1. Praise:

   Do we know that God chose us for the same two reasons why He chose Israel? As we read in Deuteronomy 7:7-8, He chose Israel and us because of His love (John 3:16; 1 John 4:9; plus others) and to keep the oath He had sworn unto Israel's fathers, that in their Seed the families of the world would be blessed (Gen. 12:3b; 22:18 [Abraham]; 26:4 [Isaac]; 28:14 [Jacob]; cp. Gal. 3:8).

   • King Yeshua, we rejoice at how the root of Israel's olive tree, Your promises to Israel's forefathers, is the theological foundation for the Body of Messiah, both Jew and gentile (Rom. 11:17-18; 15:8-12).

   • Abba Father, Your love and Your faithfulness to Your promises are so encouraging to us, and we bless and praise You being our God (Psa. 36:5; 119:75; Lam. 3:23; 1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Thess. 3:3).

   • Thank You Messiah, that You are our merciful and faithful High Priest (Heb. 2:17; Rev. 1:5).

   • King of kings, Messiah Yeshua, we rejoice that as Your essential nature is to be both faithful and True, You are thus able to judge and make war in holy righteousness (Rev. 19:11).

   • Lord God, thank You that we can love You – yet only because You first loved us (1 John 4:19).

2. Government & society:

   It appears that Israel's current Knesset [Parliament] will be dissolved next week and new elections will be held within three to five months. Ultimately the timing is in God's hands, and we continue to lift up the elections in prayer.

   • Lord Yeshua, burden Your Body, in Israel and in the nations, to intercede for Israel's elections by revealing to them the biblical connection between Israel's restoration and salvation and Your kingdom coming on earth (Isa. 46:13; Jer. 23:6; Zech. 12:10; 14:3-4).

   • Creator of Israel, send out Your light and truth to guide Israelis as they vote (Psa. 43:3a; 118:27).

   • Abba Father, miraculously use these elections to unite Israelis around Your will (Jer. 31:17, 27).

   • Lord God, use the elections to decrease the political influence of the sons of Greece (Psa. 75:4-7).

   • Abba Father, impart boldness to the next government to legislate the much-needed judicial reforms and bring Israel's judicial system closer in line with Your will (Deut. 1:16; 16:18; Psa. 2:10-12).

   • Almighty God, let PM Bibi Netanyahu's understanding of history turn him even more into a "son-of-Issachar" type of leader – both for Israel and for Your kingdom purposes (1 Chr. 12:32).

   • God of Abraham, shield him from all mental, emotional, physical and spiritual attacks aimed at him from world leaders, other people or from demonic forces (Gen. 15:1; Psa. 3:3; 115:9-11).

   • Lord God, strengthen Israel's current coalition to move forward with all that You have ordained for them to accomplish during the brief time that they have left to serve Your nation (Prov. 16:1, 9).

   • Messiah Yeshua, harden Israel's coalition to resist all pressure which tries to manipulate it to make decisions that are not in line with Your will (Num. 23:23; Psa. 33:10-11).

   • God of Israel, use Numbers 1:1-3 and 1:45 in Shabbat's Torah portion to confront all rabbis who refuse to let their followers serve in the army that they are resisting Your specific orders to Moses.

3. Foreign relations:

   We see signs of Psalm 2 being fulfilled today. Many nations are furious at the God of the Bible and His anointed, both Messiah Yeshua and Israel. [Psa. 2 refers to Yeshua as God's Anointed; in Psa. 105:15, He calls Israel His anointed (note the context: vv.11-15)]. Psalm 2:4-5 says that God mocks those who rage against Him and His anointed and then pours out His fierce anger upon them. This is a very dangerous time to be an enemy of Israel and of its God.

   • Abba Father, as You are never confused about the plans of the nations, continue to guide us as we ask for Your will to be done on earth (Psa. 71:1; 1 Cor. 14:33).

   • God of Jacob, turn every curse being spoken against Your people from national and faith leaders, global NGOs, the media, etc., into blessings because of Your love for Israel (Deut. 23:5; 33:3).

   • Lord, in Your wrath and displeasure deal with the EU who just compared the few extremist Israeli settlers to the leaders of Hamas (Psa. 110:5-6; Isa. 5:20-21).

   • We thank You that Israel's Foreign Ministry under Gideon Sa'ar has been very bold in its defense of Israel, and we ask You to use Sa'ar again in the next government (1 Sam. 2:30b).

   • King of kings, anoint all Israeli leaders and diplomats, to know when to bend, and when not to in dealing with US President Trump and other global leaders (Psa. 9:19-20; 17:4-5; 141:3; Mat. 10:16).

   • Lord, wean Israel off its dependence on America and turn it to trust fully in You (Psa. 118:8-9).

   • God of Jacob, use Israel's situation of being criticized and condemned by the nations today to fulfill Numbers 23:9b and prevent us from praying against this which is Your will (1 John 5:14-15).

   • King Messiah, teach Your Body that when praying for Israel and the nations, the goal is for Your kingdom to come and Your glory to be revealed in the earth (Psa. 57:5, 11; 108:5; Isa. 55:8-9).

   • Lord Yeshua, show believers how perilous the recognition of a "Palestine" in Your land is to their nation, and move them to cry for mercy if their nation does this (Isa. 60:12; Ezek. 22:30; Joel 3:1-2).

4. Gaza:

   The IDF is the only army willing, and able, to disarm and destroy Hamas. It was in the process of doing that when Trump's "ceasefire" plan stopped it. It has been recently reported that he, his "Board of Peace," and Israel are in agreement to release the IDF to finish what they were doing. If this report is true, it is a wonderful answer to prayer. Also, Israel is now in control 64% of Gaza.

   • God of Judah, override all other plans and let Your plans for Gaza prevail (Psa. 33:10-11).

   • Lord of hosts, release the IDF to destroy Hamas – in Your precise timing (Psa. 103;19; Eccl. 3:8).

   • Almighty God, as with Joshua, Gideon, David, and others, download divine strategies and tactics to the IDF to surprise, divide and defeat Hamas completely (Josh. 6:2-5; Judg. 7:16-18; 2 Sam. 5:23-24).

   • King of Israel, remove from the leadership of the IDF all sons of Greece so that Israel can strive for total victory and not be hindered by the humanistic opinions of men (Psa. 44:4-6).

   • Lord God, as Hamas' refusal to disarm or give up control in Gaza has Trump angry at them for not doing what they agreed to and has him upset with Turkey, Qatar and Egypt who all told him that they could get Hamas to fall in line, use this to set Israel free to deal with Hamas (Job 12:16-21).

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

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

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

   • King Yeshua, may Your light in believers in Gaza save many Muslims and may it lead our brothers and sisters there to pray biblically inspired prayers (Luke 11:1), and to bless Israel (Matt. 5:16).

5. Internal security:

   Israel's current government is making made great progress in establishing facts on the ground in Judea and Samaria. It has approved dozens of new settlements, expansion of pre-existing ones and the building of roads throughout the area. It has also opened the Temple Mount in Jerusalem for Jews to ascend and pray and worship there openly! These answers to prayer inspire us to continue to pray and ask that the next government would complete the extension of sovereignty over all of God's/Israel's land – at least west of the Jordan River at this time.

   • 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 intercede for Israel to work in agreement with You and extend its sovereignty over all of its land (Ezek. 36:37; John 15:16; 1 John 5:14-15).

   • Lord God, fulfill Isaiah 60, especially those verses prophesying how gentile believers will support Israel's restoration and will glorify You in Zion (Isa. 60:3-11).

   • Rock of Jacob, bless the efforts of Israeli politicians to extend sovereignty over Your land and give those who do this increased influential positions in the next government (1 Sam. 2:30b; Prov. 12:2a).

   • Abba, impart divine strategy to Israel for the next steps they need to take to expand its sovereignty over all of their God-given land at this time (Psa. 32:8; Isa. 30:21; Luke 9:62).

   • God Almighty, let the issues of sovereignty and a Palestinian State be openly talked about in Israel's upcoming election campaign so that Israelis know who is for what (1 Kin. 18:21; Jam. 1:8).

   • Messiah Lord, abundantly bless Israel's plans to develop its North and the Negev (Jer. 24:6; 32:44),

   • God of Israel, bless all the efforts to restore Your people to their biblical land deeds (Psa. 125:3): the Temple Mt. (2 Sam. 24:24); Hebron (Gen. 23:17-18); and soon Shechem [Nabulus] (Gen. 33:19).

   • Lord God, protect Your people and land against the forces of darkness who desire to steal Your land from Your people and claim it for Allah – a satanic principality (Ezek. 36:1-15).

   • King Messiah, let our prayers be as Israel's silver trumpets (Num. 10:9) and prosper "Operation Iron Wall" – Israel's war against Your/their enemies inside Your/their land (Josh. 1:5; Ezek. 37:10).

   • God, prepare the IDF to war against the Palestinian Authority's Security Forces who are training as an army and now have many more men than agreed to in the Oslo Accords (Psa. 23:5).

   • Lord God, encourage Israel to resist being swayed by America to view the Palestinian Authority as anything other than a politicized version of Hamas – and a major threat (Jer. 13:23).

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

   • Lord Yeshua, train the Israeli Body on how to stand against the intense spiritual warfare that it confronts on a daily basis (Eph. 6:10-18).

6. External security:

   Most Israelis still support Israel's war against Iran and Hizbullah despite US President Trump's "ceasefire" demands with Iran and Lebanon. Israelis want to see a victory over these two deadly enemies. Yet America's reality is different: its homeland has not been hit; its November midterm elections are looming and oil prices have risen. While Trump's various moves keep America's enemies confused, they also confuse Israel. Yet God is not confused and His goal of regime change in Iran has not yet been fulfilled. So we persist in praying for it (Jer. 49:38b).

   • Lord Yeshua, teach Your Body that if Israel is destroyed You cannot return (Zech. 14:1-4), and as it would show Your Word to be unreliable, it would also destroy the hope of believers (Jer. 31:35-37; John 17:17); therefore they need to intercede for You to continue to guard over Israel (Psa. 121:4).

   • Lord, burden more believers to stand on Jerusalem's walls, asking You to fulfill all that You have promised concerning Your nation – for Your glory's sake (Psa. 115:1-3; Isa. 62:6-7; Jer. 31:10).

   • Abba Father, show believers the connection between Zechariah 14:1-4, 9 and Revelation 19:11-16.

   • Lord Yeshua, bring to mind Ezekiel 29:6-7 to believers who live in nations claiming to be Israel's friends and allies, but in reality are not, and cause them to cry out for mercy (Ezek. 22:30-31)!

   • Iran: Lord God, as negotiations between the US and Iran get more confusing and drawn out, show Trump and his aides how Iran is a master at stalling for time so that they can rearm (Eccl. 3:8).

   • Abba Father, somehow use Iran's delaying tactics in negotiations to benefit Israel (Jer. 31:17, 27).

   • Almighty King, let America's closure of the Strait of Hormuz drain all the remaining finances from Iran's radical Shi'ite regime and its terrorist proxies in the Middle East (Job 20:12-19).

   • Lord of hosts, reveal to Israel and America the "Achilles heel" of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp [IRGC] that basically rules by terror over Iran today (Judg. 16:17; Job 12:21b).

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

   • As Haman, a Persian, was hung on the gallows that he built for Mordecai, let Iran's current leaders be hung by their nuclear weapons program that they built to use against Israel (Est. 7:10; Job 4:8).

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

   • Lord Yeshua, let the war contribute to the building up of Your throne in Iran via the growth of the Iranian Body of believers (Jer. 49:38a), and at this time, please supply all of their needs (Phil. 4:19).

   • God, break all ties between the Shi'ite Iranian regime and Sunni regime in Turkey (Prov. 11:21a).

   • Hizbullah in Lebanon: King Messiah, as we pray, let Joel 2:17-21 come up before Your throne and drive Hizbullah far off from Israel's northern border (Isa. 55:11).

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

   • Lord, strengthen Your protection over every IDF soldier on the ground in Lebanon, and prevent any successful kidnappings (Deut. 33:29; Psa. 3:3; 32:7; 121:4).

   • Abba Father, reveal to the IDF an effective defense against Hizbullah's drone attacks (Psa. 144:1).

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

   • Lord God, deal with the Lebanese government which still backs Hizbullah by refusing to negotiate with Israel until Israel stops defending itself and withdraws from South Lebanon (Prov. 29:2).

   • Other: Abba, confound the ties between Turkey and Egypt, and use Turkey's President Erdogan's arrogant pride and hatred of Israel to bring this dangerous alliance to ruin (Psa. 33:10; Prov. 17:19).

   • Messiah Yeshua, lead the Turkish Body in prayer for their nation's political leaders (Psa. 50:15).

   • Lord God of Moses, give Israel real-time insight into Egypt's military build-up in the Sinai which is against the Israeli-Egypt peace accords (Isa. 19:13).

7. Aliyah:

   Prayer moves God and God's moves on His people to make aliyah (Luke 11:2). So a lack of prayer in Messiah's Body for Jews to return home becomes a hindrance to this which God is doing with all of His heart and soul (Jer. 32:41).

   • Almighty God, thank You for letting us see You fulfill that which is prophesied – the regathering of Your scattered people back to the land You promised to them (Jer. 31:8-10; Zech. 8:1-8).

   • For Your holy name's sake bring home a huge multitude of Jews at this time (Ezek. 36:22-24).

   • God, use the gains by the anti-Israel, anti-Semitic Green Party in the recent UK local elections to once again highlight to British Jews that they are no longer safe in that nation (Jer. 51:9-10).

   • Abba, considering the above results and Mamdani being elected as mayor of NYC, shake up Jews in all of the West to see how the welcome mat has been pulled out from under them (Psa. 137:5-6).

   • Lord, confront Jewish pride which says, "They will not chase us out!" by showing them that You are doing the chasing in order to draw them home (Prov. 16:18; Isa. 43:5-7; Jer. 31:3-5).

   • Abba Father, as Jews see the feeble attempts gentile nations take to protect them and compare that to the lengths which Israel goes to protect its Jews, remove all fear and let them respond to You drawing them home to Zion (Psa. 107:2-3; Isa. 27:12-13; 49:11-12; Jer. 31:3-5; Ezek. 11:15-20).

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

   • Sovereign God, shut the gates to all other nations against Jewish immigration, and use the increased terrorism in the West to eliminate those nations as possible destinations (Isa. 43:5-7).

   • God of Abraham, open wide the gates to Your nation to all those whom You see as Jews, regardless of what modern rabbinic Judaism states (Isa. 62:10; Mark 7:9).

   • Messiah Yeshua, move on Your Body to pray for Jews in their nations to make aliyah (Ezek. 36:37), and teach believers that this is openly declared to be for Your holy name's sake (Ezek. 36:22-24).

   • God Almighty, speak to wealthy Christians 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).

8. Salvation:

   As we watch Zechariah 12:2-3 coming to pass, we expect that Zechariah 12:10 – when God saves all Israel – to come to pass as well, and possibly sooner than we expect.

   • Lord God, we pray for You to fulfill Jeremiah 16:19 and save the chosen remnant of Israel quickly.

   • God of Israel, as You say in Jeremiah 32:37-40, Ezekiel 36:24-27, and in other verses in Your Word, we ask You to save many Jews whom You have already brought back from the captivity.

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

   • King Yeshua, show many Jewish politicians that You are Israel's King (Isa. 33:22; Zeph. 3:15).

   • Lord of the harvest, send forth laborers into the various Jewish harvest fields – including the Haredi [ultra-Orthodox] sects and the Religious Zionists who live in Your land today (Matt. 9:37-38).

   • Lord Yeshua, move upon Your Body to intercede for all Israel to be saved (Rom. 10:1; 11:26).

   • Lord God, show Christian-Zionists how they can better provoke Jews to jealousy (Rom. 11:11).

   • [Please ask the Lord about specific groups of Jews whom He would have you pray for this week.]

9. Body of Messiah:

   It is imperative for the Body to be zealous to proclaim and to defend the truth of the Bible today. Yet for that to be done, the Body needs to know all of God's Word.

   • Lord, rebuke believers who do not believe all that Moses and the prophets have said (Luke 24:25).

   • God, let the truth that the revelations given in the Tanach are the foundations of the New Testament teachings (2 Tim. 3:15-17) spread throughout Your Body as it seems that 2 Corinthians 3:15 applies to too many believers and not only unsaved Jews today.

   • Abba Father, may the ultimate truth as revealed in Your Word become the standard by which we in the Body judge everything that we see, hear and even think (John 17:17).

   • God, lessen the impact of the headlines and magnify Your Word in our lives today (Jer. 15:16).

10. IFI:

    Another exciting and exhausting week. Thank you for your prayers, words of encouragement and your financial support. They are all a appreciated and needed.

Blessings and Shabbat shalom

Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team

Psa. 66:1-4