· TERRORIST ATTACK IN JERUSALEM
· News from the Middle East
· The Daily Brief
· Valley Forge: Then and NOW
· FOCUS YOUR PRAYERS ON THE BORDER
Greetings!
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief Wednesday, July 2, 2008
". . . when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8)
TERRORIST ATTACK IN JERUSALEM
4 killed as bulldozer driven by terrorist tramples over pedestrians in Jerusalem
Behind the Headlines: Bulldozer attack in Jerusalem
It was shortly before noon on the second day of the summer vacation when the attack began. A terrorist drove a large bulldozer straight into civilian traffic on Jerusalem's main artery, Jaffa Road.
Terror purposely targets civilians, and this terrorist was no different. He chose his victims deliberately, starting his attack by motioning for a woman driver to precede him. Then he crushed her car with the bulldozer's shovel. By the time his rampage was over, three Israeli civilians were dead and over 45 were wounded.
TERRORIST ATTACK IN JERUSALEM
4 killed as bulldozer driven by terrorist tramples over pedestrians in Jerusalem
Behind the Headlines: Bulldozer attack in Jerusalem
It was shortly before noon on the second day of the summer vacation when the attack began. A terrorist drove a large bulldozer straight into civilian traffic on Jerusalem's main artery, Jaffa Road.
Terror purposely targets civilians, and this terrorist was no different. He chose his victims deliberately, starting his attack by motioning for a woman driver to precede him. Then he crushed her car with the bulldozer's shovel. By the time his rampage was over, three Israeli civilians were dead and over 45 were wounded.
The bulldozer had plowed into two public buses carrying passengers, overturning one of them. He crushed a number of cars with their drivers still in them, and targeted several pedestrians chasing them down and running them over. Among his innocent victims was an infant, who was injured in the attack and taken to hospital. Eyewitnesses told police that in her last moments, the murdered mother saved her baby by throwing the child out the car window just before the bulldozer crushed her to death. The reign of terror in downtown Jerusalem only ended when police climbed onto the rampaging vehicle, and shot and killed the terrorist.
The terrorist has been identified as a Palestinian from eastern Jerusalem, who had taken the heavy bulldozer from the construction company that employed him. He drove the large earthmover from the nearby construction site of Jerusalem's light rail project for about 500 meters, crushing oncoming traffic on Jaffa Road before being killed.
This attack did not occur in a vacuum. The terrorists of the region are indoctrinated and driven by a blind hate for Israelis, Jews and all non-Moslems, denying them their most basic rights, even their right to life.
The attack took place in Jerusalem, a holy city which serves as Israel's capital, yet is shared by Jews and Arabs, with full social rights and freedom of movement for all its residents, whether Israeli or Palestinian. While the terrorist was an Arab resident of Jerusalem, so too was the driver of the first bus he attacked. This bus driver, who serves as an example of the cooperation that can be achieved between Jerusalem's citizens, was able to swerve his vehicle and minimize the damage of the bulldozer's blade, saving his passengers' lives.
This terror attack is particularly disturbing as it took place despite the ongoing peace efforts. The attack comes as Israel is actively pursuing peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority led by Mahmoud Abbas. Israel will continue its efforts to achieve peace with its pragmatic Palestinian neighbors, despite the efforts of the extremists to torpedo the process.
It also happened as an Egyptian-brokered state of calm had just been achieved regarding Gaza, in which Israel demonstrated its desire to exhaust all efforts to achieve a halt to terrorist rocket attacks against its citizens, without having to resort to the use of force. The terrorists and their supporters should be aware that Israel will not allow them to exploit the calm in the South to re-channel their efforts to launch attacks within Israel's populations centers.
International action to vanquish terrorism is essential. The international community must weigh in on the side of pragmatism and peace. A clear and unequivocal condemnation of terrorism must be heard, and concrete actions against terror organizations and their supporters must be taken, so that the extremists know that there will be no tolerance for their barbaric acts.
(Source: Embassy of Israel. Read more.)
· Adonai, we come before Your Throne and ask You for comfort and help for those harmed by the bulldozer attack on Jaffa Road in Your beloved city of Jerusalem. Thank You for protecting so many that could have been killed. May Your grace and peace reign in Israel in the wake of this tragedy. May You dry the tears of the families of the victims of this senseless tragedy and, somehow, may those not saved, become Your children; saved by the Blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ. We pray that the family and friends of the perpetrator be saved as well. May international tensions be calmed; and may we, as Your children in these tumultuous times, remember that having done all, we will Stand resolute with You.
· "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (Ephesians 6: 12-13 NKJV)
News from the Middle East
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." (Zech.12:6)
1. Will Israel Attack Iran? - ABC News
There is a possibility that Israel may attack Iran's nuclear facilities within the year, senior defense officials in Washington told ABC News today.
2. Israel allows goods into Gaza - Ynet News
Israel will allow cement into the Gaza Strip later Wednesday for the first time in a year as crossings with the Palestinian territory are reopened in accordance with the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, an Israeli spokesman said.
3. Ex-intelligence official: World expects Israel to bomb Iran - Ynet News
The West believes that Israel is aware of the magnitude of the Iranian nuclear threat and assumes that the Jewish state will bomb Iran, ex-IDF intelligence officer Yossi Kuperwasser told Ynet Tuesday.
4. Third Temple preparations begin with priestly garb - Jerusalem Post
Wearing a turban and a light blue tunic threaded with silver, a man stands in a workshop in Jerusalem's Old City beside spools of white thread affixed to sewing machines. A painting of high priests performing an animal sacrifice beside the First Temple illustrates the function of the room.
The Daily Brief
1. Singer Opts for 'Black National Anthem' Over "Star- Spangled Banner" - FOX News
A jazz singer shocked some Denver residents after replacing the words to the national anthem with those of the "Black National Anthem" during the annual State of the City address this week.
Rene Marie was asked to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper delivered the annual address on Tuesday. Instead, she sang the lyrics of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" - a hymn commonly referred to as the "Black National Anthem" - to the tune of the national anthem, MyFOXColorado.com reported.
"If anyone has got a right to be angry it's probably me," Hickenlooper told the station. "I guess what I feel most is just deeply disappointed." The mayor said only Marie, her husband and a musical adviser knew what the local jazz singer had in mind.
· Stand in repentance for this action -- whatever the motive. Only God knows the heart, but we must uphold "God and country" . . . through prayer.
· "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)
2. Stocks Off $2.1 Trillion This Year - USA Today
Hurt by a record-setting run for crude oil and renewed concerns about the health of the banking sector, Wall Street ended a dismal second quarter Monday with blue-chip stocks on the cusp of their first bear market in almost six years.
After a 10.2% drop last month, its biggest June loss since the Great Depression, the Dow Jones industrial average is now at 11,350, or 19.9% below its October all-time high. The Dow is flirting with its first bear market - a drop of 20% or more -since the 2000-02 bursting of the Internet bubble.
· Father, You own it all. May America's financial communities know this and yield their lives and businesses to You. For Your glory, we pray that Wall Street, whose very presence was almost destroyed by the 9-11 tragedy, will remember that it was You who saved their lives and turn to You for help with the Stock Market recession. Please help America avoid another Stock Market Crash through a renewed devotion to You as their Lord. In Your Matchless Name we pray. Amen.
· "For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." (1 Peter 2: 25 NKJV)
3. Oil Making 'Overnight Millionaires' in North Dakota - Fox News
State and industry officials say North Dakota is on pace to set a state oil-production record this year, surpassing the 52.6 million barrels produced in 1984. A record number of drill rigs are piercing the prairie and North Dakota has nearly 4,000 active oil wells. The drilling frenzy has led companies to search for oil using horizontal drilling beneath Parshall, a town of about 980 in Mountrail County, and under Lake Sakakawea, 180-mile-long reservoir on the Missouri River. "I have heard, anecdotally, that there is a millionaire a day being created in North Dakota," said Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council.
· Yahweh Yireh, we know that You are the Lord who will provide for all of America's oil needs. We thank You that there is oil being found abundantly in North Dakota. This is an answer to our prayers for more oil sources being found in America. This Fall, may our White House and Congress be filled with those who will seek Your Face in their deliberations and know that You have provided for us, and want us to have all of the oil that we will ever need. In Your Glorious Name we pray. Amen.
· "Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the " goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.'" (Jeremiah 33: 9 NKJV)
4. Americans Are World's Top Drug Users: Study - AFP
Americans are the world's top consumers of cannabis and cocaine despite punitive US drug laws, according to an international study published in the online scientific magazine PLoS Medicine. The study, released Monday, revealed that 16.2 percent of Americans had tried cocaine at least once, and 42.4 percent had used marijuana. In second-place New Zealand, just 4.3 percent of study participants had used cocaine, and 41.9 percent marijuana.
The research was conducted at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, based on World Health Organization data from 54,068 people in 17 countries. Rates of participation differed from country to country, and researchers noted uncertainty over how honestly people report their own drug use.
· Jehovah-Ropheka -- The Lord our Healer, please destroy the drug-related demons who descended upon America in the 60's, and replace them with your reciprocal spirits who will administer to and heal those who have been hurt by this plague. Forgive us for turning our backs upon You as our true Leader. Because of this disobedience, America is being destroyed from within by paying our enemies for drugs to complete the death and destruction that they intend for us. Please save us so that we can finish strong as the nation that You founded and as the protector for Your chosen nation, Israel. In Your Name we pray. Amen.
· "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled." (Psalm 6: 2 NKJV)
5. Female U.S. Casualties More Common in Iraq War - CNSNews.com
More American servicewomen have been killed serving in Iraq than were killed serving in either Operation Desert Storm or in the Vietnam War, according to a Cybercast News Service database. So far, 97 American women with an average age of 27 years old; including seven single mothers, have died in Operation Iraqi Freedom. 58 of the female casualties (or nearly 60 percent) have been caused by hostile action, the analysis shows.
Defense Department reports indicate that 16 female service members died as the result of enemy fire in WW II. That means that the 58 U.S. servicewomen already killed by hostile action in Iraq equal almost four times the number of U.S. servicewomen killed by hostile action in all of World War II. Note: The U.S. Defense Department confirmed these figures in response to a Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA.)
Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness (CMR), said that the casualty figures reported for female service members in Iraq should be a major source of concern for policymakers on Capitol Hill. Existing rules have been "stretched, redefined, blurred and disregarded" without congressional authorization to the great detriment of female soldiers, Donnelly maintains. Defense Department officials and the U.S. Army in particular are violating current regulations that require combat battalions to be all male, she said.
· Gracious Father. You are the Commander of Heavenly Hosts. You understand warfare and how a God-fearing nation's army is required to protect its women and children. How much longer can our nation advocate to implement military rules that undermine its mission to protect its innocents and defenseless at home? We pray God, that these military gender/social experiments will end, and that our nation's defense forces will operate once more in the traditional way that our forefathers intended: Men only, charging first into battle, as the natural warriors and leaders that God created them to be. In Your Mighty Name we pray for these wrongs to be righted. Amen.
· May women everywhere especially take to heart the words of the Apostle Paul who said to follow Christ and not philosophy: "Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." (Colossians 2: 8 NKJV)
Valley Forge: Then and NOW
A Defining Moment For You And Your Children
In the winter of 1777, the Continental Army was encamped at Valley Forge. It was cold. Men were freezing, hungry, bloody, beaten and battle weary. The winter was particularly harsh. Threadbare and without food, the Continental Army experienced desertions, disease, despair and death. It was a grim picture for America as George Washington observed, "If the army does not get help soon, in all likelihood it will disband." As men drew upon their faith, as they contemplated their duty amid their misery, the weather began to break and they began to train. Clothing and food began to trickle in and the turning point for America was birthed out of the hearts of those men.
In July 1863, America was torn apart by civil war. Under the command of Robert E. Lee, the South attacked the North in a colossal battle at Gettysburg. Men fought in stifling heat. The smell of gunpowder, blood, sweat and death permeated the air above the screams of the wounded and sounds of death and destruction. Again, it was a grim picture for America. Nearly 50,000 Americans on both sides were killed, wounded or captured during the battle. This horror among brothers and countrymen was the turning point to a war that divided America and threatened to destroy the nation.
Today, America faces another defining moment. Islamists control the lifeblood of the American economy--oil. Anti-Americans, who hold a view counter to the founding principles of the United States, are trying once again to destroy the nation through killing its unborn, destroying its morals with homosexual marriage, by curtailing freedom of speech, and by pressuring Americans to give up their faith in God, give in to worship of the earth, and to become part of a new age one world order. The anti- Americans have tried to capture the country using political correctness as their moral high ground and by confusing the nation's moral fiber through teaching a pagan path to eternity.
This is a war more insidious than the Revolution or the Civil War for it is a war won or lost by the will of the souls it seeks to destroy. It is a war against captivity to an ideal that destroys the will of righteousness and questions acts of valor. And every American is a participant. Unless the righteous arise and take action our nation is lost. 2 Corinthians 4:8,9 says, "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." It is time that we draw upon the God in us to participate, motivate, activate and seize this nation from the impostors and traitors that the acts of great valor of those who went before us were not in vain.
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
http://www.dailyjot.com/
FOCUS YOUR PRAYERS ON THE BORDER
Dear Friends of Texas and Mexico,
Texas is joining New Mexico, Arizona, California and the nation of Mexico in focusing our prayers and supplications on the border this Friday, July 4, 2008. We have Christian leaders, pastors and intercessors from both sides of the border gathering together for prayer on that day. We invite Lord God Almighty to embrace the border of our lands and shift it into alignment with His will and kingdom. Join with us on the 4th (as we celebrate our nation's independence) in declaring our dependence on the Lord for all issues regarding the border.
PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO YOUR E-MAIL DATABASES.
Participating cities are:
1. Brownsville, Tx./Matamoros, Mx.
2. McAllen, Tx./Reynosa, Mx.
3. Rio Grande City, Tx./Camargo, Mx.
4. Roma, Tx./Cd. Miguel Aleman, Mx.
5. Falcon Hts., Tx/Cd. Nvo. Guerrero, Mx.
6. Laredo, Tx./Cd. Nvo. Laredo, Mx.
7. Eagle Pass, Tx./Piedras Negras, Mx.
8. Del Rio, Tx./Cd. Acuna, Mx.
8. Presidio, Tx./Ojinaga, Mx.
10. El Paso, Tx./Cd. Juarez, Mx.
1. Brownsville, Tx./Matamoros, Mx.
2. McAllen, Tx./Reynosa, Mx.
3. Rio Grande City, Tx./Camargo, Mx.
4. Roma, Tx./Cd. Miguel Aleman, Mx.
5. Falcon Hts., Tx/Cd. Nvo. Guerrero, Mx.
6. Laredo, Tx./Cd. Nvo. Laredo, Mx.
7. Eagle Pass, Tx./Piedras Negras, Mx.
8. Del Rio, Tx./Cd. Acuna, Mx.
8. Presidio, Tx./Ojinaga, Mx.
10. El Paso, Tx./Cd. Juarez, Mx.
FOCUS YOUR PRAYERS ON THE BORDER JULY 4, 2008
The Border Prayer Initiative:
Border Prayer and the Resolution toward Reconciliation between MEXICO and the UNITED STATES
The United States of America and Mexico are in turmoil over the border. Significant concerns include national security, drug trafficking and illegal immigration. Emotions are highly charged and continue to escalate. It is a source of national, political and social division. An answer must be found and it will require the wisdom of God.
Recently, apostolic Christian leaders of Mexicali, Mexico extended a gracious invitation to their U.S. counterparts in the bordering states of Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas to join with them along the border on July 4, 2008 asking God to bring His answer to this critical issue.
July 4th will be the 160th anniversary (completing four generations) of the proclamation of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848, which primarily defined the current U.S./Mexican border. Christian leaders will affirm the mutual value spelled out in this treaty document, signed by the Presidents of both Mexico and the USA, which establishes a good neighbor policy between these two great nations. It is the intention of The Border Prayer Initiative to confirm this neighbor to neighbor rapport that the treaty set forth under the "protection of Almighty God."
SCRIPTURAL PRAYER POINTS:
We recognize the hand of God in the letter of invitation by the Apostolic Council of Mexicali dated March 10, 2008. The letter acknowledges the 160th anniversary of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848, ratified "to establish upon a solid basis relations of peace and friendship, which shall confer reciprocal benefits upon the citizens of both, and assure the concord, harmony, and mutual confidence wherein the two people should live as good neighbors." The letter from the Mexicali Council also states in part:
"The border problems have grown in this last years because of the illegal immigrations, drugs traffic, water issues and many others. We know that if the Body of Christ and especially the churches that are on both sides of the border will pray in one accord for the healing of these relations and that the Lord will guide our governments to find solutions to all the problems that the border has, we can advance His Kingdom, because in His Kingdom there are no borders."
In agreement, we join the call for prayer and reconciliation among the Christian leaders in Mexico and the United States. Below we offer initial scriptural passages for guiding prayer in preparation of The Border Prayer Initiative:
We recognize the hand of God in the letter of invitation by the Apostolic Council of Mexicali dated March 10, 2008. The letter acknowledges the 160th anniversary of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo of 1848, ratified "to establish upon a solid basis relations of peace and friendship, which shall confer reciprocal benefits upon the citizens of both, and assure the concord, harmony, and mutual confidence wherein the two people should live as good neighbors." The letter from the Mexicali Council also states in part:
"The border problems have grown in this last years because of the illegal immigrations, drugs traffic, water issues and many others. We know that if the Body of Christ and especially the churches that are on both sides of the border will pray in one accord for the healing of these relations and that the Lord will guide our governments to find solutions to all the problems that the border has, we can advance His Kingdom, because in His Kingdom there are no borders."
In agreement, we join the call for prayer and reconciliation among the Christian leaders in Mexico and the United States. Below we offer initial scriptural passages for guiding prayer in preparation of The Border Prayer Initiative:
Part One: WE ASK FOR THE WISDOM OF GOD . . .
We assemble not for the collective wisdom of man - proven insufficient for this great matter - but to join together to hear from the Lord and receive His wisdom. If we ask, together we will better discern the Lord's wisdom on the border issues. It must begin with a humble response to God's call upon us. God will give forth the answer to this matter to those who can make a difference.
1) We ask as King Solomon did for the wisdom of God, to have "an understanding heart," to "discern between good and evil," for "discernment to understand justice." (1 Kings 3)
2) "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given him." (James 1:5)
3) "And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the sprit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear; but with righteousness He will judge. . ." (Isaiah 11:2-4.)
4) "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy." (James 3:17)
5) "In order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in high places." (Eph. 3:10)
Part Two: WE ASK FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND A SPIRIT OF RECONCILIATION
We recognize that the historical context of the border issues includes conflict, broken covenants, dishonest financial gain, abuse, offenses and misunderstanding involving millions of people for more than 150 years. Even so, it is the glory of God when His people can come together in love, forgiveness and reconciliation.
1) The Lord, as affirmed in the Treaty, calls for the people of Mexico and the USA to love each other as neighbors. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40)
2) The Church crosses political and geographic boundaries. This does not mean that there is not a very real and important value in national destiny and sovereignty with our borders. However, the Church crosses national boundaries and is to be an answer to Jesus' prayer "that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that You did send Me." (John 17:21)
3) We are to be ambassadors of reconciliation. "Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:18-20)
Part Three: ADDITIONAL PRAYER POINTS . . .
1) Pray for God's favor in mobilizing the Church of Mexico and the USA. Pray for open communications to connect the Church regarding this border prayer and reconciliation initiative.
2) Pray for protection over each representative of Mexico and the USA that participates in this process, their families and ministries, their health and provision, especially for their integrity, walk with God and preparation of heart.
3) Pray for pure hearts to receive God's wisdom and proper alignment of humble leadership toward deep and meaningful reconciliation that will impact both nations and honor God.
4) Pray for "houses of prayer" to be established at key border locations, that intercessory 'gatekeepers' and 'watchmen on the wall' will be raised up along the border. There are about 22 twin cities with 35 ports of entry along the nearly 2,000 miles of border, which involve six Mexican and four U.S. bordering states.
We submit this in humble service to the King,
Hal H. Sacks
Founder, BridgeBuilders Leadership Network, International
Jon McHatton
Arizona State Capitol Legislative Chaplain
Guy Chadwick
State Director of Arizona Call to Prayer
Pastor Tom Schlueter
Prince of Peace Church
· Capitol Hill Prayer Partners encourages ALL OF YOU to take time on Friday, July 4, 2008, to pray in agreement with our brothers and sisters in Christ, on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. And please, too, spread this call to prayer FAR AND WIDE. Praise God!
· "For the eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer." (I Peter 3:12 NAS)
