Praise…

Syria:

The US administration has announced that President Assad of Syria has been using chemical weapons, thus crossing a "red line" and prompting the promise of supplying weapons to the rebel forces. On the other side Russia has a growing number of ships in the Mediterranean and continued promises of other armed support for Assad. Iran and Hezbollah are also very much in evidence behind the Assad regime's military successes in recent weeks. Meanwhile Israeli Prime Minister seeks to remain outside the conflict but recognizes that Israeli security is constantly threatened…

Salvation of Syrian people…

The gathering nations:

We do not know whether this is the time for the war prophesied in Ezekiel 38 and 39, though the current aligning of nations is making this an increasing possibility. We have been led to pray that God would hold back the nations from coming against Israel before the Lord's perfect time…

Leaders of Israel…

Aliyah and Salvation of Israel: (Ezekiel 39:25-29)…

Body of Messiah…

IFI leaders:

Eliyahu is in the US for the wedding of his younger son. Chuck is teaching in Scotland. Jeremy is travelling to the US for 3 weeks…

Psalm 122. We began our meeting this morning recognizing that today is the anniversary according to the Gregorian Calendar when, in the Six Day War of 1967, the city of Jerusalem was reunited under Jewish rule after almost 2000 years of exile…

Syria…

Iran

Jeremiah 49:34-39 tells of a breaking of powers in Elam (Iran) and an eventual restoration under the Lord's authority. Recent news tells of structural damage to Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant following large earthquakes in April. This encourages us that the Lord is answering our prayers…

Israel's Leaders

We need to pray for unity in the government particularly with regard to these ever-growing dangers from Syria and from Iran. Despite personal political ambitions we look to God to work among this group of men and women…

Tel-Aviv Gay Pride March

This is due to take place today…

Aliyah: (Jeremiah 32:36-44)…

Salvation of Israel

Bringing the Jewish people back to Israel is not the end of the story. God's purpose is to save His people and the salvation of Israel is also about bringing life to the world…

Israel Prayer Week in Scotland: Eliyahu Ben-Haim, Chuck Cohen and Claude Ezagouri are leading a prayer conference in Scotland this week and need prayer for physical, emotional and spiritual strength…

We began this morning by speaking out the whole of Psalm 91 and giving thanks to the Lord…

Water and the River Jordan…

Coalition crisis over the draft of haredim (ultra-Orthodox) into IDF…

Gay Pride…

Syria…

IFI Leaders…

This morning, we started by singing Great is Thy Faithfulness…

The budget has been approved by the cabinet - although not yet the Knesset - Israel's parliament. There were places where the budget needed to be cut. One ministry was Israel's Home-front Command which is responsible for citizens during times of crisis or war. We prayed for this ministry's chief in the Knesset, Gilad Erdan, and his IDF counterpart, Maj. Gen. Eyal Eisenberg, to be proactive in knowing what Israel needs to do to protect and prepare its citizens for whatever the future holds…

We used Isaiah 41:10-16 as a foundational promise to intercede for the Israeli Defense Forces - the IDF…

We briefly prayed for those interceding for Israel - that God would keep all presumption away from us and open our eyes to see and our ears to hear exactly what He wants to impart at this time (John 10:27)…

PM Netanyahu made a quick trip to Russia this past week to meet with Russian President Putin. The aim was to pressure Russia from selling to Syrian the S-300 anti-aircraft missile which is seen to be the most advanced such system on the planet. From all accounts, the trip was not successful - although whether Russia goes ahead with transferring the weapons is still questionable…

News came out of Cairo this week that Palestinian President Abbas' Fatah faction and Hamas, Gaza's terrorist overlords, have agreed to form a unity government within three months.We've lost count on how many times these two enemies of Israel have tried to become united. Yet might it be to Israel's advantage for this to occur? Since Hamas has not backed off one iota from its goal to destroy the State of Israel, if Mr. 'Moderate' Abbas joins forces with them, his sheepskin will be torn off - leaving the world with no excuse to see him for the ravenous wolf that he really is. Would America dare to continue to press Israel to divide its land with Hamas - when the US has consistently declared Hamas is a terrorist group? Would the EU? …

We next prayed for specific government ministers so that this new Israeli government will be a blessing to the people and to be used by God for His glory…

Aliyah - the return of the Jewish exiles from the nations to home - was the next item for prayer. With Jeremiah 16:15-16 in mind, we see that the rise of anti-Semitism in the West is God removing His hand of restraint to encourage - or frighten - His people to come back home…

We began by reading from Hosea 2:14-20…

The Syrian-Lebanese border: Israel attacked Syria twice over last weekend, both times preventing 'game-changing' weapons from being transferred to Hizbullah in Lebanon, from Iran via Syria. Israeli Prime Minster Netanyahu has said repeatedly that this is a red line for Israel - and now has shown the world what it means to guard a red line. Obviously, this has caused Iran/Syria/Hizbullah to threaten to repay Israel for this. We prayed into this situation in a number of different ways…

The 'peace' process: Albert Einstein said insanity is trying the same thing over and over - while expecting to get different results. This is an excellent description of the current Israeli-Palestinian peace process. It is insane to think Palestinian Authority President Abbas will budge one iota on his demand that all the so-called Palestinian 'refugees' be allowed to return to inside of pre-1967 Israel or on his adamant denial of ever recognizing Israel as the State of the Jewish people. Yet we see this is as God hardening the heart of Israel's enemies and protecting His land and His people from the anti-biblical plans of the nations. The question though is whether US Secretary of State John Kerry is insane - since he is totally obsessed with seeing a 'peace' deal between Israel and her enemies. Thank God, Kerry (nor Obama, nor Cameron, nor Merkel, nor the Church of Scotland - nor even Netanyahu), has the last word! God has said it - that settles it, whether we believe it or not!…

Budget: Finance Minister Yair Lapid will present a new budget this coming week. With all the various issues Israel needs to take into consideration - security, economy, poverty, etc. - we prayed for a righteous budget…

New legislation: There are several pieces of legislation being prepared that can have a very positive effect on how this nation is run: raising the threshold for a political party to enter the Knesset from the current 2% to 4%, thus forcing parties to need five seats to enter the government. Another proposed legislation is for any 'peace' deal with the Palestinians to be put to a national referendum - giving the people of Israel the ultimate decision on how to handle their God-given inheritance. Also, there is a law to equalize the burden of the citizens - by having the ultra-Orthodox and Arab-Israelis serve this nation in some capacity. The fruit of this would be to open the workplace for both these sections of Israeli society…

Shavuot (Pentecost): With this holyday in mind, we prayed for both salvation of those who do not yet know Yeshua, and a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit for those who do…

We began with Psalm 118:24…

Budget: Finance Minister Yair Lapid has been working on a budget for the next couple of years for Israel. With all the various issues Israel needs to take into consideration - security, economy, poverty, etc. - we prayed for a budget through which God could be glorified…

Laws: There are several pieces of legislation that are being prepared that can have a very favorable effect on how this nation is run. The first one we prayed about was the raising of the threshold for a political party to enter the Knesset from the current 2% to 4%. In effect, this would limit parties who would need to have five seats to become part of the government. It also includes legislation defining in a much better way, when non-confidence motions can be brought forth. Right now, it has become a free-for-all with non-confidence motions being presented by the opposition almost weekly, yet hardly ever being successful. They just waste time and resources…

Referendum: The next proposed legislation is that any 'peace' deal with the Palestinians would be put to a national referendum. We see this as an excellent move - giving the people of Israel the ultimate decision on what to do with their God-given inheritance…

Terrorism: A Jewish settler was murdered by a Palestinian terrorist this past week. He was a young father of five - with his oldest being only seven years old. Some settlers have reacted with violence against Palestinians. They are frustrated and in some sense, feel betrayed, because attacks in Judea and Samaria have been increasing without a strong response from the Israeli security forces. So we prayed for the settlers and the security forces to do that which is right in the eyes of God…

North: We continue to see those who hate Zion being confounded, fighting and killing each other. The focus of our intercession was on the threat of the Iranian backed Hizbullah terrorist group which is operating in Syria in support of President al-Assad and, of course, operates freely in Lebanon as part of the current Lebanese government. Hizbullah has an international outreach and is responsible for many deaths in attacks throughout the world…

Iran: A report from America's Defense Department says North Korea is developing an ICBM - a missile capable of striking America with a nuclear warhead. Since North Korea and Iran are allies, this is not good news for Israel or the world. We continue to pray for God Himself to intervene directly in Iran - or, if He wants Israel to deal with this - for Israel to depend on Him and no one else…

Interior Ministry: It is often a shock when suddenly something we have prayed much about is answered. We have prayed for a clean sweep of the Interior Ministry - the gatekeeping ministry of Israel. Today, this ministry, which was ruled over by the anti-Zionist, ultra-Orthodox Shas party, is under Netanyahu's Likud party and being run by Gideon Sa'ar - who from all that we know now - is a righteous man. Recent visits there have reported a lighter atmosphere…

We began with a word from Messiah Yeshua…

Syria: Israel and several other nations have said there is evidence that chemical weapons have been used in the battle between Assad's Syrian army and the rebel forces. Yet the world has still not decided what to do - and the USA is still dithering as to whether there really was chemical weapons used. All of this is a warning to Israel that it cannot look to anyone else to defend itself. And this is good - as long as those in Israel with the responsibility to protect this nation understand what this really means…

We are seeing in many areas around Israel an answer to prayer - those who hate Zion are confounded and fighting against each other.The latest report is of a major split in Hizbullah over Iran's orders for them to fight in Syria in support of President Assad…

We then prayed for a remnant of these terrorists to be plucked out of the fire of Islam and transferred into the Kingdom of God's Son Yeshua (Colossians 1:13). We asked God, in His mercy, to reveal to them that the Allah of the Koran is not God. Please pray for Muslims to be saved - here in the Middle East and in your nation.

Jordan: Recent reports indicate that the Kingdom of Jordan and Israel are working together against the use and spread of Syria's WMD. Jordan has reportedly given Israel permission to use its airspace for UAV flights into Syria to see what is happening there in real time. Another concern is that the throne in Jordan is on very shaky ground and if King Abdullah is overthrown, the likely candidate to take over is the Muslim Brotherhood. This is not something that Israel would be pleased with at all…

Iran: According to a former head of Israel's military intelligence, Iran has reached PM Netanyahu's red-line which he drew at the UN.This is still the most serious threat to Israel, and to the world. We continue to pray for God Himself to intervene - or, if He wants Israel to deal with this - for Israel to depend on Him and no one else…

We finished by praying for aliyah - the immigration of Jews from the nations to Israel. A major obstacle was that in Israel, the Interior Ministry, which determines who is a Jew and who is not, was run by the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, who are also not really Zionists. So it was not just Messianic Jews who often had a hard time coming home, but many other Jews who did not fit into Shas' narrow perception of what a kosher Jew was supposed to look like. Today, this ministry is under Netanyahu's Likud party and being run by Gideon Sa'ar - who from all that we know now - is a righteous man…

Praise

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy. (Psalm 107:1-2 and following)…

Prime Minister Netanyahu

This week Bibi Netanyahu was in London to attend the funeral of Baroness Thatcher. During this Christian funeral he heard the reading from Ephesians 6 concerning the nature of our warfare and the need for the armor of God…

The Government

After various holidays and memorial days, the new government is in a position to get on with the job of governing the country. They are still new and have many inexperienced people in highly responsible roles, in particular, Finance Minister Yair Lapid…

Security in the South

Recent weeks have seen a few rocket attacks on Israel. Two rockets fell in Eilat where the Iron Dome missile defense system should have intercepted them but failed to do so. These were fired from the Sinai where a number of terror cells out of Gaza are operating. Egypt has promised to prevent this, but how far should Israel trust Egypt in such matters?…

Syria

There has been a recent attack upon an Israeli position on the Syrian border. Israel responded by destroying the position from which the attack was launched. Meanwhile there are concerns that Assad has used chemical weapons against his own people. Israel would be in even more danger if these weapons got into the hands of the opposition dominated by al-Qaeda and similar groups…

Iran

Iran continues to pursue a nuclear weapon. This week the country experienced its most powerful earthquake in 40 years. Is the Lord shaking the nation in response to the prayers of His people? Jeremiah 49: 34-39…

Aliyah…

Legal issues facing the Body of Messiah…

The Body of Messiah in Israel…

Israel's Birthday

Next Tuesday Israel will be celebrating her 65^th birthday and celebrating "Yom HaAtzma'ut" (Independence Day). So we spent some time this morning praising and thanking the God of Israel for some of the many ways in which He has fulfilled His word and is fulfilling His word in and through this nation even in their unbelief…

Security

With the joy and celebration of Independence Day comes risk. The enemy wants to disrupt the spirit of celebration and to cause havoc. We prayed for God's hand of protection over Israel and over those security forces deployed to prevent our enemies getting their way…

Remembrance Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror

Israel always holds its Remembrance Day the day before Independence Day. This year it is on Monday 15^th April. So on Monday evening at sundown the nation makes the traumatic transition from sadness and painful memories to a time of great celebration and joy. For many the transition is a painful thing in itself…

Palestinian "Nakba Day"

For many Palestinian people Israel's Independence Day is marked as "Nakba Day" or "Day of Catastrophe", as they seek to maintain the memory of their forefathers being "displaced" from land and homes in the struggle following Israel's declaration of independence. This is often marked by rioting among Palestinians in Judea and Samaria, requiring a strengthening of Israeli security. Many people also in the nations, seeking to identify with and support the "poor Palestinians", have entered into the commemoration of "Nakba Day"…

Protection of borders

The situation in Syria continues to deteriorate and one of the consequences of this is that various nations are considering pulling their contingents of soldiers out of the UN peacekeeping force which is sitting on the border between Syria and Israel. This would leave Israel even more vulnerable with nothing to protect our border from forces sworn to our destruction. One option would be for Israel to create a new buffer zone by taking a strip of Syrian territory and maintaining it free of Syrian forces. The nations of the world are contemplating such an option. But clearly it would not be popular in the world if Israel were to take such action!…

As we see God protecting Israel by turning her enemies against each other in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, among the Palestinians…

Iran

This week Iran celebrated a day they called "Nuclear Power Day". In the subsequent few days Iran has been shaken by over 20 serious earthquakes, many of which have been in the area of the Bushehr nuclear power plant…

Israel's Government

The new government is facing many challenges domestically in addition to all the threats from outside. The new Finance Minister, Yair Lapid has to present a budget in the coming weeks. A replacement needs to be found for retiring Bank of Israel Governor, Stanley Fischer…

Aliyah…

A praying body of believers in the nation…