Today's Daily Brief
1. Security Fears, Airline Congestion Threaten Holiday Travel- Fox News
One day before a record 27 million Americans are expected to jam the nation's airports to begin their Thanksgiving holiday, new and troubling questions about on-board security, increasing flight delays and air traffic congestion are reaching new highs. The latest security nightmare came to light Wednesday in an advance release of a government report detailing how undercover agents successfully smuggled bomb-making parts through airport security checkpoints allowing them to potentially be carried on-board.
· Father as the Holiday airport rush begins, we pray Your continued protection over all air travel. We humbly place our trust entirely in Your mercy and love, realizing that man is fallible.
· "Some trust in horses, and some in chariots: but we will remember the name of our God." (Psalm 20:7)
2. House Passes $50 Billion Iraq War Spending Bill - AP
House Democrats pushed through a $50 billion bill for the Iraq war Wednesday night that would require President Bush to start bringing troops home in coming weeks with a goal of ending combat by December 2008.
· Lord we know that the Senate is not likely to pass this legislation, and the President has vowed to veto it. But Lord we pray that the divisive "message" continually being sent through our Congress would be stopped by Your hand. We ask that Your Spirit begin to convict our leaders and change their hearts.
· "And when He (The Holy Spirit) is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." (John 16:8)
3. a) San Francisco to Issue ID Card to Illegal Immigrants - AP
The city has tentatively approved a program to provide identification cards to illegal immigrants, transgender people and other residents who may be unable or unwilling to get a state-issued driver's license.
b) NY Gov Axes Plan to Give Illegals Driver's Licenses - CNSnews.com
Stating that "it does not take a stethoscope to hear the pulse of New Yorkers on this topic," New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer on Wednesday abandoned his controversial proposal to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.
· Lord as this issue continues to divide and anger our nation, we pray that You will intervene to bring Your truth and wisdom to the hearts of government. We thank You that New York's governor heard the voice of his people. We pray that You would visit San Francisco with a move of Your Spirit to bring righteous change to that city.
· but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.(Titus 3:5b)
4. Huckabee Gets Pro-Life Nod - CNSnews.com
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee received an endorsement Wednesday from a national pro-life leader in his 2008 GOP presidential bid, while a recent poll shows Huckabee gaining ground in Iowa on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, seven weeks before voting in the caucuses begins.
· Lord, as we follow the endorsements of this campaign we are concerned over the seriously split vote. So we ask that Your truth and Your choice for President will rally the voters of each party in a clear direction, that no one will fail to vote.
· "My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart; and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly." (Job 33:3)
5. Panel- Chinese Spies, Unfair Policies Threaten U.S. Economy - AP
Chinese spying in America represents the greatest threat to U.S. technology, according to a congressional advisory panel report Thursday, that recommended lawmakers consider financing counterintelligence efforts meant to stop China from stealing U.S. manufacturing expertise.
· Father, as China emerges as a serious threat to America in these days, we pray that You will stand with us against their plans.
· "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue which shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn." (Isaiah 50:17)
6. Senator Says Defy Chinese Bible Policy at Olympics - CNSnews.com
Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) said Americans traveling to the 2008 Olympic games in Beijing next year should defy the Chinese government's rule that prohibits travelers from taking more than one Bible into the country.
· Thank you, Lord for this bold request for action. We pray that every Christian who attends the Olympics will act in Your name and with Your wisdom, that Your name may be glorified throughout the earth.
· "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against Him." (Isaiah 59:19b)
7. Michael Mukasey Sworn in as Attorney General - AP
President Bush welcomed Michael Mukasey back into government Wednesday and promised to help the new attorney general rebuild the top leadership of the beleaguered Justice Department.
· Offer prayer for the new Attorney General as he assumes his responsibilities in office. Ask our Lord to guide him and to strengthen him as he faces the many challenges ahead.
· "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye." (Psalm 32:8)
The Middle East in Focus
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"The LORD foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations." (Ps 33:10-11)
1. Syria reportedly agrees to attend upcoming Mideast summit - Jerusalem Post
Syria will be attending the upcoming US-sponsored Mideast summit in Annapolis, the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram reported on Thursday.
2. Ignoring polls, Rice tells Jews that "almost all" Israelis want withdrawal - Israel Insider
Some 65% of respondents said that due to the lessons of 2005's disengagement from the Gaza Strip, they opposed a large withdrawal in the West Bank, and 61% said they opposed removing IDF soldiers from most of the West Bank and giving control over the territory to the Palestinians.
3. Is Mideast Peace Conference a Mistake? - CBN News
The United States is expected to send out invitations soon for the upcoming Mideast conference in Annapolis. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hopes the conference will be a breakthrough for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
4. Olmert to settlers: Stop growing families, and prepare to be expelled - Israel Insider
In the largest planned anti-Jewish expulsion plan since the Nazi deported the Jews of Poland, the government of Ehud Olmert has apparently agreed to expel more than a hundred thousand Jews from their homes and destroy their communities in Judea and Samaria.
5. Bill against Jerusalem division passes preliminary reading - Ynet News
Yesterday, the Knesset approved by a large margin a bill in its preliminary reading aimed against dividing Jerusalem. The bill was initiated by Likud faction chairman, Knesset Member Gideon Sa'ar, and Knesset members were given a free hand by their coalition to vote according to their views on the issue. The bill is a clause to a basic law. It states that Jerusalem is Israel's capital, and that a Knesset majority is needed for any changes to the city's boundaries. According to the proposal, any decision on the capital's fate must have a majority of 80 Knesset members, rather than 61 votes set by law today. Vice Premier Haim Ramon recently said that the upcoming Annapolis peace conference would include discussions the division of Jerusalem. (Ynet News)
· Offer praise for the Israelis who still clearly see that Jerusalem is the city that bears the very name of God; and one that CANNOT be divided. Pray that this bill is passed quickly; and pray that "those in authority" would hear, and heed, the voice of the Israeli people on this vital issue as they head for Annapolis.
· "And to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there." " (I Kings 11:36)
6. Officials Form New Coalition for Jerusalem - IsraelNN.com Church Leaders Face Senate Probe Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) has announced a Senate Finance Committee investigation into six prominent Christian ministries and intends to hold public inquiry hearings into their affairs. This is unprecedented. In the early eighties, after a rash of prominent churches faced what seemed to have been unrestrained audits by the Internal Revenue Service, Congress passed the Church Audit Procedures Act. It set rules in place to make certain that Churches were not subjected to IRS witch hunts and damage to their reputations that such investigations brought. Since then, the IRS has seemed to carefully follow the law while pursuing serious charges when necessary. But IRS inquiries, until wrongdoing is discovered, are required to be confidential and errors are corrected in a fair-handed manner, as are many IRS citizen tax audits. FRC has been recognized for our excellence in practicing strict financial accountability to our donors and for obeying the law, but we realize that there are Christian ministries who would be better served if they would give more serious attention to policing themselves. At the same time, the Grassley investigation raises many questions, not just about the church practices, but the constitutionality and propriety of the Senate investigation. What Congress and the bureaucracy can do to one church, it can and one day may do to all, but do selectively in the interim. (Family Research Council; Prayer Targets) · May God protect the sovereignty and interests of His churches! May the rights of these particular churches be protected and may the appropriate Separation between Church and State, intended to protect the churches, and not vice versa, so often touted and misapplied, be honored. May those who love God and religious freedom watch this case carefully, and may righteousness, fairness and justice prevail · " . . . I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (I Timothy 3:15)
Likud party chairman and Knesset Opposition Leader Binyamin Netanyahu joined Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski, numerous legislators and hundreds of other activists Wednesday at Ir David (the City of David) to form a new coalition for Jerusalem with the slogan painted in blue on a huge white banner, "Watch Over Jerusalem." Netanyahu, Likud Knesset Members Reuven Rivlin and Michael Eitan and others addressed those who came to fight Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's plan to split Jerusalem with the Palestinian Authority (PA). The speakers at Ir David, Jerusalem's most ancient neighborhood, called for Israelis to unite to block the Prime Minister from carrying out his plan, which he intends to discuss at the upcoming Middle East summit in Annapolis.
· Pray that the members of "Watch Over Jerusalem" would continue to voice one united front against the plans of the Prime Minister in Annapolis. Praise God for the formation of this new coalition of Israeli leaders, who are taking a biblical stance towards the future of Jerusalem!
· "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, Running down on the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, Descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing- Life forevermore." (Psalm 133:1-3)
Church Leaders Face Senate Probe
America -- An Islamic State? Abdul Alim Musa is the head of an organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., called "As- Sabiqun," or the Vanguard. Here is the stated goal of the Vanguard: Musa was born in Arkansas but lived much of his early life California, where he got swept up in the radicalism of the 1960s. He eventually converted to Islam while in prison. He is an admirer of radical Islam and has reportedly traveled to Iran several times as "a supporter of the Islamic revival." The Vanguard's website notes that Musa is heavily influenced by the writings of the late Ayatollah Khomeini, Hasan al-Banna, who founded the Muslim Brotherhood, and Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian radical whose writings greatly influenced Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda. It is clear from Musa's writings that he is an unabashed supporter of Hezbollah. Musa also believes that the United States government, working with Israeli and Saudi intelligence officials, orchestrated the September 11th attacks as a justification "to declare open warfare on peace-loving Muslims across the world." Unbelievably, Musa's organization, which is fomenting hatred of America and Israel, is qualified as a charitable organization! Musa is working to change America from the inside by indoctrinating inner-city youth with bizarre conspiracy theories and self-loathing for their native country. He is very likely breeding the next generation of jihadists right in our nation's capital! My friends, if this country is going to survive as the "land of the free and the home of the brave," those of us who cherish Western Civilization are going to have to be braver about defending our Judeo- Christian heritage. We must reject the ideology of multiculturalism and embrace our American values. The ACLU and the Council on American-Islamic Relations will howl in protest. Let them. We must not permit ourselves to be paralyzed by political correctness. If we do not defend our culture and our values, we will lose our country. (By Gary Bauer, American Values, 11/14/07)
America -- An Islamic State?
Islamic Organization Works to Make Islam the "Complete Way of Life in the United States"
"The paramount goal of the movement is the establishment of Islam as a complete way of life in America." The Vanguard has developed a "six point plan of action," which includes establishing mosques and Islamic schools as well as businesses to "make the movement financially stable and independent."
It's RAINING in Georgia!
God Answers Prayers of Repentance, Led by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue!!
You've probably read about Gov. Sonny Perdue's prayer meeting on Monday. Hundreds joined him in crying out to God for rain in Georgia - a prayer meeting that he was ridiculed for, but a prayer meeting that is being honored by God right now. In fact, as this went to press, the Weather Channel flashed the news headline: Answered Prayer! Georgia is receiving significant and much needed rainfall! Praise the Lord for people faithful to pray, and for a God who is faithful to answer! (Family Research Council)
· "Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise Ye the Lord!" (Psalm 150:6)
· Continue to cry out to the Lord for mercy, for much more rain is needed in Georgia and throughout the southeast region of our United States.
