1. We opened our meeting with these verses from 1 Corinthians 16:13-14.

    • Watch. Stand firm in the faith. Act like men. Be strong. Let all things be done with love.

    • Abba, we bless You for Your grace which enables us to obey Your Word.

    • Abba, we thank You for Your Spirit who strengthens us in the faith.

    • Yeshua, we declare with all heaven, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. (Rev. 5:12)

  2. Three planned events on 2011's calendar deserve our attention and intercession. All of them aim at stopping Israel from possessing her possessions (Obad. 1:17).

    1. The Quartet - the US, EU, UN and Russia - are meeting in a few weeks to come up with their latest plan to divide this land and create that which has never been - "Palestine". Rumors say that Germany, France and the UK are pushing for this to happen by September. This unbiblical plan drives these nations towards a head-on collision with God's judgments.

      • Arise God! Defend what You are doing in Israel for Your glory.

      • Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Your name give glory, for Your mercy, and for Your truth's sake. Why should the nations say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens. He has done whatsoever He has pleased.

        Psalms 115:1-3

      • Deal with leaders of the Quartet nations. Reveal to at least some of them the very deadly course on which they are leading their nations.

      • For, behold, in those days…when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat [YHWH is Judge], and will plead with them there for My people and My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and divided My land.

        Joel 3:1-2

      • Wake up the Church in all these nations to stand in the gap and say "No!" to any plan that divides Your land and scatters Your people.

      • Have mercy on Angela Merkel, German's Chancellor. Open her eyes to what Your word clearly states about Israel and her land.

      • Since the Quartet is set on dividing Your land, apply the spiritual principle of reaping what one sows (Gal. 6:7), and divide the Quartet over this declaration (Psalm 55:9).

      • The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing. He makes the thoughts of the people of none effect. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations.

        Psalms 33:10-11

      • Thank You for uniting Jerusalem in 1967 under Your people Israel. Continue to protect this city for Your holy name's sake (Jer. 3:17, Micah 4:1-2; Zech. 14:20-21, etc.).

      • O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, hearken and do. Defer not, for Your own sake, O my God - for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.

        Dan. 9:19

    2. There has been a very dangerous Facebook campaign. A number of Facebook pages have set out May 15th, Israeli Independence Day on the Gregorian calendar, as a day for the Palestinian so-called "refugees" to march towards all Israel's borders, and then enter to reclaim their land and houses. Although Facebook has finally taken these pages down, they are still communicating with people and hundreds of thousands of folks have signed up as agreeing with this. No one is sure how many are, in fact, Palestinians, but this is extremely dangerous. Even if a small percentage of these people march on Israel - and Israel defends herself - what do you think the world's reaction will be? Israel finds herself in a trap. Yet God is the One who specializes in breaking traps!

      • If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, now may Israel say, if it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us, then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us. Then the waters had overwhelmed us… Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

        Psalms 124:1-8

      • God, arise against this scheme birthed in hell.

      • Release all the hosts of heaven to protect this nation during this time (Jer. 31:10).

      • Give to Israel's leaders - especially Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minster Ehud Barak and the IDF's Chief of Staff, Benny Gantz, wisdom and courage to deal with this threat in a righteous manner.

      • The Facebook groups are encouraging old men, women and children to be in the front of the march. Provide Israel's security forces with plans on how to deal with this without it becoming another source of international condemnation against Israel.

      • Yet whatever the cost, enable Israel to have the courage and conviction that it is right to protect itself from this invasion.

      • Lord, do not allow this satanic plan of anti-Aliyah to succeed.

      • As nothing takes You by surprise, guide us in how to pray concerning this threat.

    3. The third event is in September. The Palestinians are gearing up to have the world - at the UN annual General Assembly meeting - unilaterally recognize a Palestinian State on the pre-1967 borders with its' capital in Jerusalem, thus making all Israeli settlements over that line illegal. And many nations have done just that already. This is an attempt to avoid negotiating a settlement with Israel - thus not having to declare that the conflict is over. For Islam, which is one of the strongholds behind the Palestinian drive to dispossess Israel from her God-given inheritance, the conflict will not be over until Israel is driven off her land. Israel hopes the US will veto this resolution in the Security Council, and with enough other SC members abstaining, then it never gets to the General Assembly where there is an automatic anti-Israel majority. This needs much prayer coverage.

      • God, we look to You to intervene. This is not Your will.

      • Why do the nations rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against His anointed…He that sits in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath, and vex them in His sore displeasure. Yet have I set My king upon My holy hill of Zion.

        Psalms 2:1-6

      • Lord, since Israel is also Your anointed (Psalm 105:11-15), we ask You to defend her.

      • If at all possible, we ask that You would cancel this annual UN meeting.

      • If it happens, confound their speech - like You did at the original Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:7-9; Psalm 129:5).

      • Deal with the UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon. If he is a believer, open the eyes of Your son to the truth. If not - save him.

      • Prepare Israel to deal with this political attack that could turn into something much worse - like sanctions or even an international coalition invading Israel and forcing her to do the world's will.

      • How close are we to Zechariah 12:2-3 and how should we pray?

        Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.

        Zech. 12:2-3

      • We thank You for the US Congress who have consistently stood behind Israel. Let them continue to hinder US President Obama from putting his pro-Islam, anti-Israel, policies into practice.

      • Regardless of what the world decides, we are confident that this restoration of the nation of Israel is Your will.

        Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land with My whole heart and with My whole soul. For thus says the LORD; Just like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them.

        Jer. 32:41-42

  3. The upheaval taking place in the Middle East can improve the lives of the people or can lead more people to be under the strict yoke of Islamic fundamentalism. This latter possibility is the one most likely to happen. In it all, Israel - an island of peace and sanity in this area right now - will need to perceive what is happening and know how to respond.

    • Lord, for the whole Middle East, we ask that Your kingdom come and Your will be done.

    • Save multitudes of Moslems today and in the near future.

    • Give divine wisdom to all of Israel's leaders - even the leaders in the media.

    • Thank You for helping the IDF plan for the situation where Israel could be facing a war on multiple fronts at the same time (Mic. 4:11-13).

    • We bless You for how You enable PM Netanyahu to so often speak prophetically and to warn the nations of what is really happening here.

    • Bless the Kurdish people. We ask that out of this ME mess, a Kurdistan will arise that will have good relations with Israel and the Jewish people.

    • Bring down the current Syrian government. Remove President Assad and create a huge hole in the strategic plans of Iran and Hizbullah in Lebanon.

  4. We continue to ask God for water. Israel is experiencing a few very hot days, but we are supposed to get rain much of next week.

    • Lord, this is the time of the latter rain, so we ask You for rain (Zech. 10:1).

    • May the forecast for next week be truth and bring all the rain that we need.

    • Again we ask that You would supernaturally increase that which You have given to us.

    • Abba, for Ezekiel 36:35 to come to pass literally, we are going to need new water sources. Since You said You would do that (Isaiah 41:18), we just remind You of Your word.

We finished our time by praying for Israeli Member of Knesset Benyamin Begin. He sees clearly what Israel needs to do at this time, and he is fighting a reccurring case of cancer.

We also praised God for a TV program this past week exposing the wickedness of Yad l'Achim, the anti-missionary organization, and making Israeli Messianic Believers look good.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion,
The IFI Team

The LORD hear you in the day of trouble.
The name of the God of Jacob defend you;
send you help from the sanctuary,
and strengthen you out of Zion;

Psalms 20:1-2