1. Praise: Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty…

    • Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee.

    • Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power, and riches, wisdom, and strength, honor, and glory, and blessing. (Rev. 5:12) Amen and amen!

    • You are the Light of the world (John 8:12) and we are so blessed to walk in Your light (Psa. 89:15).

    • Thank You for Your Word which guides us in our walk with You (Psa. 119:105, 130).

    • What a joy to come boldly before, knowing that we are approaching a throne of grace (Heb. 4:16)!

    • Whenever You were born, we thank You for becoming a man and redeeming us (Phil. 2:5-8).

    • Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow…and every tongue should confess that Yeshua the Messiah is Lord – to the glory of God the Father.Phil. 2:9-11

  2. Elections: Israel needs a government that lines up with God's declared will – like the leaders who led the Chanukah rebellion. This means a conservative, right-wing government that honors His Word at least in deed.

    • Therefore says YHWH, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who feed My people, You have scattered My flock, driven them away, and not visited them. Behold, I will bring on you the evil of your doings, says YHWH, and I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and will bring them again to their fold. They shall be fruitful and multiply, and I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them, and they shall fear no more, nor be afraid; nor shall they lack anything, says YHWH.Jer. 23:2-4

    • Lord, watch over this promise in Jeremiah, and bring it to pass in the March 2nd election (Jer. 1:12).

    • Raise up leaders with a heart to serve Israel and not serve themselves (Deut. 10:12).

    • Impart to Israel's electorate discernment and courage to vote in line with Your will (Psa. 16:11).

    • Protect the Israeli electorate from the anti-biblical media onslaught (Job 21:27).

    • Remove any apathy that has crept into Israeli voters (Psa. 57:8).

    • We beseech You for Your fear to fall on the politicians and all Israelis. (Psa. 14:4-5)

    • Give us leaders like Nehemiah: The God of Heaven, He will bless us, and we, His servants, will arise and build. But you have no portion or right or memorial in Jerusalem. (Neh. 2:20)

    • Raise up a government that will work well with the very pro-Israel US administration.

    • Abba, it is Chanukah. We ask for another miracle – a clean election campaign (Eph. 15).

    • We are very grateful that ultimately the government rests in Your shoulders (Isa. 9:6).

    • As political parties form alliances, arrange it so that the choices are clear to the voters (Deut. 30:15).

  3. Elections: We asked for a government which would fulfill His prophetic word for Israel.

    • Turn, O backsliding sons, says YHWH; for I am married to you; and will take you one from a city, and two from a family, and bring you to Zion. And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.Jer. 3:14-15

    • Abba, give us a government that will open wide the doors for aliyah (Isa. 43:5-7; 62:10).

    • Lord, provide Israel leaders who see how vital security is to what You are doing (Rom. 13:3-4).

    • God, forbid there to be any leaders who are willing to divide Your land any further (Lev. 25:23).

    • Raise up those who will not be ashamed to see Israel as a nation that is set apart (Num. 23:9).

    • We ask for leaders who are lovers of Zion, lovers of truth and righteousness (Psa. 102:13).

    • Surround Israel's leaders with modern day "sons of Issachar" (1 Chr. 12:32).

  4. Elections: PM Bibi Netanyahu's Likud party will hold its primaries this coming Thursday.

    • Lord God, watch over the voting and be the One who determines who is on the Likud slate.

    • Remove all who are done in Your eyes, and raise up those whom You have prepared for just this time.

    • Prevent please, any division in this party,

    • Rebuke the proud but give grace to the humble (Jam. 4:6).

    • Defend Netanyahu (Psa. 20:1-4) and allow him to be in Your designated spot in Likud (Dan. 2:21).

  5. Security - Gaza: Gaza demonstrations have been shrinking. We continue to pray for them to be dried up completely although there have been several rocket attacks against southern Israel with the Israel Air Force striking Hamas targets in response.

    • Lord, You see how Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad have now joined hand to war against Israel. Arise and deal with this wickedness against Your people (Prov. 11:21; 16:5).

    • Yeshua, Lord, grace the children near the Gaza border a peaceful, joyful Chanukah (Isa. 54:13).

    • We bless You for the protection of life that You have provided over the years of thousands of rocket attacks against Israelis in the south (Jer. 31:10).

    • Yet many suffer from all sorts of physical and emotional traumas. Please heal them (Num. 12:13).

    • Confuse and disrupt all planned attacks (Psa. 129:5).

    • Protect and encourage IDF soldiers on duty, who will not celebrate Chanukah at home.

    • Give the IDF wisdom to know how many soldiers and what equipment needs to be stationed near Gaza. Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war. (Prov. 20:18)

    • Thank You for Defense Minister Naftali Bennett's new policy of striking back against any attack from Gaza – and not only the ones that land near Israeli towns or cause damage (Eccl. 8:11).

  6. Security - Iran: Iran remains the biggest instigator of hatred against Israel – both spiritually and politically. Iran's internal problems can be a blessing – if it contributes to the destruction of that regime, but the regime could decide to divert attention from its internal issues by attacking – either directly or via proxies – what they called "the Zionist regime" – Israel.

    • Thank You for all the problems Iranian leaders need to deal with at this time (Psa. 35:26).

    • Increase all their problems until they see that Allah is not God and cry out to You (Matt. 5:44).

    • Send deception on them and force them to make major errors in judgment (1 Kin. 22:19-23).

    • Cause all their demonic plans to fail and openly bring them to shame. Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek Your name, YHWH. (Psa. 83:16)

    • Stir up the Iranian people to overthrow their wicked leaders (Hag. 2:22).

    • Lord, may all their proxies somehow become contributors to the Iranian regime's downfall.

    • We bless You for the miraculous work You are doing in building Your church in Iran (Matt. 16:18).

    • Give our family in Messiah in Iran wisdom and an anointing to know how to intercede for their nations, their government and their relationship with Israel (1 Tim. 3:1-4; Gen. 12:3).

    • As they celebrate Christmas, show them its deep Jewish roots. Now when Yeshua was born in Bethlehem of Judaea…there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, asking, 'Where is He who is born King of the Jews? We have seen His star…and are come to worship Him'. (Matt. 2:1-2)

    • Enable the Iranian Church to shine brightly at this time of the year (Matt. 5:14-16).

  7. Security – Iran: Israel is the only nation that is militarily resisting Iran's attempt to take over the Middle East and then the rest of the world. We suspect that that will remain the case for the foreseeable future. We prayed for Israel to have wisdom and courage to do what it needs to in order to defeat this Shi'ite Islamic army, and also asked for God to dividedly intervene.

    • Lord, as Iran hastens its ability to produce a nuclear weapon, shake their facilities and send massive confusion and fear on the scientists and military and political leaders (Psa. 94:1-3).

    • If Israel needs to pre-empt on Iranian soil, give it wisdom and Your timing (Prov. 21:30-31).

    • May the job be done totally and completely (Deut. 33:29).

    • Bring the government – both current and future – and the IDF into unity about how to defeat Iran's oft-repeated goal of annihilating Israel (Psa. 133:1).

    • Any intelligence that Israel needs but is missing, bring it to Israel's attention today (Dan. 2:20-22).

    • Aid all of Israel's cyberwarfare attacks against Iran and strengthened its cyber-defense as well.

    • Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered: let them also that hate Him flee before Him…Rebuke the company of spearmen…scatter the people that delight in war.Psa. 68:1, 30

  8. Security – Turkey: Under Erdogan, their leader. Turkey is becoming more Islamic and has become an enemy of Israel. It is also threatening Cyprus and Greece in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, and threatening to close down an American base in Turkey that has about 50 nuclear missiles!

    • Lord, please watch over this very real threat and guide Israel as to what to do (1 Chr. 12:32).

    • Again, we ask for accurate actionable intelligence on what Erdogan is planning (Mark 4:22).

    • Rise up against Erdogan's dream of a new Ottoman caliphate and bring him down (Isa. 31:2).

    • Lord, deal with his bullying of other nations (Ezek. 29:15).

    • Protect Greece and Cyprus from him and as they are Israeli allies/partners, show Israel when it needs to take a public stand and tell Erdogan to back off!

    • Continue to watch over Israel's sea border on the Mediterranean (Psa. 121:4).

    • Provide Israel's navy with all the equipment and manpower it needs to defend Israel (Isa. 41:15-17).

    • Stir up even Russian President Putin against Erdogan's arrogant moves (Jer. 50:31).

  9. UN: Again the UN General Assembly passed a number of resolutions against Israel – as if Israel is the only troublemaker in today's world. One resolution said that the Palestinian Authority can sue Israel for its losses due to the Israeli "occupation"!

    • YHWH brings the counsel of the gentiles to nothing: He makes the plots of the people of no effect. The counsel of YHWH stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations.Psa. 33:10-11

    • Lord, is it not time for You to shake this modern tower of Babel. The pride of man shall be brought down, the arrogance of men shall be made low: and YHWH alone shall be exalted in that day. He shall utterly abolish the idols, and they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and the caves of the earth, for fear of YHWH, and for the glory of His majesty, when He arises to shake the earth. (Isa. 2:17-19)

    • Abba, bless all the nations that voted against this ridiculous resolution (Num. 24:9).

    • Confront all lukewarm nations that abstained (Rev. 3:15-16).

    • Lord, wake up believers in these nations to see the curse this brings on their country and let them stand in the gap before You, crying out for mercy (Hab. 3:1-2).

    • We thank and praise You for Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon. May his faithfulness to truth bring him to a place of influence and authority to You and to this nation (Neh. 7:2; Prov. 20:6).

  10. Light: Chanukah and Christmas occur in conjunction with each other next week. The common thread – besides the fact that both celebrate Jewish events that occur in the Land of Israel – is light. This is a wonderful time to ask God to send the Light of the World, Messiah Yeshua, to enlighten the hearts and minds of many of His chosen people.

    • For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the presence of all people – a light to give revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel!Luke 2:30-32

    • Lord Yeshua, wake up Your Body to see how "kosher" the birth narratives are.

    • Show them that if You were not faithful to Your promises to Israel – Yeshua would not have been born (Matt. 1:1, 23; Luke 1:30-33, 54-55; 68-74)!

    • As the Chanukah menorah lights shine brighter and brighter with each passing night, may the light of Messiah Yeshua shine more brightly in the hearts of unsaved Jews (John 12:46).

    • For thus says YHWH, Sing with gladness for Jacob, shout among the chief of the nations: publish, praise, and say, O YHWH, save Your people, the remnant of Israel.Jer. 31:7

  11. Aliyah: 2019 will end up being a very good year for aliyah – as it could see a 30% increase in the number of Jews returning home to Israel. Part of the reason for that is economic, part is the rise of anti-Semitism and a major part is prayer!

    • Thank You for bringing home Your scattered nation (Jer. 31:10).

    • As more Jews in exile hid their menorah because of the fear of anti-Semitism, let them think about why they are remaining outside of Your land.

    • Let the children ask some very pointed questions of why they must hid their Jewishness in the West.

    • Forbid that the Jewish leaders be spiritual ostriches and end up being murdered in exile.

    • How shall we sing YHWH's song in a strange land?Psa. 137:4

    • Thank You that we see and are being used to fulfill Zechariah 8:1-8 in Jerusalem today!

    • Thus says YHWH of hosts; Behold, I will save My people from the east country, and from the west. I will gather them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, in truth and in righteousness.Zech. 8:7-8

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion

May all your celebrations be filled with the light of Messiah

The IFI team