URGENT! See last article, below,
on North Korea. Pray!
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief Thursday, April 11, 2013
"And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence . . ." (Acts 4:29)
Guidelines for today's American Prayer Initiative can be found by going here.
Today's Daily Jot can be found by going to: www.dailyjot.com or by using
this link.
|
The Daily Brief
|
|||
 |
||||
1. U.S.: North Korea missile in firing position -CNN
A U.S. official tells CNN the latest move by the North could be a trial run to make sure the missile works or an effort to "mess" with the U.S.
- Lord, we take authority over the fear that North Korea is promoting with their actions. We release the gift of faith across our nation, and ask for Your hand of protection over all western interests.
-"Though an army should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear." [Psalm 27:3a]
2. Syrian militants pledge allegiance to al-Qaida - AP
The leader of an Islamic extremist rebel group in Syria pledged allegiance on Wednesday to al-Qaida and its leader for the first time.
- Lord, we have prayed so often against the wrong influences taking over after Assad. We now know for certain that many of the militants in Syria are not our friends. We ask that You block them from taking over that nation, and pray that You will protect all of Your people in that region.
- "The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayers of the righteous." [Proverbs 15:29]
3. Iran to build more nuclear sites in quake-prone area - Jerusalem Post
Iran plans to build more nuclear power reactors in an earthquake-prone coastal area, Iranian media said on Wednesday, a day after a strong tremor struck the region close to its only existing such plant.
- Father, as Iran's leaders forge ahead with foolish plans, we pray that You will block them from building these nuclear plants, on earthquake prone areas or otherwise.
- "And in the greatness of his folly, he shall go astray." [Proverbs 5:23b]
4. Senate votes 68-31 to move forward with gun control measure - The Hill
The Senate voted to move forward on gun control Thursday, clearing the first of what is expected to be many 60-vote hurdles for the legislation.
In a 68-31 vote, the Senate approved a procedural motion that will allow debate on the Democratic measure to being.
Sixteen Republicans voted in favor of the motion, while two Democrats both from states President Obama lost in the 2012 election, voted against it. The two Democrats were Sens. Mark Begich (Alaska) and Mark Pryor (Ark.).
The vote comes nearly four months after 26 people including 20 first-graders were killed by a lone gunman at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown,Conn.
- Father, we ask that Your heart for liberty prevail over this issue!
-"Truly, this only I have found: that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes." [Proverbs 7:29]
5. GOP says Obama's budget blows chance of 'grand bargain' - Washington Times
Top congressional Republicans declared President Obama's tax-laden budget for fiscal 2014 dead on arrival Wednesday, saying its failure to cut deficits destroys any hope of a "grand bargain" to fix the federal government's fiscal crisis.
- Lord of all Creation, we ask for Your help in this budget disaster unfolding over the last several years. Without Your mercy in this situation, America has no hope. We ask that both sides work together without the harsh, negative rhetoric that has blocked sound wisdom.
-"So our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us." [Psalm 123:2c]
6. The Toomey-Manchin Proposal Will Allow Doctors to Block Your Right to Guns - RedState.com
The proposal will allow a doctor to add a patient to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) without ever telling the patient he or she has been added.
There would be no due process requirement. Not all doctors will be able to do it with the same ease, but many will. Knowing a doctor could add him to a federal database as mentally ill without his knowledge could potentially dissuade a patient from going to the doctor in the first place to get help.
- Lord, under the guise of compromise and "reason" we have opened up a huge issue of not only privacy, but the potential for anyone who believes in the resurrection of Jesus to be placed on this background system. When the unrighteous rule, the righteous suffer. We pray strongly that You will place checks and balances in this bill so that ordinary people do not become targets of activists.
- "Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the hearts of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." [Eccl 8:11]
7. State of emergency declared in Missouri as tornadoes, severe storms pound Midwest- Fox News
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency Wednesday night as a system of strong storms and tornadoes tore through the Midwest, causing damage across the region.
Fox2Now reports at least three confirmed tornadoes have touched down in the St. Louis metro area, causing damage across the city and leaving many without power.
Read more:
- Father, please comfort those who have been touched by these tornadoes, and let Your Holy Spirit move across the region to bring hope and changed hearts.
-"Outside were conflicts, inside were fears. Nevertheless God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us" [2 Corinthians 7:5b,6a]
|
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:
"Yahweh is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous." (Proverbs 15:29)
1. Ancient site unearthed in Iraqi home of Abraham - Yahoo
British archaeologists said Thursday they have unearthed a sprawling complex near the ancient city of Ur in southern Iraq, home of the biblical Abraham. The structure, thought to be about 4,000 years old, probably served as an administrative center for Ur, around the time Abraham would have lived there before leaving for Canaan, according to the Bible.
2. Rare Second Temple Ritual Purity Pool Discovered in Jerusalem - Israel National News
According to Israel Antiquities Authority excavation director Benyamin Storchan, "Numerous ritual baths have been excavated in Jerusalem in recent years, but the water supply system that we exposed in this excavation is unique and unusual. The pool consists of an underground chamber entered by way of steps. The mikveh received the rainwater from three collecting basins (otzar) that were hewn on the roof of the bath, and the pure water was conveyed onside the chamber through channels.
3. Why Kerry could succeed at securing Israeli-Palestinian peace - CS Monitor
To be sure, there is widespread cynicism on both sides about whether Mr. Kerry can actually bring about concrete results. But Kerry appears poised to get negotiations under way even before the two sides agree to meet by serving as a mediator and providing bridging proposals.
|
The Persecuted Church
|
|||
|
||||
Today's Focus: The Persecuted Church
"And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence . . ." (Acts 4:29)
1. Iranian Christians Share Testimony of Imprisonment in Iran - CBN News
The story of imprisoned American Pastor Saeed Abedini is focusing attention on the treatment of Christians in Iran. This week in Washington, DC, two Iranian Christian women told their own story of persecution at the hands of the Iranian authorities.
In March, 2009, Amirizadeh and Rostampour were arrested for their house church activities. When Iranian authorities brought them in, they were interrogated for an entire day.
Rostampour described how they were put in a prison basement.
"There was a dirty and dark cell in the basement and they threatened us [with] physical torture. They said that, 'You need to give us all the information that we need, otherwise we will beat you until your womb is blood.'"
The women say the guards didn't physically torture them, but they were sent to Tehran's infamous Evin prison, where American Pastor Sayeed Abedini has been held and tortured.
Rostampour claims the two interrogators tried to convince them to deny their faith and threatened them with execution. In fact, they say officials at 10 different trials confronted them with the possibility of hanging.
After spending most of a year in prison, the two women were eventually released after Christians around the world publicized their case.
2. Two Baptist Grandmothers Fined for Attending Church in Kazakhstan - Forum 18
Among seven members of a small Baptist church in Ayagoz in East Kazakhstan Region punished for holding unregistered religious services were two grandmothers in their late seventies, according to the verdicts seen by Forum 18 News Service. All seven were fined the equivalent of nearly two months' local average wages for a teacher. The fines followed a 4 April police raid on a prayer service. Asked by Forum 18 whether judges and court officials were not embarrassed to be involved in punishing religious believers for meeting for prayer, the judges' assistant at Ayagoz District Court laughed. Meanwhile, a court decision on another Baptist Vyacheslav Cherkasov that Bibles confiscated from him should be destroyed has been overturned and the Bibles returned. But the fine remains.
3. Persecuted Christians in North Korea Encouraged by Pope's Prayers - AsiaNews
Seoul (AsiaNews) - Pope Francis's appeal for peace on the Korean Peninsula "was a consolation for all of us living in North Korea. Even though the government did not give much publicity to the event (Urbi et Orbi blessing on 31 March), we heard about it. Like him, we hope for peace. We do not want to be isolated from the rest of the world," said a North Korean Christian. Anonymous for security reasons, he spoke to a source working at the border who relayed the information to AsiaNews.
For more news about the Persecuted Church, and how you can be more involved in intercession for these precious saints, go here.
|
Obamacare Buyer's Remorse
|
|||
|
||||
Obamacare Buyer's Remorse
After their sweeping victories in the 2008 election, Barack Obama and his left-wing allies in Congress went on a legislative binge -- passing the massive stimulus spending bill and seizing control of our nation's healthcare sector. Yesterday Senator Jay Rockefeller, a liberal West Virginia Democrat, appeared to be having a "morning after" moment.
Rockefeller joined the growing ranks of Democrats who are increasingly worried that Obamacare is turning out be a bureaucratic nightmare. During a Senate confirmation hearing for the new administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Rockefeller said Obamacare is "so complicated and if it isn't done right the first time, it will just simply get worse."
"I believe that the Affordable Care Act is probably the most complex piece of legislation ever passed by the United States Congress. . . . up to this point it is just beyond comprehension," Rockefeller added.
It may not be polite to say it, but I will: "WE TOLD YOU SO!"
If the GOP were smart, it would start running ads featuring Rockefeller's sound bite in key House districts and Senate races. Remind the voters that this is what happens when Democrats win elections. Your taxes go up, government gets bigger and more complicated, our values are assaulted and our freedoms are eroded.
(Gary Bauer)
|
Obama and the Budget
|
|||
|
||||
Obama FINALLY Submits His Budget
President Obama finally submitted his budget to Capitol Hill today. He's only 65 days passed the February 4th statutory deadline, and both the House and the Senate have already passed their own budgets.
Some believe the White House waited so long to submit its budget in order to avoid another round of embarrassing votes. Last year Obama's budget failed to get a single vote in either the House or the Senate.
But here's what we know: In addition to spending $3.8 trillion, Obama demands another massive tax increase. Obama's budget aims to raise revenues by $580 billion through a variety of tax hikes. For example:
- Obama is once again proposing to cap deductions for top earners at 28%, even though they are taxed at 39%. Obama claims this is in the interest of fairness, but he is effectively imposing a tax on charity.
- His budget imposes limits on how much can be in your retirement account. When did it become the government's business to set arbitrary limits on how much people can save?
- He also included something called the "chained CPI." It changes the way inflation is calculated so that it cuts spending on Social Security benefits while at the same time pushing Americans into higher tax brackets. Even the White House admits this amounts to a middle class tax increase.
Keep in mind, friends, that Obama's latest call for even higher taxes comes just three months after the fiscal cliff deal, which raised taxes by $600 billion, and that was on top of another wave of Obamacare tax hikes, which kicked in at the beginning of the year! (Gary Bauer)
|
Update: North Korea
|
|||
|
||||
U.S. WOULD SEEK NK REGIME CHANGE IF ATTACK OCCURS
The U.S. would oust the communist regime in North Korea if it uses its nuclear weapons or launches an all-out invasion on South Korea and the 28,500 American troops stationed there, national security sources say.
The Obama administration has not articulated such a far-reaching retaliation, even as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un threatens to attack both South Korea and the U.S. mainland.
But national security sources say it is a common assumption within the Pentagon and U.S. Pacific Command that a full-force attack by Pyongyang would put in place a contingency plan of massive retaliation against the North aimed at bringing down the Stalinist regime. President Obama would be faced with making the war decision.
- Ask the Lord to give wisdom to those who are responsible for dealing with this most immature of rogue states, North Korea. Pray that God's blessing will flow over the Northern borders of South Korea and that the eyes of North Korean citizens would be open to receiving the Lord their Redeemer in spite of their governmental oppressors. Pray that they will be delivered from bondage.
- "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." (Psalm 18:2)
(Source: Intercessors for America)
> > > To learn more about life inside North Korea, we recommend two videos produced by BBC.
For Part One of "Inside North Korea," go here.
For Part Two of "Inside North Korea," go here.
|
Read This and Weep . . .
|
|||
|
||||
PA, JORDAN INK DEAL TO "DEFEND" JERUSALEM AGAINST JUDAIZATION
Jordan's King Abdullah II and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmud Abbas signed an agreement on Sunday confirming their "common goal to defending" Jerusalem and their opposition to efforts to "Judaize" the eternal capital of Israel.
Palestinian Authority Religious Affairs Minister Mahmoud al-Habash said the agreement confirmed Jordan's role as protector of the city's holy sites and "Palestinian sovereignty over all of Palestine, including its capital East Jerusalem," the Ma'an news agency reported.
A statement by the palace said the deal confirms Jordan's historic role as custodian of Moslem holy sites in Jerusalem, particularly the Temple Mount, and outlines coordination between the two sides.
"In this historic agreement, Abbas reiterated that the king is the custodian of holy sites in Jerusalem and that he has the right to exert all legal efforts to preserve them, especially Al-Aqsa mosque," the statement said, according to AFP. Read more (Israel National News) Read more.
What does it mean? (Commentary from HN News editor) In the above news story, the religious affairs minister is talking like the Palestinian state already exists, and the East Jerusalem is its capitol--like it is a DONE DEAL. To me, this is yet more evidence that a "secret", "behind closed doors" peace deal has already been agreed upon by the key parties, and they are simply going "through the motions" to make it look like there are "transparent, honest and real negotiations" that are happening.
- As the world outside Moslem countries know, Jerusalem has always been known as the capital of Israel. This declaration is a farce and yet a surprise because Jordan has been a good neighbor to Israel. Pray against pressure put upon Jordan to force the king to sign a document that seems a violation of his attitude towards Israel. A behnd-closed-doors maneuver must be going on for the Jordanean king to act so weirdly; there has been stirrings of violence going on. Jordan's terrorists groups have tried to gain control in Jordan. Pray also for the people of Jordan who are open to much harm from the terrorists.
- "What .do you conspire against the Lord? He will make an utter end of it. Affliction will not come a second time. From you comes forth one who plots evil against the Lord, a wicked counselor." ( Nahum1: 9,11)
|
The Good News Corner
|
|||
|
||||
The Good News Corner:
Hiker Stranded Six Days Felt Prayers Before Her Rescue
"I woke up with a lot of peace [after six days of silence] and the sense that thousands and thousands of people were praying for me. That was really powerful. I thought, 'Today is the day they're going to find me.'" - Mary Owen
(Portland, OR)-Combine a potentially deadly wilderness experience, a series of mishaps countered with divine intervention, and a young pretty hiker who believes in the power of prayer, and you have the makings of a remarkable testimony.
Such is the case of 23-year-old Mary Owen who was stranded in a canyon after setting out to climb Mount Hood by herself on Sunday, March 24.
It was, she admitted, a "really headstrong decision," to go solo. Worse yet, she hadn't communicated her plans to anyone before leaving.
Owens shared details of her grueling experience with The Oregonian: her injuries, the intense loneliness, her passionate love of God's creation, and the fear that after six long days, no one would come to her rescue.
"Usually when people are looking for you and praying for you, you can feel it," she said. "And there was just nothing . . . One of the hardest things out there was from Sunday night to Friday morning. I hadn't heard from God at all. It was just dead quiet. There was nobody praying for me. I didn't hear anything or feel anything."
Owen, who was quoted as saying she plans to be a missionary Bible translator, said on Friday morning it all changed. The silence, she said, "was gone."
"I woke up with a lot of peace and the sense that thousands and thousands of people were praying for me. That was really powerful," she said. "I thought, 'Today is the day they're going to find me.'"
Owen crawled onto the canyon ridge and waited. Around sunset, she saw planes overhead. They circled and flew away. Another plane followed and also left. "I was so sure they had seen me," she said. "I just get screaming, 'Come back for me, please!'"
She gave up and crawled back to her hollow near the trees and slept again. On Saturday morning, she crawled to the ridgeline once more so rescuers would see her and waited for the sun to hit her.
"That was right about when the helicopters came down," she said, and she scrambled to meet them, thanking God and those who had come to save her. (Source: The Oregonian) Read more about the amazing story of how Mary Owen survived her wilderness experience on Mt. Hood. Go here.
|
Pray for the Harvest!
|
|||
|
||||
Pray for the Harvest!
"Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." (John 4:35)
Every day, in every nation on earth, tens of thousands of men and women are making decisions for Christ. Now, you can monitor this amazing fact online by literally "watching" as these souls are born again into the Kingdom.
Of course, the identities of those who are coming to the Lord are never revealed, but our God knows who they are!
Join us as we monitor these "names" daily, praying over each one to be mentored and to grow in his or her faith . . . even in these perilous times. You may visit either or both of the sites below, to pray for fields that are ripe for harvest.
> > > OPTION ONE: AboutJesus.net
Go here!
> > > OPTION TWO: The Great Commission Map!
Go here!
|
Worship With Us Today!
|
|||
|
||||
Worship With Us Today!
The Power of Your Name
Lincoln Brewster and Darlene Zschech
Surely children weren't made for the streets
And fathers were not made to leave
Surely this isn't how it should be
Let Your Kingdom come
