1. We are in the middle of the feast of Sukkot/Tabernacles. During this time, Israel was commanded to rejoice (Lev. 23:40). So we started by rejoicing in our awesome God.

    • O give thanks unto LORD [YHWH]; for He is good: for His mercy endures forever. O give thanks unto the God of gods: for His mercy endures forever. O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for His mercy endures for ever… O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for His mercy endures forever.

      Psa. 136:1-3,26

    • Abba, we bless You for all that You are and all that You do.

    • We especially thank You for sending Your Son - our Messiah Yeshua - to be the Savior of all who would come to Him.

  2. Next week, the misnamed UN Human Rights Commission will issued it's report on the Turkish flotilla incident in late May in which the IDF killed nine Turkish "peace activists" as they attacked Israeli troops. The "activists" were trying to break Israel's internationally legal sea blockade of the Gaza Strip. Not surprisingly, the report puts all of the blame on Israel. This is a public display of the disregard for the truth in today's world.

    • Give us wisdom on how to intercede concerning the increasing international pressure to delegitimatize this nation and her right to defend herself.

    • Lord, please expose and destroy this bold-faced lying accusation against Your people.

    • Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!…Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! Therefore as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame consumes the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of LORD of hosts, and despised the Word of the Holy One of Israel.

      Isa. 5:20-24

    • Give Israel's government wisdom on how to respond in this situation.

    • Strengthen the Israel's officials who are able to speak truth into this report - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Deputy FM Danny Ayalon, President Shimon Peres and many others.

    • Lord, You who are the God of Truth (Isa. 65:16), pour out Your Spirit of Truth (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13) on many - especially those in the Body of Messiah.

    • Give to Your Body the ability to discern truth from error in these days (1 John 4:6).

    • Remove a spirit of fear and/or timidity from those who do know the truth and encourage them to speak out.

      For God has not given us the spirit of fear [or "timidity"]; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

      2 Tim. 1:7
    • We, as Israeli believers, proclaimed over this report Isaiah 54:17: No weapon that is formed against us shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against us in judgment we condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of LORD, and our righteousness is of You… (Isa. 54:17) If you agree, please say a vocal "Amen!"

  3. More lies are being spewed from the UN, as yesterday Iran's President Ahmadinejad openly declared that the attacks against America on September 11th, 2001, were an American plot to help the Zionist regime! He has received great applause for these statements at various venues during his time in New York. He is a very dangerous world leader.

    • God, again we ask for Your Spirit of truth to wash away this flood of lies from all who heard Ahmadinejad's rant.

    • Deal with this arrogant Persian and do it like You did with Haman in ancient Persia when he lifted up his hand against Your people. We are not asking for his life, but we do ask that You remove his scepter of authority and openly humble him.

      So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.

      Est. 7:10

    • May this outrageous statement wake up many in America.

    • Protect Israel and Your Body from the rage of the nations (Ps. 2).

  4. This Sunday, September 26th, Israel's self-imposed 10 month settlement freeze should end. But the world is putting intense pressure on Netanyahu and his government to continue the moratorium because now - after nine plus months - the Palestinians are finally talking face to face with Israel. The Palestinian Authority has threatened to walk away from the talks if the freeze is not continued. For us as believers, the real issue is that stopping Jews from settling in their God-given homeland - which includes Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem - is anti-Biblical.

    • We pray that Bibi and his government do that which they have promised the people of Israel - and end the moratorium regardless of the pressure.

    • Help this government be strong and courageous and do what is right in Your sight.

    • Give to Israel's PM fresh anointing for this battle.

    • Please continue to hedge in - or remove - Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

    • Abba, we do not despise Your gift of the land of Israel to our people.

      I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am LORD.

      Ex. 6:8

    • We remind You of this promise for Israel's leaders in the day when all nations (Zech. 12:2-3) come against Jerusalem.

      In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about… and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jerusalem… And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

      Zech. 12:6,9

  5. Iran is moving forward with her nuclear program and it seems that no one is willing to stop her. Yet Israel has repeatedly stated that an Iranian bomb is unacceptable.

    • Save us God, from the threats of man, especially Iran's religious leaders

    • Arise, O LORD; let not man prevail. Let the gentiles be judged in Your sight. Put them in fear, O LORD, that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.

      Ps. 9:19-20

    • Save multitudes of Iranians. Reveal Your Son Yeshua to them (Jer. 49:38a).

    • Give Israel much wisdom on how to deal with this very real threat.

    • If Israel needs to deal with it militarily, give them courage, tactics and Your timing - and go before her army.

    • Enable Israel to be at the cutting edge of cyber-warfare.

  6. During most feast times, the enemy likes to stir up terror attacks to make Jerusalem a place of danger to try and keep away Israelis - or Jews from the nations. And there have been riots in Jerusalem over the last number of days.

    • Bring up many of Your people to Jerusalem in these feast days.

    • Prevent a spirit of fear from invading this nation.

    • Thank You for the thousands of Christians who have come to Israel at this time. Use them to provoke Your people to jealousy (Rom. 11:11).

    • Especially today - Friday, the Islamic day of gathering - protect the Western Wall and the Old City of Jerusalem from any riots.

    • Give to Israel's security forces wisdom and courage to deal with all trouble quickly and in the most non-lethal manner possible.

    • We bless these physical watchmen that You have raised up to protect this nation.

    • Lord, do that which You have said - as we do that which You have raised us up to do!

      I have set watchmen upon Your walls, O Jerusalem, who shall never hold their peace day nor night. You that make mention of [i.e., remind] LORD, keep not quiet, and give Him no quiet, until He establish, and until He make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

      Isa. 62:6-7

  7. Many Jews spend most of the Sukkot feast living in booths that they have built. These fairly flimsy structures remind them that life here is flimsy at best - unless founded upon the rock of God and His word. With all of the shaking and rising anti-Semitism in the world, life for Jews outside of Israel has gotten even more uncertain. So we prayed for them to seriously consider coming home - making aliyah [immigrating] to Israel.

    • Abba, place a restlessness in Your people who remain in exile.

    • Remove all fear and cut the unbiblical connections with the exile.

    • Let them not be satisfied with security or comfort or financial wealth - but make them homesick for Israel.

    • If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember you, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

      Psalms 137:5-6

    • Provide for all of the needs of the Jews who have recently come back home.

    • And provide for all of the needs of the Jews who want to return.

    • Thank You for the increase in aliyah last year by 20% over the previous year.

    • Make this year even better.

    • Raise up more influential people in Israel - whether in government, industry or wherever - who will declare that aliyah must become a major priority for nation.

    • Remove all stones of stumbling from the paths of Your people who want to make aliyah.

    • Cause many Messianic Jews to ask themselves this question: How shall we sing LORD's song in a strange land? (Psalms 137:4)

We ended our time praying for the salvation of God's people, the Jews, whether they be in Israel or still in exile. Please pray as specific as possible as you intercede about this. With this in mind, we note that on the last day, that great day of the feast [of Tabernacles/Sukkot], Yeshua stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believes on Me, as the scripture has said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. (But this He spoke of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet given [poured out into us as a permanent gift of God]; because Yeshua was not yet glorified.) (John 7:37-39)

Hag Sukkot sameach and Shabbat shalom,
The IFI Team