News for Prayer!• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• NDAA Signed Into Law
• Special Prayer: NDAA Signing
• The Good News Corner
• Worship with Us Today!
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
"Partners in Prayer for Our Nation"
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
• The Middle East in Focus
• NDAA Signed Into Law
• Special Prayer: NDAA Signing
• The Good News Corner
• Worship with Us Today!
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
"Partners in Prayer for Our Nation"
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief - Monday, January 2, 2012
"And of the increase of His government and peace, there shall be no end." (Isaiah 9:7)
The Daily Brief
1. GOP Hopefuls Up Their Ground Game - Fox News
As Iowa caucuses approach, candidates flood state with volunteers to urge supporters to come out on caucus day in their frantic bid for a win on Tuesday.
- As a 501 (c) 3, nonprofit, tax-exempt ministry, CHPP can neither endorse nor oppose any candidate, but we do ask you to continue to lift up each name before the Lord, asking Him to grant the voters wisdom in the days ahead. Pray, in particular, for the voters in the State of Iowa, because this primary will serve as a bellweather for all others to come.
When the time comes for you to cast your own vote in your state's primary, measure each candidate's positions in the light of the full counsel of the Word of God. Seek out the voter's guides now coming available to help you do this very thing. Pray!
- "The God of heaven will give us success; therefore we His servants will arise and build . . . " (Nehemiah 2:20)
Note: our 2012 Election Prayer Guide has been revised. Please go here for the updated text. Thank you!
2. Santorum Talks Tough on Iran as Country Announces Nuclear Fuel Rod - Fox News
Other Candidates Also Talking Tough on Iran, too
On the day Iranian scientists announced the production of the country's first nuclear fuel rod, Rick Santorum pledged that if elected president he will ensure Iran cannot produce a nuclear weapon -- in part by threatening to bomb their facilities unless the country opens them up to inspectors. "Iran will not get a nuclear weapon under my watch," Santorum said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Recent polling shows his candidacy surging in Iowa ahead of Tuesday's caucuses, and Santorum claims part of that is because voters are paying attention to his leadership credentials.
Mitt Romney has also declared he'd prevent Iran from obtaining or producing a nuclear weapon, while Newt Gingrich said at one debate he would support "taking out" Iranian scientists, "all of it covertly." Read more.
b) Bachmann: Iran would use nuke against United States, Israel - Politico
Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, took a hard line over the possibility of Iran building its own nuclear weapon, saying that all options should be open to the United States and other Western powers, including military action.
"I would have every alternative and option on the table, because Iran must never have a nuclear weapon," Bachmann said during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press."
"Because they have stated unequivocally, once they gain a nuclear weapon, they will use that weapon to wipe Israel off of the map and they will use it against the United States." Read more.
- Offer praise to the Lord that these candidates are standing strong against a nuclear Iran. After today's announcement from Teheran, their positions are more critical than ever.
- "No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come nigh your tent." (Psalm 91:10)
3. Two abortion providers charged with murder in Md. - Yahoo.com
Authorities say two out-of-state doctors who traveled to Maryland to perform late-term abortions have been arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder, an unusual use of a law that allows for murder charges in the death of a viable fetus.
- Offer praise for this move in the judicial system. Pray that these doctors will be charged and sentenced to the fullest extent of the law in the State of Maryland, and ask that the lives of the preborn will be protected in all 50 states of the nation. Amen.
- "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." (Dt. 30:19)
4. 'Iran successfully tests nuclear fuel rods' - Jerusalem Post
Iran has successfully produced and tested fuel rods for use in its nuclear power plants, state television reported on Sunday, in a snub to international demands that it halt sensitive nuclear work. The rods, which contain natural uranium, were made in Iran and have been inserted into the core of Tehran's research nuclear reactor, the television reported.
- We place a barrier of the Blood of the Lamb around these nuclear fuel rods and decree that they shall not function, but will be as dust in the Hand of the Lord. We further decree that the ambitious plans of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadenijad to "take down" Israel and America will backfire in his face, leading to the demise of his leadership in Iran. In Jesus' Name, amen.
- "He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner than they take root in the ground, that he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff." (Isaiah 40: 23-24)
- [for the intercessors] "You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways." (Job 22:28)
5. Obama signs Iran sanctions bill into law - BBC News
Obama has signed into law a major defense bill including tough new sanctions against Iran. The law cuts off from the US financial system foreign firms that do business with Iran's central bank. But Mr Obama stressed that he had concerns about parts of the legislation dealing with the handling of foreign terror suspects.
- This bill is the National Defense Authorization Act and although we are grateful that the sanctions against Iran have now been strengthened, we too are concerned about the handling of suspected terrorists. [Please see more on this issue, below.] Pray that these sanctions will serve their intended purpose, causing Iran to stand down from its nuclear agenda. Pray!
- "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven." (Matthew 18:19)
6. Arab body says monitors should quit Syria promptly - Jerusalem Post
An Arab League advisory body called on Sunday for the immediate withdrawal of the organization's monitoring mission in Syria, saying it was allowing Damascus to cover up continued violence and abuses. The Arab League has sent a small team to Syria to check whether President Bashar Assad is keeping his promise to end a crackdown on a nine-month uprising against his rule.
- Pray that only the truth will be revealed in Syria, uncovering even more of the atrocities of the Assad regime before the world. Pray for an end to this suspected coverup, and for God's will to be done for the people of Syria.
- "So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known." (Matthew 10:26)
7. Who is the real Kim Jong-un? Diplomats fret over North Korea's portly new leader and party officials fear a purge - Telegraph.co.uk
Officially aged 29, but probably only 26 or 27, Kim Jong-un is the youngest man in history with the power to launch a nuclear weapon. But the man who appears to have smoothly risen to become North Korea's "Supreme Military Commander", the title formally bestowed on him on Friday and confirmed by the ruling politburo yesterday, is a worrying blank to most of the outside world.
- Continue to pray for this sensitive situation in North Korea. Any new regime needs prayer, but when we factor in North Korea's nuclear capability alongside the obvious young age of their new ruler, an even stronger prayer covering is needed at this time. We speak SHALOM to North Korea, in Messiah's Name. Amen.
- "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 Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
" For I am the LORD, I do not change . . ." (Malachi 3:6a)
1. Muslim Brotherhood vows not to recognize Israel - Jerusalem Post
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood will not recognize Israel "under any circumstance," the party's deputy leader Dr Rashad Bayoumi told Arabic daily al-Hayat in an interview publish Sunday. In recent Egyptian elections the party list led by the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) won 36.3 percent of the list vote, while the ultra-conservative Salafi al-Nour Party took 28.8%.
2. PM: Security fence to be built along Jordan border - Jerusalem Post
When the security fence along the border with Egypt is complete, a fence will also be built along the border with Jordan, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced Sunday in a Likud ministerial meeting. The move is intended to curb migrant workers and refugees from Africa from infiltrating into Israel.
3. Palestinian Authority to turn to UN Security Council over Israeli settlements - Haaretz
The Palestinian Authority said on Saturday that it would ask the United Nations Security Council to discuss Israel's settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem - land the Palestinians want for a future state. "In light of the escalation in the settlement campaign, the Palestinian leadership has decided to ask the Security Council to discuss this critical development, which threatens to destroy the peace process and the two-state solution," it said in a statement.
4. Along Israel's Border, Preparations Made for Iran-Backed Attacks - IsraelNews.net
Israel and the United States are planning joint military exercises in early 2012 with a focus on missile defense. The moves come amid recent Israeli media reports that Israel's government is considering an attack on Iran's controversial nuclear sites. Iran has vowed to hit back. In northern Israel preparations are being made for that possibility.
NDAA Signed Into Law
Obama Signs Defense Bill Despite 'Serious Reservations'
National Defense Authorization Act Is Now Law
Obama signed a wide-ranging defense bill into law Saturday despite having "serious reservations" about provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation and prosecution of suspected terrorists.
Signing statements allow presidents to raise constitutional objections to circumvent Congress' intent. During his campaign for the White House, Obama criticized the Most Honorable President George W. Bush's use of signing statements and promised to make his application of the tool more transparent.
Obama's signature caps months of wrangling over how to handle captured terrorist suspects without violating Americans' constitutional rights. The White House initially threatened to veto the legislation but dropped the warning after Congress made last-minute changes.
The administration . . . pushed Congress to change a provision that would have denied U.S. citizens suspected of terrorism the right to trial and could have subjected them to indefinite detention. Lawmakers eventually dropped the military custody requirement for U.S. citizens or lawful U.S. residents.
"My administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens," Obama said in the signing statement. "Indeed, I believe that doing so would break with our most important traditions and values as a nation."
Obama signed the bill in Hawaii, where he is vacationing with his family. Do not forget this!
(Source: Fox News, excerpt. Read more)
[More from the Huffington Post]
The administration was especially sensitive about the law and about reaction to the president signing it. In addition to enacting the measure while few people were paying attention -- and many opponents still had hopes the president would veto the bill -- the White House added a signing statement specifying that the Obama administration would not detain Americans without trial. The White House also sent out a notice to its online community highlighting Obama's complaints with the law, in a tacit admission that many of the president's more ardent supporters despise the detention provisions.
"I have signed this bill despite having serious reservations with certain provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation, and prosecution of suspected terrorists," Obama said in the signing statement. Presidents issue such statements when they feel a law conflicts with the executive's constitutional powers. Obama criticized them during the Bush administration, but has found the practice useful on a handful of occasions. In this case, Obama argued that the changes Congress made to the bill affirm only authorities that the Bush and Obama administrations have already claimed in fighting terrorism. But he noted that the codification of those powers in law was unnecessary and perhaps harmful. And he insisted he would not use the powers to detain citizens without trial.
"I want to clarify that my administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens," Obama wrote. "Indeed, I believe that doing so would break with our most important traditions and values as a Nation. My administration will interpret section 1021 [of the bill] in a manner that ensures that any detention it authorizes complies with the Constitution, the laws of war, and all other applicable law."
ACLU OBJECTS TO THIS SIGNING
. . . Still, the signing on New Year's Eve as few people were paying attention angered civil liberties advocates, who argue that the law for the first time spells out certain measures that have not actually been tested all the way to the Supreme Court, including the possibility of detaining citizens in military custody without trial for as long as there is a war on terror.
"President Obama's action today is a blight on his legacy because he will forever be known as the president who signed indefinite detention without charge or trial into law," said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union.
"The statute is particularly dangerous because it has no temporal or geographic limitations, and can be used by this and future presidents to militarily detain people captured far from any battlefield," Romero added. "The ACLU will fight worldwide detention authority wherever we can, be it in court, in Congress or internationally."
Civil liberties advocates like Romero pointed out that once the provisions are law, however, they will be available to a President Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney or any future president, who could choose to use the powers granted more aggressively. "We are incredibly disappointed that President Obama signed this new law even though his administration had already claimed overly broad detention authority in court," said Romero. "Any hope that the Obama administration would roll back the constitutional excesses of George Bush in the war on terror was extinguished today."
Because of the provisions specifying that the new legislation does not change current law, the new law leaves the authority it grants open to interpretation and to the possibility -- albeit in very difficult circumstances -- of someone challenging a detention through the courts. "Thankfully, we have three branches of government, and the final word belongs to the Supreme Court, which has yet to rule on the scope of detention authority," Romero said. "But Congress and the president also have a role to play in cleaning up the mess they have created, because no American citizen or anyone else should live in fear of this or any future president misusing the NDAA's detention authority."
Obama also said he will not abide by the law's requirement to detain terror suspects using the military. "I reject any approach that would mandate military custody where law enforcement provides the best method of incapacitating a terrorist threat," Obama said. "While section 1022 is unnecessary and has the potential to create uncertainty, I have signed the bill because I believe that this section can be interpreted and applied in a manner that avoids undue harm to our current operations." Read more.
To read the entire text of the president's signing statement, go here.
Special Prayer: NDAA Signing
Special Section: Praying about the Signing of the National Defense Authorization Act into Law
1) According to the article in the Huffington Post, above, the president had originally promised to veto this bill, as passed by Congress. "He retreated from that threat after Congress added provisions that took the ultimate authority to detain suspects from the military's hands and gave it to the president."
- Now that this power resides solely in the hands of the president, we can claim Proverbs 21:1 over his decision-making. Pray that the Lord would "stay" the hand of this "king" from ever implementing the NDAA to detain innocent American civilians, without trial.
- "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes." (Proverbs 21:1)
2) Pray that an appeal would be made quickly before the Supreme Court, so that the specific language of sections 1021, 1031 and 1032 of this bill would be rendered illegal and thrown out. The indefinite detention of American citizens without a trial by jury contradicts the safeguards already in place in our Constitution.
- "Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power." (Psalm 110:3)
3) There seems to be a kind of "gag order" in place, preventing any discussion of this bill at the public level. Pray that the mainstream press would pick up the concerns about the National Defense Authorization Act so that the public can become aware of this bill, and its dangers, and respond.
Please pray, too, that the voices of other leaders in the Body of Christ would be raised, alerting the people of God to TAKE ACTION. Thank you!
- "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)
For more on the dangers of this bill, go here.
The Good News Corner:
Girl Swept Away in Indian Ocean Tsunami Shows Up 7 Years Later
MEULABOH, Indonesia -- An eight-year-old girl who was swept away in the Indian Ocean tsunami has been found alive -- almost seven years to the day the giant wave hit her Indonesian village, Antara news agency reported Thursday. The 15-year-old, known as Wati, was feared dead after she was separated from her mother and two siblings when the devastating tsunami engulfed Ujong Baroh, in West Aceh, the day after Christmas in 2004. But the girl showed up in the nearby city of Meulaboh on Wednesday and told staff at the Simpang Pelor cafe that she was trying to get home.
Wati could remember only one relative's name, her grandfather Ibrahim. She was taken to his house, where she was quickly identified as his missing granddaughter.
He sent for the girl's mother Yusniar and father Yusuf, who recognized their daughter from a small scar above her eyebrow that she got when she was six years old.
The agency reported that the girl was mistaken for a beggar when she first appeared in the cafe -- and said that the events of her seven-year ordeal were not disclosed to the media. It is thought she had wandered all over the Aceh district. (Fox News)
- Although this IS "good news," especially for this child's immediate family, one can only imagine what may have happened to her during the years of her absence. Lift up young Wati together for healing, asking our Lord to restore her soul and to heal her of any traumatic memories of this amazing experience. Pray.
- "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten . . . " (Joel 2:25)
Worship with Us Today!
Powerful. . . and, beautiful!
"Amazing Grace" by Wintley Phipps
At Carnegie Hall, gospel singer Wintley Phipps delivers perhaps the most powerful rendition of Amazing Grace ever recorded. He says, "A lot of people don't realize that just about all Negro spirituals are written on the black notes of the piano. Probably the most famous on this slave scale was written by John Newton, who used to be the captain of a slave ship, and many believe he heard this melody that sounds very much like a West African sorrow chant. And it has a haunting, haunting plaintive quality to it that reaches past your arrogance, past your pride, and it speaks to that part of you that's in bondage. And we feel it. We feel it. It's just one of the most amazing melodies in all of human history." After sharing the noteworthy history of the song, Mr. Phipps delivers a stirring performance that brings the audience to its feet!
[Editor's note: One of our partners called this to our attention, for which we are grateful. However we do note that the website that is posting "Amazing Grace" is not a Christian site, but is rather "New Age." Perhaps our Lord is moving now among those who need to know Him, even drawing them to Himself by way of these gospel songs. May it be so, Lord! Amen!]
Special Section: Praying about the Signing of the National Defense Authorization Act into Law
1) According to the article in the Huffington Post, above, the president had originally promised to veto this bill, as passed by Congress. "He retreated from that threat after Congress added provisions that took the ultimate authority to detain suspects from the military's hands and gave it to the president."
- Now that this power resides solely in the hands of the president, we can claim Proverbs 21:1 over his decision-making. Pray that the Lord would "stay" the hand of this "king" from ever implementing the NDAA to detain innocent American civilians, without trial.
- "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes." (Proverbs 21:1)
2) Pray that an appeal would be made quickly before the Supreme Court, so that the specific language of sections 1021, 1031 and 1032 of this bill would be rendered illegal and thrown out. The indefinite detention of American citizens without a trial by jury contradicts the safeguards already in place in our Constitution.
- "Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power." (Psalm 110:3)
3) There seems to be a kind of "gag order" in place, preventing any discussion of this bill at the public level. Pray that the mainstream press would pick up the concerns about the National Defense Authorization Act so that the public can become aware of this bill, and its dangers, and respond.
Please pray, too, that the voices of other leaders in the Body of Christ would be raised, alerting the people of God to TAKE ACTION. Thank you!
- "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)
For more on the dangers of this bill, go here.
The Good News Corner:
Girl Swept Away in Indian Ocean Tsunami Shows Up 7 Years Later
MEULABOH, Indonesia -- An eight-year-old girl who was swept away in the Indian Ocean tsunami has been found alive -- almost seven years to the day the giant wave hit her Indonesian village, Antara news agency reported Thursday. The 15-year-old, known as Wati, was feared dead after she was separated from her mother and two siblings when the devastating tsunami engulfed Ujong Baroh, in West Aceh, the day after Christmas in 2004. But the girl showed up in the nearby city of Meulaboh on Wednesday and told staff at the Simpang Pelor cafe that she was trying to get home.
Wati could remember only one relative's name, her grandfather Ibrahim. She was taken to his house, where she was quickly identified as his missing granddaughter.
He sent for the girl's mother Yusniar and father Yusuf, who recognized their daughter from a small scar above her eyebrow that she got when she was six years old.
The agency reported that the girl was mistaken for a beggar when she first appeared in the cafe -- and said that the events of her seven-year ordeal were not disclosed to the media. It is thought she had wandered all over the Aceh district. (Fox News)
- Although this IS "good news," especially for this child's immediate family, one can only imagine what may have happened to her during the years of her absence. Lift up young Wati together for healing, asking our Lord to restore her soul and to heal her of any traumatic memories of this amazing experience. Pray.
- "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten . . . " (Joel 2:25)
Worship with Us Today!
Powerful. . . and, beautiful!
"Amazing Grace" by Wintley Phipps
At Carnegie Hall, gospel singer Wintley Phipps delivers perhaps the most powerful rendition of Amazing Grace ever recorded. He says, "A lot of people don't realize that just about all Negro spirituals are written on the black notes of the piano. Probably the most famous on this slave scale was written by John Newton, who used to be the captain of a slave ship, and many believe he heard this melody that sounds very much like a West African sorrow chant. And it has a haunting, haunting plaintive quality to it that reaches past your arrogance, past your pride, and it speaks to that part of you that's in bondage. And we feel it. We feel it. It's just one of the most amazing melodies in all of human history." After sharing the noteworthy history of the song, Mr. Phipps delivers a stirring performance that brings the audience to its feet!
[Editor's note: One of our partners called this to our attention, for which we are grateful. However we do note that the website that is posting "Amazing Grace" is not a Christian site, but is rather "New Age." Perhaps our Lord is moving now among those who need to know Him, even drawing them to Himself by way of these gospel songs. May it be so, Lord! Amen!]
