"Democracy Under Attack!"
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Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief Monday, Sept. 16, 2013
Praying the Word of God . . .
in the Will of God . . .
over the Issues of the Day
(Isaiah 55:11)
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:2)
Our Weekly Bible Studies:
To read the "One Year Bible" weekly letter, go here.
To read the Shabbat Torah readings, go here.
Submitted by Susan L. Turner
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The Daily Brief
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1. Colorado floods: Over 500 unaccounted for as 'devastating' rain looms - CNN
Colorado residents kept a wary eye on the sky as more rain is forecast for Sunday, and with it more fears of gushing rivers and cascading mudslides. Boulder County officials said up to 4 inches of rain could fall by afternoon, an amount Sheriff Joe Pelle described as "devastating." (Read more)
- Heavenly Father, we come before You seeking mercy for those people trapped by these floods and for the rescue personnel. We ask for comfort and strength for the families and friends of those who have died or are missing, for discernment of where to look and how to find those who are still alive but trapped. Be in the midst of all this loss, pouring forth Your blessings based upon needs. May all who do not yet know You, Father, draw close to You. We ask in the Name of Jesus, Amen and Amen.
- "Our help is in the Name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth." (Psalm 124:8)
2. Judge's Ruling Makes North Dakota First to Ban Abortions Based on Down Syndrome - Religion Today
Earlier this year, Governor Jack Dalrymple of North Dakota signed legislation that banned abortions because of gender selection and genetic defects, such as Down syndrome. The state's lone abortion provider, Red River Women's Clinic (RRWC), immediately filed suit to stop these measures, as well as another provision that banned abortion as soon as a heartbeat could be detected. (Read more)
- Abba Father, we bring these abortion battles from the state of North Dakota before Your throne. We give You mighty praise for these new laws and we ask that these new laws become the law for our nation, not just this state. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen and Amen.
- "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined." (Isaiah 9:2)
3. Wisconsin teachers union decertified in latest blow to labor under Walker law - Fox News
Teachers from one of Wisconsin's largest unions have jumped ship -- voting overwhelmingly to abandon the group in the latest in a string of setbacks for the struggling labor movement following Gov. Scott Walker's union overhaul two years ago. (Read more)
- Lord, be in the midst of this battle over the role of unions, directing what needs to be done and how to achieve it, for those members involved in making these changes. We thank you for the breaking away from 'enforced union membership' for staff involved in the education of our nation's children, in Jesus' Name, Amen and Amen.
- "Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is favor." (Proverbs 14:9)
4. CFPB's data-mining on consumer credit cards challenged in heated House hearing - Washington Examiner
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau officials are seeking to monitor four out of every five U.S. consumer credit card transactions this year - up to 42 billion transactions - through a controversial data-mining program... A CFPB strategic planning document for fiscal years 2013-17 describes the "markets monitoring" program through which officials aim to monitor 80 percent of all credit card transactions in 2013. In addition, CFPB officials hope to monitor up to 95 percent of all mortgage transactions, according to the planning document. "This is one step closer to a Big Brother form of government where they know everything about us," said Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis. (Read more)
- Heavenly Father, we ask for mercy and protection from the ever expanding encroachment on our privacy and liberty. We are left to question how all this data gathering on credit card purchases and on mortgages will be used. Expose what is being plotted, which is dark and twisted, for all to see and understand. We ask in Jesus' Name, Amen and Amen.
- "Do they not go astray who devise evil? But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good." (Proverbs 14:22)
5. California school district hires firm to monitor students' social media - CNN
A suburban Los Angeles school district is now looking at the public postings on social media by middle and high school students, searching for possible violence, drug use, bullying, truancy and suicidal threats. His firm is about to expand schools' monitoring capacity with a new smart phone app that allows students and parents to anonymously report to and correspond with school officials about conduct violations. "Honestly, we're not spying on kids. Can we focus back on the problem: The problem is we're not listening effectively," Frydrych said. "And we're shifting that." (Read more)
- Abba Father, we know there is terrible bullying being done via these social media networks, and that vulnerable youth have too often turned to suicide to escape their pain. However we also know that any excessive monitoring can itself become a 'nightmare' of pain and exploitation. We ask You Lord, to expose what is destructive and to be in the midst of all of this monitoring, shutting down dark and destructive tactics, in Jesus' Name, Amen and Amen.
- "There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the Lord's Counsel - that will stand." (Proverbs 19:21)
6. Brain amoeba found in tests of water supply where boy died in Louisiana - CNN
Tests of a Louisiana parish's water supply confirmed the presence of a rare brain-eating amoeba blamed for last month's death of a 4-year-old boy. The state's Department of Health & Hospitals said Thursday that tests conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found Naegleria fowleri in St. Bernard Parish water. The water is safe to drink, state officials said, although they cautioned against getting water in the nose. (Read more)
- Lord, it is rather difficult to understand how water that contains brain-eating amoebas can be announced to be 'safe' to drink, when this same water just killed a small boy child. Help us Lord! Rise up and confront the officials of this state as to what they are saying. We ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen and Amen.
- "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. 'Eat and drink!' he says to you, but his heart is not with you." (Proverbs 23:7)
7. California to Legalize Non-Physician Abortions - Townhall.com
Want an abortion in California? If a new law passes, a doctor will not even be necessary. Bill AB 154 has passed both houses of the state legislature, and currently sits on Gov. Jerry Brown's desk, where he is expected to sign it into law. The bill strips the requirement that an abortion be performed by a licensed physician or surgeon. Instead, a nurse practitioner, certified nurse midwife, or physician assistant would be allowed to do a suction aspiration or medical abortion on a woman.
Suction aspiration abortions are not without controversy. Brian Johnston, president of California Pro-Life Council, said that even former abortionists have spoken out against the technique. The bill has been endorsed by the California Medical Association, and has been strongly supported by abortion advocates. (Read more)
- Heavenly Father, for a number of decades the medical establishment has been turning over serious procedures to non-physicians and now the state of California is legalizing these non-physicians to be the personnel allowed to do medical abortions. Father, not only is this an abomination to You and something that greatly grieves Your heart, but this is also lessening the precautions that need to be in place for these procedures. We ask for mercy Lord! We repent that these abortions are legal, and ask that abortion be outlawed in all of the US. We ask in Jesus' Name, Amen and Amen.
- 'For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now I will arise,' says the Lord' 'I will set him in the safety for which he yearns.' (Psalm 12:5)
8. BREAKING NEWS: SWAT teams hunt 'active shooter' at Washington Navy Yard - WND
Three gunmen opened fire Monday inside a military building at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., and shot at least ten people, including two police officers, authorities said.
One of the shooters is "down," police said, but two remain in a building on the grounds. One of the shooters at large is dressed in fatigues.
Authorities have reportedly described one of the suspects as a black male dressed in all black, carrying an "assault rifle" and a double-barreled shotgun. The Navy said on its Twitter feed that shots were fired at 8:20 a.m. ET at the headquarters of the Naval Sea Systems Command, part of the Washington Navy Yard.
The Washington Navy Yard says on its website that it's the Navy's oldest shore establishment and the largest of the Navy's five system commands. It's home to the chief of Naval Operations and is also headquarters for the Naval Historical Center and numerous naval commands. It builds, buys and maintains the Navy's ships and submarines and their combat systems.
- Lord, we pray right now these other 2 shooters will be caught and brought to justice. We pray for the families of the four who have been killed by the shooter. We lift up those six others who have been injured. Give the authorities the ability to bring this situation under control. In Jesus Name.
- my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. 4 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.(2 Samuel 22:3-4)
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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:
"Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost those who come unto God by Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them."
(Hebrews 7:25)
1. Kerry looks to reassure anxious Israel over US resolve on Syria, Iran - Jerusalem Post
The Obama administration is eager to allay Israeli concerns and to reassure Jerusalem that the agreement with Russia was not tantamount to "a capitulation" to Moscow and its ally, Bashar Assad.
2. How are US citizens in Israel vulnerable to NSA espionage? - Jerusalem Post
How could it be legal for Americans in Israel to have less privacy protection from US National Security Agency spying than other US citizens? According to top-secret documents produced by Edward Snowden and distributed by the media, the NSA's official rule is not to spy on the communications of US citizens whether they reside in the US or abroad.
3. Israel has 80 nuclear warheads, report says - Times of Israel
Israel possesses a stockpile of 80 nuclear warheads, all of which were produced by 2004, when Israel froze all production, according to a report published over the weekend. The report, in the September/October issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, cited US Defense Intelligence Agency figures.
4. Right-wing MKs begin pressuring Netanyahu against giving up land to Palestinians - Jerusalem Post
Knesset members on the right began pressuring Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday to minimize the number of concessions he authorizes in diplomatic negotiations with the PLO.
5. Kerry in Israel: Threat of force against Syria is real - Ynet News
US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday sent a strong warning to Syria, saying 'the threat of force is real' if it does not carry out an internationally brokered agreement to hand over its chemical weapons.
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The Persecuted Church
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Today's Focus: The Persecuted Church
"Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." (James 1:12)
Persecution in Syria? No Comment - World
Asked about religious minorities in Syria, the U.S. ambassador for international religious freedom has nothing to say
U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom Suzan Johnson Cook, who was visiting New York, spoke at length to representatives of nongovernmental organizations at the United Nations' U.S. Mission on Monday. In the course of the discussion, a representative from the American Jewish Committee (AJC) asked Cook, according to a recording of the meeting: "What is the U.S. doing to protect minority religious groups in Syria and how is this being factored into potential U.S. military operations?"
Cook declined to comment.
"Syria is very much in the news right now, and right now we're not free to comment on what's happening in Syria," she said. "Right now we will refer that to the White House and we respect our marching orders from the White House to comment on that. But thank you for the question."
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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News from the Family Research Council
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FRC, Coalition Leaders Meet with Senior Air Force Officials,
Deliver Nearly 220,000 petitions Calling for Religious Liberty Protections
September 13, 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday (Thursday, Sept. 12), Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jerry Boykin, Family Research Council's executive vice president, and other members of the Restore Military Religious Freedom Coalition (RMRF) met with senior U.S. Air Force officials at the Pentagon to discuss the escalation of religious liberty infringements not just in the U.S. Air Force but across the military.
Air Force officials also accepted over 170,000 petitions appealing to Secretary of Defense Hagel to protect the religious liberties of service members. A second petition with nearly 50,000 signers appealed to the U.S. Air Force to stop the persecution of and possible legal action against Senior Master Sgt. Philip Monk at Lackland Air Force base. The officials also received a copy of the coalition's report documenting dozens of other religious liberty violations of service members.
Boykin was joined at the meeting by Col. (Ret.) Ron Crews of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, Sandy Rios of the American Family Association, and Kellie Fiedorek from Alliance Defending Freedom.
Boykin made the following comments after the conclusion of the meeting:
"The meeting included a productive discussion on the issue of religious freedom in the military as a whole and not just the U.S. Air Force. After delivering the petitions, we explained our concerns regarding the trend towards infringements on the constitutional liberties of service members in all uniformed services.
"We appreciate their offer to review decisions that do not reflect Air Force policy made by commanders at various bases. At their request, we will report future events and concerns directly to Air Force leadership. After reviewing a series of troubling incidents involving chaplains, the coalition members were assured in the meeting that chaplains would not be forced to do anything that violates the tenets of their faith.
"We also requested that the Department of Defense and the Air Force issue a definitive statement regarding the ability of service members to share their faith publicly. Previous statements on the subject have been confusing and contradictory.
"Additionally, we asked that the Department of Defense move quickly to implement the religious freedom protections enacted in last year's National Defense Authorization Act. Given new incidents of military personnel facing career reprisals for their religious beliefs, it is vital that regulations preventing discrimination be issued by the Secretary of Defense as required by law. We intend to remain in contact with the Air Force to ensure that the law's implementation is consistent with the intent of Congress," concluded Boykin.
The Restore Military Religious Freedom Coalition was launched in July at a Capitol Hill News conference. The coalition released a new report at the news conference documenting dozens of religious liberty violations in the military. Additionally the coalition launched a new website, www.militaryfreedom.org, to support the religious liberties of America's men and women in uniform.
- Offer praise to the Lord for this action, sponsored by this coalition and supported by the Family Research Council. Offer praise, too, for the 22,000 citizens who signed this petition . . . may their voices be clearly heard and honored in the days ahead. Finally, please raise up a prayer that the senior leadership of the United States Air Force will hold true to their word, and will keep the promises that were made at this meeting. Amen.
- "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)
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Keeping Americans out of the Red
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Black Keeps Americans out of the Red
The federal government already takes advantage of taxpayers' money. The last thing it should do is stand by while fellow Americans do the same. Yesterday (Sept. 12), Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) took the first step in cracking down on the abuse that's bleeding into the health care law months before the policy even takes effect! Under ObamaCare, Americans can apply for direct health care subsidies -- if they are in a certain income bracket.
Earlier in the summer, Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it wouldn't be setting up a system to verify those claims until late in 2015. In the meantime, anyone could apply for a health care subsidy and lie about his income just to get the federal benefits. It has been estimated that fraudulent applications could total tens of billions of dollars.
That's unacceptable, said House Republicans, who yesterday voted 235-191 to prevent that kind of abuse with an income verification process that kicks in when the law does. "You can't go into a store, restaurant, or gasoline station and pay on the honor system," Rep. Kevin Brady said. The same should apply here. "This bill would protect American taxpayers from staggering amounts of fraud and abuse in ObamaCare exchanges by simply requiring that ObamaCare live up to its original guarantee in the original law -- that only those who certify to be eligible for taxpayer-subsidies receive them," Rep. Black explained.
Amazingly, only five Democrats sided with Black in her crusade to weed out widespread -- and expensive -- Obama phone-type dishonesty and corruption. Even the President, who insists he's fighting for the American taxpayer, released an official statement opposing Black's proposal -- officially putting the Democratic Party on the record as pro-fraud. Hopefully, the vote will help expose the Left's hypocrisy on a law that they passed -- yet refuse to support. Hats off to Rep. Black, the Republicans and the five Democrats who are fighting to keep Americans honest.
(Source: Family Research Council)
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Houston Mayor Wants to Introduce "San
Antonio" Ordinance
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Pastors not surprised Annise Parker is trying to "San Antonio"
the City of Houston
Houston, TX - With reports today ("Parker Says City Should Pass Non-Discrimination Ordinance", Houston Chronicle) that Mayor Annise Parker would support the aggressive ordinance that provoked citywide controversy in San Antonio, an inter-racial, inter-denominational coalition of pastors long active in the city declared they are not surprised. In addition, speaking for Houston Area Pastor Council, Pastor Willie Davis said that attempts to equate sexual behavior, "gender expression" and "gender identity" to race are not only wrong but offensive.
"The radical agenda to somehow make the case that those who are confused about their gender have suffered the kind of institutional, historical and class discrimination that Black Americans have is beyond offensive - it has no merit whatsoever," stated Pastor Davis. "To propose that the city legally declare that a man who thinks he is a woman deserves equal standing in law as race, gender and religion proves again that Annise Parker is more representative of San Francisco's values than Houston's as she had previously proven."
The San Antonio ordinance originally included provisions that would disqualify any citizen from holding any city position if they had ever in word or deed "expressed bias" toward any protected class. It also forces businesses and churches to accommodate any gender confused person in restroom facilities, hiring and practice. Dave Welch, Executive Director of HAPC added that both the moral and the legal basis of these ordinances are "non-existent'.
"The San Antonio ordinance was the results of the work of the radical LGBTQI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersexed) Human Rights Campaign joining with the national political ambitions of their liberal mayor," Welch said. "No evidence existed there or exists here of any such discrimination. Both in polling and by numbers of attendance at city hall, the vast majority of San Antonio citizens, led by a large coalition of churches, overwhelmingly opposed the attack on their values and freedom of conscience."
Welch concluded the statement by pointing out that Mayor Parker plans to wait until reelected before pushing this issue forward. "It is clear she knows that she would not be returned to office if she attempted it now, so Houston citizens will have a clear choice in November. We can choose to defend our religious freedom and sound moral law, or submit to boys in the girls' restrooms in our churches and businesses by reelecting this mayor. We can not allow this great city to be turned into a California-style experiment at the expense of our faith, our freedom and our children."
(Source: Texas Pastor Council) Read more.
- Offer a word of praise that the pastors in the City of Houston have formed a coalition and are rising up to contend against this move of evil. Pray that this movement will gain strength quickly, and lead to the defeat of Mayor Parker in the city election in November. Pray too, in particular, for the soul of this mayor; we judge her by her fruit and she knows not what she is doing. Amen.
- (For the movement to grow) "Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power . . ." (Psalm 110:3)
(For the salvation of Mayor Parker) "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)
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Urgent Alert!
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TAKE ACTION:
Appointment to DC Appeals Court an Affront to the Constitution
President Obama has once again shown his disregard for the Constitution and the sanctity of human life by nominating activist judge Cornelia Pillard to the D.C. Court of Appeals. Pillard is coming under fire from pro-lifers, abstinence groups and others for her support of abortion, contraception and comprehensive sex education.
Pillard argues there is a Constitutional right to abortion and that the practice is necessary to "free women from historically routine conscription into maternity." She once wrote:
"Antiabortion laws and other restraints on reproductive freedom not only enforce women's incubation of unwanted pregnancies, but also prescribe a 'vision of the woman's role' as mother and caretaker of children in a way that is at odds with equal protection. Renewed attacks on abortion have turned attention to how the Equal Protection Clause, and the right to sex equality more generally, might advance reproductive self-determination."
Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council said Pillard's feminist views pervade her opinions.
"Pillard wrote a 2011 paper, 'Against the New Maternalism,' which argues that by celebrating motherhood, society is creating a 'self-fulfilling cycle of discrimination,'" he explained. "In one of her most jaw-dropping statements, the president's nominee even criticizes the ultrasound. She believes it manufactures 'deceptive images of fetus-as-autonomous-being that the anti-choice movement has popularized since the advent of amniocentesis.'"
"As crazy and outrageous as her other comments are," Perkins continues, "this one is a denial of basic biology! If that doesn't disqualify someone from the second most prestigious court in American, I'm not sure what does." The National Abstinence Education Association's Valerie Huber, said Pillard also openly shows her disdain for purity until marriage.
"She maligns an approach that explicitly advocates a single sexual standard, prides itself in empowering young men and women," she told LifeNews, "and that promotes the health and well-being of the individual and society in general."
TAKE ACTION
Contact your senators and tell them to reject the nomination of Cornelia Pillard to the D.C. Court of Appeals. To send an email to your senators, go here.
(A service provided by CitizenLink)
[Source: Citizenlink] Read more here.
- Thank the Lord that this petition drive is being made available to the public. Pray that the senators will take note, and reject the nomination of Cornelia Pillard to the D.C. Court of Appeals. And again, please pray for Ms. Pillard . . . that she, too, would come to the saving knowledge of our Lord. In His Name, amen.
- "Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." (Matthew 18:19,20)
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The Good News Corner
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The Good News Corner:
New website alerts citizens that our democracy is under attack!
The Unity Coalition for Israel (UCI) proudly presents our new Democracy Under Attack website! The march of Radical Islam is a true menace to our "inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The Brotherhood must be exposed and defeated. In the near future, you'll receive a FREE Democracy Under Attack Newsletter focusing on the Muslim Brotherhood and their efforts to build a worldwide caliphate ruled by Jihad and Sharia Law. Stay informed, stay connected and become a Champion of Democracy through our Democracy Under Attack website!
To learn more, go here.
> > > Thank you, UCI!!
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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!
In His Time (with lyrics)
Maranatha Music
In His time, In His Time
He makes all things beautiful in His time.
Lord please show me every day
As your teaching me Your way
That You do just what You say
In Your time.
