1. We thank God for the wintry storm that He has sent to Israel - with lots of rain and snow in the higher elevations, including Jerusalem. But because of the weather, we had to cancel our Friday Prayer meeting as getting around in Jerusalem in the snow is questionable at best. Still, we do pray during the week, so what follows comes from those meetings as well as what we seeing in the news. Watching and praying is what Yeshua expects from us as we see His return get closer each day (Mark 13:33-37).

    • Lord, we bless You for all of the precipitation You are sending to Israel.

    • You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, by which You upheld Your inheritance when it was weary.

      Psalms 68:9

    • We thank You for washing away the weariness of Your people Israel, as well as our weariness as we watch and pray.

    • We praise You for revealing that You, the Creator of the Universe, stand guard over this nation (Psalm 121:4; Jeremiah 31:10). That is such a huge source of comfort at this time.

    • We are so grateful to You for raising up other intercessors in the nations who stand both with Israel and with us. Bless them abundantly over this next week.

  2. Prime Minister Benjamin 'Bibi' Netanyahu can do no good. If he spends 'too much' money on his personal home, he is 'crucified' by much of the Israeli media. If he decides, because of the huge cost and even greater security risk, to not attend Nelson Mandela's funeral in South Africa, he is condemned. Thank God that while most of the Israeli - and global - media seem to make him their #1 target, most Israelis recognize him as the right person to lead this nation at this time. Yet the pressure he must endure is beyond comprehension and we only surmise that it is the prayers of the saints that sustain him to be able to lead Israel today.

    • Abba, we bless You and thank You for Bibi Netanyahu.

    • We bless him in the name of his Messiah Yeshua.

    • Lord, often when we pray for Bibi, this verse comes to our mind, so once again we ask that You would 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)

    • Lord, guard over his household and give him shalom beit ­- a true peace from You in his home.

    • Yeshua, reveal Yourself to him so that he comes to a true knowledge of his Messiah, the King of Israel.

    • Surround him with wise counselors and remove far from his hearing all advice that is not 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.

      Psalm 1:1

    • For by wise counsel you shall make your war; and in a multitude of wise advisors there is safety.

      Proverbs 24:6

    • Protect him mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually and use him for Your glory (Isaiah 43:7).

  3. US Secretary of State John Kerry, obsessed to be the one to finally bring 'peace' between Israel and the Palestinians, was to return again this past week to continue to fan the flames on his new, improved 'peace process'. His meetings with Netanyahu and Israeli President Peres were canceled due to the snowstorm! While that is a direct answer to pray, we recognize that Kerry will not be stopped by the weather. The whole demonic plan to divide God's land is very exhausting on Israelis - leaders and citizens - as well as on those of us who are intercessors for Israel. Yet we must not falter in praying for His kingdom purposes to be done on earth as they are already settled in heaven.

    • Lord, watch over this promise in the life of Your intercessors: In that day YHWH of Hosts shall be for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, to the rest of His people, and for a spirit of judgment to him who sits in judgment, and for strength to those who turn back the battle to the gate. (Isaiah 28:5-6)

    • Strengthen intercessors and all of Israel's leaders who see that this peace push is both dangerous for this nation and against Your will.

    • The land shall not be sold forever; for the land is Mine. For you are strangers and pilgrims with Me.

      Leviticus 25:23

      See also Ezekiel 36:5; Joel 3:1-2 as few more verses where God calls Israel His land.

    • Abba, You see this attack against Your prophetic Word. We stand with You in this, declaring: YHWH brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He breaks the plans of the people. The counsel of YHWH stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations. (Psalms 33:10-11)

    • Lord, put into Netanyahu's mouth words that are truth and that will confound all the world's anti-God plans against this nation.

    • Abba, hedge in all left leaning government ministers and President Shimon Peres and do not allow any deals to be made under the cover of darkness - like was the case with the Oslo Accords.

    • Remind Bibi of the verse he quoted to end his September speech at the UN General Assembly: 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) Amen!

  4. Iran continues on its merry way to develop nuclear weapons. Do you realize that no final deal was signed in Geneva? That the 'details' still need to be worked out? And that the agreement is not supposed to even be in effect until January? Yet many nations and businesses are rushing to help Iran's economy. And Israel's prime minister stands almost alone among national leaders in trying to warn the world of the dangers of the world's most dangerous regime getting the world's most dangerous weapons.

    • Lord, again, we ask that You do that which You said You would to Elam [ancient Iran. The modern Iranian Church believes this section of 'Elam' verses applies to them today.] I will set My throne in Elam, and will destroy the king and the rulers from there, says YHWH. (Jeremiah 49:38)

    • We bless You for the reports that You are setting Your throne in the hearts of many Iranians - saving literally thousands today. More Lord!

    • We ask that You would quickly fulfill the next part of this verse, and destroy the rule of the ayatollahs and mullahs and other religious figures in Iran. Remove their scepter of authority.

    • Lord, deal with the dangerous nuclear facilities - whether by earthquakes, or human error or pride.

    • If You are wanting Israel to deal with it, please give wisdom concerning the method and the timing.

    • We have seen You use the IDF to protect this God-driven restoration of the state of Israel, as well as to expand the borders of this land in miraculous ways. We ask for You to prepare the IDF - whether the Air Force, Navy, Special Forces, or whomever - to protect Israel from the very real threat of a fundamentalist Shi'ite nuclear weapon.

    • Let them all be confounded and turned back, those who hate Zion.

      Psalms 129:5

    • Lord of hosts - throw all of Iran's military plans into total disarray.

    • Give Israel wisdom to know how to totally confound all of Iran's defensive and offensive capabilities.

  5. Israel constantly faces security threats - from both inside and outside of the nation. Yet those of us who are called here feel safer in Zion than in any other place in the world. Yet we continue to pray for the protection of this nation against those with a hate and a desire to destroy Israel and to kill all Jews.

    • Lord, You have raised up the IDF as an 'exceedingly great army' (Ezekiel 37:10). Continue to watch over and guide both commanders and soldiers, in all that they do.

    • Abba, You know that this nation has been on high alert ever since 1948 - and even before that. Do not allow Israel's security forces to drop their guard - yet at the same time, draw them to look to You.

    • Show the IDF when to fight and when to fear not, but to stand still and see the salvation of YHWH, which He will prepare for you this day. For [your enemies] whom you have seen today, you shall never see them anymore. (Exodus 14:13; cp. Isaiah 41:11-12)

    • Lord, help Israel's military industry to continue to develop cutting-edge weapons - both defensive and offensive in nature.

    • We trust in You and You alone to defend this nation, yet we know that, both in the Bible and today, You have often used Israel's armies to defeat your enemies. And whether You do it with or without them, our eyes are on You.

    • Lord, we bless You for enabling Messianic Jews and Arab Christians to fight alongside one another in defending this - as yet - mostly unsaved nation.

  6. How the Church deals with the Word of God is a major burden of IFI as we head into January's prayer conference. We have gotten to the place where the Church judges the Word as opposed to allowing God's Word to judge us. And this has led to the world invading the Church - especially in the West - in the guise of political correctness, social justice, human rights, etc. Yet where are God's rights? Does He not have the right to declare what is sin and evil? Is not the Author of Life the only One who really knows what is best for mankind?

    • Lord Yeshua, please do exactly what You said - and build Your Church while not allowing the gates of hell to prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).

    • By Your Spirit, search our hearts. Reveal and remove all that is a hindrance to Your Kingdom goals.

    • We confess that we are not able to really see what is in our hearts. Lord, reveal it. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I YHWH search the heart, I try the reins, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings. (Jeremiah 17:9-10)

    • Lord, there are many shepherds in Your Church who are not shepherds after Your own heart. Please remove them and raise up true under-shepherds who will encourage Your sheep to hear Your voice.

    • Abba, all leaders in this Temple of the Holy Spirit that are opening up doors for the spirit of humanism to enter, deal with them mercifully - yet definitely - and remove them if they do not reform.

    • Protect the Israeli Body of Messiah from the winds of doctrines and lying signs and wonders that You warned us about through our Messianic Jewish brother Paul (Ephesians 4:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:9).

    • Protect the Body's leaders from the temptations of power, fame and finance.

    • Lord, fill us afresh with Your Spirit daily (Ephesians 5:18b).

    • Yeshua, we hide ourselves in You and look to You to protect and guide us - for Your holy name's sake. The name [In Hebraic thinking this is referring to His essential nature, His character] of YHWH is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. (Proverbs 18:10)

  7. In closing, know that there is a sense among some intercessors that Satan is trying to trap Israel so as to destroy it - thus proving that God's Word is unreliable. Whether it is via the 'peace' process or the Geneva 'Israel-had-better-not-attack-Iran' deal, Israel is being backed up against a wall. Yet this has happened to this nation in the past - whether at the Red Sea, or confronting Goliath, or King Asa dealing with a huge army marching against him, or in modern times, when facing an attack by six Arab armies in 1948, or three armies in 1967, etc. In all these situations, Israel has come out as the victor - not because of who it is but because of who He is - the King of the Jews, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And that is our hope for both the present and the future as well.

Except that it was YHWH who was for us, O may Israel say;
Except that it was YHWH who was for us when men rose up against us,
then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us;
then the waters would have flowed over us, the stream would have gone over our soul;
then the proud waters would have gone over our soul.
Blessed is YHWH, who has not given us as a prey to their teeth.
Our soul has escaped like a bird out of the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken, and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of YHWH, who made the heavens and earth.

Psalms 124:1-8

Shabbat shalom

The IFI Team