In This Issue• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• The Daily Jot
• SOAR Act Vote Tomorrow
• Senate Hearing To Note
• Rep. Ros-Lehtinen Takes Action on UNHRC
• The Good News Corner
• Worship with Us Today!
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The Daily Brief - Tuesday, March 29, 2011
"But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail." (Luke 16:17)
The Daily Brief
1. Japanese Radiation Spreads Across U.S. - Fox News
Meanwhile, traces of radioactivity from Japan are detected in U.S., but experts say it's far below dangerous levels.
• Heavenly Father, you said that you would be our shelter, our fortress and a strong tower. We trust that this radioactivity from Japan will not be toxic to people or animals, either on the land or in the water. But let the angel of death pass over us.
• For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and not allow the destroyer to come into your houses to strike you. (Exodus 12:23)
2. Cost of Libya Intervention $600 Million for First Week, Pentagon Says - ABC
U.S. ships and submarines in the Mediterranean have unleashed at least 191 Tomahawk cruise missiles from their arsenals to the tune of $268.8 million, the Pentagon said. U.S. warplanes have dropped 455 precision guided bombs, costing tens of thousands of dollars each. A downed Air Force F-15E fighter jet will cost more than $60 million to replace. And operation of the war craft, guzzling ever-expensive fuel to maintain their positions off the Libyan coast and in the skies above, could reach millions of dollars a week, experts say.
• Lord, we pray you will give wisdom to our leaders as to our involvement in Libya. Our finances - and more importantly - our troops are stretched too thin. We need to have other nations do more to help the Libyan conflict. Bring peace to the unrest in the Middle East.
• A wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel . . . The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:5, 7)
3. Israel Threatens to Take Action if UN Recognizes Palestinian Statehood - Haaretz
Israel informed the 15 members of the United Nations Security Council last week, as well as several other prominent European Union countries, that if the Palestinian Authority persists in its efforts to gain recognition in September as a state within the 1967 borders, Israel would respond with a series of unilateral steps of its own. September is expected to be pivotal for several reasons. Last September, U.S. President Barack Obama told the General Assembly that he wished to see a Palestinian state become a member of the UN within a year. In addition, Israel and the Palestinians had agreed that the talks they undertook last September 2 in Washington would last for about a year. Thirdly, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's program of establishing institutions for a future Palestinian state is due to be wrapped up this coming September.
• Lord, we come against these plans to work against Israel. Let all of man's wicked plans fall to the ground and fail. Let the division of Israel never happen. Let America stand firmly with Israel and remove the enemies of Israel. We pray for continual protection for Israel and Prime Minister Netanyahu. Bless them Lord!
• The enemy shall not outwit him, nor the son of wickedness afflict him. I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague those who hate him. But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him, and in My name his horn shall be exalted. (Psalms 89:33,24)
4. Beck: U.S. Unwittingly Aiding Al Qaeda in Libya? - Fox News
We have this interesting tidbit now from Time Magazine. The Obama administration knows that Al Qaeda is active in Libya. Quote, "Obama and his aides know that they are taking a big risk. It's a huge gamble says the senior administration official" . . . Time mentioned that we may actually be helping the terrorists with this air campaign. After all, if Al Qaeda is there, wouldn't it be safe to assume that they are fighting against Qaddafi for power and control right now? The administration knows, for example, that Al Qaeda, which has active cells in Libya will try to exploit the power of vacuum that will come with a weak or ousted Qaddafi." Hmm. This is exactly what we said would happen.
• Lord, we pray against this atrocity to help the very same group of terrorists that has been killing our troops. Lord, if these rebels are part of Al Qaeda, then let us quit helping them in any way. Reveal their true nature and give us great courage and wisdom to do what is right.
• Many times He delivered them; but they rebelled in their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity. Nevertheless He regarded their affliction, when He heard their cry . . .and relented according to the multitude of His mercies. (Psalm 6:43, 45)
5. April 5th Will Decide Who Governs Wisconsin: The Voters or 4 Judges - Breitbart
Governor Walker's bill hits at the very heart of this legalized graft and racketeering by stripping away the collective bargaining that burdens Wisconsin taxpayers with programs like WEA Trust - which is a cash cow for the public sector unions and therefore a cash cow for elected Democrats. The more money public unions receive, the more money they have to help elect Democrats. Wisconsin is a vital swing state for Obama. In 2008 he won the state by an impressive margin, but 2010 saw a sea change in the state's electorate that created a tidal wave in favor of Republicans, a tidal wave that could extend to 2012 and cost the president his re-election.
• Lord, we pray for the Favor of God to be upon the governors and all officials who are trying to cut costs in a wise way. Let all the people - especially the courts - be in agreement with them to stop the unions' great power over people. Let all states get their budgets under control without government interference including the Obama Administration.
• And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:4, 6)
6. Health Care's Hidden Costs: $363 Billion - CNN
Consumers are paying an additional $1,355 a year on hidden out-of-pocket health care expenses. These include home health aides not covered by insurance, alternative medicines, ambulance services and nutritional products. These "hidden" costs of health care - like taking time off to care for elderly parents - add up to $363 billion, according to a report from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, a research group. That amounts to $1,355 per consumer, on top of the $8,000 the government says people spend on doctor fees and hospital care.
• Father God, we pray for these healthcare costs. Give people practical ways to cut down in expenses. Let the shift be toward healthy eating and lifestyles. Let natural products and supplements be found to be as good or better for ailments. Help us to prosper in our bodies.
• Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. (Psalms 91:3, 4)
7. Arriving as Pregnant Tourists, Leaving With American Babies - New York Times
For the last year, the debate over birthright citizenship has raged across the country, with some political leaders calling for an end to the 14th Amendment, which gives automatic citizenship to any baby born in the United States. Much of the debate has focused on immigrants entering illegally from poor countries in Latin America. But in this case the women were not only relatively wealthy, but also here legally on tourist visas. Most of them, officials say, have already returned to China with their American babies. The State Department, which grants tourist visas, is not permitted to deny visa applications simply because a woman is pregnant. Businesses in China, Mexico and South Korea advertise packages that arrange for doctors, insurance and postpartum care.
• Father, we pray that this 14th Amendment will be strictly interpreted so that not just anyone who has a child in America will take advantage in an unjust way. Let people recognize that just because we are in a foreign nation, does not mean we are automatic citizens of that nation. Let that law be corrected so we can close the loop which allows this injustice.
• You shall have a perfect and just weight . . . that your days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. For all who do such things, all who behave unrighteously, are an abomination to the Lord your God. (Deuteronomy 25:15, 16)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name. Deliver us, and purge away our sins, for Your name's sake. Why should the gentiles say, "Where is their God?" (Psa.79:9-10a; cp.115:1-3)
1. Israel Warily Eyes Middle East Uprisings - Jerusalem Post
As anti-government unrest continues to ripple across the Middle East, many in Israel are worried that changes in the Arab world could lead to renewed hostilities against them.
2. Israel threatens unilateral steps if UN recognizes Palestinian state - Ha'aretz
Israel informed the 15 members of the United Nations Security Council last week, as well as several other prominent European Union countries, that if the Palestinian Authority persists in its efforts to gain recognition in September as a state within the 1967 borders, Israel would respond with a series of unilateral steps of its own.
3. Fatah, Hamas set to hold April unity talks in Cairo - Jerusalem Post
Hamas and Fatah have agreed to renew unity talks in Cairo next month to discuss ways of ending their conflict.
The Daily Jot
Obama Speech: Fighting al Qaeda by aiding al Qaeda
Against the backdrop of the Shiite leadership in Iran saying the coming of the Islamic Messiah and the end of the world is near, the US president addressed the American people in an effort to justify his war in Libya. The prophetic implications of his speech and the entire situation that has quickly evolved in the Middle East are phenomenal. Zechariah 12:3 says of Jerusalem that "all the people of the earth be gathered against it." Certainly, radical elements that are haters of Jews and Christians alike--Islamists, leftists, Arabs, socialists--are aligning against God's people--both Jews and those Gentiles who as Romans 11:17 says are, "grafted in among them and with them partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree."
Obama justified an attack on Libya by saying, "To brush aside America's responsibility as a leader and -- more profoundly -- our responsibilities to our fellow human beings under such circumstances would have been a betrayal of who we are. Some nations may be able to turn a blind eye to atrocities in other countries. The United States of America is different. And as Obama, I refused to wait for the images of slaughter and mass graves before taking action." He did not, however, address the very fact that Libyan rebels are comprised of al Qaeda and mercenaries that fought American soldiers in Iraq. Quite the opposite, he said, "That's why we're going after al Qaeda wherever they seek a foothold."
The Director of multilateral affairs at the National Security Council, Samantha Powers, told a crowd at Columbia University Monday that the president's two year campaign to promote human rights helped trigger the uprising in Libya. If so, his actions also could be credited with inspiring uprisings across the Middle East--all of which involve terrorist organizations, including al Qaeda, the Moslem Brotherhood and others. Powers was one of three women in the Administration that included Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and UN Ambassador Susan Rice to overrule Defense Secretary Robert Gates in the decision to go to war in Libya. Gates, even as late as Sunday, said that Libya is not a "vital interest for the US."
The common thread among the rebellions across the Middle East are terrorist and jihadist interests. But this Administration would have Americans believe that these uprisings were the result of people wanting democracy. While the common people may want democracy, terrorist-enabling organizations like the Moslem Brotherhood embrace democracy as a way to establish their power and institute Sharia law. Obama is going before his citizens and saying he is acting on behalf of humanitarian interests and those wanting democracy, when in actuality, he is advancing America's enemies. This is classic ideological subversion designed to confuse people. Americans should demand truth.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com
SOAR Act Vote Tomorrow
SOAR Act Vote in the House Wednesday
Tomorrow the House intends to vote on H.R. 471, the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act. This bill would restore funding to the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program that provides disadvantaged students living in the nation's capital tuition scholarships to attend private school. The Department of Education found a statistically significant positive effect of the program. Specifically, students who had been offered scholarships were performing at statistically higher levels in reading, approximately three months of additional learning. The Department also found that families who had been offered a scholarship were more satisfied with their children's school and safety. (CHPP; Heritage Foundation) Read more.
[Note: This is the only bill House Speaker John Boehner intends to introduce this Congress, which gives a good indication of his and its priority.]
- Father, we know we are in a climate of cutting spending, and the irony of this case is that the annual cost per student in this program is less than in the public schools. For the students, their families, our budget, and even the public school system, we ask you for a resoundingly affirmative vote for this bill in the House this week.
- "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old , he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6)
Senate Hearing To Note
Senate Committee Hearing on Pro-Abortion Goodwin Liu This Week
The Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on pro-abortion federal appeals court nominee Goodwin Liu, whom Obama picked for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Liu, liberal a University of California law professor, is slated to come before the panel on Thursday, where he will face strong opposition again from Republicans.
Liu has said he believes in the pro-abortion notion of a changing Constitution that can, for example, allow for unlimited abortion rights.
"What we mean by fidelity is that the Constitution should be interpreted in ways that adapt its principles and its text to the challenges and conditions of our society in every succeeding generation," Liu has said.
Liu clerked for pro-abortion Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, worked in the Clinton administration, and spoke out against Supreme Court nominees John Roberts and Samuel Alito. (LifeNews) Read more.
- Ask our Lord to grant His wisdom to the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee as they weigh the qualifications of this candidate before Him. Do we really need a jurist on the court who believes in a "living Constitution" -- one that can be changed to suit the whims of the day? Pray!
- "I am the LORD your God . . . Who leads you by the way you should go. " (Isaiah 4812b)
Rep. Ros-Lehtinen Takes Action on UNHRC
US Withdrawal from UN Human Rights Council Proposed in Congress
Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), the Chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced Monday she will introduce legislation that makes U.S. funding for the United Nations contingent on reform. It also calls for the U.S. to withdraw from the U.N.'s Human Rights Council. Describing the Obama administration's attempts to reform the HRC as a failure, Rep. Ros-Lehtinen declared that the U.S. should quit the HRC and "explore credible, alternative forums to advance human rights."
Human rights advocates maintain that the U.N. - especially including its Human Rights Council - is in actuality a hostile opponent of human rights, even allowing on the Human Rights Council at one point or another such brutal regimes as Russia, China, Libya, Iran, and Vietnam.
The watchdog group Human Rights Watch declared in its annual report that U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon had at times gone "out of his way to portray oppressive governments in a positive way." Moon was criticized for his lukewarm response to the awarding of the 2010 Nobel peace prize to imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. His guarded comment about the award did not include a call for Liu to be released.
Despite the dominance of Islamist regimes on the council, which are generally hostile to the United States, the Obama administration believes that it is proper for the U.S. to maintain a presence on the committee, quixotically believing that one country (the U.S.) is capable of influencing and swaying the other members of the council.
Rep. Ros-Lehtinen's legislation to defund the Human Rights Council will no doubt easily pass in the House, but is expected to be rejected in the Democratic-controlled Senate. (The New American) Read more.
- Come against the last statement in this article, declaring its words to be null and void through the authority of the Blood of the Lamb. Christians around the world have suffered severe persecution, even unto death, at the hands of many of the members of this UN Council.
Ask our Lord to forgive those who have caused suffering to our brothers and sisters in Christ across the nations; they know not what they do. Pray that all funding for this UN Council would wither, dry up and "die," in Jesus' Name. Pray for protection for Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, who is known to be a strong anti-communist; and pray that her bill would be passed in both the House and the Senate and be signed into law by the President of the United States of America. Pray for a miracle. Pray!
- ". . . if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven." (Matthew 18:19)
The Good News Corner
New U.N. Resolution on Religious Freedom Drops 'Defamation' Concept
SANTA ANA, Calif., March 29, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ -- Last Thursday the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a new resolution on worldwide religious intolerance while taking a significant step away from the controversial, restrictive "Defamation of Religions" resolution.
The new resolution refers to the Charter of the United Nations, reiterating the right to freedom of religion or belief. The resolution also reaffirms the positive role that the exercise of the right to freedom of opinion and expression has, while expressing concern about incidents of intolerance, discrimination and violence against persons based on their religion or belief in all regions of the world.
Additionally, the resolution strongly deplores all acts of violence against persons on the basis of their religion or belief, as well as any such acts directed against their homes, businesses, properties, schools, cultural centers or places of worship. It recognizes that open public debate of ideas can be the best protection against religious intolerance.
The defamation of religions resolutions, although not legally binding, provided international legitimacy for national laws that punish blasphemy or ban criticism of a religion. A prime example is the blasphemy law in Pakistan, which has resulted in the imprisonment of hundreds, including Christians such as Asia Noreen (Bibi) who has been condemned to death by hanging. The resolutions were introduced annually for 12 years by the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).
"I am pleased the Organization of Islamic Conference countries have finally decided to not re-introduce a defamation of religions resolution this year and instead has introduced a compromise text that was drafted with input from the United States government," said Open Doors Advocacy Director Lindsay Vessey. "This represents a huge victory for all those who worked to defeat the defamation resolutions. Open Doors would like to thank its supporters who spoke out against defamation resolutions. . .
Dr. Carl Moeller, president/CEO of Open Doors USA, added: "The most disturbing issues with the defamation resolutions at the U.N. have been addressed in this new resolution. Open Doors recognizes and appreciates the critical role that U.S. legislators, the U.S. State Department under both the previous and current administration and fellow religious freedom groups have played in campaigning and lobbying against the defamation of religions resolutions and producing a compromise text. I warmly welcome this effort of the Human Rights Council to address both freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief in a more balanced and constructive way." (Open Doors)
- While we rejoice with Open Doors at this good report, we continue to support Congresswoman Ros- Lehtinen's measure, cited above, in prayer. One positive resolution cannot rescue the whole Council, whose overall record on human rights has been dismal. Offer thanks to the Lord for this victory, but please continue to ask that all other actions taken by the UN Human Rights Council be held accountable.
- ". . . by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew 12:37)
Worship with Us Today!
A song of prayer for Japan
"Mercy" by Hannah Ford
Our hearts are with you, Japan! I originally wrote this song when the tsunami disaster hit Indonesia in 2004. I later dedicated it also to the Hurricane Katrina and Haiti victims. Now I'm dedicating it to you, Japan. You have always had a special place in my heart and you surely have a special place in God's heart. May His strength, love, and compassion comfort you, rebuild and revive you. May you rest in His salvation. Love, Hannah
-- Pray for Japan as you listen to this beautiful song. Praise God . . .
[With thanks to our dear friends at AGLOW for sending this to us . . . to share wtih you . . . Amen.]
