1. To start this morning, we read from Psalm 80.

   • Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You dwelling between the cherubs, shine forth. Stir up Your strength before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, and come, save us. Turn us again, O God, and cause Your face to shine, and we shall be saved!

     Psalms 80:1-3

   • And from this week's prophetic portion: How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, making peace heard; who brings good news, making salvation heard; who says to Zion, Your God reigns! (Isaiah 52:7)

   • We thank You for never sleeping as You watch over this nation - and over us (Psalm 121:2-4).

   • We take great comfort in the truth that You know the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10).

   • We trust in You even when we do not have total understanding of the things that are happening today.

2. Those in authority in Israel are face-to-face with catastrophic possibilities. Israel is seeing enemies on the rise in Egypt, chaos ruling in Syria and Iran and Hizbullah threatening it with total annihilation. The pressure must be overwhelming at times - especially as most of Israel's leaders do not have a personal relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, because of not having a relationship with their Messiah, Yeshua. They need our prayers.

   • First of all, then, I exhort that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.

     1 Timothy 2:1-2

   • We bless You for Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and we bless him in the name of Yeshua.

   • The king's heart is in the hand of YHWH as the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He will. (Proverbs 21:1) Amen! Lord, turn his heart towards You at this time.

   • Shepherd of Israel, You have raised Netanyahu up for just a time like this (Esther 4:14). Provide him with all he needs to complete that which is Your will for him.

   • Remove from him all counselors and counsel that is not in line with Your will.

   • Quicken Israel's leaders to affirm all counsel that is from You.

   • Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, and has not stood in the way of sinners, and has not sat in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is only in the Law of YHWH; and in His Law he meditates day and night.

     Psalms 1:1-2

   • Bring Israel's ruling coalition into unity whenever they need to make major decisions.

   • Give Bibi the ability to ignore attacks from the media and other politicians.

   • May he learn to fear You and not to fear man (Proverbs 29:25).

   • Prepare him for his time in the US at the UN General Assembly meeting in September and with any other world leaders that he meets - especially US President Obama.

   • Make Netanyahu, Michael Oren, Israel's US ambassador and Ron Prosor, Israel's UN ambassador, a threefold cord in their support and encouragement of one another.

   • Anoint them to speak truth regardless of whether it is politically correct or not.

3. With events in the Middle East, and the rest of the world, quickly spinning out of control, what is most needed for the furtherance of God's Kingdom purposes is an awakening of God's watchmen to intercession.

   • I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem, who will not be silent all the day nor all the night. You who remember YHWH [or 'are YHWH's secretaries'], do not be silent, and give Him no silence until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

     Isaiah 62:6-7

   • Lord, pour out Your Spirit on Your watchmen to know what Your will is in intercession at this time.

   • Make us like the sons of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do… (1 Chronicles 12:32a)

   • Quicken the Body in Israel to arise with a prayer burden for this nation's protection, as well as salvation.

   • May many in the global Body of Messiah recognize that You are looking for someone to stand in the gap before You so that You can move in mercy and not judgment (Ezekiel 22:30-31).

   • Lord Yeshua, anoint these Friday Prayer Alerts and use them to raise up much intercession in the nations.

4. Egypt: Are we seeing the fulfillment of the first part of Isaiah 19, which will ultimately lead to a highway between Israel, Egypt and Assyria [Iraq, Iran, Kurdistan, and/or…]? We think so.

   • The burden against Egypt: Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud and comes into Egypt. The idols of Egypt shall tremble at His presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in its midst. I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians; and they shall fight each man against his brother, and each against his neighbor… The spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst of it, and I will destroy its wisdom…I will shut up Egypt into the hand of a cruel lord [the Muslim Brotherhood?]; and a fierce king [Morsi?] shall rule over them, says the Lord, YHWH of Hosts.

     Isaiah 19:1-4

   • Abba, help Israel's leaders to know exactly what to do with this new, very serious threat that has arisen.

   • Aid them in dealing with Egypt's movement of tanks and anti-aircraft missiles into the Sinai - a major breach of the Israel-Egypt peace agreement.

   • Do not allow Israel's leaders to ignore these moves by Egypt just because of Iran or any other current threats.

   • Abba, if possible, wake up the US administration to realize that they are committed to enforce the Israel-Egyptian Peace deal and they need to use all of their influence to speak with Egypt now.

   • Lord, as You promised, confound all of Egypt's wise men and counselors: Surely the rulers of Zoan are fools, the counsel of the wise counselors of Pharaoh has become brutish…Where are your wise men?…The rulers of Zoan have become fools, the rulers of Noph are deceived; they have also caused Egypt to go astray …YHWH has mixed a perverse spirit in its midst… (Isaiah 19:11-14)

   • Lord, have mercy on the people in Egypt. Save multitudes.

5. This week, there will be a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement of 120 developing nations in Iran. Their leadership will pass from Egypt to Iran! Heads of state will be there - as will be UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, despite requests from both America and Israel that he not attend. We were led to proclaim over this meeting: The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the thoughts of the people of no effect. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations. (Psalms 33:10-11)

6. Syria: We next prayed into the very confusing and dangerous Syrian situation (Psalm 129:5).

   • Lord, we again ask for You to impart Your wisdom and guidance to Israel's leaders concerning this cauldron of chaos on Israel's northern border.

   • Abba, You promised to give Israel shepherds according to Your heart, when You brought them back into Your/their land (Jeremiah 3:15). Please make Israel's current leaders those shepherds at this time.

   • Enable Israel's various spies and collaborators in Syria to obtain accurate and up-to-date information.

   • May there be a well thought out plan on how to deal with Syria's biological and chemical weapons so that they are not used against Israel or fall into the hands of Islamic fundamentalists.

   • Keep the IDF alert on the northern border.

   • Protect the Body of Messiah in Syria and use them for Your glory.

   • Encourage them with verses like this: But if you also suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. And do not fear their fear, nor be troubled, but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason of the hope in you, with meekness and fear; (1 Peter 3:14-15)

   • Save many of the nominal Syrian Christians.

   • Protect and save the Kurdish peoples.

   • Yeshua, reveal Yourself to the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in Jordan, Turkey and other places.

7. Iran: This past week, Iran revealed that they have built more centrifuges in a nuclear facility located inside a mountain. Yet the world continues to 'negotiate' with them, and considers increasing sanctions - which have not worked for the past 30 months - while Iran's leaders continue to threaten 'the Zionist entity' with total destruction.

   • Abba, give Israel's leaders a very clear leading concerning what to do with Iran.

   • Synch Israel's leadership with Your clock and not their own or the world's.

   • Have mercy on this nation - for Your holy name's sake - and prevent Iran from developing nukes.

   • Hear, O God, the boastings and threats against Your people by Iran's current leaders. Hold them accountable. Bring them down. Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)

   • Cause their new centrifuges to self-destruct.

   • Give the Iranian Body of Messiah wisdom, courage and an anointing in intercession.

   • Enable them to see the curse their nation is under because of its leaders cursing Israel (Genesis 12:3).

   • Provide Israel's various spies and collaborators in Iran with accurate and up-to-date information.

   • Prevent Israel's leaders from becoming overwhelmed with all that is happening, so that they freeze up and are not able to make a decision when they need to.

   • We remind You to do that which You have declared: I will set My throne in Elam [ancient Persia, where Iran is located today], and will destroy the king and the rulers from there, says the LORD. (Jeremiah 49:38)

8. We were led to pray against a spirit of fear, intimidation and confusion coming upon the people of Israel, and to lift up the IDF to be all God prophesied that it would be.

   • Thank You for how You have sustained this people up to this point.

   • Absolutely block any of these spirits from attacking the IDF.

   • Make the IDF the army that You prophesied Israel would have when You brought her back to the land.

   • For I have bent Judah for Me as a bow; I filled it with Ephraim, and I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and make you as the sword of a mighty man. And YHWH shall be seen over them, and His arrow shall go forth like the lightning; and the Lord YHWH shall blow the ram's horn, and shall go out with the windstorms of the south. YHWH of Hosts shall defend them; and they shall devour and trample the slingstones…YHWH their God shall save them in that day as the flock of His people; for they are as stones of a crown, lifted up as a banner over His land. For how great is its goodness and how great its beauty!…YHWH of Hosts has visited His flock the house of Judah, and has made them as His beautiful horse in battle.

     Out of Him came the cornerstone; out of Him the nail; out of Him the battle bow; out of Him every oppressor together. And they shall be like mighty ones who trample the mud of the streets in the battle. And they shall fight because YHWH is with them, and they shall make the riders on horses ashamed. And I will strengthen the house of Judah, and I will save the house of Joseph, and I will return to save them; for I have pity on them. And they shall be as though I had not cast them off; for I am YHWH their God, and I will answer them.

     from Zechariah 9:13-10:6; compare with Deuteronomy 33:26-29; Isaiah 41:10-16; Ezekiel 37:9-14; Micah 4:11-13

9. We have entered the month of Ellul, "the month of repentance", on the Hebrew calendar. A shofar is blown every morning in synagogues and many Jews come to pray prayers of forgiveness as a way of preparation for the holy-days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It is a wonderful time to pray for many in Israel to be saved.

   • As the shofar blows, call Your people to Yourself.

   • As You are doing in so many other parts of the world, reveal Messiah Yeshua in dreams and visions.

   • Yeshua, send the spirit of grace and supplication upon Your people (Zechariah 12:10).

   • Send Your Spirit and let Him convict them concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment. Concerning sin, because they do not believe on Me… (John 16:8-9a)

   • Quicken the Israeli Body to the open doors You are giving us to share the good news of Your Son, Israel's Messiah and King, Yeshua.

10. Intercessors for Israel issues: IFI will be holding another of its once-every-three-months regional prayer meetings this coming Thursday. The meeting will be in Kiryat Shmona, a city very close to the northern border that lives under the constant threat of rocket attacks from Lebanon.

    • Lord, draw Your people from all over the north of the country to come and intercede.

    • We bless You for raising up IFI at this time to encourage intercession in Israel.

11. We are planning the next International Prayer Conference Jerusalem, in January 2013. Most years it is followed by a prayer tour in Israel. This year we have not heard from the Lord yet regarding that tour.

    • Lord, please make it very clear to us whether or not You want us to have a tour.

    • If yes, please impart to us the theme and where You want us to go to be able to stand in the gap - physically in this land of Yours.

12. Finally, please agree in prayer with us for IFI's finances.

    • Lord, we thank You for Your faithfulness to this ministry in this area.

    • Continue to supply all our needs for the daily running of our office.

    • Send in the funds to enable us to offer sponsorship for younger intercessors to attend next January's prayer conference.

    • Also, Lord, if it is Your will, provide finances to help us to purchase satellite phones, so that in the event of war, when most regular means of communication might be cut off, we would be able to communicate with each other and to convey prayer needs to intercessors outside the country.

Blessings from Zion and Shabbat shalom,

The IFI team