1. Praise:

   Shabbat's Torah portion emphasizes God's call for Israel to be holy – that is separated from the world and the flesh in order to serve Him alone (Lev. 19:2; cp. 20:26). This is the same call on believers, yet as Yeshua's exposition of the law in His "Sermon on the Mount" reveals, God's expectations are beyond what anyone can reach. Thus once again we see that no one can be righteous by their own efforts, so that we must trust totally in His grace and mercy (Zech. 4:6-7; Eph. 2:8).

   • Lord God, we see what You desire of us, yet it is impossible to achieve by ourselves, so we praise and bless You for Your mercy and grace granted to us (1 Kin. 6:46a; Eccl. 7:20; Rom. 3:23).

   • We thank You for Leviticus 20:7-8 in Shabbat's Torah portion which gives us great encouragement of that truth: Sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am YHWH your God… who sanctifies you.

   • Thank You Abba that Paul encouraged us with this same concept in Philippians 2:12b-13.

   • Yeshua Lord, we praise You for loving and sanctifying us (Eph. 5:25-26; Heb. 13:12).

   • We also praise You for asking Your Father to sanctify us in the truth – Your Word (John 17:17).

   • We bless You King Messiah, for affirming that You were and are a Man of War throughout Your Word (Ex. 15:3; Psa. 24:8; Isa. 42:13; Rev. 19:11-16).

2. Government & society:

   Israeli PM Bibi Netanyahu is not perfect, yet until Messiah Yeshua reigns as Israel's King there has never a perfect leader in history. After all, to even think you can lead a nation requires some pride which can be very dangerous. Yet there have been good leaders despite their human faults, and this is how we see Netanyahu. Still, it is God who ordains who rules among men (Dan. 4:17), and it is He who uses them for His purposes (Rom. 9:15-17).

   • King of kings, direct us to pray in line to Your will for Israel's current political leaders (Isa. 55:8-9).

   • Sovereign Lord, as we listen to most Western political leaders today, we praise and thank You for raising up Bibi Netanyahu to lead Israel at this time (Psa. 75:6-7; Jer. 27:5).

   • Abba, direct his time left in office to focus on what is most imperative for Israel now (Prov. 16:9).

   • Creator God, use Netanyahu's understanding of history to make him even more a "son-of-Issachar" type of leader – both for Israel as well as for Your kingdom purposes (1 Chr. 12:32).

   • God of Jacob, embolden Israel's current coalition to push ahead with all that You have ordained for them to do during the time that they have left to serve Your nation (Prov. 16:1).

   • Abba Father, bring to completion, or let the next coalition move forward with, all current projects in Israel that are in line with Your will for Your nation at this time (Psa. 138:8; Isa. 26:12: Phil. 1:6).

   • Lord God, oversee the timing of the next elections (Eccl. 3:1); let the real heart intent of the various politicians come out; and rule sovereignly over the outcome (Prov. 16:33).

   • God of Abraham, as Israel has no written constitution, may Your Word have the final say in all areas of life and society into which Your Word speaks (Psa. 119:9, 116, 154; Isa. 8:20).

   • God, our Judge (Isa. 33:22), remove from Israel's unelected Supreme Court judges the idea that they have a legal right to overrule whatever Israel's elected government approves (Prov. 27:5; Eccl. 7:5).

3. Foreign relations:

   The current mentality of most nations, including the direction that many in the US are taking, is forcing Israel into being that prophesied nation which dwells alone (Num. 23:9b). While we do not pray against this, yet we do pray for it to occur in God's way and timing.

   • Lord God, let the increased loathing of Israel press it to dwell alone (Num. 23:9b), and please show Israelis that You clearly forbid them from being a nation like any other nation (Ezek. 20:32-38).

   • Abba Father, thank You for teaching us that when we pray for Israel and the nations, our goal is for Your kingdom to come and Your glory to be revealed on the earth (Psa. 57:5, 11; 108:5; Isa. 55:8-9).

   • King of kings, use Israel's war against Hamas, Iran and Hizbullah to advance Your foreign policy on earth, and burden more believers to pray for this (Deut. 28:9-10; Psa. 9:19-20; Luke 11:2).

   • Almighty One, fulfill Psalm 9:19-20, Psalm 33:10-11, Isaiah 8:9-10 and Lamentations 3:37 against any and all anti-Christ plots being hatched against Your land and Your people (Num. 23:19).

   • King of kings, continue to anoint Bibi, and all other Israeli leaders and diplomats, to know when to bend, and when to stand firm in their dealings with President Trump as well as all other national leaders (Psa. 9:19-20; 17:4-5; 141:3; Mat. 10:16).

   • Thank You Lord for Israel and Argentina signing the Isaac Accords this week, and we ask You to add many more Latin American nations in the very near future (Deut. 4:6-9; 28:13).

   • Anoint Israel's UN Ambassador Danon and his team to declare Your Word in the UN (Isa. 2:3).

4. Gaza:

   We see God "interfering" with Trump's dangerously naïve "ceasefire" plan for Gaza (Prov. 16:1, 9). While Trump is now focused on the war against Iran, Hamas' leaders repeatedly state that they will not disarm or give up rule over the 45% of Gaza they still control. Thankfully, Israel believes them and is preparing to deal harshly with them when "released" to do so.

   • Lord Yeshua, so arrange circumstances in the near future concerning Hamas in Gaza that You will be glorified as it is openly seen how You have commanded deliverances for Jacob (Psa. 44:4-5).

   • Faithful King, fulfill Isaiah 44:26 and once again set up the cities of Gaza which belongs to Judah.

   • Lord God, let Hamas' constant refusal to disarm or give up control in Gaza open Trump's eyes to see that Turkey and Qatar are not to be trusted or relied upon (Job 12:16-21).

   • King of kings, arise and confound all those on Trump's so-called "Board of Peace" who are actually dangerous enemies of Zion (Psa. 129:5; 144:7-8; Isa. 33:7).

   • Lord God of Jacob, watch over Malachi 1:4 and whatever Esau/Edom [Islam's spiritual roots] tries to build in Gaza – or anywhere else on Your land – throw it down (Isa. 34:5; 63:1-6).

   • Commander of heaven's hosts, reinforce the angelic protection over IDF soldiers in Gaza against all attacks, explosive devices, kidnapping attempts, accidents or friendly fire incidents (Psa. 32:7; 121:4).

   • God of Jacob, remove Israel's reluctance to repossess Gaza, as You gave it to them (Judg. 2:1-4).

   • King Yeshua, protect Your Body in Gaza and use them to draw many Muslims to You (Luke 10:2).

5. Internal security:

   While God has not fully answered our prayers that Israel extends its rule over all of the land west of the Jordan River, the steps Israelis and the government are taking has been very encouraging. The timing to fulfill this is His, yet He wants us to persist in prayer over this (Ezek. 36:37; Luke 18:1) as it is clearly His will as proclaimed in His Word (Jer. 32:41-44).

   • Abba Father, You are planting Israel back in Your land with all of Your heart and soul (Jer. 32:41), so by Your Spirit burden believers to pray for Israel to work with You and extend sovereignty over all of its land, at least west of the Jordan River at this time (Ezek. 36:37; John 15:16; 1 John 5:14-15).

   • Messiah Yeshua, take away from believers the unbiblical title, "West Bank," and replace it with the names You used when You walked among us – "Judea and Samaria" (Matt. 2:1; 24:16; John 4:4).

   • Lord God, we are thrilled by the way Shabbat's prophetic portion ends, as You state that You are bringing Your people home – never to be expelled again (Amos 9:14-15).

   • Messiah, spread Your people throughout Your land (Isa. 54:2-3; Jer. 32:41-44; Obad. 1:19-20).

   • God, bless the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria that Finance Minister Smotrich and others have legalized to now be a part of Israel (Isa. 44:26; Jer. 31:4-5; 33:12-13).

   • Lord Yeshua, multiply the number of Jewish settlers, farmers and shepherds in Judea and Samaria, and set up walls of protection around them, their homes, their crops and herds (Psa. 121:4; 127:1).

   • Captain of heaven's hosts, guide Israel's security forces to expose and destroy all terrorist activities in Your land, and also help them to find and block all smuggling route for weapons (Job 12:22).

   • King Messiah, when Palestinian Authority head Abbas dies, let that set all the various Palestinian factions in their government against each other and drag Hamas into the fray as well (Zech. 14:13).

   • Abba, place armed civilians in the right place at the right time to stop terrorist attacks (Josh. 4:12).

   • God of gods, use the extension of Israeli sovereignty to shame Muslims who see Your land as "wakf territory" – Allah's land forever – and let their shame cause many of them to seek You (Psa. 83:16).

6. External security:

   Most Israelis still support the war against Iran and Hizbullah despite US President Trump's "ceasefire" demands with Iran and Lebanon. Most Israelis want Israel to continue fighting until total victory is achieved over these two very dangerous foes. Yet America's reality is different: its homeland has not been struck, November midterm elections are looming and oil prices have soared, so it looks like Trump ended up playing politics. Yet God's goal of regime change in Iran has not yet been accomplished, and that is what we will continue to pray for (Jer. 49:38b).

   • King Messiah, if You are in the process of fulfilling Micah 4:11-13, show us how to intercede.

   • Lord of lords, use Trump's various ceasefires for Israel's good and Your glory (Rom. 8:28).

   • Almighty God, guide Israel to update its target banks against all of its current enemies (Job 12:21).

   • Lord Yeshua, bring Ezekiel 29:6-7 to the attention of believers who live in nations who claim to be Israel's friends and allies, but in reality are not, and move them to plead for mercy (Ezek. 22:30-31)!

   • Iran: We thank You Lord God that Netanyahu almost daily tells Israelis that Israel's war against Iran is not finished, despite the various Trump statements (Psa. 46:9).

   • Lord, as negotiations between the US and Iran get more confusing and drawn out, wake up Trump and his aides to the fact that Iran is a master at stalling for time while they rearm (Eccl. 3:8).

   • Thank You Lord for the reports of the division between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp, and Iran's political leaders and we ask You to use this to bring their whole house down (Matt. 12:25).

   • Lord God, You stated in Jeremiah 49:38b that Your ultimate goal for Iran is a total regime change, so again we pray for that to be the final outcome of this war (Num. 23:19; Luke 18:1). Do it suddenly!

   • Abba Father, let Iran's regular army, which have weapons, see that this is a chance to set their nation free and to start fighting against the current regime's henchmen (Job 25:2-3; Psa. 110:3).

   • King Yeshua, reveal to America and Israel where Iran's enriched uranium stashes are hidden and let them either take control of it or destroy it (Jer. 23:24; 49:10).

   • Lord Yeshua, protect and use all believing Iranians for Your name's sake (Psa. 5:11; Jer. 49:38a).

   • Sovereign God, be glorified in the "day-after" plans for Iran and Lebanon (Psa. 30:10-11; 115:1-3).

   • Hizbullah in Lebanon: Commander of heaven's hosts, wield the IDF as Your weapon of war and remove Hizbullah which terrorizes both Israelis and Lebanese (Isa. 41:15-16; Jer. 51:20-24).

   • Lord, reinforce Your protection over all IDF soldiers on the ground in Lebanon, and prevent any successful kidnapping attempts (Deut. 33:29; Psa. 3:3; 32:7; 121:4).

   • God, we bless You for moving on Israeli leaders to state that they are taking over South Lebanon up to the Litani River as a buffer zone against Hizbullah attacks on Israel's northern communities, and as that is a part of their land inheritance may Israel remain there forever (Deut. 11: 24; Josh. 13:2-7).

   • Trump's ceasefire deal with Lebanon originally included the disarmament/destruction of Hizbullah, and Israel's right to self-defense, so if that is no longer valid, then Abba Father release Israel to deal with Hizbullah by itself (Psa. 9:6; 41:10-11).

   • God, that deal affirmed Israel's right to defend itself – but why should Israel be the only nation that needs permission to defend itself or for others to recognize its right to exist (Num. 23:9b)?

   • Lord Yeshua, anoint believers in Lebanon who know how to pray for their nation (Jam. 5:16b).

   • Other: Lord, be glorified through Israel's relations with the Syrian Druze and Kurds (Psa. 115:1-3).

   • King of kings, frustrate Turkey's plans to build a "ring of fire" around Israel as it already has troops in Syria and is wanting to also position them in Gaza (Psa. 17:8-9).

   • Messiah Yeshua, give the Turkish Body wisdom on how to pray for their nation (Psa. 50:15).

   • Abba Father, we praise You for hearing our prayers and using the war to hurt both Qatar's economy and its influence among the Arab Gulf States and in America (Mic. 6:15; Hag. 1:6).

7. Aliyah:

   We are a blessed generation to watch as God fulfills His Word to gather His scattered people (Jer. 31:10). Yet we also have a responsibility as Messiah's Body to be actively involved with this prophetic fulfillment (for example see Isaiah 49:22 and 60:10-11).

   • Almighty, we bless You for the aliyah – a sign of Your faithfulness to fulfill Your promises despite most nations being against Jews returning and repossessing their land (Isa. 43:12; Heb. 10:23b).

   • Messiah Yeshua, burden Your Body to pray for the Jews in their nations to return to Israel (Ezek. 36:37), and show them that this is proclaimed to be for Your holy name's sake (Ezek. 36:22-24).

   • God Almighty, move upon wealthy Christians and Jews to give liberally to help finance the aliyah as well as the klitah – the absorption of new immigrants into Israeli society (Ezra 1:4; Isa. 60:9).

   • Lord God, we bless You for gathering Your people home with great mercies (Isa. 54:7-8).

   • Yet Abba, we read daily of the hunters attacking Your people (Jer. 16:16), especially in the West, so we ask that You would use these Jew-haters to increase the impact of Your mercy.

   • Abba, as anti-Semitic and anti-Zionistic attacks occur more frequently, show Jews still stuck in the captivity that it is better today to live in Israel than to stay where they are (Ezek. 34:25-28).

   • God, turn Jewish leaders away from fighting for the "right" of Jews to live in "peace and safety" in the captivity, to instead fighting to bring their communities home (Deut. 30:3-5; Psa. 107:2-3).

   • Almighty, tear down the cages holding Your people in the captivity: true or deceptive comfort and security; too much or too little finances; fear from false media reports about Israel; a real concern of major life changes; an inflated fear of children serving in the IDF; family members who refuse to return; thinking that they are too old or too infirm; etc. (Prov. 3:5-6).

   • Abba Father, by Your grace, guide Israel's emergency plans to be able to receive and settle tens of thousands of new immigrants over a short period of time (Ezek. 36:8-12).

   • God of Israel, renew the mindset of Israelis today to perceive that aliyah was, and is, the number one biblical and Zionistic reason for Israel's re-creation (Isa. 43:5-7; Zech. 8:1-8).

8. Salvation:

   Blood is central to the atonement. But it was removed by Rabbinic Judaism as there is no longer a temple in which to sacrifice today. While that is understandable yet they then list several unbiblical ways one can atone for sins: fasting, giving charity, one's own death, and more! Yet God is very clear about the blood as Shabbat's Torah portion declares: For the life [lit: soul] of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. (Lev. 17:11; cp. Heb. 9:22; Rev. 1:5)

   • God, draw Your people back to Your Word, which is Truth (John 17:17), so that they are able with wisdom to compare the humanistic rabbinic teachings with what You actually say (Psa. 119:99-100).

   • Abba Father, impart a "holy dissatisfaction" into the minds and hearts of Jews and turn them to read all of the Tanach – and not just the Torah (Psa. 80:3, 7; Jer. 15:16; Luke 24:27, 44-47).

   • Lord God, show Your people their need of a mediator between You and them and then reveal the Mediator whom You have provided – Yeshua, our High Priest (Job 9:33; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 12:24).

   • Abba, just like Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, so today remove that veil You placed over Your people concerning Yeshua being their Savior and Messiah (Gen. 45:1; Rom. 11:25).

   • God of Israel, as You said in Jeremiah 32:37-40, Ezekiel 36:24-27, and in other places in the Word, we pray for You to save those Jews whom You have already brought back from the captivity.

   • Lord Yeshua, save a huge remnant of Holocaust survivors and families; survivors of terrorism; hostages and loved ones; IDF soldiers and families; loved ones of soldiers killed or severely injured; Israelis with PTSD; medical personnel; widows, widowers, orphans, traumatized children; politicians, judges, lawyers, diplomats; university students, teachers, professors; astronomers, scientists; rabbis and Jewish anti-missionaries; Jews in Judea and Samaria; Jews on their death beds; Jews with shame over past abortions; Israeli archeologists and tour guides; Israelis in the nations; Jews who just made aliyah; alcoholics, drug-addicts, hippies, LGBTQ+, new agers; Jews in Iran, Ethiopia, Turkey, India, and China; Jews married to gentile believers; unsaved loved ones of Messianic Jews.

9. Body of Messiah:

   A fundamental reason why believers, particularly in the West, ignore, or are confused by, or even stand against Israel's total restoration, is their rejection of the Tanach as still being valid. Regardless of why they think this way, the results are a denigration of that part of the Word of God that Yeshua and the early believers read, loved, and trusted (2 Tim. 3:15-17)!

   • Lord Yeshua, reveal to Your Body that when asked what the two greatest commandments are, You quoted from Deuteronomy 6:4 and from this week's Torah reading – Leviticus 19:18b.

   • Also, God, show believers that if they do not know at least the basics of the sacrificial system and blood atonement as laid out in Leviticus, then they cannot fully understand the cross (Col. 1:20)!

   • Divine Physician, heal Your Body of its biblical anorexia and prophetic illiteracy by giving it a deep hunger to "eat" all of Your Word (Jer. 15:16; Amos 8:11; Acts 20:32; 2 Tim. 2:15; Heb. 5:13-14).

   • Lord Yeshua, protect Your Body from being deceived by Artificial Intelligence through reviving in them a love of Your truth as revealed in Your Word (John 17:17; 3 John 1:4).

   • God, confront adherents of replacement theology with New Testament verses such as: Matthew 1:1; Romans 15:8-12; Galatians 3:8; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Revelation 5:5-6; 22:16; plus many others.

10. IFI:

    Another week of struggling with whiplash as we watch and pray into what is coming out of Washington DC. Oy vey! Please continue to pray for us to hear God's voice clearer than any man's.

Thank you, blessings and Shabbat shalom

Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team

1 Thess. 5:23