1. To begin our time together, we read from this Shabbat's prophetic portion:

    • How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger of good news, who announces peace, the harbinger of good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion: 'Your God reigns!' Your watchmen shall lift up their voice, together do they sing, for they shall see, eye to eye, YHWH returning to Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, waste places of Jerusalem; for YHWH has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem. YHWH has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the gentiles; all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

      Isaiah 52:7-10

    • Hallelujah, You do indeed reign (Psalm 93:1; 96:10; 97:1; 99:1; 103:19).

    • You are the Judge of all the earth and You shall do that which is right in Your sight (Genesis 18:25).

    • He will not suffer your foot to be moved. He who guards you will not slumber. Behold, He who guards Israel will not slumber or sleep. (Psalms 121:3-4) Thank You for this promise to us and Israel.

    • We bless You for being able to meet freely in Jerusalem, Your city (Psalm 48:1-2; Matthew 5:35).

    • We are so grateful for Your mercy and grace which sustain us day by day.

    • Thank You for being the Comforter of Your people (Isaiah 51:12-13).

    • We are so encouraged by You openly watching over Your Word to fulfill it (Jeremiah 1:12).

  2. This week Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu met with Russian President Putin to share his deep concern with the current situation in Syria and Lebanon. In both nations bordering Israel, Iran and its proxies are setting up military bases, which is totally unacceptable to Israel. Bibi told Putin that if need be to protect itself, Israel will defend itself by all means.

    • Thank You for giving Netanyahu boldness to speak truth to Putin (Proverbs 28:1).

    • Please give Putin ears to hear so that he takes Israel's red lines seriously.

    • Encourage and empower Bibi to hold to those red lines (Deuteronomy 31:6, 23).

    • In the face of Iran's and Hezbollah's threats to annihilate Israel, thank You for this encouragement in this week's prophetic portion: I, even I, am He who comforts you: who are you that you are afraid of man who shall die, and of the son of man who shall be made as grass, yet you forget YHWH Your Maker, who stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth, and you fear continually … because of the fury of the oppressor…? (Isaiah 51:12-13)

    • Let the truth that America and Russia did not take Israel's stated concerns into account when Trump and Putin devised a Syrian cease-fire plan cause Israel's leaders to look to You alone (Psalm 138:7).

    • YHWH brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of YHWH stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.

      Psalms 33:10-11

  3. We prayed for Israel's military planners and its intelligence sources to be precise and accurate.

    • Lord, please protect all of Israel's sources of intelligence in these nations – spies, collaborators, etc.

    • Give Israel's intelligence services discernment to know truth from non-truth (Proverbs 22:20-21).

    • While we are confident in Your overriding protection of Your nation (Jeremiah 31:10), yet You have also said that You would do this through the IDF (Isaiah 41:10-16; Ezekiel 37:10). Therefore, supply to the IDF all it needs to protect Your nation from these clear and present dangers.

    • Impart to IDF leaders wisdom and courage to know when to act and when to pre-empt (Joshua 6:1-5).

    • Enable Israel to develop other methods besides electronics to gather intelligence.

    • Lord, ultimately we look to You and trust You to answer Your Word as we pray it back to You: Let them be ashamed and confounded who that hate Zion. (Psalms 129:5; see also 35:26); …I will contend with him that contends with you, and I will save your children. (Isaiah 49:25)

    • Therefore wait for Me, says YHWH, until the day that I rise up to the prey; for My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them Mine indignation, even all My fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of My jealousy.

      Zephaniah 3:8

  4. We prayed next for PM Netanyahu. Despite all the bad press he gets here in Israel, a recent poll showed that if elections were held today, his Likud party would gain four seats. Apparently, the same phenomena that we see among many conservatives in the West is also happening here – that is when the media is consistently against a thing/person, then maybe it is actually the right thing/person for us!

    • Abba, You raised Bibi up for just this time (Daniel 5:21b). Please make him all that his name means: Benjamin – son of my right hand; Netanyahu – gift of YHWH (Psalm 80:17).

    • Make his wife Sarah to be the help he needs and not a hindrance (Genesis 2:2-24).

    • Expose all lies that he is being accused of and let only the truth of these investigations be brought to light (Job 12:22; Luke 12:3).

    • If Bibi is not born-again, born from above, then during Elul, this month of repentance, transfer him into Your Son's kingdom (Colossians 1:12-13).

    • Over this Shabbat, revive him – body, soul and spirit (Leviticus 23:3).

    • When he speaks at the UN next month, let him speak truth with an anointing from You (Acts 26:25).

    • Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

      Galatians 4:16

    • While he is there, draw him into a closer relationship with Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon, the America ambassador, Nikki Haley, and any other leaders whom You choose.

  5. Despite repeated rejections by the Palestinians of all offers to restart the negotiations towards a peace deal with Israel, the Trump administration has sent over another "peace" team.

    • The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is Mine, and you are strangers and sojourners with Me.

      Leviticus 25:23

    • [If you still have any questions as to whom this land belongs to, see also Ezekiel 36:5; Joel 3:1-2.]

    • Lord God, as this is Your land, we do not agree with it being given to anyone other than the nation to whom You have already deeded it to – Israel (Genesis 12:7; 15:18). Therefore, arise and scatter all who want to do that which You have forbidden with Your land (Psalm 68:1).

    • Raise up Israeli men and women of courage who will answer these false messengers of peace with the bold answer of Jephthah the Israeli judge as recorded in Judges 11:12-27.

    • We bless You for restoring the nation 70 years ago and restoring Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and Gaza 50 years ago. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder. (Mark 10:9)

    • Abba, forbid that the spirit of Esau come upon this nation (Genesis 25:34).

    • Also, forbid that the current government bow down to the idol of a man-made peace (Psalm 35:20).

    • Lord, provide Israel with all the weapons needed to defeat all "lawfare" attempts to rob Israel of its biblical and legal rights to this land in the international arena.

    • We bless the settlers who are possessing Israel's possessions (Obadiah 1:17).

    • As per Your Word, may they and all the rest of this nation never be uprooted again (Amos 9:15).

  6. When looking at the chaos, division and terrorism in the West, one of the major reasons why this situation has gotten so bad is the lack of true authority in the Western Church. After all, when most of the that Church believes in replacement theory or social justice or "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" then how can God bless that which He has clearly said is under His curse? So we prayed for the Church in our birth nations and ask you to do the same.

    • And I will bless them that bless you, and curse him that curses [dishonors] you…

      Genesis 12:3; see also 27:29; Numbers 24:9

    • Lord Yeshua, You said I will build My Church (Matthew 16:18) We believe You are doing this and ask for You to clear out all hindrances to that coming to pass in this day.

    • Give Your sheep good shepherds and remove all the evil shepherds (Ezekiel 34: 1-16).

    • May the truth of Your Word and the Word of truth be revived in the Western Church (Psalm 119:43; John 17:17; 2 Corinthians 6:7; Ephesians 1:13; 2 Timothy 2:15; James 1:18).

    • Touch many young believers to be dissatisfied with anything other than the pure truth of the Scriptures.

    • We thank You for all the small pro-Israel groups throughout the Western Church. Please use them as leaven to impact the whole Body of Messiah (Luke 13:21).

    • Lord Yeshua, arise and tear down this blasphemous replacement theory which deceives so many.

    • Hedge in all Israel-freaks/fanatics who make this issue much harder for those of us who see the truth of Your Word concerning Israel and the Body. [Israel-freaks/fanatics are those who exalt Israel above all else – when in fact, we stand with Israel for His holy name's sake, for His glory (Psalm 115:1-3)!]

    • Abba, if some believers should leave their current congregations because of demonic anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist spirits, give them the push they need to go (Jeremiah 50:28).

  7. While aliyah – the immigration of Jews from exile to Israel – has had a boost over this summer, there are still many Jews in the nations who do not even consider returning to their God-given homeland. And since the aliyah is specifically for His glory, we continue to ask, seek and knock for this to increase exponentially.

    • Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord YHWH; I do not do this for your sakes…but for My holy name's sake, which you have profaned among the gentiles, where you went. And I will sanctify My great name, which was profaned among the gentiles, which you have profaned in the midst of them, and the gentiles shall know that I am YHWH…when I shall be sanctified in you [Israel] before their eyes. For I will take you from among the gentiles, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.

      Ezekiel 36:22-24

    • Abba, for Your holy name's sake increase the number of Jews who will return this year (Isaiah 43:5-7).

    • Bring home every Ethiopian Jew who wants to return and remove any and all barriers (Isaiah 62:10).

    • Draw all the Bene Menashe – the Jews in India – back to this land.

    • Set free the remaining Jews in China to return.

    • Empty all Islamic nations of their Jews – especially Iran and Turkey.

    • As Jews visit Israel for the holy days, touch their hearts so that they see this is home (Isaiah 62:4-5).

    • Lord, what will it take for Jews in Spain and Portugal to understand that Europe is not where they are supposed to be? With as much mercy as possible, do whatever it takes for all European Jews to know this (Jeremiah 16:16).

    • We ask this for the multitudes of Jews in North America. Make their unease lead to making aliyah.

    • Bring home the families of "lone" soldiers who have come here to serve in the IDF while their families stayed in exile.

    • Open the eyes of the Church to Your desire for them to help (Isaiah 49:22; 60:4-10).

Two other items we covered were the salvation of the Jewish people at this time of preparing their hearts to enter into the holy days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

We also prayed about the issue of a lack of male leadership in many intercessory ministries and prayer groups. Thank God for all the sisters who understand the importance of intercession – yet where are the men? If this is not a job for a man, then why is Yeshua spending so much of His time in heaven interceding for us (Hebrews 7:25). Please pray about this in your congregations, cities and nations.

IFI chairman Eliyahu Ben-Haim was recovered enough to join one of the noon prayer meetings this past week. He is not totally healed, but is headed in the right direction. Thank you for your prayers for him and us – and please continue to pray for both.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion

The IFI team