(Mark 10:27)
Today's Daily Brief
1. Gold Hits $1000, Dollar Tanks, Oil Soars - Newsmax.com
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Gold rose to all-time high on Thursday as investor buying speeded up after the dollar sank and oil hovered near lifetime peaks. Gold rose to $992.70 an ounce before easing to trade at $991.60/992.40 at 1108 GMT, against $981.90/982.70 late in New York on Wednesday.
· Lord You are the God of judgment, but we repent for our sins and pray for Your mercy over America.
· "In this time of our deep need, begin again to help us, as You did in years gone by. Show us Your power to save us. And in Your anger, remember Your mercy."
(Habakkuk 3:2b NLT)
2. Bush Threatens Terror Surveillance Veto- AP
President Bush said Thursday that the House Democrats' version of a terrorist-surveillance bill would undermine the nation's security and that if it reaches his desk, he would veto it.
· Lord we pray for a bill that will genuinely promote Your wisdom and protection in the war on terror.
· "Great is our Lord, and of great power: His understanding is infinite." (Psalm 147:5)
3. Evangelical Vote Shifting Democratic, Poll Indicates - CNSNews.com
Poll data from the March 4 primary in Ohio show that more than four out of ten white evangelical Christians cast their vote for a Democratic candidate.
· Lord we humbly ask that Your wisdom would come to all of those who are called by Your name. That we would all vote for the candidates of Your choice and not by anything we see with our eyes or feel with our emotions.
· "Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness." (Psalm 97:12)
4. Treasury Imposes Financial Sanctions on Bahrain Bank;
Alleges Connection to Iran's Nuke Program - AP
The United States is imposing financial sanctions on a Bahrain bank the United States alleges is controlled by Iran's Bank Melli, which has been accused of providing support to Iran's nuclear program.
· Father we thank You for blocking this pipeline of money to Iran. We pray that You will cut off ALL avenues of financial assistance to Iran's terrorist plans.
· "Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross. . ." (Psalm 119:119)
5. OIC Wants 'Binding Legal Instrument' to Fight Islamophobia - CNSNews.com
An international humanist organization has warned that Islamic governments are trying to use the United Nations to shut down free speech. Read More.
· Father we have seen the plans of those who would intimidate people with the fear of speaking truth. We break the power of these plans in the Name of Jesus!
· "Behold I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:19)
6. Man Arrested for Running on to Heathrow Airport Runway - AP
British police said a man was arrested Thursday after getting onto a runway at Heathrow Airport carrying a knapsack.
· Lord we thank You that whatever was planned was thwarted by Your intervention.
· "The righteous shall be glad in the Lord . . ." (Psalm 64:10a)
7. News from Iraq The Middle East in Focus 1. Rockets fired at Sderot - Ynet News At least eight Qassam rockets were fired at Sderot from the northern Gaza Strip Wednesday night following a brief lull in attacks on southern Israel communities. 2. Islamic Jihad's Bethlehem heads killed - Jerusalem Post 3. Abbas: IDF operation in Bethlehem a barbaric crime - Ynet News 4. Yeshiva students planning revenge attack - ICEJ News 5. Knesset Lobby For Aliyah From the West Launched - (IsraelNN.com) Prayers for the Persecuted Church 1. IRAQ: Archbishop in Iraq 'found dead' - ASSIST News Service The BBC has reported that Paulos Faraj Rahho, the Chaldean Catholic archbishop in Iraq who was kidnapped last month, has been found dead. Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Paul Faraj Rahho's body was found Thursday near the town of Mosul, where he and three companions were ambushed by gunmen on February 29. The archbishop's driver and two security guards were killed during the attack. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had ordered security services to make it a priority to find and free the archbishop. 2. CHINA: State Department Drops China From Top Rights Violators List - Open Doors 3. CHINA: China Harrasses Christians Ahead of Beijing Olympics - International Chrisitan Concern
a) Report: Severed Fingers of Kidnapped Western Hostages Sent to U.S. Officials - AP
Severed fingers of five Western hostages captured in Iraq reportedly were sent to U.S. government officials, giving the men's relatives hope that they are still alive, a brother of one of the missing men said.
b) Body of Kidnapped Catholic Archbishop Found - AP
The body of a Chaldean Catholic archbishop kidnapped in Iraq last month was found just outside the northern city where he was abducted, Iraqi police and a morgue official said Thursday.
· Father, You alone can solve the violence that dwells in Iraq. We pray that Your Spirit would invade the hearts and minds of ALL people in that region.
· "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"It is of LORD'S [YHWH's] mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Your faithfulness. LORD is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him." (Lamentations 3:22- 24)
Five terrorists, including the Islamic Jihad leadership in Bethlehem, were killed in two clashes with the IDF in the West Bank on Wednesday.
A spokesman on behalf of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' office condemned the IDF operation Wednesday that left four senior terrorists dead in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.
Israel TV Channel One reported on Tuesday that three graduates of the landmark Jerusalem yeshiva targeted by an Arab gunman last Thursday were planning a revenge attack against a leading cleric connected to the Muslim Waqf on the Temple Mount. The attack was averted before it could be carried out and no arrests have been made, the TV said, but the three former students reportedly consulted with a rabbi at the Merkaz Harav Yeshiva who gave his approval for the act of revenge. "Torah law is that you should respond," the TV quoted the rabbi as saying. The plan was to harm a senior Arab official affiliated with the al-Aqsa Mosque on the disputed Temple Mount in Jerusalem, in a bid to avenge the murder of eight yeshiva students at the hands of an east Jerusalem Arab gunman late last week.
Knesset Members, Aliyah groups and officials from the Absorption and Finance Ministries gathered at the Knesset Tuesday to establish the Knesset Lobby for Western Aliyah (immigration to Israel). The lobby was launched by MK Gilad Erdan (Likud) and MK Yoel Hasson (Kadima).
"There are more than eight million Jews in Western nations that we hope will make Aliyah to Israel," Erdan said, opening the discussion. "This hope does not differ inside or outside the coalition - whether on the right or the left. But there are obstacles and specific issues that we as Knesset Members hear about from individual olim and Aliyah organizations alike. The purpose of this lobby is to identify where new legislation is needed to rectify those obstacles."
· "Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back : bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that is called by name; for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea have I made him." (Isaiah 43:5)
Pray for the Persecuted Church
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)
According to United Press International (UPI), the United States dropped China from its list of the world's 10 worst human rights violators Tuesday. No reason was given for removing China from the list but the U.S. State Department's 2007 Human Rights Report said China's "overall human rights record remained poor" in 2007.
China's relentless persecution of Christians and other dissident minorities are fortunately being unveiled each day in broader and broader scope.
New "Interfaith Strategy" Questioned
Christians Deceived As They Help Establish The Muslim-Christian Initiative In North America
The National Muslim-Christian Initiative in North America has been established by a group of Islamists and Christians to foment a better understanding between Christians and Muslims. A statement that was posted on the Islamic Society of North America's website said, "Christians and Muslims across the continent regularly encounter one another at their work places and in their local communities. Representatives to the initiative discussed the desire for relationships of trust in these communities and explored areas of common concern and understanding." The group established five task forces to work on issues of common ground.
Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed, Director of ISNA's Office for Interfaith and Community Alliances, said, "This initiative is part of ongoing Muslim efforts to engage other faith communities in North America, and to bring about an understanding of common goals and reconciliation in our communities." That's Muslim- speak for Dawa-the invitation for people to learn about the Muslim faith with conversion or submission as the final result. One of the pillars in the Muslim Brotherhood takeover plan for America is desensitization groups that form to create a better understanding of Islam with the goal of bringing people under submission to Islam.
The Koran outlines Islam's "interfaith" strategy in Surah 9:29 when it says, "Fight those who believe not in Allah nor the last day, nor hold that forbidden which hasth been forbidden by Allah and his apostle nor acknowledge the religion of truth of the people of the book (the Jews and the Christians) until they pay the Jizya (tax on non-Muslims) with willing submission and feel themselves subdued." The Koran also states in 60:4, "Enmity and hatred will reign between us until ye believe in Allah alone." Of course, this latest initiative is blessed by the usual suspects such as the National Council of Churches and the Episcopalian Church. The news release was also posted on left winger Jim Wallis's Sojourners website.
Christians should understand that Islam does not believe that Jesus was the Christ, neither do they believe he is the Son of God, nor do they believe he is God. The first commandment found in Exodus 20:3 says, "Thou shalt not have any other gods before me." That would include allah. Those Christians who would say that Islam's allah and the Judeo-Christian Jehovah are the same are committing heresy. According to several historians, allah was one of many pagan gods in the temple of Kaaba in Mecca long before Mohammed was even born and certainly before he adopted the name as the god of Islam. Islam was built on deception and violence, as well it continues today. Don't be ensnared by its lies.
Bill Wilson The Daily Jot www.dailyjot.com BROWNBACK APPLAUDS SENATE PASSAGE OF SECOND CHANCE ACT WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Sam Brownback today applauded Senate passage of the Second Chance Act, legislation which seeks to combat the high rates of prisoner recidivism. Last night, the Senate by unanimous consent passed the Second Chance Act. The legislation last November passed the House of Representatives, and will now head to the President's desk to be signed into law. Currently, almost two-thirds of the 600,000 individuals released from prison will be re-arrested. The Second Chance Act creates grant programs for state and local governments to be used for reentry programs such as job-training, literacy programs and substance abuse programs. The legislation also includes provisions for grant allocation to non-profit organizations for mentoring programs to aid inmates and their families, with special focus on the children of incarcerated individuals.
Senate Passes "Second Chance Act"
Bill to decrease recidivism rates now heads to President's desk
"I am very pleased that my Senate colleagues were able to pass legislation that will help combat the high rates of prisoner recidivism in America," said Brownback. "Everybody - the ex-offender, the ex- offender's family, and society at large - benefits from programs that equip prisoners with the proper tools to successfully reintegrate into life outside of the prison walls. I am hopeful that with this legislation we will begin to see tangible results as governments and non-profit organizations work together to help ex- offenders."
Brownback continued, "In 1982, American taxpayers spent approximately $9 billion on corrections. In 2002, that number increased to $60 billion. Currently, 1% of Americans are incarcerated. We must stop subsidizing prison programs that do not work and instead focus on programs that will help combat high rates of recidivism."
SAVE Act -- Addressing Immigration Policy
Congressman Frank Wolf Introduces H.R. 4088 -- the SAVE Act
Addresses Immigration Policy
From the Office of Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA)
Today I signed the Discharge Petition for the Secure America Through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act (H.R. 4088), a bill sponsored by Rep. Heath Shuler from North Carolina which I also have cosponsored. The bill calls for an additional 8,000 Border Patrol Agents to protect the southern and northern borders; at least 1,400 new hires to specifically investigate alien smuggling; and makes available more all-terrain vehicles for use by Border Patrol Agents. It also augments the Secure Fence Act by providing for additional virtual fence and surveillance activities on the border, including unmanned aerial vehicles. The bill also makes the E-Verify Program (known as the Basic Pilot Program) permanent over four years, which will give employers online access to verify that the people they hire are legally allowed to work in the U.S. Multiple uses of a single Social Security number will be reported to employers and will require each person to contact the Social Security Administration to verify legal status. Lastly, the SAVE Act creates more detention centers to house illegal immigrants and provides additional district court judges to improve the flow of immigration cases.
Once the Discharge Petition receives 217 signatures (a majority of the House's current total membership), House rules require that the SAVE Act be brought to the floor for an up-or-down vote. Currently, the bill has 141 bipartisan cosponsors.
· Pray for the momentum to build in the House of Representatives towards passage of this bill. Ask the Lord to stir the hearts of at least he 217 members required so that H.R. 4088 can come to a vote on the House floor.
· "Thy people shall volunteer freely in the day of Thy power." (Ps. 110:3 NAS)
Prayer for the Primaries
Prayer for the Primaries
The next primary scheduled to take place on Tuesday, April 22 in the State of Pennsylvania for both the Republican and the Democratic parties.
Prayer Points:
- Pray that the truth regarding the candidates and their agendas would surface and that people would see beyond race, gender, age or rhetoric to choose the best.
- Pray that the spirits of delusion and deception would lose their ability to operate effectively in this election.
- Pray that the nation would unite to elect God's choice when hidden agendas that threaten our nation's security and freedoms are exposed.
(Source: National Governmental Alliance)
For a complete guide to the Republican primaries, go here:
For a complete guide to the Democratic primaries, go here:
