Monday, September 8, 2014

CHPP Daily Brief - Monday, September 8, 2014





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The Daily Brief:

"Praying for All in Authority"

Monday, September 8, 2014

". . . deliver us from evil . . ." (Matthew 6:13)

NEW POLICY!
WE ARE ASKING ALL OF OUR PRAYER PARTNERS TO READ THE VERSES BELOW OUT LOUD, AS A DECREE, KNOWING THAT THE WORD WILL NOT RETURN VOID. (Isaiah 55:11) THANK YOU!




"And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse . . ." (Rev. 19:11)

The Daily Brief

1. Obama to hold Oval Office meeting with Hill leaders on how to stop Islamic State terrorists - Fox News

President Obama will meet Tuesday with Capitol Hill leaders to discuss pressing foreign-policy issues including how to combat Islamic State terrorists, as Congress comes back from summer break and the president returns from a NATO summit.

The Oval office meeting is scheduled to include Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio; and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

They are expected to discuss a range of world issues including whether to launch more air strikes on Islamic State and Russia's foray into eastern Ukraine. (Read more)

- Heavenly Father, we ask You to be in the midst of this discussion where the decisions reflect Your thoughts and plans and not just a 'politically correct' reaction.  The fruit of the actions of these Islamic State terrorists is barbaric, vicious and evil, and they are a threat to the entire globe. We ask that You raise up Your right hand and crush any slanted and incompetent actions to handle this threat.  We pray this under the Shed Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and in His Name, Amen and Amen.

- "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:             Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all.  For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:14 NKJV)          


2. Obama to delay executive action on immigration until after elections - Fox News

President Obama has abandoned his pledge to reform U.S. immigration policy by the end of summer and will instead wait until after the November congressional elections, The Associated Press reports Saturday. Obama concluded that using executive action to circumvent Congress during the campaign season would politicize the issue and hurt future efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

The decision is welcome news for Democratic senators trying to win reelection in conservative states -- and help their party fend off a strong GOP effort to take control of the upper chamber. However, the delay is also a setback for immigration reform advocates, including Big Business and liberals.   (Read more)

- Heavenly Father, this immigration issue is a serious 'hot button' issue for many groups.  Father, we ask You to rise up and destroy all plots and schemes for destructive purposes in handling this issue, throwing them into chaos and confusion, and bringing all evil intentions to naught.  We pray this in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and under His Shed Blood, Amen and Amen.

- "An ungodly man digs up evil, and it is on his lips like a burning fire." (Proverbs 16:27 NKJV)


3. Refugees in U.S. state drawn to welfare, jihad - WND

Over the course of two decades, the federal government's Refugee Resettlement Program has forcibly infused the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota with a large dose of Somali culture, and the transition has not always been smooth.

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., told WND that while many of the Somali transplants have been hard-working citizens, the experiment has been costly for her state. And too many Somalis remain dependent on public assistance. "We have the largest population of Somalis in the United States, and Somalia is a failed state. It is based on piracy for ransom and fraud," Bachmann said.

She said the war-torn east African country is in a state of desperation, with an economy that more closely resembles the stone-age than the information age. "And so tens of thousands of Somalis have been lifted out of a completely different situation and dropped into Minnesota," Bachmann said. "They have been brought here in many cases by Catholic Charities and Lutheran Social Services and made homes here, but the problems of radicalization have come to Minnesota as well." (Read more)

- Heavenly Father, Rep. Michele Bachmann is presenting a serious concern where various charities have attempted to do 'good work' but have missed some of the preparation and adjustment steps needed for these Somali refugees.  Instead, many of these refugees have brought an attitude of 'jihad' with them which has not been confronted and monitored by the authorities. Have mercy, Father, and awaken those groups involved so that these refugees are a positive addition for our nation and not a threat.  We pray this in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and under His Shed Blood, Amen and Amen.

- "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJV)


4. IRS says it has lost emails from 5 more employees - Yahoo News

The Internal Revenue Service has lost emails from five more employees who are part of congressional probes into the treatment of conservative groups that applied for tax-exempt status, the tax service disclosed Friday. The IRS said in June that it could not locate an untold number of emails to and from Lois Lerner, who headed the IRS division that processes applications for tax-exempt status.

The revelation set off a new round of investigations and congressional hearings. On Friday, the IRS issued a report to Congress saying the agency also lost emails from five other employees related to the probe, including two agents who worked in a Cincinnati office processing applications for tax-exempt status. (Read more)

- Heavenly Father, this investigation into the handling of conservative groups' applications by the IRS is being further hindered by this report that more staff's emails have been 'lost'.  This is truly strange how selective staff's emails go missing but not an entire department. We ask You, Father, to confront the people involved and have the truth rise up for all to hear, and that Your justice will be done. We ask in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen and Amen.

- "A perverse man sows strife, and a whisperer separates the best of friends."  (Proverbs 16:28 NKJV)         


5. Yosemite wildfire forces hundreds to evacuate - UPI

A wildfire raging near Yosemite National Park in California forced the evacuation of 700 homes in the Ponderosa Basin area. The so-called Bridge wildfire started Friday afternoon in Mariposa County and has burned at least 300 acres. The Cal Fire Twitter account said the blaze was 25 percent contained Saturday.

One firefighter sustained a minor injury while battling the fire. He was taken to a hospital for treatment, Cal Fire spokeswoman Karen Guillemin told the Los Angeles Times. Investigators are working to determine the cause of the wildfire. (Read more)

- Heavenly Father, here is another devastating event where lives and homes are threatened.  Have mercy, Father.  We ask that You comfort and direct all the people involved in fighting and living through this fire, praying in Jesus' Name, Amen and Amen.

- "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope." (Psalm 130:5 NKJV)


6. Storms Cut Power to More than 600,000 in Michigan, Illinois - Newsmax

More than 600,000 electric customers in Michigan and Illinois lost power at the height of storms that brought heavy winds and lightning, ripping up trees, downing power lines and leaving at least two people dead, officials said on Saturday. (Read more)

- Heavenly Father, have mercy for all that have suffered from these powerful storms, not only in Michigan but all the way across the northeast US. Father, we ask that You send Your comforting angels to surround and lift up all involved in these storms and we pray that people will awaken and turn to You alone for redemption if they do not know You. We pray this in Jesus' Name, Amen and Amen.

- "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death." (2 Corinthians 7:10 NKJV)


7. Russian-Ukrainian crisis hamstrings Obama against ISIS - WND

Poor U.S relations with Russia, a counter-terrorism partner, has hindered the development of a strategy of operational cooperation against the Islamic State, or ISIS, according to a report in Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin.

Experts also point to inaction by President Obama stemming from the separate issues of ISIS and the Ukraine combined with the fact that the Pentagon can no longer wage a two-front war.

As a consequence, the Obama administration is attempting to develop a Cold War-style strategy of confronting ISIS through Gulf Arab-nation proxies, which don't appear to be successful in halting ISIS advances in their own backyard.

Until the Ukraine crisis, the U.S. and Russia had a joint counter-terrorism partnership and undertook exercises in each other's countries. Russia has a major Sunni jihadist threat from its predominantly southern Muslim provinces of Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia. The jihadists have attacked Moscow's subway on numerous occasions along with an international airport. (Read more)

- Heavenly Father, we pray that the conflict between the US and Russia over the differing views and needs in eastern Ukraine will be defused. Let us resolve this issue so that we may unite to confront and take down our common enemy: ISIS. We pray this in the Name of Jesus, Amen and Amen.

- "God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. The princes of the people have gathered together, the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted." (Psalm 47:8-9 NKJV)


8. Russian General Calls for Preemptive Nuclear Strike Doctrine Against NATO - Moscow Times

A Russian general has called for Russia to revamp its military doctrine, last updated in 2010, to clearly identify the U.S. and its NATO allies as Moscow's enemy number one and spell out the conditions under which Russia would launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the 28-member military alliance, Interfax reported Wednesday. Russia's military doctrine, a strategy document through which the government interprets military threats and crafts possible responses, is being revised in light of threats connected to the Arab Spring, the Syrian civil war and the conflict in Ukraine, the deputy chief of the Kremlin's security council told RIA Novosti on Tuesday. (Read more)

- Heavenly Father, this is an extremely serious threat to not just NATO but to the entire world as the war being implied here would most likely be nuclear, and it is known that all nations and people would lose due to the resulting worldwide fallout of radiation. Have mercy Father, and rise up to confront all involved in plotting this kind of nightmarish event.  We pray this in the Name of Lord Jesus Christ and under His Shed Blood, Amen and Amen.

- "Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. Whoever offers praise glorifies Me; and to him who orders his conduct aright I will show the salvation of God." (Psalm 50:15 and 23 NKJV)


9. Russia's strategic nuclear forces to hold major exercise this month- Reuters

The forces responsible for Russia's strategic nuclear arsenal will conduct major exercises this month involving more than 4,000 soldiers, the Defence Ministry said on Wednesday, in the latest sign of rising tension with NATO over the Ukraine crisis. In an announcement a day before the start of a NATO summit in Wales, RIA news agency quoted the ministry as saying the exercises would take place in Altai in south-central Russia and would also include around 400 technical units and extensive use of air power.

The agency quoted Dmitry Andreyev, a major in the strategic rocket forces, as saying troops would practice countering irregular units and high-precision weapons, and "conducting combat missions in conditions of active radio-electronic jamming and intensive enemy actions in areas of troop deployment." He said enemy forces would be represented in the exercises by spetsnaz (special forces) units. (Read more)

- Heavenly Father, as Russia is now threatening the NATO Alliance with its nuclear weapons, we ask that You would show us Your mercy and protect Your people, Jew and Christian alike.  We pray this in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and under His Shed Blood, Amen and Amen.

- "May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob defend you; May He send you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion." (Psalm 20:1-2 NKJV)


10. Congress returns with busy agenda shortened by election year politics - Fox News

Members of Congress return this week after a five-week break for an abbreviated September session, in which they are expected to pass a budget bill to avert a gov't shutdown while avoiding taking any tough votes that could hurt their parties in midterm elections. (Read more)

- When praying over the remaining business of Congress this year, please pray without ceasing. Thank you.

- "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)


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:

"I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry." (Psalm 40:1)


1. Foreign Ministry said to propose EU force in Gaza - Times of Israel

Two weeks ago, the Foreign Ministry proposed to the Israeli cabinet a plan for stationing foreign troops in the Gaza Strip to monitor rebuilding and demilitarization efforts in the wake of the war there this summer, Haaretz reported Sunday.

According to the report, the forces would be empowered to confiscate weapons and contraband materials to ensure that Hamas will not be able to rearm itself.

Israel has demanded that Hamas be disarmed if it is to ease longstanding restrictions on the Strip and entertain the prospect of a seaport and airport in Gaza. Hamas, meanwhile, has vehemently rejected demilitarization. (Read more)


2. Abbas threatens to break partnership with Hamas - Israel National News

PA President: Decisions of war and peace must be decided by one Palestinian govt, Khaled Mashaal won't accept this condition; 'my patience with Israel, US, Hamas has expired'.

The rift between Fatah and Hamas, which developed over the course of Operation Protective Edge, continued to widen Saturday, when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas spoke to Egyptian reporters, threatening to break their current partnership if the organization in Gaza doesn't begin to make some changes.

"If Hamas won't accept a Palestinian State with one government, one law, and one weapon - then there won't be any partnership between us," said Abbas. "This is our condition, and we won't back away from it." (Read more)


3. Israel preparing for 'very violent' war against Hezbollah, TV report says - The Times of Israel

Just 10 days after a ceasefire ended a 50-day Israel-Hamas conflict, the Israeli army is "making plans and training" for "a very violent war" against Hezbollah in south Lebanon, an Israeli TV report said Friday night, without specifying when this war might break out.

The report, for which the army gave Israel's Channel 2 access to several of its positions along the border with Lebanon, featured an IDF brigade commander warning that such a conflict "will be a whole different story" from the Israel-Hamas conflict in which over 2,000 Gazans (half of them gunmen according to Israel) and 72 Israelis were killed. "We will have to use considerable force" to quickly prevail over the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, "to act more decisively, more drastically," said Colonel Dan Goldfus, commander of the 769th Hiram Infantry Brigade.

The report said Hezbollah has an estimated 100,000 rockets - 10 times as many as were in the Hamas arsenal - and that its 5,000 long-range missiles, located in Beirut and other areas deep inside Lebanon, are capable of carrying large warheads (of up to 1 ton and more), with precision guidance systems, covering all of Israel. (Read more)


4. Herzog meets Abbas, calls for resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks - Jerusalem Post

In the first meeting between a senior Israeli official and the PA leader since the 50-day Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, Herzog said the current situation amid the intermediary cease-fire provided a rare opportunity to forge a regional political settlement.

Abbas reiterated his position that the Israelis and Palestinians return to the negotiating table on the primary basis of determining, under a strict timeline, the borders of a future independent Palestinian state.

"The time has come for Israel to determine how it envisions the borders of the Palestinian state," Abbas charged. (Read more)


5. Former Mossad chief: There are signs of support for Islamic State in Israel - Jerusalem Post

Israel should be concerned with the possibility that its own citizens will potentially volunteer to join the Islamic State terrorist group, former Mossad chief Efraim Halevy warned on Sunday. Speaking during an interview with Army Radio, Halevy said that Israeli-Arabs volunteering for the group pose a greater threat than the possibility of the organization threatening Israel's borders. (Read more)


6. Shurat HaDin to Bring Hamas to Hague for War Crimes Against its Own People - Jewish Press

An Israeli civil rights group, Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center, has filed a complaint in the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague against Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal over the July-August murders of 38 Gazan civilians.

The motion by the Shurat Hadin Israel Law Center to bring Mashaal to the ICC was made possible by the fact that he is a citizen of Jordan, one of the ICC member states, and represents the first time that a Palestinian terrorist would be brought to the court on the basis of his Jordanian citizenship.

The complaint alleges that Hamas executed 20 Gazan civilians on July 28 for engaging in anti-Hamas protests, and publicly executed at least 18 civilians on August 22 for "collaboration" with Israel. The complaint further states that Mashaal "had knowledge of the executions, oversees Hamas's governance of Gaza, and actively encourages and supports the executions."

As a Jordanian citizen, the Hamas leader is subject to prosecution by the ICC because court is "empowered to exercise its jurisdiction over all acts committed by the citizen of a member, wherever those acts are committed," explained attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, the chairperson of Shurat Hadin. (Read more)


7. Netanyahu Thanks Florida for Support - The Jewish Press

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wrote Florida Gov. Rick Scott this week a thank you letter for the government's resolution last month supporting Israel.

"I received the state of Florida's recent resolution reaffirming your unrequited support for Israel's right of self-defense," Netanyahu wrote Scott. "My government has been acting to protect our citizens against the scourge of Islamist terrorism, and we are strengthened by the steadfast support of our many friends in Florida."

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi sponsored the resolution last month, which states Israel "remains a force of freedom and democracy in the Middle East" and a "steadfast ally of the United States.

"Be it resolved that the governor and Cabinet of the state of Florida do hereby declare that the state of Florida stands with Israel and supports Israel's right to defend and protect its citizens from the forces of tyranny and oppression to ensure the survival of the state of Israel. "Be it further resolved that the governor and Cabinet of the state of Florida vehemently condemn the unprovoked rocket attacks aimed at Israel and call on Hamas to immediately cease all rocket and other attacks against Israel. . .

"Florida continues to foster a strong relationship with Israel and is home to one of the largest Jewish populations outside of Israel. (Read more)


8. Ceasefire Talks to be Restarted in Two Weeks - Israel National News

A senior member of the Palestinian Arab negotiating team that reached a ceasefire deal with Israel on August 26 in Cairo said Saturday that restarted talks on larger demands will begin in another two weeks. More specifics regarding what will be discussed are to be agreed upon in Cairo before the talks resume according to al-Kairm, who noted no end date has been set for the continued negotiations that were slated to be held within a month of the ceasefire deal.

Al-Karim did specify that the issue of construction materials being allowed into Gaza will be discussed, as such materials currently are still not being allowed in. According to details of the ceasefire deal released by Palestinian Authority (PA) sources, Israel agreed to allow construction materials in to rebuild Gaza, despite the usage of such goods to build an extensive network of terror tunnels used lethally against Israel in Operation Protective Edge. During ceasefire negotiations Israel proposed letting in such materials after the ceasefire holds over a period of time.

Some key issues that were demanded by Hamas and are likely to be on the docket for the renewed talks include the construction of a Gaza sea and airport, which Israel has rejected. However, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Zahar has said his group would build the ports even without permission, hinting that construction materials would be used on the projects. Hamas is also demanding a swap of hundreds of terrorists for the bodies of IDF oldiers Second Lt. Hadar Goldin and First Sgt. Oron Shaul hy''d, who were killed in the operation. (Read more)
- Abba Father, the very attitudes reflected in this article coming from the Gazan side of the negotiations reflects why a peace agreement and permanent ceasefire is impossible as the Gazans clearly state how they will do things whether agreed upon or not.  Abba, You know there is no true desire for peaceful co-existence in this area but instead a driving desire for the full destruction of Your special land and people is what is wanted.  Abba, we ask for You to rise up and protect  Your people and special land, crushing all that is evil, vile and deceptive, praying this in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and under His Shed Blood, Amen and Amen.

- "Make no friendship with an angry man, and with a furious man do not go, lest you learn his ways and set a snare for your soul." (Proverbs 22:24-25 NKJV) 


Tracking ISIS

Tracking ISIS

"Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men, who plan evil things in their hearts; they continually gather for together for war." (Psalm 140:1-2)

1. US strikes Islamic State militants at Iraq's Haditha dam - BBC

The US has carried out a series of air strikes on Islamic State militants close to the vital Haditha dam in western Iraq, US officials say. The US strikes, the first in the area, were to protect the Iraqi forces and Sunni tribesmen in control of the dam. The US has carried out scores of air strikes to support Iraqi and Kurdish forces as they try to halt the advance of the militants in the north and west.


2. Syrian airstrikes target Islamic State stronghold - Salt Lake Tribune

Syria launched a series of airstrikes targeting a stronghold of the Islamic State extremist group on Saturday, killing at least 29 people, most of whom died when one of the missiles slammed into a crowded bakery, activists said. (Read more)


3. Iraq crisis: Kurds retake strategic mountain from IS- BBC

Kurdish forces in northern Iraq have recaptured a strategically important mountain from Islamic State (IS) militants, helped by US air strikes. Mount Zartak overlooks a plain that stretches to Mosul, the city seized by IS in June. The mountain fell to the Islamists last month when they staged a lightning attack on Iraqi Kurdistan. (Read more)


4. Romney: Obama 'out of touch' on Islamic State - Fox News

Former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney on Sunday ripped into President Obama for his handling of the Islamic State militant group and other foreign policy decisions, accusing the president several times of being "out of touch."

Romney said Obama has known for at least a year about the Islamic State threat, yet has taken no action and has not developed a strategy to deal with the militants.

"The president has a very different foreign policy than what the United States has had over the past 60 years," Romney said. "It's based on common humanity, and humanity is not common. Bad people do bad things." (Read more)


5. Henry Kissinger: Iran 'A Bigger Problem Than ISIS' - Huffington Post

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said that Iran "is a bigger problem than ISIS." In an interview with NPR that was released on Saturday, Kissinger explained that because Iran has a stronger footing in the Middle East, it has a greater opportunity to create an empire. (Read more)


6. Obama: US to 'go on offensive' vs. ISIS - Fox News

President Obama said Sunday that the United States will "go on the offensive" against Islamic State militants in the Middle East and that he will further outline his plans Wednesday in a speech. "The next phase is us going on the offensive," Obama said in an interview that aired Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."

The president said that on Wednesday he will not announce the use of U.S. ground troops or a campaign equal to the war in Iraq and that his goal is to make clear the mission is to deal with terror threats like those over the past several years. However, he acknowledged that Islamic State is unique because of its "territorial ambitions" in the Middle East.

"Over the course of months, we are going to be able to not just blunt the momentum of ISIL," he said, using an alternate name for the group. "We are going to systematically degrade their capabilities. We're going to shrink the territory that they control. And ultimately we're going to defeat them."

Obama said he has the "authority he needs" to increase attacks on Islamic State targets without congressional approval. But he did not answer repeated questions about whether he will order air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria. (Read more)


7. Former hostage says Brussels museum shooting suspect was an ISIS guard - Fox News

A French journalist who was held hostage by ISIS until his release earlier this year has identified one of his torturers as the suspect in the deadly shooting at the Jewish Museum in Brussels.

The Daily Telegraph reported that Nicolas Henin had confirmed the identity of Mehdi Nemmouche as one of his captors in an article written for the French magazine Le Point. The Telegraph reported that Henin had decided to speak up about his experience after the French newspaper Le Monde quoted French intelligence sources naming Nemmouche as an ISIS member.

Nemmouche is currently awaiting trial in the May 24 shooting, in which he is accused of killing an Israeli couple and a French woman who were visiting the museum, as well as a Begian man who worked there. Nemmouche was arrested six days later in the southern French city of Marseille. (Read more)


8. Kerry discusses IS with Arab League chief - The Times of Israel

Secretary of State John Kerry discussed Saturday the Islamic State threat with the head of the Arab League, ahead of the group's next round of discussions.

The Arab League is due to hold a ministerial meeting in Cairo on Sunday to address fast-moving changes in the region.

Kerry and Arab League chief Nabil al-Araby "discussed the need for the Arab League and its members to take a strong position in the coalition that is developing against ISIL," a senior State Department official said, using one of the acronyms by which the Islamic State is known. (Read more)


Tracking the Virus

Tracking the Virus

"Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise." (Jeremiah 17:14)


1. Sierra Leone orders three-day lockdown amid Ebola crisis - Fox News

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone - Authorities are ordering people in Sierra Leone to stay inside their homes for three days later this month as part of an effort to stop the spread of Ebola, which has killed more than 2,000 people across West Africa, a government spokesman said Saturday.

Abdulai Bayraytay said the government is telling people to stay inside their homes on Sept. 19, 20 and 21. The dates were chosen to give people enough time to stock up on food and other provisions before the ban on movement goes into effect, he said. (Read more)


2. Doctors Without Borders: Sierra Leone Lockdown Won't Work - Fox News

Already though some are questioning whether the measure will help. Doctors Without Borders says it "will be extremely difficult for health workers to accurately identify cases through door-to-door screening."

Even if suspected cases are identified during the lockdown, the group says Sierra Leone doesn't have enough beds for them.

"Without a place to take suspected cases - to screen and treat them - the approach cannot work," the group said Saturday. "It has been our experience that lockdowns and quarantines do not help control Ebola as they end up driving people underground and jeopardizing the trust between people and health providers. This leads to the concealment of potential cases and ends up spreading the disease further."

Ebola has killed more than 2,000 people across West Africa, including more than 400 deaths in Sierra Leone. (Read more)


3. Sierra Leone's Ebola lockdown will not help, says MSF - BBC

A three-day lockdown announced by Sierra Leone to combat Ebola will not help contain the virus, medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says. The charity said a lockdown would force people underground, destroy trust between doctors and the public and ultimately help spread the disease. Sierra Leone officials say the measure, due to begin on 19 September, will let health workers isolate new cases. (Read more)


4. Wife says US doctor infected with Ebola 'slightly improved' - Fox News

The wife of an American doctor infected with the Ebola virus was described by his wife as being "very sick and weak, but slightly improved" late Saturday.

Debbie Sacra visited Dr. Rick Sacra at the Nebraska hospital where he is receiving treatment along with their son Maxwell, a hospital spokesman told the Associated Press. Taylor Wilson said the family members interacted via a video link for approximately 25 minutes.

Wilson told The Associated Press that Sacra remained in stable condition. (Read more)


5. Ebola epidemic spread 'accelerating' as 1,000 deaths reported last month - The Telegraph UK

The spread of the world's worst-ever Ebola epidemic has accelerated rapidly with close to 1,000 deaths in the last month alone, World Health Organisation (WHO) figures show. With the overall West Africa death toll since March reaching 1,850, the new statistics show deaths from Ebola have more than doubled in just four weeks. (Read more)


6. 16 Apocalyptic Quotes From Global Health Officials About This Horrific Ebola Epidemic - RightSideNews

Ebola continues to spread an exponential rate. According to the World Health Organization, 40 percent of all Ebola cases have happened in just the last three weeks. At this point, the official numbers tell us that approximately 3,500 people have gotten the virus in Africa and more than 1,900 people have died. That is quite alarming, but the real problem will arise if this disease continues to spread at an exponential pace. (Read more)


Boko Haram Seized Towns in Nigeria

Islamic extremists grab towns in northeast Nigeria


YOLA, Nigeria (AP) - Nigeria's Islamic extremist group, Boko Haram, has seized more towns along Nigeria's northeastern border with Cameroon and is adopting a strategy of encouraging civilians to stay, witnesses said Sunday, as the militants pursue their new aim to carve out an "Islamic caliphate" under their black and white flag.

Nigerian army soldiers fled when hundreds of insurgents in stolen military armored personnel carriers, trucks and motorcycles attacked Gulak, an administrative headquarters of Adamawa state, said resident Michael Kirshinga, who also ran away. The nearby towns of Duhu, Shuwa, Kirshinga and others also fell in assaults over Friday night and Saturday, witnesses said.

Further north, soldiers fought off rebels advancing Saturday on Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, headquarters of the military campaign against the insurgency and the birthplace of Boko Haram. The military attacked the rebels' camp at a village outside Kondudga, just 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Maiduguri.

Thunderous gunfire could be heard in Maiduguri throughout Saturday, instilling fear in already panicked residents. Hundreds fled the city even before hearing the sounds of battle.

The soldiers killed dozens of the extremists outside Konduga, said a member of the vigilante group that fights alongside the military. The soldiers were sent to retake the town of Bama, which fell to Boko Haram a week ago, but stopped at Konduga and refused to advance further, said a vigilante commander. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.

Bama is littered with bodies, residents who fled the town told the AP. The extremists were killing men, but sparing women and children, they said.

In Gulak, however, the insurgents were trying to persuade people to stay, said resident Michael Kirshinga. "They assured us that they will not attack us, but people begun to run for their lives, some of us have fled for fear that, after subduing the soldiers, the insurgents will turn their (gun) barrels on us," Kirshinga said.

Nearly 26,000 people fled Bama, the Nigerian Emergency Management Agency reported. Those fleeing joined 1.5 million people forced from their homes since Nigeria declared a state of emergency in May 2013, according to U.N. figures. They need shelter and food, and officials warn of a looming food crisis since most refugees are farmers.

A Ministry of Defense statement Friday tried to reassure residents without success. Most fearful are students and staff at the University of Maiduguri, which is alongside a dry riverbed and on the road from Konduga to Maiduguri, a route Boko Haram has used in past attacks on the city.

"We are so very scared. If they are to come attacking, as has been rumored, we doubt if they would spare us because they have to pass in front of our school before getting to the town," student Halima Muhammad told The Associated Press. He said students writing end of term exams can barely concentrate.

Boko Haram now holds a string of towns in all three of the northeastern states that have been under a military emergency since May 2014 - Adamawa, Yobe and hardest-hit Borno.

The seizures come as the United States announced that it is about to launch a major border security program for Nigeria and its neighbors to fight Boko Haram.

U.S. assistant secretary for African affairs, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, made the announcement Thursday when she and the United Nations expressed deep concern about the deteriorating security situation. In an apparent rebuke to the Nigerian government and the military's denials of the perilous situation, she said it was "past time for denial and pride." (Read more)


Join us for Prayer on 9/10!!

Join us in a Nationwide Conference Call on the eve of 9/11 to Pray for the Protection of our Nation, and to Repent of our National Sins before our Lord.


DETAILS OF THIS CALL:

DATE: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

TIME: 7:00 P.M. EDT

CONFERENCE NUMBER: 559-726-1300

ACCESS CODE: 596015#


CRY OUT AMERICA on 9/11!

Momentum Continues to Build for Nationwide 9/11 Prayer Gatherings


Cleveland, Tenn.- Cry out America is experiencing a tremendous increase of registrations from intercessors, pastors, churches, ministries, and citizens willing to lead public prayer gatherings on Thursday, September 11, 2014.

Cry Out America is the grassroots prayer initiative of theAwakening America Alliance, an organization formed in 2007 to "provide a broad umbrella under which the body of Christ in America can unite together in seeking a contemporary spiritual awakening."

The Cry Out America September 11 gatherings initially began as noon prayer meetings at county courthouses across the nation. People have joined together crying out in repentance and asking God for mercy at the place of justice. This effort to unite citizens of every state, every county, and every church in prayer for a Christ Awakening in the nation has mobilized hundreds of thousands at 9/11 prayer gatherings in all 50 states, including 38 U.S. counties with a population of one million or more. The Alliance has witnessed people join hands and hearts across major denominational lines-mainline Evangelicals, Protestants, Catholics, and traditional Pentecostals-all coming together under the banner of Christ.
The Patriot Day sacred assemblies continue primarily at 12:00 noon at county courthouses throughout the nation but have broadened to state capitols, churches, and other public venues. For 2014, COA prayer points are expanding to include Prison Fellowship Ministries, pregnancy care centers, university campuses, marketplace groups, and other para-church ministries. Communities are incorporating 24-7 prayer in the days leading to 9/11, and others are including cooperative evangelism and service initiatives.
COA National Coordinator, Kay Horner has chosen Today's Dream Awakens Tomorrow's Destiny as this year's theme. We must ask ourselves: "If dreams birth desires and desires determine destiny, what is the vision God has placed in our hearts for the emerging generations following in our footsteps?" Kay continued, "We need people to respond to the passion God has placed in their hearts and join us in this vital prayer movement."
To learn more about the Awakening America Alliance or to participate in a 9/11 Cry Out America prayer gathering, visit www.awakeningameria.us. Click on the United States map to locate your county coordinator or register as a volunteer to mobilize people for focused prayer, seeking a Christ awakening in our nation!

The FIRST PRAYER in Congress!

The FIRST PRAYER in Congress!

September 7, 1774

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania


SEPTEMBER 7, 1774, the First Session of the Continental Congress was opened with prayer in Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia.

Threatened by the most powerful monarch in the world, Britain's King George III, America's founding fathers heard Rev. Jacob Duche' begin by reading Psalm 35, the Anglican Book of Common Prayer's "Psalter" for that day:

"Plead my cause, Oh, Lord, with them that strive with me, fight against them that fight against me. Take hold of buckler and shield, and rise up for my help.

Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me; Say to my soul, 'I am your salvation.' Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life; Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me."

Then Rev. Jacob Duche' prayed:

"Be Thou present, O God of Wisdom, and direct the counsel of this Honorable Assembly; enable them to settle all things on the best and surest foundations; that the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that Order, Harmony and Peace may be effectually restored, and that Truth and Justice, Religion and Piety, prevail and flourish among the people. . .

That same day, John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, describing the prayer:

"When the Congress met, Mr. Cushing made a motion that it should be opened with Prayer.

It was opposed by Mr. Jay of New York, and Mr. Rutledge of South Carolina because we were so divided in religious sentiments, some Episcopalians, some Quakers, some Anabaptists, some Presbyterians, and some Congregationalists, that we could not join in the same act of worship.
Mr. Samuel Adams arose and said that he was no bigot, and could hear a Prayer from any gentleman of Piety and virtue, who was at the same time a friend to his Country.

He was a stranger in Philadelphia, but had heard that Mr. Duche' deserved that character and therefore he moved that Mr. Duche', an Episcopal clergyman might be desired to read Prayers to Congress tomorrow morning.

The motion was seconded, and passed in the affirmative. Mr. Randolph, our president, vailed on Mr. Duche', and received for answer, that if his health would permit, he certainly would. . . "

John Adams continued:

"Accordingly, next morning Reverend Mr. Duche' appeared with his clerk and in his pontificals, and read several prayers in the established form, and read the collect for the seventh day of September, which was the thirty-fifth Psalm.

You must remember, this was the next morning after we heard the horrible rumor of the cannonade of Boston.

I never saw a greater effect upon an audience. It seemed as if heaven had ordained that Psalm to be read on that morning.

After this, Mr. Duche', unexpectedly to every body, struck out into an extemporary prayer, which filled the bosom of every man present. I must confess, I never heard a better prayer, or one so well pronounced.

(Source: The American Minute) Read more here.

National Prayer Assembly

National Prayer Assembly

October 29 - 30, 2014


Calling for a Gideon's Army of Prayer Warriors for such a time as this!


Are you sensing a call of God to a time of intense intercession for the United States? At this time of growing crisis in which our nation seems to be have lost its direction morally, spiritually, politically and economically, a number of Christian leaders have heard that call and are inviting you to Washington DC, October 29-30 for a National Prayer Assembly. Scheduled just one week before our national elections, it comes at a crucial time in our nation's life. It is not a time for politicking or posturing, but for passionate prayer for a fresh move of God for the transformation of our nation. Our prayer focus is on repentance, reconciliation, and revival in the spirit of God's great promise for national restoration in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

This gathering is being sponsored by America's National Prayer Committee, The International Prayer Council, Mission America Coalition, and Renewal of America.

For more details about registration and lodging for the National Prayer Assembly, please go here.


Our Weekly Bible Study

Our Weekly Bible Study

The Week of Sunday, Sept. 7 - Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014

> > > To read the "One Year Bible" weekly letter, go here.

> > > To read the Shabbat Torah readings, go here.


The Good News Corner

The Good News Corner:

Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper to be Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize for His Support of Israel


"More than any other individual, he has consistently spoken out with resolve regarding the safety of people under threat-such as opposing Russian aggression and annexation of Ukrainian territory-and has worked to ensure that other world leaders truly understand the threat of Islamic terrorism facing us today." -B'nai Brith, Canada

(Israel)-"Sons of the Covenant" Jewish group B'nai Brith of Canada announced Friday it intends to nominate Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for a Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of his staunch and unwavering support of Israel.

"With recent developments across the globe posing new and difficult challenges, only one leader, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, has maintained the moral clarity needed to face them, says B'nai Brith Canada," reads the press release.
B'nai Brith CEO Frank Dimant said, "Moral clarity has been lost across much of the world, with terror, hatred and anti-semitism filling the void. Throughout, there has been one leader which has demonstrated international leadership and a clear understanding of the differences between those who would seek to do evil, and their victims. More than any other individual, he has consistently spoken out with resolve regarding the safety of people under threat-such as opposing Russian aggression and annexation of Ukrainian territory-and has worked to ensure that other world leaders truly understand the threat of Islamic terrorism facing us today."

Harper made his first official visit to Israel in January, during which he addressed the Knesset. "After generations of persecution, the Jewish people deserve their own homeland, and deserve to live safely and peacefully in that homeland," he said. He expressed Canada's support of Israel, adding, "It is Canadian tradition to stand for what is principled and just, regardless of whether it is convenient or popular.

Source: Breaking Christian News


Signs and Wonders

Signs and Wonders

T. Rex times seven: New dinosaur species is discovered in Argentina


Scientists have discovered and described a new supermassive dinosaur species with the most complete skeleton ever found of its type. At 85 feet long and weighing about 65 tons in life, Dreadnoughtus schrani is the largest land animal for which a body mass can be accurately calculated.

Its skeleton is exceptionally complete, with over 70 percent of the bones, excluding the head, represented. Because all previously discovered super-massive dinosaurs are known only from relatively fragmentary remains, Dreadnoughtus offers an unprecedented window into the anatomy and biomechanics of the largest animals to ever walk the Earth.

"Dreadnoughtus schrani was astoundingly huge," said Kenneth Lacovara, an associate professor in Drexel University's College of Arts and Sciences, who discovered the Dreadnoughtus fossil skeleton in southern Patagonia in Argentina and led the excavation and analysis. "It weighed as much as a dozen African elephants or more than seven T. rex. Shockingly, skeletal evidence shows that when this 65-ton specimen died, it was not yet full grown. It is by far the best example we have of any of the most giant creatures to ever walk the planet." (National Science Foundation) Read more here.


"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!

Julie True - "Healing in Your Presence"

Worship Here

Today's Birthdays

Today's Birthdays on the Hill

Almost every day of the year, a member of Congress or a Senator is celebrating a birthday. Let's lift up these men and women, day by day in prayer on their special day, that God might bless them and show them His love for each one. Indeed, let's move together in obedience to the Lord's mandate in I Timothy 2:1-4. It is written:
"I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

Today's Birthday Greetings go to:

Sen. Bernard Sanders (VT)

Rep. Mike Simpson (ID)


(Source: Bible Pathways Ministries. www.biblepathway.org)