Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief Wednesday, July 24, 2013
"Be of sober spirit, be on the
alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking
someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8)
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The Daily Brief
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1. Sen. Mike Lee: 'The House Must Refuse to Fund Obamacare' - CNSNews
Sen. Mike Lee (R.-Utah) is calling for the House Republican leadership to force a showdown with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and President Barack Obama when this fiscal year ends on Sept. 30 by refusing to permit funding for the implementation of Obamacare in whatever legislation-likely a continuing resolution-authorizes funding of the government after that date. (Read more)
- Father, we pray for Your immediate action to defund Obamacare by speaking into the hearts of Congress to refuse support of any kind so that it go down in history that the Lord has spoken and that this is the end of the matter. In the Name of Jesus.
- "For God spoke once, yea twice, yet man perceives it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night when deep sleep falls upon men, in slumberings upon the bed; then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction, that He may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man." (Job 33:14-17)
2. Sen. Cornyn: $46 Billion Immigration Bill 'One of the Most Massive Wastes... in the History of the Federal Government' - CNSNews
In a firm break with the Senate majority, Sen. John Cornyn (R - Texas) predicted that his chamber's $46 billion immigration bill (S. 477)"could go down as one of the most massive wastes of funds in the history of the federal government" while declaring his "full support" for the House's "smart borders" version (H.R. 1417). "The Senate-passed immigration bill blindly throws more than $46 billion in resources at the border, and contains absolutely no mechanism to ensure that these resources will be effective or properly implemented," Cornyn testified before a House Homeland Security subcommittee Tuesday. "No accountability, no guaranteed results - just more hollow promises from Washington." (Read more)
- Lord God Almighty, step into this circumstance with Your holy power and in Your great wisdom, block this immigration bill from being funded. May this be met with Your stern indignation by this totally unjust and flagrant abuse of power to outrageously waste funds with the attitude of lawlessly attempting to again destroy the previously high standards of the American government. We plead the Blood of Jesus over this issue and ask that this bill be met with complete failure. In Jesus' Name we pray.
- "Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; State a proposal, but it will not stand, For God is with us." (Isaiah 8:10)
3. Obama Judicial Nominee Calls Abstinence Education 'Unconstitutional' - CNSNews
The Senate will consider the nomination of Cornelia Pillard, a vocal abortion advocate who said abstinence education was unconstitutional for violating "reproductive justice," to serve as a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in a hearing Wednesday.
"Pillard's 2007 assessment reflects both a radical ideology and disregard of basic factual information," said Valerie Huber, president of the National Abstinence Education Association, which is urging the Senate to reject the nomination. "There are politically liberal nominees, but this is beyond that," Huber told CNSNews.com. "She is so extreme that when I was reading this I had to remind myself this was a real person that actually believes the words I'm reading. She believes abstinence education should be a criminal activity." (Read more)
- God, these issues are being heard and seen by the mighty God of the Universe. We trust that there be no like-minded people who will consider this nomination and that this type of power be pulled down by the mighty hand of God and defeated now, today. In the Name of Jesus we pray. Amen.
- "For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them." (Deuteronomy 32:28)
4. Al Qaeda militants flee Iraq jail in violent mass break-out - Reuters
Hundreds of convicts, including senior members of al Qaeda, broke out of Iraq's Abu Ghraib jail as comrades launched a military-style assault to free them, authorities said on Monday. The deadly raid on the high-security jail happened as Sunni Muslim militants are gaining momentum in their insurgency against the Shi'ite-led government that came to power after the U.S. invasion to oust Saddam Hussein. (Read more)
- Father God, dispatch myriads of angels to encounter each of the hundreds of convicts and stop them so that they cannot be used to start another uprising in Iraq that will cost much bloodshed. Deliver as many as possible out of the hand of the enemy and show them visions of Jesus that they be instantly changed and brought to Christ. In the Name of Jesus we pray.
- "O send out Your light and Your truth: let them lead them; let them bring those unto God's holy hill, and to Your tabernacles." (Psalm 43:3)
5. Video Claims to Show Imam on Jerusalem's Temple Mount Calling for Caliphate and Destruction of the U.S., France, Britain, Rome - The Blaze
"What happened at the al-Aqsa Mosque during last week's Friday prayers should be sounding alarm bells in the U.S., Britain and France," writes journalist Khaled Abu Toameh who for years has been covering the Palestinian beat for the Jerusalem Post. The Clarion Project translated a video taken at the July 12 gathering atop the holiest site in Judaism in which an imam from the group Hizb ut-Tahrir reportedly "incited a crowd of hundreds of Muslims calling for the destruction of America, France, Britain and Rome." (Read more)
- Father God, work a glorious miracle and deal with this imam's relationship with the holy God of heaven. Meet him in the path and speak to him in such a way that he will fall on his knees and repent of all his sins and rise up a changed man having his life transformed from evil to good by Your mighty power. In the mighty Name of Jesus we pray.
- "Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens." (Lamentations 3:40-41)
6.a. Kerry obtains Israeli, Palestinian consent to negotiate interim accord, without borders issue - Debka.com
According to the Kerry formula, the forthcoming negotiations would focus on attaining an interim peace accord - without determining final borders - for establishing a Palestinian state in broad areas of the West Bank from which Israeli would withdraw. Those areas would be subject to trilateral US-Israeli-Palestinian consensus on security arrangements and require some Jewish settlements to be removed. (Read more)
6b.) U.S. Guarantees Israel's Pre-1967 Borders Will Be Basis for Renewed Talks with Palestine, Officials Say - The Blaze/AP
Israel's pre-1967 borders will be the basis of renewed peace talks between Palestine and Israel, according to a letter U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gave to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas which guaranteed the stipulation. After Abbas received the Kerry letter, he agreed to resume peace talks with Israel, two senior Palestinian officials said Saturday. (Read more)
- Lord God, we thank You that You are a God who keeps covenant. You put Your Name in Jerusalem and You promised the Land of Israel to the twelve tribes of Israel. Because God's Word stands forever and will never change, we trust that You will send an angel to stand in the midst of Your chosen people and fight this battle for them. Praise God Almighty! You WILL dethrone Your enemies who attempt to lay claim to the Land of Israel. In Jesus' Name.
- "In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem." (Zechariah 12:8-9)
7. A federal appeals court declared unconstitutional a law allowing Americans born in Jerusalem to list Israel as their birthplace - (Fox News)
A federal appeals court Tuesday declared unconstitutional a law allowing Americans born in Jerusalem to list Israel as their birthplace on their U.S. passports, the latest ruling in a case that stretches back a decade.
The three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said that the 2002 law impermissibly infringes on the president's exercise of the power to recognize foreign governments.
The case was brought by parents of an American boy named Menachem Zivotofsky, who was born in a Jerusalem hospital soon after the law was passed. The parents wanted to list Israel as his birthplace, but the U.S. has refused to recognize any nation's sovereignty over Jerusalem since Israel's creation in 1948 -- so the boy's U.S. passport only says "Jerusalem" as his birthplace.
The Supreme Court last year overturned the ruling and sent the case back down to the appeals court to decide whether the law was constitutional. (Read more)
- Stand in the gap for our government, offering a prayer of repentance for our foolish ways. Israel is a nation, and Jerusalem is its capital. This decision rendered by the federal appeals court is a clear violation of our covenant with Zion. God's law stands. Pray.
- "When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan." (Proverbs 29:2)
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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:
'Thus says the Lord God, "When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and will manifest My holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they will live in their land which I gave to My servant Jacob. They will live in it securely; and they will build houses, plant vineyards and live securely when I execute judgments upon all who scorn them round about them. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God."
(Ezekiel 28:25,26)
1. IDF intel chief: Syria turning into jihadi center 'on our border' - Jerusalem Post
Short-term risks to Israel are on the rise, and the seeds for new threats are being planted in some arenas, OC Military Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi warned on Tuesday.
2. Haredim: We'll fight draft to point of civil war - Ynet News
Disgust and pain, contempt and threats, this was the reception within the haredi community on Tuesday upon passage of the first reading of a bill that would significantly increase enlistment among ultra-Orthodox Israelis into the IDF and national service. Along with complete faith in the non-implementation of the draft law, some made it clear that the fight against it would not end in haredi military enlistment. "We'll take it to the point of civil war," they promised.
3. US rejected Netanyahu's request to free Pollard ahead of negotiations with Palestinians - Jerusalem Post
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tried unsuccessfully to persuade American officials to release convicted Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard ahead of diplomatic negotiations with the Palestinians, Channel 2 reported on Monday.
4. Lapid to haredi MKs: You are keeping the Messiah from coming - Israel Hayom
Finance Minister Yair Lapid lashed out against the members of the ultra-Orthodox parties in the Knesset on Monday, accusing them of preventing the coming of the Messiah.
5. Bennett pledges to continue settlement construction - Times of Israel
Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett promised on Tuesday to continue settlement construction despite Palestinian demands that Israel freeze building in the West Bank ahead of the imminent renewal of bilateral negotiations.
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The Persecuted Church
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Today's Focus: The Persecuted Church
"Preserve me, O God, for I take refuge in You." (Psalm 16:1)
1. President of Indonesia Criticizes Radical Islamists for First Time - AsiaNews
For the first time in nine years in power, the Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has openly criticized the Islamic Defender Front (FPI), an extremist group that seeks to achieve the introduction of sharia (Islamic law) throughout the country. The Muslim faith, he said at a dinner with the orphans of the capital, "does not allow its followers to carry out attacks and violence against other people or against their property.
Indonesian civil society has always accused the president of being "unable" to stop the violence against religious minorities perpetrated by the FPI. Yudhoyono's words followed the latest case which involved the group: "Islam is not a religion based on violence, it does not allow its members to be violent and does not allow its followers to take the law into their own hands. "
2. American Pastor Saeed: 300 Illegal Days in an Iranian Prison - ACLJ
Today is the 300th day of American Pastor Saeed Abedini's illegal imprisonment in Iran - 300 days away from his wife and kids, 300 days of torment for his Christian faith, 300 days and counting.
Nearly a year ago, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard raided the home of Pastor Saeed's parents in Tehran and imprisoned him solely on the basis of his faith. On account of that same faith, he faced a bogus trial and was convicted and sentenced to a lengthy prison term in Iran's brutal Evin Prison. He has been subjected to beatings and harassment which have caused internal injuries necessitating medical treatment.
Suffering from an internal injury in his stomach, Pastor Saeed has been in need of medical attention for quite some time. On July 20, 2013, he was taken to a private hospital in Tehran for treatment and, for the first time, he was examined by a physician and prescribed medication for injuries he sustained from the beatings he endured by prison guards.
On two past occasions, the 33-year-old Pastor Saeed has been taken to the local hospital only to be sent home without examination of or treatment for his injuries. This time, authorities proved that they have heard the international outcry for medical attention.
3. Security Forces Abandon Coptic Christians during Deadly Attack in Luxor - Amnesty International
Security forces stood by and failed to intervene during a brutal attack on Coptic Christians in Luxor, Amnesty International said in a briefing published today. During the sectarian violence, security forces left six besieged men -four of whom were then killed and one hospitalized - to the mercy of an angry crowd.
In an attack lasting 18 hours on 5 July, four Coptic Christian men were killed and four others were seriously injured. An angry mob armed with metal bars, knives, tree branches and hammers attacked Christian homes and businesses in Nagah Hassan, 18 km west of Luxor, after the dead body of a Muslim man was discovered near the homes of Christian families. Despite local residents' and religious leaders' repeated calls for help, security forces on the scene made only half-hearted attempts to end the violence and sufficient reinforcements failed to arrive.
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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Chaplains Must Be Religious
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Chaplains Must Be Religious
Here's a sign of the confused times in which we live: The House of Representatives voted last night, largely along party lines, to prevent the Department of Defense from hiring atheist chaplains.
This amendment became necessary after a liberal Democrat proposed legislation in June authorizing the Pentagon to hire individuals who are "certified or ordained as secular humanists and ethical culturists or atheists" as chaplains.
You learn something new every day. I did not realize one could become an ordained atheist!
Summing up the frustration of many Americans, Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) said the following in response to the left's repeated assaults on religious liberty: "My constituents back in Oklahoma are shaking their heads. The secular left is so invested in ripping God from everything that I must stand here . . . to prohibit Obama's Department of Defense from establishing an oxymoron -- atheist chaplains. Why does the secular left insist on ruining the integrity of the chaplaincy to serve their agenda of institutionalized godlessness?"
Rep. Bridenstine is right. This is where the left's "war on faith" has taken us. Congress is now debating atheist chaplains. It seems ludicrous. That a chaplain should be religious goes without saying. But then again, our Supreme Court just ruled that men can "marry" other men too.
Sadly, this isn't over. The assault on religious liberty in Obama's military has gotten so bad that a number of groups, including my public policy organization, American Values, have formed a coalition to defend the religious freedom of our men and women in uniform.
Once again, I implore pastors and men and women of faith to get involved in the political process. The culture war is very real and our religious liberty is at stake. (Gary Bauer)
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Joel Rosenberg: Putin Heads to Iran
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PUTIN HEADING TO IRAN TO STRENGTHEN RUSSIAN-IRANIAN ALLIANCE, AS OBAMA THREATENS MILITARY FORCE IN SYRIA
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Washington, D.C., July 24, 2013) -- On August 3rd, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will officially step down as the President of Iran. He will be replaced by Hassan Rouhani, though the Islamic Republic will still ultimately be ruled by the so-called "Supreme Leader," the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
A few days later, the leader of Russia will arrive in Tehran on a formal state visit. He will come to discuss the Iranian nuclear program and to strengthen the Russian-Iranian alliance. It will likely be the first state visit of the new Rouhani regime and it will be interesting to see what comes of it. More details on the trip -- and analysis of Putin's first visit to Tehran in 2007 -- are on the blog.
Meanwhile, the countdown to U.S. intervention in the mess in Damascus appears to be nearing the zero hour. The Obama administration is actively considering using military force to bring down the Assad regime in Syria. Specifically, the White House and Pentagon are analyzing the idea of running a 24/7 "no-fly zone" over Syria, as well as training and arming rebel forces to defeat the Assad forces. But the costs would be high -- upwards of $1 billion a month -- and might not even be successful.
In my view, active U.S. military involvement in Syria would be a catastrophic mistake. I feel terrible for the bloodshed and carnage going on inside Syria. But tragically I see very little that the West can do to actually make the situation better.
Syria is imploding. It is increasingly possible that the geopolitical state we call the Syrian Arab Republic will cease to exist in the not-too-distant future. We can and should help with humanitarian relief. We can and should show mercy to those fleeing for their lives. We can and should help the persecuted Christians, and pray actively and consistently for peace and stability. But I don't think the U.S. government or any Western power should stick its hand into that hornet's nest. Our highest priority should be stopping Iran from building nuclear weapons. . .
[To read the rest of this analysis, please go to the blog.]
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Please pray for Syria
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SYRIA: The battle rages as an epic refugee crisis, brutal Christian persecution, and international involvement bring the nation further into turmoil.
Syria's 2½-year civil war, which has killed 100,000 and displaced over 1.5 million, continues with no end in sight. According to the United Nations, the fighting kills approximately 5,000 people per month and almost 7 million Syrians are in dire need of assistance.
Syrians are fleeing the nation in record numbers, averaging 6,000 per day. Antonio Guterres, United Nations Refugee Chief, says, "We have not seen a refugee outflow escalate at such a frightening rate since the Rwandan genocide almost 20 years ago."
In addition, Syrian rebels frequently target Christian Believers for attack. Nina Shea, a religious freedom activist, claims a "shadow war" is being fought against the Syrian Church. The "going price" for a kidnapped Christian Believer is $200,000 USD. Recently, a YouTube video went viral, showing the beheading of two Christian Believers by Syrian militants.
Unfortunately, the civil war is spreading beyond Syria. The Pakistani Taliban, a radical Islamic group, joined the conflict by sending in 120 fighters, with another 150 men arriving shortly. Lebanon's extremist Hezbollah also sent forces to aid the rebels. Furthermore, Israel's military is preparing for war along its border with Syria. Two people also died in Turkey after stray bullets from the Syrian battle struck them. In response, Turkey returned fire, marking the most significant spillover of violence to date.
PRAY FOR:
- leaders to swiftly end Syria's bloody civil war by choosing harmony and reconciliation over bloodshed (The Bible, Colossians 3:14).
- the Lord to provide for the financial, physical, and spiritual needs of the 1.5 million displaced Syrians (The Bible, Philippians 4:19).
- the surrounding nations to continue welcoming all Syrians seeking asylum (The Bible, Hebrews 13:2).
- the Lord to put a hedge of protection around Christian Believers and save them from the Syrian militants (The Bible, Luke 1:71).
- the conflict to stay within Syria's borders. Pray that Syria's civil war does not cause a larger Middle Eastern war (The Bible, Matthew 26:52).
- the God of Compassion to hear the cries coming out of Syria. Pray for the Lord to heal the injured and comfort the grieving (The Bible, Psalm 147:3).
- the safe release of all kidnapping victims (The Bible, Psalm 37:39-40).
- Christian Believers to be undaunted by their surroundings so they can minister to the physical and spiritual needs of the people (The Bible, Isaiah 12:2).
(Source: WIN Prayer Network)
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Prayers During Ramadan
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Caring for domestic workers
For Thursday July 25, Ramadan 2013 - Day 17.
"Loving Muslims Through Prayer"
Today, Indonesian workers are the most common domestic labourers in both Taiwan and Hong Kong. According to September 2012 statistics, they number 155,000 in Taiwan and 151,000 in Hong Kong. Many of them work for Christian employers.
Several churches care and minister to domestic workers. They set up care centres offering language and computer education, Internet studies and social programmes. Perhaps your church has an idea how to care for and reach domestic workers?
PRAYER IDEAS
- Pray that churches and Christians will have a kingdom vision, learn about the culture of their long-term domestic workers and reach them in love.
- Pray that churches will work with agencies to establish a long-term strategy as to how to help and care for the foreign labourers, and evangelise and disciple them.
- Pray that the Indonesian foreign workers will open their hearts to Christ.
Complete article, video, audio, comments is here.
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The Good News Corner
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The Good News Corner:
Verified: King David's Palace Discovered
"This is unequivocal evidence of a kingdom's existence, which knew to establish administrative centers at strategic points. To date no palaces have been found that can clearly be ascribed to the early tenth century BC as we can do now. Khirbet Qeiyafa was probably destroyed in one of the battles that were fought against the Philistines circa 980 BC. The palace that is now being revealed and the fortified city that was uncovered in recent years are another tier in understanding the beginning of the Kingdom of Judah." -Israeli archaeologist
(Israel)-Two royal public buildings, the likes of which have not previously been found in the Kingdom of Judah of the tenth century BC, were uncovered this past year by researchers of the Hebrew University and the Israel Antiquities Authority at Khirbet Qeiyafa-a fortified city in Judah dating to the time of King David and identified with the Biblical city of Shaarayim.
One of the buildings is identified by the researchers, Professor Yossi Garfinkel of the Hebrew University and Saar Ganor of the Israel Antiquities Authority, as David's palace, and the other structure served as an enormous royal storeroom. . .
A pillared building c. 15 m long by 6 m wide was exposed in the north of the city, which was used as an administrative storeroom. According to the researchers, "It was in this building the kingdom stored taxes it received in the form of agricultural produce collected from the residents of the different villages in the Judean Shephelah. Hundreds of large store jars were found at the site whose handles were stamped with an official seal as was customary in the Kingdom of Judah for centuries."
The palace and storerooms are evidence of state sponsored construction and an administrative organization during King David's reign. "This is unequivocal evidence of a kingdom's existence, which knew to establish administrative centers at strategic points", the archaeologists say. "To date no palaces have been found that can clearly be ascribed to the early tenth century BC as we can do now. Khirbet Qeiyafa was probably destroyed in one of the battles that were fought against the Philistines circa 980 BC. The palace that is now being revealed and the fortified city that was uncovered in recent years are another tier in understanding the beginning of the Kingdom of Judah."
[To read the entire article, go here.]
[Reported by: Breaking Christian News]
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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!
What the Lord has Done in me
Worship Here
