In This Issue• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• The Daily Jot
• Domestic Terrorism Increasing
• Arizona Trial Begins
• Christian Persecution in Iraq
• The Good News Corner
• Worship with Us Today!
Greetings!
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief
Friday, July 23, 2010
Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me. (John 14:1)
The Daily Brief
1. Oil Spill Cleanup Halted as Storm Approaches - AOL News
Work at the site of the Deepwater Horizon disaster had come to a standstill before the storm slammed into the Florida coast today with 40 mph winds, sparking fears that the cap may not hold in the storm. Officials prepared for Tropical Storm Bonnie, which could reach the Gulf of Mexico by Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has declared a state of emergency and told Bloomberg News he may call for voluntary evacuations of coastal towns later today. Read more.
Father, these are signs from heaven that God is aware of the affairs of men: there is sin in our midst that must be dealt with. God is calling for repentance of sin and a turning away from our evil ways to seek after righteousness. God is over all weather and the conditions that surround this Gulf oil well. Nothing is impossible with the Lord God and when He hears the cry of repentance going up to heaven, He will turn this disaster around and bring a lasting solution. Help us, Oh God, help us. In Jesus Name.
- "And now men see not the bright light which is in the clouds; but the wind passes, and cleanses them. Fair weather comes out of the north; with God is terrible majesty. Touching the Almighty, we cannot find Him out: He is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice; He will not afflict." (Job 37:21-23)
2. Defense Dept. Hit by Child Porn Sting - AP
Several dozen Pentagon officials and contractors have been accused of -- and in some cases were convicted of -- purchasing and downloading child pornography on government computers, the Department of Defense's inspector general's office disclosed in documents released Friday. Among those investigated are employees of the National Security Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and other offices at the Defense Department.
- This is huge, late-breaking news on a Friday night. Watch for more on this on Monday's OCAP, but in the meantime, offer praise that the hidden (ugly and painful as it is) has been revealed. In addition to the clear abuse of these little ones, issues of national security are clearly at risk now, too. Pray!
- For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Rom. 8 v 6 - 8)
3. Study Finds Americans' Economic Insecurity at 25-Year High - NewsWeek
One day after President Obama signed a financial-reform law aimed at curbing predatory lending and preventing another financial collapse, a new study shows that Americans are less economically secure now than at any other time over the last 25 years.
- God, may You speak words of wisdom from heaven into people's minds in each household who honors the Lord. May there be new creative ways to make money, creative inventions, even simple ideas that will financially sustain God's people. Lord, give new abilities that are above and beyond anything that has been invented or thought of heretofore. Bless your people with godly wisdom. In Jesus Name.
- "I even I, am the Lord; and beside Me there is no savior. I have declared, and have saved and I have showed when there was no strange god among you. Therefore you are my witnesses, says the Lord, that I am God." (Isaiah 43:11-12)
4. F-15 Silent Eagle passes missile-firing test - World Tribune
A stealth version of the F-15 fighter-jet was said to have overcome another hurdle toward development.
- Father, we ask for divine intelligence in the completion of this stealth version of the F-15 fighter-jet. Speak into the minds of those who work on this mission. Protect all this by Your power and bring it to a successful completion with abilities that are above their greatest expectation. In Jesus Name.
- "Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:19)
5. North Korea says U.S. drills pose danger to region - Reuters
North Korea on Thursday denounced planned U.S.-South Korean military drills as a grave danger to the region and criticized new U.S. sanctions as "hostile," urging Washington to focus instead on restarting nuclear weapons talks. Read more.
- Father, may the judgment of God come upon the wickedness of North Korea's Leaders -- a judgment that will send them to their knees crying out to God in repentance. Hold fast all U.S. sanctions and military exercises with South Korea that will wage strong resistance to the nuclear activities of North Korea. Defeat their purpose to bring destruction upon mankind. In Jesus Name.
- "But I know, that even now, whatsoever you will ask of God, God will give it to you." (John 11:22)
6. Legal Challenges to Prayer on the Rise - Fox News
Arizona school children are told they can't pray in front of the Supreme Court building ... Two University of Texas Arlington employees are fired for praying over a co-worker's cubicle after work hours. . . In Cranston, R.I., a high school banner causes controversy when a parent complains it contains a prayer and demands that it be removed.
There are more legal challenges to prayer in the United States than ever before, says Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-founder of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, an atheist organization whose business is booming as Americans increasingly tackle church vs. state issues. "We've never had more complaints about government prayer," Gaylor says. "We have just hired a second staff attorney in July. It's turned into a cottage industry for our attorneys." Read more.
- This report is yet one more testimony to the rapidly declining moral state of our nation, for we are surely a people who have surely lost our way. But there is a God in heaven Who sees it all, and Who knows it all, and He is not upset, nor is He moved. His plan has never changed, for He came to set the captives free.
Let's agree with God's agenda and continue to "pray the news" daily. When we see names appear of those whose actions attest to their own fallen state, go into your own closet of prayer and raise up a voice of intercession for their salvation. Cry out for the salvation of the wicked!
- "When the wicked are multiplied, transgression increases; but the righteous will see their fall." (Proverbs 29:16)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
Come, let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. (Psalm 95:6)
1. Conversion bill postponed by 6 months - Jerusalem Post
The Israeli Religious Action Center (of the Israel Reform Movement) and Masorti (Conservative) Movement in Israel have agreed to a nearly six-month freeze on their High Court petition demanding state recognition of non-Orthodox conversions in Israel, and the government in return will halt the legislation on the conversion bill for that period, following a deal hammered out by cabinet secretary Zvi Hauser Thursday night at the behest of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu "to find any way to preserve the unity of the Jewish people."
2. U.S. upgrades status of Palestinian mission in Washington - Ha'aretz
Though still short of full diplomatic recognition, move raises representation to level of PLO missions in many European countries and Canada.
3. Missile shield: Is Israel safe? - Ynet News
Defense officials are still euphoric over the successful test of the Iron Dome anti-rocket system. I do not wish to rain on their parade, yet nonetheless it is important for Israel's citizens to realize that the system's capabilities are still far from realizing the hopes they pin on it. Technologically, Iron Dome operates even more effectively than its planners predicted. However, it will be hard to assess the level of active protection provided by the system before defense officials, and mostly the IDF, decide on the scope of acquisition and deployment.
4. Israel launches campaign to halt Lebanon flotilla bound for Gaza - Ha'aretz
Foreign Ministry instructs Israeli ambassadors to ask senior American, UN, EU and Egyptian officials to pressure Syria and Lebanon to stop latest planned flotilla from sailing from Lebanon to Gaza.
5. Gaza Tunnel Smugglers Cutting Through Egypt's Wall - ABC News
A Palestinian tunnel smuggler with a blowtorch sliced through an underground steel wall early Thursday, the latest of what officials say are hundreds of holes cut into the Egyptian barrier meant to stop smuggling of goods, cash and weapons to the blockaded, Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
The Daily Jot
Of False Prophets, Tax Lies, and Ravening Wolves
Jesus said in Matthew 7:15, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits." In other words, watch out for people that say one thing, yet do another. He is telling us here that you cannot judge a man by what he says, rather by what he does. The man who occupies the Oval Office emphatically said on September 12, 2008, "I can make a firm pledge. Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes."
Asked in an ABC News interview on September 20th, 2009 if the health care bill was a tax increase, the president said, "I absolutely reject that notion." On Saturday, April 10th, 2010, he told Americans in his radio address, "It's also important to note that the new health reform law includes the largest middle class tax cut for health care in history, and once it's implemented; millions of Americans will finally be able to purchase quality, affordable care and the security and peace of mind that comes with it." Americans are finding out what is in the healthcare law, and it is no less than a massive tax increase for middle class Americans.
And guess what, the Justice Department under the direction of the president says it will defend the health care mandate in court as a tax increase. If the Administration can prove to the Supreme Court that the health care bill falls under the Constitution's Congressional power to lay and collect taxes, the law may withstand legal challenges. Notwithstanding that the president and his party out and out lied to the American people. Ken Blackwell, former Treasurer of Ohio and Liberty University professor of Law, and Ken Klukowski, special counsel at the Family Research Council, have written an article in the Wall Street Journal arguing that tax or no, the health care law is unconstitutional.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com
Domestic Terrorism Increasing
Zachary Chesser, 20, of Fairfax, Virginia, was arrested this week and charged with domestic terrorism. Was Zachary a member of the NRA? Was he a pro-life demonstrator? An anti-illegal immigration activist? Or, worse, a Tea Party member? No, he was none of those things. Like so many before him, Chesser is a convert to the "religion of peace."
Despite living in one of the wealthiest communities in America, just outside of Washington, D.C., Zachary Chesser was charged in federal court this week with trying to join the jihadist group Al-Shahab, based in Somalia. Earlier this month, Al-Shahab claimed responsibility for the bombing in Uganda that killed 75 people for the "sin" of watching the World Cup soccer games.
ABC News reported yesterday that in the past 18 months, 34 Americans have been charged for having ties to international jihadist groups. Richard Clarke, a former White House counterterrorism adviser, told ABC, "This is what we have feared for a very long time - that finally the ideology of radical Islam is effectively reaching into the United State . . . In the last six to nine months, the FBI has seen more domestic Islamist extremist activity than at any time since immediately right after 9/11." So much for President Obama's outreach to the Muslim world.
While the Left hyperventilates over the alleged racism and potential threats posed by the Tea Party, it is ignoring a far more serious and growing threat - radical Islam in America. (Gary Bauer)
Arizona Trial Begins
The Obama Administration pressed its case against Arizona yesterday in a Phoenix federal courtroom. While I hesitate to read too much into the judge's questioning, at a minimum she seemed skeptical of the Obama Administration's arguments and appeared to appreciate the tremendous difficulties Arizonans are confronting every day due to our porous borders.
According to one press report, Judge Susan Bolton "repeatedly questioned Justice Department attorney Edwin Kneedler to explain how specific provisions of the law intruded on federal authority." Bolton even asked, "Why can't Arizona be as inhospitable as they wish to people who have entered the United States illegally?" She also noted, "You can barely go a day without a location being found in Phoenix where there are numerous people being harbored."
Meanwhile, in Washington this week, Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) put the Senate on the record regarding Arizona's anti-illegal law. DeMint offered an amendment to cut off funds for the Obama Administration's lawsuit against Arizona, but Senate Democrats voted it down 43-to-55. Ninety-three percent of Senate Republicans supported the DeMint amendment, while 88% of Senate Democrats opposed it. Click here to find out how your senators voted. (Gary Bauer)
Prayer Request:
God, fall upon the entire immigration issue by Your holy power and bring evil men to their knees who would vote to initiate a destructive law that would pull down the stability of the United States. Weaken the words and laws of those who devise wickedness and surround this judge and the court with warring angels who will compel the right ruling to be brought forth. In Jesus Name.
Scripture:
"But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." (Jeremiah 31:33)
Christian Persecution in Iraq
Two Christian brothers were gunned down on Monday as they were being led in chains from a Pakistani courthouse. The two were on trial for blasphemy against Islam. This latest incident once again highlights the intense persecution of Christians in the Middle East, persecution that is taking place with the tacit support of the government. This is happening under the very government that the U.S. helped establish in Iraq.
FRC senior staff met with several Iraqi Christian leaders (Catholic, Protestant, and Assyrian Orthodox) to learn more about the very troubling situation facing Christians in their country. Clearly, the situation has deteriorated for Christians since the fall of Saddam. Their population of over 1.1 million prior to U.S. military intervention in 2003 is now down to around 400,000 and decreasing daily. Many are having difficulty finding employment and sometimes experience active persecution from Muslim extremists. In recent months, conditions for Iraqi Christians have gotten so severe that many have fled to other countries for fairer treatment, and of the Iraqi Christian refugees who have found their way to the U.S., many are struggling financially.
FRC is urging the U.S. government to call upon the governments in these Islamic countries to recognize the right to religious freedom that even the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights acknowledges. This is especially important in Iraq where our young men and women have shed their blood to bring freedom to all Iraqi citizens. A number of U.S. Congress members have recognized the importance of saving the Christian communities of Iraq and have taken action toward this end, including Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Frank Wolf (R-Va.), Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) and Chris Smith (R-N.J.). Please write Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to urge her to work with them and fight for Iraq 's Christians. It is critical that the investment of U.S. resources and troops in Iraq not end with the elimination of Iraq 's Christian communities. (Family Research Council)
The Good News Corner
ISRAEL INNOVATION
Today we give thanks that, in this week of the 9th of Av, there is peace tonight in Jerusalem.
Join us in thanking the Lord for this good news out of Israel, as we marvel together at the story of Israel's technology.
We give thanks tonight, too, that Israel remains our strongest, and indeed, our only true ally in the Middle East. Praise God!
Worship with Us Today!
INDESCRIBABLE
Chris Tomlin
Absolutely refreshing! A great perspective of looking from the outside in of part of God's wonderful plan HE is in control of. Thank you, O Lord, for allowing Your people to be involved in Your plan.
Rejoice with us now!
