Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
"A National Prayer Alliance"
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief
"Praying for All in Authority"
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
" . . . he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones."
(Proverbs 2:8)
Please visit the website for the International Christian Concern to find ongoing needs for prayer among the persecuted around the world. Thank you.
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The Daily Brief
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1. Breaking: Pro-Russian demonstrators loot Ukraine buildings as lawmakers brawl in Parliament - Fox News
KHERSON, Ukraine - Masked, pro-Russian activists in eastern Ukraine have begun looting government offices in Donetsk, the largest and most influential city of Ukraine's industrialized eastern and southern provinces, in a move that could portend further fragmenting of the beleaguered nation. (Read more)
- Clearly, intercession needs to be maintained and even strengthened over the beleaguered nation of Ukraine. Father, we ask You to send forth Your angelic army to stand with the people of Ukraine, who have clearly ousted the previous, Russian-controlled government. We pray for strength for the Ukrainian people, and for peace for this nation. In Jesus' name, amen.
- "Having done all, stand . . ." (Eph. 6:13)
2. US defence chief warns China, drawing parallel with Crimea - AFP
Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel on Sunday warned China against unilateral action to resolve territorial disputes with its neighbours, drawing a parallel with Russia's incursion in Ukraine as he announced two more warships would be sent to Japan.
- Father, restore our integrity and respect with other nations. Give us men and women who will follow through on their word. That the world will know the U.S. will take action when necessary.
- The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.(Proverbs 11:5)
3. Christians form human shield around church in 'China's Jerusalem' after demolition threat - UK Telegraph
Thousands of Chinese Christians have mounted an extraordinary, round-the-clock defence of a church in a city known as the 'Jerusalem of the East' after Communist Party officials threatened to bulldoze their place of worship.
- Father, we ask protection over this church from the threats against them.
- He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. (1 Samuel 2:9)
4. US Suspends Aid to Free Syrian Army After Islamists Steal Supplies - NewsMax
The United States and Britain suspended nonlethal aid to Western-backed Free Syrian Army rebels after a new Islamic coalition took over their warehouses, signaling a possible power grab by religious extremists who are also fighting the Bashar al-Assad regime, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
- Praise You, Father, that our government and that of Britain have stopped aid to these forces that have changed leadership. We pray our country will have the wisdom to stay out of conflicts in which the participants have been hostile and threatening to us.
-"Choose some well respected men from each tribe who are known for their wisdom and understanding, and I will appoint them as your leaders." (Deuteronomy 1:13)
5. Google executive resigns from World Vision board to protest gay policy - Washington Times
Google executive Jacquelline Fuller has resigned in protest from the board of international poverty ministry World Vision amid a growing call for her departure after the group's decision to reinstate its policy excluding gay Christians from becoming missionaries.
-Dear Lord, we pray for Your servants to have the mind of Christ about matters You consider vitally important to living a holy life. May Your missionaries and the boards of the organizations that send them, understand and live lives of purity and obedience to You.
-"So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do." (2 Thessalonians 1:11)
6. Support 'gays' in ranks or quit, chiefs told - WND
President Obama told the heads of the five military branches to support his agenda of "gays" in the ranks or find another job.
-Father God, we come before You with a burden for what has become the promotion of the gay agenda instead of the concept of acceptance. What was at one time meant as tolerance has now become aggressive action for what is outright sin and derangement. Forgive us for electing such officials as would do this. In the name of Jesus, we bind up this ungodly action and declare this order dead to the ground.
-"But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that woman-that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet-to lead my servants astray. She teaches them to commit sexual sin and to eat food offered to idols." (Revelation 2:20)
7. US allows Boeing airplane component sales to Iran
The US Treasury has granted plane manufacturer Boeing a license to export certain spare commercial parts to Iran, a company spokesman says. Boeing has had no public dealings with Tehran since 1979. In a statement, the US company said the license had been granted for the safety of flight.
No discussions are to be allowed over the sale of new aircraft when and if sanctions are completely lifted, correspondents say. If a permanent deal is agreed, it is thought likely that Iran would require the purchase of hundreds of new aircraft.
Read more:
- Heavenly Father, this article is reporting the sale of plane parts to Iran and is important as it is the first business deal of this kind since 1979. It opens the possibility in the future to sell this 'enemy' nation our technology to be used against this nation. We seek Your special protection over this US Treasury department decision, and ask that You confront these leaders to challenge them over this decision. We ask in the Name of Jesus, Amen and Amen.
- For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish. (Psalm 1:6)
8. The Hill: Senate approves bill to ban Iranian diplomat - The Hill
The legislation would allow the president to deny a visa to Iran's new UN ambassador. (Read more here)
- Offer praise for this action by the Senate. Iran's recent action in appointing a man who had a direct hand in holding our American citizens hostage in Teheran in 1980 has no business being honored in this manner. Thank the Lord that the Senate is using good sense by passing this measure. Praise God!
- "Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord." (Psalm 150:6)
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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:
"Unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." (1 Timothy 1:17)
1. No breakthrough seen in last-ditch Mideast talks - Times of Israel
Last-ditch talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators on salvaging a teetering, US-brokered peace process ended without a breakthrough Sunday, Palestinian sources told AFP.
2. Palestinians ready to widen global recognition bid - Washington Post
The Palestinians are ready to sign up a "state of Palestine" for additional international agencies and treaties -- a step Israel views as highly provocative -- if U.S. peace efforts collapse after an April 29 deadline for a deal, a senior official said Monday.
3. Chief PA Negotiator: Hamas Not a Terror Group - CBN News
Saeb Erekat, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organization and chief negotiator in the Israeli-Arab talks, called for unity with Hamas, the Islamist faction ruling the Gaza Strip.
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The Daily Jot
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Addressing the symptom not the cause
There seems to be an overriding trend in Washington, DC. Both political parties are quite guilty of it. In our system of checks and balances, those involved go after the symptom and not the cause of the problems with which we are faced. Such is the case with former IRS head Lois Lerner. The House Ways and Means Committee is expected to formally ask the Justice Department to criminally charge Lerner for her role in the IRS targeting citizens who opposed the policies and politics of the occupant of the Oval Office. The committee also intends to vote later this week on holding Lerner in contempt of Congress for her refusal to answer questions regarding the matter. Symptom, not the cause.
This is the way our elected representatives think. If they go after Lerner, at least they have something on record to show the public about the administration. True to form, it is very likely that Attorney General Eric Holder will not yield to the committee's request in bringing criminal charges against Lerner. Holder is the guy who authorized selling guns to Mexican drug dealers, getting our border agents killed. He also is the one who refuses to enforce marriage laws. He also is responsible for not enforcing immigration laws. What makes anyone think that he would comply with a Congressional request to bring criminal charges against someone who was doing what she was told to do by his "president"?
Get the picture? It was this president and his cronies who ordered the targeting and intimidation of political opponents through the IRS. This president also is allowing the NSA, FBI, DHS, NASA and any other unconstitutional agency to spy on Americans under the guise of rooting out terrorism. Yet, it is this president who has adopted the terrorist-sponsoring Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign policy partner, and he has partnered with offshoots of al Qaeda and other terrorist groups in Libya, Syria, Yemen, Egypt and who knows where else. While Congressional checks and balances are examining the small lump on the surface, a great cancer has overtaken the body. Is this election year posturing?
The IRS and other unconstitutional agencies in the federal government are in need of dismantling as they wield unelected and unlawful power. The "president" is overseeing arguably the most secretive and soft tyrannical government in the history of the United States. The Congress and the Supreme Court are supposed to be the check and balance against such tyranny. Yet they toy with minions rather than deal with kingpins. Isaiah 32:7 says, " The schemes also of the schemer are evil: he devises wicked plans to destroy the poor with lying words, even when the needy speaks justly." There is too much scheming going on in our nation's capitol, even when it seems for the better.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
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What Does the FiredFox Say?
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What Does the FiredFox Say?
Most people use Mozilla Firefox's web browser to search -- but the extreme Left has been using it to search... and destroy. Short-lived CEO Brendan Eich found that out the hard way, when the long-time employee was chased out of his job for holding a view that -- at the time -- even Barack Obama claimed to subscribe to. Eich, who was under the impression that Mozilla had hired him for his experience - not his political views - became the latest trophy on the Left's wall when it was revealed that he'd given $1,000 to the successful Proposition 8 effort five years ago in California.
Despite Eich's apology, an unfortunate capitulation to the kind of self-censorship activists demand, he ultimately resigned -- joining the growing list of Americans whose reputations and careers are publicly flogged because they dare to express an opinion that reflects the diversity liberals insist they want. At two and a half weeks, Eich held the job longer than Craig James -- who was fired after a single day at Fox Sports Southwest -- but having been involved with Firefox since its inception 16 years ago, the fallout still stings. Like most Americans, he didn't know that exercising the freedoms that make our nation great are the same ones that make him unemployable by the Left's corporate bullies. . .
With Eich, the pendulum has swung so far that activists may actually be alienating the base it claims to represent. "Call it left-wing anti-liberalism," writes the far-Left's Michelle Goldberg, "At such times, old-fashioned liberal values like free speech and robust, open debate seem like tainted adjuncts of an oppressive system, and it's still possible for radicals to believe that the ideas suppressed as hateful won't be their own."
Finally, the mask of "equality" has slipped, and even its cheerleaders are realizing that the real face of the movement is "hateful, intolerant, illiberal, persecutorial." Nowhere is that more evident than GLAAD's response to Eich's ousting. "Mozilla's strong statement in favor of equality today reflects where corporate America is: inclusive, safe, and welcoming to all." Or, more accurately, welcoming to all who agree with us.
We all need to be clear: we are not merely contending with a different political or social point of view. The forces of political correctness intend to run over all freedom in America, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, of assembly, of press. They cannot achieve their goal without oppression. And Americans will soon understand this.
Some already do -- like "Duck Dynasty's" Phil Robertson. He stood up to these bullies, refusing to live as a captive of a small, tyrannical minority. He wouldn't join the growing line of timid souls whose surrender only fuels the intolerance of the Left. What happened when Phil stood, as some others have done? People stood with him. And the bullies walked away. (Family Research Council; On Watch in Washington, Friday, April 4, 2014; excerpt)
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"The New Fascism"
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"The New Fascism"
Friday we reported on the resignation of former Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich. The left's intolerance in forcing Eich from his job has gotten a lot of coverage in the past few days.
Yesterday on ABC's "This Week," former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich labeled Eich's removal an example of the left's "new fascism." Gingrich said:
"This is just the most open and blatant example of the new fascism, which says if you don't agree with us 100%, we have the right to punish you. I think the question is: Do you want to live in an open and tolerant society, or do you want to impose your views at the cost of people's jobs?"
Today, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) went to the floor of the House of Representatives and spoke out against this "new fascism." Here are some of his remarks:
"Mr. Speaker, our nation was founded on two core principles: freedom of speech and freedom of religion, both of which are contained in the First Amendment of the Constitution. Regardless of your views on marriage, any American who values the First Amendment should be deeply troubled that [Brendan Eich] was essentially driven from his job because of his personal beliefs.
"Nowhere have I read that Mr. Eich ever discriminated against coworkers. In fact, by all accounts, he is a fair and honorable employer. Yet because of his private beliefs about traditional marriage, which I share, he has been demonized and his livelihood compromised.
"As troubling as this particular incident is, the chilling effect it will have on broader issues of free speech cannot be overstated. I understand that reasonable people can disagree on issues. In fact, robust debate in the public square is itself an American hallmark. But what happened last week was not debate.
"It was the stifling of debate. It was the silencing of dissent. It was the compromising of two of our nation's most cherished principles: free speech and freedom of religion. The implications are vast and deeply troubling. We should all be concerned. I know I am."
Kudos to Rep. Wolf! More conservative voices on Capitol Hill should be speaking up just as forcefully for free speech and religious liberty.
I would also encourage our libertarian friends and those in the business wing of the GOP to think twice about abandoning traditional values and the voters who care about these issues.
Activist politicians and judges inclined to jettison deeply held values and rewrite the Constitution to find new rights to abortion and same-sex marriage are just as likely to think that government can mandate which products we must buy, support higher taxes and impose onerous regulations that will strangle free enterprise and grow the government. (Gary Bauer)
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Statement by FRC
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FRC Saddened by Supreme Court Refusal to Hear Wedding Photography Case
April 07, 2014
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Family Research Council (FRC) expressed disappointment regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to hear the case Elane Photography v. Willcock, leaving the anti-free speech, religious liberty ruling of the New Mexico Supreme Court in place.
Of the decision FRC President Tony Perkins said:
"The Supreme Court's refusal to hear and uphold the First Amendment rights of Elaine Huguenin, a wedding photographer, are deeply disturbing. Does our nation's highest court really believe the price of citizenship is the surrender of conscience?
"The New Mexico Supreme Court's decision to allow a state commission to fine her for acting out her conscience would stun the Framers of the U.S. Constitution and is a gross violation of the First Amendment. Our nation's long tradition of respecting conscience is likely why 85 percent of Americans, according to a Rasmussen poll, support the right of photographers to decline participation in a same-sex wedding ceremony.
"The Supreme Court ignored an opportunity to reaffirm the basic principle that the government may not trample on fundamental rights of free speech and the free exercise of religion. These rights do not stop at the exit door of your local church, and instead extend to every area of a religious person's life.
"Americans are being forced by government to buy products like Obamacare, and are now being forced to engage in speech with which they morally disagree. Is the judicial branch now writing the epilogue to the American experiment in ordered liberty?
"The burden to protect the inalienable rights that are the cornerstone of our political success as a nation now falls to state and federal legislators. Americans cannot afford to be silent any longer to this affront to our First Freedoms," Perkins concluded.
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News from the Embassy of Israel
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In Negotiations, Palestinian President Abbas Defies U.S.
Abbas Pursues Unilateral Efforts While Avoiding Negotiations
Note: We are pleased to announce that the MFA strike ended Wednesday, and we will resume sending the weekly cable. Thank you again for your patience and understanding.
This week, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas continued to avoid seeking creative compromises at the negotiating table, and, instead defied the U.S. by pursuing unilateral efforts and signing onto 15 international conventions and treaties. The move from Abbas came "despite a previous promise to suspend such efforts during nine months of negotiations with Israel," reported the AP.
Signing of the conventions continued the Palestinian's efforts that appear to work counter to achieving an historic peace agreement. Within the last several months, Palestinian leadership has rejected Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people and insisted on the right of return for Palestinian refugees; a move that could threaten Israel as the democratic nation state of the Jewish people
Israel is ready for an historic peace agreement. We hope President Abbas and Palestinian leadership are too.
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The Good News Corner
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The Good News Corner:
Unprecedented Revival Breaks Out in Land Once Hostile to Christianity:
Visions, Miracles, Healing
"I saw Algerians worshipping God with all their hearts and it touched me." -Zino, a convert to Christ
CBN reports that a Christian revival is touching the northernmost reaches of Africa. In a region once hostile to the Gospel, now tens of thousands of Muslims are following Jesus in record numbers.
Said Tino Qahoush, a graduate of Regent University and filmmaker who has travelled to the Mideast: "What God is doing in North Africa, all the way from actually Mauritanian to Libya is unprecedented in the history of missions. I have the privilege of recording testimonies and listening to firsthand stories of men and women, of all ages where they can be sitting in a room and see the appearance and the presence of God appear to them in reality, like a vision. Some of them gave me stories of how they carry on a conversation-it's not just a light that appears."
According to the report, "From the shores of Casablanca in Morocco to Tripoli, Libya, experts say the growth of Christianity, especially in the last 20 years, has been unprecedented. And now that growth is also evident in the North African nation of Algeria."
In fact, said Pastor Salah, pastor of one of the largest churches in Algeria, where every new Christian in his church comes from a Muslim background, "We never thought the Algerian church would grow so big."
Since Pastor Salah's church opened, they have reportedly baptized an average of 150-160 Believers per year. (CBN; Breaking Christian News) Read more here.
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Signs and Wonders
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Signs and Wonders:
Awesome alignment: Mars, Earth, sun to line up Tuesday
Skywatchers will get a rare treat Tuesday night, when Mars, Earth and the sun will be arranged in a nearly-straight line. Every two years, Mars reaches a point in its orbit called "opposition," when the planet lies directly opposite the sun in Earth's sky, according to Astronomy magazine.
This means Mars rises near sunset and remains visible all night long as it moves nearly overhead across the night sky. It will be a bright burnt orange color, NASA's Mars Exploration Program reports, and almost 10 times brighter than the brightest stars in the sky.
"From our perspective on our spinning world, Mars rises in the east just as the sun sets in the west," NASA reports. "Then, after staying up in the sky the entire night, Mars sets in the west just as the sun rises in the east."
With no big storms forecast Tuesday night, according to the National Weather Service, Mars should be visible in most areas.
At their closest point next week, Mars and Earth will "only" be about 57 million miles apart. Another treat awaits April 14, when the full moon also will appear near Mars.
Mars won't appear this big and bright again until its next "opposition" on May 22, 2016, Astronomyreports. (USA Today) Read more.
"And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."
(Luke 21:25-28)
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Worship With Us Today!
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Worship With Us Today!
"Come To Me"- Bethel Music
I am the Lord your God,
I go before you now
I stand beside you,
I'm all around you
