1. Praise:

   Shabbat's Torah portion tells the story of the 12 spies Moses sent to spy out the land God promised to Israel. After the evil report from ten of them, that Israel could not conquer the land, and the complaining of most of the people, God wanted to wipe Israel out. Yet Moses again prays for the people arguing that if God destroys His nation, His name [+ reputation] among the gentiles would also be destroyed (Num. 14:13-19). Once again we see the power of a prayer that is focused on God's reputation as He replies: I have pardoned according to your word, but as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of YHWH. (Num. 14:20-21)

   • We thank You for the repeated encouragement You give us in Your Word of the effectiveness of intercession that is focused on guarding Your kingdom purposes (Matt. 6:9-10, 33a).

   • We praise You for teaching us how to use Your Word in prayer and as the foundation of all of our prayers – both personally and for Israel (Isa. 55:11; Zech. 1:6).

   • We are grateful that You desire us to persist in prayer and not to give up (Luke 18:1; Jam. 5:16b).

   • We rejoice as we see You fulfilling Your prophetic word in our day (Jer. 1:12; cp. Num. 23:19).

   • YHWH of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. (Psa. 46:7, 11) Amen!

2. Government & society:

   Israel will have national elections sometime between mid-September and the end of October. The results are very important for Israel's future. God already knows the outcome and what Israel will be facing – yet He tells us to pray and to co-labor with Him to see His kingdom come upon the earth in all of its glory (Matt. 25:31)!

   • Once again Lord, we ask You to send out Your light and Your truth, and let them lead Israel's electorate as they go to vote – and us as we continue to pray about this (Psa. 43:3a; cp. 23:3b).

   • Lord Yeshua, burden Your worldwide Body to intercede over Israel's elections by showing them the connection between Israel's restoration and Your return (Isa. 46:13; Zech. 12:10; 14:3-4).

   • Abba Father, unless You build the house man's labors are in vain (Psa. 127:1), therefore please be "building" the next Israeli coalition and let it bring You great glory (Psa. 115:1-3).

   • Almighty King, use PM Bibi Netanyahu's understanding of history to make him at this time a true "son-of-Issachar" type of leader – both for Israel's sake and Your kingdom's sake (1 Chr. 12:32).

   • King Yeshua, fulfill Psalm 46:10, Proverbs 9:10, 19:21 and 21:1 in all areas of Netanyahu's life.

   • Lord God, show Bibi that if he always submits to US President Trump concerning Israel's security, he will lose much support and can lose the elections on this issue alone (Isa. 30:1-3).

   • Put the same spirit on him in his relations with Trump that David had with Saul (1 Sam. 18:14-15).

   • God of Jacob, honor Israeli ministers who are doing Your will and make them more influential in the next government: Justice Minister Levin; Defense Minister Katz; Foreign Minister Sa'ar; Finance Minister Smotrich; Interior Minister Sofer; Diaspora Affairs and Anti-Semitism Minister Chikli; Israel's UN Ambassador Danon; and all others who are proving to be true sons and daughters of Zion (Zech. 9:13).

   • King of Israel, move upon the hearts of Your people when they vote so that the next government has many more offspring of Issachar and Zion than even the current one (1 Chr. 12:32a; Zech. 9:13).

   • Lord, as we see much internal movement inside the various parties, we ask You to send Your Spirit and let it hover over the chaos and bring forth light and guidance for Israel's electorate (Gen. 1:2-3).

   • Shield Israel from outside or inside manipulation concerning the elections (Num. 23:23; Psa. 63:11).

   • Righteous Judge, please fulfill Isaiah 1:24-26, cleanse Israel's judiciary of its unrighteousness and fill the ensuing vacuum with Your righteousness (Isa. 32:1; 33:22).

   • Lord God, rein in the Haredi [ultra-Orthodox] violent protests against the arrest of Haredi draft-dodgers, especially as they are often a danger to the rest of Israeli society (2 Sam. 22:3).

   • Abba, raise up many more Haredi rabbis to condemn this violence and to see that their boys who are not full time Torah students should serve in the IDF like all other Jewish Israelis (Num. 1:1-3; 26:2).

3. Foreign relations:

   Besides dealing with a very unpredictable Trump, Israel is also constantly condemned by the UN, most major global NGOs, and Western and other nations. Thankfully, under Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, its response to this constant pressure is met with strong rebukes (Isa. 28:5-6). Yet the good this has accomplished is questionable as the hatred of Israel and the Jews is being driven by very powerful demonic forces.

   • Yeshua Lord, show Your Body that Isaiah 34:1-10 is being fulfilled and let them not dismiss the reason why You have threatened the world with such dire judgment: For it is the day of YHWH's vengeance, the year of retribution for the controversy [+ strife] of Zion. (Isaiah 34:8)

   • 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 God, please show our brothers and sisters in America that while Trump was very pro-Israel in his first term, his manipulation of Israel and his constant pressure for it to cease fighting against their enemies is very perilous for their nation, so they need to cry out for mercy (Ezek. 22:30-31).

   • Abba Father, as with Nebuchadnezzar, let Trump see who rules over the nations (Dan. 4:34-35).

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

   • Abba Father, deal with to the aggressive stance against Israel that Ireland, France, Turkey, and many other nations and NGOs are taking and repay their "curses" in Your own way (Num. 24:9b).

   • God, let the growth of global anti-Zionism force Israel into being that "holy" nation (Num. 23:9b).

   • Abba, give Israel courage and wisdom to know when remaining as a member of the UN is just a waste of time, effort and money and when to wipe the dirt off their feet and leave (Psa. 1:1; 26:4).

4. Gaza:

   It has become more obvious to all dealing with Hamas that the IDF is the only army willing, and able, to disarm and destroy them. It was doing that when Trump's "ceasefire" plan stopped it. It has recently been reported that he, his "Board of Peace" and Israel are basically agreed of the need to release the IDF to finish the job. If this report is true, it is a wonderful answer to prayer.

   • God Almighty, may Your divine will concerning Gaza prevail (Psa. 33:10-11; Prov. 21:30).

   • Lord God, if the war with Hamas will not be won until Israel commits to repossess all of Gaza, then move on the new government and most Israelis to agree to do just that (Neh. 2:20).

   • 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 – arise and throw it down (Isa. 34:5; 63:1-6).

   • Almighty, allow Hamas' pride to drag them down into destruction (2 Sam. 22:28b; Prov. 16:18).

   • Thank You Lord that the IDF is destroying terror tunnels in the area of Gaza they now control (more than 60%), finding weapons caches and taking out Hamas terrorists (Job 12:22; Psa. 95:4; 139:12).

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

   • Lord God, we rejoice that tens of thousands of Palestinians have already left Gaza, and ask for its gates to remain wide open for the rest to leave as well (Isa. 60:12; Jer. 12:17).

   • Abba, let Iran's financial crisis severely damage Hamas' and Islamic Jihad's finances (Prov. 11:4a).

   • King Yeshua, let Your light shining in believers in Gaza draw many Muslims to You (Matt. 5:16).

5. Internal security:

   As mentioned above, the story of the 12 spies is in Shabbat's Torah portion. It reveals how angry God was with Israel when it initially refused to conquer the land. So this is a very appropriate time to ask God to guide Israel to possess all of its land in our day.

   • Lord God, use this Torah portion to convict any Israeli who speaks in unbelief of Your ability or desire to give Israel Your land, and by this infects Jews – in Israel and among the nations – with a spirit of fear and unbelief when it comes to possessing all of Your land (Num. 13:32).

   • Abba Father, raise up many more Israelis like Joshua and Caleb who brought an encouraging report because of their faith in You and their having a different spirit than the majority (Num. 14:7-9, 24).

   • King Messiah, turn many Israelis who are now against the anti-biblical two-state solution because of finally seeing how the Palestinians desire to destroy the Jewish State much more than they desire their own state, to instead be against it out of a fear and reverence of their God (Lev. 25:23; Joel 3:1-2).

   • We thank You Lord for revealing that You gave Your land to Your people Israel – for Your glory (Isa. 60:21); thus we pray for a swift fulfillment (Psa. 115:1-3; Isa. 55:11; 60:22).

   • Abba Father, increase the number of Knesset [Israeli parliament] Members in the next governing coalition who favor the extension of Israeli sovereignty over all of its land (Isa. 54:2-3).

   • Thank You Lord God for the growth of the Jewish population in Judea and Samaria, and we ask You for the same to occur in the Negev, the Galilee, the north and on the Golan (Isa. 49:19-20; 51:3).

   • Lord, hedge in the few Israeli extremists in Judea and Samaria and block their unlawful acts from causing the whole settler movement to be seen as anything other than courageous pioneers (Gal. 5:9).

   • God of wisdom, anoint the intelligence people who keep up with what is being plotted against Israel via social media with great discernment to perceive what threats are genuine (2 Sam. 21:10).

   • Almighty King, remove the humanistic chains off the IDF, and release it to war against terrorism in the land in a biblical way, including by unashamedly asking You to lead them into battle (Psa. 18:36-40).

   • King Messiah, as the Palestinian Authority is part of Israel's problem, divide them internally and set them and Hamas against each other in Judea, Samaria and even in Gaza (Job 38:13; Psa. 35:4, 26).

   • Lord Yeshua, change the thinking of all believers who do not understand, or refuse to accept, how central the physical land of Israel is to Your Kingdom coming on earth (Zech. 12:2-9; 14:1-4).

6. External security:

   Israel's aggressive stance against those who attack it is being maintained. Even in the face of Trump trying to rein in Israel's responses to Iran and Hizbullah, God strengthened Bibi and the rest of the security cabinet to release the IDF to strike back hard. Turning the other cheek was never meant to apply to nations and definitely does not work in Israel's neighborhood.

   • Lord God, whatever You are allowing, or even orchestrating (Zech. 12:2-3), to trap the nations by their Jew-hatred, let it happen quickly, and if this is the time – fulfill Micah 4:11-13 (Obad. 1:15).

   • Lord of hosts, reinforce the angelic hosts fighting beside the IDF (2 Kin. 6:16-17; 2 Chr. 32:7-8).

   • King Yeshua, use Trump's addiction to ceasefires for Israel's good and Your glory (Rom. 8:28).

   • Iran: Sovereign Lord, Psalm 46:9 says You cause wars to cease, so we ask You, and not Trump, to do that in relation to the US-Israel war against Iran's radical Shi'ite regime (Psa. 76:3-6; Mic. 5:10).

   • Lord God, let Iran's attempts to link Israel's war with Hizbullah to the "peace" deal they are selling to Trump turn into a huge geo-political mistake (Psa. 129:5; Isa. 41:11).

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

   • Lord God, Jeremiah 49:38b declares that Your goal for Iran is a total regime change, so we pray in agreement that that will be the ultimate outcome of this war (Num. 23:19; Luke 18:1).

   • Lord Yeshua, let the war hasten the building up of Your throne in Iran through the growth of the Iranian Body (Jer. 49:38a), and please supply all of their material and spiritual needs (Phil. 4:19).

   • King of kings, let Iran's deadly missile attacks against its neighboring Arab nations divide the house of Islam, and use that to bring down this demonic principality over the Middle East (Mark 3:24-26).

   • Hizbullah in Lebanon: Abba, fulfill Isaiah 2:12-13 against Hizbullah – today's arrogant cedars.

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

   • God, direct the IDF to destroy Hizbullah's global drug trade and thus severely damage their finances.

   • Lord, increase Your protection over all IDF soldiers in Lebanon, especially against drone attacks, and also block all attempts to kidnap them (Deut. 33:29; Psa. 3:3; 32:7; 121:4).

   • God, thank You for Israel creating a buffer zone in South Lebanon and we pray that it remains under Israeli control as it is clearly a part of the Promised Land (Deut. 11:24; Josh. 19:24, 31-32, 39).

   • Lord God, guide Lebanese believers to pray biblically for their nation (Jam. 5:16b).

   • Other: God of Abraham, thank You for Turkey's President Erdogan's threats this past week against Israel which reveals to Your nation how he is a very dangerous enemy (Prov. 12:20a; 15:28b).

   • Messiah, by Your Spirit, direct the prayers of all Middle Eastern believers to stand in the gap for their birth-nations and to bless the nation into which they are grafted – Israel (Rom. 11:18-21).

7. Aliyah:

   We are privileged to watch God fulfill His Word by regathering His scattered people (Jer. 31:10). Yet Messiah's Body has a biblical charge to be involved with this prophetic fulfillment (for example Isa. 43:5-6; 60:10-11), including through intercession (1 John 5:14-15).

   • Lord Messiah, show believers how the aliyah is a literal answer to a 2,000 year old prayer for God the Father's name be sanctified – through His will being done on earth (Ezek. 28:25-26; Luke 11:2).

   • Good Shepherd, let more gentile believers hear Your voice and help to carry Your Jewish family back home, whether physically, financially, or through prayer (Isa. 49:22; John 10:27).

   • Lord God, direct believers to talk with Jewish friends about their need to make aliyah (Eph. 4:15a).

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

   • Abba Father, as Jews see the inadequate attempts gentile nations take to protect them and then see the wars that Israel wages to protect its Jews, remove all fear from them and give them a urgency to come home (Psa. 107:2-3; Isa. 27:12-13; 49:11-12; Jer. 31:3-5; Ezek. 11:15-20).

   • 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 lead their communities home (Deut. 30:3-5; Psa. 107:2-3).

   • Lord God, aid Israeli Minister of Aliyah Ofir Sofer to remove many of the bureaucratic stones of stumbling in Your nation which frustrate Your people who do want to return (Isa. 62:10).

   • King Messiah, rebuke the mountain that blocks aliyah for many Jews – the rabbis limited definition of who is a Jew – and replace it with the biblical definition (Mark 7:9, 13).

   • Lord God of Israel, marry Your people to the land, and show them that it is a marriage: for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health – and not just a love affair (Isa. 62:4-5).

   • King of Jacob, thank You for how You have been regathering a remnant of Israel; now use the next Israeli elections to set over Your people righteous shepherds (Jer. 3:15; 23:3-4).

8. Salvation:

   Jeremiah 32:37-44, Ezekiel 36:24-28, Zechariah 12:2-10 and many other verses say that all Israel is saved when they are back in their land. So praying for Israeli Jews to receive the revelation that Yeshua is their long-awaited King Messiah is 100% in line with His revealed will.

   • Lord, impart to Your people back home a deep hunger to "eat" all of Your Word (Jer. 15:16).

   • King Yeshua, walk through Samaria again, showing Yourself to Jews living there (John 4:25-26).

   • God of Israel, take away the partial blindness that was put upon most Jews from Messiah Yeshua's day, and show them their true Messianic King (Isa. 45:15; Rom. 11:25-26).

   • Messiah Lord, during Pride Month, reveal Yourself to many in Israel's LGBTQ+ community, and as they see You in all of Your glory, turn them to hate their rebellious sin (Ezek. 36:31).

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

9. Body of Messiah:

   Yeshua confronted the Jewish rulers of His day with their failure to discern the signs of the times (Matt. 16:2-3). Today He is challenging His Body with their failure, or worse, their lukewarmness, about the signs/miracles He has fulfilled, and is fulfilling, concerning Israel.

   • Lord Yeshua, might You be saying to Your Body today that which You said to Moses in the Torah portion concerning Israel's lack of faith: How long will this people provoke Me; how long will it be before they believe Me for all the signs which I have shown among them? (Num. 14:11)

   • Lord Yeshua, show Your Body the many "signs" that have accompanied Israel's restoration; the land flourishing again; Israel filling the world with fruit; the IDF being an exceedingly great army; Jews making aliyah from over 100 different nations; more Jewish believers in Messiah Yeshua than any time since the book of Acts; huge worldwide revivals in non-Western nations, plus!

   • Lord, rebuke believers who refuse to believe all that Moses and the prophets have said (Luke 24:25).

   • God Almighty, in mercy also rebuke every believer who judges Your words as opposed to letting Your Word judge them (Heb. 4:12-13).

   • Divine Intercessor, as Your Body intercedes for Israel, or for any other burden, provide them with ammunition in the form of specific verses from Your Word relating to those prayers (Isa. 55:11).

   • King Yeshua, guard the Body from deception through what they hear or read on the various social media platforms today (Rom. 16:17-18; 1 Cor. 15:33; Eph. 4:11-14).

10. IFI:

    Thank you for all of your support for this ministry – especially your prayers.

Blessings and Shabbat shalom

Chuck Cohen, for the IFI team

Josh. 2:9-11 [From Shabbat's prophetic reading; Rahab speaking to the two Israelite spies.]