We want to encourage you to not lose heart or move into doubt over the downfall of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu's government and the calling of new Israeli elections. While this is not what we were expecting, still as we have been praying in line with His will, we have great confidence that He is hearing and answering (1 John 5:14-15) - although in His ways, which are often higher than ours (Isaiah 54:8-9). Recall that our foundational prayer before the last elections was that God would give Israel a government through whom He would be glorified. That prayer is 101% in line with His will - as His glory is the goal of all we say or do for His kingdom (John 17:1, 4-5). Therefore, we need to stay the course and continue to pray for those in authority - as this also is in line with His will (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

  1. We began by reading from this Shabbat's prophetic portion.

    • For the Lord YHWH will do nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord YHWH has spoken; who will not prophesy?

      Amos 3:7-8

    • Thank You for continually watching over Your Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:11-12).

    • Regardless of what happens on earth, You are still YHWH God and You still reign (Psalm 103:19).

    • We praise You Yeshua, that the government is upon Your shoulders (Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 28:18).

    • 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 earth, and under the earth; and every tongue should confess that Messiah Yeshua is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

      Philippians 2:9-11

  2. New Israeli elections are scheduled for March 17th. We first prayed into this by pleading with God to set Israelis free from the onslaught of humanistic media manipulation. Most of Israel's mass media, like most of the West's mainstream media, leans left and is not a fan of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu. Yet the real issue for prayer is that the people of Israel will be set free from man's opinion - and hear God's opinion/will for this next election.

    • Surely, there is no enchantment 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

    • Abba, watch over that word as we move deeper into the election season.

    • Open eyes so that multitudes of Israelis see what is really at stake from Your perspective, and then have a better understanding of how to vote.

    • Hedge Israelis in so that the humanistic brainwashing cannot gain a foothold in their thinking.

    • There are many thoughts in a man's heart, but the counsel of YHWH shall stand.

      Proverbs 19:21

  3. That led us to our next topic - the exaltation of God's Word over the Chanukah season. The first night of Chanukah is Tuesday evening, the 16th of December. As the Jewish people both in Israel and in exile, light the Chanukah candles, we asked that His Word would shine brighter and brighter as more and more candles are lit each night.

    • Set Your Word as the ultimate truth in the hearts of Your people, the plumb line with which they judge all things - both natural and spiritual.

    • …in Your light we see light.

      Psalms 36:9

      Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.

      Psalms 119:105

      Sanctify them through Your truth. Your Word is truth.

      John 17:17

    • Give Your people a deep hunger for the unfiltered Word of God. Open [their] eyes, so that [they] may behold wonderful things out of Your Law. (Psalms 119:18 paraphrased)

    • Give honor to all rabbinic teachings that are in line with Your written Word - but expose as false all teachings that are opposed to Your written Word. [Lord, do the same in Your Church as well.]

    • The grass withers, the flower fades; but the Word of our God shall stand forever.

      Isaiah 40:8

  4. Praying more directly into the elections, we asked for not only a government through which God would be glorified, but also the government that Israel needs to face the challenges that are lined up on the horizon.

    • Abba, You promised to give us good leaders when we returned from exile (Isaiah 1:26; Jeremiah 3:15; 23:3-4; Ezekiel 34:1-31).

    • As it says, you have not because you ask not, (James 4:2b), we simply ask for the government of Your perfect will.

    • Give us a government through whom You alone will be glorified.

    • During the election season, expose the true heart intent of all those vying for office.

    • We take comfort in what Daniel says in 5:21b: the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and that He appoints over it whomever He will.

    • 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, bring down the counsel even of this nation if that is what needs to happen so that Your counsel will be made manifest.

    • God, only You know what Israel will face in the near future. Therefore, give us a government that can be used by You to protect and defend both Your land and Your people.

  5. In Israel, we vote for a party and not a specific person. The party with the most seats usually gets first chance to form a coalition government. Netanyahu's party is the Likud. This past week, the Likud's central committee approved a request by Bibi to move up the party's internal elections to the end of this month. This was a major victory for him and showed that he still retained the support of many Likudniks [i.e., members]. We are open to hearing God tell us that He wants someone else to take Netanyahu's place as the next prime minister - yet as of now, we have not heard that. Therefore, we will continue to pray for him - as he is still Israel's leader at least until the next government is formed. If he is the one to form that, he needs a solid party behind him - and right now there are some glaring holes in the Likud.

    • Lord, again we thank You for raising up Netanyahu to be Israel's leader at this time.

    • Continue to use him to resist the pressure of the world to divide Your land.

    • Continue to protect him - physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually (Psalm 80:17).

    • As he does read your Word, speak to him clearly from your Word - especially over Chanukah.

    • Please bring unity to his party and cut off anyone and everything that will hinder Bibi from functioning today - and possibly tomorrow - as Israel's prime minister (Psalm 133:1-3).

    • If there is someone else besides him, please reveal it to us so that we can stand with Your choice.

    • If it is Netanyahu, then let him win an overwhelming victory as Likud's leader in the internal elections.

    • Help Bibi to not get entangled with the political games of an election season - but instead, use him to speak with clarity and truth to this nation. For my mouth shall speak truth… (Proverbs 8:7a)

  6. Between now and the elections, life in Israel goes on. And the world has already indicated that the pressure they will bring to bear on Israel to divide this land, or to accuse it of war crimes, or to boycott it, etc., will not let up just because Israel is in an election season. The security threat from Iran, Hamas, ISIS, Hizbullah, the Palestinians and Israeli Arabs, is still something against which our nation needs to defend itself. Besides that, the diplomatic pressure from the international community will remain - or even strengthen - if outside forces think that by doing this or that they can impact Israel's elections and finally get rid of Bibi. And yes, we have already heard and seen indications of this. Netanyahu is despised by most of the world's leaders, and that in itself is almost enough to confirm that he is God's man.

    • Abba, we need You to guard this nation during this time - politically and physically (Psalm 121:4).

    • Hear the Word of YHWH, O gentiles, and declare it in the nations afar off, saying, He who scattered Israel will gather him and keep/guard him, as a shepherd keeps his flock.

      Jeremiah 31:10

    • We ask for Your peace to reign in Jerusalem - especially today.

    • Keep Israel's security forces sharp, alert and quick to deal with the wicked (Ecclesiastes 8:11).

    • Enable the government to give the security forces all the backing they need to do the job.

    • We bless each one who is physically standing in the gap for this nation - in the name of Yeshua.

    • Do not allow the death of the PA official this past week - a 'former' terrorist - cause other deaths.

    • Lord, rest Your restraining hand on the Temple mount in Jerusalem - Your holy hill (Psalm 2:6; 3:4).

    • Impart to Israeli citizens alertness as well.

  7. Chanukah, literally, the Feast of Dedication, also known as the Feast of Lights, is an eight day holiday which celebrates the cleansing of the Temple under the Maccabees in 185 B.C. While not mentioned in the Tanach, it is mentioned in the New Testament (John 10:22). This is a great time to pray for the children of Israel to 'see the light' - the Light of the World - Messiah Yeshua.

    • Lord, as the lights shine brighter, make the face of Messiah clearer to Your people. No one can come to Me unless the Father who has sent Me draw him… (John 6:44a)

    • O YHWH, save Your people, the remnant of Israel.

      Jeremiah 31:7b

    • With Jews who have received us - whether Messianic Jews or Christians - move deeply on their hearts to truly receive You (John 13:20).

    • Pray for Jewish people that you know who are not yet redeemed by the Lamb's blood (Revelation 5:9).

    • Also pray for specific groups whom the Lord might lay on your heart.

  8. We continue to hit the arrows of intercession on the floor over the issue of aliyah - the Jewish people's return from exile to home. There have been some wonderful answers - including an increase of aliyah from Europe and Ukraine. Yet it seems that most Jews in exile are standing in glue and either cannot move - or refuse to see the obvious signs of rising anti-Semitism all around them. Our intercession helps to weaken the glue.

    • Lord, we continue to press You on this as this is directly connected with Your glory (Isaiah 43:5-7, 21).

    • Thank You for the relaxation of needed documents for the hard-pressed Jews of Ukraine and that many are taking advantage of this to come back home.

    • Lord, as You release the hunters of Jeremiah 16:16, also release to the Jews an ability to look reality in the face and see the dangers.

    • Wake up those parts of the Church who just do not see this as anything they need to be concerned about and show them that they are required to help (Isaiah 49:22; 60:3-5, 9-11; Romans 15:27).

    • Father, for the Jews in the West - especially in America - who still do not even have their passports, please light a fire under them to get their house in order.

    • And it shall be in that day, the Lord shall again set His hand, the second time, to recover the remnant of His people that remains, from Assyria and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Ethiopia, and from Persia, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the coasts of the sea. And He shall lift up a banner for the nations, and shall gather the outcasts of Israel and gather together the scattered ones of Judah from the four corners of the earth.

      Isaiah 11:11-12

  9. We finished by praying for you - our intercessory partners in the nations. As we move deeper into these final days, the pressure on the Body - especially those who are His watchmen on Jerusalem's walls - will increase. We sense it here in Zion and we imagine that many of you are sensing it where you are.

    • Lord, encourage us all that You are searching for us to enable You to deal with mercy on our nations. I sought for a man among them who should wall up a wall for the land, and stand in the gap before Me, that I should not destroy it. But I did not find one. Therefore I have poured out My fury on them. I have burned them up with the fire of My wrath…says the Lord YHWH. (Ezekiel 22:30-31)

    • Strengthen us to know in faith that we are doing Your will - even if with our sight we do not see the results yet (2 Corinthians 5:7).

    • Reread Luke 18:1-8, and realize that in context, that which Yeshua is questioning is whether there will be any who persist in pray when He returns!

    • And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears [Greek: listen with an intent to do] us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.

      1 John 5:14-15

Please also pray for God to bring all the chosen delegates to the January 2015 prayer conference, and that even at this late date, He would speak to those whom He wants here.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion

The IFI team