1. Praise:

   The annual Torah reading cycle restarts this Shabbat with the foundational verse for all of God's revelation – Genesis 1:1 – exactly where we would expect a foundation to be.

   • In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Gen. 1:1) Thank You Lord that since You have created all of space and time, there is nothing too difficult for You (Jer. 32:17, 27).

   • Behold, the former things come to pass, and I declare new things: before they spring forth I tell you of them. (Isa. 42:9) We praise You for this verse affirming that nothing ever takes You by surprise.

   • But now thus says YHWH who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel, 'Fear not: for I have redeemed you, I have called you by your name; you are Mine'. (Isa. 43:1) Lord, we bless You for creating the nation of Israel for Your glory's sake and in order that gentiles can hear the good news and become part of Your chosen people (Gen. 12:3b; cp. Gal. 3:8; Luke 2:32; Eph. 2:16-22).

   • Yeshua, precious God the Son, we exalt You as Your Word reveals to us that God the Father created everything that exists through You (Psa. 33:6; John 1:1-3; Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:13-19; Heb. 1:2).

   • Thank You God for revealing Yourself through creation (Psa. 19:1; Acts 14:17; Rom. 1:19-20).

   • We bless You for the revelation of Yourself in Your Son, Messiah Yeshua (John 1:1-3; Col. 2:9).

   • What a joy to know that all who are in Messiah are saved and become new creations (2 Cor. 5:17).

   • We praise You because of who You are – not because of what You may or may not do (Psa. 150:6).

2. Government:

   Eleven days from today, Israel will hold national election (November 1st). We are interceding for a Bible-honoring government to lead God's nation in these chaotic times.

   • Thank You that regardless of the outcome of the election, Israel already has a King who sits at the right hand of God (Psa. 89:18; 103:19; 110:1; Isa. 6:5; Zeph. 3:15; Matt. 26:64; Heb. 1:13; 10:12).

   • You said You will do good to Israel as You have promised them (Jer. 32:42), and we are reminding You of Your promise in relation to the next government, as Your promise is for today – a time when You are planting Israel back in their land with all of Your heart and all of Your soul (Jer. 32:41).

   • Lord, by mercy, give Israel leaders who love Your Word and honor Your land (Psa. 119:113, 163).

   • Raise up those whom You desire to lead the next Israeli government, and forbid all those who are a hindrance to, or opposed to, Your kingdom purposes (Jer. 27:5; Dan. 4:17b).

   • Raise up leaders with courage to withstand the attacks of the world against Israel's right to Jerusalem and its right the rest of Your land – especially Judea and Samaria (Zech. 12:2-9).

   • Enforce Your will on all Israeli parties, making them reveal their political platforms (Dan. 2:28, 47).

   • Let the next coalition be created through negotiation and not through manipulation.

   • Create a coalition that views both security and aliyah as priorities for Israel (Jer. 31:10; 32:41).

   • Allow politicians who are biblical Zionists to have a part in the new government (Psa. 14:7; 69:35).

   • Forbid all politicians who desire to see a Palestinian State established on Your land from obtaining any place of influence in the next government (Lev. 25:23; Prov. 22:28; 23:10a).

   • Have mercy on Israel and block Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman from having any authority at all in the future (Psa. 75:4-7).

   • [Lapid just said that, if elected, he will forbid all Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount and seek to change the Nation-State law that defines Israel as the Jewish State.] Lord, forbid this man from being in charge of the next government and remove him from having any influence in Israel (Prov. 6:2).

   • Pour out a spirit of righteousness and justice on those who will be leading Israel's government, and at the same time, remove all dross that is found in them (Lev. 19:15; Psa. 99:4; Isa. 1:25-27).

   • Lord God, if Bibi Netanyahu is Your choice to be the next Israeli leader, surround him with godly advisors and give him an ear to hear and heed them (Prov. 11:14; 15:22).

   • Lord, shut the mouths of the anti-God media against Bibi, both in Israel and worldwide (Dan. 6:22).

   • Turn the hearts of Israel's electorate to be aligned with Your will (Prov. 19:21).

3. Internal security:

   The war between Israel's security forces and Palestinian terrorist groups continues to rage – especially in Samaria.

   • Lord, Israel needs Your divine help, so please fulfill this verse from the prophetic reading: YHWH shall go forth as a Mighty Warrior; He shall stir up zeal as a Man of War; He shall shout, yes, roar; He shall prevail against His enemies. (Isa. 42:13)

   • Please release angelic protection over Israel and warrior angels against its enemies (Psa. 35:5-7).

   • Set the stage to cleanse Your land from all those who hate You and Your people (Psa. 10:15-16).

   • Yet save as many Palestinians as possible before they are rooted up and destroyed (Jer. 12:14-17).

   • Increase confusion and infighting between the various Palestinians terrorist groups (Psa. 35:26).

   • Protect those who guard Your nation physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually (Psa. 91:3-4).

   • Prepare the IDF for whatever they will be dealing with in the near future (Josh. 4:13; Psa. 23:5a)

   • Bless You for continuing to bring accurate actionable intelligence to Israel (Isa. 29:15; Jer. 23:24).

   • Multiply whatever supplies and weaponry that the IDF needs at this time (Matt. 14:19-20).

   • Spread divine protection over all Israelis residing in Judea and Samaria (Psa. 105:39).

   • May there be divine pressure on the next government to extend Israel's sovereignty over all of the land west of the Jordan River (Judg. 2:1-5).

   • May the new government be serious in enforcing law and order throughout the land (Rom. 13:1-4).

4. External security:

   Iranian society is imploding. Whether this will be enough to bring down the current demonic regime or not, only God knows, but our prayers have an impact and help to reinforce the Iranian demonstrators as they fight for freedom from their modern day Pharaoh.

   • Hasten the time of the Iranian regime's demise (Isa. 2:11; 10:33; Jer. 49:38b).

   • Use the hijabs of Iranian women in the same way that You used the jawbone of an ass in the hands of Samson to defeat Israel's enemies (Judg. 15:15-16).

   • [We've asked God to pressure Iran's leaders into making major geo-political mistakes. Supplying Russia with kamikaze drones might be at least a partial answer.] Lord God, use this to wake the EU out of its humanistic deception and to place harsh sanctions on Iran (Isa. 42:14-15).

   • Let the current shakings in and around Iran send waves of fear upon all of its proxies (Isa. 19:16).

   • Prepare the next leaders of Iran today and make them pro-Israel (Psa. 10:17; Dan. 2:21).

   • In the midst of Iran's chaos, release Your Spirit to bring order and salvation (Gen. 1:2; John 3:7-8).

   • Show the Iranian Church exactly how to pray and what to do today (Luke 11:1; John 10:27).

   • If the current Iranian regime remains in power, do not let Israel look to the nations to aid them in defending themselves against Iranian attacks – whether nuclear or otherwise (Psa. 44:4-5; Isa. 31:1).

   • Overshadow the IDF's Iran Command's strategy and tactics against Iran and its various proxies so that their plans line up with Your strategy and tactics (Prov. 21:31).

   • Speed up the development of Israel's laser technology and cyberwarfare (Prov. 8:12).

   • Lord, we are very uneasy with the maritime deal that was made with Lebanon, and unless it is 100% Your will, we ask that it will not be formally signed by Israel (Psa. 33:10-11).

   • Guide us in prayer as this deal, which has already become in reality a trap, places Israel as the anti-peace "partner" in relation to Iran's proxy Hizbullah which rules Lebanon (Joel 2:17-21).

   • Lord, break this snare which Israel's transitional government has placed around Israel (Psa. 124:6-8).

   • Forbid Israel from actually trusting in America's guarantees concerning this deal as historically the US' guarantees have proven to be utterly worthless (Psa. 41:9; 146:3; Isa. 31:1).

5. Aliyah:

   We hear of multitudes of Russian and Ukrainian Jews who desire to make aliyah now. Yet, much to our grief, reports also say that Israeli PM Lapid is not really interested in aiding them or preparing facilities in Israel for them.

   • Thank You Lord for reminding us again in the prophetic portion, that aliyah is for Your glory (Isa. 43:5-7; cp. Ezek. 36:23-24).

   • Let Jews residing in all of the lands north of Israel – which includes all of Europe, the UK, the US and Canada – heed Your warning found in Zechariah 2:6-7.

   • After the war between Russia and Ukraine is over, do not allow the Ukrainian Jewish men who had to stay and fight draw their families who have made aliyah back there, but let them make aliyah and be reunited with their families in Israel (Psa. 137:5-6; Jer. 3:14; 31:16-17).

   • Use the elections to remove every stone of stumbling in Israel's government and its bureaucracy that in anyway hinders the open and free return of Your people (Isa. 62:10).

   • Abba, destroy all barriers that certain nations have placed to block Your people from leaving and returning to Israel (1 Chr. 16:21; Neh. 9:10; Acts 7:36).

   • Provide the new immigrants [olim] with jobs, housing, language skills, and a community so that they can settle in Your land with much success and a minimum amount of trauma (Isa. 27:6; 37:31).

   • Deal with every Messianic leader in exile who refuses to teach and prepare the Jews who are in Your congregation, which they are only stewards of, about returning to Israel (Isa. 35:10; 51:11).

   • Raise up churches to support Jewish olim in prayer and financially so that they can be successfully integrated into Your nation (Isa, 60:9-12).

   • Open the eyes of Your Body to see that they should be supporting both the restoration of Israel and the spreading of the gospel worldwide in these days (Jer. 31:10; 32:41; Matt. 24:14; 28:19).

6. Salvation:

   The Torah portion tells the story of mankind's original sin. Satan deceived humanity with the spirit of Humanism by a question and a lie. He questioned the truthfulness of God's Word: Indeed, has God said… (Gen. 3:1a). His lie appealed to Adam and Eve's pride, telling them: you shall be as God (Gen. 3:5b). Yet right after the fall, God declared the gospel in seed-form, saying to Satan, I will set hostility between you and the woman, and your seed and her Seed; He shall crush your head, and you shall crush His heel. (Gen. 3:15) Yeshua is the Seed of the woman and He has already, through the cross, defeated the devil (Col. 2:15).

   • Lord, as Jews read Genesis 3:21 let them see that You graciously shed the blood of an innocent animal in order to cover Adam and Eve – so that they would not have to die that day (Gen. 2:17).

   • Open the eyes of many rabbis and Jews to see the concept of original sin being passed down from Adam to all of his seed as they read in Genesis 5:1-3 that Seth was made in Adam's sin-bent image.

   • Finish the work of salvation which You began in many Jewish lives in the feasts (1 Thess. 5:23-24)

   • May those Jews who have recently come to know Yeshua as their Messiah, be rooted and grounded in love and built up in their faith in You (Eph. 3:17-19).

   • Be glorified in the fellowship of Jew and Gentile as we worship You together (Eph. 2:11-22).

   • Reveal to Your people that it is by grace that one is seen as righteousness in Your sight (Gen. 6:8-9).

   • Challenge Jews by asking them who You are talking to in this verse from the prophetic portion: I YHWH have called You in righteousness, and will strengthen Your hand, and watch over You, and give You for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles, (Isa. 42:6; cp. Luke 2:32).

7. The Body of Messiah:

   We have to mature in faith and move away from depending on man's plans and programs and schedules. And that requires a death to self and a total trust in God.

   • We bless You for challenging us to trust in You and not in our own understanding (Prov. 3:5).

   • Messiah Yeshua, we proclaim that You are [Our] Lord and [our] God (John 20:28)!

   • God, teach Your Body that You are today the Lord of heaven and earth (Matt. 11:25; 28:18b).

   • Create a desire for the unity of the Spirit throughout Your Body – including in Israel (Eph. 4:3).

   • Let Your love and grace, which helps us to possess a love that covers a multitude of sins, permeate Your Body at this time (Prov. 10:12; Jam. 5:20; 1 Pet. 4:8).

   • From the prophetic portion: Since you were precious in My eyes, you have been honorable, and I have loved you… (Isa. 43:4) We ask that Your Body would know that You have been a God of love from eternity and will continue to be that forever (Jer. 31:3).

8. Water:

   Our Creator can create water for His land. We are asking Him to do that at this time and just last night, at least in Jerusalem, we had one of the most amazing thunderstorms I have ever experienced in Israel. It then rained off and on for the rest of the night – hallelujah!

   • Thank You Lord that Israel does not have a water crisis this year (Job 5:8-10; Psa. 68:9).

   • Yet the land needs more water to be like that promised Garden of Eden (Isa. 51:3; Ezek. 36:35).

   • As You open the heavens and let it rain, may Your people see, and know, consider, and understand together, that YHWH's hand has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it. (Isa. 41:20)

9. IFI:

   Thank you supporting this ministry through your prayers, encouragement and your financial gifts. Please ask the Lord to continue to give us godly discernment to know when we hear His voice directing us in intercession – as opposed to hearing other voices, whether our own, another person's or even the devil's (John 10:2-5, 27).

Shabbat shalom and blessings from Zion

For the IFI team

Psa. 134:3