desert is not the place you see rivers but God says, ‘I will make rivers to flow in the desert.’ We have come into that season where impossibilities will become possibilities by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35-37).

PRAYER: “DEAR HOLY SPIRIT COME UPON ME, OVERSHADOW ME! LORD, ACTIVATE THE WOMB OF MY SPIRIT, HELP ME TO CONCIEVE AND TO BRING FORTH!”

7. The Power of God to compel even beasts to honour Him (Isaiah 43:20). There are beasts that do not want Nigeria to prosper; Ostriches, Jackals, etc – but by the demonstration of God’s power, they will be compelled to honour Him. Jackals are opportunistic omnivores while ostriches are strange birds; an animal that pretends to be a bird. The Church must be delivered from the ‘ostrich’ mentality to be able to deal with the ‘opportunist’ jackals in our nation.

8. God’s people shall declare His praise (Isaiah 43:21). Sometimes God does new things in old ways and this is called renewal – He looks at something that has been done but is covered or lost, and then He begins to quicken and activate us to bring restoration. For us to enjoy restorations and renewal, we need to have the Isaac mentality (Gen. 26). While digging his own wells, Isaac also re-dug the wells that his father Abraham had dug, which had been covered with earth by the Philistines. In this season God will help us to re-dig continental wells for the survival of our nation; He will help us to restore the ancient spiritual heritage of the cross which signifies sacrifice and death to self. It is restorations and renewals that cause God’s people to declare His praise.

Those That God Will Use To Do A New Thing Must:

1. Demonstrate courage before kings (Jer. 38:7-13).
2. Go to the people in government and in the marketplace and ensure that they become instruments of carrying the Gospel and the glory of God (Acts.8:27-39)

What Must We Do To Re-Dig The Wells?

1. We must understand that our nation and the continent of Africa have come into the ‘Anathoth’ season – the season of answered prayers; – for nothing is too hard for God (Jer 32:8-10, 16-17). This is the Anathoth season for Nigeria!

RESPONSE TO THE MESSAGE / PRAYERS – Pst. Okechukwu Emmanuel

• Proclaim to The Lord that there is nothing too difficult for Him; there is nothing He cannot do.
• Call upon the Lord to do something new in your life, your family and in Nigeria
• There cannot be a new thing in Nigeria without a new thing in you. The ostrich that was described in the message is about the Church in Nigeria; its about you and I. We have blamed everybody except ourselves. We have not repented but through the hard situations facing our nation, God is giving us chances to prove what He can do; they are chances to prove that all things answer to God and that He can do something new.

Pray that God will give you chances to prove what He can do.

PLENARY SESSION 2

TITLE: The New Thing God Wants To Do Is A Person

SPEAKER: Barr. Emeka Nwankpa

SCRIPTURES: Isaiah 43:19, Mathew 1:1-6, Genesis 49:8

Isaiah 43:19 speaks of God’s intentions – the God who divided the Red Sea, brought Israel out of the Land of captivity and made manna to fall from the sky. Now He is saying “I will do a new thing”. This implies, ‘Do not consider your history, I will do a new thing.’

• This is a time of spiritual recession. As in the days of Eli (1 Samuel 1:0)
• the High priests are blind
• They do not intercede for the sins of the land
• The word of God is scarce
• Consequences Of The Spiritual Recession
• Eli and his sons came under a curse
• Israel rejected God as their king
• They looked for a man to rule them
• Saul and his generals could not fight the philistines
• Goliath defied the army of Israel for forty days
• The new thing God wants to do is a person

— He was David, a man after God’s own heart

• How David Operated
• He operated right out of God’s presence
• He did not see what Israel’s army saw
• He did not hear what the army heard
• He did not feel the fear the army felt
• What David perceived in God’s presence
• Goliath was an uncircumcised Philistine – he did not carry the blessing of Abraham
• He should not be able to defy Israel’s army (the army of God)
• In dealing with Goliath, David operated in the prophetic
• Prophesy 1—- 1 Sam 17:32 “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
• 2–1 Sam 17:36 Your servant killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them,
• 3–1 Sam 17: David said, The Lord Who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.
• 4–1 Sam 17:45 Then said David to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, Whom you have defied.
• 5–1 Sam 17:46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand (you are my captive)
• 6–1 Sam 17:46, I will smite you and cut off your head.
• 7– 1 Sam 17:46 I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth (One man sentences the army of the Philistines to death)
• 8–1 Sam 17:46 That all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
• 9–1 Sam 17:47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear
• 10–1 Sam 17:47 For the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.
• David, the man after God’s heart had these character traits and attitudes
• Humility
• Boldness
• Loved God passionately
• Desired to protect God’s testimony so that the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.

RESPONSE TO THE MESSAGE – Engr. Ntiense Ubong Israel

• David the man after God’s heart had issues; he committed adultery.

Lord, help me; sort out my heart – the envy, jealousy, rebellion, greed, etc.

• Lord, if you did not disqualify David do not disqualify me. I confess that I have operated wickedly, struggled with sin, etc. Please, open me up to your grace.
• Lord, show me mercy to be part of this new thing you are doing.

PROPHESY: There is a release of new mantles for the new things that God wants to do.

PRAYER FOR NIGERIA

• Break every shackle that holds Nigeria captive and that prevent her from occupying her rightful position in God; shackles of bewitchment, inferiority complex, structural limitations, configured limitations, ethnicity, etc.
• Let the stars in their courses fight all the alliances and associations that hold Nigeria captive.
• Pray for the release of angels over Nigeria to reconfigure and restructure the things that hold her captive, and to free us.

PLENARY SESSION 3

TITLE: THE GOD OF THE NEW THING

SPEAKER: Engr. Ntiense Ubon Israel

SCRIPTURES: Isaiah 43:18,19, 32:15, Gen 18:17

• “Now” is the operational word in our anchor scripture. There is a “Now” that has come upon us just as it came upon Israel after four hundred years of captivity (according to God’s covenant with Abraham)
• God is a major Shareholder in Nigeria; He orders everything concerning her. He is neither surprised nor confused about what is happening neither should we be.
• The situation in Nigeria is analogous to Ex 5:22, when Pharaoh resisted God and increased the burden of the Israelites. Despite the heightened fasting and prayers things seem not to be working.
• Ex 6:1 =After four hundred years of inactivity, God said “Now, you will see what I will do…” But it required a person to activate the equation. God’s ‘Now’ season has come for Nigeria.
• Ex 6:2 = God told Moses, “I Am the Lord.” In these times, we need an updated revelation of God as Yahweh/Jehovah. 
• Ex 5, 6 = God set up the situation to harden Pharaoh’s heart. God has set up the situations in Nigeria to perform His counsel.
• ‘Now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it…’We must seek God’s knowledge in this season, and move away from our human logic, to know what God is doing in order to interpret and pray correctly.
• Most prophecies we hear are tinted with human expectations, desires, etc. We must steadfastly seek God for clarity rather than making assumptions, and so as not to be carried away by popular opinion (Gen. 18:20-33). We must also understand that the prophet does not know everything (2 Kings 4:27, Amos 3:7-8). What God has said and is saying determines our prophetic mandate.
• Our responsibility as intercessors is to:
• Peel away the things that cover and are not significant.
• Find out what God is doing and align with it.
• When we receive revelations of judgment from God, let us negotiate with Him to forgive, let us not leave the issues to God as Eli did – ‘He is God, let Him do as He deems fit.’ Let us activate our priestly grace to bring intercession.
• Fear not because God is with us.
• God says, “I will do a new thing”. He has a commitment to do certain things in Nigeria, with or without us, and in any generation of His choice. He has purposed it, (Is 46) and He will bring it to pass. Nothing can limit Him.
• We must agree with God that He can do everything, even making a road in the wilderness
• We need to reconnect to God in a new way.
• John 1:4, Christ was carrying so much life, and that life was the light (illumination) of men. Our problem in the church in Nigeria is the absence of life (or light), we do not carry enough light.
• Light does not contend with darkness; anywhere light shows up darkness is automatically and immediately eliminated, despite all its protests and struggles
• The material you use to connect to a power source determines the quality and amount of light output you get; there are things that can short circuit the flow of light. Our light output is not commensurate with the power we are receiving. We must ask God what is wrong.
• In this season in which God is doing a new thing He wants new levels of light to flow in our lives.
• It is your connection to (Jesus Christ) the source of light that determines the quantity of light you manifest, not your position or title.
• There are symptoms of so much darkness in the world that makes it difficult to differentiate between right and wrong (Is 32:15),
• It is righteousness, not security guards, that guarantee peace. Righteousness and its attendant peace come from God. The Holy Spirit generates righteousness in all things.
• A certain aggregate of righteous people must be generated to overcome the unrighteousness in the nation. May you be part of the righteous people.

RESPONSE TO MESSAGE by BARR. EMEKA NWANKPA

The new thing God wants to do is “Now“. To step into God’s “Now” we must have faith and be available; we must see, hear and feel in the spirit as God does.

• Pray that God would give us eyes that can see as He sees, ears that can hear Him and hearts that can feel His burdens.
• Ask God to check your connection to Him to make sure You are properly connected
• John 1:4,5, Ask God to make us emitters and transmitters of light to dispel darkness anywhere we are
• Is 32:15, Lord, pour out upon us the spirit of creativity and innovation
• Lord, pour out upon Nigeria the spirit of righteousness;
• Lord, since You have said “Now,” we bring Nigeria and everything about her into Your “Now“
• DECLARATION: “Now” you will see what the Lord will do

PLENARY SESSION 4

TITLE: DECLARING THE DAY OF GODS VENGEANCE

SPEAKER: Barr. Emeka Nwankpa

SCRIPTURES: Isaiah 61:12, Romans 12:19-21, Deuteronomy 32:35, Isaiah 63:4, Psalm 94:1-7, Isaiah 61:1-2

• We have now solemnly entered into the days of Gods vengeance. This is part of the Ministry of Christ which is being carried out by His people, the Church.
• For us to be part of the new thing God is doing, we must try not to take His role. David being a Kingdom hearted man spared the life of Saul so that God would avenge for him. Such is the kind of heart God expects of us this season.
• At some points in time those who are called by God must walk on a thin line without support except from the Holy Spirit. It may seem as though God is slow to action but when the day of His judgment comes, He does things that shock everyone.
• Saul tried to kill David 13 times (1 Sam. 18:10-11, 17, 19:1-2, 10 -11, 19:14-15, 19:20 -21, 23:14, 24:1-2, 24:5-6). But David decided to throw his life on line. He did not take vengeance on his own.
• When the day of vengeance came, what God did to Saul was more terrible than what David could have done to Saul on his own. He even cried when he saw the way God dealt with Saul.
• God works out mighty things when we allow Him to do it His own way and not the way we want.
• Isaiah 34:8 – All the controversies against the people of God will be settled by God in the day of God’s vengeance (Isa. 63:4, Jer. 46:10, Ps. 94:1-7).
• Joseph also was treated badly by his brothers, he had the opportunity to take vengeance by himself but he never did. God settled the controversies.
• There is also a revival and restoration that goes on during the day of the Lords vengeance.
• Men who will be used to demonstrate the vengeance of the Lord will…
• Deliver Nations
• Affect People’s lives positively
• Establish Gods purpose and plans
• Manifest Gods Character
• Become pillars in the Kingdom
• Become beacons in the Kingdom
• Demonstrate Gods Power
• Shall be used to do a new thing

PROCLAMATION: “HEAR O EARTH, HEAR O NATIONS, HEAR O NIGERIA, HEAR YE ALL MEN, WE PROCLAIM TODAY, THAT THE DAY OF GODS VENGEANCE AS WRITTEN IN THE BOOKS OF THE PROPHETS HAS COME, AND THE YEAR OF THE REDEEMED HAS ALSO COME, IN THE NAME OF JESUS AMEN!”

PLENARY SESSION 5

TITLE: PREPARING FOR THE NEW THING

SPEAKER: Dr. Kole Akinboboye

SCRIPTURES: Isaiah 43:18,19, Matt 5:16, Eccl 1:9

• Sometimes the new thing that God is doing seem strange to us because we often prefer the old. However, God will enable us to receive and partake of the new thing.
• Most times when God wants to move His work forward He sends angels. He sent angel Gabriel to Daniel five times. Five hundred years later, He sent him to Zechariah to bring about fulfillment of prophecy (Lk.1). But Zechariah responded according to the facts of life and not according to God’s truth. We must be careful about our speeches in this season so that we do not go against God with the pronouncement of our mouths.
• When John the Baptist was born, the people wanted to give him the name of (his father) an old dumb priest. Note that God will give new names to the new things that He is doing.
• John the Baptist did not inherit his father’s name, priesthood or priestly duties; He went straight to the wilderness, to bring forth the prophecy of Elijah. In this season of new things God will raise young men with strong prophetic unction to play pivotal roles. New patterns of ministry will not conform to old norms.
• Jn 2 – As Mary confessed to Jesus Christ at the marriage in Cana of Galilee let us also confess to Him that we have no wine or our wine has become sour or is diluted. God will bring a new wine in this season, but we must be prepared to partake of it. Just as Christ acted at the kairos moment we must connect with God’s time and act in His season.
• Christ did not follow the old priesthood pattern, He was doing a new thing altogether. Matt 11:18 – 19, John came fasting but Christ came drinking and celebrating. Their patterns of ministry were different and new.
• Mark 7:25, The Syro-Phoenician woman, a Gentile not qualified to receive the children’s bread/grace of the New covenant was able to access Christ. She opened the door of the New Covenant to the Gentiles. Christ will do the same for us in this time and season; we shall taste the power and wisdom of the age to come.
• To do a new thing God will bring judgment, first on the Church then on the unbelieving world.
• God confirms His word by doing new things, 2 kings 20; In this season there will be signs to authenticate the word of God and our own words just as He authenticate the ministry of Moses in Egypt and displayed His awesome power.

AGENTS GOD WILL USE TO DO A NEW THING

• ANGELS; they will announce and/or confirm God’s words
• PROPHETS, MESSENGERS, etc – God sends His prophets, messengers, etc to speak his words to His people when he wants to do a new thing (Josh 5:14).
• THE HOLY GHOST – Is 43:19 – God will release waters and rivers in the desert (symbolic of the Holy Ghost) as part of the new thing He is doing. But there must be a direct hunger for the Holy Spirit, we must thirst for Him to drink of Him.
• THE ELIJAH GENERATION – God will raise a generation that will pay the price, to whom He will give dreams, visions, solutions, etc (especially after fasting and prayer). Mal 4:5, God is preparing an Elijah company; a company that will restore relationships; that will reconcile fathers back to their sons.

PATHWAYS INTO THE NEW THING

• REPENTANCE – Is 55: We must change our ways, realign with God’s purposes, thoughts, etc
• STOP DEAD WORKS – Stop practicing religion as a ritual. Heb 9:14 –We must serve the living God in grace (a grace that does not excuse sin).
• RENEW OUR WINESKINS (Lk 5) We need to renew our wineskins because old wineskins do not have the capacity for the new wine of God’s new thing
• OUTPOURING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – There must be a fresh and constant infilling of the Holy Spirit (the driving Force of God for this new thing). We must renew and strengthen our fellowship with the Holy Spirit
• ENLARGE CORPORATE CAPACITY for divine presence and expression. When the Israelites repented of their sins God decided to go with them (Ex 33).
• DO NOT HINDER THE PROPHETIC MOVE OF GOD, 1 Thess 5:19 – 20
• CHANGE DOGMAS – We must be humble enough to dismantle ungodly dogma.
• that hinder God’s move
• HOLY SPIRIT LEADERSHIP – We must not and cannot go on our own; the Holy Spirit must lead us.
• EXTRAORDINARY MANIFESTATIONS – We must expect the unusual and the miraculous in our meetings, services, fellowships, etc.
• CO-LABOUR WITH GOD – We must co-labour with God to nurture this new thing; In unskillful hands this new thing will die
• NURTURE THIS NEW THING – We should not only midwife the new thing that God is doing, we must nurture it. God has given us Nigeria as a baby, we can make her live or let her die.
• REPRODUCTION – The new thing will birth new things. As new things we will and must reproduce new things.

PRAYER – We are the harvest and reaper generation who will reap the prophecies of former years. Pray that God will give us speed in this respect.

RESPONSE/ PRAYERS By Engr. Ntiesien Ubon Israel

• Dan 12: Knowledge shall increase in this season of doing new things

Prayer:

• Lord, give me the quota of knowledge I am entitled to
• Lord, release to me an anointing that will enable me to exceed frontiers of knowledge, understanding and wisdom
• Let this anointing enable me to generate solutions to challenges
• God, release to us the answers to the problems/challenges that defy us
• Cindy Jacob’s prophecy
• I give you a missionary Spirit to change the nations of the earth
• Now I give you the anointing to change your nation
• Prayer – Lord, I receive that anointing that enables me to change Nigeria, in Jesus name.
• Ministry of Angels
• Pray that angels be assigned to specific duties and tasks to bring forth new things in Nigeria
• Lord, release strong angels to saturate and reconfigure Abuja and all cities in Nigeria, to make the impossible possible.
• Lord, visit and destroy by your power all the coverings, tents, foundations of wickedness and false religion, all the oppression, inequality, iniquity, prison houses, etc.

PLENARY SESSION 6

TITLE:THE WORK OF THE HOLY GHOST IN THIS SEASON

SPEAKER: Engr Steve Olumuyuwa

SCRIPTURES: Isaiah 42:8,9, 13, 15-16, Revelations 21:1-5, Malachi 3:2, Psalm 110, Hosea 6:1, Amos 5:4-9

• In this season, God will rise up against certain people and nations.
• Micah 4:2, Isa. 42:15 – In doing a new thing, God is going to waste certain mountains (Political Babylon, Religious Babylon, Economic Babylon and Spiritual Babylon). He is going to bring a great deliverance and release; He will bring down all those chariots and the chariots rider troubling Nigeria (Is. 43:17, 22, 26). God needs us to consistently put Him to remembrance of His prophecies.
• The Lord needs certain men to fulfil this; to deal with the evil spirits that govern our nation: spirit of Sodom, witchcraft, spirit of Marmon, greed etc.
• In this season of new thing there is going to be an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on God’s Children and when the Holy Spirit comes there will be conviction of sin and unrighteousness to produce a different specie of Christians.
• 3:1 – The coming of the Holy Spirit produces the following:

1. Personal renewal and revival. Jn. 16:7-8, Mal.3:2-3
2. Territorial renewal and revival. Ps. 110:1-3.

WHAT TO DO:

• Return unto the Lord by genuine repentance. Hos. 6:1-2
• Develop and cultivate intimacy with Him. Amos 5:4-8.
• Develop yourself spiritually by manifesting a strong prayer life and connectivity with God and Heaven.
• Pattern your life/family after scriptures/word of God. Let your spiritual activities be family centered.
• Draw on God’s grace to develop wholeness of character (work out your nature in the area of management of opposite sex, money, etc).
• Develop biblical principles of discipline, Justice and equity. Learn to become by the grace of God a disciplined person both in thought and action, become trust worthy and dependable so you can be called honourable.
• Develop capacity and competency within your own mountain.
• Develop excellence, go beyond the ordinary.

RESPONSE/ PRAYERS By Dr. Kole Akinboboye.

• Lord, send us revival by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
• Send territorial revival to my state.
• Make me part of rod of strength company. Ps. 110:1
• Command all the horses, chariot and their riders to come down. Jer. 51:25
• Lord, remove the covering of blindness over Israel and over the unbelievers.

PLENARY SESSION 7

TITLE: AWAKE!  

SPEAKER: Barr. Emeka Nwankpa

SCRIPTURES: Isaiah 52

• In this season of new things and Gods Vengeance, the Lord has taken away our cup of affliction and trembling and has given it to our afflicters.
• He compels us to awake, awake!!! to a new stature & responsibility.

We should put on:

• Strength
• Beautiful garments (as Kings and Priest)
• Shake yourself from the dust (stop being beggars)
• Lose yourself from the bonds on your neck (Release yourself from slavery)
• Proclaim good tidings of the Lord’s reign.

NEW THINGS THE LORD WILL DO THIS SEASON:

• Joy will break forth in the waste places because the Lord has comforted His people and redeemed the Nation.
• The Lord will give the church a new separation status that makes us depart from unclean things and false doctrines.