In This Issue• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• " GOProud" -- A Gay Front
• Conventional Wisdom
• SOS - Stop Obama's Spending!
• The Good News Corner
• Worship with Us Today!
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The Daily Brief - Friday, June 18, 2010
"Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:27)
The Daily Brief
1. Afghan Military Members AWOL From U.S. Air Force Base - Fox News
Nationwide alert issued for 17 Afghan troops who were receiving pilot and English lessons in the U.S. before going AWOL from Texas Air Force base -- with badges that give them access to secure U.S. defense installations.
- Lord, we pray these missing troops be found. Lead the officials to where they are hiding. We cover our nation and its people with the blood of Jesus. Protect us from all plans that are meant to harm us.
- Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; (Psalm 91:3,4)
2. Electronic Armageddon? Congress Worries That Solar Flares Could Spell Disaster - Fox News
High-energy electric pulses from the sun could surge to Earth and cripple our electrical grid for years, causing billions in damages, government officials and scientists worry.
- Lord, the worries of scientists and politicians ignore Your reality, and they will spend millions of dollars trying to stop solar flares from destroying the power grids. We stand in that gap, and pray for You to intervene against any solar flares, to protect the world's ability to generate electrical power.
- "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork." (Psalm 19:1)
3. Pentagon Launches Salvo in War to Protect an Army of 7 Million - Fox News
The Pentagon's new Cyber Command center, which shields the military's more than 7 million computers from foreign hacker attacks, does more than guard our technology. The center will pool resources from a variety of military intelligence agencies to proactively prevent assaults, in essence launching a preemptive war online.
- God, bring all things under Your explicit direction. We pray for angels to surround this Cyber Command Center; direct them in Your holy will, and Your fully stated instructions, that the results will be for the protection of our country and our people. In Jesus Name.
-"Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves with strength for our people, and for the cities of our God: and let the Lord do that which is good in His sight." (1Chronicles 19:13)
4. Drug cartels outmatch, outgun Mexico's police - USA Today
Mexico's drug cartels are becoming increasingly skilled at ambushing police and soldiers, luring them into traps, cutting off escape routes with flaming vehicles and overwhelming their targets in commando-style raids.
- God, we cry out to You to draw these drug cartels to their knees as they acknowledge the Lord God of heaven. Stop them in their tracks as they encounter holy God that is all-powerful. Father, we claim their souls for God. We wrap all of Mexico's drug cartels in arms of prayer; that You touch the hardened hearts, soften them with cords of heavenly love that will reveal Jesus to them. Open their ears to hear the voice from heaven, and open their eyes to see Jesus. Let not one fail to experience the power of Your Holy Spirit. We address the powers of darkness who control them right now, and we declare your utter demise. By the blood of Jesus we command that your grip and hold is broken and they are free. In the Name of Jesus.
- "But where sin abounds, grace did much more abound: that as sin has reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:20-21)
5. Nightmare vision for Europe as EU chief warns 'democracy could disappear' - Daily Mail
Democracy could 'collapse' in Greece, Spain and Portugal unless urgent action is taken to tackle the debt crisis, the head of the European Commission has warned.
- God, debt destroys the future of any people, and renders them powerless. We ask You to reverse the debt, and give these countries clarity of vision and wisdom to stop that which increases their debt. Sever by the blood of Jesus all controlling world powers who are working to destroy these countries. May their hearts turn to God who is all-powerful to raise them up. In Jesus Name.
- "But if from thence you shall seek the Lord your God, you shall find Him, if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deuteronomy 4:29)
6. Sanctions no problem as Moscow in discussions on five new reactors in Iran - World Tribune
Russia expects to win a contract for the construction of nuclear reactors in Iran.
- God, prophecy spoken in Your Word will be fulfilled, but we pray that it will not come to pass before God's timing. Hold back the powers that are attempting to move in the direction of nuclear war, and withhold their knowledge and strength. In Jesus Name.
- "Make haste, O God, to deliver us, make haste to help us, O Lord. Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after our souls: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire our hurt." (Psalm 70:1-2)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"I will lift up my eyes to the hills-from whence comes my help? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth." ( Psalm 121:1,2 )
1. Mitchell: Show restraint, avoid clashes - Jerusalem Post
Laboring under the cloud of the flotilla episode and its aftermath, US envoy George Mitchell held separate meetings with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak Thursday as part of his fourth round of indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
2. Netanyahu warns: Dark days ahead - Ynet News
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predicted rough waters ahead for Israel on Monday. "Be prepared for difficult days," he told a Likud faction meeting, in which he also announced the establishment of an inquiry committee to probe the IDF flotilla raid.
3. Public may pay for gas masks - Jerusalem Post
The IDF Home Front Command has drawn up a revolutionary plan under which the government will stop paying for the public's gas masks; instead each citizen will, if desired, buy his or her own protective kit.
4. Has the US Abandoned the Gaza Steel Wall? - Media Line
The United States has halted funding and recalled its engineers from a subterranean metal wall and tunnel detection network being built along the over eight-mile border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Israeli and Palestinian media have claimed.
5. Emmanuel parents enter prison as 100,000 protest in Jerusalem - Jerusalem Post
Parents of the girls from the Beit Ya'akov school in Emmanuel were sent to jail Thursday, after fifteen thousand haredim in Bnei Brak and one hundred thousand in Jerusalem demonstrated Thursday against the High Court's decision.
"GOProud" -- A Gay Front
Not-So-Super, Grover
I was somewhat surprised to see that Americans for Tax Reform's president, Grover Norquist, has decided to join the Advisory Council of the homosexual group GOProud. Grover is usually a masterful Republican strategist and coalition builder -- but in this case, he seems prepared to compromise a unified conservative movement in order to appease a tiny minority of the overall population. GOProud is not a conservative organization that happens to be gay. It's a homosexual organization that's marginally conservative. GOProud's own website explains just how radical its priorities are. This is a group that opposes the death tax and ObamaCare -- not because they aren't sound economic policies -- but because they "discriminate" against "gay families."
And the platform doesn't end there. One of the group's top 10 "principles" is to create "enterprise zones" for homosexuals, despite the fact that the average income for gays and lesbians is higher than most everyone else. At least two other of its "principles" call for the overturning of the Defense of Marriage Act. Among their other priorities: allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the military and defeating any attempt to protect one-man, one-woman marriage. They even ran ads criticizing President Obama for not doing enough for the homosexual community!
Grover is famous for saying he'll work with anyone who agrees with him "80 percent of the time." But it's been the social issues that he seems willing to sacrifice. His belief that we can have fiscal stability without moral decency is doomed to failure and only drives a deep wedge in a movement that was unified to bring change to Washington this fall. (Family Research Council)
Conventional Wisdom
While some churches are struggling to maintain their biblical identity, the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) affirmed theirs yesterday with a series of formal resolutions on current political issues. With help from FRC 's Dr. Kenyn Cureton, the SBC voted to oppose the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal as part of its annual meeting. According to the official resolution, " No government should implement standards or policies regulating the lives of military personnel based on nothing other than indulging sexual desires, however strong. . ."
Using draft language from FRC , the members also urged Congress to stop the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would give special protections to cross-dressers and homosexuals in the workplace. As Vice President of Church Ministries, Kenyn leads our initiative to educate pastors and congregations toward informed civic engagement. If you'd like to get your church involved, refer your pastor to FRC 's Watchmen on the Wall resources -- including this brand new bulletin insert explaining the military's ban on open homosexuality and why it's necessary. (Family Research Council)
SOS - Stop Obama's Spending!
Believe it or not, Obama is again demanding more "stimulus" money. Over the weekend, he asked Congress to approve another $50 billion spending bill - this time to bailout state and local governments. Roughly half the money will supposedly go to prevent teacher layoffs.
As the Heritage Foundation notes, "This new spending would be in addition to the nearly $100 billion appropriated to the Department of Education by Obama's $862 billion stimulus bill," billions of which remain unspent. Those funds should be fully accounted for before taxpayers are asked to part with another dime.
But there is a glimmer of hope. Two votes in the Senate this week reveal growing fissures in the Democrat caucus over spending issues. First, Vermont's self-proclaimed socialist senator, Bernie Sanders, tried to take advantage of the Gulf oil leak by punishing oil companies with higher taxes. Sanders offered an amendment that would have eliminated certain tax incentives on energy exploration and production. The result would have been a $35 billion tax hike on energy companies.
While the public may be in the mood to bankrupt BP, Sanders' bill would have put many small energy companies at risk too. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed as more than 20 Democrats joined all Republicans in voting against the Sanders amendment. It failed 35-to-61.
The Senate also failed to move a $140 billion spending bill when Republicans objected that more than half of it -- $80 billion -- wasn't paid for and would have been added to the deficit. The vote to waive the budget rules failed 45-to-52 when 12 Democrats broke ranks.
I don't mean to suggest that Democrats are suddenly becoming the party of fiscal discipline. No Democrat who voted for the trillion-dollar ObamaCare entitlement or the trillion-dollar "stimulus" disaster can claim to be fiscally responsible. But the elections are heating up and they are reading the same polls we are. As we get closer to November, it is becoming more and more difficult for them to spend your money. (That's why some conservatives have long advocated moving tax filing day from April 15th to the first Monday in November!)
It must be hard for them to vote against bigger government and more spending. But unless these liberals are sent packing in 138 days, they will quickly revert to their old tax and spend ways once the elections are over. (Gary Bauer)
The Good News Corner
Congressional Israel Allies Caucus Holds Press Conference
Members speak out on Issues related to the flotilla outrage
The Congressional Israel Allies Caucus held a press conference today to respond to calls for an international investigation of Israel and to hold Turkey accountable for their involvement in the flotilla incident. Representing the caucus were co-chairmen, Congressmen Elliot Engel (D-NY) and Mike Pence (R-IN) who were also joined by Congressmen Ted Poe (R-TX), Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), Shelley Berkley (D-NV) and Pete King (R-NY).
Here are a few quotes from the Congressmen:
Mike Pence - "I am here in the capacity of co-chairmen, along with Congressman Engel, of the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus . . .with regard to Capitol Hill, with regard to the Congress of the United States, there will be a cost if Turkey stays on its present heading of growing closer to Iran and more antagonistic to the state of Israel."
Elliot Engel - "Support for Israel in this Congress and in this nation, is bipartisan, and we are here simply to speak with one voice to support Israel's right to protect themselves as a sovereign democratic nation. Because Turkey is a NATO ally, it's even more disgraceful, their actions. If we look at what the Turkish government has done in the past couple of years: they certainly have a very strong Islamic bent, but a bent in terms of looking towards Iran, and looking towards the Middle East, and not looking at the West and NATO anymore."
Eric Cantor - "Any reports that I have heard over the last 24 hours that indicate that our administration is somehow complicit in an effort to push out a UN resolution calling for and international investigation of the flotilla headed for Gaza is an outrage. We're here not only to urge this administration to veto any such resolution [from the UN directed towards Israel] but to stand up, speak out in opposition to such right now."
Shelley Berkley - "As far as I'm concerned, Turkey is responsible for the nine deaths aboard that ship, it is not Israel's troops that are responsible. They don't deserve to be a part of the EU until they start behaving more like the European nations and a whole lot less like Iran."
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This Is My Father's World
Yes, LORD!!
