| The Daily Brief | |
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1. Regulators look into possible price manipulation in oil market - USA Today
Federal regulators are six months into a wide-ranging investigation of U.S. oil markets, with a focus on possible price manipulation.
· Lord Jesus, come and expose any hidden manipulation and fraud in the oil market. Bring transactions to light so that oil production and trading actions have public accountability. We ask for Your blessings over the fuel to bring the cost down. In Jesus' Name, amen.
· "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall every man have praise of God." ( ICorin.4:5)
2. Top Dems to push for swift end to primary race - AP
Top Democratic leaders intend to push for a quick end to the battle for the presidential nomination when primaries are over next week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday, adding that he, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and party chairman Howard Dean will urge uncommitted delegates to choose sides.
· Lord, You alone raise up and put down leaders. We ask for Your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Our trust is established in Your name. Forgive the degrading character traits the political arena has embraced. Bring Your timing into the Democratic nomination race for the presidency.
· "And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. " ( Dan. 2: 20-22)
3. Abortion provider Planned Parenthood could benefit from Senate's war funding bill - Baptist Press
The U.S. Senate has approved price breaks for the country's leading abortion provider in legislation funding American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
· Father of Life, we ask for this funding of abortion to cease. May the Holy Spirit move over Congress with a consciousness of accountability to God. Bring morality to the fore-front of all decisions concerning the taking of life. Lord, have mercy on us and forgive us of this evil. In Jesus name, we pray "Life".
· "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore, choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:" (Duet. 30:19)
4. Severe Storm, Tornadoes derails train, damages buildings in Nebraska - AP
A storm bearing rain, hail and tornadoes struck central Nebraska Thursday night, damaging businesses, derailing train cars, tearing down trees and disrupting power to thousands.
· Lord, bring comfort to those who have great lost from this storm. Give them strength in Your love to press forward. We ask You to desolve the storm's damaging force. Pour blessing on the workers in the restoration process.
· "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. . ." (Ps.46:1-2)
5. UN warns about higher food costs - BBC
Higher food prices may be here to stay as demand from developing countries and production costs rise, says an influential report out today. It said the current price spike was higher than previous records, partly due to bad weather ruining crops. But factors, such as rising biofuel demand, will keep future costs high. The FAO said speculators were also to blame for volatile commodity markets.
· Lord, we stand on promises from Your word. You will supply all our needs according to Your riches in Christ Jesus. Expose any fraud in the commodity markets. Bless our food and water, as we praise Your holy name.
· "The LORD upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thous givest them their meat in due season. Thou openset thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing." ( Ps. 145:14-16)
6. U.S. Cites Big Gains Against Al- Qaeda - Washington Post
Less than a year after his agency warned of new threats from a resurgent al-Qaeda, CIA Director Michael V. Hayden now portrays the terrorist movement as essentially defeated in Iraq and Saudi Arabia and on the defensive throughout much of the rest of the world, including in its presumed haven along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. In a strikingly upbeat assessment, the CIA chief cited major gains against al-Qaeda's allies in the Middle East and an increasingly successful campaign to destabilize the group's core leadership.
· Offer up a great chorus of PRAISE over this report! The War on Terror IS "winnable!" As we continue to pray that ALL hidden things be revealed; and to undergird our soldiers in prayer, this CAN be done -- one day at a time. Don't stop praying now . . or ever!
· "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)
| The Middle East in Focus | |
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The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob defend you." (Psalm 20:1)
1. IDF arrests 60 Gazans; mortar hits Negev home, but doesn't explode - Ha'aretz
The Israel Defense Forces arrested 60 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip overnight Wednesday over suspicions they were involved in terrorist activity. The detainees were taken to Israel for questioning.
2. 'Kadima must prepare for all scenarios, including elections' - Jerusalem Post
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni ratcheted up the pressure on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to leave office on Thursday, calling for a "swift clean process" within Kadima, and saying that the party "had to prepare for all scenarios, including elections."
3. Palestinian forces return from U.S.-funded training in Jordan - Ha'aretz
The first batallion of a Palestinian security force trained in Jordan under a U.S. program returned to the West Bank on Wednesday, part of a Western push to ready the Palestinians for statehood.
4. German student to be deported for alleged 'missionary work' - Ha'aretz
A student from Germany is set to be deported Friday, after the Interior Ministry determined that she was doing missionary work.
| Iran in the News | |
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IRAN IN THE NEWS
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming." (Psalms 37:12,13)
1. US: Iranian warhead blueprint 'alarming' - AP
A ranking International Atomic Energy Agency official called Teheran's possession of a drawing showing how to make part of an atomic warhead "alarming" Thursday and said the onus is on Iran to prove it had not tried to develop nuclear arms.
2. Report: Iran, al-Qaeda holding clandestine talks - ABC News
In recent months there have been secret contacts between the Iranian government and the leadership of al-Qaeda, top officials in the White House, the Pentagon and the intelligence community said Thursday. US officials familiar with highly sensitive intelligence on this issue told the ABC News Agency that the contacts are on the status of high-level al-Qaeda operatives, and include two of Osama Bin Laden's sons, who have been under house arrest in Iran since 2003.
3. Iran Arrests Suspected Converts to Christianity - Fox News
Amid a growing crackdown on religious freedom, Iranian police reportedly have been rounding up people they suspect have converted to Christianity.
4. U.S. Commander: Iran War Would Be 'Disastrous' - ABC News
The top U.S. Navy official in the Persian Gulf warned in an interview with ABC News that war with Iran would be "pretty disastrous," with "echoes and aftershocks" reverberating throughout the region. "Nobody I've spoken to suggests that going to war with Iran is a good thing," Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff told ABC News. "The preferred path by far is the diplomatic path, keep working with the international community to bring the right sort of pressure to bear on the Islamic Republic of Iran."
| Pray for the Persecuted Church | |
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Prayers for the Persecuted Church
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob defend you." (Psalm 20:1)
1. Algeria: Prosecutor Demands 2-Year Sentence for Converts from Islam - Worthy News
A state prosecutor in western Algeria demanded two- year jail sentences and large fines for six Muslim converts to Christianity yesterday in one of two trials against Christians that have caught the north African nation's attention in the past week.
2. Christian preachers attacked by Hindu radicals - Worthy News
In yet another savage attack on Christians in India, news has just come out that some thirty Christian preachers were beaten by Hindu activists belonging to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at Bainsa town in the Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh.
3. Eritrea: Jailed Pastor Could Face Treason Charges - Worthy News
Unconfirmed reports emerged this month in the Eritrean capital of Asmara, indicating that the repressive regime plans to press formal charges of treason against several Protestant pastors jailed for the past four years.
4. Algeria: Why Authorities Have Begun Clamping Down on Christians
- Worthy News
The debate was urgent and often heated at the annual meeting of the Protestant Church of Algeria (EPA) earlier this month. The looming question: whether to obey or disobey government orders that have closed over half of the North African country's 50 Protestant churches in the past six months.
| Alert: Colorado ("Bathroom Law!") | |
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Colorado Law SB 200 Threatens to Open Restrooms to All Genders
Congress may be adjourned for the Memorial Day recess, but a series of misguided state bills aren't providing any relief for pro-family groups. Just ask the residents of Colorado, where locals are bracing themselves for an "anti-bias" law that is actually changing where people use the restroom. Yesterday, over the protests of thousands of families, Gov. Bill Ritter (D) signed SB 200 into law. The legislation blurs the sexual lines by making all public accommodations, including locker rooms and restrooms, "gender-free." In other words, anyone-- regardless of their biological identity--will be welcome in the men's or ladies' room, including cross- dressers, men who self-identify as women, women who self-identify as men, and people who haven't made up their minds. To make matters worse, Colorado defines "public accommodations" as everything from malls, restaurants, and schools to small and even home businesses.
The other side says this is about discrimination. But the chance of offending a few people hardly justifies putting everyone else at risk, which is exactly what SB 200 does. For every transvestite who takes advantage of this law, there are a dozen sexual predators who will see this as a chance to put women and children into a vulnerable situation. Focus on the Family launched a statewide awareness campaign, but in the end, even Colorado's largest Christian ministry couldn't compete with Ritter's desire to pay off liberal financier Tim Gill, who sank serious dollars into the governor's election campaign in 2006. From here all eyes will turn to Montgomery County, where a November ballot initiative will determine the fate of its bathroom bill. (Family Research Council)
Dr. Dobson Sounds the Alarm on 'Restroom' Legislation
Dr. James Dobson began the Focus on the Family radio broadcast today with a warning that hoped the nation would hear.
"The state Legislature here in Colorado has frankly become just about as radical and extreme as the California Legislature," Dr. Dobson said, "in an effort that was designed to obviously appease the homosexual community [and] give access to all public restrooms by people of the opposite gender."
Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and public policy for Focus on the Family Action, said "Restrooms are not the only problem. The bill adds a prohibition against discrimination in sexual orientation to more than 23 separate provisions of Colorado law that already prohibit discrimination in various areas of public life. Some of them threaten the religious liberties of every Christian, Jewish or Muslim business owner, who operates a business on faith-based principles."
"A refusal to do business with someone based on a sincerely held religious belief that homosexuality is wrong would violate the law."
· (Prayer request written by one of our prayer editors in Colorado). Please pray for comfort for His children in Colorado and throughout America who are being persecuted by the homosexual, abortion and other evil lobbies. This hurts because there is nothing we can do . . .only God.
· "Father God, there IS 'nothing' the citizens of Colorado can do now, except to turn to YOU for help. And so, we join them in their plea, not only for righteousness to visit their state, but for every state in America. In all of this, we yet offer up to our Lord the sacrifice of praise, for we are commanded to do so.
· "Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High; and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me."
(Psalm 50:15)
| Alert: California (Euthanasia Law) | |
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"Assisted Suicide" Bill Passes by One Vote
Governor Lets Voters Decide in November
Meanwhile, leaders in the California Assembly dealt another blow to values voters on Wednesday by passing an assisted suicide bill by one vote. Under AB 2747, doctors and nurses could suggest "death by unconscious dehydration" for terminal patients as well as those who are "depressed and confused." Although some say the sedation-starvation method is more painful than lethal injection, California leaders insist on pursuing a bill that treats humans with less dignity and sensitivity than animals. Interestingly, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's (R) position is that voters should decide. Under his system of selective democracy, Schwarzenegger is fighting to silence voters' opinion on marriage but welcoming their views on euthanasia. In 2006 he said that assisted suicide "probably should go to the people, like the death penalty . . . I don't think that we, 120 legislators and I, should make that decision."
· As in Colorado, we pray too today for California. May the voters in that state CHOOSE LIFE and reject this law in November. PRAY!
· "Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High; and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me."
(Psalm 50:15)
