1. This weekend Jews celebrate the feasts of Passover, Unleavened Bread [Matzah] and First Fruits [of the barley harvest] while Christians remember Yeshua's death, burial and resurrection. As Messianic Jews, we are doubly blessed since both are intimately linked. We rejoice in being set from slavery in Egypt and from slavery to sin – all by the blood of the Lamb!

    • We bless You for setting us free (John 8:36).

    • Thank You for the Lamb of God who carries away our sin (John 1:29).

    • We are so grateful for Messiah's blood which protects us from Your righteous judgments.

      And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you when I smite the land of Egypt.

      Exodus 12:13b

    • Hallelujah! We serve a Risen Savior who is in the world today (Matthew 28:6)!

    • Thank You for the cross and the empty tomb.

    • 'The Lamb who was slain has begun His reign'!

    • Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.

      Revelation 5:12

  2. In line with 1 Timothy 2:1-3, we began our time of intercession by praying for the continuing efforts to form the next Israeli government. We are grieved that Arie Deri, head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, could be the next Interior Minister. This is the positon he had when convicted of crimes and sent to jail.

    • God, have mercy – both on Israel and on Your holy name – and block Deri from receiving this position.

    • In fact, forbid Shas from being in control of the interior ministry again.

    • Do not allow this gate into Israel to be under the control of this man and his party.

    • Appoint another that will bring this ministry more in line with these verses:

      Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go into them, and I will praise YHWH. This is the gate of YHWH into which the righteous shall enter.

      Psalms 118:19-20

    • Lord, this seems impossible in the natural, but nothing is impossible for You (Jeremiah 32:17, 27).

    • Abba, raise up a government founded on righteousness (Isaiah 1:26).

    • Move upon Yair Lapid and his Yesh Atid party to humble themselves and approach Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to be part of the coalition – even in the place of Shas.

    • For Lapid:

      A man's heart plans his way, but YHWH directs his steps.

      Proverbs 16:9; cp. 19:21

    • For the parties whose requests are over-the-top, give them a sense of what is possible and what is not.

    • Anoint Bibi and his negotiating team to bring in those whom You have chosen and not fall into the trap of doing only that which seems right to man.

    • For Bibi:

      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

    • God of all, give Israel a government through whom You can be glorified (Isaiah 60:1-2).

  3. Yesterday, the P5+1 [US, UK, France, Russia, China + Germany] agreed on a framework with Iran from which to work out a final agreement on its nuclear program by June 30th. This is a very wicked deal, as Iran now has international backing to become a nuclear threshold state – a state without atomic weapons but able to produce them in a short time. Netanyahu and other Israeli officials have already said this agreement threatens the existence of the state of Israel. We need a government that will be in one accord as to what Israel needs to do next.

    • Lord, give us a government that clearly sees the threat coming from the spirit of Persia today.

    • It is obvious that we can depend on no one else but You – and for that we bless You (Psalm 121:4).

    • Yet we also know that You have created Israel's army as Your weapon of war to defend Your people (Isaiah 41:10-16; Jeremiah 51:19-23; Micah 4:11-13; Zechariah 9:13-16)

    • …YHWH of Hosts has visited His flock the house of Judah, and has made them as His beautiful horse in battle…They shall be like mighty ones who trample the mud of the streets in the battle, and they shall fight because YHWH is with them…

      Zechariah 10:3b, 5a

    • We are so grateful for Netanyahu's clarity and persistency on this issue.

    • Thank You for raising up men and women who stand with him – Defense Minister Ya'alon, Intelligence Minister Steinitz, Israel's US ambassador Dermer and its UN ambassador Prosor – plus others.

    • Strengthen them to stand and continue to warn the world of this dangerous Iranian regime.

  4. The P5+1 deal creates some 'strange bedfellows' as Israel finds itself joined with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan in being vehemently opposed to this. And with Saudi now fighting against Iranian backed Houthis in Yemen, only God knows what this means for the near future. (Our responsibility is to pray in line with the light God has given us, trusting Him to straighten out our thinking as we stand before Him. We can be supremely confident in this – as our goal is nothing more, or less, than God's glory.)

    • Lord, we know that eventually there will be a highway joining Israel with Egypt and 'Assyria' (Isaiah 19:23-25). Is this situation in the Middle East today foreshadowing that?

    • Father, help 'moderate' Sunni Arab nations see Israel as a much more reliable ally against this Shi'ite Iranian threat than the US under Obama, and somehow use it to change their desire to see Israel's demise.

    • Protect all secret agreements between Israel and these nations from the media and others.

    • Bless You for weakening many of Israel's surrounding enemies through their fighting against each other.

    • Continue to confound those who hate Zion (Psalm 129:5).

    • Egypt's President al-Sissi is pressing for major reforms in Islam. Thank You for him. Protect him, yet show him that what Muslims really need is to submit to the Resurrected King of the Jews – Yeshua.

    • In that day there shall be an altar to YHWH in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at its border to YHWH…for a sign and a witness to YHWH of Hosts…For they shall cry to YHWH because of the oppressors, and He shall send them a savior, a great one, and will save them.

      Isaiah 19:19-20

    • Thank You for the reports we are hearing of multitudes of ME Muslims being saved today. More, Lord!

  5. What we now know of this P5+1 agreement with Iran is very dangerous. Not only will they keep more than 6,000 centrifuges and continue to enrich uranium, but they can use their underground facilities as well. Yet the biggest concern is that Iran's current leadership is untrustworthy. Not only have they broken many agreements in the past, but Shiite Islam repeatedly uses takkiyah – a spiritual justification to lie in order to further Allah's cause. This agreement also breaks international law by ignoring the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that Iran signed , which permits only certain nations to enrich uranium. Also, just this week, another Iranian military commander declared that Israel's annihilation is 'non-negotiable'! Apparently, this is not a concern for the world. Thank God for God!

    • Lord, You brought us back for a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11-14), so we trust You to protect us from the indifference of the world to the threats against Your people – the Jews.

    • As You did with Pharaoh, harden the hearts of Iran's leaders and draw them into Your trap.

      Speak to the sons of Israel that they turn and camp …by the sea. For Pharaoh will say…They are entangled in the land; the wilderness has shut them in. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. And I will be honored upon Pharaoh, and upon all his army, so that the Egyptians may know that I am YHWH. And they did so.

      Exodus 14:2-4

    • Have mercy on the true Church in the P5+1 nations, revealing to them how dangerous this agreement is that their government has made with Your enemy.

    • Abba, watch over Your word against Elam/Iran and fulfill it soon (Jeremiah 49:34-39).

    • Lord, the distain that the P5+1 nations have shown Israel – a nation repeatedly threaten by Iran – is beyond belief. Yet You have said that in the last days, all nations come against Israel. So we want to declare these verses before You and before these nations:

    • 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. Blessed is the nation whose God is YHWH; the people He has chosen for His inheritance [i.e., Israel].

      Psalms 33:10-12

    • Plan evil, O nations, and be broken in pieces! Listen, all far nations of the earth. Gird yourselves and be broken. Gird yourselves and be broken! Take counsel together, but it will all be for nothing. Speak a word – it shall not stand; for God is with us.

      Isaiah 8:9-10

    • Lord, give Israel's leaders great wisdom on what Israel's response should be. [While it would be hard to attack Iran's nuclear facilities now – after an international agreement is reached in June, it would be that much harder. Only God can direct Israel at this stage as to what to do.]

    • If You direct Israel to attack, may the result be so overwhelming that Your fear falls on the Muslims in Iran and the rest of the Middle East, with many coming to know You (Exodus 14:25).

    • Lord, shake Iran – physically, spiritually, socially, and it all other areas.

  6. Tonight, Jews the world over, sit down with family and friends and celebrate the traditional Passover Seder meal. A little less than 2,000 years ago, just before Passover began Yeshua died on the cross, giving up His spirit at the same time as the Passover lambs were being sacrificed in the Temple. This is a wonderful time to pray for many Jews to have their eyes opened to the One and Only Lamb of God who is now seated at the right hand of our Father in heaven.

    • For so says YHWH, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations. Cry out, give praise and say, O YHWH, save Your people, the remnant of Israel.

      Jeremiah 31:7

    • Lord, during this feast of Passover/Unleavened Bread week, please pour out that spirit of grace that opens the eyes of Israelis to see the One whom they have pierced (Zechariah 12:10).

    • Cause the children to ask some very insightful questions that cause the parents to rethink their traditions.

    • Abba, many of us have planted and watered seeds of Messiah's kingdom in Jewish hearts this past year. Tonight, give the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6).

    • God, reveal the true King of Israel to Bibi and his family tonight.

    • Please pray for specific groups to receive a revelation of Yeshua. Some suggestions are: rabbis, IDF soldiers, Holocaust and terror attack survivors, Ukrainian and French Jews still in exile, unsaved loved ones of Messianic believers, etc.

  7. At the end of the Seder, Jews proclaim, Next year in Jerusalem. Please ask God to convict those Jews who say this and do not mean it. Jews in exile need to come home – make aliyah – quickly. The handwriting on the walls of Europe is spreading to North America as well – as reports show anti-Semitic attacks in the US increased dramatically last year. Let's pray also for the Church to see that interceding for and helping a Jew come home is part of what God is expecting from His people in these days.

    • Thus says the Lord YHWH, Behold, I will lift up My hand to the gentiles, and set up My banner to the people; they shall bring your sons in their bosom, and your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders.

      Isaiah 49:22

    • Thank You for the significant increase in aliyah this past year.

    • Make this year a banner year for aliyah.

    • When our people say Next year in Jerusalem, may they hear in their spirits this:

      If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its cunning. 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 137:5-6

    • May this new Israeli government make the immigration and integration of Jews to Israel a top priority.

    • Lord Yeshua, speak to Messianic Jews in exile who do not want to hear what Your will is in this area (Isaiah 35:10; 51:11).

We ended by praying for safety in Jerusalem and throughout this land during this weekend.

May our great God bless you out of Zion (Psalm 134:3).

He is Risen!
The IFI team