The House is out of session this week;
the Senate remains in session.
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief
Monday, December 16, 2013
"'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." ( Luke 2:10,11)
The third (pink) candle on the Advent Wreath is JOY!
|
The Daily Brief
|
|||
 |
||||
1. US, Chinese Warships "Nearly Collide" In South China Sea
With the recent deployment of China's air defense zone, and the subsequent announcement of a comparable zone by South Korea which overlaps not only with China's own, but with that of Japan, it almost seems like a scenario designed to provoke an escalating conflict on the tiniest of provocations is actively being produced. A scenario such as the one US defense officials revealed today, when a guided missile cruiser operating in international waters in the South China Sea was forced to take evasive action last week to avoid a collision with a Chinese navy ship maneuvering nearby.
Read more:
- Heavenly Father, we ask you to guide and direct the officers on US naval ships and their leaders in the Pentagon, so that no further provocation can be used to escalate a war with China. Sadly, China appears to be attempting to provoke some sort of confrontation in that area with a number of nations. Have mercy, Father, and rise up to prevent this happening, we ask, in Jesus' Name, Amen and Amen.
- "Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death." (Proverbs 10:2)
2. Storm weakens across Israel, thousands still without power as recovery efforts begin
The Defense Ministry deployed a large quantity of heavy vehicles, equipment, and food rations to assist emergency services operating in the snow in Jerusalem and the North. Over 30 vehicles, bulldozers, plows, tractors, generators, and salt scattering trucks have been sent to roads around the capital and Safed. Containers of fuel and diesel fuel have been sent to police to assist people stranded without electricity.
Read more:
- Abba Father, we rejoice for all the moisture to replenish the extreme drought that has been occurring in Israel for a long time now, but we ask mercy on Your people without heat, electricity, and access to necessities. Direct the efforts of Israeli leaders in how to deal with all of this snowfall, and how to quickly restore needed electrical power, in Jesus' Name we pray, Amen and Amen.
- "Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance; shepherd them also, and bear them up forever." (Psalm 28:9)
3. Dead Colorado school shooter wanted 'revenge' on faculty member, sheriff says
A student who opened fire Friday inside a suburban Denver high school appears to have been seeking revenge against a faculty member because of a "confrontation or disagreement," the Arapahoe County sheriff said.
The shooter, identified as 18-year-old Karl Halverson Pierson, shot one student before turning the gun on himself and taking his own life, Sheriff Grayson Robinson told reporters.
The shooting began after the student walked into Arapahoe High School in Centennial with the intention of confronting a specific faculty member, Robinson said.
Read more:
- Lord, it appears that reports of shootings are increasing in our society. We pray Your Word spreads mightily among the people, even though many are trying to prevent the gospel from going forth. We speak peace for the rampant ever growing despair and violence manifesting itself in our nation.
- 11) For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12) It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13) while we wait for the blessed hope-the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14) who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (Titus 2:11-14)
4. Budget deal still short of votes to pass Senate: Durbin
Senate Democrats are still short of the votes needed to pass a budget deal that would avoid a government shutdown in January and blunt automatic spending cuts, Senator Dick Durbin, the chamber's No. 2 Democrat, said on Sunday.
"The struggle is still on in the United States Senate. We will need about eight Republicans to come our way. I feel we'll have a good strong showing from the Democratic side, but we need bipartisan support to pass it," Durbin, of Illinois, said on the CBS "Face the Nation" program.
Read more:
- Heavenly Father, this budget bill brings forth a conflict, as it continues to fund a healthcare bill that rising number of citizens realize is highly destructive, yet it would stop some spending cuts for necessary things and a national 'shutdown' again. Father, confront these Senate leaders in whatever manner You choose, as to Your will for this nation, and not just their selfish political agendas. In the Name of Jesus we pray, Amen and Amen.
- "The labor of the righteous leads to life, the wages of the wicked to sin."
(Proverbs 10:16)
5. AP Poll: Nearly 4 in 5 Say Obamacare Will Worsen Their Insurance Coverage
Americans who already have health insurance are blaming President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul for their rising premiums and deductibles, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll. Many expect major changes in their insurance plans this year, and not for the better.
Read more:
- Abba Father, this article reports that many citizens have finally realized some of the destructiveness of this healthcare law. May it awaken them to other changes that have been occurring, so they will vote and participate in our nation in a more constructive manner. We ask in Jesus' Name, Amen and Amen.
- "For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light." (Mark 4:22)
6. Judge Cites Same-Sex Marriage in Declaring Polygamy Ban Unconstitutional
In a game-changer for the legal fight over same-sex marriage that gives credence to opponents' "slippery slope" arguments, a federal judge has now ruled that the legal reasoning for same-sex marriage means that laws against polygamy are likewise unconstitutional.
In his 91-page opinion in Brown v. Buhman, on Dec. 13, U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups struck down Utah's law making polygamy a crime. In so doing, he may have opened Pandora's Box.
The new conception of marriage, rooted in the proliferation of no-fault divorce laws in the 1970s and the sexual revolution, is that marriage is about personal happiness and fulfillment. People should be free to form whatever relationships they find personally satisfying and to follow whatever their personal sexual inclinations are to engage in whatever form of sexual behavior they find gratifying.
Read more:
- Heavenly Father, it appears the Pandora's Box has opened as judges are ruling that all sorts of 'marriage' are now 'acceptable', as was predicted by a number of observers. We fall before You to seek forgiveness for these actions, and to seek Your mercy upon us. We ask in Jesus' Name, Amen and Amen.
- "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate." (Proverbs 8:13)
7. Federal Judge: Remove Cross Erected in 1954 Honoring Veterans
The American Civil Liberties Union and the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America took issue with a cross erected on a San Diego mountain in 1954 honoring veterans of the Korean War. After decades of battling the separation of church and state in court, the memorial's Christian defenders are not ready to give up and will try taking the case to the Supreme Court.
Advocates of Christian public displays have a tougher battle in the San Diego case as a result of the aforementioned no preference clause. That clause, part of the California state constitution (Art. 1, Sec. 4), reads: Free exercise and enjoyment of religion without discrimination or preference are guaranteed.
Read more:
- Heavenly Father, again the denial of the role of Christianity in our national history is rising up where a judge in California has ordered a cross erected to honor Korean War veterans be removed. Unfortunately, the California constitution appears to have a clause which would support this removal. While the Christian church appeared to sleep in the US, all sorts of actions of the enemy have crept in upon this nation. Again, we ask for Your forgiveness and intervention, Lord, in Jesus' Name, Amen and Amen.
- "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?" (Mark 8:36)
|
The Middle East in Focus
|
|||
|
||||
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
" . . . He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep."
(Psalm 121:4)
1. Hamas: Israel Engineering an Earthquake Attack on Al-Aqsa - Arutz Sheva
Ismail Radwan, Minister of Religious Affairs in Gaza's Hamas government, claims that Israel is trying to cause an artificial earthquake to totally collapse the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. According to Radwan, Israel is attempting to do so to establish the Third Temple.
2. Kerry: US plan allows for Israeli security, Palestinian sovereignty - Jerusalem Post
The US is preparing a plan that provides for Israeli security and Palestinian sovereignty, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday even as Palestinians continued to reject some of Israel's basic security demands, such as an IDF presence in the Jordan Valley.
3. Master Sgt. Shlomi Cohen, 31, from Afula killed in Lebanon border incident - Times of Israel
The IDF soldier shot dead near the town of Rosh Hanikra, on Israel's northern border with Lebanon, on Sunday evening was identified as Master Sgt. Shlomi Cohen, 31, from the northern town of Afula
4. After 'storm of the century,' crippled Jerusalem plows on - Times of Israel
In the wake of three consecutive days of snow, Jerusalem's streets are a tangled mess of broken boughs, snow drifts, slush and half-buried cars. An estimated 19 inches fell on a decidedly unprepared capital, stranding vehicles, knocking power out across the city, and bringing businesses and transportation to a halt.
5. ALERT! Soldier Killed by Sniper Fire Near Lebanon - Israel National News
An IDF soldier was killed on Sunday evening after being hit by sniper fire near Israel's northern border with Lebanon. The attack took place near Rosh Hanikra, in northwestern Israel, and was perpetrated by a soldier from the Lebanese army. A military source who spoke with Arutz Sheva said that the Lebanese soldier fired at least seven bullets at an IDF vehicle. The soldier's family has been notified. (Read more)
|
The Persecuted Church
|
|||
|
||||
Today's Focus: The Persecuted Church
"Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler. . ." (Psalm 91:3)
Judge Orders Removal of Mountain Top Cross in San Diego - CSMonitor
A federal judge's order to remove the massive cross atop San Diego's Mount Soledad may not be the final word on the long-running controversy over display of a religious symbol on public land.
US District Judge Larry Burns gave the city, the federal government, and the association that runs the memorial 90 days to dismantle the southern California landmark. But he also stayed that action pending the resolution of any appeal.
The five-page order, issued Thursday, makes clear that Judge Burns does not believe the Mount Soledad cross violates the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. "This court previously held (and continues to believe) that permitting a historic, now 59-year-old cross to remain as part of a federal war memorial atop Mount Soledad cannot be reasonably viewed as our government's attempt to establish or to promote religion," he wrote.
Nonetheless, the judge's earlier decision permitting the cross to remain as part of a war memorial was overturned by a panel of the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeals court found that display of a cross on government land sends a "message of endorsement and exclusion" by the government.
Judge Burns noted that some members of Congress supported a bill to transfer the memorial site to a private entity, but that effort has bogged down.
"The mere possibility that Congress will act to transfer the Mount Soledad Memorial to private interests is not a reason to delay this case further," the judge wrote. "As the Ninth Circuit noted in its opinion, the presence of this cross on public property has generated controversy for more than twenty years."
Last year, the case made it to the US Supreme Court, but the justices declined to take up the issue, noting that a final decision had not yet been rendered in the cross case.
In a concurrence to that action, Justice Samuel Alito noted that the underlying issue in the Mount Soledad cross case is "a question of substantial importance."
It is this comment that appears to have prompted Burns to issue a final ruling as a means to clear the way for the case to return to the high court for an examination of the Ninth Circuit decision.
"It is particularly appropriate for the court to issue a decision that advances this case to finality so that this question of 'substantial importance' can be clarified, perhaps by the US Supreme Court," the judge wrote.
For more news about the Persecuted Church, and how you can be more involved in intercession for these precious saints, go here.
|
The Daily Jot
|
|||
|
||||
The Daily Jot
Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013
The prophetic winds of change
When I write about the oppression of government, socialism in the United States, government spying on you and the need to stand against these things, I have more "unsubscribes" than on any other topic--even more than when I write about the fact that we do not come from apes. Apparently, there is an ilk of Christian who doesn't want to face the truth about these events where outright evil is encroaching rapidly over our society. Moreover, they do not want to accept any responsibility whatsoever for the decline of our nation as a whole. They argue that God doesn't single them out for what evil the people do. Did not Christ say it rains on the just and unjust alike? We have to wake up. We know the truth. We must act.
While we are supposed to submit to the rule of law, we are also to uphold the laws of God. Jesus and his disciples were under the rule of Roman law--which was extremely hostile to Christians and Jews. Yet, they found a way to change the world--turn it upside down. Social change does not have to occur as legal change. The very premise of Christ's death and resurrection was the salvation of mankind resulting in God's laws being written in each believer's heart, rather than on stone. It is the action of men and women of God who bring society from darkness into light. Romans 13:12 says, "The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light."
1 Peter 2:9-12 says, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation."
Moses outlined in Deuteronomy 28 the blessings of those who "hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God to observe and to do all his commandments" and the curses that shall come upon and overtake those who do not. These are not only for individuals, but also for the nation. Fact is, bad things happen to nations when the people turn away from God. And when bad things happen to nations, they happen to the people in those nations. When our government oppresses, violates our rights as citizens, it is a reflection of us as a people. And it impacts us as a people. We need to speak boldly and make known the gospel and change hearts. For Americans are the best at whatever they do, and if they do oppression, they will do it well. Let's not unsubscribe, but rather subscribe to God's voice and change our nation.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
|
Kerry: "Talks are Frozen"
|
|||
|
||||
The Power of Words_Kerry says: "The Conflict is Too Frozen"
. . .Then Snowstorm of Century Hits Israel 24 hours Later!
[A Commentary from Laura Densmore, Editor, Hebrew Nation News]
On Wednesday, December 11th, Kerry is quoted as saying at a Washington event organized by Foreign Policy magazine: "The conflict is too frozen. It's too complicated." The VERY NEXT DAY, the snowstorm of the century hit Israel with arctic force. Kerry arrived in Israel for more Peace negotiations on Thursday night, 12.12.13 in the middle of a WHITE WINTER WONDERLAND.
I wonder what was going through his mind as he arrived in Israel and saw a world of white snow everywhere? Was he remembering what he had just spoken out 24 hours previously? ("The conflict is TOO FROZEN")
Could this be a prophetic SIGN from the God of Israel to verify and validate his own words? Something to ponder, anyway . . .
Excerpts from Kerry's talk:
"I've heard all the arguments from all the pundits on all sides," Kerry told an event in Washington organised by Foreign Policy magazine.
"The conflict is too frozen. It's too complicated. They don't trust each other enough. There's no way possible that there are the ingredients to try to make peace." (Source: NewsDaily) Read more.
Thank you for joining us in prayer for the safety of all Israeli citizens in the wake of this massive storm, and in the rebuilding of the impacted infrastructure.
Please see below for a photo of its impact. Thank you.
|
Israel Hit with Historic, Mega Snowstorm
|
|||
|
||||
|
Flooding Hits Israeli Desert
|
|||
|
||||
Flashflood Notice:
Very Rare Flooding Hits the Yishimon Desert
Shalom Friends,
This is a Holy Ghost weather update of what is now happening in the sovereignty of God. The Yishimon desert of Israel has been hit by flashfloods the last 72 hours. This is a very rare event in the desert wasteland area just south of the Dead Sea. Though the rains fall each year in the other desert regions of Israel (there are 6 other desert regions in Israel), yet in this specific area it is very, very rare! The prophet Isaiah declares to us that the premier sign that God is doing something new on the earth is when this certain desert known as Yishimon breaks out with flashfloods and rivers!
"Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the Desert (Yishimon). The beasts of the field will glorify Me, the jackals and the ostriches, because I have given waters in the wilderness and Rivers in the Desert, to give drink to My chosen people. The people whom I formed for Myself, will declare My praise." (Isaiah 43:18-21)
It is happening right now! Meditate on Isaiah 43;18-21!!! Pull out the slack, and get serious for God!
In His weather watchtower,
Scott and Dalit
www.flashfloods.com
|
The Good News Corner
|
|||
|
||||
The Good News Corner:
After Saying "No" to Christmas-themed Ad citing Jesus' Birthday,
ESPN says OK
"We have again reviewed the ads submitted for the SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center and have concluded that we will accept the original requested commercial." -ESPN
ESPN had reportedly turned the AD down because of the use of Jesus' name and also a reference to "God's healing message."
After public outcry, however, ESPN relented and is now planning on airing the full Christmas-themed AD, even with the names of God and Jesus. Following their change of heart, Josh Krulewitz, a spokesman for the sports network stated, "We have again reviewed the ads submitted for the SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center and have concluded that we will accept the original requested commercial. It will run in Saturday's VCU at Northern Iowa basketball game on ESPNU. This decision is consistent with our practice of individual review of all ads under our commercial advocacy standards." (Breaking Christian News) Link unavailable
View the ad here.
|
Worship With Us Today!
|
|||
|
||||
Worship With Us Today
Chris Tomlin
Angels We Have Heard On High
Worship Here
|
Pray for the Harvest!
|
|||
|
||||
Pray for the Harvest!
"Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." (John 4:35)
Every day, in every nation on earth, tens of thousands of men and women are making decisions for Christ. Now, you can monitor this amazing fact online by literally "watching" as these souls are born again into the Kingdom.
Of course, the identities of those who are coming to the Lord are never revealed, but our God knows who they are! Join us as we monitor these "names" daily, praying over each one to be mentored and to grow in his or her faith . . . even in these perilous times. You may visit either or both of the sites below, to pray for fields that are ripe for harvest.
> > > OPTION ONE: AboutJesus.net
Go here!
> > > OPTION TWO: The Great Commission Map!
Go here!
