1. We read through Psalm 23 to start our prayer time, blessing and thanking our great Shepherd and Lord.

    • YHWH is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of YHWH forever.

      Psalms 23:1-6

    • Lord Yeshua, You are the great Shepherd and we are blessed to be called Your sheep (John 10:14).

    • Bless You for being so trustworthy.

    • Thank You for being a God who hears and answers prayer (Psalm 50:15).

    • Hallelujah! Your mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23).

    • We are so grateful for a salvation that is totally and completely by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8).

  2. On October 1st, PM Bibi Netanyahu spoke at the UN General Assembly meeting in NYC. After, he had a number of interviews with the US media. He did a wonderful job of laying out Israel's concerns with an Iranian nuclear weapon and even quoted from God's Word. [Click for a transcript of his speech.] After taking a stand for truth like that, the forces of darkness are not very pleased with him. So we prayed for him and his family.

    • We bless and thank You for Israel's Prime Minister - Bibi Netanyahu.

    • Thank You for speaking through him at the UN, and even giving him the courage to quote from Your Word several times, especially as he ended by declaring this verse: And I will plant them on their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, says YHWH your God. (Amos 9:15)

    • Let the truth that You spoke through Netanyahu accomplish all that You want it to (Isaiah 55:11).

    • Continue to protect him and his family mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.

    • Thank You for bringing him home to Israel safely.

    • Hedge in the Israeli media and politicians from attacking and depreciating all that Netanyahu did.

    • Give him renewed strength and courage to keep the Iranian global threat in the forefront.

    • Continue to allow the fear of God to overrule any fear of man in him. The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever puts his trust in YHWH shall be safe. (Proverbs 29:25)

    • Reveal Messiah Yeshua to him. No one can come to Me unless the Father who has sent Me draw him… (John 6:44a)

  3. There has been a renewal of rumors that the Arab Gulf States, including Saudi Arabia, are holding quiet discussions with Israel on how to co-operate against Iran. Realistically, Iran is a greater threat to them than to Israel. Also, the US President Obama phone call to Iranian President Rouhani was a wake-up call to them that the US cannot be trusted to protect them against the Iranian nuclear program.

    • If this of You - establish and bless it.

    • Lord, if this is a living example of the Arab proverb, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend,' then we ask that You would bless it - while You keep Israel's eyes wide open to the dangers of this as well.

    • Keep this relatively secret unless there is a reason to expose this.

    • Open the eyes of the Gulf Sunni Arab states to how Iran has dangerously influenced Iraq, Syria and even Lebanon through Hizbullah.

    • Do not allow the US State Department or Defense Department to expose this possible linkage as they have done with previous Israeli attacks to stop dangerous transfers of game-changing weapons in Syria.

    • Use the very mention of this possibility to force Iran's leaders into making major geo-political errors.

    • Let them be confounded and put to shame, those who seek after my soul; let them be turned back and be brought to confusion, those who plot evil to me.

      Psalms 35:4

  4. At the UNGA, the Syria foreign minister said that one of the goals of the Assad regime is to regain the 'occupied Golan Heights'. This is something that the Syrian government and the rebel alliance agree on. The rebels have also threatened that as soon as Assad is overthrown, their next target is to retake the Golan. Yet this area has been annexed by Israel - just like Jerusalem - and is part of the promised land [biblical Bashan] in which God has said He will save Israel.

    • And I will again bring Israel to his home, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan [today, the Golan], and his soul shall be satisfied on Mount Ephraim and Gilead. In those days, and at that time, says YHWH, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and it shall not be found; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found; for I will pardon those whom I leave as a remnant.

      Jeremiah 50:19-20

    • We are so grateful for the Israeli Defense Forces whom You have raised up to protect this land and people. [Here are just a few of the many verses proving this: Isaiah 41:10-16; Ezekiel 37:10; Micah 4:11-13.]

    • Abba, bless those in the IDF who are guarding Israel from any attacks from the north.

    • Give them super alertness to see and cut off any and all attacks against this nation and people.

    • Provide Israel with accurate intelligence from inside Syria and Lebanon so that it can make decisions in line with Your will to protect this nation (Jeremiah 31:10).

    • Thank You for the recent addition of UN peace-keeping forces from Fiji, a nation that loves and supports Israel. Bless that nation for its willingness to protect this nation (Genesis 12:3b).

    • Help the IDF to prepare for the next war - and not the last one.

    • Use the cuts in the IDF's budget to clarify what its real priorities need to be at this time.

    • Bless and use the Messianic Jews and Christians in the IDF for Your holy name's sake.

    • We look to You to be the One who defends this nation - in whatever way You choose to do it. For YHWH is our defense. Yes, our King is the Holy One of Israel. (Psalms 89:18)

  5. The Iranian threat continues to increase. In a recent poll, nearly two-thirds of Israelis believe Iran will succeed in building an atomic bomb. It has also become very obvious to Israelis that the US under its current administration will not do anything militarily to stop this threat. So we continue to pray that God would stop this Iranian threat sovereignly - or that He will use Israel to do it.

    • Thank You for enabling Netanyahu to see this threat clearly and to continue to be a watchmen warning the world of this very 'clear and present' danger. Set a watchman, let him declare what he sees. (Isaiah 21:6b)

    • Give him the courage to do what needs to be done - even if, as he said at the UN - Israel needs to do it alone.

    • God, deal in mercy with both Israelis and Iranians by eliminating this threat sovereignly. Come, behold the works of YHWH, who makes ruins on the earth; who makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow, and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariots in the fire. (Psalms 46:8-9)

    • Confound Iran's wicked leaders, who speak smooth words, but war is in their hearts (Psalm 55:21).

    • Do not allow any international pressure to come on Israel as a result of Rouhani's call for Israel to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

    • If Israel needs to strike militarily, enable them to do so with optimal effect.

    • Give Israel the exact timing, methods and weapon systems to use.

    • Help Israel's military planners to think out of the box and be more ready to listen to You than to man. And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the weeping trees, then you shall strike. For then YHWH shall go out before you to strike the army of the Philistines. (2 Samuel 5:24)

    • Continue to save multitudes of Iranians.

    • Concerning Your watchmen, forbid that our 'prophetic charts' hinder us from being led by Your Spirit in our intercessions and outlook.

    • Keep us sensitive to Your voice, teachable and far away from all arrogance and presumption.

    • If in any way, we are off - in either our prayers or our prophetic outlook - correct us, for Yeshua's sake.

  6. Municipal elections are going to be held in Israel on October 22. These elections are important and actually affect the daily life of Israelis more than the general elections - yet these elections are met with much apathy from Israelis. The elections for Jerusalem are of particular importance.

    • Thank You Abba, for Nir Barkat, the current mayor of Jerusalem.

    • Bless You for his strong stance against the division of Jerusalem.

    • Please give him an overwhelming victory to remain as Jerusalem's mayor.

    • Help his party to also win a majority in these elections.

    • Draw Barkat to Yourself, through Your Son, Messiah Yeshua (Jeremiah 31:3).

    • Abba, we ask for You to raise up quality people throughout Israel.

    • Watch over Your promise in Isaiah 1:26: And I will restore your judges as at first, and your counselors as at the beginning; afterwards you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city. (Isaiah 1:26)

    • Awaken the Israeli Body that they have a responsibility to stand in the gap for the city in which You have placed them - and let them cry out for mercy for their cities in these elections (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

  7. We also prayed for the Israeli Body of Messiah to have a Spirit-empowered and imparted vision and burden for intercession.

    • Lord, this is Your Body. Give to the shepherds an understanding of the importance of intercession for Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done on earth (Matthew 6:10).

    • Help them to pray and to teach and lead in prayer.

    • Anoint all those who have a God-given burden for intercession.

    • Protect the Body from all those who say they are intercessors - and are not!

    • Wake us up to the authority and responsibility we all have in this prayer battle.

    • And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching to this very thing with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

      Ephesians 6:17-18

    • Lord, many of us pray to do God's work. Give us the understanding that You gave to Oswald Chambers - that prayer is the work of God!

    • Thank You for all You have done in helping Intercessors for Israel to pray and encourage prayer.

  8. We had some rain over the nation of Israel this morning. It was definitely not a lot, but it encouraged us to press in to the throne of grace and ask God for all the rain that this nation needs at this time. Although Israel's water crisis was declared over last year, still we do not take the water in this land for granted. Please join us as we pray for wet weather to descend over this land during the next several months.

Finally, we are sending out the International Prayer Conference, Jerusalem 2014 brochures early next week.

We prayed over a sample, asking God to use them to speak to all of those who are called to be with us in Jerusalem next January. We want all He is calling to come and all those whom He is calling to be elsewhere, we want them there as well!

Shabbat shalom, and blessings from Zion,

The IFI team

LORD reigns, He is clothed with majesty; LORD is clothed with strength.

Psalms 93:1a

Say among the nations, LORD reigns; and the world shall be established; it shall not be moved;
He shall judge the peoples in uprightness.

Psalms 96:10

LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of islands be glad.

Psalms 97:1

LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble.
He sits between the cherubs; let the earth quake.

Psalms 99:1

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