Today's Daily Brief
1. FBI Agents Search Utah Home in Ricin Case - AP
FBI agents on Sunday searched a Utah house and two storage units linked to a man whose hospitalization led to the discovery of deadly ricin in a motel room he had occupied on the Las Vegas Strip.
· Praise God that the ricin seems located at just one confined place. Nevertheless, pray that this incident is an isolated case, not a terrorist attack. Pray that the ricin-poisoned man will recover and that this illness will lead him to salvation in Jesus Christ as well as those ministering to him in the hospital.
· "But unto you that fear My Name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings; and ye shall go forth." (Malachi 4:2)
2. Ahmadinejad: Visit to Iraq Opens New Chapter in 'Brotherly' Relations - AP
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday his landmark visit to Iraq opened a new chapter in "brotherly" relations between the two countries, which were once bitter enemies. Ahmadinejad is the first Iranian president to visit Iraq.
· Pray that this "brotherly" love of Iran does not smother the Iraqis with false promises and deceptions. Remember that in Islam, lying to your enemy is acceptable, for the ends justify the the means. Pray that this Iranian extended hand of friendship is not a Trojan horse, another means to take over Iraq and prevent its growth of democracy. ·
· "Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings." (Psalm 140:4)
3. U.S. Military Kills Al Qaeda Leader in Iraq - AP
A U.S. military helicopter fired a guided missile to kill an Al Qaeda leader from Saudi Arabia, who was wanted in Iraq and who was responsible for the bombing deaths of five American soldiers, a spokesman said Sunday. U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Gregory Smith said Jar Allah, also known as Abu Yasir al-Saudi, and another Saudi known only as Hamdan, were both killed Wednesday in Mosul. According to the military, al-Saudi conducted numerous attacks against Iraqi and U.S. forces, including a Jan. 28 bomb attack that killed the five U.S. soldiers.
· Pray comfort for the families of the five American soldiers who were killed under the direction of this wicked man. Pray, too, for the family of Jar Allah -- that they meet the Lord unto salvation and become witnesses for him. · "Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein; and he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him." (Proverbs 26:27)
4. Bush Refuses to Promise More Troop Returns From Iraq - AP
President Bush declined Saturday to repeat promises made by others in his administration that more U.S. troops will return home from Iraq than scheduled before he leaves office. Decisions about troop cuts beyond those planned through July would be based on generals' recommendations for what levels are necessary to ensure success in Iraq, the president said.
· Praise the Lord for President Bush's determination to see the work in Iraq successfully completed. He is not swayed by political pressure nor popularity. Whatever your views about the war, our enemies must not see us as a weak people, vascillating about what should be done, especially in this election year. Pray for wisdom for the president and his generals.
· "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6)
5. Violent Jihad Under Assault? - AP
Al Qaeda leader Aymen Al-Zawahiri condemns in new book the wave of jailed militants calling for end to terror attacks.
· Pray for the deluded mind of Aymen Al-Zawahiri, that he would know the mind of Christ. Praise the Lord that some of the militants are having second thoughts about the violence they have engaged in
· "A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth; and the recompense of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him." (Proverbs 12:14)
7. South America on brink of war - Washington Times
South America was on the brink of war yesterday as Venezuela and Ecuador amassed troops on the Colombian border in response to the killing of a Marxist rebel leader.
· So many areas of the world today are hot spots! Pray in the Spirit over all reports you see that come out of South America.
· "Pray without ceasing . . ." (I Thess. 5:18)
8. White House Awards Medal of Honor to Sioux Indian for Heroism in Korea - AP
President Bush apologized Monday that the country waited decades to honor Master Sgt. Woodrow Wilson Keeble for his military valor in Korea, giving him the Medal of Honor more than 25 years after he died. Pentagon officials had said the legal deadline had passed to award the medal to Keeble unless Congress specifically authorized it. Sens. Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad, D-N.D.; Tim Johnson, D- S.D.; and John Thune, R-S.D., introduced legislation to award Keeble the medal, and it was signed by Bush last year.
The four Dakotas senators say Keeble's men twice recommended him for the Medal of Honor earlier but the paperwork was lost. He instead received the Distinguished Service Cross. "He felt he was cheated," Bush said. "Yet Woody never complained. See, he believed America was the greatest nation on earth - even when it made mistakes."
· Offer praise for this action on the part of the Bush administration, and for the tenacity of the four senators named who "pressed through" to see that Master Sgt. Keeble received the award that was due him. May this action serve to usher in a move of healing between the Sioux tribe and the American government.
· "Give honor . . . to whom honor is due." (Romans 13:7)
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:
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Is. 55:8-9)
1. U.N. Condemns Israel's Strike on Hamas Office - AP; Israel National News
The U.N. Security Council condemned the escalation of violence following Israel's attack on the office of the prime minister of Hamas-ruled Gaza.The Council adjourned its emergency session early Sunday and issued a statement that calls for all parties to respect their obligations under international law. Meanwhile, Israel National News has published photos of the other side of this story: "Israel under Rocket Siege by Palestinians." If a picture is worth a thousand words, these photos speak for themselves.
· Where is the UN's condemnation of Hamas's sending of thousands of rockets into Israeli villages near Gaza? What good does a statement do to help the situation in Israel? Hamas simply ignores the verbal reproaches and continues its violence. Pray that the US does not abandon Israel, not in the UN nor with our financial aid. Pray for more support for Israel from more nations.
· "Rejoice not against me [Israel],O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness , the Lord shall be a light unto me." (Micah 7:8)
2. Olmert: Gaza operation not a one-time thing - Ynet News
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appeared before the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday, where he briefed the ministers about Operation Warm Winter, taking place in the Gaza Strip.
3. Hamas claims 'victory' as IDF withdraws
Abbas offers to broker 'all-inclusive ceasefire' - ICEJ News
Some 20,000 Hamas supporters attended a mass rally in Gaza City on Monday afternoon to celebrate the "great victory" over the IDF after Israeli forces withdrew from a two-day Kassam-search mission in areas of northeast Gaza this morning.
4. Casualties mount in IDF raid into Gaza
100+ Palestinians dead; Hamas fires hundreds of rockets into Israel - ICEJ News
After several days of incessant Kassam fire into Israel, the IDF staged a two-day raid into the northeast corner of the Gaza Strip over the weekend to deal with the rocket threat, killing over 100 Palestinians before withdrawing early Monday amid continued rocket barrages.
5. Arab protests spread over IDF incursion into Gaza
Saudi official condemns Israel's 'Nazi war crimes' - ICEJ News
Spurred on by slanted Arab media reports, Arab governments and citizens throughout the Middle East condemned Israel for its incursion into Gaza to suppress Kassam rocket fire over the weekend, with angry protesters taking to the streets in a number of cities shouting "Death to Israel" and "Death to America."
6. Egypt allows Palestinian injured through Rafah crossing
Egypt reopened the Rafah border crossing on Sunday - ICEJ News
to allow Palestinians injured in the recent fighting with Israeli forces to be treated in Egyptian hospitals. With Gaza's medical facitlities filled to capacity, the border was opened the day after the IDF killed 54 Palestinians and wounded dozens more in its stepped-up effort to stop Kassam rocket attacks.
7. Israel sends humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza - ICEJ News
Despite the tense fighting in the area over the weekend, Israel authorized 62 trucks filled with humanitarian aid to deliver their loads of food and medical supplies into Gaza through the Sufa border on Sunday. The Gaza Strip Coordination and Liaison Administration arranged the delivery. Among the delivered aid was cooking, water santization, and medical supplies, as well as fish and meat, the IDF reported.
Pray for the Persecuted Church
Prayers for the Persecuted Church
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)
1. INDIA: HINDU EXTREMISTS ASSAULT NEW CHRISTIAN LEADER
Following a Hindu extremist attack on five Christians meeting in a home here on February 22, the Madhya Pradesh town of Balaghat witnessed another assault last Wednesday (February 27) when the newly elected president of the Balaghat Christian Association was beaten for providing legal help to the previous victims.
2. INDIA: ANTI-CHRISTIAN SENTIMENTS BOIL OVER IN CAPITAL
India's national capital witnessed two incidents of anti- Christian violence this week, including an attack last night on a relief organization official by a large mob of Hindu extremists.
3. IRAQ: KIDNAPPERS DEMAND HUGE RANSOM FOR BISHOP
Kidnappers are demanding a huge ransom for a Chaldean Archbishop abducted last week in northern Iraq, sending fear through the country's Christian community, a local priest said. Since the Friday (February 29) kidnapping in Mosul, Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho's captors have refused to decrease the amount of money they are demanding for his release, according to Father Najeeb Mikhail. "They want money, but in addition they want to break all the Christians in Mosul," the priest said in a telephone conversation from Erbil.
[All headlines above were reported today by Compass Direct News.] Obama: Sermon on the Mount Supports Same- sex Unions Sen. Barack Obama's support for same-sex civil unions is nothing new. But on Sunday, he used Jesus' Sermon on the Mount to justify his stance. On Sunday, Obama went on to say: "In terms of my faith, you know, there has been so much confusion that has been deliberately perpetrated through e- mails and so forth. So, just here are the simple facts. I am a Christian. I am a devout Christian. I have been a member of the same church for 20 years. Pray to Jesus every night, and try to go to church as much as I can." Pastor John Barner, manager of pastoral care at Focus on the Family, said: "We are always saddened as evangelical Christians when others who identify themselves as Christians do not have the high view of Scripture that we believe is so important. We believe isolated portions of Scripture should not be used to justify a personal preference or a social position that goes in a different direction than the overall message of Scripture. We believe Scripture is pretty clear in proscribing and affirming that marriage is to be an exclusive, lifetime relationship between a man and a woman. The compromising positions of these candidates are a disappointment to us as evangelical Christians." (Focus on the Family: CitizenLink)
Obama's Theology
During a town hall meeting in Nelsonville, Ohio, he said: "I don't believe in gay marriage, but I do think that people who are gay and lesbian should be treated with dignity and respect and that the state should not discriminate against them. So, I believe in civil unions. If people find that controversial then I would just refer them to the Sermon on the Mount." News reports surmise he was referring to Matthew 7:12: "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you."
Islamic Plan Revealed
Islamic Plan Revealed:
Use Native American Legal Precedents
To Establish Sharia Law in the U.S.
Subversive Islamic interests in the United States intend to use the legal precedence of Native American Indian courts to establish Sharia law courts where Islamists will handle their own civic matters on such issues as crime, marriage, divorce, support, custody, adoption, legitimacy, abuse, and more. A 1993 article posted in February by The American Muslim entitled "Native American Courts: Precedent for an Islamic arbitral system," reminds Muslim legal organizations to explore using legal precedents found in the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act and Article I Section 8 in the U.S. Constitution, giving Congress regulatory authority over Indian tribes, to seek to establish Sharia law courts in the U.S.
Establishing Sharia Law courts in the U.S. is one of the goals of the 1991 Muslim Brotherhood plan to wage a "Civilization Jihad" aimed at overthrowing the U.S. government and establishing Islamic rule. The plan, submitted as evidence in the Holy Land Foundation terrorist funding trial in Dallas, Texas, calls for the establishment of "comprehensive settlement organizations." These organizations are to take root in American society and establish an Islamic foundation that would be followed by generations of Muslims in the U.S. to "finish the march". The Muslim Brotherhood plan called for establishing "A Central Islamic Court," a "Muslims Attorneys Society" and organizations to defend rights of Muslims.
Since the writing of the Muslim Brotherhood plan, the National Association of Muslim Lawyers and others like it have been formed. The 2007 National Association of Muslim Lawyers conference tackled issues such as "Muslim Americans and Family Law in U.S. Courts," a discussion of the development and evolution of Muslim women's "Islamic" rights in America and the phenomena of Muslim women claiming their Islamic marital rights in U.S. courts." Another session was entitled "Islamic Jurisprudence and American Law". This session analyzed "how the underpinnings of the U.S. criminal, civil, and constitutional law are akin to principles articulated and practiced in Islamic jurisprudence."
The American Muslim article warns "Such a radical change in American law-allowing Muslims to take control over their family law issues - must be initiated from the indigenous Muslim community here in the United States. To have it seem that this initiative is originating from overseas or from organizations financed overseas, would create a very negative impression that would likely destroy this effort." While "The American Muslim" likes to position itself as moderate, its postings are quite radical even if they are couched in cooperative and peaceful terms. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 24:4, "Take heed that no man deceive you."
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com
