In This IssueToday's Daily Brief
The Middle East in Focus
The Daily Jot
"So Help Us, God . . ."
Obama's Middle East Disaster
Terror Report #1
Terror Report #2
The Good News Corner
Worship With Us!
Greetings!
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The Daily Brief - Tuesday, April 20, 2010
"I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end." (Daniel 6:26)
Today's Daily Brief
1. Divorce Dilemma: Texas Says Gays Can't Get Divorce - ABC News
In 2005, Texas voters passed a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage by a 3-to-1 margin even though state law already prohibited it. A judge in Austin granted the divorce, but Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is appealing the decision. Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel for the conservative Liberty Institute in Plano said, "It's a backdoor run at establishing same-sex so-called marriage against the people's vote," "Once you grant the divorce, you are recognizing that there was a marriage." A state appeals court is scheduled to hear arguments in the Dallas case on Wednesday.
· Lord, we know those who are in support of same-sex marriages are devising ways to get around our laws, so that they will subvert Christian marriages. We pray you will put a quick stop to their plans and get them to the point of salvation!
· "The more they increased, the more they sinned against Me; I will change their glory into shame. they eat up the sin of My people; they set their heart on their iniquity. (Hosea 4:7, 8)
2. Dems Dealt Setback on Wall St. Bill - The Hill
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) emerged from a meeting with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner on Monday to announce she would join a GOP filibuster of Wall Street reform. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) suggested that the charges against Goldman Sachs would increase financial reform's chances for passage, though he said he believed the charges weren't deliberately timed.
· We pray Lord, the laws that are enacted will be righteous and just laws. Let no perversion in the government decisions be allowed. Direct this present government in spite of themselves to enact godly laws.
· They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none who does good, No, not one. (Psalm 14:3)
3. Justices Joust Over Christian Group's Rights - Wall Street Journal
Conservative and liberal justices on the Supreme Court dueled verbally over whether a student religious group has a constitutional right to receive state college funds while excluding homosexuals and others who violate its beliefs. The student group was represented by Michael W. McConnell, a conservative scholar who has challenged prevailing views requiring a rigid separation between church and state.
"If Hastings is correct, a student who does not even believe in the Bible is entitled to demand to lead a Christian Bible study," Mr. McConnell told the Supreme Court.
· Lord, we pray that the courts and the Supreme Court will begin to give the victories to the Christians and that our Christian heritage will not be removed from our nation. Let our country honor and reverence you in all its ways.
· "Woe to the rebellious children," says the Lord, "Who take counsel, but not of Me, and who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin. (Isaiah 30:1)
4. White House Quietly Courts Muslims in U.S. - NY Times
Many meetings have been private; others were publicized only after the fact. Muslim and Arab-American advocates have participated in policy discussions and received briefings from top White House aides and other officials on health care legislation, foreign policy, the economy, immigration and national security. They have met privately with a senior White House adviser, Valerie Jarrett, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to discuss civil liberties concerns and counterterrorism strategy.
· Heavenly Father, We pray these foreign gods and poles of Asherah will be torn down along with all these bad decisions. Turn the balance of the scale of our nation heavily toward Christianity and holiness.
· Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God, for he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images. (2 Chronicles 14)
5. 40,000 Americans Stranded in Britain Due to Ash Cloud - Reuters
The White House said Monday that 40,000 Americans were stranded in Britain because of the huge number of flight cancellations due to the cloud of volcanic ash. Some of the stranded Americans were running out of medicine or didn't have places to stay, said Gibbs, adding that the US State Department was looking into the situation.
· Heavenly Father, we pray for this situation that has affected the world. We pray for the volcano to stop its eruption and be at peace; we pray for the authorities to have wisdom of when the planes can fly again. May all those who have special and medical needs find help wherever they are and help all travelers get home safely again. Protect everyone while they travel.
· This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. (Psalm 34:6-7)
6. Okla. Lawmakers Approve Restrictive Abortion Bills - AP
Abortion rights advocates say that bills, if made law, would give Oklahoma some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. Some of the bills, including the ultrasound bill, will go to Gov. Brad Henry for consideration. Others which will return to the state House. The bill passed Monday also has no exceptions.
· Lord, we give you praise, glory and honor for hearing our prayers. Thank you for giving these elected officials determination to do the godly thing to protect the unborn! We pray you will cause more states to enact stronger laws against abortion until it is over-turned.
· Then we cried out to the Lord God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and looked on our affliction and our labor and our oppression. (Deuteronomy 26:7)
7. Amazon Files Lawsuit to Block North Carolina's Data Request - Reuters
Online retailer Amazon.com has filed a lawsuit in a federal court to block the North Carolina state government's demand it disclose all transaction details, including names and addresses, involving state residents, court documents show. Amazon also said in the court filing that DOR also demanded the company furnish records of what each customer purchased and how much they paid.
The lawsuit comes at a time when some states, searching for ways to increase revenues in a weak economy, are mulling the option of taxing out-of-state Internet retailers, following in the footsteps of New York, which passed such legislation in 2008.
· Lord, restrain this government from gaining control over our lives. We pray for the placement of new leaders that will govern in righteousness.
· The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. (Psalm 41:2)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"It shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people, which shall be left . . . And He shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth." (Isaiah 11:11-12)
1. US complains to Syria of arms sales to Hezbollah - AP
The State Department has summoned the senior Syrian diplomat in Washington to complain about what U.S. officials say is his country's "provocative behavior" in supplying arms to the Iranian-aligned militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.
2. Netanyahu: Israeli construction in East Jerusalem is justified - Ha'aretz
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Monday that Israel would not accept Palestinian demands that it stop building settlements in East Jerusalem.
3. Obama and Israel: Showdown at the UN? - Fox News
The Obama administration is reportedly signaling another major shift in policy towards one of its staunchest allies, Israel, and this shift could change the way it votes at the Security Council. The change would mean an end to the US' use of its veto power in the United Nations Security Council when certain anti-Israel resolutions are introduced for a vote.
The Daily Jot
Of Headlines And Christian Responsibilities
Recent headlines include: Icelandic volcano eruption intensifies, halts most flights throughout Europe; Fireball of unknown origin lights up skies over five states; Cap and tax is back, Senate climate bill to be unveiled April 26; Department of Justice wants to read email without warrants; Ex-NSA worker charged for leaking classified info to unspecified newspaper; Supreme Court wants more money for security; New jobless claims unexpectedly soar; Foreclosure rates surge, biggest jump in five years; FBI Chief says home grown, solo terrorists pose equally serious threat as al Qaeda; Tax payers foot State Department's stiff liquor bill; Administration says support for Israel to be balanced against other interests . . .
We could go on an on with these types of headlines. Any one of them is enough to cause concern in some part of our lives. These are major stories. And these types of things are becoming more commonplace than in years past. Eight years ago when I started following these events as they are related to the Bible, they were few and far between. Four years ago, these kinds of stories with end times significance were happening a few times a week. Now they are happening everyday. The disciples of Jesus asked him when he would return. He replies in Acts 1:7, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in his own power."
But Jesus goes on to say in verse 8, "But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Jesus gave us a picture of what would be happening around us in Matthew 24 when he described the "Beginning of Sorrows." And the Apostle John gave us an indication of the latter days in Revelation. The truth is, however, we do not know when the Lord will return. We have observed that many of the things that Jesus spoke about in Matthew and Luke are coming true quickly and that conditions exist like never before for Revelation prophecies to be fulfilled.
The Apostle Paul wrote of the latter days in 2 Timothy 3:12-15, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue you in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing of whom you have learned them; And that from a child you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." In all these scriptures we have good advice on how to face times such as these: Don't worry about when the Lord will return; have faith in what you have been assured of in the holy scriptures; and evangelize the gospel. God will take care of the rest.
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com
"So Help Us, God . . ."
Whenever the pillars of Christianity shall be overthrown, [we] must fall with them (Jedediah Morse, 1799). Yesterday, 223 years to the day after patriots ratified an end the Revolutionary War, a judge in Wisconsin ruled to reintroduce tyranny in America--this time, from the bench. In a decision that is rocking our nation to its very core, U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb determined that a national day of prayer--a tradition as old as the country itself--is unconstitutional. ". . . [R]ecognizing the importance of prayer to many people does not mean that the government may enact a statute in support of it . . . " With all due respect, the government may do exactly that under the very documents that established it. "[The] sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records," Alexander Hamilton insisted. "The y are written, as with a sun beam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of divinity itself; and can never be erased by mortal power."
Had Judge Crabb consulted the Constitution she was sworn to uphold, she might notice that Americans enjoy religious freedom--not by virtue of the courts, but in spite of them. Furthermore, setting aside a day of corporate prayer is more than compatible with our nation's heritage; it is a responsibility assigned to every American by George Washington himself. "It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God... and humbly implore His protection and favor; and whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer" (Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1789).
Contrary to Judge Crabb's opinion, this ruling does not promote freedom, it crushes it. Americans pray voluntarily. And exercising that right together, as a willing nation, is exactly what the Founding Fathers intended. To imply otherwise is to suggest that the Constitution is unconstitutional! Religion cannot be banned in America because it was never imposed--not by the Founding Fathers, and certainly not by the National Day of Prayer. While this is one of many instances in which the courts have tried to banish God from the public square, this case reveals a level of supreme arrogance. Ultimately, Judge Crabb is inferring that she found something in the Constitution that every President and Congress since 1775 has not: a hostile treatment of religion in public life.
Make no mistake. This judicial mutiny lies directly at the feet of the Left, including President Obama, who has created an atmosphere in which the Constitution is silly putty in the hands of liberal activists. Slowly but surely, he is making American soil more fertile for the radical redefinition of society. This cannot be tolerated. We must ensure that the President's bench nominees have a reverence for the Constitution that this judge lacks. In the meantime, we call on Congress to start the impeachment proceedings for Barbara Crabb, as she violated of her sacred oath of "administering justice . . . under the Constitution and laws of the United States." What she has done to repress, we will use to revive. What she meant to undermine prayer, we will use as the reason why it's necessary. When the great men and women of our past bent their knees to God on behalf of the "sacred fire of liberty," it was often during the nation's darkest days. My friends, it is time we join them. (Family Research Council)
Obama's Middle East Disaster
Everything that the Obama Administration has done in the Middle East has been a failure. Since taking office, Obama has reached out to Iran repeatedly with an "open hand," and every time the Iranian response has been a clenched fist. They have accelerated their nuclear program, which threatens U.S. troops, the free flow of oil, Israel and other allies in the region.
Obama's next great idea was to reach out to Syria to entice Damascus away from Iran and Hezbollah. Failure again. Syria recently held a summit with Ahmadinejad and Hezbollah in which they pledged "solidarity" in the struggle against the U.S. and Israel.
Now there are credible reports that Syria may have transferred scud missiles with a range of 430 miles to the jihadists in Hezbollah. If true, the missiles put Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the Israeli nuclear reactor at Dimona all within range.
The administration condemns Jewish homes in Jerusalem neighborhoods, but is silent on scuds in the hands of Hezbollah. Unbelievably, when informed of this development, the State Department expressed concern for Lebanon, not Israel. Spokesman Philip Crowley said, "If such an action has been taken, and we continue to analyze this issue, clearly it potentially puts Lebanon at significant risk."
Obama's third great idea has been to curry favor with Middle East thugs by diplomatically pummeling Israel. There is no evidence that these thugs can be satiated by anything other than the destruction of Israel. Meanwhile, the Israeli public is feeling betrayed by the White House, and the Palestinians have no reason to come to the peace table as long as the Obama Administration is demanding more Israeli concessions even before negotiations begin.
Today, Israel is conducting an unannounced nationwide police drill to prepare for an emergency. (It has reportedly caused one gigantic nationwide traffic jam.) Israel is also accelerating the distribution of gas masks to the Israeli public to protect against chemical and biological attacks.
Sadly, I believe there is no doubt that another Middle East war is coming. The question is when it will happen and whether the Islamofascist death worshippers will be defeated. The immoral strategy being pursued by Barack Obama of appeasing our enemies while undermining our friends will make victory more difficult and more costly in blood and treasure. (Gary Bauer; End-of-Day; 4/17/10)
Terror Report #1
Treasury Targets Two Heads of Charities with Links to Al-Qai'da and the Taliban
The U.S. Department of the Treasury today targeted the financial and support networks of al-Qai'da and the Taliban by designating two individuals for providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism under Executive Order 13224. Mohammed Mazhar, the director of al-Akhtar Trust, was designated for his fundraising activities and financial and other support for al-Qai'da and the Taliban, and Mufti Abdul Rahim, leader of al-Rashid Trust, was designated for his fundraising activities for the Taliban. Al-Akhtar Trust and al-Rashid Trust are both Pakistani charities previously identified as Specially Designated Global Terrorists pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which freezes any assets the designated entities and individuals have under U.S. jurisdiction and prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in any transactions with those entities and individuals. (U.S. Treasury Department) Read more
Terror Report #2
US court orders expulsion of Afghan imam
An Afghanistan-born imam who admitted he lied to the FBI over an aborted terror plot against the New York subway system was freed Thursday but ordered to leave the country within three months, a court official said. Ahmad Wais Afzali, 39, appeared in Brooklyn federal court where a judge determined that he had already spent enough time in prison after his arrest in September. "He was sentenced to time served and ordered to self-deport within 90 days," court spokesman Robert Nardoza told AFP. The imam pleaded guilty in March to making false statements to Federal Bureau of Investigation agents investigating Najibullah Zazi, an Afghan immigrant who has since confessed to conspiring to bomb New York. According to prosecutors, Afzali telephoned Zazi to warn him that he was being watched. Zazi subsequently abandoned the bomb plot and returned from New York to his home in Colorado. Afzali, a permanent resident working as an imam at a New York mosque but not a US citizen, made a plea agreement which saw him face a reduced prison sentence of up to six months. (AFP) Read more
The Good News Corner
Suit Against Pro-Marriage Counselor is Dropped
Maine school counselor Don Mendell has been cleared of complaints that he violated his professional ethics by appearing in a political ad in favor of one-man, one-woman marriage. The state's licensing board voted 2-1 on Friday, April 9, to clear Mendell.
Jordan Lorence, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, said the complaint was brought by two other school counselors. "It was somebody who said that it's discrimination," he said, "for a social worker to make a public statement in favor of marriage defined as one man, one woman."
A colleague at the same Maine high school has spoken out publicly in favor of same-sex marriage. No complaints have been filed against that person. (CitizenLink)
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DAYS OF ELIJAH - Paul Wilbur
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