In This Issue• Today's Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• Obama Pushes "Reconciliation"
• D.C. Ties the Knot
• The Good News Corner
• Worship With Us!
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The Daily Brief - Thursday, March 4, 2010
O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: tremble before him, all the earth. (Psalm 96:9)
Today's Daily Brief
1. Al Qaeda's Pakistan Lair Captured - ABC News
In what is being hailed as a major victory against al Qaeda and its allies, Pakistani forces announced the capture of caves described as the nerve centre of militant activity on the Afghan-Pakistan border.
- Lord, we rejoice at this step toward overcoming the Al-Qaeda threat. We ask that You reveal the location of all terrorist hideouts and break their power over the people world-wide.
- You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever. ( Psalm 9:5)
2. a) Dem Dozen Threatens to Bail on Health Care Over Abortion Language - Fox News
Democratic Rep. Bart Stupak says he's counted 11 lawmakers plus himself willing to kill President Obama's health care overhaul over abortion language.
Stupak, of Michigan, sponsored a provision in the House of Representative's health care bill that passed last fall that clearly prohibits the use of federal money to pay for abortions. That language did not make it into the Senate bill, the model Obama is using to craft the plan he is expected to send to Congress shortly.
b) Obama Demands 'Up-or-Down' Vote on Healthcare - AP
President Barack Obama urged Congress Wednesday to vote "up or down" on sweeping healthcare legislation in the next few weeks, endorsing a plan that denies Senate Republicans the right to kill the bill by stalling with a filibuster.
- Lord, we bind the spirit of witchcraft that controls our leadership from the top on down. We Loose Your Holy Spirit and wisdom over America to bring truth and freedom from the demand for socialized medicine. We especially take authority over the spirit of Molech, who continually seeks to kill our children. We stand firmly against it with the Blood of Jesus.
- Assuredly I say to you, whatever you bind on the earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:18)
3. Levin to Chair Tax-Writing Ways and Means Panel -AP
Rep. Sander Levin of Michigan will take over as acting chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told rank-and-file Democrats at a closed-door meeting Thursday that Levin would replace New York Rep. Charles B. Rangel. Rangel relinquished his chairmanship Wednesday in the wake of ethic inquiries. Levin told reporters: "I think you know my close relationship with Charlie. At this point I'm acting chairman."
- Pray that the Lord will touch Rep. Levin with His truth. And rejoice that the original choice, Rep. Stark, an extreme liberal with dangerous views, was removed.
- Make me understand Your precepts; so I shall meditate on Your wonderful works. (Psalm 119:27)
4. Lieberman, Democrats Push Ending Ban on Gays in Military - AFP
Calling the ban on gays openly serving in the U.S. military inconsistent with our most important national values, Sen. Joseph Lieberman and Democrats are pushing to revoke the law. But supporters of the ban say ending it while the country is fighting two foreign wars will sap morale and embroil troops in the nation s culture wars.
- Lord, we are continually grieved at the gay agenda s attempts to move their battleground into the military. We ask that You will find a way to protect our troops from demoralizing situations that create distractions from their missions.
- He shall send form heaven and save me; He reproaches the one who would swallow me up. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth. (Psalm 57:3)
5. D.C. issues first gay-marriage licenses - Washington Times
The District of Columbia on Wednesday began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, following a last-minute U.S. Supreme Court decision not to address the issue.
- Father, our nation s capitol is covered in Scripture, from the Supreme Court Building to the monuments throughout. You have said that You honor Your Word above Your Name, so we ask now that You rise up and honor the Scriptures etched in our history and stop the gay movement and all other sin in its tracks. We thank you for a fresh move of saved souls, a wave of salvation to flood our nation s Capitol!
- Says the Lord of Hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. (Zechariah 3:9c)
6. Administration Pushes for Wall Street Regulations - AP
The Obama administration waded into negotiations over Wall Street regulations Wednesday, calling for limits on the size of financial institutions and insisting that consumer protections remain a central objective of legislative attempts to rein in the industry.
- Lord, thus far, every good-sounding legislation proposed by this administration has brought with it deep financial problems for the American people and our way of life. We ask that all attempts to destroy capitalism by this administration be stopped, and that wisdom will prevail over these proposed restrictions on Wall Street.
- Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom and in all your getting, get understanding (Proverbs 4:5,7)
7. Starbucks Sticks to Gun Rights Policy at Stores - AP
Coffee chain Starbucks Corp. is sticking to its policy of letting customers carry guns where it's legal and said it does not want to be put in the middle of a larger gun-control debate.
The company's statement, issued Wednesday, stems from recent campaign by some gun owners, who have walked into Starbucks and other businesses to test state laws that allow gun owners to carry weapons openly in public places. Gun control advocates have protested.
- Lord, we rejoice that this normally liberal business has taken a stand for individual freedom. We ask that You help Starbucks stand firm and not be pressured to take an action which will create legal disasters across America. We also ask that the gun owners will use wisdom in the exercise of their legal rights.
- And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts. (Psalm 119:45)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
- You, O God, sent plentiful rain, whereby You did establish Your inheritance, when it was weary. (Psalms 68:9)
1. Arab League backs indirect talks - Jerusalem Post
Arab nations gave the green light Wednesday for Palestinians to enter indirect negotiations with Israel for a preliminary four-month period, a decision that likely breaks the months-long deadlock over resuming Mideast peace talks.
2. Officials bypass Netanyahu to plan Peres-Abbas meeting - Ha'aretz
Talks have recently been underway to arrange a summit meeting in Rome this April between President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The talks have reportedly been carried out without the involvement or even the knowledge of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom Abbas has persistently refused to meet.
3. 'Israel Apartheid Week' events commence - Ynet News
Events marking "Israel Apartheid Week" have commenced on campuses all over the world, including in Canada, and to a lesser extent in the United States.
Obama Pushes "Reconciliation"
Health Care "End Game" Press Using Reconciliation
Barack Obama made a final plea this afternoon and urged an "up or down" vote to end a "long and wrenching debate."
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) said today that Democrats are forging ahead with their plan to pass healthcare reform through the 51-vote reconciliation procedure. Harkin made the comments after a meeting of Senate Democratic leaders, and on the same day President Obama called for an "up or down vote" on his healthcare proposal.
Obama sent a letter to Congress yesterday saying that he is open to revising his healthcare proposal to include more Republican ideas, such as ways to cut waste, fraud, and malpractice costs. He spoke this afternoon on the healthcare overhaul and said that the package now includes the best ideas from both parties and should be passed by a bipartisan majority as soon as possible.
Republicans maintain that adding their ideas into Obama's plan isn't enough, because the bill is still a massive comprehensive overhaul rather than incremental changes. White House officials say the president is committed to passing the legislation through the reconciliation process if Republicans don't get on board.
The reconciliation process would mean getting the House to pass the bill previously passed by the Senate, with the promise of passing a reconciliation bill to make changes to satisfy moderate House Democrats.
But there are a number of reasons they might not get the votes to do that. First, language barring federal funds from being used to purchase insurance that covers abortions cannot be added through the reconciliation process. House Democrats who require abortion restrictions in order to vote yes likely have enough votes to stop the measure from being passed.
Second, a number of Democrats are uneasy about using the reconciliation process to pass healthcare reform, especially as polls are showing that voters are unhappy about the whole package, as well as the potential use of reconciliation.
Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi still have a tough battle ahead of them to pass the legislation. Obama's speech today was intended to build up enough momentum to ram it through.
Pray for moderate Democrats in the Senate and Blue Dog Democrats in the House, who are under enormous pressure from voters back home on one side and party leadership on the other. (Source: Intercessors for America)
He who is is pregnant with evil and conceives trouble gives birth to disillusionment. He who digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit he has made. The trouble he causes recoils on himself; his violence comes down on his own head. (Ps 7:14)
D.C. Ties the Knot
D.C. Ties the Knot but Leaves Voters Unraveled
The D.C. Superior Court is less than a five-block walk from the U.S. Capitol, but the distance between them was supposed to be far greater on the issue of same-sex "marriage." In the three months since the District City Council blew by voters and redefined marriage, locals have held out hope that Congress would intervene. But time is ticking on the 30-day review process, and Democratic leaders have yet to raise a peep of protest about a law that directly defies their Defense of Marriage Act.
Although there is a legitimate dispute over when the city's bill takes effect, the D.C. Superior Court is moving ahead with its grand opening for "marriage" applications on Wednesday. Officials there expect a "flood of same-sex couples" at the courthouse tomorrow when they offer homosexual licenses for the first time. To accommodate the shift, the office refused to wait for Congress and instead went ahead with overhauling the court applications. Every reference to "bride and groom" has been scrubbed in favor of gender-neutral terms like "spouse."
According to the Washington Post, couples will have to wait three business days for courts to process the paperwork, meaning that the soonest homosexuals can "marry" is one week from today. But don't count your weddings before they're hatched! Our friends at the Alliance Defense Fund are already on the move to block the law -- even if Congress won't. This week, attorneys are filing an injunction with the U.S. Supreme Court until D.C. voters have the opportunity to exercise their rights. Until then, D.C.'s Catholic Charities is one of many organizations who are dealing with the internal fallout from the bill.
In addition to shutting down its foster care program, leaders had to make the difficult decision to change their health care policy to protect the organization from officials who might force them to offer the same coverage to same-sex couples. It was an act of self-defense in a town where more charities will have to choose between their values and their workers' well-being. Over in neighboring Maryland, the same-sex "marriage" campaign seems to be a coordinated effort. Days earlier, Attorney General Doug Gansler (D) tried to throw open the backdoor to counterfeit marriage in his state by declaring that Maryland would suddenly recognize homosexual unions from D.C. and elsewhere. That was news to the legislature, under whose authority a law like this must be passed. While Maryland is traditionally one of the most liberal states in the union, Gansler's overreach was met with surprising hostility from minority voters, who tend to be more socially conservative. Tomorrow, FRC Senior Fellow Peter Sprigg will be in Annapolis to testify on behalf of a bill that would overturn Gansler's opinion.
The Good News Corner
Peace in the Raging River - By George Whitten, Editor, Worthy News
This past weekend we celebrated the festival of Purim, the holiday which commemorates Israel's amazing reversal in Persia during the reign of King Xerxes (Ahasuerus), when queen Esther and her uncle Mordecai together gained victory for the Jews and protected them from annihilation at the hands of the evil Haman.
"Coincidentally" we experienced our own personal drama on Friday as the holiday was getting underway. A bolt of lightening struck just outside our house destroying the neighborhood's transformer and cutting off our electric power. Then, later that day, as I was driving to the Dead Sea region to pick up a package, a river from the desert suddenly exploded out of nowhere, sideswiped my car, and nearly washed me into the Dead Sea. The force of the river was so powerful that it lifted the rear end of my car off the road, ripping off most of the bumper, while the front wheels struggled to maintain traction as I desperately maneuvered out of the cataract and forward to safety. For the next 7 hours I was stuck between two rivers as the rains that came down over Israel the night before inundated numerous valleys leading to the Dead Sea. I later spoke with a police officer who informed me that last month a driver in similar circumstances was carried into the Dead Sea and drowned!
I do NOT actually see these experiences as "coincidences" but as signs and portents of things to come. We will soon be facing serious unexpected storms which will shock and possibly dislodge us from the roads we are traveling on. But we are under Divine protection as our focus is on the Lord, and our devotion rests in Him. We may be badly shaken -- but He will rescue and restore us!
The message in these days of earthquakes and tsunamis is clear: "Do not fear, for I am with you, even unto the end of the age."
Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD. (Psalms 112:6-7)
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Negev Desert, Israel
Worship With Us!
"The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power" by Andrae Crouch
Yes, LORD!
