1. Tonight is the first night of Chanukah - the festival of liberty and lights. The special prophetic reading for this Shabbat is Zechariah 2:10-4:7 [2:14-4:7 in the Hebrew].

    • Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, behold, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of you, says LORD [YHWH]. And many gentiles shall be joined to LORD in that day, and shall be My people: and I will dwell in the midst of you, and you shall know that LORD of hosts has sent Me unto you. And LORD shall inherit Judah His portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.

      Zechariah 2:10-12

    • We bless You Lord for who You are and what we see You doing.

    • You are watching over this word to do it - as we see multitudes of gentiles being joined to You through Messiah Yeshua and being joined to Your people Israel.

    • Thank You that You are also in the process of restoring this land and people to Yourself.

  2. As per God's instructions through Paul in 1 Timothy 2:1-3, we began by interceding for Israel's government and Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu.

    • We thank You for giving us a government that we can pray for most of the time - as opposed to the last government that we prayed against so often.

    • Please grant Israel's current leadership both wisdom on what to do and the courage to do it.

    • Raise up the sons of Issachar who will know the times and also understand what Israel needs to do (1 Chronicles 12:32).

    • Raise up the sons of Zion - those who want to see Your will come to pass - to stand strong against the sons of Greece - those whose main concern is man (Zechariah 9:13).

    • And I will restore Your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning: afterward you shall be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.

      Isaiah 1:26

    • Aid Netanyahu to withstand all the ungodly pressure that is on him to compromise Israel's security and land. Deafen him to the voices of appeasement and allow him to hear the voice of the sons of Zion.

    • Protect all of Israel's government from the ungodly pressure coming on it - especially from our so-called "friends" who want us to do that which is against Your will.

    • Shield Israel's leaders from all mesmerizing forces that are in the world today - especially those that come from other nations' leaders. Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What has God wrought!  (Numbers 23:23)

  3. The Iranian situation continues to grow more dangerous with every passing day. Recently, Iran's fanatical president Ahmadinejad mocked Israel's ability to stop Iran from getting nuclear power and proclaimed that America was standing in the way of the revealing of the 13th Imam - the Mahdi - Islam's Messiah. This means that if Iran does get the bomb, after Israel - America is next on the list of nations to be destroyed!

    • Again we thank You for shaking that nation - politically and spiritually.

    • Arise God! Shake Iran physically. Open the earth and swallow up all of Iran's nuclear facilities - before Israel attacks:

      For thus says LORD of hosts...I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, says LORD of hosts.

      Haggai 2:6-7; cp. Hebrews 12:26

    • On the other hand, if Your desire is to use Israel as Your weapon of war (Jeremiah 51:20-24), then anoint her leadership for war. Anoint them to know what to do, how to do it and Your timing.

    • Every purpose is established by counsel: with good advice make war.

      Proverbs 20:18

    • Lord of hosts, we ask You to prevent Israel's leadership from being more merciful with their enemies - which are in reality Your enemies (Psalm 83:1-4) - than You would be.

    • Abba, whatever it takes, prevent Iran - and the spiritual forces ruling over that nation - from obtaining nuclear weapons.

    • Bring to Israel's intelligence agencies - accurate intelligence. Let them make miraculous contacts and know all there is to know about Iran's plans and nuclear plants.

    • Since today is the 24th day of the 9th month in the Hebrew calendar, we proclaimed Haggai 2:20-22:

      Again the word of LORD came unto Haggai in the 24th day of the month [9th - v. 10], saying, Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; and I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the gentiles; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother.

      Haggai 2:20-22

  4. Chanukah starts tonight. We celebrate the victory of the Maccabees, a small group of zealous Jews, over the much larger Syrian-Greek armies. Yet the real struggle was internal. Around two centuries before Messiah's birth, many Jews wanted Israel to be a nation like all the other nations. Only a remnant - the Maccabees - wanted Israel to fulfill her God-chosen destiny and be a light to the nations. They won and prevented Israel from being assimilated. Thus there was a chosen nation through whom Messiah Yeshua could come. And today, the same battle is being fought both internally and internationally - to pressure Israel to be just another nation. What is at stake is nothing less than Yeshua's second coming.

    • Do what You said and raise up Israelis zealous for the things of God:

      When I have bent Judah for me, filled the bow with Ephraim, and raised up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and made you as the sword of a mighty man.

      Zechariah 9:13

    • As the lights of the Chanukiah [the Chanukah candlestick] increase daily for eight days - let Your light shine brighter in the hearts of your people. Help them to embrace Your call on Israel to not be like the other nations - but instead, to be a blessing in the earth.

    • Reveal this to Jews living in exile and cause them to consider coming home.

    • Use the rise of anti-Semitism to show Your people that wherever they are, they will always be looked upon as outsiders - if not worse - and let their hearts yearn for home.

    • Yeshua, reveal Yourself to Your people:

      I am the light of the world: he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

      John 8:12

      I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by Me.

      John 14:6

    • Let Your sheep hear Your voice - even for the first time - during this Chanukah season.

      O LORD, save Your people, the remnant of Israel.

      Jeremiah 31:7b

  5. Although we have had a number of rain showers in Israel, her water situation is so critical, we must maintain this prayer request before God's throne until all of her water needs are met.

    • Thank You for all the rain Israel has received so far this fall and winter.

    • Abba, please send the rain in the right places so that none of it is wasted.

    • Lord, we plead with You to fill up the Sea of Galilee and the aquifers this winter.

    • Lord, You promised to make this land like the garden of Eden. Therefore, we plead with You for all of the water needed to fulfill that word - for Your glory.

    • [The nations] shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited. Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I LORD build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I LORD have spoken it, and I will do it.

      Ezekiel 36:35-36

    • As You said in Isaiah 41:17-20, create new water sources in this land:

      I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water...That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

      Isaiah 41:18,20

    • Bring the snow that You have reserved for the time of trouble and war (Job 38:22-23).

    • You specifically told us to ask for the rain - and that is what we are doing.

      Ask of LORD rain in the time of the latter rain; so LORD shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain, to every one grass in the field.

      Zechariah 10:1

    • Help both Israelis and tourists to be more water conscience and save as much as possible.

    • Prevent Arabs and Palestinians from polluting, or harming in any way, Israel's water sources in Judea, Samaria and on the Golan Heights.

  6. Thank God that the EU declaration that was prayed about last week, was modified and was not nearly as bad as the original Swedish version. Still, the EU is becoming more and more dangerous to Israel and her destiny.

    • Awaken the Body of Messiah in the EU to realize that EU leaders are placing their nations into extreme danger - the valley of God's judgment (Joel 3:1-2).

    • Then lifted I up my eyes, and saw, and behold four horns. I said to the angel that talked with me, What are these? He answered, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. And LORD showed me four carpenters. Then said I, What do these come to do? He spoke, saying, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head: but these are come to fray [terrify] them, to cast out the horns of the gentiles, which lifted up their horn over the land of Judah to scatter it.

      Zechariah 1:18-21

    • Lord, break the deception and intimidation that the spirit of Islam has over the EU.

    • Thanks for the support Israel gets from France, Italy and many Eastern European nations.

    • Save multitudes in Europe - especially Moslems.

Hag Orim sameach and Shabbat shalom,
The IFI Team

This is the word of LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying,
Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, says LORD of hosts.
Who are you, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying,
Grace, grace unto it.

Zechariah 4:6b-7