In This Issue• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• The Daily Jot
• MIDDLE EAST UNREST
• Obama and America's Businesses
• Obama's Government Job Creation
• The Good News Corner
• Worship with Us Today!
Greetings!
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
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The Daily Brief - Friday, February 18, 2011
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)
The Daily Brief
1. U.S. Vetoes U.N. Resolution That Would Have Condemned Israeli Settlements - Fox News
The Obama administration, in a major test of its support for Israel and influence in the Arab world, vetoed a United Nations resolution Friday that would have condemned Israel for its settlements in Palestinian-occupied territories.
President Obama had issued a personal plea to Palestinians for compromise on the issue, but that plan was rejected, setting the path for the vote in the Security Council. The outcome: 14 to 1 to condemn Israel, with U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice casting the lone no vote.
The Palestinians and Arab nations pushed for the Security Council resolution condemning Israel's settlement housing construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as "illegal." Read more.
- PRAISE GOD! PRAISE GOD! PRAISE GOD! Praise God that, in the end, the United States did cast the "lone vote" to stand by the Israeli's right to build houses in their neighborhoods!! [They are not "settlers," but rather they are living on their own land.] Praise God!
- Call forth the BLESSSING due our nation in answer to this action today at the United Nations. It is wrtitten: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Gen. 12:3)
2. Wisconsin Gov. Walker calls Democrat boycott a 'stunt' - AP
A group of Democratic Wisconsin lawmakers blocked passage of a sweeping anti-union bill Thursday, refusing to show up for a vote and then abruptly leaving the state in an effort to force Republicans to the negotiating table. Thursday's events were reminiscent of a 2003 dispute in Texas, where Democrats twice fled the state to prevent adoption of a redistricting bill designed to give Republicans more seats in Congress. The bill passed a few months later.
- Father, we ask that our elected lawmakers would realize that they were not elected to 'strike' or run away from their responsibilities. We ask that their consciences would be pierced, that they would be held accountable for this boycott and act with integrity. Father, we also ask that other groups in favor of these cuts would be raised up to show support for the bill.
- "It is the Levites who are to do the work at the tent of meeting and bear the responsibility for any offenses they commit against it. "(Numbers 18:23). I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity" (1 Chronicles 29:17).
3. Public Worker Protests Spread From Wisconsin to Ohio - Bloomberg
In what union leaders say is becoming a national fight, protests against legislation to restrict public employees' collective-bargaining rights spread from Wisconsin to Ohio. The White House's political operation, Organizing for America, helped to build crowds using social media, the Washington Post reported today, citing an unidentified Democratic Party official.
- Father, we ask that those in the White House be forbidden from using their positions of influence to promote personal/partisan agendas. We ask that any and all collusions with unions would be exposed; that all citizens would be willing to make sacrifices where necessary for the benefit of their States and nation.
- "Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain." (Psalm 119:36) "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves" (Philippians 2:3)
4. House Votes to Defund 'ObamaCare' in Burst of Activity on Spending Bill - Fox News
The House voted to defund President Obama's health care overhaul on Friday during a sustained burst of floor activity on a temporary spending bill. The House passed the health care measure, 239-187, as an amendment to a bill that would keep the government lights on through the end of the fiscal year but also impose deep cuts on domestic programs.
- Father, we thank you for this Congress and we pray that you would continue to give them favor in turning the country back to fiscal responsibility and morality. Keep them true to their promises to the American people; that you would give them perseverance and endurance to fight the battles that are ahead.
- "When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan."(Proverbs 29:2) "May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance." (2 Thessalonians 3:5)
5. House de-funds Planned Parenthood - AP
The House has approved a Republican proposal to block federal aid for Planned Parenthood. The 240-185 vote on Friday is a victory for pro-life forces led by Indiana GOP Rep. Mike Pence. He says taxpayer money should not go to groups that provide or promote abortion.
- We seem to be ending this week on Capitol Hill with a great chorus of PRAISE for several measures we have been praying over. This victory is especially key, as our taxpayer money should not go to groups that provide or promote abortion, just as Congressman Pence has stated. Pray that the momentum towards the passage of pro-life measures in the House would continue in the Senate. PRAY!
- "Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord." (Psalm 150:6)
6. House Passes Amendment to Block Funds for Net Neutrality Order - National Journal
The House passed an amendment Thursday that would bar the Federal Communications Commission from using any funding to implement the network-neutrality order it approved in December. Obama, who supports the FCC's net neutrality order, has threatened to veto the spending measure if it cuts government programs too deeply.
- O, Father, how we thank you for this initiative on the part of our newly elected Congress. We ask Lord, that our President listen to the advice of Godly men and women, and that this bill would not be vetoed. If vetoed, we ask that you open the eyes of understanding to those opposing it. Reveal to them the benefits of the bill and to the desires of their constituents. Father, we ask that our Congress would not vote on bills based on party lines, but on the benefit of the bill to the nation. Where ideologies are not in line with yours, Lord, we ask that you give Your perspective, understanding and insight to our Members of Congress. We ask that you draw each one of them to you.
- Rehoboam, "Rejecting the advice given him by the elders, he followed the advice of the young men - So the king did not listen to the people." (1 Kings 12:13,15)
7. Supremes to give eligibility case another look (YES!) - WND
Challenge to Obama getting 2nd conference before court
In a stunning move, the U.S. Supreme Court has scheduled another "conference" on a legal challenge to Obama's eligibility to occupy the Oval Office, but officials there are not answering questions about whether two justices given their jobs by Obama will participate.
The court has confirmed that it has distributed a petition for rehearing in the case brought by attorney John Hemenway on behalf of retired Col. Gregory Hollister and it will be the subject of a conference on March 4. Read more.
- Please go to the link and read this article in its entirety. The legal system in our nation is a complex set of checks-and-balances, but our Judge Advocate knows it all. Ask the God of the Breakthrough to breakthrough the logjams that are keeping this case from being heard, and then ask that the Supreme Court justices be granted a spirit of wisdom in doing so.
- "Is not My word like fire," saith the Lord, "and as a hammer that shatters a rock into pieces?" (Jer. 2w3:29) [To break the stonewall around this case.]
8. Ben Ali (TUNISIA) reportedly in coma after stroke
Former Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali suffered a stroke and was in a coma in a Saudi Arabian hospital, a French online journalist reported.
Journalist Nicolas Beau, citing Tunisian sources, posted on his blog that Ben Ali was in critical condition in a medical facility in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Radio France Internationale reported Thursday.
It is believed the ousted leader was admitted to the hospital Tuesday under a false name, the blogger said.
The claim that Ben Ali was hospitalized also was reported by Web-zine JSSnews, although it reported he suffered a heart attack, RFI said.
Ben Ali had ruled Tunisia for 23 years before a popular uprising forced him to flee the country in January.
© 2011 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Read more:
- Father, we lift up Ben Ali to you and ask for his salvation. We pray for this country of Tunisia and the unrest across the Middle East. We speak your peace to the unrest and declare Your will be done throughout this region.
- Pray therefore like this: Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
Blessed be the name of God forever and ever: for wisdom and might are His. He changes the times and seasons. He removes kings, and sets up kings. He gives wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: (Daniel 2:20-21)
1. UN set to vote on settlement resolution; U.S. set to veto - Ha'aretz
The UN Security Council is expected to vote today on a resolution brought by the Arab states and the Palestinian Authority declaring the Jewish settlements in the West Bank illegal and an obstacle to a two-state solution. The United States is expected to veto the resolution, its first such action since President Barack Obama took office two years ago.
2. Palestinians: Veto would prove US support for Israel's 'illegal' moves - Ynet News
Tensions are rising ahead of a UN Security Council vote Friday night over the Palestinian proposal to condemn Israel over the continued construction in the settlements. While the US' attempt to pressure those involved to forestall the deliberations remains unsuccessful, the Palestinian Authority sent out a clear message to Washington -- calling on the US to allow the vote to go ahead.
3. Abbas calls emergency PLO, Fatah meeting over UN resolution - Jerusalem Post
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has called an emergency meeting of the PLO and Fatah leaderships in Ramallah on Friday, Abbas's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudaineh, announced.
4. Iron Dome missile defense system to become operational within weeks - Ha'aretz
The Iron Dome missile intercept system will be declared operational within a number of weeks, after the Israel Air Force -- who will be responsible for operating the system -- conducted successful test-runs for the first time on Tuesday and Wednesday.
5. Defying the US, PA pushes for UN anti-settlement vote - Jerusalem Post
The US and the Palestinian Authority appeared to be on a collision course Thursday evening regarding PA insistence -- over US objections -- on bringing a resolution condemning the settlements to the UN Security Council for a vote on Friday.
The Daily Jot
Prophecy Clock: Eschatology of Islam and Christianity
The Lord says in Isaiah 55:8,9, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways...For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." If we believe the word of God, then we must understand that all power rests in the hands of Christ, and that the Lord's ways, thoughts, and methods are so far above ours that we cannot understand them completely. World events, therefore, as we usher in the end times and see prophecies maturing to fulfillment, will not be as man wishes them to be, nor will they be as they appear.
The Western world looks at the Middle East and wants to believe that the protests to topple the governments in Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Syria, Yemen, Bahrain and others are freedom driven. They may just be in the minds of those who are protesting, but the freedom they are desiring is not the same as Western freedom as upheld in a Constitutional Republic or a representative democracy. It is the freedom of Islam, the peace of Islam. This freedom is the freedom of the made up and revamped moon god, allah, as defined by a deranged warlord and pedophile Mohammed in the 7th century. This so-called freedom is determined by Sharia law, where women and non-Muslims are subject to the Islamic Caliphate.
Islam's eschatology is similar to Christianity. Like most things of satan, however, Islam is an imitation leading many into deception. The 12th Imam is expected to return in the end times and bring the peace of Islam to the world for seven years with Jesus Christ as his prophet. On the 32nd anniversary of the overthrow of the Shah of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad gave a speech that the unrest in the Middle East is the beginning of the return of the 12th Imam. He said, "The final move has begun. We are in the middle of a world revolution managed by this dear (12th Imam). A great awakening is unfolding. One can witness the hand of the Imam in managing it." He believes that America is trying to prevent this.
Ahmadinejad has a very different view of the Egyptian uprising because he believes it will usher in the seven year reign of the 12th Imam, even with Christ as his prophet. This certainly parallels with what Christians believe about the antichrist, the seven year tribulation, and the eventual return of Christ. Those who minimize the prophecies of the end times believe the uprisings are spontaneous revolutions for freedom. Most believe Ahmadinejad to be delusional. These leaders also believe those who see Israel as God's timepiece of prophecy are ignorant radicals. Notwithstanding what the worldly believe, the prophecy clock has moved forward with Middle East unrest. Discern the scriptures that you are not left with your lamp half full.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com
MIDDLE EAST UNREST
WIN PRAYER ALERT
MIDDLE EAST UNREST
Inspired by successful demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt, protesters recently took to the streets in Iran, Bahrain and Yemen. Though each event was unique, they were all part of the "pro-democracy movement" sweeping through North Africa and the Middle East. The chief concerns behind this movement are greater political freedom, better jobs and an end to corruption.
The demonstrations were not as large as those in Egypt, but still involved thousands.
In Iran, protesters targeted "the supreme leadership itself, the underpinning of the entire Islamic state that seized power in a revolution of its own just over three decades ago."
Riot police clashed with demonstrators in Bahrain, attacking them with tear gas and concussion grenades. At least one person was killed and several were wounded.
In Yemen, the unrest in the streets extended into its fourth day. Nearly 20 people were injured in confrontations between pro-government and pro-reform protesters.
One of the demonstrators in Iran told of braving tear gas and police batons. "I have done what I could do and was obliged to do."
PRAYER REQUESTS FROM THE WIN NETWORK:
• the Lord to continue to accomplish His plans and purposes for these nations and this region. Ask Him to use this time of turmoil to make people aware of their need for a Savior. (The Bible, Job 42:2; I Timothy 4:10)
• demonstrations to remain peaceful. Pray for security forces to use restraint (as they did in Egypt) when dealing with protesters. (The Bible, Isaiah 26:3; Psalm 119:65)
• governments to take note of the concerns being voiced and work to provide greater political freedom, better jobs and an end to corruption. Pray for this unrest to motivate leaders to seek ways to better serve the people. (The Bible, Proverbs 14:31)
• the Lord to raise up men and women who will govern with integrity. Pray for Christians to find favor and be placed into positions of leadership. (The Bible, Daniel 2:21)
• Christians in Iran, Yemen, Bahrain and throughout the Middle East to be strong and courageous. Ask the Lord to remind them of His presence and help them resist the temptation to be fearful. Pray for them to be bold and to preach the Gospel in and out of season. (The Bible, Joshua 1:7; II Timothy 4:2)
• this time of protest to become a time of harvest. Pray for multitudes in these nations to put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. (The Bible, John 4:35) [Source: Window International Network]
Obama and America's Businesses
Business-Bashing Obama Does It Again
For a couple of months, we have been told that a new centrist Obama has emerged since the "shellacking" his party received in November. The "do over," we were told, meant that Obama would drop his anti-business policies and class warfare rhetoric and start focusing on economic growth.
Apparently the "do over" is over. At today's press conference defending his proposed increases on the most successful Americans, Obama once again attacked "millionaires and billionaires," even though his tax increases hit earners making $200,000 - not only millionaires or billionaires. Then he went right back to slamming one of the biggest job creators in the country - the American energy industry. His budget calls for higher taxes on that industry while the budget also contains billions of dollars in subsidies for "green energy."
When Obama attacks U.S. energy companies he is attacking countless American families whose livelihoods depend on that industry. Obama Administration policies have already cost coal miners their jobs in West Virginia and oil drill workers their jobs in the U.S. Gulf states. The massive new natural gas fields we have discovered with new technology to capture that gas and power our nation for 100 years is increasingly being blocked by EPA regulations and harassment from radical environmental groups. Meanwhile, virtually every week Chinese companies are purchasing more energy assets in Canada and the U.S. from U.S. and Canadian companies that can't afford to keep the assets while they are harassed and undermined by our own government.
You and I already knew there was no "new" Obama. His rhetoric today and his big spending budget submitted yesterday will help millions of other Americans realize that the president learned nothing from the November "shellacking." (Gary Bauer)
Obama's Government Job Creation
Obama continues to prove that even in our dismal economy there is one place where he knows how to create jobs: in the IRS. According to recent IRS reports, the Internal Revenue Service will spend $92 million to "promote compliance" with ObamaCare. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) released details of an IRS budget document revealing that for the IRS, ObamaCare "represents the largest set of tax law changes in more than 20 years, with more than 40 provisions that amend the tax laws." The $93 million has been allocated to ensure compliance with the new tax rules. The new IRS spending includes $11.5 million to promote compliance by tanning salon owners, many of whom will be asked to impose a new 10 percent tax on their customers. Fifteen million dollars will pay for a new call center to help confused citizens deal with new ObamaCare tax laws, and $22 million will be spent to "assist taxpayers in understanding new provisions." It ends up that "hope and change" simply meant more bureaucracy, more IRS agents and more regulations. (Gary Bauer)
The Good News Corner
On Prayer: Catherine Marshall
Where are You Lord?
Lord, I have been so defeated by circumstances. I have felt like an animal trapped in a corner with nowhere to flee. Where are You in all this, Lord? The night is dark. I cannot feel Your presence.
Help me to know that the darkness is really "Shade of Your hand, outstretched caressingly;" that the "hemming in" is Your doing. Perhaps there was no other way You could get my full attention, no other way I would allow You to demonstrate what You can do in my life.
I see now that the emptier my cup is, the more space there is to receive Your love and supply. Lord, I hand You this situation, asking You to fill it from Your bountiful reservoirs in Your own time and Your own way.
How I thank You, Father in heaven, that Your riches are available to me, not on the basis of my deserving, but of Jesus and His worthiness. Therefore, in the strength of His name, I pray. Amen.
From "Adventures in Prayer" by Catherine Marshall (Chosen Books © 1975)
Worship with Us Today!
"Psalty's One Step at a Time "
I'm climbing my mountain . . . one step at a time.
