In This Issue• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• The First 100 Days
• Special Prayer Request
• Saudi Sympathizer Bites The Dust
• Defending the Indefensible
• Reclaim the Darkness
• Good News Corner
Greetings!
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief - Thursday, March 12, 2009
"For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." (Psalm 50:10)
The Daily Brief
1. Rising Military Threat Behind US - China Tensions - Newsmax
China's weekend scrap with a U.S. Navy surveillance ship is drawing attention to a new submarine base that Beijing is using to strengthen its hold over the strategically vital South China Sea.
For the second day running, the Foreign Ministry in Beijing fired back Wednesday at U.S. complaints over what the Pentagon called harassment of the U.S. Navy mapping ship by Chinese boats in international waters about 75 miles (120 kilometers) off its southern island province of Hainan
* Father, we thank You for bringing hidden secrets to light, and ask that You mightily stop any Chinese military action that could cause death and destruction in the South China Sea.
*"I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken from it. God does it that men should fear before Him." (Eccl 3:14)
2. Iran says capitalism on verge of collapse - Ynet News
At start of 10-nation Economic Cooperation Organization summit including Turkey, Pakistan, Iranian President Ahmadinejad says 'liberal economy, free market have failed' and suggests that a 'single currency' be used between group's members.
* Lord, we stand against the curses of this man, and break them from us in the name of Jesus. We ask that You raise up the standard against this man, and foil his wicked schemes.
*"The righteous God wisely considers the house of the wicked, overthrowing the wicked for their wickedness." (Proverbs 21:12)
3. U.S. loosens restrictions regarding Cuba - CNN
The $410 billion budget President Obama signed Wednesday will make it easier for U.S. residents to travel to Cuba and to send money to family members on the island. It also could facilitate the sale of agricultural and pharmaceutical products to Cuba.
* Father, as we can rejoice that our Cuban-American citizens will have more freedom to visit and help their families, we ask that caution be used in the facilitation of these new regulations. Lord, may this accomplish a good purpose for America, and not an avenue for illegal activity.
*"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts." (Proverbs 21:2)
4. Somalia one step nearer to Sharia law - Jerusalem Post
Somalia's new government has approved the adoption of Sharia or Islamic law as the official legal system for the Horn of Africa nation. The measure still needs to be ratified by the country's parliament.
* Father, we humbly ask that you block this move by Somalia to adopt Sharia Law. We pray for the countless numbers of Christians, women, and children in that nation who will be seriously affected by this action.
*"Defend the poor and the fatherless, deliver the poor and needy; free them from the hand of the wicked." (Psalm 82:3,4)
5. 'Undeclared War' on Mexican Border Greater Challenge than Afghanistan, Congressmen Say - CNS News
The violence along the U.S.-Mexico border is the biggest threat to the nation's security, members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security said at back-to-back hearings on Tuesday.
* Father, as the violence spills over onto American soil, and American lives are at risk, we ask that You rise up to protect us. We pray that the Mexican government will prevail in the fight against the drug cartels, and that our nation's leaders will not ignore this danger.
*"But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in You." (Psalm 55:23)
6. A) John Murtha's Earmark Factory: University Alleged 'Front' to Disperse Federal Funds - NewsMax
Rep. John P. Murtha's share of the earmark pie this year was actually modest for him: just $75 million in the $410 billion spending bill passed this week. But now allegations are arising that a research center has been used by the Pennsylvania Democrat to funnel money to defense contractors that have richly rewarded his campaign coffers.
B) Obama Defends Earmarks --Then Signs $410 Billion Bill Behind Closed Doors - CNS News
President Barack Obama, sounding weary of criticism over federal earmarks, defended Congress' pet projects Wednesday as he signed an "imperfect" $410 billion measure with thousands of examples.
C) Key Democrat Prepares for Another Possible Stimulus Package - Fox News
Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., said Wednesday he has directed committee staffers to begin "preparing options" and ideas if another bill to revive the ailing economy becomes necessary.
* Father, rather than acting on promises of free money to whoever wants it, we ask that You would intervene in the hearts and minds of our leaders to bring Heavenly Wisdom! We ask for a halt to the spending, and Your direction that will bring jobs, hope, and freedom back to the people.
*"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"Thus says the Lord GOD; I am not doing this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for My holy name's sake, which you profaned among the gentiles, where you went. And I will sanctify My great name . . . and the gentiles shall know that I am LORD, says the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you [Israel] before their eyes." (Ezekiel 36:22-33)
1. US intel chief: It will be difficult to stop Iran - Jerusalem Post
It would be difficult to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and hard to tell which combination of carrots and sticks might convince Iran's leaders to abandon that goal, the US Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair, told the Senate Tuesday.
2. PA gov't must take Quartet benchmarks' - Jerusalem Post
A Palestinian unity government that does not recognize Israel, renounce terrorism or accept previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements is one the US will not be able to accept, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made clear during her visit to the region last week.
3. 'Israel lobby' blamed for resignation of US intelligence chief - London Times
The withdrawal of a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia from his new post as chairman of the National Intelligence Council has ignited a debate in Washington over whether the "Israel lobby'" is exercising too much influence over who serves in the Obama administration.
The First 100 Days
DAY 52
"The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases." (Proverbs 21:1)
1. White House Goals for Afghanistan to Include Greater Role for Pakistan
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration expects to announce new objectives for the flagging war in Afghanistan as soon as next week that place an onus on next-door Pakistan to contain extremism, defense and administration officials said Thursday.
2. GOP Senators Want Obama to Reconsider Iraq Envoy Pick
WASHINGTON -- At least three Republican senators have said that President Obama should reconsider his pick to become the next U.S. ambassador to Iraq, dimming the chances that Christopher Hill could be confirmed.
3. Obama Extends Sanctions Against Iran for Another Year
The United States fears that Iran's nuclear program is a cover to build atomic weapons although Tehran says it is enriching uranium to produce nuclear energy for civilian purposes.
4. Obama Considers Request to Deploy Troops to Mexican Border
President Obama tells reporters it is 'unacceptable if you've got drug gangs crossing our borders and killing U.S. citizens'.
President Obama is considering whether to grant emergency requests for National Guard troops along the U.S.-Mexico border, as drug-related violence spirals out of control in the country's southern neighbor.
5. Lawmakers Dodge Chance to End Automatic Pay Raises
Congress' automatic pay raises are in little immediate danger of being scrapped for good, even with the economy slumping and millions of Americans unemployed.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday would not commit to holding a vote on a bill to do away with the annual cost-of-living increases. She pointed out that Congress recognized the economic crisis by voting this week to skip next year's raise.
6. Texas Governor to Obama: Keep the Stimulus Change
Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday rejected $555 million in federal stimulus money that would expand state unemployment benefits, saying the requirements attached require a change in the state's definition of unemployment. (All articles from Fox News)
Special Prayer Request
Maryville Shooting Victim: Special Prayer Request
Early last Sunday morning, the nation witnessed in horror the tragic death of Pastor Fred Winters of the First Baptist Church of Maryville, Illinois, when a lone gunman entered the church and began shooting. The gunman, since identified as Terry Sedlacek, killed the pastor and injured several others before being subdued by two members of the congregation, until the police could arrive.
Today, one of those parishioners, Terry Bullard, is still in the hospital, and in critical condition. Here is a first-hand account of his situation, submitted by one of our Prayer Partners in Illinois:
"I talked to the aunt of Terry Bullard who works at our office this morning. His recovery is truly in need of prayer. The surgery right after he got knifed in trying to subdue the shooter was extensive . . . so multiple stitches were required.
Yesterday they took him back in to surgery when he was bleeding . . . and even finding where to help him is complicated due to the many layers of wounds. What we didn't know until today was that a lung was also punctured by the knife."
"It looks like he will have a long road ahead of him to heal completely. His family also needs privacy . . .and comfort!"
Please join us in continuing to lift up prayers for the complete healing and recovery of Terry Bullard, and for unusual wisdom for the medical team that is taking care of him. Due to his heroic actions, many more lives were spared that day. Thank you.
• "He sent forth His Word and healed them, and delivered them from all their destructions." (Psalm 107:20)
Saudi Sympathizer Bites The Dust
Good News! Saudi Sympathizer Bites The Dust
Barack Obama has lost yet another one of his top nominees, and this one is a real cause for celebration for anyone who cares about our national security. Charles W. Freeman withdrew his name from consideration to head the National Intelligence Council, the government body that prepares U.S. intelligence estimates. Freeman called it quits after his ties with Saudi Arabia and communist China became public.
Freeman had led the Middle East Policy Council, a Saudi-funded, anti-Israel so-called "think tank." He had publicly blamed our alliance with Israel as the cause of the 9/11 attacks. He also defended China after the Tianamen Square massacre of pro- democracy dissidents in 1989, suggesting that the Chinese communists were guilty only of "overly cautious behavior."
And this is the man our president thought would be ideally suited to handling the most sensitive intelligence analysis done in the federal government!
I'm proud to tell you that we did everything we could to expose his anti-Israel record and his "love affair" with the Saudi royal family and other despotic regimes. I have talked with many members of Congress about this nomination. Republicans in Congress stepped up and opposed him, as did some prominent Democrats.
Today we celebrate the fact that Freeman will not take this sensitive post at a time when our country faces grave dangers. Now, if we can just get the president to wake up and confront them! (Gary Bauer; End-of-Day; March 11, 2009)
Defending the Indefensible
Religious liberals who supported Barack Obama by insisting that he would find "common ground" on social issues are now trying to defend a growing list of personnel and policy decisions that advance a radical pro-abortion agenda. Doug Kmiec, a prominent Catholic who served as the legal counsel for Presidents Reagan and Bush, has been an outspoken Obama apologist. In an email exchange with Dan Gilgoff of U.S. News and World Report, Kmiec defended the President's sprint to the Left on key issues of life and even attempted to paint abortion extremist Kathleen Sebelius, the HHS Secretary- designate, as an ally in protecting the unborn.
On Sebelius, whose positions include support for late- term abortions, Kmiec gushes,
"I believe she is a highly capable administrator . . . who fully believes in the protection of human life at all stages." All stages, it seems, except the first, second, and third trimesters. Kmiec even tries to justify the President's decision to reverse the Mexico City Policy by suggesting that without funding international abortionists, there would be no health care in developing countries.
In his pre-election op-ed "Reaganites for Obama," Kmiec made a telling statement, "Beyond life issues, [a] Democrat like Obama is a Catholic natural." Beyond life issues? Is there anything more fundamental to Christianity, the American family, or global civilization than the basic right to life? Kmiec may try to sell the church on this a la carte approach but he loses any credibility in the process. Positions may evolve over time, but the truth does not. (Family Research Council)
Reclaim the Darkness
Reclaim the Darkness with the Light of Repentance, Prayer and Action
The Vice President of the United States is saying that America is losing the war in Afghanistan. The White House has out right rejected that two recent bloody attacks in Iraq were the result of the President announcing a timetable to pull troops out of Iraq by next year. The President has already reversed US policies that prevented sending taxpayer money to overseas abortion mills and opening up government funding of embryonic stem cell research-even though research to date has proven that embryonic stem cells actually reverse healing processes. The President and Congress have begun the task of taking increased government ownership in key industries, bringing America into the threshold of socialism.
There are more and more examples of how this gaggle of politicians are reversing the economic and moral underpinnings of traditional American society or accelerating them with newfound initiatives and policies. The rush to reverse, in some cases such as private enterprise, centuries-old practices of the American system has been so swift that the new overload of commentary is difficult to digest. Its as if there is an attack on all fronts of what was known to be American and Christian. And the attack is happening so swiftly that nobody has time to understand the short and long term implications of just one policy change, let alone dozens.
Christian Americans must come to the understanding that our nation is being scuttled, gutted, pillaged and ravaged both morally and economically by some of the most scurrilous men and women the nation has ever known. These first 100 days of 2009 will go down in history as the time when America was lost as a worldwide power. The nation is being set up for extremely dark times that will seem less dark later this year because of a possible bump up in the economy, but it will likely be followed by another steep decline. While many Christian leaders are decrying the immoral actions of these treasonous politicians and businessmen, it falls on deaf ears because this is exactly what Americans voted into office.
The policies of this government are precisely what the leaders that were voted into office said they would do. While they may be liars and cheats, they did not lie about changing America because that is exactly what they are doing. This is a clear signal that the Church in America must wake up, quit tolerating the world and stand instead for the Word. The righteous among America must stand and present a clear alternative to combat this present darkness. Ephesians 6:12 says, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." It starts with repentance and prayer, then action.
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com
Good News Corner
Quotes from Ronald Reagan (Part Two)
Remember this guy . . . We may never see another like him.
Every phrase below is a gem!
5. "I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress."
6. "The taxpayer: That's someone who works for the federal government but doesn't have to take the civil service examination."
7. "Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other."
8. "The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program."
(Tomorrow: Part Three)
