1. Praise and thanksgiving: This Shabbat's prophetic portion includes the following verses:

    • 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 … and you shall know that I am YHWH; for they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me. Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? But so says YHWH, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the fearful ones shall escape - for I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your sons. I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh; and they shall be drunk with their own blood, as with sweet wine; and all flesh shall know that I YHWH am your Savior and your Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

      Isaiah 49:22-26

    • We call upon You Lord, for You alone are worthy to be praised!

    • Thank You for Your death and resurrection. Yeshua - what a precious Savior You are!

    • We stand amazed at how You are glorifying Your name in the earth today - especially with all You are doing to watch over Your prophetic word concerning this land and its people (Jeremiah 1:12; 32:41-42).

    • For I am YHWH, I change not. Therefore, you sons of Jacob are not destroyed.

      Malachi 3:6

      Amen!

    • YHWH reigns; let the people tremble. He sits between the cherubs; let the earth quake. YHWH is great in Zion; and He is high above all the people. Let them praise Your great and fearful name; for it is holy.

      Psalms 99:1-3

  2. In the natural, the only way in which this bad Iranian nuclear deal can be stopped, is for the US Congress to reject it. And as this deal impacts not just Israel, but the world, we believe the Lord has led us to stand in the gap and take this on as a burden from Him until at least September 17th, the final day for Congress to vote, and then, even further if they say 'No!' While there seems to be no way for this UN Security Council approved deal to be dealt a heavy blow, still, we pray for what we sense is best for His Kingdom purposes and for His nation, and leave the results to Him.

    • Call on Me in the day of trouble; and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.

      Psalms 50:15

    • Lord, You heard what US President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry have implied during the last few weeks - that if Congress rejects this deal, it is Israel's fault; that if war is a result of the rejection, it is Israel's fault; that Israel is the only nation in the world to reject this deal. Abba, these are lies. We reject them and condemn them - in Yeshua's name! (Isaiah 54:17)

    • Lord, we also thank You for causing all things to work together for good (Romans 8:28), and helping Israelis to see that the word You spoke through Balaam is still true today: How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? Or how shall I defy whom YHWH has not defied? For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him. Behold, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be counted among the nations. (Numbers 23:8-9)

    • Encourage and protect all the congressmen and women who have already come out against this deal.

    • For those sitting on the fence, electrify that fence - and let them jump off on the 'reject' side.

    • May other Democrats vote against this deal than just the Jewish Democrats.

    • Wake up the Church in America. Impress on our brothers and sisters to not only pray against this being accepted by their government, but to contact their personal representatives and tell them to vote no.

    • Many in Congress are angry about the 'side-deals' between Iran and the UN's IAEA that are not known to either them - or to the US Administration. Use this as another stumbling block against this deal.

    • Abba, Obama is coming across so arrogant and accusative. Allow his sinful attitude to cause him to overreact and to ruin even his own arguments for this "legacy-making" deal (Proverbs 16:18).

    • May recent revelations from US intelligence of Iran cleaning up a potential nuclear weapons site before the IAEA checks it out, so infuriate America leaders that it becomes the final nail in this deal's coffin.

  3. We continue to pray for Israel's current leadership to know what to do in relation to the above.

    • Thank You for Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and the IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot. Make them a strong three-fold cord (Ecclesiastes 4:12).

    • Bring them, and all others who are in positions of responsibility to protect this nation from Iran's threats, into complete unity concerning what Israel needs to do (1 Chronicles 12:32).

    • Lord, as these are the people whom You raised up for just this time, anoint and strengthen them (Daniel 4:25b; 5:21b; Psalm 80:17).

    • Provide Israeli leaders with accurate actionable intelligence (2 Kings 6:8-12; Psalm 139:12).

    • Protect and guide all of Israel's spies and collaborators who are in Iran or have Iranian contacts.

    • Continue to anoint Bibi to speak out against this very real threat.

    • Stop the mouths of all Israeli politicians, especially President Rivlin, who are speaking against Bibi.

    • The upright shall see and rejoice; and all iniquity shall stop its mouth.

      Psalms 107:42

  4. We again interceded for God to arise and move sovereignly against this ever-growing existential threat to His nation, His people and ultimately against His return!

    • Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered; let those who hate Him flee before Him… He scatters the people who delight in war [an apt description of fundamentalist Muslims].

      Psalms 68:1, 30

    • Abba, as You did against King Ahab, send deceiving, lying spirits to the leaders of this wicked regime and cause them to make major geo-political mistakes (1 Kings 22:19-23).

    • I will set My throne in Elam… (Jeremiah 49:38a) Bless You Lord, as we are hearing great reports of how the Church in Iran is growing tremendously.

    • Increase exponentially the growth of Your kingdom in the hearts and minds of Iranians.

    • Protect them from all anti-Semitic, anti-Zionistic spirits.

    • …and I will destroy the king and the rulers from there, says YHWH.

      Jeremiah 49:38b

    • We ask You to fulfill this word quickly - for the sake the of both Israelis and Iranians.

    • As Iranian leaders have been cursing Your people for many years, do not allow Your word concerning this come back void (Genesis 12:3a; Isaiah 55:11).

    • You said You would shake all that can be shaken, and Iran rests in a very active earthquake zone…!

  5. This past week, Israelis overwhelmingly condemned a horrific terrorist attack against an Arab family in Duma. An infant was burned to death and several family members were injured severely. Yet without any real evidence, most people - including Israelis of all stripes - immediately accused 'Jewish terrorists/settlers' of this heinous act. While it may have been Jews, yet to point the finger at ourselves and declare that Israeli society is terrible and failing, is way over-the-top. The very fact that so many were so willing to look inside and seek for forgiveness while at the same time, unanimously condemn this act, proves just the opposite. Israeli's pre-salvation society is one of the more righteous societies on the planet today! And when there was an Arab terrorist attack in the days following, firebombing an Israeli driven car - well, we are still waiting for any word of condemnation from either the Palestinians, their political or religious leaders, as well as silence from the rest of this hypocritical, anti-Semitic, world!

    • Abba, You are a God of truth. We ask for truth to be revealed (Exodus 34:6).

    • Thank You for Netanyahu's open stance against terrorism - regardless of who the perpetrator is - and for his rebuke of the world for not openly condemning Arab terrorism against Jews.

    • We plead with You to expose and catch all terrorists - Jewish or not.

    • Silence the demonization of the settler movement, as they are specifically in the places in this land where You promised to bring us back to: Samaria (Jeremiah 31:4-5); Judah and Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:2-3), the Golan (Jeremiah 50:19 [Bashan]), in fact to all of the land You swore by an oath to give to this people (Ezekiel 36:4-8).

    • Reside in this land. I will be with you [Isaac] and bless you. For to you and to your seed I will give all these lands; and I will establish the oath which I swore to Abraham…

      Genesis 26:3

      Surely, none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from 20 years old and up, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, because they have not fully followed Me.

      Numbers 32:11

  6. Aliyah - the return of the Jews from exile/captivity to their God-given homeland, Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel - is always a burden on our hearts. We were particularly moved to ask for a major release of the American Jews from being held captive behind a comfort and security curtain that has a greater restraint on them than the Iron Curtain ever did with the Jews of the former Soviet Union.

    • Lord, we are seeing the signs of increasing anti-Semitism in the West, yet many are deaf and blind to them. Please open up ears and eyes before it is too late.

    • May American Jews see how the White House is setting them up to take the blame if this Iranian deal falls through and there is a war. And may this scare them into returning to Zion (Jeremiah 50:4-5).

    • Abba, raise up prophetic-type voices in both synagogues and churches to set the shofar to their mouth and blow the warning of, 'Wake up. Watch and pray!' (Mark 13:33)

    • Pour out an overwhelming blessing on Israel's economy to be attractive to Jews in the West as well as to be able to receive and absorb all those who are returning home (Ezekiel 36:8).

    • Thank You for the budget passed this past week. Use it for Your glory.

    • Open wide the door at the Interior Ministry to welcome all Jews - regardless of what they believe.

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

      Jeremiah 31:10

    • Lord, let the Church see Your upraised arm and help in carrying Your people back home (Isaiah 49:22).

    • While we believe that You are releasing the hunters (Jeremiah 16:16), we plead that You would hedge them in from doing more damage than that for which You have ordained (Zechariah 11:15).

    • May many more of the returning exiles settle in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and on the Golan.

    • Bring back more Spanish speaking Jews to settle in the Negev (Obadiah 1:20 Sepharad = Spain).

  7. We then prayed for God to have mercy on His Church so that all of us - both in Israel and in the rest of the world - would be awake and aware of the times in which we live.

    • Lord, move us out of our self-centeredness faith into a biblical faith that looks to You and desires Your kingdom to come and Your will to be done - on earth and in our lives - regardless of the cost.

    • To God be the glory, great things He has done!

    • Open our eyes to the great things You are still doing.

    • Anoint our eyes, circumcise our ears - to see and hear correctly.

    • Abba, let us take seriously Messiah Yeshua's warnings that in the last days deception would abound, so to us He declared, Take heed that no man deceive you. (Matthew 24:4-5, 11, 24, etc.)

    • Make us all like those sons of Issachar who understood the times and knew what Israel needed to do. (I Chronicles 12:32).

    • God, remind us that You are not asking us to be strong for the Lord, but to be strong in the Lord.

    • Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world's rulers, of the darkness of this age, and against spiritual wickedness in high places. Therefore take to yourselves the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

      Ephesians 6:10-13

  8. We ended, agreeing in prayer for many Israelis to come to know Messiah Yeshua at this time.

Shabbat shalom and thank you for your prayers,

The IFI team