CHPP Daily Brief Friday, August 10, 2012

Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
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The Daily Brief Friday, August 10, 2012

"At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation
I helped you." (2 Corinthians 6:2)

	The Daily Brief

1. US, Israeli intel: Iran closer than ever - Jerusalem Post

Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday said that a recently reported US intelligence report is closer than ever to Israel's own intelligence estimates on Iran. The latest US estimate, he told Israel Radio, gives much more urgency to stopping Iranian nuclear proliferation. Read more.

- Father, thank You for revealing this information to our leaders. Give them clear instruction on how to go forward with this intelligence.

- Blessed be the LORD, my rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle; My lovingkindness and my fortress, My stronghold and my deliverer; My shield and He in whom I take refuge; Who subdues my people under me. (Psalm 144:1-2)

2. Tony Blair Is 'Deeply Worried' That Britain Will Leave The EU - Business Insider

Mr Blair also told a German newspaper that the UK's exit from the EU could be sparked by too much power being transferred to Brussels. - Father, may Britain follow Your leading concerning leaving the EU. We pray Your will and timing, in this decision.

- I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time [appointed] for every matter and purpose and for every work. (Ecclesiastes 3: 17)

3. Why "Fat Cat Bankers" Are Swinging Their Support and Money to Republicans - Yahoo

It's being called an "unheard of shift in party preference." A swing of support - and financial backing - that dwarfs anything seen in nearly a quarter of a century.

- Father, the lack of financial regulations and the new healthcare law is causing Wall Street to make this shift. Bring balance to the financial sector. Give us leadership that has Your wisdom in each of these areas. Give us a "Joseph" who has foresight and ability to lay away provisions for the future whether it be famine or plenty.

- Then Pharoah asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?"(Genesis 41:38)

4. Postal Service Posts Big Loss as Cash Runs Low - Wall Street Journal

The U.S. Postal Service on Thursday reported a $5.2 billion quarterly loss and said it was nearly out of cash and likely to exhaust its government credit line in coming months.

- Father, give creative ideas on how to strengthen the Postal Service. In Jesus Name.

- I wisdom dwell with prudence and find out knowledge of witty inventions. (Proverbs 8:12)

5. Spice Girls, The Who, Muse to rock Olympic closing ceremony - Fox News

The London Games are set to end in a blazing tribute to British pop and pizazz, with a closing ceremony that will see stars from the Spice Girls to The Who turn Olympic Stadium into a giant jukebox of musical hits. Two weeks of sporting drama wrap up Sunday with what music director David Arnold has called "the greatest after-party in the world." Read more.

- Tonight we are asking your prayers for the safety and the protection of all who will attend this closing ceremony. Just because the games are coming to an end doesn't mean that those who attend are out of danger . . . pray for all in authority over the security details of these Olympics, right to the end, to be granted unusual and keen insight, thereby thwarting any planned attack or terrorist strategy. In Jesus' Name, amen.

- If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5) 

	The Middle East in Focus

The Middle East in Focus

This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:

"Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Your name give glory, for Your mercy, and for Your truth's sake. Why should the nations say, Where is their God? But our God is in the heavens. He has done whatever He has pleased." (Psalm 115:1-3)

1. Iran's nuclear program designed to 'finish off' Israel, Hezbollah MP says - Times of Israel

Hezbollah MP Walid Sakariya told Lebanese television this week that the nuclear weapon Iran is allegedly developing is intended to annihilate Israel.

2. Hamas urges Egypt to open Rafah crossing - Ynet News

The head of the Hamas government in Gaza urged Egypt on Thursday to open a vital border crossing closed since gunmen killed 16 Egyptian guards in neighboring Sinai on Sunday.

3. US has not told us of Saudi plans to intercept Israeli planes - Israel Hayom

Israel has not received any messages from the U.S. about Saudi Arabia's intentions to intercept Israeli planes flying through its airspace en route to Iran, Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel Radio on Thursday.

4. Israel allows Egypt to keep attack helicopters in Sinai - Times of Israel

The cabinet on Thursday approved a request by Egypt to temporarily station five attack helicopters in the Sinai Peninsula, a departure from the security limitation established in 1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, Walla News reported.

5. A Report on Syria - Intercessors for Israel

The situation in Syria is out of control. Even Kofi Annan, the UN's special representative has quit. The civil war in Syria is very dangerous. Remember, Syria has the world's largest stockpiles of both chemical and biological weapons. There is evidence that among the anti-Assad forces are many Islamist terror groups. Israel is keeping a close watch over Assad's WMD and is willing to go to war to prevent them from getting in the hands of groups like Hizbullah in Lebanon.

Prayers for the Syrian Crisis from IFI:

- Lord, uncover all of Syria's stockpiles of WMD to Israeli intelligence.

- Give Israel wisdom from on high as to what to do and when to do it - and the resolve to do whatever it takes to prevent the transference of these weapons in hands more dangerous than Assad's.

- Captain of the LORD's hosts, speak as directly to our leaders as You did to Joshua concerning how to defeat Jericho (Joshua 5:13-6:5).

- Hedge in and confound Hizbullah (Psalm 129:5).
- Force them into making miscalculations and shame them in the eyes of the rest of the Islamic world.

- Provide supernatural wisdom and courage to enable Israel to protect her northern border.

- Protect the innocent among the Syrian people.
 

	The Daily Jot

Faith, Focus, Finish

I don't know how many of you have been watching the Olympics. The US is leading in the overall medal count as of this writing. Between coaching football and planning a mission trip to Africa, I haven't had a lot of time to watch the Olympics. I know that that the opening ceremony smacked of socialist undertones; and that there have been a lot of stories written about the Olympic Village and all the immorality that goes on there, but there is one athlete that I would like to mention, who caught my eye as having a tremendous amount of passion, courage and tenacity to overcome great odds and secure at least a personal victory, if not the gold medal.

His name is Manteo Mitchell. He is a 400 man, a quarter-miler, and was the lead runner in the US men's 4 X 400 relay. I know what it is like to run that race. I was lead off of our high school mile relay team. It is grueling to sprint a quarter of a mile. Our high school team didn't make it to the Olympics, but we were the 7th fastest in Ohio and held the school record until they switched over to the metric system--so in a sense that record still stands. But I digress--suffice it to say that sprinting a quarter mile is probably still the most difficult race to run. You have to gut it out, even when your lungs burn like the flames of hades and your legs feel like rubber. 

Mitchell ran a 46.1 split in the 400 (which would have beaten me by about three seconds). By the second 200 meters, he was in incredible pain. He told USA Today, "If you could have seen behind my face, I was in tears every step. It was bad, it was really bad." Mitchell had heard a snap and continued running. After the race, doctors said he had broken his fibula--one of the most painful breaks a person can suffer. But he kept on running the most demanding race in the sport of track. Why? "I could have stopped. I could have laid there. But I owed it to the guys in the group. I didn't want to let them down. I just hoped I could finish. I hoped we could still qualify." Qualify they did. But that's only part of the story. 

The rest of the story comes from an interview Mitchell did on July 21 for the North Carolina Shelby Star newspaper. Here is a quote from Mitchell: "I always have a saying or quote that I plan to run off of for that season...The meaning behind the phrase is powerful and correlates to my running. I look to God for Faith before I run, through believing in Him I am able to Focus, therefore leading me to Finish what I have started. I am a firm believer in Christ and I know His word is true. I may not be the "perfect Christian" but I just want to be an example for people younger than me that anything is possible if you have FaithFocusFinish in your mind." 2 Timothy 4:7 says, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my race, I have kept the faith." Manteo Mitchell is a living example. 

Have A Blessed And Powerful Day,
Bill Wilson 

	On the Campaign Trail

Bishop Calls on All Christians to Leave Democratic Party

Bishop E.W. Jackson is making a war cry: "Let God's people go!"
Jackson, a Marine Corps veteran, graduate of Harvard Law School and adjunct professor of law, is echoing the words of Moses in a campaign to persuade Christians of all races that the time has come for a wholesale exodus of Christians from the Democrat Party. 

The former candidate for U.S. Senate in Virginia points to what he calls the Democrat party's "cult-like devotion" to abortion; the rejection of the traditional biblical model of family; the hostility hurled at those who express a Christian viewpoint such as Chick-fil-A president and Chief Operating Officer Dan Cathy; the actions of organizations such as the ACLU and the Foundation For Freedom From Religion in suing cities and towns for displaying crosses at memorials or mentioning the name Jesus in prayer at official events. 

Beyond all of this, Jackson says, Democrat operatives are also attacking Gabrielle Douglas, the 16-year old black American who won the 2012 gold medal in gymnastics.

"The accomplished young lady had the nerve to give glory to God for her win," Jackson says. "This apparently offended liberals."
 
Case in point: Mary Elizabeth Williams, journalist for the progressive online magazine Salon.com, wrote, "I've often wondered what it is about Christians like Douglas that unnerves me so ... Douglas and her ilk seem to espouse a faith based on what is commonly referred to as 'The God of Parking Spaces.'" 

Jackson, founder and president of STAND (Staying True to America's National Destiny), responds: "Progressives are indeed 'unnerved' by devout Christians. That's why they resort to ridicule, even of a 16-year-old Olympic medal winner. Williams says we worship 'The God of Parking Spaces,' but I would prefer Gabby's God of grace and kindness to the leftist's god of ridicule and persecution.
"Our Heavenly Father loves us and helps those who are humble enough to ask Him."
 
Later this month when Democrats make same-sex marriage part of their official Party Platform, the former practicing attorney says they will be spitting in the face of every Bible-believing Christian in America: "They will be saying, 'We don't care what you think, what you believe, or what the Bible or the God of the Bible says. We know better than God.'"

Jackson's message to Christians is, "The Democrat Party has turned its back on Christians. It is time to turn our backs on the Democrat Party." 

	News from Hawaii

News from Hawaii:

Traditional Marriage in the Limelight

Hawaii may not be on the mainland, but it is in the mainstream on marriage. After a string of bad decisions, a U.S. District court put liberals on the defensive with a 120-page rebuke of same-sex "marriage." Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) had argued that the state's constitutional amendment, which gives lawmakers the power to define marriage, was unconstitutional. Judge Alan Kay disagreed. Elected officials or the people should decide the issue, he said, not "judicial legislation." "If the traditional institution of marriage is to be restructured, as sought by Plaintiffs, it should be done by a democratically-elected legislature or the people through a constitutional amendment, not through judicial legislation that would inappropriately preempt democratic deliberation regarding whether or not to authorize same-sex marriage." A lesbian couple launched the case when the Department of Health refused to grant their request for a marriage license. Although civil unions are legal in Hawaii, the women claimed they couldn't enjoy the same government benefits as heterosexual spouses.
Stealing a page from President Obama, Gov. Abercrombie declared that "This [law] is inequality, and I will not defend it." That put his Attorney General's office in a rather uncomfortable situation in court, since the staff had to find a way to both support and oppose the law. According to reports, the office split into two legal teams that eventually squared off in Judge Kay's courtroom. So far, it looks like the Department of Health and Hawaii Family Forum have the upper hand. A lot of the credit for that goes to our friends at ADF, who defended the Forum--and traditional marriage--in court. No doubt their arguments helped shape Judge Kay's opinion, which powerfully outlines the importance of man-woman marriage to civilization.
"It is not beyond rational speculation to conclude that fundamentally altering the definition of marriage to include same-sex unions might result in undermining the societal understanding of the link between marriage, procreation, and family structure," Judge Kay wrote. "Because Hawaii's marriage laws are rationally related to legitimate government interests they do not violate the federal Constitution." Gov. Abercrombie followed up the opinion with one of his own. Despite his state's support for traditional marriage, he vowed to fight on. I suppose when you're already the least popular Governor in America, you have nothing to lose. (Source, "Hawaii Leis It on the Line for Marriage," Family Research Council) 

	Update: Obamacare

CBO: ObamaCare Will Leave 29 Million People Without Health Insurance

Under the so-called Affordable Care Act (ACA), nearly 30 million Americans will still be without health insurance in 2022, according to a report issued by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Approximately 53 million people currently lack health insurance, according to the report. But even once President Obama's plan is fully implemented, about 8 percent of Americans still won't have coverage.

Since it was first introduced as legislation, liberals and some in the media have said it will not only provide health insurance for everyone, but also reduce budget deficits along the way. (By Bethany Monk, CitizenLink) Read more.

 

	Islamist Doublespeak

Ex Brotherhood Official Showcases Islamist Doublespeak

It "is no difficult task for Allah" to bring America to its knees, a prominent former Muslim Brotherhood official said at a recent discussion in Egypt. American leaders are "all criminals" plotting to stifle Arab revolutions and defend "that criminal and plundering state of Israel," Kemal Helbawy, the Brotherhood's former spokesman in the United Kingdom, said in a video dated July 26 and posted this week by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). 

"If we use all the capabilities at our disposal properly, America will be brought to its knees and will be defeated like the Soviets in Afghanistan," he said. "This is no difficult task for Allah."
 
The remarks came during a sit-in outside the American embassy in Cairo. . . 

The London-based Quilliam Foundation, which works to counter jihadist influence, called this "the latest example of senior Muslim Brotherhood members giving different messages to different audiences. When speaking to mainstream audiences Helbawy presents himself as a moderate reformer; when speaking to Islamists he praises Osama bin Laden. This doublespeak undermines trust between Muslims and non-Muslims and hinders genuine efforts to tackle extremism and terrorism." 

Quilliam warned western governments to treat the Brotherhood "with the greatest suspicion," adding that there are moderates in the group, but "anyone who thinks that the Muslim Brotherhood as a whole has 'reformed' is clearly deluded." (Steve Emerson; IPT News; August 10, 2012) Read more.
 

	News from Israel

PM Netanyahu Speaks with UN Secretary - General Ban Ki-Moon

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this afternoon (Friday), 10.8.12, spoke with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and told him that his anticipated trip to Tehran this month is a major mistake even if it is being made with good intentions. Prime Minister Netanyahu criticized the UN Secy.-Gen.'s visit and told him that he sees no reason to visit a country the regime of which is anti-Semitic and which has set for itself the goal of destroying the State of Israel.

Prime Minister Netanyahu told UN Secy.-Gen. Ki-Moon: 

"During your tenure as UN Secretary-General, you have acted fairly. This is why I was so disappointed to hear about your intention to attend the non-aligned summit that will be held in Tehran at the end of the month.

Even if it is not your intention, your visit will grant legitimacy to a regime that is the greatest threat to world peace and security.

Not only does it threaten countries throughout the Middle East, not only is it the greatest terrorism exporter in the world, but it is impossible to exaggerate the danger it presents to Israel.
 
The Iranian regime is committed to the destruction of the State of Israel and openly declares its intention to destroy the State of Israel.

Only a week ago, the President of Iran said that all who love freedom and justice in the world are obligated to unite in order to destroy the Zionist entity.

In June, the Vice-President of Iran exploited a UN-sponsored conference as a platform for a wicked anti-Semitic speech in which he accused Zionists of being responsible for - inter alia - international drug trafficking, the Bolshevik revolution, and the murder of black babies. He also added that the Talmud calls for the destruction of anyone who opposes Judaism

A month before that, in May, the Iranian Chief-of-Staff said that the Iranian state was committed to the complete destruction of the Zionist entity in Israel.
That is what the Iranian regime says and this is what it does:

It wages an international terrorist campaign in 24 countries on five continents, including the recent murderous terror attack in Bulgaria that was carried out by its long arm - Hezbollah.

It arms Hezbollah, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad so their emissaries will continue to fire thousands of missiles on Israeli cities and citizens.

And worst of all, the Iranian regime is continuing its nuclear weapons program.
In spite of decisions by the UN Security Council, harsh sanctions and repeated proposals to reach a diplomatic solution, the Iranian regime ignores the international community, misleads inspectors and races to carry out its intention of equipping itself with nuclear weapons.

To reward Iran for its impudence by a visit of the UN Secretary-General would be a horrible mistake. To grant legitimacy, however unintentional, to a regime that openly calls for the elimination of another UN member state will stain you and the organization you lead.

Mr. Secretary-General, your place is not in Tehran."
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser) Read more.
 

	The Good News Corner

The Good News Corner:

Missouri votes to fortify public prayer
with amendment that critics call unnecessary

Missouri voters approved an amendment to the state constitution Tuesday that proponents say will help ensure the right to pray in public. The amendment was on a statewide ballot and had widespread support, though critics said the right to pray is already protected under the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. 

State GOP Rep. Mike McGhee and other supporters agreed, but they said Amendment 2 is really an effort to make the state constitution match the U.S. Constitution and protect Christianity, which they said is under attack. McGhee, whose legislation led to the amendment proposal, told FoxNews.com about an incident in which a teacher told a kindergartner singing "Jesus Loves Me" while swinging on the playground to instead sing "mommy loves me." McGhee thinks the teacher simply didn't know the law and said the proposed amendment attempts to make clear such rights. (Fox News) Read more.
 

	Worship with Us Today!

Worship with Us Today!

The Song Of Moses

by Paul Wilbur

Praise Him this weekend, Saints of God!

Praise Him every day!