1. We began our meeting today praising the Lord from Psalm 8:

   O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!

   
   

   Who have set Your glory above the heavens! Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the avenger. When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?

   
   

   For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen- even the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea that pass through the paths of the seas.

   
   

   O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!

   Psalm 8 NKJV

2. Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

   1 Timothy 2:1-4

   We continued to pray for Benjamin Netanyahu and for his advisors and inner cabinet in the light of these verses. Netanyahu has been in the USA with President Obama and under great pressure from the outside world to act in one way or another in response to the threat from Iran. We prayed for them:

   • to hear clearly from God and to know how to proceed with efficiency and success

   • for unity amongst the leadership of Israel

   • that they would not be provoked to act in a way or at a time outside of God's will

   • for Netanyahu for family unity that the Lord would guard him against all distraction

3. On Thursday an IDF soldier was stabbed on duty in the region of Judea and in self defense wounded his attacker and killed another Arab.

   For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

   Ephesians 6:12-13

   We prayed for Israel recognizing that we are not fighting ultimately against flesh and blood.

   • that there would be no inroads for the powers of darkness to come in against the people of Israel

   • for angels to be placed to guard over our borders

   • that security gaps would be revealed and closed

   • that the plots of our enemies would be exposed and revealed

4. Out of this week's talks between Benjamin Netanyahu and President Obama in the USA came declared resolution from Netanyahu that he needs to prepare his own people for every possible eventuality while Obama appealed to Israel not to talk about war against Iran. We prayed:

   • for Netanyahu and the nation of Israel to "be strong and of good courage" (Joshua 1:6)

   • for the people of Israel to be prepared for the dangers we are facing

   • And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.

     Zechariah 12:5

     In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them.

     Zechariah 12:8

     Strengthen and encourage Your people, o Lord!

   • there is a time for politics. Now is the time for preparation!

   • may the leadership preach readiness to their people

   • Put an end, o God, to the backbiting and infighting among Your people and especially from the media and the political opposition.

   • Fear not, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I will help you, says the Lord and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth; you shall thresh the mountains and beat them small, and make the hills like chaff.

     Isaiah 41:14-15

5. Ayatollah Khamenei praised President Obama this week for his statement that he is not thinking about war with Iran. This praise from the supreme leader of Iran must be a sign to Israel if not to the United States that we can't let up with our prayers and our preparations for the war which may come. We continued to pray for God to act sovereignly to hold back this threat:

   • Concerning God's enemies:

     they have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more. …O my God, make them like the whirling dust, like the chaff before the wind! As the fire burns the woods, and as the flame sets the mountains on fire, so pursue them with Your tempest, and frighten them with Your storm. Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name, O Lord.

     Psalm 83:4, 13-16

     For the sake of the people of Iran, do it o God!

   • Cause earthquakes to swallow up Iran's nuclear facilities. You know where all these places are, God. Open up the earth so the people of Iran would know You are God. By the work of Your Spirit undermine the power of Islam from within.

   • Cause more mistakes and accidents in these places created for destruction!

   • Sow division among our enemies! Especially within the Iranian leadership

   • Bring to nothing the intent to "wipe Israel off the map"!

   • Take up arms on behalf of your people and bring down this evil regime!

   • The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.

     Psalm 33:10-11

     Nullify the plans ofIran!

6. In 2 Kings 20:13 and onwards we learn how King Hezekiah revealed the treasures of Judah to the envoys of another nation.

   • may Netanyahu and his colleagues know what to share and what not to share with other leaders! May they not bow to the world's pressure to reveal their plans. May they not succumb to the manipulation or bribery of other nations.

   • may they take enduring responsibility for this nation and not have the attitude of Hezekiah who wasn't worried as long as disaster didn't occur in his day.

   • Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity;

     Psalm 141: 3-4

     Put Your guard over the mouths of Netanyahu and all Israel's leadership not to say anything detrimental to the nation

   • Give singleness of purpose with regard to Iran

   • Help Israel to prepare in all branches of the armed forces!

7. We prayed that Israel might not be caught off guard by a threat from a different front eg from Syria, Egypt, Palestinians, etc. The threat from Syria becomes ever more imminent. They have one of the world's largest stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons and President Assad has said that if he is about to be overthrown he would attack Israel.

   • You, Lord, are the keeper of Israel. Please keep guard and watch! The threats from every side are all too much for us. But they are not too much for You! Stop the plans of our enemies!

   • Give alertness and vigilance to our leaders and security forces on every side and give wisdom to know how to deploy our resources!

8. During the past week the "Christ at the Checkpoint" conference has been taking place in Bethlehem giving a platform for the concerns of the evangelical Christian community in the Palestinian Authority. Much of what is proclaimed is replacement theology and a denial of the place in God's purposes for the State of Israel. A few Israeli and Messianic Jewish leaders have been given opportunities to speak. We prayed:

   • let the truth be proclaimed and heard and let lies and deception be exposed for what it is! Give great discernment to distinguish between the truth and lies.

   • protect the body of Messiah from the lies.

   • maintain the unity of the body around the truth of Your word. Keep the leaders in unity and protect the people from false teachings.

9. Eliyahu and Chuck are in the USA leading a prayer conference this weekend. We prayed for them:

   • for fresh oil; strength; health; wisdom; unity in God's purposes for the meetings; that God would bring all those He wants to be there and that Eliyahu and Chuck and all attending the meetings would have ears open to the Lord.

Shabbat Shalom!