1. Some of IFI's leadership team gathered Thursday evening in the congregation facility of Kehilat HaCarmel on top of Mount Carmel overlooking Haifa. This was IFI's second regional gathering in the north of Israel. People, including several congregational leaders, were welcomed from Haifa, Tiberias, Poriya, Netanya, Nahariya and Karmiel.

    Introducing the meeting, Pastor David Davis prayed, "Thank you Lord that we can gather to pray in Hebrew, Russian, Arabic and English. May our prayers be acceptable to You and rise to Your throne room. May we bless You from Mount Carmel in the name of Yeshua!"

    • Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.

      Psalm 24:9

    • I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

      Psalm 121:1-2

    • Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

      Deuteronomy 6:4-5

  2. Iran: In 2 Chronicles 32, when faced by the dangerous king of Assyria, Hezekiah, king of Judah makes military and other preparations for war. Ultimately, God supernaturally defeats the Assyrian army. Today, Israel is again faced with the very real existential threat of Iran developing nuclear weapons. The whole world is also imperiled by Iran's ambitions. If they get nuclear weapons, there is every reason to believe they will use it - because of their extreme religious beliefs. We continue to pray for God to move supernaturally as well as praying that Israel will make the preparations He expects of us.

    Please remember that Iran's President Ahmadinejad and her Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah Khamenei, are coming against the nation of Israel, thus defying the God of Israel (Psalm 83:1-5). God will not take such things lying down. Neither should we, His people.

    We prayed for God to sovereignly act to prevent Iran from obtaining nukes.

    • Iran sits on a major earthquake zone. It would be nothing to You God to cause the ground to open and swallow up all Iran's nuclear facilities.

    • Rend the heavens O Lord and come down! (Isaiah 64:1-4)

    • Let destruction come upon Iran unexpectedly! (Psalm 35:1-8)

    • Hallelujah! The battle is the Lord's. (I Samuel 17:45-47)

    • Break the bow of Elam (Iran)! (Jeremiah 49:35-39)

    • There is revival going on among Iranian exiles around the world and in Iran itself. Many of these believers have a clear understanding of God's purposes for Israel. We prayed for the continued broadcasting of God's word into Iran via satellite television.

    • God, multiply the harvest in Iran.

    • Prepare the Iranian believers living outside Iran to return with the gospel.

  3. We prayed for Israel to do what she needs to do as an instrument in God's hand:

    • The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is His name.

      Exodus 15:3

    • Make Israel an effective weapon of war in Your hand! (Isaiah 41:16-17)

    • Make Israel's leaders to be like the men of Issachar, who knew what to do and when to do it (1 Chronicles 12:32).

    • Give accurate intelligence to the leaders of Israel to know exactly what Iran's plans are.

    • Give courage to our leaders, especially Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Chief of Staff Benny Gantz.

    • Send angels to accompany our pilots on their missions. May they deal a blow to Iran which will astound the world and then bring them home safely!

    • When you call us as a nation to take responsibility, may we not be found lacking.

    • Give wisdom and creativity to Israel's military engineers so they develop the necessary new war weapons to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities. Let these weapons be available at the time they are really needed.

    • Enable Israel's forces to act with surgical accuracy, speed and minimal collateral damage.

    • Give Israel wisdom in the creation and use of "cyber warfare".

    • We bless You for the 'Flame' cyber weapon and the damage it has already caused.

    • Give unity in Israel's government, especially the inner security cabinet, and in the army, as well as between the two.

    • Make Netanyahu a man of Your word (Psalm 119:18; 105).

    • Make Netanyahu a man of his word (Matthew 5:37).

    • Make Netanyahu Your spokesman for such a time as this (Esther 4:14).

    • Bring many in the United States Congress to stand alongside Israel's Prime Minister.

    • Break any power in Obama's manipulation of Netanyahu (Numbers 23:23).

    • Keep IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz faithful to His inaugural promise to protect the Israeli people and the nation.

  4. Syria: The situation is appalling, as thousands are being killed in fighting between government forces supporting President al-Assad, and anti-government forces which most likely include personnel belonging to Al Qaeda and to the Moslem Brotherhood. We do not have a clear direction of how to pray. If Assad falls, who will replace him? Could this even make the situation even worse?

    • Lord, teach us how to pray.

    • Lord, we pray for Israel to know what to do.

    • Show Israel if she should prepare to receive some of refugees preparing to flee Syria.

    • Show her how to distinguish between genuine refugees and dangerous infiltrators.

    • Protect the innocent from the effects of the demonic forces released in Syria.

    • Rescue the believers out of Syria and bring them to a safe destination - whether inside Israel or elsewhere.

    • Continue to turn our enemies against each other (Psalm 129:5).

    • Prepare Your Body in Israel to receive the refugees out of Syria, to bind up their wounds and to join with You in saving many.

    • [This prayer was in Arabic:] Look at Your people in Syria. Let Your will be done among them. Please do not allow the spirit of Islam to take over. Shine the light of Messiah and cause many to return to Yourself. Open the eyes of Your Church, so that they can see what you are doing in Syria. Bring Your salvation, Lord. Build the Highway even to Assyria, in the name of Yeshua!

  5. Lebanon: During the 2nd Lebanon War in 2006 many of those present at the prayer meeting had to hide in bomb shelters from Hezbollah rockets being fired from Lebanon. Now Hezbollah have stockpiled about five times the number of rockets they had in 2006.

    In 2000 Israel pulled its forces out of South Lebanon causing a flow of Lebanese refugees into Israel. Some of them are now part of a congregation in Nahariya, in Israel's north. The pastor was present at our prayer meeting and described these people as pioneers among their nation setting a pattern of love for Israel.

    • Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest?

      Isaiah 29:17

    • Abba, remove Hezbollah from Lebanon so that the Lebanese might come to understand the true God.

    • We remind You Lord that the Lebanese helped build Your House in Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 2:3) Have mercy on them today.

    • May the people of Lebanon know the truth and may Yeshua set them free (John 8:32).

    • Make the people of Lebanon a blessing to Israel.

    • Set them free from their evil master! (Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Hezbollah)

    • The scriptures sometimes refer to Lebanon as a picture of beauty. Light up the beauty of Lebanon, particularly through Your believing people.

    • The young people of Lebanon have never known anything but war and hatred. They have seen a Christian nation turned into a Moslem nation. Pour out the love of Yeshua upon them!

    • Reveal Yourself to this young generation so they would cry out to You.

    • May their roots go deeply into You and may they also love Your people Israel!

    • Empower Israel to prevent Syria sending weapons into Lebanon for Hezbollah.

    • Lord protect the innocent in Lebanon!

  6. Israel currently has one of the largest and potentially strongest coalition governments in her modern history. The three largest parties are committed to change the system of electing members to the Parliament. The current system is relatively undemocratic and results in disproportionate influence to small, specific interest parties with a relatively small following in the country. While democracy is not a God-given form of government, it is probably the best option man has - until the King of Kings comes to rule this planet in complete righteousness. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Yeshua. (Rev 22:20)

    • 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.

      1 Timothy 2:1-2

    • Help Israel to find a new electoral system which is pleasing to You!

    • Bring in a system whereby elected members of Knesset actually represent the people who elected them.

    • May the parties follow through with their commitment to change the electoral system.

    • The new government is also committed to a change in the laws regarding who has to do national military service. Let a godly solution be found!

    • Give the government wisdom regarding the numbers of African refugees living in the country. Help them know what to do!

    • Raise up a member in the Parliament who will support and favor the Messianic Jewish community! It's time to honor Your people.

    • Restore integrity among the leaders of our nation! Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people. (Proverbs 14:34)

    • Make us believers a blessing to the government of Israel.

Thank you for continuing to stand with what God wants to accomplish in Israel - for His holy name's sake.

Shabbat shalom

The IFI Team

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.

Psalm 33:10-11