1. We gave thanks to the Lord for He is good and His covenant-love endures forever.

    • Give thanks to YHWH; for He is good, for His mercy [covenant-love] endures forever. Let Israel now say His mercy endures forever. Let the house of Aaron now say His mercy endures forever. Let those who fear YHWH now say His mercy endures forever. I called on YHWH in distress; YHWH answered me, and set me in a large place. YHWH is for me, I will not fear; what can man do to me?Psa. 118:1-6

    • Hallelujah that we serve a God who delights to answer the prayers of His people (Prov, 15:8b).

    • Thank You for the huge outpouring of water on this land this past week (Psa. 68:9)

    • We bless You for Your overriding protection of this land and of us (Psa. 121:3-4).

    • Father, praise You for creating and sustaining all things by Your Son, Messiah Yeshua (John 1:1-3, 10).

    • Abba, we boldly approach Your throne of grace for this nation in the Lord Yeshua (Heb. 4:16).

  2. Elections: Israeli Attorney General Mandelblit announced his intent to indict Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu for all three cases in which he was being investigated. This appears to be bad news for Bibi and his Likud party – but our God reigns. The timing of this smells of political manipulation: after years of investigating Netanyahu, now, six weeks before the elections, the intent is announced? In Israel, there are many steps that still need to be taken before Netanyahu is actually indicted – and that process will take at least a year. Yet most of the media and the opposition have Bibi guilty already!

    • Lord help us; teach us to pray into this messy situation (Luke 11:1).

    • Abba, in the next elections, raise up for Israel the shepherds after Your own heart that You promised to do when You regathered Your own people to Your own land (Jer. 3:14-15; 23:3-4).

    • Help Bibi to focus on his record and not on protecting himself from possible indictment (Psa. 5:12).

    • May this announcement backfire and cause Israelis to see the manipulation of this timing (Rom. 8:28).

    • Use the few conservative media outlets to reveal the truth of all this (Zech. 8:16).

    • If, in fact, this is Your time for Netanyahu to step down, please show us so that we can pray in line with Your will and not with what we think is best (Amos 3:7; 1 John 5:14-15).

    • If Bibi is truly guilty in Your sight, press him to withdraw sooner rather than later (Prov 15:34).

    • Draw out from all the parties in the election actual policies and not only what they think the people want to hear (Jer. 9:5).

  3. In this political balagan [a total mess], the people of Israel can be blown about in so many ways that they end up confused and lost in their thinking, so we prayed for the people of this nation.

    • Since You are not a God of confusion, show us how to pray (1 Cor. 14:33).

    • For I know the purposes which I am purposing for you, says YHWH; purposes of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.Jer. 29:11

    • Lord, if this was true after Israel's 70 years in Babylon, how much more is it true today when You said You would plant this nation in their land, never to be uprooted up again (Amos 9:14-15).

    • Remove from many Israelis – including those who already believe in Messiah – discouragement over this very difficult situation (Isa. 61:3).

    • Encourage this people to vote even in the face of all the confusion and media manipulation.

    • Abba, forbid that a socialist government be recreated in Israel in the next elections (Lev. 26:10).

    • May many Israeli rabbis be willing and able to speak Your Word at this time (Prov. 8:7).

  4. The next six weeks are very dangerous as whatever the current government does – or does not do – will be seen through the filter of political expedience. Yet in the current situation in the Middle East Israel may need to attack, or even go to war, to defend this nation.

    • Abba, we hold Proverbs 21:1 over all of the current government leaders: The king's heart is in the hand of YHWH. As the rivers of water, He turns it wherever He will.

    • Please also watch over Proverbs 16:1, 9 and 19:21 for Israel's current government.

    • Remove all fear of man and place Your fear in their hearts (Psa. 118:8-9).

    • Hinder all decisions and actions that are made only out of political purposes.

    • Forbid that any actions not be taken just for political considerations.

    • Protect the unity of the current government as much as is possible (Psa. 133:1).

    • Do not allow the devil to start any conflagration with Israel unless it is 101% Your will (2 Chr. 17:10).

  5. Security: The Gaza border demonstrations have continued for almost a year now. Just this week, the UN Human Rights Commission – which is anything but – accused Israel of crimes against humanity for its efforts to protect its people from these terrorist inspired and enflamed demonstrations.

    • Lord, deal with this viciously anti-Israel UN group which calls evil good and good evil (Isa. 5:20).

    • Send a spirit of discouragement on the Gazans to keep many of them home.

    • Use the weather to somehow place the fear of God into these demonically deceived people (Ex. 14:25).

    • Dry up all of Hamas' funds so they cannot pay children to demonstrate against Israel (Isa. 14:29-32).

    • We bless and thank You for the IDF and ask You to draw every soldier closer to Yourself (Song 1:4).

    • Protect Israeli soldiers from the wet weather that You use against their enemies (Job 38:22-23).

    • Encourage and protect all Israelis who are living next to the Gaza border (Jer. 32:41-42).

  6. Security: As we prayed for the protection of Israelis living in the biblical heartland of Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, we focused on the soon-to-be-revealed President Trump "Peace" plan.

    • Lord, this "gift' from our friend hangs over the heads of Israeli politicians and people as a sword. May it be unveiled in Your timing only (Eccl. 3:1).

    • If it contains anti-biblical aspects, please change them or prevent this plan from ever being revealed.

    • 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.Psa. 33:10-11

    • Lord God, use Ivanka Trump to speak very clearly to her father Donald, and her husband Jared, about the dangers of trying to divide Your land (Joel 3:1-2).

    • We ask the same for US' Israeli Ambassador David Friedman's daughter, who has made aliyah – that she would warn him of the judgments that accompany messing with Your land (Lev. 25:23).

    • Spread Your wings of protection over all Israelis living in these areas (Psa. 91:14-16).

    • We thank You for hardening their hearts of the Palestinian leadership and ask that You would continue to do so (Rom. 9:15-18).

    • Yet forbid that any Israeli government would depend only on their hard-heartedness to say "no" to any plan to give away more of Your land (Judg. 11:23-24).

    • Lord Yeshua, in mercy reveal Yourself to many Palestinians as this is their only hope (Jer. 12:14-17).

    • Thank You for all the IDF activity in these areas that constantly arrests terrorists and stops terror attacks.

    • Bless You for this word coming to pass before our eyes: So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the Spirit came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. (Ezek. 37:10)

  7. Security: Iran is Israel's main adversary wherever it turns. It is entrenched in Lebanon, controlling Hezbollah which in turn controls Lebanon's government and army. Iran's influence in Syria grows despite Israeli and Russian attempts to stop it. Iran has taken over many areas in Iraq as well. It also supports the terrorists in Gaza. Yet sanctions are hurting and the Iranian people are furious with their wicked regime.

    • Lord, Iran is overreaching itself. Use this to burst its bubble of influence – suddenly (Psa. 64:1-10)!

    • Increase the outside pressure on Iran and force their leaders into major geo-political mistakes.

    • Expose all Iranian plots against Israel (Job 12:22).

    • Give the IDF and Mossad the wisdom to defeat and destroy all these plots (Prov. 21:21).

    • Thank You for Netanyahu telling Russian President Putin this past week that Israel would continue to attack Iranian targets in Syria.

    • Use whatever Bibi told Putin to bring distrust between Russia and Iran and Turkey.

    • Bless the constant demonstrations against the regime by the common Iranian people (Luke 12:51).

    • Use the church in Iran for Your glory (Matt. 16:18).

    • Thank You for hearing our prayers and shaking Iran physically, socially, financially, politically and spiritually. Continue to do so until the Iranian people are freed from their wicked regime. Arise, O God, judge the earth; for You shall inherit in all nations. (Psa. 82:8)

  8. Israeli Body of Messiah: We prayed for the Body to take its right place in prayer and in deed.

    • Thank You Lord Yeshua that on March 1st 2019, there is a living growing Body in this – Your land!

    • Impact the Body with 1st Timothy 2:1-4 that it is our responsibility and a command from You to pray for all those in authority – which obviously means to pray into the next elections.

    • Remove all confusion about the elections and set the Body's eyes on You and Your will (Luke 11:2).

    • Enable the unity of the Body to be in Your Spirit and founded on Your truth (Eph. 4:3; John 17:17).

    • Raise up shepherds who will feed Your Body on the solid food of Your word (Heb. 5:14).

    • Raise up shepherds after Your own heart for just a time like this (Jer. 23:3-4).

    • Reveal to many more in the Israeli Body that Israel's security starts at Your throne – a place that we have bold access to (Psa. 121:4; Heb. 4:16).

    • Lord Yeshua, is it not time to bring many more secret believers out of the closet (Matt. 5:14-16)?

    • Lord, direct these IFI prayer alerts to more Israelis – especially the Hebrew and Russian versions.

We also prayed for Brazil's new president Bolsonaro, who will be visiting Israel before the elections. We asked that he would announce that they will be moving the Brazilian embassy up to Jerusalem at that time – as that is something he has said he would do.

Israel's water situation has improved – yet the the Sea of Galilee is still around 4 meters below the full line. It has risen about 2.5 meters this rainy season with almost one meter of that just this past week! So we are still trusting and asking God to fiull the whole lake up and to allow all the aquifers in this nation to also be full. Please continue to pray along with us and be encouraged as our God has sent a plentiful rain, by which You upheld Your inheritance when it was weary. (Psa. 68:9)

Chuck Cohen will be in Germany starting this coming week with IFI Germany for several weeks of ministry. Please keep him and Hans-Jurgen Heuhsen in pray as they co-labor together with the Lord Yeshua – for His glory's sake (John 16:13-14).

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion

The IFI team