1. Praise:

    Shabbat's Torah portion starts telling the story of Joseph. This beloved son of his father Jacob was betrayed by his brothers, sold to gentiles, and became the 2nd most powerful ruler in Egypt. Eventually, he reveals himself to his brothers and he and his family are reunited with great joy and weeping. This is a beautiful foreshadowing of Messiah Yeshua and His Jewish family today.

    • Lord Yeshua, we thank You that even as King of the Jews, You died to bring both Jews and gentiles into unity in Your eternal kingdom (Eph. 2:14).

    • Messiah, we praise You for hearing of the exponential growth of Your kingdom in so much of the world and for the multitude of Jews who are being grafted back into their own tree (Rom. 11:23-24).

    • Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel. (John 1:49b) Amen!

    • Abba, while it still remains a mystery, we thank You that You sovereignly blinded the eyes of Your people in order to allow gentiles to be saved (Rom. 11:25-32).

    • Thank You God for Your faithfulness to Israel and to us (Lam. 3:22-23; 1 Cor. 1:9).

  2. Government & society:

    In First Timothy 2:1-4, Paul told believers to pray for their political leaders. As we do that, and ask God to guide our prayers, we often perceive Him working in Israel's leaders. There are many plans in a man's heart, yet YHWH's counsel shall be fulfilled. (Prov. 19:21)

    • God, direct us so that we pray according to Your will for Israel's leaders (Isa. 55:8-9).

    • Abba, use PM Bibi Netanyahu's request for a pardon from his politically slanted trials to be granted, or not, according to what will bring You the most glory and Israel the most internal peace (Jer. 14:7).

    • Righteous Judge, remove from Israel's coalition all unbiblical and humanistic legal barricades that Israel's current attorney general and its Supreme Court place in its path (Isa. 1:25-27).

    • Lord, direct Bibi's mind and heart to focus on that which is most vital for Israel today (Prov. 21:1).

    • Abba Father, gift him with wise and godly advisors and some true friends (Prov. 17:17; 18:24; 27:6).

    • Almighty God, anoint Netanyahu and Israel's other leaders' with the strength and courage to resist any well-meaning but ungodly advice from its allies (Num. 23:23; Psa. 33:10-11; Ezek. 37:4-10).

    • God of Jacob, shield Israel's political and military leaders from deception (Gen. 15:1; Deut. 33:29).

    • Lord Yeshua, give them wisdom when to speak and when to be quiet (Eccl. 9:17).

    • We acknowledge Lord God, that You are hearing our prayers and promoting sons and daughters of Zion in Israel (Isa. 52:2; Mic. 4:13; Zech. 2:10; 9:13), and now we plead with You to totally remove the children of Greece from every influential position in Your nation as well (Psa. 75:6-7).

    • Good Shepherd, protect the hearts and minds of all Jews from the humanistic anti-Christ lies that are often spread through the mainstream media, the internet and on social media (Psa. 71:7; Isa. 54:13).

    • Rabbi Yeshua, thank You for the very successful Haredi IDF companies that show their community how their sons can be soldiers and yet remain ultra-Orthodox (Jer. 32:17).

    • God of heaven's armies, in the area of all things military – make Israel the head of the nations and make it to be much more self-sufficient as soon as possible (Deut. 28:10-13).

  3. Foreign relations:

    As Messiah Yeshua's followers, His Father's foreign policy must be ours as well. Messiah was very precise as to what that is: May Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as in heaven (Luke 11:2). This has to trump all loyalty to our nations – including to Israel.

    • Abba Father, we pray for Your kingdom's policies to be manifest on earth (Luke 11:2).

    • Lord Yeshua, we seem to be in the midst of Psalm 2:1-3 coming to pass, at least partially, so we ask You to fulfill verses 4-5 and through Your wrath, to terrify these leaders who stand against You.

    • God, we ask You to watch over Psalm 9:19-20, Psalm 33:10-11, Isaiah 8:9-10 and Lamentations 3:37 in the face of the global plans against Your land and people (Num. 23:19).

    • Lord God Almighty, shield Israel from all manipulation and threats from its "friends" about anything that Israel should move forward on – like the extension of its sovereignty over the land (Num. 23:23).

    • Lord, if Trump is becoming a "false prophet" by his many declarations of "peace" and there is no peace, like in Gaza, please alert the American believers to see this and pray for him (Jer. 6:14; 8:11).

    • Abba Father, if Bibi's visit with Trump on December 29th is not of You, arise and forbid it (Job 11:10).

    • God, if this meeting is of You, oversee and overrule the agenda (Psa. 103:19; Prov. 21:1).

    • Lord God, anoint Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon, Minster of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli and other Israeli diplomats to speak truth, using Your Word, against the threats and lies that are being spread against Your nation (Prov. 2:11-12; Isa. 55:11).

    • Sovereign One, may Israel's outreach to 3rd world nations be very fruitful (Isa. 2:3).

  4. Gaza:

    God is blocking Trump's naïve and dangerous "ceasefire" plan, yet Trump appears oblivious to this (Psa. 33:10-11). Phase one is still not completed, yet it was supposed to be done within days after Hamas "agreed" to it, and now phase two is being pushed. Also, not one Arab or Muslim nation will send "peacekeepers" into Gaza to disarm Hamas, and keep them disarmed. Also, this week Hamas' leader Khaled Mashal in Turkey openly declared that they will not disarm, will not forsake ruling Gaza and will not permit any foreign troops in there.

    • Abba Father, continue to block Trump's ceasefire plan (Psa. 33:10-11; Isa. 64:2; Lam. 3:37).

    • Lord God, we thank You for Mashal's open defiance of that plan, and ask You let Trump's actually hear this and not just shrug it off (Psa. 5:6; 140:8; Amos 3:3).

    • God, we bless You for the US State Department under Marco Rubio rebuking Mashal (Psa. 50:19).

    • Sovereign One, letMashal's words make Trump furious with Qatar and Turkey who promised him that they could get Hamas to agree with his plan (Prov. 20:2; Dan. 2:12).

    • Thank You that Hamas' hatred of Israel leads them to make strategic errors (Psa. 55:1-3; 83:1-4).

    • God, let this free Israel to complete its task to totally destroy today's Amalek – Hamas (Psa. 44:4).

    • Thank You Lord that Defense Minister Katz has directed the IDF to destroy all of Hamas' tunnels, so we ask that it would be accomplished swiftly (Psa. 18:40; 28:5; 63:9).

    • Divine Savior; block all further deadly friendly fire or other accidents (Psa. 32:7; 121:4).

    • God, let the IDF use this brief ceasefire for refreshment, reinforcement and rearmament (Psa. 138:3).

    • Lord God, complete that which You threatened to do to Gaza in Amos 1:6-7 (Psa. 125:3-5).

    • God of Jacob, do not let Israel permit any other nation or entity to rule over Gaza as You gave it to the tribe of Judah as part of its inheritance (Josh. 15:1, 47; Judg. 1:18; Zeph. 2:5-7).

  5. Internal security:

    We thank God that more Israeli leaders and citizens support the extension of Israel's sovereignty over all of its land. Partly, this is a response to the Oct. 7th Hamas pogrom, and partly a result of the nations pressuring Israel to let a "Palestinian State" be created on God's land. God, behind the scenes, is orchestrating this as it is 100% in His will (Psa. 77:19; Jer. 32:41).

    • Messiah Yeshua, speak to believers to pray for Israel to possess its inheritance (Obad. 1:17), and let them see this is not political, but prophetic, and for Your holy name's sake (Ezek. 36:34-36; 37:14).

    • Also, erase from the Body the unbiblical term, "West Bank," replacing it with "Judea and Samaria."

    • Almighty God, as we read how important Your covenant with the land is to You (Psa. 105:1-11; Jer. 32:41), we ask You to make it just as important to Your people (Psa. 115:1-3).

    • God of Israel, encourage more Israelis, including politicians, to continue to build facts on the ground in Judea, Samaria and in the Jordan Valley, and to do this away from the headlines (Psa. 31:20).

    • We thank You Lord for the many communities in Judea and Samaria that Finance Minister Smotrich and others have just legally decreed to be part of Israel (Isa. 44:26; Jer. 31:4-5; 33:12-13).

    • Lord, at this time, arise and drag the UN into Your Valley of judgment as they constantly decree that Your land be divided and a Palestinian State be created on it (Joel 3:1-2).

    • Then let there be prophetic voices throughout the world who proclaim that the demise of the UN is because of their persistent cursing of Israel (Num. 24:9b).

    • Shepherd of Israel, guard over the scattered Jews whom You are regathering (Isa. 33:2; Jer. 31:10).

    • Lord of hosts, extend Your divine wings of protection over Israel's security forces warring against Arab terrorists in Judea, Samaria and through the rest of Israel (Psa. 17:8; 91:4; 141:9-10).

    • All-wise God, guide Israel to know how to deploy its forces throughout its land (Prov. 21:30-31).

    • Lord God, enable Israel to get accurate actionable intelligence from all of the Palestinian terrorists it has recently captured, and to be able to know when they are lying (Psa. 7:11-16).

    • As more terrorists are captured or killed, show many Muslims that the God of the Bible is greater than the Allah of the Quran, shaming them and even saving some (Deut. 10:17; Psa. 83:16-18).

  6. External security – Middle East [ME] and beyond:

    Israel has severely hurt Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas, yet it has been held back by Trump from defeating them. Trump's "ceasefires" are very dangerous when fighting enemies who are determined to destroy you and who take a long view of history. In Arabic ceasefire is hudna, which to Muslims is a break in actual warfare so that they can rebuild strength and then reattack to destroy their enemies – Israel, the Jews, Christians and the West. And rebuilding their war machines is exactly what they are trying to do today.

    • Abba Father, You are not regathering Israel to scatter it again (Amos 9:14-15), so arise and scatter Your enemies who hate You and Your people (Psa. 68:1, 15; 83:1-4).

    • God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, use the Islamic principality's eternal hatred against Your people to draw it into eternal destruction (Prov. 16:18; Ezek. 35:5-6).

    • With as much mercy as possible, Lord Messiah, fulfill Micah 4:11-13 as soon as possible.

    • God of the depths, protect and conceal all of Israel's submarines and guide them to be in the right place at the right time (Psa. 65:5-7; 135:4-6).

    • Abba, Trump's desire to be seen as a "man of peace" at times clouds his thinking and puts Israel in a dangerous position, therefore please hedge him in and use his Jewish and Christian advisors to warn him against treating Israel as if it was just another nation (Ex. 33:16; Num. 23:9b).

    • God Almighty, prepare Israel to deal militarily with Iran's efforts to advance its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs – with or without US support or approval (Isa. 31:1; Jer. 51:20-23).

    • Abba, may the curses Iran's Shi'ite leaders proclaim against Israel rebound against them (Gal. 6:7).

    • Sovereign King, maintain Israel's distrust of Syria's current radical Islamic leaders, even in the face of American pressure for Israel and Syria to sign a "peace" treaty (Psa. 140:1-2).

    • Lord Yeshua, give Israel divine insight into Turkey's schemes in Syria and in Gaza (Job 12:22).

    • King of kings, use Turkey's evil President Erdogan for Your glory just like You did with Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar and many other wicked leaders in history (Ex. 9:16; Eccl. 8:8b; Rom. 9:17).

    • Abba, thank You for the aggressive action Israel is taking against Hizbullah in Lebanon and we ask You to make every attack supernaturally effective (Isa. 23:9; Eph. 3:20-21).

    • Lord God, use Israel's positive relations with the Druze and Kurds for Your glory (Mal. 1:5).

    • Messiah Yeshua, protect Your Body in the ME; aid them to grow numerically and spiritually; and teach them to bless and pray for Israel and the Jews (Num. 24:9b; Jer. 49:38a; Matt. 16:18b).

  7. Aliyah:

    God is using the explosion of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in nations where Jews thought it was safe to live to shout at them that the time of their "captivity" is over. This history lesson is one that Jews must learn, as in any nation where they lived, eventually they were no longer welcomed or protected. And we are seeing this in particular in the West today.

    • Abba, we praise You for hearing our prayers and moving upon Israel to develop emergency plans to receive a large number of Jews who will need to flee home from the nations (Isa. 43:5-7).

    • God of Jacob, use Israeli Minister of Aliyah Ofir Sofer to remove all of the various bureaucratic stones of stumbling in Israel which often block the path of Your people to return (Isa. 62:10).

    • Lord God, guide Israel to know where to build new communities for the new immigrants, especially outside of its main cities, and remove any hindrances from its construction industry (Obad. 1:17-20).

    • Abba Father, show Jews in "the captivity" in the West that they need to make a decision on whether to save their lifestyles or their lives and the lives of their loved ones by making aliyah (Jer. 51:6-10).

    • Lord Messiah, remove the deceptive hope of Your people in exile of life returning to a pre-Oct. 7th "normal" and let them see that You are releasing the hunters today (Deut. 30:3-5; Jer. 16:16).

    • God of Israel, destroy all roadblocks holding Your people in exile: such as true or false comfort and security; too much or too little finances; fear from twisted media reports about Israel's situation; the real fear of major life changes; an inflated fear of children serving in the IDF; family members who refuse to make aliyah; thinking they are too old or too infirm; etc. (Prov. 3:5-6).

    • Almighty God, stop Jewish leaders from fighting for the "right" of Jews to live in "peace and safety" among the gentiles, and turn their hearts to urge their communities to return home (Jer. 51:9-10).

    • Lord Yeshua, as per Micah 2:12-13, be that prophesied "Breaker" and create for all Jews who want to return, but are stuck in "the captivity," major breakthroughs (Isa. 42:13-16).

    • Abba Father, erase from exiled Jews that lukewarm name of where they live: "the diaspora" [Gk. "scattering"], and replace it with the biblical term: "the captivity" (Deut. 30:3; Ezra 2:1; Psa. 126:1-4).

    • Lord Yeshua, show believers that Isaiah 43:5-6 tells them to co-labor with You to bring Jews home.

    • Also Lord, let them recognize that aliyah is a literal answer to the 2,000 year old prayer that God the Father's name be sanctified by His will being done on earth (Ezek. 28:25-26; Luke 11:2).

  8. Salvation:

    All Israel, that prophesied remnant, will be saved before the Lord returns. Many believers think that all Israel is saved after Yeshua returns and they look upon Him with physical sight – but that cannot be true as that would mean gentiles get saved by faith but Jews get saved by sight! In the Hebrew, Zechariah 12:10 says they will look unto Me – not upon. This is in perfect alignment with what Yeshua states in Matthew 24:30: first the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, then the tribes of the land – not the earth – mourn, and then His return. So praying for Israel's salvation is one way in which we can prepare for the coming of our Lord (Isa. 40:3-6).

    • We bless You Lord for the increase of spiritual hunger in many Israelis since Oct. 7th (Jer. 29:13).

    • Light of the World, use the focus on light in the Chanukah and Christmas seasons to turn unsaved Jews to You (Psa. 36:9 John 8:12; 9:5; 1 John 1:5).

    • Yeshua Lord, at Chanukah You presented Yourself as Israel's Good Shepherd (John 10:14, 22), so please seek and save many of the lost sheep of the house of Israel today (Luke 19:10).

    • Abba Father, by Your grace and in Your mercy please save all living Holocaust survivors and their families; survivors of terrorism; returned hostages and their loved ones; IDF soldiers and families; loved ones of soldiers killed or severely injured; soldiers with PTSD and medical personnel; Jewish widows, widowers, orphans; politicians, judges, lawyers, diplomats; university students, teachers, professors; scientists, astronomers; rabbis and Jewish anti-missionaries; Jews in Judea and Samaria; Jews on their death beds; Jews living with guilt over past abortions; Israeli archeologists and tour guides; Israelis in the nations; Jews who recently made aliyah; Jewish alcoholics, hippies, LGBTQ+, new agers; Jews in Iran, Ethiopia, Turkey, India, China; Jews married to gentile believers; unsaved loved ones of Messianic Jews.

  9. Body of Messiah:

    To be in unity with God's goals today, we must be aware of all of His Word. As most end-time prophecies point to Israel's restoration and salvation, knowing His Word enables us to intercede in line with His will for His nation despite the chaos in today's world and the overt and distorted lies in much of the Church and the media about the Jews and the Jewish nation.

    • Lord, please confront those in the Body who are in favor of a Palestinian State on Your land with this question from the prophetic portion: Can two walk together, except they agree? (Amos 3:3)

    • Lord Yeshua, teach Your Body about their spiritual link to God's promises to Abraham and the Jews and how a lack of gratitude towards them grieves Your Spirit (Rom. 11:11, 18-22; 15:27).

    • King Yeshua, as You did after your resurrection, so rebuke believers today who do not accept that the Tanach is still Your Word (Jer. 23:29; John 5:46-47; Luke 24:25-27).

    • Lord, as they see that, burden Your Body to pray for Israel to possess all of its land (Obad. 1:17); for Jews in the nations to return (Isa. 43:5-7); and for all Israel to be saved (Rom. 10:1).

    • God, as believers sing Christmas hymns, let it sink in that they are worshipping Jewish baby who was born as King of the Jews and who came to save them (Isa. 9:6-7; Matt. 2:1-2).

    • We thank You Lord for this week's 1,000 person delegation of US Church leaders and influencers who toured around Israel and ask You to let them bring home a good report of Your land and Your people (Prov. 15:30; Heb. 11:1-2).

  10. Water:

    We thank and praise God for the stormy weather that hit Israel this past week. There is also more rain in the forecast and Israel's meteorologists who said that this would be another year of a lack of rain are now saying that the rainfall will be normal. Thank you for praying with us that this new forecast will at a minimum come to pass – if not much more.

  11. IFI:

    The spiritual battle continues and it is only by Messiah Yeshua's grace and support that we continue to stand. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Shabbat shalom from Israel

Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team

2 Thess. 2:16-17