1. We began by praising our Resurrected Messiah.

   • We thank You for being present with us this morning (Matthew 18:20).

   • Lord Yeshua, from Jerusalem we declare to You, Baruch haba b'shem Adonai - Blessed is He who comes in the name of YHWH (Psalm 118:26; Matthew 21:9; 23:39).

   • Hallelujah. We serve a Risen Savior (Revelation 1:18).

   • Our King is the Conqueror of Death! Death is swallowed up in victory. (1 Corinthians 15:54)

   • Bless You for resurrecting the nation of Israel - just as You promised (Ezekiel 37:1-14).

2. America is still trying to resurrect the 'peace' talks. While they may continue to talk, a travesty of justice would occur if any more terrorist-murderers would be released from jail. It seems that there is now a majority in the Israeli cabinet against this - but that can change quickly.

   • And let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

     Amos 5:24

   • Abba, we ask for justice to be meted out to these murderers.

   • Lord, You who can open prison doors, keep the doors of these murderers securely locked.

   • Forbid that Israeli leaders act more merciful than You (1 Kings 20:42; Proverbs 17:15).

   • Give Israel's government wisdom and courage to do the right thing and not compromise with evil.

   • Strengthen PM Bibi Netanyahu and remind him of the book he wrote on how to fight terrorism which clearly says to not release terrorists from jail.

   • Lord, reduce the impact that American officials have on Israeli officials.

   • Watch over this nation. Surely, there is no witchcraft against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel. According to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What God has worked! (Numbers 23:23)

3. We next prayed for this 'piece-by-piece' anti-biblical 'peace' process to die. Even if there were true peace being offered to Israel - which there is not -Israel still does not have the right to do with this land whatever it wants because the Land of Israel belongs to God.

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

     Leviticus 25:23

     I will also gather all nations and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat. And I will fight with them there for My people and for My inheritance Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and divided My land.

     Joel 3:2

   • Lord, whatever it takes - with as much mercy as possible - let this 'peace' process die once and for all.

   • Use the uncompromising stance and of the Palestinian leaders to show more Israelis that no reasonable deal can be had.

   • Continue to harden the hearts, as well as the demands, of the Palestinian leadership (Proverbs 21:1).

   • Continue to use Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon to be a source of truth and a voice of warning.

   • Draw Ya'alon and Netanyahu into a very close relationship and May Ya'alon have a greater influence on Bibi that anyone else in the cabinet (Proverbs 11:14; 20:18).

   • Use the chaos in other parts of the world to draw peoples' attention away from Israel for a season.

   • We bless You for restoring to this people Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the Golan Heights - in six days - and ask that You would block any and all attempts to divide this land any further.

4. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is a problem-spot for this nation today. In the Six-Day War, a major mistake Israel made was to return the mount back under the religious supervision of the Islamic Wakf. Since then, Israel has had one problem after another because of what happens there. Riots, stone throwing at Jews praying at the Western Wall, incitement, it all comes from this one spot - the holiest place on earth to God and the Jewish people (Genesis 22:2; 2 Chronicles 3:1).

   • Abba, give wisdom to the police commanders to know who to let up on the Mount today and who not to.

   • Impart courage to the Israeli security forces who are responsible to keep the peace there.

   • For all those who want to cause trouble, confound them (Psalm 129:5).

   • Let those planning wicked deeds, fall into the net they have set for the innocent (Psalm 35:8).

   • Lord, expose all of the enemy's plans before they are put into play.

5. We sensed that there is a fear of offending Islam in the Israeli government. This is not surprising as this is the case with most nations today - especially those in the West.

   • So we proclaimed over the Israeli government: For God has not given [you] the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

   • Lord, deliver Israel's leaders from the fear of man (Proverbs 29:25) and give them a healthy dose of the fear of You (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7a; 9:10).

   • Grant them a sound mind to make biblically- sound decisions.

6. We prayed into Israel's internal security situation. There has been an increase of attacks of various sorts, with the murder of a high-ranking police commander on Passover evening just outside Hebron. As 'peace' talks get nowhere, the frustration of Palestinians will increase and the incitement of the Palestinian Authority will get worse. We already see this happening.

   • Lord, throw a wet-blanket over all of Satan's attempts kill and destroy lives in this nation.

   • Provide continual alertness to Israel's security forces.

   • During this resurrection and Passover weekend, meet with many of them and reveal Yourself as the Captain of the hosts of the Lord (Joshua 5:13-15).

   • Give Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria protection against terror (Psalm 91:1-15).

   • Hinder all attempts by Jews to take the law into their own hands.

   • Help all attempts by Israeli security forces to capture terrorists.

   • Impart courage to the government to start using capital punishment against murders (Genesis 9:5-6).

   • Prevent any further successful kidnapping attempts.

   • Allow terrorist to have more 'work' accidents, as happen this past week in Gaza!

   • Lord, guard over this nation which You are restoring for Yourself (Psalm 121:4; Jeremiah 31:10).

7. Aliyah - the immigration of Jews from exile to Israel - was the next topic for prayer. In particular, we prayed for the Jews in Ukraine, where the danger to their lives has increase exponentially.

   • Let the Jews in Ukraine see that the handwriting on the walls is signed by the hunters (Jeremiah 16:16).

   • For those who want to leave, open wide the door both there and here in Israel for their acceptance.

   • For those who are not sure yet, please do not let them wait until it is too late (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

   • Lord, wake up the leaders of the Ukraine Jewish community - including the Messianic leaders - to come home and to bring their flocks with them.

   • Behold, the days come, says YHWH, that it shall no more be said, as YHWH lives, who brought up the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, as YHWH lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands where He had driven them. And I will bring them again into their lands that I gave to their fathers.

     Jeremiah 16:14-15

   • Abba, do this with as much mercy as possible - but please do it!

   • Let Israel place a huge baruch haba mat - a 'welcome' mat - out for all who are fleeing from the lands of the north (Zechariah 2:6).

   • Lord, we ask that You would reveal to us all stones of stumbling from the path of Your people returning to Israel so that we can intercede for their removal. Go through! Go through the gates; prepare the way of the people. Raise up! Raise up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a banner for the peoples. (Isaiah 62:10 - please note that the context of this verse is intercession - vv. 6-7)

   • Lord, use the anti-Semitic killings at the Kansas City Jewish centers to wake up more American Jews.

   • We bless You for a substantial increase in aliyah already this year. More, Lord!

8. We usually pray for the salvation of Israel after praying for aliyah, as God's Word indicates that when all Israel gets saved, it happens here in the land (Ezekiel 36:24-28; Zechariah 12:10). This is a special weekend as most of our family in Messiah will be celebrating Yeshua's resurrection and most of the Jewish community is still in the middle of the feast of Passover/Unleavened Bread. This is a great weekend for the Risen Messiah to show Himself to His brothers in the flesh.

   • Yeshua, thank You for dying as our Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7) and for rising from the dead as the first fruits of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20), fulfilling these two biblical feasts (Leviticus 23:5, 10-11).

   • Lord, cut through all of the paganizing of Resurrection Day and let the beauty of the Risen Messiah be revealed to many in the household of Jacob.

   • Fulfill this beautiful picture with Yeshua and his brothers this weekend: Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph…And his brothers could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence. Joseph said to his brothers, Come near me. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be grieved, nor angry with yourselves that you sold me here. For God sent me before you to preserve life. (Genesis 45:3-5)

   • Abba, watch over all of the seeds planted during the Passover seder and reap a mighty harvest for Your glory (Isaiah 43:7; 46:13).

   • As Jews read this Shabbat's prophetic portion, Ezekiel 37, the valley of dry bones coming to life, help them to make the connection with the resurrection of Your Son, their Messiah and Lord.

   • Grace the Messianic communities in Israel to be ready to receive new believers and to disciple them.

9. We finished by praying into the continually increasing threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon. We do not believe that there has been any progress whatsoever - as it is perfectly acceptable in Islam to lie to an enemy in order to gain a victory. So why should anyone trust anything that the Shi'ite regime in Iran says? Yet in today's world, 'peace and safety' have become idols (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3). As believers, we are promised tribulations (John 16:33), persecutions (2 Timothy 3:12) and hatred (John 15:18) in the world. Yet Yeshua has promised us His peace, by which we overcome the world: I have spoken these things to you so that you might have peace in Me. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) Please continue to pray into the Iranian threat in the two ways we have been doing for years now:

   • That God would sovereignly move to bring down this wicked regime and set the Iranians free - both politically and spiritually. Whether He does that through natural disasters, work accidents, sabotage or a massive revival that even sweeps many mullahs into His kingdom, is up to Him. While this is our preference, yet we sense it may take the next option to finish this threat.

   • That if God wants Israel to deal with this militarily, He would provide for all Israel's needs to do it - whether up-to-date intelligence, new weapon platforms, spies, the timing and the will to start and finish this threat despite the reaction from the rest of the world.

Ultimately, all we are doing is the mopping-up battles of a war already won on the third day, when Messiah Yeshua rose from the dead, victorious over Satan, Death and the Grave.

Shabbat shalom, happy Passover, and hallelujah, He is risen!

The IFI team