1. We started with singing Be Thou My Vision.

    • Lord, with everything Israel is facing, we need You to be the primary focal point of our life and vision.

    • Help us to look to Yeshua the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

    • We thank You for who You are and that You never change (Malachi 3:6).

    • Hallelujah, that the Lord our God reigns (Isaiah 52:7; Revelation 19:6-7).

    • Thank You for seating us in heavenly places in Messiah Yeshua (Ephesians 2:6).

    • Because of our position in Messiah - help us to look down!

  2. There is constant pressure on Israel from most of the world, wanting it to divide its land, which would compromise its security. Therefore, Prime Minister Benjamin 'Bibi' Netanyahu needs intercessors to hold up his arms. He is God's appointed man to lead this nation at this time. Yet he cannot do it without God's grace and strength to uphold him.

    • This is the Word of YHWH to [Netanyahu], saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says YHWH of Hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before [Netanyahu] you shall become a plain; and he shall bring forth the top stone with shoutings, Grace! Grace to it!

      Zechariah 4:6-7

    • God, how we thank You for Bibi. While far from perfect, yet he is Your choice for Israel at this time.

    • Touch him deeply with his absolute inadequacy and Your total sufficiency (2 Corinthians 3:5).

    • Abba, move on him to study the Torah portion this Shabbat. As he reads it, cause these verses to come alive to him: Hear, O, Israel. YHWH our God is one YHWH. And you shall love YHWH your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

    • Abba, in line with that word that You gave us at this year's prayer conference, turn Netanyahu's heart towards Yourself (Psalm 80:3, 7, 19).

    • Bind Israel's Prime Minister to Yourself in love and give him a backbone of steel. Let Your hand be on the Man of Your right hand, on the Son of man whom You have made strong for Yourself. (Psalms 80:17)

    • Protect Bibi from all the wiles of the enemy.

    • Surround him with wise counsel (Psalm 1:1; Proverbs 15:22).

    • Protect his health and family life.

  3. On Tisha b'Av, it was announced that the EU will boycott all activities and goods that have anything to do with the land Israel re-conquered in the 1967 Six Day War. While this can, in the immediate future, hurt Israel economically, we believe that this blasphemous decision (Ezekiel 35:12-13) will bring God's full judgment on the EU. Their only hope is for the Church in the EU to plead for God to have mercy in the midst of His righteous judgments (Habakkuk 3:2).

    • While we are very upset by this unbiblical decision, we bless You for what is said in this Shabbat's prophetic portion. The timing could not be a coincidence! Behold, the nations are like a drop in a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the scales; behold, He takes up the coastlands as a very little thing… All nations before Him are as nothing; and to Him they are thought to be less than nothing, and vanity. (Isaiah 40:15, 17; see also vs. 22-24)

    • Give to Israel's leaders wisdom from on high on how to respond.

    • We thank You for the ire expressed by many government ministers in many of the parties in the Knesset.

    • Use this to draw these ministers closer together and closer to Yourself.

    • Turn this curse into a blessing as You have often done in the past (Deuteronomy 23:5).

    • May products from the 'settlements' sell even more than before (Romans 8:28).

    • Lord, show Israel if it is to drop out of their cooperation deal with the EU concerning R&D, and cause others in the world - specifically in the Far East - to desire to cooperate with Israel in this area.

    • Let Israel respond by building and developing more of the area that the world calls 'occupied'.

    • Lord, shut the mouths of the ultra-Left wingers and the Left-wing media in Israel - who are all thrilled with this decision and saying, 'We told you so. We need to give the Palestinians a state.' May it never be!

    • God, this actually will hurt the Palestinians first - as many thousands of them work for Jewish businesses in these areas. Many of them are also upset by this decision. Somehow may EU leaders see what harm they are doing to the very people they are supposedly trying to help.

    • For the sake of Europe, may the Church in Europe wake up and stand before You for mercy.

    • Abba, cause many folks like the biblical Esther to arise to see this evil edict be overturned.

    • Yet Lord, we recognize that this could be another step in seeing the fulfillment of Zechariah 12:2-3. If so, teach us how to pray.

    • Arise, O YHWH; let not man prevail. Let the nations be judged in Your sight. Put them in fear, O YHWH, let the nations know they are but men. Selah.

      Psalms 9:19-20

  4. The global campaign to see an Arab-Islamic state established inside of Israel's God-given borders continues to place tremendous pressure on this government, and on those of us called to be watchmen on Jerusalem's walls. This week, US Secretary of State John Kerry was here again (he seems to show up once every two weeks or so regardless of success or failure), pressing Israel to sit down with the Palestinians and accept the Arab League's 'peace' offer - which would actually be committing national suicide as it includes the return of six plus million so-called Palestinians refugees! Even the liberal left leaning New York Times wondered why Kerry is so focused on Israel when the rest of the Middle East is in absolute chaos.

    • We bless You Lord, that despite all the noise and headlines, nothing was accomplished this week.

    • Continue to strengthen Israel's leadership to not compromise on Your land (Leviticus 25:23).

    • Continue to use Jerusalem as a stumbling block (Zechariah 12:2-3).

    • Use the EU edict to further hinder the ability of any land-for-peace deal being made.

    • Lord, set Kerry free from whatever demonic powers has him obsessed with this Israeli-Palestinian peace.

    • We thank You that since the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993, You have consistently harden the hearts of all of the Palestinian leaders so that even with the most liberal of Israeli offers, they refused and walked away.

    • Abba, expose the dangerous deception at the root of the Arab League 'peace' deal.

    • Lord, when will You purge the land of Your enemies? YHWH is King forever and ever; the heathen [gentiles who do not submit to the God of Israel] have perished out of His land. (Psalms 10:16)

    • God, help the Church to see that the battle over this land has to do with the battle over the return of Messiah Yeshua to this land - to rule and reign from here (Zechariah 14:3-4; Acts 1:11).

  5. We continue to stand into that word that the Lord revealed to us concerning the current war in the Middle East between Sunni and Shiite Muslims.

    • Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation. And a house divided against a house falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand?…

      Luke 11:17-18

    • Yeshua, we ask You to watch over this Word and bring the house of Islam to desolation.

    • While You do that, especially now during Ramadan, save many Muslims from the satanic kingdom that they are trapped inside (Colossians 1:12-13).

    • Reveal Yourself to them in dreams and visions.

  6. In some ways, Israel as a nation is also a 'house divided against itself'. There are deep divisions between the left and the right, the secular and the ultra-Orthodox and even in the Haredi ultra-Orthodox communities, there are grievous divisions against those sons who choose to serve this nation in the IDF. Yet, Israel has a promise from God.

    • The Word of YHWH came to me, saying, son of man, take a stick and write on it, For Judah and for his companions, the sons of Israel. Take another stick and write on it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and all the house of Israel, his companions. Join them to one another into one stick, and they shall become one in your hand… I will make them one nation in the land on the mountains of Israel, and one King shall be king to them all. And they shall not still be two nations, nor shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.

      Ezekiel 37:15-17, 22

    • God, only You alone can do this miracle and make this very diverse nation one.

    • Yet this is Your promise, so we ask that You hasten the day when we see the fulfillment of it.

    • Use the upcoming election for the Israeli chief rabbi to in some way go towards seeing the unity of this nation come that much closer.

    • Lord, overrule in the election and raise up the men of Your choice.

  7. We closed up by praying against the threat of an Iranian nuclear device.

    • Lord, rip off the sheep skin from Iran's new 'moderate' president Hassan Rouhani.

    • God, we remind You of all our intercessions about this issue and ask that You would move in a mighty way.

    • If that includes Israel taking military action, please provide all the IDF needs to do the job in a devastating manner, so that the Iranian threat is put back by decades - if not forever.

    • Prepare Israel to deal with all of the negative 'fallout' on the morning after any Israeli attack.

    • If Israel needs to act, may it do so in such an overwhelming fashion that the fear of Israel's God falls on all of the nations of the Middle East.

    • [Rahab] said to the men, I know that YHWH has given you the land, and that your terror has fallen on us, and that all those who live in the land faint because of you. For we have heard how YHWH dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And when we heard, our hearts did melt, nor did any courage remain in any man, because of you. For YHWH your God, He is God in Heaven above and in earth beneath.

      Joshua 2:9-11

    • We bless You for Your promise of protection for this nation when You bring it back (Jeremiah 31:10).

May the Lord give you much wisdom on how specifically to pray for your nation and its relationship with the nation of Israel during this time of God's restoration of her - for His holy name's sake (Ezekiel 36:21-36).

Shabbat shalom, and blessings from Zion

The IFI team

Comfort, O comfort My people, says your God.
Speak lovingly to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is done,
her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received of YHWH's hand double for all her sins.
The voice of him who cries in the wilderness,
Prepare the way of YHWH, make straight a highway in the desert for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
the crooked places shall be made level, and the rough places smooth,
the glory of YHWH shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together;
for the mouth of YHWH has spoken.

Isaiah 40:1-5