Two Weeks from Today is
the National Day of Prayer.
For details, see below . . .
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief Thursday, April 18, 2013
"The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul."
(Psalm 121:7)
Guidelines for today's American Prayer Initiative can be found by going here.
Today's Daily Jot can be found by going to: www.dailyjot.com or by using
this link.
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The Daily Brief
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1. Police say between 5 and 15 people killed in Texas fertilizer plant explosion, more than 160 hurt- Fox News
Police say between 5 to 15 people were killed and more than 160 were injured in a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco, Texas, late Wednesday. The explosion at West Fertilizer in downtown West - a community of roughly 2,600 residents about 20 miles north of Waco - happened around 8 p.m. and could be heard as far away as Waxahachie, a town located 45 miles north. It sent flames spiraling high into the evening sky and rained burning embers, shrapnel and debris down on frightened residents. (Read more)
- Lord, we seek Your face on behalf of the victims of the Waco explosion. We request Your mercy and love surround these people in this time of trouble.
- "For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption." [Psalm 130:7b]
2. Suspect arrested in connection with poison letters, tests show substance 'absolutely' ricin - Fox News
A Mississippi man has been arrested in connection with the mailing of three letters sent to President Obama, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and a Mississippi official that tested positive for ricin. After initial tests gave mixed results, a senior congressional source told Fox News on Thursday that the substance in the letters was "absolutely, unequivocally ricin." The source said the sample, in testing, came back "very hot." (Read more)
- Father we cannot fathom this wickedness that would not only target our leadership but office workers and those around them. We ask for Your justice for this person, but also that You touch their soul and release them from the evil that has bound them to the works of the enemy.
- "To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound." (Isaiah 61:1d)
3. Investigators mull releasing photos from Boston Marathon finish line- Fox News
Federal law enforcement officials are considering releasing images of one or possibly two persons of interest in the Boston Marathon bombings, Fox News has learned. FBI investigators have been scouring video and still images taken around the finish line, where two bombs exploded during Monday's race, killing three and injuring 176. Authorities believe at least one of the bombs was a sealed pressure cooker laden with explosives and shrapnel, and may have been concealed in a backpack. (Read more)
- Lord we thank You for our law enforcement people who are working day and night to bring the perpetrator(s) to justice. We pray that You will lead them and guide them in the right direction to break the arms of the wicked.
- "Their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood." [Isaiah 59:6b,7a]
4. Defeat of background check plan tees up protracted battle on gun control - Fox News
Supporters of new gun control legislation are vowing to ramp up their campaign for expanded background checks despite suffering a major defeat in the Senate Wednesday, threatening to overpower the gun lobby even if it takes years.
Likewise, critics of the legislation vowed to ensure any future proposals protect both "the lives and liberty" of Americans, teeing up a protracted legislative battle. (Read more)
[For more on this issue, please see today's Daily Jot by going here.]
- Father, until respect is given on both sides of this issue and all the others that divide us, we are doomed to repeat the battles. We pray with all of our strength that You will use this situation to get the truth through to our leaders on every level. We pray for Your Holy Spirit to pursue Mr. Obama and our legislators in the night seasons and throughout the days ahead until they fall to their knees in repentance.
- "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?" [Matthew 15:4]
5. Deadly quake leaves town 'totally destroyed,' witness says; aftershocks rattle Iran, Pakistan - NBC News
Powerful aftershocks rocked the border between Iran and Pakistan Wednesday, a day after a major earthquake tore through the region, collapsing buildings and killing at least 39 people and injuring more than 170.
- Lord, we pray for Your help for the people of this region in the wake of this disaster. We pray especially that Your Spirit would move mightily in a wave of salvation and change in the hearts of the people.
- "But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinks upon me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God." [Psalm 40:17]
6. Global economy faces 'chronic' crisis if reforms are not completed, warns IMF -UK Telegraph
A growing trend towards excessive risk-taking and lack of action to repair broken bank balance sheets could trigger a "chronic" new phase in the financial crisis, the International Monetary fund has warned.
- Father only You can change the direction of the economies of the world. Only You can change the minds of people who are bent upon spending and lying to sustain their greed. Nothing is too hard for You, Lord. We ask for that change in the pathway, that turn of events that brings life and hope.
- "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven . . . with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." [Matthew 19:23,26]
7. North Korea demands end of sanctions and drills as conditions for resuming talks - AP
North Korea on Thursday demanded the withdrawal of U.N. sanctions and the end of U.S.-South Korea military drills as conditions for resuming talks meant to defuse tension on the Korean Peninsula.
The statement from the Policy Department of the National Defense Commission, the country's top governing body, came four days after Pyongyang rejected Seoul's latest dialogue offer as insincere. The U.S. says it is prepared to talk to the North but Pyongyang must first bring down tensions and honor previous disarmament agreements. (Read more)
- Father, we ask that the nations of the world be strengthened against the intimidation and arrogance of North Korea. We pray that they will resolve to stand strong and not do anything that will give Kim Jong Un more power.
- " . . . the wicked will fall by his own wickedness." [Proverbs 11:5]
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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:
"The Lord builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel." (Psalm 147:2)
1. Israeli military, politicos prep for solo attack on Iran - Washington Times
Israeli military and political heads are holding intense discussions on how best to launch an independent attack on Iran, should the need arise, the nation's defense force chief said Tuesday.
2. US Senate: Will back Israeli attack on Iran - Ynet News
Members of the US Senate's Foreign Relations Committee have adopted "Senate Resolution 65," according to which the US will support Israel in case it is compelled to take military action and actualize its right to self defense in the face of an Iranian threat.
3. Netanyahu: We Are Committed to 'Two-State Solution' - Arutz Sheva
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday once again expressed his support for a two-state solution to end the Israeli-Arab conflict.
4. Pentagon seeks $220 million for Israel's Iron Dome - Jerusalem Post
The Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency for the first time in its regular annual budget contains funds to buy additional Iron Dome missile defense systems for Israel, according to documents and an agency spokesman.
5. Kerry says 'window' for Mideast peace only 2 years - Times of Israel
Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday underlined the difficulty he will face in trying to chart a path toward Mideast peace, urging patience on the details of any two-state plan while stressing that Israel and the Palestinians might only have two years left for a deal.
6. 'Code Red' sounds in Eilat, two Grads fired at city - Jerusalem Post
At least two Grad rockets fired from the Sinai area hit Israel's southernmost city of Eilat on Wednesday morning, causing no injuries but some damage.
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The Persecuted Church
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Today's Focus: The Persecuted Church
"Bow down Your ear to me,
Deliver me speedily;
Be my rock of refuge,
A fortress of defense to save me."
(Psalm 31:2) (Acts 4:29)
1. New Report on Death of Church Leader in Vietnam Emerges - CSW
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has received new information concerning the circumstances surrounding the death of Vietnamese church leader Hoang Van Ngai (also known as Vam Ngaij Vaj), who died in police custody in Dak Glong District in Dak Nong Province on 17 March.
Police claims that Ngai died after putting his hand into an electric socket have been contested by his family members.
Reports by Ngai's relatives state that his wife and sister-in-law were arrested on 14 March and were forcibly taken to the police station in Gia Nghia. Ngai and his elder brother Hoang Van Pa were arrested the following day and were detained in adjacent cells. The reason for the arrests was not clear; the police did not present or refer to any arrest warrant or temporary detention order.
At approximately 3pm on 17 March, Ngai's brother heard the sound of violent beating coming from his brother's cell. When the police took Ngai out of his cell, his brother saw that he was "completely limp as if he was dead, gone, purple marks on his throat." Prison guards denied Pa's request to go with his brother.
2. Protestants Harassed and Bullied with Impunity in Uzbekistan - Assist
Uzbekistan's religion laws mandate that all religious groups must be registered with the government. However, registration is exceedingly difficult to get, designed as it is to weed out small, non-traditional groups. Whilst the main targets of the laws are seditious Islamic cells, it suits the authorities that Protestant Christians are swept up in the same net. Though they are a totally peaceful tiny minority (0.3 percent), the authorities despise the Protestants, regarding them as a threat to social cohesion (due to conversions, particularly from Islam).
3. Nigeria Begs Boko Haram to Accept Amnesty - Daily Trust
A group known as Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) Wednesday in Abuja chided the federal government for giving in to the calls for grant of amnesty to members of Jam'atul Ahlis Sunna-lidawati Wal Jihad, also known as Boko Haram.
Speaking at the opening of the group's meeting, the chairman, Evangelist Matthew Owojaiye said, "It seems government is begging Boko Haram to accept amnesty."
"If we start begging the offender, what do we do to the offended?
"If amnesty is granted to Boko Haram, all those awaiting trial in our prisons and the armed robbers already jailed should be granted amnesty. This is equity and fair play."
Owojaiye regretted that Christians have paid so many prices since independence to sustain the corporate existence of Nigeria yet Christians have not gained much.
"While we're to turn the other cheek when we're slapped, the master didn't say, 'If they cut one of your legs, present them with the second leg for cutting.'
"What is going on in the northern states is not the slapping of cheeks but the cutting of legs!"
The chairman who dwelt on the risks at stake itemized: the risk of Nigeria not remaining one; the risk of Christians being wiped out of northern Nigeria; and the risk of an all religious or civil war.
For more news about the Persecuted Church, and how you can be more involved in intercession for these precious saints, go here.
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Boston: Breaking News
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U.S. 'DEPORTING SAUDI PERSON OF INTEREST'
Obama has unscheduled meeting with Saudi foreign minister
An expert on terrorism says the Saudi national who was the original "person of interest" in connection with Monday's Boston Marathon bombing is going to be deported from the U.S. next week.
The foreign student from Revere, Mass., is identified as 20-year-old Abdul Rahman Ali Alharbi.
"I just learned from my own sources that he is now going to be deported on national security grounds next Tuesday, which is very unusual," Steve Emerson of the Investigative Project on Terrorism told Sean Hannity of Fox News Wednesday night.
The Reuters news agency reported President Barack Obama met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal on Wednesday, noting "the meeting was not on Obama's public schedule."
After that meeting was mentioned, Emerson told Hannity, "That's very interesting because this is the way things are done with Saudi Arabia. You don't arrest their citizens. You deport them, because they don't want them to be embarrassed and that's the way we appease them."
Meanwhile, Tuesday morning, a meeting Secretary of State John Kerry held with the Saudi foreign minister was abruptly closed to press coverage. "The State Department initially provided no reason for the change, which was announced just 15 minutes before the scheduled 10 a.m. session," reported Politico. But later in the day, department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said the preclusion of news media from the meeting was due to Kerry's busy schedule. "This was just a scheduling change on our part," Ventrell said.
Journalists found the claim hard to believe, as they had been told the meeting would include a so-called "camera spray" at the beginning of the session. "Are you really trying to say that this [meeting was moved from a] camera/photo op to being closed, for scheduling reasons? Is that seriously your answer: that because the secretary was tired after 10 days on the road and is going to the Hill tomorrow?" Matt Lee of the Associated Press asked. "What I'm saying is he has a very tight schedule here in the building and elsewhere," Ventrell said, noting the fact Kerry met with Al-Faisal amidst that busy schedule reflects the importance of the U.S. Saudi-relationship. "So does it save time somehow, canceling the photo op? It doesn't wash," Lee replied. "I find it hard to believe that you expect us to believe that that's the real reason for this."
WND reported Wednesday morning that the Saudi student Alharbi shares the same last name as a major Saudi clan that includes scores of al-Qaida operatives. Some in the clan are senior al-Qaida members while others are reportedly being held by the U.S. in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba. (WorldNetDaily) Read more here.
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NK Threats: Not to be Ignored
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DANGER OF DISMISSING NORTH KOREAN THREATS
Prudence and common sense appear to be absent in the Obama administration and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, who during the current crisis with North Korea, falsely reassure the American people that Pyongyang cannot deliver on its threats to make a nuclear attack on the U.S. mainland. North Korea could deliver a nuclear bomb in the hold of a freighter under a foreign flag to destroy a U.S. port city such as New York or Los Angeles. They could give a bomb to terrorist groups such as al Qaeda or Hezbollah to deliver by truck or plane across the porous U.S. border. They could use a false-flagged freighter to move a Scud or their medium-range Nodong missile close enough to make a nuclear strike on the U.S. mainland.
- Pray that our national policy leaders have the wisdom of the Lord in dealing with irresponsible nation states like North Korea and Iran. Ask the Lord to make clear to our military leaders the way that they should precede in protecting our national interests.
- "Deliver me from my enemies, O God; protect me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from evildoers and save me from bloodthirsty men." (Psalm 59:1-2)
(Source: Intercessors for America; Washington Times)
Read more.
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Praying for Boston
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Praying for Boston
From:
Rev. Pierre Bynum
Chaplain & National Prayer Director
Email: pbynum@frc.org
Family Research Council
801 G Street, NW
Two bombs exploded in Boston on Monday, killing three people and injuring over 160. The explosions occurred on "Patriot Day" near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. President Obama urged Americans to wait for the facts before drawing conclusions, but other administration spokesmen said the bombs were part of an orchestrated act of terrorism. The Heritage Foundation has catalogued 53 terrorist plots that have been exposed and successfully stopped since 9/11. Law enforcement must be right every time to thwart attacks, but the terrorists only have to be right once to be successful.
- May God bring healing to the victims and their families! Thank God for His overriding protection of America over these past twelve years. May He guide the authorities, Boston Police, FBI and military experts as they investigate. May the terrorist bombers be apprehended quickly and may any other planned terrorist plots be foiled. May God use this to bring us to recognize our need for Him!
- "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)
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National Day of Prayer
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National Day of Prayer
From:
Rev. Pierre Bynum
Chaplain & National Prayer Director
Email: pbynum@frc.org
Family Research Council
801 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Rev. Pierre Bynum
Chaplain & National Prayer Director
Email: pbynum@frc.org
Family Research Council
801 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Dear Praying Friends,
We need to hurry to "pray before the LORD" in these desperate days. Mrs. Vonette Bright lobbied, Congress passed, and in 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a law calling for the National Day of Prayer (NDP) to be observed each year on the first Thursday in May. Since 1991, Mrs. Shirley Dobson has served as Chairman of the NDP Task Force, during a very challenging period. Over the past two decades, the U.S. has experienced extreme political division, the 9/11 terrorist attack, three wars, a host of devastating natural and man-made disasters, and more. Moreover, we are now engaged in an all-out moral and spiritual war for the soul of our nation. The NDP has been a bulwark in this war, catalyzing a diverse and growing prayer movement that now generates 24/7 prayer year-round. Here is President Reagan's NDP Proclamation from January 27, 1983:
Prayer is the mainspring of the American spirit, a fundamental tenet of our people since before the Republic was founded. A year before the Declaration of Independence, in 1775, the Continental Congress proclaimed the first National Day of Prayer... [an] action they asked of every colonist.
Two hundred years ago in 1783, the Treaty of Paris officially ended the Revolutionary War... a National Day of Prayer had been proclaimed every spring for eight years. When peace came the National Day of Prayer was forgotten. For almost half a century, as the Nation grew in power and wealth, we put aside this deepest expression of American belief -- our national dependence on the Providence of God.
It took the tragedy of the Civil War to restore a National Day of Prayer. As Abraham Lincoln said, ``Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.''
Revived as an annual observance by Congress in 1952, the National Day of Prayer has become a great unifying force for our citizens... Prayer unites people. This common expression of reverence heals and brings us together as a Nation and we pray it may one day bring renewed respect for God to all the peoples of the world.
From General Washington's struggle at Valley Forge to the present, this Nation has fervently sought and received divine guidance as it pursued the course of history. This occasion provides our Nation with an opportunity to further recognize the source of our blessings, and to seek His help for the challenges we face today and in the future.
Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Thursday, May 5, 1983, National Day of Prayer. I call upon every citizen of this great Nation to gather together on that day in homes and places of worship to pray, each after his or her own manner... Ronald Reagan. (see Reagan Speeches, U. of Texas).
Just two weeks remain until this year's National Day of Prayer, May 2, 2013. How desperately our nation needs to take hold of the promises of 2 Chronicles 7:14. Please take part in your own town, State Capital, or Washington, D.C. If no effort is underway in your church or city, you can lead one (Click HERE for information).
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The Good News Corner
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The Good News Corner:
BOSTON CHURCHES RESPOND TO BOMBING
Churches in Boston are responding to provide support for victims of the Boston Marathon Bombing through a website called BostonMarathonSamaritans.org. The website is set up as a partnership of TechMission, the Emmanuel Gospel Center and the Black Ministerial Alliance of Greater Boston who partner with hundreds of churches in the Boston area.
The goal of the site is to enable Boston's church community to connect with and offer help to victims. The site enables people to people to post availability of housing, meal delivery and other needs. One professional counselor has already offered to donate free trauma counseling.
Andrew Sears, Executive Director of TechMission, explained his motivation for setting up the site: "As a father of two young boys, I went to bed crying last night about the pain that the Richard family and others must be feeling. In the morning I cried again as I was reminded of the parable of the Good Samaritan helping someone who had been beaten up and left for dead, and I thought 'That is what Christians should be doing right now.' So within a few hours, we had a website up and partnerships with church networks across Boston to help the victims."
One of the main goals of the site is to help churches provide the long-term care needed for the families that were victimized by the Boston Marathon Bombing. TechMission is a Christian nonprofit organization that runs ChristianVolunteering.org as well as a national AmeriCorps program. For more information, visit http://www.techmission.org,
http://www.BostonMarathonSamaritans.org and
http://www.ChristianVolunteering.org.
- Pray the witness and compassion displayed by the Boston churches would be multiplied, and that the glory of the Lord and His love would draw many to Him.
- "But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head." (Psalm 3: 3)
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Pray for the Harvest!
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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!
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Worship With Us Today!
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Worship With Us Today!
YOU
Hillsong
Worship Here
