Key procedural vote called by Harry Reid in Senate today at 5:30. See BREAKING NEWS, #10, below.
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief Monday, June 24, 2013
"And let us not be weary in well doing:
for in due season we shall reap,
if we faint not." (Galatians 6:9)
Guidelines for today's American Prayer Initiative can be found by going here.
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The Daily Brief
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1. Keep Praying: DOMA, Prop 8 Ruling and Religious Liberty - Congressional Prayer Caucus Foundation
Briefs that say anti-discrimination laws make religious liberty concerns irrelevant. The Becket Fund is concerned instead about the religious liberty implications of recognizing same-sex marriage. In their brief they pointed out that one rational basis for Congress and the voters of California to preserve the previous definition of marriage was the realization that if same-sex marriage were recognized by court action, a whole host of religious liberty conflicts would logically follow. (Read more)
- The long-awaited decisions by the Supreme Court regarding the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Proposition 8 will be made public sometime this week. Stay on the wall in prayer until these decisions have been announced. Pray in the Spirit, and declare this verse over this case:
- "What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." (Mark 10:9)
2. Two FBI Agents Involved in Dzhokar Tsarnaev's Arrest "FALL" Out of Helicopter and Die - The Virginian Pilot
Two members of the FBI's elite counterterrorism unit died Friday while practicing how to quickly drop from a helicopter to a ship using a rope, the FBI announced Monday in a statement. The statement gave few details regarding the deaths of Special Agents Christopher Lorek and Stephen Shaw, other than to say the helicopter encountered unspecified difficulties and the agents fell a "significant distance."
Last month, the team was involved in the arrest of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings. And in February, it rescued a 5-year-old boy held hostage for six days in an underground bunker in Alabama. "Whenever things go really wrong, the FBI calls in the Hostage Rescue Team. It's the government's 911," Coulson said.
Irvin Wells, a former FBI special agent who retired in 1990 after leading the Norfolk field office for three years, stressed that the Hostage Rescue Team is different from the FBI's regular SWAT teams. He noted that agents assigned to a field office's SWAT team also must perform other jobs inside the bureau, while agents assigned to the Hostage Rescue Team have no other duties. (Read more)
- Abba Father, we come before You as You know the truth of what happened to these two men. There are a lot of questions that have been raised. We ask that You, Lord, give them justice, exposing all that is hidden. Please comfort their loved ones in their time of sorrow. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen and Amen.
- "Give us help from trouble, for the help of man is useless. Through God we will do valiantly, for it is He who shall tread down our enemies." (Psalm 108:12-13)
3. Edward Snowden flees Hong Kong after US spying charges - Telegraph UK
Edward Snowden has flown from Hong Kong to Moscow, in the first leg of a journey into political asylum. Mr Snowden's ultimate destination remains unclear, but Russia's Interfax news agency quoted a source within Aeroflot who claimed there was a ticket in his name for a flight onward to Cuba. Other reports also named Iceland and Ecuador as possible destinations. A diplomatic car at VIP arrivals with an Ecuadorean flag was apparently seen at the airport, accompanied by an SUV.
Ecuador has already offered political asylum to Julian Assange, the founder of the whistle-blowing organization, Wikileaks, who is currently holed up in its embassy in London while fighting extradition to Sweden on sexual assault allegations. Last Wednesday marked a year since he sought sanctuary there. The Hong Kong government said Mr Snowden had left "of his own accord" and that there was "no legal basis to restrict him from leaving Hong Kong". (Read more)
- Heavenly Father, this man chose at great cost to speak out so that US citizens and the world would know the truth of what the NSA is doing. Have mercy Lord and abide in the midst of his quest for asylum. If he does not know You Lord, confront him and draw him to You. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen and Amen.
- "A true witness delivers souls, but a deceitful witness speaks lies." (Prov. 14:25)
4. Rare scrutiny for secretive surveillance court in wake of NSA leaks - Washington Post
Wedged into a secure, windowless basement room deep below the Capitol Visitors Center, U.S. District Court Judge John Bates appeared before dozens of senators earlier this month for a highly unusual, top-secret briefing.
The lawmakers pressed Bates, according to people familiar with the session, to discuss the inner workings of the United States' clandestine terrorism surveillance tribunal, which Bates oversaw from 2006 until earlier this year.
. . . The public is getting a peek into the little-known workings of a powerful and mostly invisible government entity. And it is seeing a court whose secret rulings have in effect created a body of law separate from the one on the books - one that gives U.S. spy agencies the authority to collect bulk information about Americans' medical care, firearms purchases, credit card usage and other interactions with business and commerce, according to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). (Read more)
- Lord, we as citizens are learning quickly how much of our personal data is being collected that could be used against us, whether twisted or truthful. We ask You to protect Senator Wyden and his family from any retaliation because he spoke out and told us this information. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen and Amen.
- "You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord; He is their help and their shield."
(Ps. 115:11)
5. Obama meets with privacy watchdog panel . . . in private - Washington Times
The White House over the past several days has launched an offensive to convince Americans that, under President Obama's leadership, privacy and Fourth Amendment rights won't be sacrificed in the name of national security .
The administration took a major step in that effort on Friday, as Mr. Obama met for the first time with the newly revived Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, a decade-old panel that had been dormant for the entirety of his presidency. (Read more)
- Heavenly Father, this action was to show that the administration in D.C. respects citizens' rights, yet it was not an open meeting and no discussion points or agreements have been published. Expose what is hidden to Your Light so all can see, Lord; let no secret compromises remain hidden. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen and Amen.
- "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain." (Psalm 127:1)
6. Corker Amendment Permanently offers Citizenship to Those overstaying Their Visas - Breitbart
Just as public anxiety about the weak border security provisions in the Senate immigration bill was building, GOP Sen. Bob Corker stepped forward with an amendment to "fix" the problem. Breitbart News has learned exclusively that one provision of Corker's amendment will allow workers who stay in the country past their visa will remain on the "path to citizenship." They would become immediately eligible for a green card, even if they lived illegally in this country. The Corker Amendment wipes away any immigration enforcement. It is designed to maximize the number of individuals who qualify for citizenship. (Read more)
- Abba Father, this amendment appears to be more a reward to immigrants who are here illegally, whether they have expired visas or never had a visa, rather than true immigration reform. Help Lord! This means that a number of existing laws will be ignored and never enforced. We take up the stake of the cross of Jesus and put it through this bill, saying be gone in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen and Amen.
- "Whoever rewards evil for good, evil will not depart from his house." (Prov. 17:13)
7. Paul opposes current immigration bill - Politico
Sen. Rand Paul outlined his opposition to immigration reform legislation on Sunday, saying it doesn't sufficiently prioritize border security. "I'm all in favor of immigration reform but I'm like most conservatives in the country, that I think reform should be dependent on border security first," the Kentucky Republican said on CNN's "State of the Union." "So I introduced an amendment that would have done just that, border security first and then immigration reform with congressional checks on whether that's occurring. That wasn't voted on favorably and so, without some congressional authority, without border security first, I can't support the final bill." (Read more)
- Lord, what Sen. Rand Paul is presenting makes sense. If we have massive numbers of immigrants entering the US illegally over our borders, then stopping this behavior should be the first action taken. Once this border issue is more stable and in control, then further decisions can be made as to what legal actions are needed to handle all the people who are here illegally. It is not good that concern for the illegal immigrants' future rights be made primary when the source of the problem, breaching the border security, has not been handled. Lord, we repent for our nation, where greed and the desire for 'cheap help', along with indifference to overall national security, has gone on so long. Forgive us Lord, in the name of Jesus, Amen and Amen.
- "He who earnestly seeks good finds favor; but trouble will come to him who seeks evil." (Proverbs 11:27)
8. Obama's Global Warming Regs to Raise Cost of Electricity 80% - Front Page Magazine
Obama will announce Tuesday in a speech at Georgetown University that he plans to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions from existing power plants, according to individuals who have been briefed on the plan but asked not to be identified.
I was reading the Federal Register footnotes on the proposed greenhouse gas new source performance standards for new electric generating units. In the Register, it says the Department of Energy Technology Laboratory estimates that when the rule becomes final, the technology that the coal industry would have to use to meet the emissions standards would add 80 percent to the cost of electricity. As we move forward, we have to think about the policies and the impact because I for one do believe we need all of the above approach to energy. Green energy alone is not going to get it done." (Read more)
- Help us Lord! So many ordinary citizens are struggling to financially survive and this article implies that energy costs for electricity could almost double in price if these changes mandated by the questionable 'global warming' theory are enforced. This could be devastating for the entire nation, and already is for many coal mining areas as to jobs and a future. There are many researchers who challenge the 'global warming caused by mankind' theory, plus planners who question if these 'green energy' changes would provide sufficient energy supplies. We ask You, Abba Father, to be in the midst of all of this, causing all the distortions and scientific misinformation to be exposed. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen and Amen.
- "Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool lays open his folly."
(Prov. 13:16)
9. US troop buildup in Jordan after Turkey shuts US-NATO arms corridor to Syrian rebels - DEBKA
The US decision to upgrade Syrian rebel weaponry has run into a major setback: debkafile reveals that Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan phoned President Barack Obama in Berlin Wednesday, June 19, to report his sudden decision to shut down the Turkish corridor for the transfer of US and NATO arms to the Syrian rebels.
Against this background, the US President informed Congress Friday, June 22, that 700 combat-equipped American military personnel would remain in Jordan at the end of a joint US-Jordanian training exercise.
The Turkish prime minister told Obama he is afraid of Russian retribution if he continues to let US and NATO weapons through to the Syrian rebels. Since the G8 Summit in Northern Ireland last week, Moscow has issued almost daily condemnations of the West for arming "terrorists." Aleppo (the Syrian rebel stronghold) is expected to fall after 40-60 days of great bloodshed. (Read more)
- Lord Jesus, once again, we ask for Your Hand of protection to rest upon our troops now deployed in Jordan and elsewhere in that region. We ask Your guidance upon the Commander-in-Chief and all who serve under him in military and civil authority, that all decisions will be made only according to Your will in the complex matter of Syria. We ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.
- "Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers." (Prov. 24:6)
10. BREAKING! Key procedural vote on amnesty bill scheduled for 5:30 today! - Pray for U.S.
Harry Reid has scheduled the final procedural vote on the Obama-Rubio-Schumer amnesty bill for THIS AFTERNOON at 5:30 p.m. EST. If this vote passes, the final amnesty vote can then take place at any time this week! (Read more)
- Lift up a firewall of prayer to block this procedural vote from passing in the Senate. There are very serious problems with this bill; to learn more and to learn how you can take action against its passage, go here.
- "This far and no further, and here shall your proud waves be stopped." (Job 38:11)
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The Middle East in Focus
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The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
" "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His mercies endure forever." (Psalm 118:1)
1. Israel has every right to defend itself against Iran - Jerusalem Post
Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz supported Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's latest claim that Israel has every right to defend itself against Iran, during an interview with Channel 2 News.
2. Israeli David's Sling anti-missile system unveiled in Paris - Israel Hayom
Once shrouded in secrecy, Israel's David's Sling anti-missile system went on display for the first time last week at the Paris Air Show.
3. Israel hits Gaza targets in response to rocket fire - Times of Israel
Two weapons storage facilities and a rocket-launching site in Gaza were targeted by the Israeli Air Force in the early hours of Monday morning, the IDF Spokesperson's office said, after at least six rockets were launched from the Strip into southern Israel late Sunday night and early Monday.
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The Persecuted Church
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Today's Focus: The Persecuted Church
"The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry." (Psalm 34:15)
1. Christian Elected to New Position In Pakistan Determined to "Solve Challenges" of Minority Rights - AsiaNews
"My appointment to the Federal Ministery for the Ports and Shipping is a clear message to minorities: the PML-N [Pakistan Muslim League-Nawazf, winner of the elections last May 11] wants to defend them and to ensure equal rights for everyone", says the Christian politician Kamran Michael to AsiaNews. On June 8 last he was appointed to the Ministry which has a strategic importance in the context of the national economy. The previous legislature, led by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), saw the first appointment of a member of the executive of minorities within the overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim nation. However, the political battle of the Catholic Shahbaz Bhatti - Minister for Religious Minorities - was stopped 2 March 2011 by a group of Islamic extremists, who brutally assassinated him in cold blood.
2. Iraqi MP: Syria collapse would endanger all Mideast Christians - World Watch Monitor
The collapse of the Syrian state would be a jihadist triumph and a threat to Christians throughout the Middle East, says Yonadam Kanna, a member of the Iraqi National Assembly and Secretary General for the Assyrian Democratic Movement. Assyrians are an ancient ethnic group indigenous to the Middle East, and belonging mostly to various eastern and orthodox Christian churches.
In his parliamentary capacity as Chairman of the Labour and Social Affairs Committee in the Iraqi Council of Representatives, Kanna has been traveling Europe to deliver speeches and meet with members of parliaments in Sweden, Germany and Britain. Sweden-based freelance journalist Nuri Kino connected with Kanna by phone to discuss the civil war in Iraq's western neighbour, Syria, and the stakes there for Christians throughout the Middle East and Persian Gulf.
Kanna said he fears a mujahideen takeover in Syria that he said would create chaos across the region. He said exporting jihad to neighbouring countries, and not a democratic Syria, is their aim.
3. Canada's New Ambassador for Religious Freedom Bolsters Worldwide Effort - World
Canada's fledgling Office of Religious Freedom, situated in its Foreign Ministry, is joining the United States as the only other major diplomatic-level office fighting religious freedom violations around the world.
The office opened in February, so its new ambassador of religious freedom, Andrew Bennett, has just started traveling to countries with religious freedom violations. He is also traveling from Ottawa to the United States to brainstorm with U.S. government officials and advocates on the issue. Bennett met Monday in New York with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that lobby the United Nations on that issue, a meeting where WORLD was the only media present.
Over sushi and sandwiches Bennett explained his definition of religious freedom: It is not merely the "freedom to worship," he said, adding that religious freedom encompasses all of life, including the freedom to express one's religion, the freedom to conduct missionary activities, the freedom to convert, and the freedom not to believe.
For more news about the Persecuted Church, and how you can be more involved in intercession for these precious saints, go here.
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Next Sunday: Join 'Call 2 Fall'
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Next Sunday: Join 'Call 2 Fall'
"Call 2 Fall" (an initiative of the Family Research Council") on our knees is for every Christ-follower in America. Specifically, there are multiplied millions of believers who realize that America is in trouble and that neither Washington nor Wall Street has the answers. The goal is to have 40,000 churches join in a corporate act of humility, repentance, and desperate prayer on our knees before the Lord. Just setting aside a definite time during worship on June 30, 2013 when you call your people to get on their knees and faces before the Lord in repentant prayer for God to reshape our lives and renew our land. Click here for free church resources that may be helpful. Learn More
You can sign the Declaration stating that you, too, will answer the Call2Fall by falling on your knees next Sunday, in prayer. Go here.
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The Daily Jot
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Out of Control
Do you ever feel like things are out of control? I look at the headlines and it's not just a feeling. It appears that the Senate is going to vote on the amnesty bill without first reading or allowing the American public to read it. The last time this happened-as then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said-you have to vote on it to find out what's in it-we got stuck with socialized healthcare-legislation that they are still trying to figure out how to enact, costing Americans double or triple what was promised. Now the Senate is going to vote on an amnesty bill that will allow illegal aliens to stay in America, vote here, and swamp the borders with more illegals. This time it won't just cost us higher taxes, it may cost us the nation.
There is absolutely no progress on smoking out the rats on the White House lies regarding Benghazi. The occupant of the Oval Office and his minions tells us whatever they want us to hear and we seem to just accept it. And if we don't, nobody listens to us anyway. Same is true for the White House spying on us, listening to our phone conversations, tracking our emails, and sending drones down the highways to see what we are up to. Have you pulled up to an intersection lately-there are cameras everywhere. Or how about a parking lot? You and I are being watched and listened to as if we were criminals. Truth is, we are being watched by criminals-the ones who are murdering the Constitution.
Our government is forcing budget cuts by depriving our servicemen and women hot breakfasts and by keeping school children from touring the White House, but we are sending hundreds of millions of tax dollars to Muslim Brotherhood and al Qaeda affiliates in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, and Syria. Our government is saying that we have to send more money and maybe troops to Syria because the dictator there is using chemical weapons on its citizens. The UN says al Qaeda is doing the same. But our government is sticking to its story-it worked so well in Libya that the White House is going to try it again. Even though there was no humanitarian threat in that country either unless it was to Christians.
It seems like things are out of control. This Administration is going to tell you anything it wants because it knows that we won't do much about it. This Congress is going to pass bills without reading them because it knows it can get away with it. How will they respond when they find out that there is someone in control that is far greater than they are? As Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20, "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you: and, see, I am with you always, even to the end of the world." God is in control. But we have our part to do and we better be doing it.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
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Pray for the Harvest!
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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!
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Worship With Us Today!
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Worship With Us Today!
Alvin Slaughter
Alleluia!
Worship Here
