In This Issue• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• GOP Reacts to Health Care Plan
• URGENT!! Hate Crime Vote Now Imminent!!
• The Daily Jot (TAKE ACTION!)
• Repentance: Step Seven
• The Good News Corner
Greetings!
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The Daily Brief - Thursday, July 16, 2009
"For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; He will save us." (Isaiah 33:22)
The Daily Brief
1. URGENT!! Senate Takes up Hate Crimes Bill Covering Gays - NewsMax
Legislation to extend federal hate crimes protections to gays and the disabled reached the Senate floor Wednesday with the best prospects in years to become law.
• PRAISE GOD THAT HE IS IN CONTROL, AND THAT HIS GOVERNMENT RULES OVER ALL -- INCLUDING THE HEARTS OF THOSE WHO SERVE IN THE UNITED STATES SENATE. Do not panic, but take action NOW to let your voices be heard. See article below for more details on this news. Pray!
• "On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume right and left all the surrounding peoples, but Jerusalem [God's people] will remain intact in her place. . . On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them." (Zech. 12:6,8)
2. Sotomayor Faces Final Day of Questioning - Fox News
Supreme Court nominee returns for a third and final day of questioning Thursday, having avoided saying much on a range of hot-button issues, including guns and abortion.
• Recently President Obama extolled the attributes of his Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor as having EMPATHY, which in his mind was the most desirable virtue in a judge. This is, of course, against the Biblical definition of judgment as described: "Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor." (Leviticus 19:15) Pray that NO VOTE be taken on this nomination this week, until the Senate can hear the full counsel of the LORD in this critical matter. Pray!
• "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed." (Ecclesiastes 3:17)
• PRAYER POINT TWO: Offer praise for the young intercessors who have been travailing, 24/7, over the past several years to see an "overturning" in the Supreme Court, so that righteous judges will be seated. Call forth the fruit of their work NOW, in Jesus' Name! May THIS be the day that the vials of the prayers, in heaven, be tipped over our nation, unto righteousness!
• "And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints." (Rev. 5:8)
3. House Dems Move to Votes on Health Bill - AP
Three committees with jurisdiction over the issue shift into action, even as Blue Dogs balk at the cost.
House Democrats are preparing to advance legislation that would deliver on President Barack Obama's promise to remake the nation's costly health care system and cover some 50 million uninsured by taxing and penalizing the wealthy and employers.
On the heels of the Senate health committee's approval Wednesday of a plan to revamp U.S. health care, three House committees with jurisdiction over the issue were shifting into action.
Votes were planned Thursday in the Education and Labor and Ways and Means committees on a $1.5 trillion plan that majority House Democrats presented this week. The legislation seeks to provide coverage to nearly all Americans by subsidizing the poor and penalizing individuals and employers who don't purchase health insurance.
A third House committee, Energy and Commerce, also was considering the measure Thursday, but the road was expected to be rougher there. A group of fiscally conservative House Democrats called the Blue Dogs holds more than half-a-dozen seats on the committee -- enough to block approval -- and is opposing the bill over costs and other issues.
• As intercessors pray on the Hill today, ask our Lord to strengthen their hands, and to grace each one with "wisdom from above" that they might hear the strategies of heaven to block a health care plan that goes against His will. Pray!
• "He will strengthen the hands of those who turn the battle at the gate." (Isaiah 28:6)
4. Al Qaeda No. 2: U.S. a Grave Threat to Pakistan - Fox News
Al Qaeda's No. 2 leader warned the Pakistani people in a new audio message that the U.S. interference in their country's affairs poses a grave danger to Pakistan's future and very existence.
• Please pray, as true "help" is only from God, for the people of Pakistan, that they would not listen to wicked reports heading toward more destruction, but that they would be hungry for the truth that would set them free. Ask that those that are hell bent on violence and terror would begin to understand that they are reaping exactly what they are sowing and have every right to fear. Pray that The United States of America can maintain integrity, and continue to reward good while punishing evil.
• "The evil will bow before the good, And the wicked at the gates of the righteous." (Proverbs 14:19)
5. 'Germany believes Iran could have nuclear bomb within 6 months' - Ha'aretz
Iran is capable of assembling an atomic bomb within six months, German intelligence analysts told the German weekly newsmagazine Stern.
• Continue to pray for all news coming out of Iran in these days. Once again, God is in control, but He is looking for one who will stand in the gap, in repentance, for the sins of our land, lest an enemy come in to destroy us. Pray!
• "I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap . . " (Ezek. 22:30)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"O do not remember against us the iniquities and guilt of our forefathers! Let Your compassion and tender mercy speedily come to meet us, for we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name! Deliver us, forgive us, and purge away our sins for Your name's sake." (Psalm 79:8,9)
1. Israeli Warships in Suez Canal a Signal to Iran? - Fox News
Two Israeli warships reportedly sailed through the Suez Canal on Tuesday, ten days after a submarine believed to be nuclear-armed made the crossing.
2. 'West may back Iran strike in return for peace concessions' - Jeruslaem Post
A deal taking shape between Israel and Western leaders will facilitate international support for an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities in exchange for concessions in peace negotiations with the Palestinians and Arab neighbors, The Times reported Thursday.
3. Clinton doesn't rule out compromise with Israel on construction - Ynet News
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did not rule out the possibility of a US-Israeli compromise that will allow the construction of several thousand housing units to be completed in a number of West Bank settlements.
4. Iron Dome system successful in tests - Jerusalem Post
The Iron Dome missile defense system successfully intercepted a number of rockets that mimicked Kassam and short-range Grad-model Katyusha rockets in a series of tests the Defense Ministry conducted this week.
5. IDF: Hizbullah hiding rockets in homes - Jeruslaem Post
A day after an explosion uncovered a hidden Hizbullah arms cache in southern Lebanon, the IDF's Northern Command estimated that the group had turned hundreds of homes in the area into warehouses to store short- and medium-range Katyusha rockets.
GOP Reacts to Health Care Plan
GOP Men and Women Act for Taxpayers on Women and the Unborn
On Tuesday, a strong group of Republican House members held a press conference on Capitol Hill to draw attention to the threat that health care reform will force American taxpayers to pay for abortions against their wishes. The Republican speakers included Reps. Mary Falin of Oklahoma, Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, and Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania, who all reacted to the clear message of the recent votes in the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, where every meaningful attempt to protect the nation's longstanding pro-life laws was voted down. One after another, Senate Democrats "helped" themselves to taxpayer funding of abortion on demand as the committee launched its march to enact the Obama national health scheme.
With the unveiling of the House Democrats' ultra-expensive proposal ($1 trillion in new spending at a bare minimum) yesterday, the stage is set for an Obama blitz to enact nationalized health care before the Congress takes its summer recess early next month. As Rep. Foxx emphasized, "Millions and millions of American women have profound moral qualms about the killing of unborn children by abortion[.]" Rep. Pitts added that it's clear if abortion is not explicitly excluded, the Democratic plan intends to include it, most likely by a bureaucratic maneuver. I commend all the House Republicans who spoke out yesterday, as well as the 19 House Democrats who signed a letter to Speaker Pelosi on June 25th insisting that abortion be explicitly excluded. This is real bipartisanship on a critical issue. (Family Research Council)
URGENT!! Hate Crime Vote Now Imminent!!
Reid pulling end run on Hate Crimes vote
Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel
Harry Reid is sneaking the anti-faith Hate Crimes bill through the Senate - and now it can come to a vote as early as tonight! See my urgent message below. - Mat
The long battle against 2009's version of the Hate Crimes Law has come to a crucial hour! My sources inside the Senate tell me that this morning Harry Reid officially attached it as an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act and "filed cloture."
That's legislative jargon meaning there could be a vote on the bill as early as tomorrow night. Reid used every ploy in the book to keep any other Senator from adding amendments or modifying the Hate Crimes content. Reid's "fix" is in!
This is an outrageous manipulation of Senate rules for just one purpose - to keep the unneeded, indefensible Hate Crimes Law from getting a full and fair hearing!
Now Senators are being forced to make a choice between approving a vital defense spending bill and voting against the dangerous Hate Crimes amendment.
Even worse, Reid is using the cover of Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court confirmation hearings in hopes that grassroots Americans like you will not take notice!
I feel citizens like you - who know just how dangerous this so-called Hate Crimes legislation really is - have forced the Senate Majority Leader to take this low path to deliver his political prize to the homosexual community.
In essence, Majority Leader Reid is sneaking this bill through as an amendment because he knows opposition is growing fast and he fears the bill could not survive on its own. Just yesterday, alert citizens like you delivered over 15,000 faxes to Senate leaders!
this battle has come to a pivotal junction! We've already done so much to stop this dangerous bill, but now I need your help once again --
I need you to call your senators right now - even if you've already done so one, two, or even three times before! Tell them you oppose the Hate Crimes amendment that is being cynically smuggled through the Senate this week.
Together, we can stop this end run, but only if enough concerned Americans stand up and fight!
Talking Points:
1. I am very disappointed that the Senate is fast-tracking the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 (S. 909) by attaching it as an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act.
2. This Hate Crimes legislation is so controversial that it must be considered as a stand-alone bill, not rushed as an amendment.
3. I oppose the Hate Crimes Prevention Act and urge you to oppose it as well. It is an attack on faith and family while granting special rights based on "sexual orientation" and "gender identity," terms which are not even clearly defined in the bill.
We've come to the climax of this long, hard struggle. Please take time today to pray that God will cause the tide to turn against the Hate Crimes Law, no matter what underhanded tactics Harry Reid and his cronies employ.
And please... take action today!
Thanks in advance!
Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel
The Daily Jot (TAKE ACTION!)
The Nation Is Falling Apart--What to do
--Start A Spiritual Revolution!!
Editor's Comment:
Today's Daily Jot is a CALL TO ACTION!
You have just read Mat Staver's plea for help in confronting the Hate Crime vote now pending in the Senate. Please read this Daily Jot and let THIS plea be your focus point for action for today.
Many Jot subscribers have been hit hard by the last several messages that outline what has happened to our nation, and pointing the finger at the Christian Church as being part of the problem rather than the solution. Frustrated, they say they are writing letters, making phone calls, praying and quite frankly, "What do you want us to do?" Believe me, I share your frustrations because the letter writing and phone calls to elected officials is not working--they do not listen. And for those of you who cannot get out of the house, we need your efforts in this type of prayer and action to continue. Do not get discouraged. God sees your efforts to occupy.
For the rest of us, we need to be more aggressive. The Daily Jot is written so that you can use it to inform others about the current events from a Biblical worldview. We, as the Light and Salt to this world, must be vocal and firm in our understanding of our Commission in Mark 16:15 to "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." We can preach the gospel by using news events as ways to discuss a Christian world view to others. By speaking boldly to the issues of the day to anybody who will listen, we can create a Spiritual Revolution. We should be converting people to our way of thinking. This will change things.
An example is my friends Val and Jano. They have a full life of kids, jobs, commitments and church. But there is a threat to their community and to their country in that the Saudi Arabian government wants to expand its Sharia law campus in Fairfax, Virginia. The school's valedictorians have gone on to be terrorists. The school shouldn't even be allowed to exist let alone expand. Val and Jano expressed their opinion to everybody they knew. They used every platform they could--dinner gatherings, car pools, you name it--to let people know about this Islamic terrorist training center, and to get people to attend a hearing to stand against its expansion.
Val reports back: "Overall, I think the hearing went well. We definitely outnumbered those in support of the school. That was very encouraging. Many people spoke of their concerns, some focusing on land use and safety issues with Popes Head. Rd., and others on terrorist ties, shariah, etc...I met some great Americans that night!" She concluded her report with: "We cannot back down now! We have to turn up the heat even more!" Val and Jano prayed, acted, and were passionate about this to everyone they knew. And it made a difference. This is the type of dedication we need to change the current state of our nation. Pick a subject, get loud about it, and take aggressive action. Start a Spiritual Revolution!
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com
Repentance: Step Seven
"PREPARING OUR HEARTS TO ENTER IN"
Ten steps of Repentance, Redirection and Renewal in Christ
Step Seven: CLEANSE YOUR PAST
Make restitution where it is necessary or possible. I say make it where "necessary or possible" because sometimes it is not possible. There are things beyond your recall. Do no sped time in useless worrying over a past you cannot change. He forgives; let that suffice. He wipes it from his "book of remembrance." Bury it all at the foot of the Cross, and put "No Resurrection" over it. The past is buried. Even those continuing effects He can help you counteract and cancel, by starting new redemptive influences. He restores the years which the caterpillar and the locusts have eaten.
Some things it is not necessary to bring up. If more harm than good comes from bringing things up, let them rest, especially if they involve others. Do not develop back-looking conscience, morbidly mourning over the past instead of bravely facing the present and the future in His name.
"O Christ, Thou hast forgiven that past, and where Thy forgiveness is, there can be no infection. But show me if there is left anything for me to do in righting that past ere we go on together. For I want no open wounds, anywhere. Amen.
Today's teaching is drawn from a book by E. Stanley Jones, The Way, published in 1956 by Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, New York, p. 78.
The Good News Corner
Appeals Court Upholds Illinois Parental-Notification Law
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld Illinois' parental-notification law as constitutional. The law had been on hold since it passed in 1995.
In the decision, Judge Richard D. Cudahy wrote the law is "a permissible attempt to help a young woman make an informed choice about whether to have an abortion."
Pro-life advocates have been waiting a long time for this kind of law.
"Since Roe v. Wade, minors have not been protected under Illinois law," said Mailee Smith, staff counsel with Americans United for Life.
She noted that Tuesday's decision is likely to be appealed. (CitizenLink)
