1. We read from the prophetic portion of the Shabbat during Chanukah - Zechariah 2:10-4:7.

    • Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion. For behold, I come, and I will dwell in your midst, says YHWH. And many gentiles shall be joined to YHWH in that day, and shall be My people; and I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that YHWH of Hosts has sent me to you. And YHWH shall possess Judah, His portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.

      Zechariah 2:10-12

    • This is the Word of Jehovah to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says YHWH of Hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring forth the top stone with shoutings, Grace! Grace to it!

      Zechariah 4:6b-7

    • We bless You for Your 'amazing' grace.

    • Thank You for sending Yeshua, in whom the fullness of grace is revealed to us (John 1:16).

    • We confess that we depend on Your grace and that Your grace is sufficient to carry us through.

    • But I, in the abundance of Your grace, I will come into Your house; I will worship in Your fear toward Your holy temple.

      Psalms 5:7

    • Yeshua, You are the Light of the world (Matthew 4:16; John 9:5).

    • Thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit which reveals You to us more clearly (Acts 2:38).

    • Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father…

  2. Chanukah celebrates the retaking and cleansing of God's Temple in 165 B.C. by the Maccabees. They were the sons of Zion that God raised up against the sons of Greece at that time (Zechariah 9:13). In Israel today, especially during this election season, there is much filth spewing forth from many people in political positions. It is not pleasing to the Lord or to us. We prayed, asking for God to cleanse His people and His land at this time.

    • Abba, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing - as most of them are not saved yet.

    • Lord, not by might, nor power, but by Your Spirit - move upon many people, convicting them of the ungodly words that are coming out of their mouths against their brothers and sisters.

    • Expose the darkness and filth and cleanse it from Your people and Israel's leaders (Zechariah 3:1-4).

    • Shut the mouths of the blaspheming lions - especially in the media (Daniel 6:22).

    • Be silent, all flesh, before YHWH; for He has risen out of His holy dwelling place.

      Zechariah 2:13

    • Lord, arise and remove the spirit of cursing from Your holy land (Zechariah 2:12).

    • I call Heaven and earth to record today against you. I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life, so that both you and your seed may live,

      Deuteronomy 30:19

  3. Israeli elections are set for March 17, 2015. The IFI leadership team has asked - and continues to ask - God to reveal the one He wants to be the next leader of this nation. As of now, we have not heard anything different from Him, so we continue to pray for the one whom He has in leadership now - PM Bibi Netanyahu. If you do not have faith to pray for him to be re-elected, then please intercede for God to raise up a government through whom He can be glorified.

    • Lord, whether it is Bibi or not, we ask for a government through whom You can be glorified and through whom Your will can be manifest (Daniel 4:25b; 5:21b).

    • Lord, we bless and thank You for Netanyahu. There is little Benjamin, their ruler… (Psalms 68:27a)

    • 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

    • Make him a statesman at this time and enable him to rise above the ugliness of the election campaign.

    • Be a shield about him from the vicious words being directed at him. He shall send from Heaven, and save me from the scorn of him who would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth. My soul is among lions; I lie among those on fire, the sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. (Psalms 57:3-4)

    • During Chanukah, let the fullness of the light of Messiah Yeshua shine upon the Netanyahu family.

    • Abba, You said You would honor those who honor You (1 Samuel 2:30). Netanyahu has done that in many ways. We ask for You to honor that by re-electing him with a government that can govern.

    • Intervene in the Likud primaries so that those whom You want to govern will be on the list.

  4. Meanwhile, the current government still needs to run this nation for the next three plus months. As we are seeing, that is no easy task. Terrorism is exploding throughout the world. Lawfare, the war against Israel using international law as a weapon, is very much a force to be dealt with today. And the threats from Iran, Hamas, Hizbullah, etc., have increased. Thus the current government - with Netanyahu as prime minister - needs our prayers.

    • Give Netanyahu and the others running this government fresh anointing and clarity of thought.

    • Do not permit them to be so election-focused that they end up being blindsided by an attack.

    • The king's heart is in the hand of YHWH…He turns it wherever He will.

      Proverbs 21:1

    • Protect the relationship between Bibi, Defense Minister Ya'alon and all the other current ministers.

    • Whatever the government - or Netanyahu - do, will be attacked as being done for political reasons. Do not allow this to stop any ministers from still doing that which is right and just in Your sight.

  5. The war against Netanyahu and this nation coming from outside - especially from the UN and EU - is very hard to bear, and that is from us who know the Lord and have His Spirit. So the Body of Messiah, and 'pre-faith' Israelis, need your prayers for protection and shielding from the lies and hatred coming at us. Much of this is aimed at influencing Israelis to vote for anyone except Netanyahu.

    • Lord, may this 'anyone-but-Bibi' campaign backfire.

    • Allow the stubbornness of Your people rise up and resist the manipulation from outside.

    • Surely, there is no divination 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

    • Open the eyes of Israelis to see what the world is demanding of us - a suicidal 'peace' agreement with the Palestinian Authority who is still in a unity government with the Hamas terrorists!

    • Turn the hearts of the people to Your will. There are many thoughts in a man's heart, but the counsel of YHWH shall stand. (Proverbs 19:21)

    • Immunize Israeli vs. the mainstream media's anti-God, anti-Zionist viruses.

  6. Israel was in shock and outraged by of the anti-Israeli acts of the EU this past Wednesday - the first day of Chanukah. First, Hamas was taken off the list of terror organizations because of a 'technical' issue. Then the EU parliament overwhelmingly voted to encourage EU nations to recognize a Palestinian state. Finally, most members of the Geneva Convention met to skewer Israel because of 'war crimes' committed in Gaza this past summer. On top of that, later that night, a resolution was presented to the UN Security Council which demands peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians to be completed in one year and then, by 2017 Israel is to be totally out of the 'occupied territories', i.e., Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem, all parts of biblical Israel. Nothing in any of these meetings concerned Syria, Iran, Boko Haram, ISIS, Ebola, the economy, Ukraine, etc. etc. If only Israel would disappear! Sorry, we are not going anywhere…

    • Thus says YHWH, who gives the sun for a light by day and the laws of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who divides the sea when its waves roar…if those ordinances depart from Me…then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before Me forever. Thus says YHWH, If the heavens above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth below can be searched out, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done…

      Jeremiah 31:35-37

    • Lord, wake up the European church to see that this past week placed their nations in even more danger than before.

    • Help them to see the real danger is from You and not Islamic fundamentalists! I will bless those that bless you and curse the one who curses [lit; puts down; denigrates; ignores, treats with contempt], you. (Genesis 12:3a; cp. 27:29b; Numbers 24:9) In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established (Matthew 18:16; 2 Corinthians 13:1)!

    • Alert our brothers and sisters in Messiah that You are looking for someone to stand in the gap before You so that You can deal with mercy and not judgment (Ezekiel 22:30-31).

    • Lord, show us all how to pray for Europe now that many of their leaders have cursed Your people.

    • Enable the sons of Zion - those who stand with God and His Word - to arise throughout Europe and resist the sons of Greece (Zechariah 9:13) - those who stand with man:: Yeshua turned and said to Peter, Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you do not savor the things that are of God, but those that are of men. (Matthew 16:23)

    • Help the clear thinking politicians throughout the EU let their voices be heard this very day.

    • If this increase of diplomatic warfare against Israel possessing its possessions (Obadiah 1:17b) is not in Your timing, then deal with it. If it is, show us how to pray.

  7. With this increase of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism, it is a great time for Jews in exile to come home to Israel - to make aliyah.

    • Lord, as Jews in Europe are concerned about allowing their light to shine publically over Chanukah, show them that their time in exile is over.

    • Imbed these verses on the hearts of all Jews in exile: How shall we sing YHWH's song in a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget. If I do not remember you, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth; if I do not prefer Jerusalem above my chief joy. (Psalms 137:4-6)

    • Abba, since You release the hunters in Jeremiah 16:16; we ask that You would mix in as much mercy as possible so that multitudes of Your people would stream home in 2015.

    • We bless all of the non-Jewish organizations that are helping carry Your people home (Isaiah 49:22).

    • Thank You for all the Christian groups that help with this. Please supply all of their needs.

    • Thank You for Nefesh b'Nefesh and the Jewish Agency. Supply all of their needs as well.

    • Lord, make aliyah an issue during this election campaign.

    • Give us a government that will see aliyah as a major priority during their rule.

    • Pass! Pass 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. Behold, YHWH has sent a message to the end of the earth, Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your salvation comes. Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. And they will call them, The Holy People, The Redeemed of YHWH; and you will be called, Sought Out, a city not forsaken.

      Isaiah 62:10-12

  8. We finished by praying for both Jews and Muslims to come to a saving knowledge of the God of Israel through a genuine encounter with Messiah Yeshua. For Jews, with the lights of the Chanukah menorah growing brighter each night, to see Yeshua as the Light of the World is very appropriate at this time. And for Muslims, while we do hear of a tremendous move of God among many of them - especially in Iran and among the Syrian refugees - with all of the murderous hatred being stirred up by Islamic fundamentalists - this would be a really good time for them to rethink whether Allah is the god that they want to follow. Please pray for specific groups of both Jews and Muslims.

Thank you for standing with us and our nation.

May your nation experience His mercy because of your prayers.

Shabbat Shalom and hag Chanukah sameach.

The IFI team

For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we shall see light.

Psalms 36:9

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Yeshua the Messiah, His Son, cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:7