CHPP Daily Brief - Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Supreme Court Decisions Released on Friday; includes Hobby Lobby case

Update: Meriam Ibrahim Still Detained (See below)

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The Daily Brief:

"Praying for All in Authority"

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

" Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." (Psalm 90:14)

Thank you for praying for the Persecuted Church!

Please visit the website for the International Christian Concern to find ongoing needs for prayer among the persecuted around the world. Thank you.

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse . . ." (Rev. 19:1)

	The Daily Brief

1. Supreme Court's big case: Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby -- ABC

Later this week . . . , the Supreme Court will decide Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby, the most watched-case on its docket this term. The case is important because it could affect the implementation of the Affordable Care Act if the plaintiffs win. The decision will likely influence battles around the country about gay marriage as well.

Read more
- Lord, we lift up the Supreme Court decision in this case and ask that You restore our freedoms in America through a decision that brings Your light.

- "When the wicked, even my enemies, and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell." (Psalm 27:2)

2. "I'm Working Hard to Ensure" U.S. has LGBT Ambassadors, Kerry Says- Washington Times

During a gay pride event last week, John Kerry spoke about Ted Osius nomination as a U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam said, "(Osius) will be the first openly LGBT officer nominated to serve in Asia," and "I'm working hard to ensure that by the end of my tenure, we will have lesbian, bisexual, transgender ambassadors in our ranks as well."
- Father, our leaders have fallen under the spell of not only the Muslim agenda, but the LGBT one as well. We are heartbroken and we pray in repentance for our nation to once again be "one nation under God."

- "forget not my law; but let your heart keep My commandments" (Proverbs 3:1)

3. U.S. Building Illegal Children Processing Center in Texas- Associated Press

More than 52,000 unaccompanied minors have entered the U.S. illegally and have been arrested since October. In order to handle the increased numbers of minors, the United States is converting a 55,000-square-foot warehouse into a processing facility near the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, the Associated Press reported.
- Father, as this illegal situation grows exponentially out of control, we ask that You find a way to intervene that will return these children, and all of those who have come with them, to their origin point.

-"Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant, but he knows not that the dead are there; and that her guests are in the depths of hell." (Proverbs 9:17-18)

4. Economy in Freefall?- Fox News

ANOTHER OBAMA ADMINISTRATION REVISION of America's economic 'growth' shows anything but, as new Commerce Department numbers show the economy actually shrinking at a more drastic pace than first reported, with gross domestic product falling nearly 3 percent - not the 1 percent the administration reported last month, or the 'growth' the administration first reported in April.
- Lord, our nation has become one of lies and deception. Save us, Lord, save us from ourselves, and from leaders whose purpose is to destroy us.

- "Though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not go unpunished; but the seed of the righteous shall be delivered." (Proverbs 11: 21)

5. Judge rules 'no-fly' appeals process unconstitutional- BBC

A federal judge has ruled the US no-fly list has deprived 13 people of their constitutional right to travel without giving them a way to clear their names. In Oregon, US District Judge Anna Brown ordered the justice department to devise a mechanism for people on the list to appeal against their inclusion. The plaintiffs who sued in 2010 include four veterans and the leader of Portland's largest mosque.
- Father, this is a good decision on the part of the court, but we see that the government often ignores laws and court rules. So we pray that You will protect those who fly from unfair inclusion in subjective lists that may not be based on facts.

- "Restore unto me the joy of Your salvation; and uphold me with Your free Spirit." (Psalm 51:12)

6. North Korea says release of American comedy film would be 'act of war' - AP

North Korea is warning that the release of a new American comedy about a plot to assassinate leader Kim Jong Un would be an "act of war." If the U.S. government doesn't block the movie's release, it will face "stern" and "merciless" retaliation, an unidentified spokesman for North Korea's Foreign Ministry said in state media Wednesday. He didn't mention the movie by name but was clearly referring to "The Interview," which stars Seth Rogen and James Franco as a producer and talk-show host who land an exclusive interview with the North Korean dictator and are then asked by the CIA to assassinate him.
- Lord, we pray that North Korea will be unable to mount any sort of actions from this temper tantrum.

-"Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me" (Psalm 141:9a)

	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:

"If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here." (Exodus 33:15)

1. Cabinet Votes to Scale Back Operation in Light of Ramadan

Israel's Security Cabinet voted to reduce Israel Defense Forces (IDF) presence in the West Bank and limit the scope of Operation Brother's Keeper, with fears of a continued IDF operation during Ramadan, which begins Saturday, would further escalate tensions in the region, Israel Army Radio reported.

2. Mother of Kidnapped Teen Makes Emotional Address to Knesset - Israel National News

Mother of Gilad Sha'ar begs Israeli government to reconsider scaling back operation; criticizes deal to 'appease' jailed terrorists. (Read more here.)

3. PA: Judea and Samaria's Natural Resources Belong to 'Palestine' - Israel National News

PA minister says any natural resources in Judea and Samaria belong to "the State of Palestine". (Read more)

4. Imprisoned Terrorists Agree to End Hunger Strike - Israel National News

63 prisoners suspend the hunger strike which they have observed since late April following agreement with Prisons Service. (Read more)

	Focus on Iraq/ISIS

Focus on Iraq/ISIS

For every headline listed in this section, please decree Isaiah 59:19. IT IS WRITTEN:

"When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him."

1. Iran Protected and Sponsored ISIS Founder - Washington Free Beacon

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's (ISIS) founder and former commander Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was given protection and resources by Iran, according to the Washington Free Beacon.

2. Oil Refinery Seized; Iraqi Convoy Attacked Just 20 Miles from Baghdad - Worthy News

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) struck a convoy just 20 miles from the center of Baghdad, leaving at least 81 people dead.

3. Kerry Meets Iraq's PM; New Iraq Gov't by July 1 - Wall Street Journal

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for nearly two hours on Monday. Kerry received commitments from Maliki to begin the process of forming a new national government in Baghdad by July 1, The Wall Street Journal reported.

4. Secret U.S. Plan to Aid Iraq Ended Because of Mutual Distrust - Wall Street Journal

President Barack Obama authorized a secret plan to aid Iraq by sharing intelligence on Sunni jihadist's camps. However, only a handful of U.S. specialists were tasked to the operation, and it provided limited information to Iraq, due to U.S. concerns that the Iraqi government would share sensitive information to its Shiite counterpart, Iran, according to The Wall Street Journal.

	The Daily Jot

Sending a message to Washington

Primary runoff night in Mississippi was a lot closer than Republican Senator Thad Cochran had hoped. He won by a little more than 6,800 votes, defeating TEA Party upstart Chris McDaniel. Cochran has been a conservative for most of his four decades in Washington, but somewhere along the journey became part of the "establishment." So much so that McDaniel may challenge the results of the race because of possible Democratic voters who voted in the previous Democratic primary and allegedly voted again in the Republican run-off, saving Cochran from an unplanned retirement. There are several things wrong with this picture, but there is a silver lining in the cloud.
First and foremost, Cochran should have the decency and honor to not make a career out of the Senate. Some 40 years in elected office is not good for any person. They become part of the "club" even if they try not to. The Founding Fathers never intended political office to be a bread and butter career for the elect. But few people exhibit the honor to public service demonstrated by George Washington when he left office after two terms. He resisted the temptation of power and did the right thing. Not in Cochran's case. The 76 year old Senator ran one of the most unseemly campaigns in recent memory to stay in power, including the appearance of vote tampering which will likely be investigated.
Breitbart points out another wrong: "Running on a populist anti-Washington message-including opposition to amnesty, bailouts and the status quo in the nation's capital-McDaniel narrowly beat Cochran in the primary, forcing the runoff...the establishment poured millions of dollars in to back Cochran...Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign manager Stuart Stevens, the Chamber of Commerce, Facebook founding president Sean Parker, Karl Rove's American Crossroads, former Rep. Steven LaTourette's group and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) poured support into Mississippi to back Cochran." It's obvious that people far from Mississippi influenced the outcome.

If anything, the McDaniel campaign exposed a lot about what is wrong with our nation and the system of corruption that keeps it in control. Many would say, "Well, that's just politics." Yes, it is. I know it well. But it doesn't make it right. The more people see how these scoundrels operate, the more they will get fed up with it. Again, Cochran is not a bad man. Hopefully, he will look at this campaign as one where he needs to get back to his roots and quit playing the game of thrones, so to speak. Hats off to McDaniel for exposing to the light many issues that Washington needs to address. For Cochran, we will see if he learns from the scare. As Jesus said in Matthew 7:16, "You shall know them by their fruits."
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com

	A Decree for the Supreme Court

A Decree for the Supreme Court: Psalm 94

O Lord, God of vengeance,
God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth,
Render recompense to the proud.
3 How long shall the wicked, O Lord,
How long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly;
All who do wickedness vaunt themselves.
5 They crush Your people, O Lord,
And afflict Your heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger
And murder the orphans.
7 They have said, "The Lord does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed."
Pay heed, you senseless among the people;
And when will you understand, stupid ones?
9 He who planted the ear, does He not hear?
He who formed the eye, does He not see?
10 He who chastens the nations, will He not rebuke,
Even He who teaches man knowledge?
11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man,
That they are a mere breath.
Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O Lord,
And whom You teach out of Your law;
13 That You may grant him relief from the days of adversity,
Until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the Lord will not abandon His people,
Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
15 For judgment will again be righteous,
And all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness?
If the Lord had not been my help,
My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence.
18 If I should say, "My foot has slipped,"
Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up.
19 When my anxious thoughts multiply within me,
Your consolations delight my soul.
20 Can a throne of destruction be allied with You,
One which devises mischief by decree?
21 They band themselves together against the life of the righteous
And condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the Lord has been my stronghold,
And my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He has brought back their wickedness upon them
And will destroy them in their evil;
The Lord our God will destroy them.

	Update: Meriam Ibrahim Still Detained

Meriam Detained and Questioned over "Irregular" Paperwork

Meriam Ibrahim and Family Remain in Khartoum for Police Questioning After Security and Law Enforcement Personnel Blocked Their Departure from Sudan Yesterday
06/25/2014 Washington, D.C. (International Christian Concern) - International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that Meriam Yahi Ibrahim is has been detained for a 24-hour interrogation period at a police station in Khartoum to sort through "irregularities" in documentation she and her husband presented while attempting to flee the country yesterday morning. Meriam, her husband Daniel and their two children, Martin and Maya, were "briefly" detained at the Khartoum airport yesterday by more than 40 members of Sudan's National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS).
Following their brief detention yesterday at Khartoum airport, Meriam has been released into the custody of local law enforcement for 24 hours of questioning regarding documentation provided by the South Sudanese and United States (U.S.) embassies in Khartoum. According to The Telegraph, Meriam was carrying both a U.S. visa and South Sudanese travel papers, reportedly issued to her personally on Tuesday by South Sudan's Charge d'Affaires, Kau Nak.
Nak, in speaking with AFP, said, "I'm the one who issued that travel document to [Ibrahim]. My signature is on the back of the document." Nak also stated that his embassy has not been contacted by law enforcement personnel nor officials of the Sudanese government with regard to the authenticity of the papers issued to Ibrahim.
NBC has reported that a U.S. Ambassador in Khartoum has been summoned by Sudanese officials "over Washington's attempts to assist a mother who had been sentenced to death for refusing to denounce Christianity." In speaking to the BBC, Sudanese foreign ministry official, Abdullahi Alzareg, claims Meriam "came to the airport in an American embassy car-which was bullet proof and heavily guarded." Alzareg went on to characterize the transport as "fishy."
In speaking with a member of the Ibrahims' legal defense this morning, ICC has been told that Daniel, Martin and Maya are now at the police station where Meriam continues to be held for questioning. In speaking with ICC, the Ibrahims' legal defense believes Meriam will be released by 9 p.m. local time (2 p.m. EDT).

ICC's Regional Manager for Africa, Cameron Thomas, said, "We remain concerned for the well-being of Meriam and her family as Sudan continues to impede their departure from the country. While it's positive that both the U.S. and South Sudanese r=embassies are actively assisting the Ibrahims, more must be done by the international community to ensure their swift and safe removal from Sudan. President al-Bashir's regime and security apparatus have indicated what could be their intention to hold Meriam and her family in Sudan indefinitely, adding to the growing list of human rights violations the state has voluntarily perpetrated against Meriam and her family."
(Source: ICC - International Christian Concern) Read more here.

	The Good News Corner

The Good News Corner:

Kurdish Christians in Iraq: "A Prayer Movement" is Underway

"I want to encourage our dear brothers and sisters around the world to continue to pray for our country . . . in spite of all the demographic changes, destruction, the wars and whatever's happening." -Mahir Towfiq, Life Agape

(Erbil, Iraq)-The Kurds, who have one of the longest cultural histories in the Middle East, are an ethnic group originally from Kurdistan, which today is divided into Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria.

Notes a Wikipedia entry, through time, Kurdish culture has remained "distinctly different from all others found around it."

Indeed, today, tens of thousands of Kurds identify as Christians, although thousands have been fleeing their homeland recently in the wake of militant Islamic attacks.
CBN now reports that more than 500,000 refugees have flooded into Kurdish Iraq.

Heresh Stwne, a news anchor with Kurdistan TV, was quoted as saying Kurds no longer want to be part of Iraq," but the report also notes that as "turmoil has increased, a prayer movement has grown."

Said Fabian Grech with the Mesopotamia House of Prayer, "In the last couple of weeks, there's been a rise of prayer meetings even just in the city. [Prayer has] been happening even in homes. Even the local churches open their buildings for prayer in the morning and it wasn't like that before. So we're seeking God's face for their country. [The prayers] are filled with faith and passion-big prayers." (CBN) Read more.

	Signs and Wonders

Signs and Wonders:

Aleutian volcanoes are waking up

Sharply increased seismic activity and volcanic eruptions in the Aleutian Islands and the far western Brooks Range are being investigated by scientists. The Alaska Volcano Observatory says the activity over the past few months is the most seen by the station 26 years.
On the Alaska Volcano Observatory website three volcanoes are classified with a yellow alert level-signifying signs of elevated unrest above known background levels-and three are at an orange alert level-heightened unrest with increased likelihood of eruption.

Orange is the second-highest alert level after red signifying an eruption that is imminent or underway. (Mining.com) 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)

	Worship With Us Today!

Worship With Us Today!

"I Am The God That Healeth Thee"- Don Moen
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