1. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and praise.
    • - "O give thanks unto LORD [YHWH]; for He is good: for His mercy endures for ever." (Psalms 136:1)
    • - "It is of LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning, Great is Your faithfulness." (Lamentations 3:22-23)
    • - Father, we bless You that we can depend on You - regardless of the current situations that we face.
  2. Israel's water crisis gets more dangerous with each passing day with no rain. And now we are going through a very hot and dry spell for our area.- Abba, in Ezekiel 36:35, You said this land would end up being like the garden of Eden when You brought the Jews home. You also said that You would do this for Your holy name's sake (36:23,32). Therefore we ask for rain - for Your glory.
    • - Israel deserves to be judged, but we plead with You based on what Yeshua said: "...your Father which is in heaven...makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:45)
    • - This is Your land God (Leviticus 25:23). Please provide for its nourishment and fruitfulness.
    • - Help Israel to find new sources of water and to use water more conservatively.
    • - Lord, we Israelis confess that the Gaza Disengagement was sin and rebellion against Your clear word (Joel 3:1-2). We therefore deserve You withholding the rain in judgment. Yet we plead with You to have mercy.
    • - "Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Your name give glory, for Your mercy, and for Your truth's sake. Why should the nations say, Where is now their God? But our God is in the heavens. He has done whatsoever He has pleased." (Psalm 115:1-3)
  3. Yesterday, there was a violent confrontation between Israeli security forces and Israeli settlers in Hebron. There were also riots in other places following the Hebron events. The specifics concern ownership of a particular house in the Hebron area. Security forces expelled the 100 or so settlers who were in there. This whole situation is very complicated and dangerous. Many who rioted are settler youth who have been alienated from the main body of Israel ever since the Gaza withdrawal, feeling betrayed as Ariel Sharon, elected on a platform specifically against withdrawing from Gaza, then withdrew. This situation can lead to further negative results - both for Israel and for God's kingdom purposes.- Lord, help us to pray with wisdom from above into this very complicated situation.
    • - Father, mercy. Place a blanket of peace on Your people.
    • - Bring justice, to rule and reign in Your nation again. "Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in justice." (Isaiah 32:1)
    • - Abba, we pray this verse for the settler youth: "You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive: You have received gifts for men; yes, for the rebellious also, that LORD God might dwell among them." (Psalms 68:18)
    • - Yeshua, reveal to the settlers who You are and that You can relate to those who feel betrayed by their own people.
    • - "O LORD, save Your people, the remnant of Israel." (Jeremiah 31:7b)
    • - Lord, we ask that You somehow impress this principle on the Rabbinic authorities who are leading the settlers. "If a man say, I love God, and hate his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" (1 John 4:20)
    • - Quench the hatred that some of these influential rabbis have towards the Israeli Messianic Jewish community.
  4. The reason for this mess is a wicked Israeli government that is making political moves - trying to curry favor with Israelis - before the next elections on February 10th 2009. It was not a coincidence that after all the talk about this Hebron house, Ehud Barak, head of Labor, and Defense Minister, ordered this expulsion yesterday - just when Labor held their primaries.- Abba, we plead with You to bind this current Israeli government with fetters of iron and muzzle their mouths. Hedge them in to not be able to move to the left or the right except as You give them leave.
    • - "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of LORD, that shall stand." (Proverbs 19:21)
    • - Forbid them from saying or doing anything that places Israel in a worse political, social, economic or security situation than she is currently facing.
    • - Anoint the government opposition to come up with answers to all these situation that will wake up the Israeli public to the truth.
  5. The February 10th 2009 elections are extremely important. Often in the Bible, God judged nations by what their leaders did or did not do. That is one reason why we are exhorted to pray for those in authority in 1 Timothy 2:1-4.- Lord, do not allow outside forces to manipulate these elections - especially America's influential politicians.
    • - Abba, we ask for an overwhelming Likud victory.
    • - Anoint Benjamin Netanyahu, Likud head, for the position of prime minister for Israel - at this time in history.
    • - Allow him to articulate clear programs and policies so that the Israeli public knows what they are voting for - or against.
    • - Surround the next PM with a team of wise counselors. "Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counselors they are established." (Proverbs 15:22; see also 20:18)
    • - Cause the Israeli people to reject politics and vote according to the reality of the situation.
    • - Remove the deception of "land-for-peace" from this nation - and prevent that idea from interfering with the election.
    • - Move us closer to this truth with the next government: "Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people." (Proverbs 14:34)
  6. We were led to prayer for intercessors throughout the world. - Raise up true, persistent intercession.
    • - Protect Your watchmen from all distractions, deceptions, confusion, and the cares of this world. - Protect us from all false prophecies and other traps of the enemy.
    • - Purge from all of us all that is not of You.
    • - "Blessed be LORD my strength, who teachs my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:" (Psalms 144:1)
    • - Help intercessors recognize that their nation's relationship to Israel is the determining factor for how God deals with their nation at this time in history: "For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you [Israel] shall perish; yes, those nations shall be utterly wasted." (Isaiah 60:12, see also Joel 3:1-2; Zechariah 2:8-9; 12:2-3,9).
  7. We ended by interceding for next January's IFI Prayer Conference.- Abba, bring every single intercessor whom You have ordained to be here.
    • And Lord, keep away all those who are not supposed to attend this year.
    • Provide all the finances that are needed - for both the participants and for IFI.
    • Bring a quick unity to both the leadership team and the congregation.
    • Help the leaders know what to preach and more importantly, how to lead in our corporate prayer times.
    • We thank You that You again have given us a very current and relevant theme for the conference:
      "Arise, shine; for your light is come, and the glory of LORD is risen upon you. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but LORD shall arise upon you, and His glory shall be seen upon you." (Isaiah 60:1-2)
Thank you for your faithfulness in standing in the gap for God's purposes to be accomplished in Israel. Shabbat shalom The IFI Team