1. We began by reading Psalm 46:

    • God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth moved, and the mountains be carried into the sea…Selah. There is a river, the streams of which shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved…The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved. He uttered His voice, the earth melted. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge…Come, behold the works of LORD, what desolations He has made in the earth. He makes wars to cease…Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the gentiles, I will be exalted in the land. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

      Psalm 46:1-11

    • We bless You for being our God - even as we struggle with our Jacob nature.

    • We proclaim You are a God of truth (Deuteronomy 32:4).

    • We trust in You and count on Your faithfulness (Malachi 3:6).

    • You are the Unshakeable shaker - and we stand secure in You (Hebrews 12:25-29).

    • Despite all that is happening in the earth - You reign (Psalm 93:1; 96:10; 97:1; 99:1)!

    • Thank You Abba, for the rain that has falling recently in this, Your land (Psalm 68:9).

    • Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.

      Psalm 136:1

  2. The Iranian situation has intensified - and not just with Israel. Iran has threatened to close the strategic Straits of Hormus, through which about 40% of the world's oil is exported. Iran has also threatened the US to not send any more warships into that area - an area in which one of the largest US Naval bases is located. On top of this, sanctions are biting deeply as the Iranian Rial has lost much value recently. So Iran is hurting and that makes its' current regime that much more dangerous. Now is the time to stop this nation from developing nuclear weapons. We prayed for Iran to continue to make mistakes in dealing with the international community.

    • Because your rage against Me, and your loud noise, is come up into My ears, therefore will I put My hook in your nose, and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn your back by the way by which you came.

      Isaiah 37:29

    • Lord, this Iranian regime is an outspoken enemy of Your people. Arise and defend Israel - for Your holy name's sake (Psalm 68:1; 115:1-3).

    • Bring the leaders of Iran into the valley of judgment because of their lies and rage against Your people and Your land (Joel 3:1-2).

    • Have mercy on the Iranian people by dealing with their wicked leaders. (Jeremiah 49:38).

    • Give our Iranian family in Messiah Yeshua protection, courage and wisdom in prayer.

    • Thank You for Great Britain already stating that Iran's closure of the Straits of Hormus would be met with military action. Enable America's leadership to have the courage to clearly say - and mean - the same.

  3. We prayed that Israel would know what to do and when to do it - concerning Iran.

    • Lord, raise up many sons of Issachar to aid decision makers in Israel (1 Chronicles 12:32).

    • Impress on Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to pray.

      Call upon Me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.

      Psalms 50:15

    • Restrain Israel from pre-empting an Iranian attack until Your perfect timing.

    • Push Israel to attack regardless of what the rest of the world does - if it is Your timing!

    • Give Your wisdom and insight to the IDF's leaders and their intelligence branch.

    • Whatever Israel does, may the fear of the God of Israel fall on all surrounding nations - and in Israel as well.

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

      Psalms 9:19-20

  4. The Islamic noose is tightening around Israel. Egypt's elections have given to the Moslem Brotherhood - who are not moderate, regardless of what blind Western statesmen say - the right to form the next government. Islamic fundamentalists are also in charge of Tunisia and are on the rise in Libya and Syria. We prayed for Israel to watch and be ready.

    • Lord, Moslems are people who deny Your Son and Your people Israel.

      Keep not silence, God. Hold not Your peace. Be not still. For Your enemies make a loud noise. They that hate You have lifted up their head. They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and…said, Come, let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be mentioned no more.

      Psalms 83:1-4

    • We trust that regardless of who ends up ruling nations in the Middle East - You are still in control.

      … the most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He will.

      Daniel 4:25; cp. verse 34-35; 5:21

    • Thank You that the IDF is taking the possibility of a renewed threat from Egypt seriously.

    • Enable Israel's leaders to see the dangers Israel could be facing in the near future.

    • Thank You that PM Netanyahu does see what is happening and has been speaking about it and warning others in this nation - and in the world - of the dangers of the 'Arab Spring'.

    • We read Isaiah 19:1-4 as pertaining to Egypt's current situation.

  5. We were led to pray for the Body of Messiah here in the Middle East.

    • Give to the Body of Messiah in Israel and in the other ME nations, prophetic insight to watch and pray in these days, so as to be ready for what the future holds (Mark 13:37).

    • We thank You for the increase in the members of Your Body in many Arab nations.

    • Continue to move by Your Spirit and reveal Yourself to multitudes of Moslems.

    • Strengthen and protect all of the ex-Moslem believers in the world today - especially those who find themselves under the spirit of the Moslem Brotherhood or any related groups.

    • Lead Your sheep to know where to go and what to do (John 10:27).

    • Give to believers in these nations a vision of Your heart for Israel and the Jewish people. Let them see that this issue is not an optional one, as You have declared,

      Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with My whole heart and with My whole soul.

      Jeremiah 32:41

  6. The top news in Israel this past week has been about an extreme ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect that is causing great division in the society because of their views of women, dress codes, and in many other areas. While this is just a small section of the Orthodox community, many secular Israelis and the media have reacted very strongly against the whole community. We prayed for unity - based on truth - to prevail in Israeli society.

    • Thank You that You are revealing some of the darkness of many man-made traditions in certain streams of Judaism.

    • [Messiah Yeshua] said unto them, Full well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition…Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which you have established…

      Mark 7:9,13

      [Note that Yeshua is not against tradition per se, but only when that tradition takes precedent over God's Word.]

    • Lord Yeshua, please reveal Yourself to many religious and secular Israelis.

    • Have mercy on this nation and all of its various different sections of society.

    • Give to religious and secular leaders wisdom on how to close this gap - as opposed to widening it and giving the enemy a chance to mock.

    • Use this situation to cause many Orthodox Jews to search Your Word (Acts 17:10-12).

    • Abba, help Israelis to see that all of our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6); that it is only the righteousness of Messiah Yeshua that makes anyone acceptable in Your sight (1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21).

    • In His days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is His name by which He shall be called, YHWH, Our Righteousness.

      Jeremiah 23:6; 33:16

  7. This led us to pray about the division in the Body of Messiah. The unity we prayed for is that which is based on truth - not just a humanistic, feel-good, unity. And the truth that Yeshua wants our unity to be based on is the Word of God.

    • Sanctify them through Your truth. Your word is truth.

      John 17:17

    • For us to come to this place, we need to know the Word. So Lord, help us to spend time in Your word, study it and as we do, reveal it to us by Your Spirit.

    • Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

      2 Timothy 2:15

    • We bless You for sending the Spirit of truth to guide us (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13).

    • May Your Spirit have much freedom to move in Your Body in Israel.

    • Deliver many Arab believers, and others, from that doctrine of demons - Replacement Theology, or Supersessionism.

  8. We prayed for an increase in aliyah, the return of the Jews to the land which God swore to give to our forefathers.

    • For in My holy mountain, in the mountain of the height of Israel, says the Lord GOD, there shall all the house of Israel, all of them in the land, serve Me. There I will accept them… when I bring you out from the people, and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will be sanctified in you before the gentiles. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up mine hand [i.e., swore] to give it to your fathers.

      Ezekiel 20:40-42

    • Abba, whatever it takes, release many Jews in the West to be able to return to Israel.

    • Clear out all of the mostly small remaining Jewish communities who still are living in Arab nations in the Middle East.

    • Help the 25,000 strong Iranian Jewish community to come home.

    • Open wide the gates in Israel so that Messianic Jews and many other types of Jews can come back without any hassle (Isaiah 62:10).

    • Continue to allow Bibi Netanyahu to encourage aliyah.

    • Keep Israel's miraculous economy strong to help in this whole process of bringing Your people back and settling them here. In fact, You did promise to bless this nation in this way when we returned.

      For thus says the LORD, Just like I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them. And fields shall be bought in this land…in the land of Benjamin, in the places about Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south. For I will cause their captivity to return, says the LORD.

      Jeremiah 32:42-44

    • We ask all of this for Your holy name's sake (Ezekiel 36:23-24).

We finished by praying for the upcoming IFI Prayer conference.

We thank you for your continual prayers for us and for this nation.

Shabbat shalom

The IFI Team