1. We opened by reading Isaiah 51:1-3, from this Shabbat's prophetic portion.

    • Listen to Me, you pursuers of righteousness; you seekers of YHWH. Look to the rock from which you were cut…Look to Abraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you; for I called him alone, blessed him, and increased him. For YHWH shall comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of YHWH. Joy and gladness shall be found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

      Isaiah 51:1-3

    • Thank You for being so faithful to Israel and to us (Deuteronomy 7:9).

    • God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken, and shall He not make it good?

      Numbers 23:19

      Amen!

    • We bless You who are the Creator of heaven and earth and the Creator of Israel (Isaiah 43:15; 45:18)!

    • Thank You for being our Comforter (John 14:16; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

    • Hallelujah - we serve a God who is strong, a mighty tower for Your people (Proverbs 18:10).

    • What a blessing to know the One and only covenant keeping God (Psalm 25:14).

    • You are the Judge of all the earth; You will do that which is right (Genesis 18:25b).

    • Father, glorified be Your name. Use our prayers so that Your Kingdom will come and Your Will will be done - here on earth as it is already done in heaven (Matthew 6:9-10).

  2. Reports are that both the US and the UK are trying to manipulate Israel by not sending weapons to it if Israel continues to defend itself against the Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Although we write this in a very blunt way, yet this is exactly what these two 'friends' of Israel's are saying.

    • Abba, this is wickedness ruling in high places, especially in the White House and US State Department. Lord, do not allow this manipulation to stand.

    • Surely, there is no spell against Jacob, nor any witchcraft against Israel. According to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What God has worked!

      Numbers 23:23

    • Lord, expose all plans in high places to weaken Israel.

    • YHWH brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He breaks the plots of the people. The counsel of YHWH stands forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations.

      Psalms 33:10-11

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

      Psalms 9:19-20

    • God, we fear for these nations more than for Israel. Have mercy by not allowing these plots to work.

    • Use the US Congress, who is Israel's strongest political support in that nation, to confront President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry and pressure them to release all weapons Israel needs for this just war against Hamas and Iran (Hamas' backers).

    • And use whomever You have in the UK parliament to hinder its plans against Israel as well.

  3. We prayed for the true Church in our birth-nations to arise and stand with Israel - especially, but not exclusively - in prayer. It is only the believer who has direct access to the mercy seat of God (Hebrews 4:16), who can find grace and mercy for their nations in this time of need, when their nations 'curse' Israel (Genesis 12:3 Note: In this verse, the second word for 'curse' in Hebrew, means to despise, to defame, to belittle, and even to ignore.)

    • Lord Yeshua, this is Your Body we are interceding for. Awaken them to the reality that what You are doing in Israel is for Your holy name's sake (Ezekiel 36:23).

    • God, stir up the remnant that does have an understanding of Israel to see the danger their nations are in by criticizing Israel when it defends its civilians - like any godly government should do (Romans 13:3-4).

    • Abba, have mercy on the younger generation of Christians who are being deceived by a Humanistic spirit to think that Your highest goal is 'social justice'.

    • Help them to see that You are just and what You have decreed is just - although we may not be able to see Your ways as clearly as we want (Deuteronomy 32:4; Isaiah 45:21; 55:8-9; 1 Corinthians 13:12).

    • Lord, impart to pastors courage to break out of the politically correct trap and to declare that which is on Your heart: Yes, I will rejoice over them [Israel] to do them good, and I will truly plant them in this land with all My heart and all My whole soul. For thus says YHWH: As I have brought all this great evil on this people, so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them. (Jeremiah 32:41-42)

  4. In general, the Western media's coverage of Israel's war against Hamas has been abominable. All they have done is to take Hamas' statistics and pictures and then used them to defame Israel. Yet as using lies is a legitimate weapon of warfare according to Islam, this is at best naivety - at worst anti-Semitism.

    • Justice is driven back, and stands afar off; for truth has fallen in the street, and right cannot enter. Yes, truth fails; and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. YHWH saw, and it displeased Him that there was no judgment. And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor. Therefore His own arm brought salvation to Him; and His righteousness sustained Him…When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of YHWH shall make him flee.

      Isaiah 59:14-16, 19b

    • Abba, raise up the Spirit of truth against the lying spirits in the media.

    • Lord, protect the minds and hearts of believers from the horrific images being displayed in the media.

    • Stir up the consciences of those who are getting information from the media, especially our brothers and sister in Messiah, to understand that this cannot be the whole story, the whole truth.

    • Help Your Body to walk not by sight - what they see on BBC, CNN or the internet - but to walk by faith in what You say in Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and the rest of Your Word (2 Corinthian 5:7).

    • Abba, we thank You for the few reporters who are now out of Gaza and are starting to reveal the truth of how Hamas has fought this war - hiding behind its civilians and firing from civilian areas.

    • Protect these reporters. Give them greater influence to help a true picture of what happened be declared.

    • Thank You for the Foreign Press Association that has criticized Hamas' methods in dealing with foreign journalists. Protect each one involved with coming public with this brave statement.

    • Anoint Israel to be able to do a better job in declaring their side of the story.

  5. Israel's government, especially Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, has been, and is increasingly coming under, intense pressure - both from inside and outside of this nation. They need our prayers.

    • Abba, again we bless Bibi in the name of his Messiah Yeshua.

    • Use Netanyahu for Your glory (Psalm 115:1-3).

    • Lord, we thank You for raising him up to lead this nation at this time.

    • Make him a statesman.

    • Strengthen and encourage him to continue to stand and to speak truth.

    • 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

    • Speak clearly to Bibi and to Defense Minister Ya'alon concerning Your plans (Proverbs 19:21; 21;30).

    • Protect their relationship (Psalm 5:12).

    • Provide all those in Israel who are responsible for making life and death decisions with all of the emotional, physical, mental and spiritual strength they need at this time.

    • Protect Bibi and the security cabinet from any worldly pressure that would press them to make decisions that are not in line with Your prefect will for Israel.

    • YHWH, it is nothing with You to help, whether with many or with him who has no power. Help us, O YHWH our God, for we rest on You, and in Your name we go against this multitude. O YHWH, You are our God. Do not let man prevail against You.

      2 Chronicles 14:11

    • Lord, how our foes have increased! Many are the ones who rise up against us. Many are saying of our souls, there is no deliverance for them in God. Selah. But You, O YHWH, are a shield for us; our glory, the One who lifts up our heads.

      Psalms 3:1-3 paraphrased

  6. We prayed into Israel's overall security situation. Most of our soldiers, as well as many Israelis, are exhausted by the fighting and stress and the world's attacks against Israel's attempts to defend itself, and yet still this nation is surrounded on all sides by those who really want to see us dead.

    • Awake! Awake! Put on your strength, Zion…

      Isaiah 52:1

    • Abba, You who watch Israel continually (Psalm 121:4), provide security around all our borders.

    • Forbid any further successful kidnappings.

    • Enhance Israel's work on their tunnel-detection-technology.

    • Use the believers in the IDF to be salt and light in their units (Matthew 5:13-16).

    • God expose all tunnels - whether from Gaza or from other areas, like Lebanon (Daniel 2:22).

    • Enable communications to be super clear throughout the army's ranks.

    • Anoint Israel's various intelligence services to not miss anything important.

    • If the cease-fire with Hamas falls apart, give the IDF plans to retake Gaza and destroy Hamas 'suddenly'!

    • And Joshua came to them suddenly, coming up from Gilgal all night.

      Joshua 10:9; see also 11:7

  7. Christians in the Middle East are being slaughtered by the Islamic State [aka ISIS] demonically inspired terrorists. We prayed for our brothers and sisters to find a way of escape.

    • Abba, provide them with a refugee (Psalm 91:1-16).

    • Bless the Kurds who have tried to protect and help as much as possible.

    • Wake up the Western Church to what is happening to their family in the ME (Hebrews 13:3)!

    • May somehow this excessively wicked bloodshed wake up many Muslims to realize that they no longer want any part of what the ISIS is selling, and save multitudes of Muslims. Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek Your name, O YHWH. (Psalms 83:16)

    • Lord, use this to bring down the principality of Islam. Let them be ashamed and troubled forever; yes, let them be put to shame, and lost; so that men may know You, whose name is YHWH, that You alone are the Most High over all the earth. (Psalms 83:17-18)

    • For those being persecuted who are Christian in name only, have mercy and save them (Psalm 51:15).

  8. Aliyah - the immigration of the Jews -back home to Israel, was our next prayer burden. Europe is becoming a dangerous place for Jews to live. There are also signs that anti-Semitism is breaking out in the US as well as in Australia and other places throughout the world. Israel was established to be a safe haven for Jews, and even with our precarious situation, we still feel safer here than anywhere else. Please pray for the Jews in your nation to rise up and come home quickly. Also, pray for the church to realize the duty they have - unto God - to help carry the Jews back home (Isaiah 49:22).

  9. We finished by praying for the local Messianic Body in Israel, that we would be protected from all spirits of humanism and other deceptive ploys of the enemy. That we would hear our Shepherd's voice clearly and be willing to be led by His Spirit. And that in this all, He and He alone, would receive the glory. Therefore God has highly exalted Him, and has given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow, in heaven, on the earth, and under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Yeshua the Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

Thank you for being such a blessing in standing with Israel and us at this time.

Shabbat shalom
The IFI team