Jerusalem, Israel
SEPTEMBER 2014 PRAYER UPDATE
Israel and the
Nations
·
Former Israeli President Shimon Peres was recently
at the Vatican pushing his agenda for a type of one world religion. His idea,
and the Pope’s idea, is to establish or strengthen an existing organization
that promotes peace between religions in order to curb religious violence.
Peres wants an “unquestionable moral authority” that says to radical Islamists:
“No, God does not want this and doesn’t allow it.”
We see this as setting a dangerous
precedent for the establishment of a type of governmental religious authority
that could easily turn from warning Islamists to persecuting Jews and
Christians based on a universal interfaith theology of rules and regulations.
Proclaim 1 Timothy 2:5: For there is one God and one mediator
between God and mankind, the man, Messiah Jesus. Pray that the Lord will stop any
efforts to set up a one world religious system that would threaten believers.
To Him be glory, power and dominion forever and ever! (I Peter 5:11).
·
The more we read about the evil intent of ISIS
(Islamic State) and Iran, the more we realize that the world is dealing with
two major principalities and powers of the air that are really from the same
violent spirit – a radical Islamic power that wants to take over and bring the
world into bondage to a false god and religion. The Iranians are exploiting
ISIS to take the pressure off of them as they try fervently to reach nuclear
capability, with the goal of firing atomic weapons at Israel to try and destroy
the Jewish State.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, who is worried that the West will make a bad deal with Iran in order
to help curb ISIS violence, gave his advice in media interviews recently. He
said, “When your enemies are fighting each other, don’t strengthen either one
of them; weaken both”. (Netanyahu continues to encourage Jewish school
children, especially those under Hamas fire in the south of the country, to
study the Bible, their heritage!)
Meanwhile, Israeli military
officials are concerned that Al Nusra Front, Al Qaeda operatives, Muslim
Brotherhood rebels, and other extreme Sunni groups that have the same ideology
as ISIS, have gained control over most of the Syrian border with Israel. They
have taken captive UN Fiji soldiers, invaded Quinetra, and set up military
positions on the Syrian Golan Heights. These rebels are managing to wipe out
all Syrian government positions on the border and want no UN presence there.
Residents on the Israel side complain of the constant sounds of war.
Furthermore, ISIS has infiltrated
Lebanon, and Iranian Revolutionary Guards are still there training Hezbollah;
Jordan is being threatened by economic instability which is paving the way for
an ISIS takeover of Jordan. Hamas is receiving training and weapons from Iran,
and money from Qatar. (Qatar supports the Moslem Brotherhood and could also be
helping ISIS). Hamas has gained popularity among Palestinians for their armed
struggle against Israel, and is, aggressively, trying to take authority away from
the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank).
Southern Israeli residents on the
Gaza border have anxiety and a sense of despair, believing that Hamas will,
once again, infiltrate their kibbutzim in the near future. (Blood pressure and
glucose levels went up from stress during the 50 days of Operation Protective
Edge, and soldiers and residents who heard and experienced war are suffering
from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
An evil ring of fire is emerging
around Israel, influenced by proxies of Iran, as well as extreme Sunni
jihadists. The world is standing by watching and doing nothing to stop these
evil forces from influencing and infiltrating governments in the Middle East.
We pray for Israelis who are still trying to cope after 50 days of war
with Hamas; and, for those who are still grieving in the loss of their loved
ones (The 72nd Israeli just succumbed to his wounds in the
hospital).
We pray for families in the Middle East who have been in the
cross-fires of fighting and who have experienced horrors at the hands of ISIS
fighters, Sunni rebels, Assad’s security forces, etc. We intercede for the men,
women and children who have been abused and murdered; for half of the Syrian
population that is now dispersed across the Middle East and Europe; and, for
Christian communities and other communities that have been wiped out in Iraq. We acknowledge the brutal acts of
inhumanity that have occurred and call upon the Lord to intervene, and continue
to pour out His miracles and extend His mercy where there is great suffering
and pain, in Yeshua’s name!
CRAFTED PRAYER: We declare that “the kingdom of this world
has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, and He will reign forever and ever.” Amen! We take our authority in Messiah Yeshua, and
proclaim, “To Him who sits on the throne and unto the Lamb, be all praise and
honor and glory and power forever and ever!”
“God highly
exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will
confess that Jesus, the Messiah, is Lord; to the glory of God the Father.” We proclaim this for all who are under the
influence of radical Islam.
We declare
that those who have evil intent will be brought into confusion and their plans
thwarted in Jesus name. We agree with God’s Word that “He will decide with
fairness for the afflicted of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod
of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.”
“The Lord
abides forever. He has established His throne for judgment. And, He will
judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples
with equity. The Lord also will be a stronghold for the oppressed; a stronghold
in times of trouble. And, those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For
You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”
(Read Revelation 11:15; Revelation 5:13; Philippians 2:9-11; Isaiah
11:4-5; and Psalm 9:7-10).
·
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is trying to
convince world leaders to adapt a plan that would force Israel to accept a
Palestinian state, based on Palestinian demands. He is also meeting soon with
the Arab League in Cairo, hoping they will sign-off on his plan. Abbas is
insisting on several months of peace negotiations where Israel would be
expected, in the beginning, to draw a map of final borders. If Israel refuses, Abbas threatens he will
demand that the UN Security Council kick Israel off of Palestinian land and
impose a solution. He has also indicated that the Palestinians will join the
International Criminal Court in an effort to convict Israeli military leaders
of war crimes. This is his plan and he is bringing it to the nations.
Meanwhile, some of the more
liberal leaders in Netanyahu’s inner security cabinet have drafted a plan for
Israel to meet with moderate Arab states in a regional diplomatic conference to
bring about Middle East peace. Former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir was
pushed by the U.S. to attend a similar conference in Madrid in 1991, and the
results were not in Israel’s favor. At that conference, the Palestinians
received international recognition for the first time. History shows that
Israel does not do well in Middle East peace conferences. A regional peace
conference for a wider diplomatic horizon would be a threat and a trap for
Israeli leaders.
CRAFTED PRAYER: Lord,
you are Israel’s rock and fortress. For Your name’s sake, You will lead Your
people and guide them. You will pull them out of any net that foolish leaders
may try to lay for them. All things
secret will be exposed. You are Israel’s strength. Lord. “For it is written, ‘I WILL DESTROY THE WISDOM OF THE WISE, AND THE
CLEVERNESS OF THE CLEVER I WILL SET ASIDE.’ Where is
the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Have you not turned the wisdom of this world
into nonsense?’ ”
Lord, please thwart any political or diplomatic plans that
would set a trap for Israel, whether it is from Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas or from liberal leaders in Israel’s government. We ask this in Yeshua’s
name.
(See: Psalm 31:3-4; 1 Corinthians 1:19-20).
·
Polls are showing that Netanyahu has lost some of
the public’s trust. Moreover, there is not unity in his government, and his own
Likud Party is acting against him. There are problems within the inner security
cabinet as politicians there have vocalized their disagreement with the way
Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, and Chief of Staff Benny Gantz
handled the recent war. Many Israelis are also frustrated that the IDF did not
allow ground troops to re-occupy Gaza and deal a final blow to Hamas. There is
a struggle going on with Israel’s welfare officials who do not want the social
and welfare budget to be tapped by the government to pay for damages done to
southern communities during the war. Israeli society is showing signs of great frustration
and distress.
Intercede for Israel according to Isaiah 51:12-13, Isaiah 41:10,
and Psalm 18:2-3:
“I, yes I, am the one who comforts
you. So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grass and
disappear? Yet, you have forgotten the Lord, your Creator, the One who
stretched out the sky like a canopy and laid the foundations of the earth. Will
you remain in constant dread of human oppressors? Will you continue to fear the
anger of your enemies? Where is their fury and anger now? It is gone!”
“Do
not fear, for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your
God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. Surely, I will uphold you
with My righteous right hand.”
Pray for Israelis to
find the Lord, return to Him and receive His salvation in the midst of their
struggles.
“The Lord is my rock,
my fortress, and my Savior. My God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is
my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I will call upon
the Lord, who is worthy to be
praised. So shall I be saved from my enemies.”