Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief Thursday, August 1, 2013
"And He said, 'My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.'"
(Exodus 33:14)
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The Daily Brief
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1. Massive Solar Flare Narrowly Misses Earth- Washington Examiner
The earth barely missed taking a massive solar punch in the teeth two weeks ago, an "electromagnetic pulse" so big that it could have knocked out power, cars and iPhones throughout the United States.
Read More
- Lord, we thank You for saving us from this massive solar flare. We come before You with heavy hearts for the sins that ravage our entire planet, and pray for Your continued mercy and grace. We pray that these kinds of incidents will jar Your enemies into a place of truth and understanding.
- "Rain down, you heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness; let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation" [Isaiah 45:8a]
2. Government can grab cell phone location records without warrant, appeals court says - NBC
In a major victory for the Justice Department over privacy advocates, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that government agencies can collect records showing the location of an individual's cell phone without obtaining a warrant.
- Lord, we understand that tracking the cell phone of a jihadist would be of great importance. But we also understand that this government has twisted the definition of a terrorist to include Your people, and those of the conservative persuasion. We pray that seeing eyes will be blind to Your people, and that blind eyes will be open to truth.
- "All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted." [Psalm 75:10]
3. Homeland Security loses track of 1 million foreigners; report could hurt immigration deal - Washington Times
The Homeland Security Department has lost track of more than 1 million people who it knows arrived in the U.S. but who it cannot prove left the country, according to an audit Tuesday that also found the department probably won't meet its own goals for deploying an entry-exit system.
- Father, we ask that if these "lost" foreigners are dangerous to our nation, You will find them and reveal any hidden plots they may have.
- "The wicked is snared in the work of his own hands." [Psalm 9:16b]
4. Congress, Experts Question Legality of Obamacare Exchange Subsidies - Washington Free Beacon
The Obama administration cannot legally offer federal subsidies to help people buy insurance on federally run health insurance exchanges, legal experts and Congressional Republicans argued Wednesday, potentially threatening the central feature of Obamacare.
- Lord, we humbly pray that Obamacare will be defunded or repealed. Whatever it takes to remove it from America, we ask for Your help.
- "Let them be caught in the plots which they have devised." [Psalm 10:2b]
5. U.S. intelligence: Al Qaida plotting attacks on U.S. civilian jetliners - World Tribune
Al Qaida's network in Yemen is planning to conduct bombing attacks on American civilian aircraft.
- Father, let Your protection and power reign over all aircraft, American and all of our allies.
- "Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; seek out his wickedness until You find none." [Psalm 10:15]
6. Devious Election Plot Bypasses Constitution - WND
The National Popular Vote effort, which could see only 14 states -- those with the largest populations -- decide the presidency for voters in all 50 states, is fully partnered with a George Soros-funded election group.
- Father, we cry out to You for fair and balanced elections! America who once had the greatest right to vote in the history of the world, now has been reduced to massive election fraud. We pray that You will intervene and break the power of this group and others over our election process.
-"He will remember their iniquity; He will punish their sins." [Hosea 9:9b]
7. Leaked NSA documents give new insight into searches - CBC
Documents published by the Guardian newspaper are providing new insight into the National Security Agency's surveillance of world data, giving an over-the-shoulder look at the programs and techniques U.S. intelligence analysts use to exploit the hundreds of billions of records they gather each year.
- Lord, let all portions of the Patriot Act which endanger ordinary American citizens be deleted. We ask that "Prism" and all other programs like it be revamped so that abuses and targeting of Your people will not occur.
-"The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations." [Psalm 33:11]
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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:
"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
In the city of our God,
In His holy mountain.
Beautiful in elevation,
The joy of the whole earth,
Is Mount Zion on the sides of the north,
The city of the great King."
(Proverbs 15:29)
1. Syrian rebels' missile defense system threatens Israel - Ynet News
The video released by Syrian opposition forces which allegedly documents the tracking and interception of an army helicopter shows that rebels have managed to get their hands on Russian-made SA-8, or OSA, air defense system, and now pose a direct threat on the Israeli, Lebanese and Syrian airspaces.
2. PM cuts secret deal with Jewish Home on settlements - Times of Israel
In a deal to temper Jewish Home's resistance to the release of over a hundred long-time Palestinian prisoners, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to advance construction of thousands of housing units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the Hebrew daily Maariv reported Wednesday morning.
3. Obama names Netanyahu critic to lead Israeli-Palestinian talks - World Tribune
The United States has named a leading critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to head negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority for the establishment of a West Bank state in 2014.
4. In Gaza, Iran Finds an Ally More Agreeable Than Hamas - NY Times
In recent months, Iran has suspended millions of dollars in monthly aid to Hamas because the group did not stand by President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, its former patron, in his struggle against rebel forces. Unlike Hamas, Islamic Jihad did not leave its base in Damascus and has kept up relations with the government of Mr. Assad, a longtime Iranian ally.
5. Israel failed to fully destroy target in Syria airstrike - Times of Israel
An alleged Israeli airstrike on a weapons warehouse in Syria failed to destroy some of the Russian-made cruise missiles that were its target, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
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The Persecuted Church
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Today's Focus: The Persecuted Church
"Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:11-12)
1. Congressional Vote on Human Rights Abuses in Vietnam May Happen Today - BR Now
WASHINGTON - Human rights abuses in Vietnam are receiving attention from the U.S. House of Representatives, with a particular focus on the religious oppression of ethnic minority Christians and other groups.
H.R. 1897, the "Vietnam Human Rights Act of 2013," was added to the House schedule July 26, a day after a brief state visit to Washington by Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang.
President Barack Obama said at a press conference following the visit that the United States and Vietnam had agreed on policies related to defense, technology and climate research. He also said he and the Vietnamese president had "discussed the challenges that all of us face when it comes to issues of human rights."
"We emphasized how the United States continues to believe that all of us have to respect issues like freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly; and we had a very candid conversation about both the progress Vietnam has made and the challenges that remain," Obama said July 25.
In a statement released following the press conference, the White House noted "narrow differences" between the two countries on the issue of human rights, but a statement in Nhan Dan, the official newspaper of Vietnam's Communist Party, claimed the differences were "many and significant."
2. Son of Imprisoned American Christian in North Korea Launches Petition - CIC
Jonathan Bae, the son of Kenneth Bea, an American citizen and a committed Christian, who is imprisoned in a North Korea (DPRK) labor camp, has launched a petition to the President Barack Obama and his Administration to help free his father.
In a message posted at http://www.change.org/petitions/amnesty-for-my-father-kenneth-bae-a-u-s-citizen-imprisoned-in-a-north-korean-special-labor-camp, he wrote, "My father Kenneth Bae, an American citizen, is being imprisoned in a North Korea (DPRK) labor camp. Please sign my petition to free him now.
"My father-like any other American father-was working hard to provide for his family. Through his tour company that he started, he was able to show the natural beauty of North Korea to many. My father was arrested on November 3, 2012 while working as a tour operator in Rason (Rajin-Sonbong), one of North Korea's special economic zones for foreign investors. My father is a good man with the biggest heart for the people and nation of North Korea, and now he has been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for what the DPRK identified as anti-government activities.
"On July 3, 2013, the eve of two important events-America's Independence Day and my grandfather's 70th birthday-a video of my father was released from the North Korean labor camp. My family was shocked to see him! He had lost a significant amount of weight, and his time in prison has clearly taken a toll on his health-and this was only two months into his 15-year sentence. The video showed my father working eight hours of physical labor in the fields, plowing and farming six days a week. He has chronic health conditions, including diabetes, heart problems and back pain, which require close monitoring and medical treatment. We don't know how quickly his health will deteriorate and how much longer his body can withstand the impact of the labor camp.
3. Syria's Sorrowing Clergy - The Economist
FOR people concerned about the fate about Syria's Christian minority, these are dark times. It has now been exactly 100 days since two bishops from the ancient city of Aleppo were kidnapped near the Turkish border, and there is no definite news of their fate.
About a month ago, a deputy speaker of the Russian legislature, attending a meeting in Athens of Orthodox Christian parliamentarians, said the session had received "evidence" that the two clerics had been killed. There has also been a Turkish news report that a woman and two men, all suspected of detaining and possibly killing the clerics, had been arrested in central Turkey, and then deported from the country.
But a senior churchman from the region told me that Syria's Christian hierarchs had no reliable information about the whereabouts of their missing colleagues: Boulos Yazigi, whose brother is the Greek-Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, and Yohanna Ibrahim, who belongs to the "Oriental Orthodox" family of churches.
Meanwhile there were acute worries today about a well-known Italian Jesuit who has put down deep roots in Syria: Father Paolo Dall'Oglio (pictured), a critic of the Assad regime who has been working for 20 years to restore a Christian monastery near Damascus, in a spirit of "openness to dialogue" with Islam. According to "activists" quoted by Reuters, he was abducted by rebels close to al-Qaeda in the east Syrian town of Raqqa. The Jesuit father was expelled from Syria by the Assad regime last year but has apparently managed to regain access via rebel-controlled territory.
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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Prayers During Ramadan
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Occult martial art among Indonesia's Banten Muslims
For Friday August 2, Ramadan 2013 - Day 25.
"Loving Muslims Through Prayer"
Have you ever seen people walking on coals or striking themselves with knives or sharp nails, yet without hurting themselves? This is what "debus" is all about. It is an art, but also a martial art, a demonstration of power. "Debus" rites are sometimes performed at weddings or other celebrations. It is believed that God will only grant such powers to those who are pure. It is also the most characteristic feature of the people of Banten in Indonesia.
Almost everyone among the Banten has had some experience of this art.
PRAYER IDEAS
- Pray for the Banten to be freed from occult and religious bondage and to be open to the gospel. (John 8:32 - "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.")
- Pray for Indonesian believers to turn in loving attention to the Banten, serving them holistically.
- Pray for new workers called specifically to live, serve and witness among the Banten. (Luke 10:2 - "The harvest is plentiful, but workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.")
Complete article, video, audio, comments is here.
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The Good News Corner
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The Good News Corner:
TWO VICTORIES FOR LIFE
FIRST VICTORY:
42nd Abortion Clinic Closed This Year Due to Filthy, Unsafe Conditions
August 1, 2013
Asheville, NC -The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday that it has suspended the license of Femcare, an abortion clinic in Asheville, for two dozen serious health and safety violations discovered during a routine inspection on July 18 and 19th.
This action comes just two days after Gov. Pat McCrory signed a law that will require abortion clinics to meet the standards of an outpatient surgery center. Ironically, it was thought that Femcare would be the only North Carolina abortion clinic to meet safety standards under the new law, but it seems it that thinking was grossly in error. Femcare was last inspected 6½ years ago. The closure is not directly related to the new law.
This is the 42nd abortion clinic to close nationally in 2013. Clinic safety regulations have contributed to many of the closings. This number far eclipses the 24 abortion clinics that closed in 2012. Since 1991, over 70% of all abortion clinics in the U.S. have closed.
"This is a wake-up call for abortion supporters. What they thought was a clinic that could meet high standards ended up being one with practices so shoddy and conditions so dangerous that it is not fit to operate. Many abortion supporters fought to oppose the new law. In reality, they were fighting to keep abortion clinics dangerous," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "This is the reality of abortion clinics today. We have yet to find one that complies with all laws and safety codes. The public health would be best served if they were all closed."
Read the full press release from the DHHS announcing the Femcare suspension and describing violations. (Source: Operation Rescue)
SECOND VICTORY:
New Green Bay Health Clinic Owners say No More Abortions
Thirty years of pro-life prayer and protests outside a health clinic in Wisconsin have yielded some rewarding results.
The Medical Arts Building clinic was purchased by Bellin Health, and worker Robert Demott announced that no abortions will be performed there. It means that in Green Bay, there are now no abortion providers.
According to the Citizen Link report, Susan Armacost, of Wisconsin Right to Life, said it wasn't clear whether it was a personal or purely business decision not to perform abortions.
"Regardless of where individual health care professionals may personally stand on the legality of abortion," said Armacost, "the overwhelming majority of them do not want to be associated with the taking of human life for profit." (Source: Breaking Christian News) Read more.
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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!
Overcome with Lyrics
Jeremy Camp
Savior, worthy of honor and glory
Worthy of all our praise, You overcame
Jesus, awesome in power forever
Awesome and great is Your name, You overcame
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About CHPP
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ABOUT CAPITOL HILL PRAYER PARTNERS
Our Mission Statement
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners (CHPP) is a ministry which is positioned on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., helping members of the Body of Christ to "pray for those in authority over us" in our federal government. Our primary purpose is to offer intercession on site for the members of Congress and their staffs each day that the Senate and the House of Representatives are in session; and our chief prayer focus is that "God's will be done in earth, as it is in heaven" [Matthew 6:10].
Because Jesus Christ has shed His blood for all, we, too, pray for ALL, in a nonpartisan manner. Also, because the scriptures indicate that "the effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 4:17), we are confident that fervent prayer, offered in the halls of the highest chambers of government in our land, can avail much for America. Capitol Hill Prayer Partners welcomes those who feel called to join us, engaging in this strategic work of intercession for our nation: "For there is no power but of God; the powers that be are ordained of God." [Romans 13:1]
Friends may participate by receiving our daily prayer alerts. You may contact us at chpp@patriot.net for more information. CHPP is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt ministry. Thank you and God bless you!
Learn more about CHPP by going here.
