• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• The Daily Jot!
• Tomorrow: Global March to Jerusalem
• Supreme Court: The Aftermath
• Urgent! Continued Prayer Required Over Obamacare Decsion(s)
• The Madison Report
• 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 - Thursday, March 29, 2012
". . . The court was seated, and the books were opened." (Daniel 7:10c)
The Daily Brief
1. Saudi Arabia will act to lower soaring oil prices - Financial Times
High international oil prices are bad news. Bad for Europe, bad for the US, bad for emerging economies and bad for the world's poorest nations. A period of prolonged high prices is bad for all oil producing nations, including Saudi Arabia, and they are bad news for the energy industry more widely.
- Lord, we hear about these efforts from Saudi Arabia to reduce the price of oil, and we are cautiously grateful. We still have yet to be released from dependence on the oil that comes from hostile nations, and the headline from today which talks about Saudi clerics trying to destroy Christian churches is evidence of that hostility. We pray, Lord, that You will have mercy over Your people, and mercy over the price of oil, that we not continue to compromise America's people in favor of the price of that commodity.
- "There are many devices in a man's heart, nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand." [Proverbs 19:21]
2. Christian Workers in Gulf Countries Warned About Saudi Cleric's Call to 'Destroy Churches' - CNS News
A call by Saudi Arabia's top religious authority for a demolition of all churches in the Arabian Peninsula has prompted an organization representing Filipino workers in the region to advise caution and discretion.
- Father, we call forth Your Heavenly Host to stand guard against this wave of violence against Your people. As hostility against both Jews and Christians increases, we pray for Your Mighty hand of protection for all.
- "For behold the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon you and His Glory shall be seen upon you." [Isaiah 60:2]
3. US acted to conceal evidence of intelligence failure before 9/11 - UK Guardian
The US government shut down a series of court cases arising from a multimillion pound business dispute in order to conceal evidence of a damning intelligence failure shortly before the 9/11 attacks, MPs were told.
- Father, we pray for truth to be revealed in all areas of our government. Where corruption exists, we ask that it be excised. Where lies live under the surface, we pray for them to be exposed.
- "In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our god, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood" [Isaiah 59:13]
4. WSJ: Fed Buying 61 Percent of US Debt - NewsMax
The Federal Reserve is propping up the entire U.S. economy by buying 61 percent of the government debt issued by the Treasury Department, a trend that cannot last, Lawrence Goodman, a former Treasury official and current president of the Center for Financial Stability, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion article published Wednesday.
- Lord, we know this practice of buying US Debt cannot be a stable platform for the American Economy. We ask for a solution from the Throne Room of Heaven.
- "And everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, shall be likened to a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand" [Matthew 7:26]
5. State Dept. Spokesman Refuses to Say Whether Jerusalem Is the Capital of Israel - The Weekly Standard
There was an amazing exchange today at the State Department press briefing when the press secretary refused to say that Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Israel. "We are not going to prejudge the outcome of those negotiations, including the final status of Jerusalem," State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland said in response the question.
- Lord, we pray that You would forgive our nation for its foolish policies toward Israel. We call on Your Name and Your mercy to change the hearts of our leaders with regard to Your people. Lord, if they will not change, we pray that You will block any attempts to divide Jerusalem by any means necessary.
- "And I will set My Glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see My judgment that I have executed, and My hand that I have laid upon them." [Ezekiel 39:21]
6. Taking Liberties: Arrested for reading the Bible? - Fox News
The video begins with Mark Mackey opening his Bible.
"Good morning, everyone," he says to a crowd of 15 onlookers waiting outside the Hemet, California Division of Motor Vehicles. "I would like to read a little bit of the word of God this morning."
The video, shot in February of last year, ends with Mackey's arrest.
"You can preach on your own property," an officer from the California state patrol tells Mackey as he leads him away in handcuffs. "Folks, this is what the United States is coming to," Mackey says to the crowd, who were standing outside waiting for the DMV to open. "You can talk about anything you want, but you can't talk about the Bible."
Read more:
- Father, we know that as the final days approach, we will be hated by all who are perishing. We pray for the souls of those who arrested Mr. Mackey, and for wisdom for him in the midst of this situation.
- "And they shall deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you, and you shall be hated of all nations for My Name's sake." [Matthew 24:9]
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore." (Psalm 121:7,8)
1. Army chief cancels IDF-wide Passover vacation - Ynet News
Chief of Staff Benny Gantz has ordered all IDF units to cancel their traditional Passover breaks so that they can operate in full capacity over the upcoming holdiay, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Wednesday.
2. Organizers fear Palestinian Land Day protests could turn violent - Ha'aretz
Organizers of international protest marches scheduled for Friday to mark Land Day have expressed concern that the demonstrations could get out of control due to the involvement of outside activists, some from as far away as East Asia. Land Day marks the anniversary of protests in the Israeli Arab community in 1976 over government land policy in which security forces killed six demonstrators.
3. Arabs prepare for 'Jerusalem March' - Ynet News
International supporters and hundreds of thousands of participants are expected to take part in the Global March on Jerusalem Friday, as Israel braces for potential attempts to breach the Jewish state's borders.
4. Netanyahu congratulates Mofaz on Kadima win - Ynet News
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated newly elected Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz on winning the party's primaries on Wednesday morning. The two agreed to meet as part of the regular meetings between the prime minister and the opposition head.
5. Pentagon wants more money for Israel's Iron Dome - Ynet News
The US Defense Department will ask Congress for additional funding for Israel's Iron Dome defense system, Ynet learned Tuesday.
6. Exchange of fire along Israel-Egypt border: army - AFP
Israeli troops opened fire at a group of suspects along the Egyptian border on Tuesday, two of whom had crossed from Egypt, a military spokesman said, indicating that several of them were wounded.
The Daily Jot!
Don't like high gas prices?
Ancient prophecies may predict even higher
Destabilizing the Middle East by supporting the overthrow of governments for Sharia Law "democracies" and rumors of war with Israel and Iran have the White House and European leaders facing some extremely high gas prices and resulting inflation for their citizens. No doubt the cause and effect of American involvement in last year's "Arab spring" impacted the prices at the pump, but ancient prophecies of the Bible point toward even higher prices for food essentials and oil in the latter days. The wars and rumors of wars, the political unrest seen around the world, the debt of the nations, the deception on the world stage, and the high prices of goods and services are likely a type and shadow of the end times.
In Matthew 24:3, disciples of Yeshua Ha Mashiac ask him, "Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Yeshua outlines a very succinct chronology of what to expect before His return. This account tracks with Revelation, Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah and many other books of the Bible. These books hold more specific accounts of what Yeshua teaches in Matthew 24. One thing for certain, wars and rumors of wars historically produces times of high inflation. When the latter day judgments begin on the earth, there is conquering, killing, war and inflation. We have seen types and shadows of them throughout history. We are now in another such cycle.
The wars and rumors of wars have placed military assets in the path of oil rich trade routes. Many rumors abound that oil shipping lanes will be closed as violence, even war, in the Middle East becomes closer to reality. Revelation 6 speaks of a time when a measure of wheat will cost a day's wages. And there is a curious ending to verse 6, saying "and see thou hurt not the oil ad the wine." Some translations say "save" the oil and the wine. Notwithstanding, the intent of this verse is to demonstrate that prices for food, oil and wine will be extremely high. Oil could be olive oil or it could be other types of oils. In today's market, the Middle East controls the oil supply, especially Saudi Arabia, the largest producer of oil.
The minister of petroleum for Saudi Arabia Ali Naimi wrote in the Financial Times that oil prices are artificially high because of "irrational fear." He said Saudi Arabia would like to correct this "myth." This plays into prophecy because Saudi Arabia is establishing itself as the main broker for the world's most needed commodity. Revelation 17:2 speaks of the "great whore" "With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication." Think about all the leaders that bow to the king of Saudi Arabia, and all the people who are addicted to oil so much so that they tolerate the evils of Saudi Arabia to get it. Could this be a type and shadow of what is to come?
Have A Blessed And Powerful Day,
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
Tomorrow: Global March to Jerusalem
Mass Arab protest hopes to overrun Israel's borders
Israel is gearing up to confront attempts by thousands of Palestinian and Arab demonstrators to breach its borders to protest land policies, officials said.
Thousands are expected to participate in the Global March to Jerusalem organized by pro-Palestinian organizations abroad that have called on protesters to march on Israel's borders with Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Gaza and the West Bank Friday as part of Land Day demonstrations opposing Israeli policies . . .
Israel has warned it will treat anyone who attempts to approach its borders as an infiltrator and will act decisively and determinedly, Israel Radio said Thursday.
In recent days Israeli Army and security officials have met with their Palestinian counterparts to coordinate the West Bank protests and ensure they remain within Palestinian-controlled areas, the report said.
Palestinians have called a protest at the Kalandia checkpoint north of Jerusalem and at Rachel's Tomb outside the entrance to Bethlehem, the report said.
The army and police have also beefed up their presence along Israel's northern and southern borders, the report said.
The Lebanese paper The Daily Star said scores of international protesters arrived in Lebanon Wednesday to participate in Friday's march. The report said the Lebanese Army has coordinated the route with the protesters, who plan to rally in a compound near Israel's border.
Jordan has also set up a site for the protests that overlooks Jerusalem and is where Jesus is believed to have been baptized, Ynetnews.com said.
Earlier this week Haaretz reported major disagreements have developed between the organizers of Friday's protests due to Iran's involvement. The paper said the dispute erupted after a group of pro-Palestinian activists from East Asia and some Arab countries visited Tehran and met with a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who promised his country's support.
The Jerusalem Post said thousands of pro-Palestinian activists plan to fly into Israel at staggered times April 15 and 16 to protest Israeli policies. (UPI) Read more.
For a detailed analysis of this planned mass protest,' including its background and its organization, please read an article published by The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, titled: "The Global March to Jerusalem: Part of the International Campaign to Delegitimize Israel."
Prayer Requests:
1. Speak forgiveness over Jerualem's enemies; they know not what they do. "Father, forgive them, for THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO." (Luke 23:34)
2. Ask God to intervene, to divide the sponsoring groups asunder; and to cause a spirit of confusion to enter their camp so that their plans will come to nothing.
"I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save." (Isaiah 49:25)
3. Ask the Lord God of Jacob to show Himself mighty on behalf of Israel, demonstrating once again that the land belongs to the Jew. "In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land." (Joel 3:2)
Supreme Court: The Aftermath
Severability Remains the Key Issue
(Following is an article pubilshed today by the Family Rsearch Council, titled, "Happily Sever After?")
• The Middle East in Focus
• The Daily Jot!
• Tomorrow: Global March to Jerusalem
• Supreme Court: The Aftermath
• Urgent! Continued Prayer Required Over Obamacare Decsion(s)
• The Madison Report
• 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 - Thursday, March 29, 2012
". . . The court was seated, and the books were opened." (Daniel 7:10c)
The Daily Brief
1. Saudi Arabia will act to lower soaring oil prices - Financial Times
High international oil prices are bad news. Bad for Europe, bad for the US, bad for emerging economies and bad for the world's poorest nations. A period of prolonged high prices is bad for all oil producing nations, including Saudi Arabia, and they are bad news for the energy industry more widely.
- Lord, we hear about these efforts from Saudi Arabia to reduce the price of oil, and we are cautiously grateful. We still have yet to be released from dependence on the oil that comes from hostile nations, and the headline from today which talks about Saudi clerics trying to destroy Christian churches is evidence of that hostility. We pray, Lord, that You will have mercy over Your people, and mercy over the price of oil, that we not continue to compromise America's people in favor of the price of that commodity.
- "There are many devices in a man's heart, nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand." [Proverbs 19:21]
2. Christian Workers in Gulf Countries Warned About Saudi Cleric's Call to 'Destroy Churches' - CNS News
A call by Saudi Arabia's top religious authority for a demolition of all churches in the Arabian Peninsula has prompted an organization representing Filipino workers in the region to advise caution and discretion.
- Father, we call forth Your Heavenly Host to stand guard against this wave of violence against Your people. As hostility against both Jews and Christians increases, we pray for Your Mighty hand of protection for all.
- "For behold the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon you and His Glory shall be seen upon you." [Isaiah 60:2]
3. US acted to conceal evidence of intelligence failure before 9/11 - UK Guardian
The US government shut down a series of court cases arising from a multimillion pound business dispute in order to conceal evidence of a damning intelligence failure shortly before the 9/11 attacks, MPs were told.
- Father, we pray for truth to be revealed in all areas of our government. Where corruption exists, we ask that it be excised. Where lies live under the surface, we pray for them to be exposed.
- "In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our god, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood" [Isaiah 59:13]
4. WSJ: Fed Buying 61 Percent of US Debt - NewsMax
The Federal Reserve is propping up the entire U.S. economy by buying 61 percent of the government debt issued by the Treasury Department, a trend that cannot last, Lawrence Goodman, a former Treasury official and current president of the Center for Financial Stability, writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion article published Wednesday.
- Lord, we know this practice of buying US Debt cannot be a stable platform for the American Economy. We ask for a solution from the Throne Room of Heaven.
- "And everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, shall be likened to a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand" [Matthew 7:26]
5. State Dept. Spokesman Refuses to Say Whether Jerusalem Is the Capital of Israel - The Weekly Standard
There was an amazing exchange today at the State Department press briefing when the press secretary refused to say that Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Israel. "We are not going to prejudge the outcome of those negotiations, including the final status of Jerusalem," State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland said in response the question.
- Lord, we pray that You would forgive our nation for its foolish policies toward Israel. We call on Your Name and Your mercy to change the hearts of our leaders with regard to Your people. Lord, if they will not change, we pray that You will block any attempts to divide Jerusalem by any means necessary.
- "And I will set My Glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see My judgment that I have executed, and My hand that I have laid upon them." [Ezekiel 39:21]
6. Taking Liberties: Arrested for reading the Bible? - Fox News
The video begins with Mark Mackey opening his Bible.
"Good morning, everyone," he says to a crowd of 15 onlookers waiting outside the Hemet, California Division of Motor Vehicles. "I would like to read a little bit of the word of God this morning."
The video, shot in February of last year, ends with Mackey's arrest.
"You can preach on your own property," an officer from the California state patrol tells Mackey as he leads him away in handcuffs. "Folks, this is what the United States is coming to," Mackey says to the crowd, who were standing outside waiting for the DMV to open. "You can talk about anything you want, but you can't talk about the Bible."
Read more:
- Father, we know that as the final days approach, we will be hated by all who are perishing. We pray for the souls of those who arrested Mr. Mackey, and for wisdom for him in the midst of this situation.
- "And they shall deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you, and you shall be hated of all nations for My Name's sake." [Matthew 24:9]
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore." (Psalm 121:7,8)
1. Army chief cancels IDF-wide Passover vacation - Ynet News
Chief of Staff Benny Gantz has ordered all IDF units to cancel their traditional Passover breaks so that they can operate in full capacity over the upcoming holdiay, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Wednesday.
2. Organizers fear Palestinian Land Day protests could turn violent - Ha'aretz
Organizers of international protest marches scheduled for Friday to mark Land Day have expressed concern that the demonstrations could get out of control due to the involvement of outside activists, some from as far away as East Asia. Land Day marks the anniversary of protests in the Israeli Arab community in 1976 over government land policy in which security forces killed six demonstrators.
3. Arabs prepare for 'Jerusalem March' - Ynet News
International supporters and hundreds of thousands of participants are expected to take part in the Global March on Jerusalem Friday, as Israel braces for potential attempts to breach the Jewish state's borders.
4. Netanyahu congratulates Mofaz on Kadima win - Ynet News
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated newly elected Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz on winning the party's primaries on Wednesday morning. The two agreed to meet as part of the regular meetings between the prime minister and the opposition head.
5. Pentagon wants more money for Israel's Iron Dome - Ynet News
The US Defense Department will ask Congress for additional funding for Israel's Iron Dome defense system, Ynet learned Tuesday.
6. Exchange of fire along Israel-Egypt border: army - AFP
Israeli troops opened fire at a group of suspects along the Egyptian border on Tuesday, two of whom had crossed from Egypt, a military spokesman said, indicating that several of them were wounded.
The Daily Jot!
Don't like high gas prices?
Ancient prophecies may predict even higher
Destabilizing the Middle East by supporting the overthrow of governments for Sharia Law "democracies" and rumors of war with Israel and Iran have the White House and European leaders facing some extremely high gas prices and resulting inflation for their citizens. No doubt the cause and effect of American involvement in last year's "Arab spring" impacted the prices at the pump, but ancient prophecies of the Bible point toward even higher prices for food essentials and oil in the latter days. The wars and rumors of wars, the political unrest seen around the world, the debt of the nations, the deception on the world stage, and the high prices of goods and services are likely a type and shadow of the end times.
In Matthew 24:3, disciples of Yeshua Ha Mashiac ask him, "Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Yeshua outlines a very succinct chronology of what to expect before His return. This account tracks with Revelation, Daniel, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah and many other books of the Bible. These books hold more specific accounts of what Yeshua teaches in Matthew 24. One thing for certain, wars and rumors of wars historically produces times of high inflation. When the latter day judgments begin on the earth, there is conquering, killing, war and inflation. We have seen types and shadows of them throughout history. We are now in another such cycle.
The wars and rumors of wars have placed military assets in the path of oil rich trade routes. Many rumors abound that oil shipping lanes will be closed as violence, even war, in the Middle East becomes closer to reality. Revelation 6 speaks of a time when a measure of wheat will cost a day's wages. And there is a curious ending to verse 6, saying "and see thou hurt not the oil ad the wine." Some translations say "save" the oil and the wine. Notwithstanding, the intent of this verse is to demonstrate that prices for food, oil and wine will be extremely high. Oil could be olive oil or it could be other types of oils. In today's market, the Middle East controls the oil supply, especially Saudi Arabia, the largest producer of oil.
The minister of petroleum for Saudi Arabia Ali Naimi wrote in the Financial Times that oil prices are artificially high because of "irrational fear." He said Saudi Arabia would like to correct this "myth." This plays into prophecy because Saudi Arabia is establishing itself as the main broker for the world's most needed commodity. Revelation 17:2 speaks of the "great whore" "With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication." Think about all the leaders that bow to the king of Saudi Arabia, and all the people who are addicted to oil so much so that they tolerate the evils of Saudi Arabia to get it. Could this be a type and shadow of what is to come?
Have A Blessed And Powerful Day,
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
Tomorrow: Global March to Jerusalem
Mass Arab protest hopes to overrun Israel's borders
Israel is gearing up to confront attempts by thousands of Palestinian and Arab demonstrators to breach its borders to protest land policies, officials said.
Thousands are expected to participate in the Global March to Jerusalem organized by pro-Palestinian organizations abroad that have called on protesters to march on Israel's borders with Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Gaza and the West Bank Friday as part of Land Day demonstrations opposing Israeli policies . . .
Israel has warned it will treat anyone who attempts to approach its borders as an infiltrator and will act decisively and determinedly, Israel Radio said Thursday.
In recent days Israeli Army and security officials have met with their Palestinian counterparts to coordinate the West Bank protests and ensure they remain within Palestinian-controlled areas, the report said.
Palestinians have called a protest at the Kalandia checkpoint north of Jerusalem and at Rachel's Tomb outside the entrance to Bethlehem, the report said.
The army and police have also beefed up their presence along Israel's northern and southern borders, the report said.
The Lebanese paper The Daily Star said scores of international protesters arrived in Lebanon Wednesday to participate in Friday's march. The report said the Lebanese Army has coordinated the route with the protesters, who plan to rally in a compound near Israel's border.
Jordan has also set up a site for the protests that overlooks Jerusalem and is where Jesus is believed to have been baptized, Ynetnews.com said.
Earlier this week Haaretz reported major disagreements have developed between the organizers of Friday's protests due to Iran's involvement. The paper said the dispute erupted after a group of pro-Palestinian activists from East Asia and some Arab countries visited Tehran and met with a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who promised his country's support.
The Jerusalem Post said thousands of pro-Palestinian activists plan to fly into Israel at staggered times April 15 and 16 to protest Israeli policies. (UPI) Read more.
For a detailed analysis of this planned mass protest,' including its background and its organization, please read an article published by The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, titled: "The Global March to Jerusalem: Part of the International Campaign to Delegitimize Israel."
Prayer Requests:
1. Speak forgiveness over Jerualem's enemies; they know not what they do. "Father, forgive them, for THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO." (Luke 23:34)
2. Ask God to intervene, to divide the sponsoring groups asunder; and to cause a spirit of confusion to enter their camp so that their plans will come to nothing.
"I will contend with those who contend with you, and your children I will save." (Isaiah 49:25)
3. Ask the Lord God of Jacob to show Himself mighty on behalf of Israel, demonstrating once again that the land belongs to the Jew. "In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land." (Joel 3:2)
Supreme Court: The Aftermath
Severability Remains the Key Issue
(Following is an article pubilshed today by the Family Rsearch Council, titled, "Happily Sever After?")
Less than a mile separates the Supreme Court from America's founding documents at the National Archives. But when the ObamaCare case is decided, the country will see how far the Justices really are from the U.S. Constitution. From what people inside the courtroom have observed, the two may be closer than liberals originally thought. Yesterday's arguments--the last before June's historic ruling--focused on severability. The Justices must decide that if one part of the law is found unconstitutional, should they save the rest? Unlike other cases, this one is decidedly messy. If the Court voids the individual mandate, then the burden of paying for the law would fall to the states--many of which cannot afford it.
Even the bench's liberal newcomers, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, talked about how unworkable that solution would be. "So they leave the market," Kagan said, "the rates go up further, more people leave the market, and the whole system crashes and burns." Sotomayor agreed. Hollowing out the law would be, in her words, "a death spiral." The President and his party designed the mandate as the engine that drives the bill. Without it, the law is almost unsustainable. If the Justices tear down the order to buy insurance without hitching the entire policy to it, then Americans would be left with a massive Medicaid expansion, taxpayer-funded abortion, a conscience-violating mandate, and the $1.76 trillion tab.
The results would still be catastrophic--though not, as the Wall Street Journal describes the whole law, a "bunker buster into the original idea of America." It would also put the burden on the Court, a non-legislative body, to decide which parts of the policy stay and which go. That, insisted Justice Anthony Kennedy, is a more activist solution than taking a wrecking ball to the entire law. If the Court strikes down the individual mandate but leaves the rest of the law untouched, "We would have [created] a new [law] that Congress did not provide for, did not consider. That, it seems to be can be argued at least to be a more extreme exercise of judicial power than... striking the whole." Almost on cue, Justice Antonin Scalia joked, "What happened to the Eighth Amendment? You really want us to go through these 2,700 pages?" (The Eighth Amendment, as FRC's Ken Klukowski points out, is the Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment.) Essentially, both men were arguing that it's Congress's place--not the judiciary's--to rework the law.
not the judiciary's--to rework the law. In the end, this case is--and always was--about the fundamental principle of freedom. And while the Solicitor General did his best to argue that the law was nothing short of patriotic, attorney Paul Clement views it differently. "I certainly appreciate what the solicitor general says, that when you support a policy, you think that the policy spreads the blessings of liberty. But I would respectfully suggest that it's a very funny concept of liberty that forces somebody to purchase an insurance policy whether they want to or not." Ultimately, the Court will have to decide who enjoys the vastest expanse of power: the people or the President? We'll have to wait until June to find out.
Urgent! Continued Prayer Required Over Obamacare Decsion(s)
Now that the Supreme Court justices have completed their hearings over four issues related to the legality of The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), some might assume that our job in prayer is now complete.
Indeed, the exact opposite is now true . . . WE HAVE ONLY BEGUN TO FIGHT!
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners wishes to encourage each one of our prayer partners to NOT LET UP THE PRESSURE IN INTERCESSION UNTIL THE FINAL DECISION ON THIS CASE IS RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC AT THE END OF JUNE.
For the next three months, the justices -- behind closed doors -- will begin deliberating the merits of this case on their own, often in times of private study, while at other times in debating certain points among themselves.
Given these facts, it is imperative that we continue to cover the minds of each of the nine justices on the Supreme Court in prayer, asking that "wisdom from above" be granted unto each one . . . even as, in the end, they write their own opinions.
May justice be served in our nation, and may we be a people who are free of tyranny in our land. Amen.
"But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! " (Amos 5:24)
Today's Legislative Focus
From The Madison Project
www.madisonproject.com
Export-Import Bank:
Last week, we defeated an effort on the part of Senate Democrats to reauthorize the corporate welfare Export-Import Bank and raise its lending cap. Now conservatives want to go on offense and terminate the bank altogether ahead of the May 31 expiration deadline. To that end, Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) is sponsoring the Ex-Im Termination Act, which would put an end to this federal agency that subsidizes exports of politically connected firms through below-market interest rates on trade financing. Senator Lee is cosponsoring a companion bill in the Senate.
Postal Bailout:
It's no secret that the United States Postal Service is on its way out. The transition to electronic communication, in conjunction with the success of private mail carriers, has dramatically reduced the demand for their service. If the USPS were a private entity, it would trim its workforce and operations to the amount of revenue they can produce until they are eventually forced to go out of business. That's how creative destruction, supply, and demand work in the real world. That's not how it works in Washington.
In order to continue operating at a limited capacity, which is what the current market demands of the USPS, there was a plan to end Saturday delivery, cut the workforce by about 220,000 employees, and close 3,700 local post offices and 252 processing centers. Once again, a bipartisan group of senators plan to bail out a failing government entity with taxpayer dollars, allowing them to operate, more or less, at current capacity for much longer. S. 1789, which has 2 Republican cosponsors, will grant a $41 billion bailout to the postal service for the purpose of managing the payments of healthcare benefits for its retirees. The House GOP bill, which is only slightly better, was scheduled to get a Rules Committee hearing on Monday, but is still waiting to hit the floor. Please call your senators and tell them to oppose the postal bailout!
The Good News Corner:
God's "Miraculous Movement":
Amazing Accounts of Scores of Moslems coming to Christ
"The irony is that Moslems in scores of different people groups are submitting their lives to Jesus at rates that are much faster than most church growth in North America. And it is happening, not by making the Gospel journey somehow easier to traverse, but by focusing from the first day on making obedient disciples who are daily seeking to follow Jesus and obey His will. That is the pathway over which hundreds of thousands of Moslems have come to Jesus." -Jerry Trousdale
What's even better than one Moslem coming to the Lord Jesus and being saved? A whole mosque-full of people receiving Christ!
As astonishing as it sounds, that is the report from a former church planter who worked among Muslims in West Africa.
Jerry Trousdale, now the director of International ministries for City Team International, has written a book, Miraculous Movements, that details some of the "unprecedented" events taking place currently among the Moslem population there.
Trousdale notes that there have been "multiple cases of entire mosques coming to faith" in Christ; "tens of thousands" of Christians with Moslem background who are now dedicated to fasting and praying as intercessors for the Muslim people; seemingly impossible achievements being done through ordinary people allowing God to use them, along with many other extraordinary happenings.
Trousdale told the Christian Post (CP), "This is just good news that God is in the same business as He was in the book of Acts. Disciples are multiplying greatly and even priests, imams and sheikhs are becoming obedience to the faith. So I no longer doubt that we can finish the task in this generation."
The CP article recounts one of the remarkable stories from Trousdale's book in which a man who'd been a respectable Muslim businessman had a dream that Jesus appeared to him telling him that He [Jesus] was the Light of the world-when he woke up he could no longer see. The dream and his loss of sight impacted him so much, he converted to Christianity, and-after attending Bible studies at a prayer camp-he became an effective witness and church-planter for the Lord among Muslim groups.
Trousdale cautions against "marketing" the Gospel, and instead cites some important factors of disciple-making as part of the reason for the incredible movement.
"The irony is that Moslems in scores of different people groups are submitting their lives to Jesus at rates that are much faster than most church growth in North America," Trousdale told the CP in an interview, "And it is happening, not by making the Gospel journey somehow easier to traverse, but by focusing from the first day on making obedient disciples who are daily seeking to follow Jesus and obey His will. That is the pathway over which hundreds of thousands of Muslims have come to Jesus." (Christian Post) Read more.
Reported by: Breaking Christian News
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