In This Issue• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• The Daily Jot
• A Message from the Embassy of Israel
• Special Prayers for Israel
• The Good News Corner
• Worship with Us Today!
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The Daily Brief - Thursday, August 5, 2010
"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done." (Rev. 22:12)
The Daily Brief
1. Kagan Becomes 112th Supreme Court Justice - AP
Senate confirms Elena Kagan in a 63-37 vote to be newest Supreme Court justice and fourth woman ever to serve on the high court.
- This is clearly a very dark day in our nation's history. As believers, though, we are not to "look at," but to always "look up," for our redemption draws nigh. Offer up the sacrifice of praise in the midst of judicial disaster; God has a plan, and He is working all according to His purposes. Keep the faith . . let' s not lose our hope in Him. Amen.
- "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess His name". (Hebrews 13:15)
2. A) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad assassination attempt - UK Telegraph
One man has been arrested in Iran after a home-made bomb was thrown at the President's convoy.
B) Iran Denies Attack on President - VOA
Iran's state media are denying reports that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was targeted in a grenade attack Wednesday.
- Continue to pray that those who favor democracy in Iran will rise and overthrow this dictatorship and their radical religious backers.
- "Let his days be few, and let another take his office." (Psalm 109:8)
3. Huge Iranian energy plant explosion coincides with bid on Ahmadinejad's life - DEBKAfile
A massive explosion killed at least five workers at the giant Pardis petrochemicals complex in southern Iran Wednesday, August 4, at around 12:30 - just about the time an explosive device was hurled at Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as his heavily secured armored convoy drove through the northern Iranian city of Hamadan. Ahmadinejad was unhurt although some of his bodyguards and bystanders were certainly injured.
- Lord while we abhor the loss of life or injuries to the innocent, we pray that the nefarious plans of the Iranian government will come to nothing. We ask that Your Spirit move mightily through Iran, bringing repentance and truth to a land trapped in the grip of tyranny.
- "But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God." (Ecclesiastes 8:13)
4. Kenyan Prime Minister Predicts Victory in Referendum - VOA
Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga has predicted a landslide victory for the proposed constitution in a national referendum.
- Lord, we pray for the churches in Kenya against any "victory" violence by the Muslim or tribal factions. We ask that Christians will be endowed with Your wisdom and protection at this turn of events. Lord, bring Your mercy; may new leaders arise in Kenya who will see this great sin perpetrated on their nation and reverse the curse against them.
- "For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity." (Proverbs 24:16)
5. OBAMA SENDS $400 MILLION IN WEAPONS AID TO LEBANESE ARMY, WHICH TURNS ITS GUNS ON ISRAEL - Israel National News
Following the Lebanese ambush and killing of an IDF officer on Tuesday, Israel intends to begin a diplomatic campaign requesting the U.S. and France stop aiding the Lebanese army . A senior government official said yesterday that "Western countries provide modern weapons to the Lebanese army to fight the Hizbullah, and the Lebanese army uses them instead to shoot IDF soldiers."
Last year the U.S. spent about $ 400 million to purchase weapons for the Lebanese army, despite many objections by Israel. France also gives the Lebanese army weapons, such as advanced anti-tank missiles.
- Lord, even as our nation claims that we stand with Israel, we still send arms to her enemies. We pray that this will bring truth to our leaders, to show them the influence of terrorist groups over the government of Lebanon and thereby stop the flow of weapons.
- "He who speaks flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children will fail." (Job 17:5)
6. Judge Voids Voter Initiative Banning Gay Marriage - Wall Street Journal
Propistion 8 overruled
A federal court in San Francisco on Wednesday overturned the state's voter-approved initiative that banned same-sex marriages, in a landmark case that could land before the U.S. Supreme Court to decide if gays have a constitutional right to marry.
- Lord it's a sad thing when the legal vote of the people is silenced by one judge. We pray that this decision will be appealed quickly and reversed.
- "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." (Galatians 5:1)
7. Senate OKs vote on cash to states - Washington Times
Congress is poised to extend a taxpayer-funded lifeline to cash-strapped states after the Senate on Wednesday advanced another round of $26 billion in stimulus spending for teachers and health care, and House Democrats said they will break their six-week summer vacation to return to Washington to vote on it next week.
- Pray that as the government continues to promote dependence upon itself among the states, and spend money that has no value, God will have mercy on His people. While it always sounds good to "help" the "cash-strapped states", the precedent actually causes more and more debt, and does not encourage wise budgets or fiscal responsibility.
- "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of our God. They have bowed down and fallen, but we have risen and stand upright." (Psalm 20:7,8)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God himself is judge." (Psalm 50:6)
1. Jordan mediating between Israel, Lebanon - Ynet News
Jordan has contacted Lebanon and Israel to avoid escalating tensions between the two states following a serious border incident in which an IDF lieutenant-colonel was killed, the Jordanian Prime Minister said.
2. Blow-by-blow: Clash on Israel-Lebanon border was no accidental incident - World Tribune
The Aug. 3, armed clash along the Israeli-Lebanese border was a significant strategic incident.
3. Lebanese army confirms: We fired first - Ynet News
The Lebanon army's spokesman has confirmed Israel's claims that Lebanese forces fired first during Tuesday's deadly border skirmish.
4. U.N.: Israeli Troops Were in Own Territory When Lebanon Opened Fire - Fox News
U.N. peacekeepers said Wednesday a cypress tree an Israeli soldier was cutting down just before a border clash with Lebanese soldiers erupted was in Israeli territory, contradicting Lebanese claims that their frontier was breached.
The Daily Jot
Of Rome and America; Of Homosexuality and Marriage
After the November 2008 ballot, when over 52% of the people of California voted for a California Constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage in the state, homosexual activists took the matter to court. That court's judge, US District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker, has issued a 136-page ruling that California "has no interest in differentiating between same sex and opposite sex unions." He stressed that there was no rational justification for banning homosexuals from marrying, saying that marriage between a man and a woman was "an artifact of a time when the genders were seen as having distinct roles in society and marriage."
Walker cited the 14th Amendment to the Constitution and its Equal Protection Clause. The clause says "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States." The Amendment itself was passed in 1868 to ensure the equal protection under the law for all citizens "born or naturalized" in the United States. The judge said that California citizens' justification for marriage were "post-hoc", or illogical given today's society and therefore violated the 14th Amendment. The 14th Amendment has nothing to do with sexual perversion, or shall we say it politically correctly "sexual orientation," and the institution of marriage can hardly be considered illogical, or "ad hoc."
Moreover, Judge Vaughn R. Walker presents another problem. He is a homosexual. In other words, a sodomite ruled in favor of the sodomites. Another homosexual activist, Elena Kagan, is about to have a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. How do you figure she will rule on this case when it reaches the Supreme Court? Curt Levey of the Committee for Justice knows. He says, "At least twice...Kagan maneuvered to avoid Supreme Court review of "don't ask, don't tell," fearing it would be upheld, and "defended" DOMA with a brief that discarded the government's strongest argument and called the law, signed by President Clinton, "discriminatory.""
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com
A Message from the Embassy of Israel
Border Clash with Lebanon - One IDF Officer Dead
In the past several days, Israel has incurred various attacks on its own soil. Rockets were fired into Ashkelon, Sderot, and Eilat (with rockets landing in Aqaba, Jordan), as well as violent clashes occured today during routine IDF activity in northern Israel. Below you will find information and links that we hope you will find helpful.
As Israel gets closer to entering peace talks with Palestinians, it is clear that various terror organizations hope to derail efforts to further diplomatic progress. While Israel has made significant steps in the last year to work towards peace, there still exist militant forces and factions who hope to increase tensions as negotiations draw near.
Israel remains committed to working towards peace, but warns that there are possible consequences if violent incidents continue.
Sincerely,
Benjamin Sack
Director of National Initiatives
Department of Public Diplomacy
August 3, 2010
Special Update: Israel-Lebanon Border Clash
Earlier today, Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) used snipers to fire at IDF soldiers in northern Israel, killing Lt. Col. Dov Harari from Natanya and wounding another soldier. The incident occured east of the internationally recognized border, known as the "blue line," and west of the security fence, thus lying in Israeli territory. The land in between the "blue line" and the security fence is the same area where two soldiers were kidnapped by Hezbollah in 2006. The IDF activity today was routine and coordinated with the UNIFL; Lebanon was alerted about the procedure three hours in advance. Israel holds the Lebanese government fully responsible for this deplorable incident and clear violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. Prime Minister Netanyahu stresses the need for international condemnation. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman authorized Israel's UN Ambassador to lodge an offical complaint against Lebanon with the UN Security Council. (Jerusalem Post) Read more.
Rockets Aimed at Eilat and Aqaba Kill One Jordanian
Israel and Jordan launched a joint investigation on Monday into a series of Katyusa rocket attacks. Israeli Defense officials say the rockets were fired from the Sinai Peninsula. One landed in the Sinai, another in a field near Eilat, two in the Red Sea, and two in Jordan, killing one person and wounding four others. Officials are investigating to see if the rockets had originated in Iran. Israeli officials have not ruled out the possibility that Hamas or another Palestinian terror organization were behind the rocket attacks. (Jerusalem Post) Read more.
Rockets from Gaza Hit Ashkelon
On Friday, July 30th, a Grad rocket launched from the Gaza Strip landed in a residential area in Ashkelon. Two people were treated for shock and various buildings were damaged. The Aza Din al-Kassem Gazan terror group claimed responsibility for the attack. Further, on July 31st, an ungraded Kassam rocket hit and destroyed the child hydrotherapy rehabilitation center adjoining Sderot's Sapir Academic College. No causalities were reported. The Foreign Ministry instructed Israeli ambassadors to file an immediate complaint to the president of the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Council in Geneva. (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) Read more.
Special Prayers for Israel
--Pray that God would comfort the families of the dead Israeli soldier and bring healing to the wounded.
--Pray that the UN would strongly condemn and hold to account the Lebanese government for this attack in the north.
--Pray that the deluded left-wing globalists of the world and the Islamists would not gain any traction in pinning the responsibility/condemnation upon Israel for this engagement and for these Lebanese deaths.
--Praise God that the Eilat rockets did not cause harm to the Israelis.
--Pray for the protection of all the Israel forces and civilians in the days ahead, as the threat level increases. --Pray for wisdom for Bibi Netanyahu and for the military leaders of Israel.
--Pray for the nation of Israel to unite and to prepare for whatever is coming. --Pray that God would direct and manifest the shut down of Iran's nuclear ambitions . . . and in such a way that the fear of the Lord fills the earth.
--Pray that all the unseen arrangements and agreements between Israel's enemies would be exposed.
--Pray for supernatural intelligence abilities for, and defensive measures by, the Israelis.
--Pray that God would consecrate a war for His purposes and in His timing, so that His Lordship and sovereignty is clearly declared . . . and so that these things trigger true revival.
--Bind down the spirits of Dread and Fear that would like to seize the Jewish hearts and minds. Pray that the people would find their unshakable peace in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
--Pray that the USA government would stand strongly with Israel during these days.
(Submitted by: Kathleen Mitchell; In the Cleft of the Rock Ministries)
The Good News Corner
Nigerian President Calls for Unrelenting Prayer for His Country
"No matter the wisdom, skills and ability I have, I cannot succeed except with God."
Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has called on Nigerian religious leaders "not to relent" in "praying for the peace of the country."
The President stated this during a Prayer Breakfast organized by the Aso Villa Chapel in the State House, Abuja, the nation's capital, on Saturday, July 31, 2010.
He acknowledged that the collective prayers, offered by men and women of God, is what has been keeping the country, adding that more prayers are needed to make the country perform better.
He went on to say that "the way out of the challenges facing the country" was through a "trust in God," and he enjoined religious organizations to pray to God to guide Nigerian leaders "to lead the nation properly."
Referring to the Scriptures where the children of Israel experienced calamity as a result of their deviation from God, the President said that it is a "dangerous thing to turn away from God," pledging that he will continue to trust in God to direct him as he leads this West African country.
"No matter the wisdom, skills and ability I have, I cannot succeed except with God," he remarked. (Assist News Service; reported by Breaking Christian News) Read more.
Prayer Request:
Offer praise for this clarion call to prayer, issued by the Head of State in the nation of Nigeria.
Ask that the LORD would move upon the hearts of our own leaders in government to issue a similar call for our nation, based solidly upon biblical principles. Praise God!
- "Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, I have strength. By me kings reign, and rulers decree justice, by me princes rule, and nobles, All the judges of the earth." (Proverbs 8:14-16)
Worship with Us Today!
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Yes, Lord!!
