1. Hosea 14, the ending chapter of Shabbat's prophetic portion contains some very encouraging verses which helped us to jump-start our morning.

    • O Israel, return to YHWH your God, for you have fallen by your iniquity. Take with you words, turn to YHWH; say to Him, 'Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously…Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses. Nor shall we say any more to the work of our hands, Our gods, for in You the fatherless finds mercy.' I will heal their backslidings; I will love them freely; for My anger has turned away from him.

      Hosea 14:1-4

    • You are as much a God of love and grace in the Tanach [OT] as You are in the New [NT] (Malachi 3:6).

    • Bless You that all You have given is given freely. Nothing from You can be bought or earned.

    • Praise You for loving us so freely and graciously (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8).

    • Lord Yeshua, You are our source of hope (1 Peter 1:3).

    • Thank You for the gift – Your Word which is Your light to aid all our ways (Psalm 119:103).

    • Great is Your faithfulness which is new every morning to us and to Your nation (Lamentations 3:23).

  2. The Chanukah season always refocuses us on the dangers of the spirit of Humanism which has infiltrated Israel, the West and most of the Western Church. Humanism can be identified by the two methods Satan used to deceive Eve in Eden: 1) Has God said? The diminishing of – or placing doubts upon – God's Word. 2) You shall be as God! The exaltation of man into the place of God.

    • Lord, You told us to remove the beam that is in our own eyes first (Matthew 7:5). So if there is anything of this anti-Christ spirit in us – search us and remove it for Your holy name's sake (Psalm 139:23-24).

    • In both Israel and the Church, raise up the sons of Zion – those who look to Zion's God for guidance, strength, and everything else – against the sons of Greece – those who look to mankind. (Zechariah 9:13).

    • While we thank You for Israel's strong economy, its exceedingly great army (Ezekiel 37:10) and for its ally America – prevent this nation from trusting in anyone or anything other than You. Some trust in chariots, some in horses; but we will remember the name of YHWH our God. (Psalms 20:7)

    • It is better to trust in YHWH than to trust in man. It is better to trust in YHWH than to trust in princes. (Psalms 118:8-9) Make this the motto of both Your nation and Your worldwide Body at this crucial time.

    • Speak to Israel's PM Bibi Netanyahu, warning him to not trust in any man or "princes" (Isaiah 31:1).

    • As Jews are reading the prophetic portion this Shabbat, speak into their spirits that You will heal their backslidings and You will heal them freely (Hosea 14:4) – that salvation is not something earned, but freely given by Your grace and love.

    • Expose and remove religious traditions that hinder having this relationship with You (Mark 7:8-9, 13).

    • Set Israeli society free from this humanistic spirit – especially its court system, the IDF, its academia and all its hospitals and the medical staff (Jeremiah 17:5-8).

    • Strip any vestige of this spirit that has gotten its claws into the Israeli Body of Messiah.

  3. Aliyah, the immigration of Jews in exile to Israel, is greatly hindered by the spirit of Humanism.

    • You told us to go through the gates and cast out all stones of stumbling from the path of Your people (Isaiah 62:10). As the context of Isaiah 62 is intercession, we pray that all humanistic excuses for Jews in the nations to not come home to Israel now would be removed and destroyed.

    • While this will take a major miracle, nothing is impossible for You (Jeremiah 32:17, 27).

    • During Chanukah, speak to the Jews who hide their lamps that the time to return home is now.

    • We ask this not because it is easier here – but because the Jews coming home is declared to be for Your holy name's sake (Isaiah 43:5-7; Ezekiel 36:22-24).

    • Show the Jews living among the nations that they will be safer here than there (Jeremiah 31:10).

    • As anti-Semitism grows, use it to chase Your people home (Jeremiah 16:16).

    • As the spirit of Islam in these nations grows, use that to also chase Your people home (Jeremiah 50:4-5).

  4. We prayed next for those parts of the true Church which, because of being infected with this demonic spirit, actually stand against the return of the Jews to God's land. They do this through man-made doctrines and interpreting the Tanach – allegorically or as less of God's Word to the Church today than the New Testament.

    • Lord, show many of these folks who have remade You into their image and likeness, that they are worshipping a man-made idol – and lead them to deep repentance.

    • Strip the Churches – especially in the West – of this humanistic spirit (Revelation 2:14-15, 20).

    • Speak to them as You spoke 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)

    • Show those who place "social justice" against the fulfillment of prophecy, that their image of You is so small it is not worthy of the God who has revealed Himself in His written and living Word. For YHWH is a great God, and a great King above all gods. (Psalms 95:3)

    • We thank You that You are powerful enough to both fulfill Your prophetic Word and be socially just at the same time! God is not a man that He should lie, neither the son of man that He should repent. Has He said, and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken, and shall He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19)

    • At this season of gift giving, give Your Body a gift of a deeper hunger for Your Word (Jeremiah 15:16).

    • Open the eyes of the elders to proclaim the full counsel of God – and help them to see that when Paul said this to the elders of Ephesus, he was historically only referring to the Tanach (Acts 20:27).

    • Lord Yeshua, restore to the Church the Bible that You read when sojourning among man – the Tanach of which You said it is the Word of God and cannot be broken (John 10:35; see also Luke 24:27, 44).

  5. The Iranian leadership are continuing their threats to annihilate Israel. They do not know that by cursing Israel they are cursing both themselves and their nation (Numbers 24:9). They are also trying to establish bases in Syria near the Israeli border and it seems to Israelis that neither Russia nor America have any problems with this. Yet Netanyahu and all the Israeli government are saying a very loud, "No!"

    • Lord, the nations are raging against Your nation! Arise God and scatter Your enemies (Psalm 68:1)

    • Abba, defend this nation for Your name's sake (Psalm 44:4-8, 26).

    • Give heavenly wisdom and courage to Israel's leaders at this time (Proverbs 21:1).

    • Enable them to preempt if needed and to not look to the nations for permission.

    • Keep not silence, O God. Do not be speechless. Be not still. For behold, Your enemies roar; those who hate You have lifted up their head. They take shrewd counsel against Your people…[saying] 'Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation, so that the name Israel may be remembered no more'. For with one heart they have plotted together; they have made a covenant against You…

      Psalms 83:1-5

    • Lord, disrupt their one heart; throw them into deep confusion and division (Psalm 109:26-29; 129:5).

  6. While Israel is a target for Shi'ite Iran, their ultimate enemy is the Sunni Muslims – a majority in the Arab Middle East. We have seen an increase in animosity between these two enemies of Israel for many decades, and perceive this to be one of the ways God is answering our prayers. We also prayed for Israel's leaders to have much wisdom in their dealings with the so-called "moderate" Arab nations.

    • Abba, we are encouraged that to You all nations are like a drop in a bucket (Isaiah 40:15-17).

    • Thank You Lord, for setting Israel's enemies against each other (2 Chronicles 20:22-23).

    • Prevent Israel from being deceived in its growing relationship with Saudi Arabia (Numbers 23:23).

    • Reveal the true heart intent of Saudi's Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman so that Israel does not waltz into a trap by joining hands with an enemy of God (Ezra 8:22, 31).

    • Watch over the relationship between Israel and Egypt and protect Egyptian President al-Sissi from all assassination attempts.

    • Lord, hedge in the words that Israel's leaders speak about their relations with the Arab nations.

    • Let that which should be secret – remain secret (Deuteronomy 29:29).

    • God, break the relationship between Sunni Turkey and Shi'ite Iran (Jeremiah 49:35).

    • Show us show to pray into this Russian, Iran, Turkey triumvirate that has recently developed.

    • O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no might against this great company which comes against us. Nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.

      2 Chronicles 20:12

  7. With all the political shakings, there is also a spiritually shaking among the Muslims. Reports are that multitudes are coming to know the true King of Israel – Yeshua the Messiah! There is no better way to pray for our enemies than to ask for them to become part of our family.

    • Thank You for moving among many Muslims in the Middle East – and saving them (Matthew 5:44).

    • Lord, send out more laborers into the harvest (Luke 10:2).

    • Continue to shame Muslims in all their actions against Israel so that they come to see that Allah is not God and will then seek Your name (Psalm 83:16).

    • Protect and hide the growing Iranian church from that nation's anti-Christ leadership (Psalm 17:8; 27:5).

    • Speak to those Iranians believers who have been saved in the nations that You want to send back home.

    • Move upon Muslims in Israel – especially in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:16).

    • As You save Muslims, also set them free from all anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist spirits (Exodus 18:9-11).

    • Empower the Egyptian Church to grow and influence all aspects of their society (Isaiah 19:18-19).

    • Save, protect and use many Syrian refugees – including many of those who have come to realize that Israel is not their enemy.

    • Move upon the Church in Lebanon to take a stand against Hizbullah in the spirit realm (Isaiah 28:6).

    • Lord, save influential people from Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas – and use them for Your glory.

  8. We prayed for Jews in Israel and in exile to meet their King Messiah during Chanukah. By the way, Chanukah is not until the evening of December 12th. We are just praying as He leads.

    • Abba, as the light of the Chanukiah increases each night, make the light of Your revelation concerning Your Son also increase. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it. (John 1:4-5)

    • We bless You for the positive articles and letters to the editors about believers that have appeared in the Israel English newspapers this past week – including about Messianic Jews. Use this answer to prayer.

    • Bring into the saving light of Yeshua all unsaved loved ones of Messianic Jewish families (Acts 16:31).

    • Impart dreams and visions to Your people during this feast – especially to the children (Joel 2:28-29).

    • Draw many Jews to read the New Testament without the filter that rabbinic Judaism lays over it.

    • In fact, may more of Your people read the Tanach as well – without that same filter.

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

      Psalms 36:9

Please continue to pray for rain and whatever other wetness the Lord wants to pour out on this land. We have had several days of rain and there are forecasted for several more – yet we need lots more. While we do bless God for what He has sent in this area, we continue to ask for that miracle of having Him fill up the Sea of Galilee and all of Israel's underground aquifers by the end of the rainy season.

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Jerusalem,

The IFI team