Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
"A National Prayer Alliance"
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The Daily Brief:
"Praying for All in Authority"
Friday, September 4, 2015
"My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." (Exodus 33:14)
The Daily Brief will not be published on Monday, September 7th -- Labor Day.
In this time of intense spiritual activity and spiritual warfare, let's devote this Labor Day . . . to "labor to enter into His rest." (Hebrews 4:11) Amen.
Reminder! "How to Win the Lost to Christ" - a seminar on practical tools for evangelism, led by Patti Kelleher, will be repeated tonight at 9:00 p.m. EDT.
Conference number: 712-432-0075
Access Code: 412850#
WELCOME!
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The Middle East in Focus
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"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you." (Isaiah 54:10)
1. Rivlin: West Bank settlements are as Israeli as Tel Aviv - Jerusalem Post
The settlements in Samaria are as much a part of Israel as the country's largest city Tel Aviv, said President Reuven Rivlin as he visited an elementary school in the community of Peduel.
"Sometimes, people talk of the state of Tel Aviv or the state of Jerusalem, the Jewish state and the state of Israel," Rivlin said as he stood in the school's courtyard to help celebrate the first day of classes.
"Those who live here know that there is no such thing as the state of Tel Aviv or the state of Jerusalem. There is just one country, the state of Israel," said Rivlin.
(Read more)
2. Kerry Believes Israel-PA Talks Can Restart - Israel National News
Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday he believes peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) can be re-launched, AFP reports.
The comments came a day after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared he was ready to resume direct talks with the Palestinians.
"I believe there is a chance and I think it is imperative we have not lost sight of that issue," Kerry said Wednesday in an interview with MSNBC.
(Read more)
3. Police, firefighters are attacked after rescuing Arab family in capital - Jerusalem Post
Moments after saving a Arab family from a fire in Jerusalem's Isawiya neighborhood on Wednesday afternoon, police and firefighters were attacked by Arab locals throwing rocks.
Firefighters were notified of the blaze in a five-story apartment building in the flashpoint neighborhood on Mount Scopus shortly after 3 p.m., police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
"Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters and police spotted a family trapped on the building's roof attempting to get away from the fire and heavy smoke. They quickly cordoned off the area and rushed into the building to save the family," Rosenfeld said.
(Read more)
4. United Nations set to back Palestinian flag-raising - Times of Israel
A draft resolution on raising the Palestinian flag at the United Nations will be adopted next week in time for PA President Mahmoud Abbas' visit to New York, the Palestinian envoy said Thursday.
The UN General Assembly will vote on September 10 on the measure that is almost certain to garner a majority of votes in the 193-nation forum.
"We have the votes and we are working to get as many votes as we can," said Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian representative to the United Nations.
(Read more)
5. State budget passes first Knesset reading - Israel Hayom
The 2015-2016 state budget bill passed its first Knesset reading Wednesday, following a marathon session that ended with 57 MKs voting in favor and 53 MKs against it.
At 424.8 billion shekels ($108.2 billion), the two-year plan is the biggest budget in Israel's history. It includes NIS 103 billion ($26 billion) to cover government debts, NIS 56 billion ($14 billion) for defense spending, NIS 48 billion ($12 billion) for education, and NIS 29 billion ($7 billion) for health care.
The Knesset's Economics Committee will prepare the bill for its second and third Knesset readings, scheduled for coming weeks.
(Read more)
6. Pope eyes unity, not division, in talks with Rivlin - Times of Israel
Pope Francis met with President Reuven Rivlin in Rome during an official visit to the Vatican, for talks in which the pontiff urged the renewal of direct negotiations with the Palestinians.
Rivlin met with the pope for about 30 minutes in Francis' study Thursday.
In the exchange of gifts Rivlin gave the Pope a replica of a tablet with the inscription "House of David," the earliest known mention of King David that has been found outside of the Old Testament.
(Read more)
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The Daily Brief
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1. UN expected to easily pass resolution allowing Palestinian flag to fly at New York HQ - Jerusalem Post
The UN General assembly is likely to adopt a resolution next week that would allow the Palestinian flag to be raised at the United Nations in time for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' visit to New York... The 193-nation body will vote on September 10 on the measure, predicted to easily garner enough support for easy passage, according to AFP. (Read more)
- Abba Father, we stand in the gap and we ask You to intervene in this critical matter. Just last week, the mainstream news reported the opposite outcome: that this Palestinian flag would not fly at the U.N. Now we see the reverse. We ask You to visit the leaders of the United Nations in their bedchambers, and show them Your terror in the night, that they once again change their minds and prevent that flag from flying. We ask this in Jesus name, amen and amen.
- "In a dream, a vision of the night, When sound sleep falls on men, While they slumber in their beds, then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction," (Job 33:15,16)
2. Flashpoint: White House Confirms Russian Presence In Syria, Warns It Is "Destabilizing" - ZeroHedge
Two days ago we reported something which we had anticipated for a long time but nonetheless did not expect to take shape so swiftly: namely, that with Assad's regime close to collapse and fighting a war on three different fronts (one of which is directly supported by US air and "advisor" forces), Putin would have no choice but to finally intervene in the most anticipated showdown in recent history as "Russian fighter pilots are expected to begin arriving in Syria in the coming days, and will fly their Russian air force fighter jets and attack helicopters against ISIS and rebel-aligned targets within the failing state." (Read more)
- Abba Father God, we cry out to You for help in time of need. We ask You to cause the winds of danger to ease off, and for peace to return to this area of the world. We ask for the safety of all who live in Syria, Lord, who worship you in Spirit and in Truth. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray, amen and amen.
- "I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me." (Psalm 120:1)
3. Syrian Church Leader Begs Christians to Stay Despite War and Persecution; Warns Christianity Is Disappearing - Christian Post
A senior Catholic leader in Syria is asking young Christians to stay in the war-torn country despite the ongoing violence and persecution they face, noting that parishes are being emptied and Christianity is disappearing from the region.
"The almost communal wave of youth emigration, especially in Syria, but also in Lebanon and Iraq breaks my heart, wounding me deeply and dealing me a deadly blow," Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregorios III said in an open letter, according to Catholic Herald.
"Given this tsunami of emigration ... what future is left for the Church? What will become of our homeland? What will become of our parishes and institutions?" Gregorios asked.
- Father, we see the desperate plight of our brothers and' sisters who live in Syria, and who are now caught in the crossfire of Assad's troops and those who want to take him down. ISIS, too, is a real threat. Lord God, only You can help these dear souls. We pray for the church in Syria, and ask that, somehow, it will stand strong in the midst of this life-threatening chaos. We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen and amen.
- "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32:27)
4. Drowned refugee boys buried in Syria; crackdown crumbles in Hungary - Reuters
A Syrian father on Friday buried his wife and two little boys, drowned as they tried to flee to Europe, while hundreds of migrants fled from a detention camp and escaped a train stranded under police siege in Hungary. Hungary's hardline leader said Europeans could end up a minority on their own continent as a crackdown appeared to crumble in his own country, main entry point for tens of thousands of refugees and migrants reaching the EU by land over the Balkan peninsula. Hungary has canceled all trains to western Europe to prevent migrants from traveling on and seeking sanctuary in richer countries north and west. Its prime minister, Viktor Orban, says he is enforcing EU rules by forcing all migrants into camps to register, rather than let them proceed on to other countries. (Read more)
- Lord, there are so many, huge and complex problems across the globe today . . . and You know them all. Father, we simply loose our tongues tonight, and pray in the Spirit as we lift the European refugee crisis before Your Throne of Grace. We agree with Your plans and purposes for those who are fleeing terror tonight around the world. We do this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen and amen.
- "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:26,27)
5. Obama promising Saudi king to help to keep Iran in check; like 'I have your back' pledge to Israel - Times of Israel
The Obama administration is greeting King Salman of Saudi Arabia with assurances that the Iran nuclear deal comes with the necessary resources to help check the Islamic Republic's regional ambitions.
The Saudi king is making his first visit to the White House since ascending the throne in January and Friday's talks with US President Barack Obama come at an important moment.
The Iran accord will provide the Shiite nation with hundreds of billions of dollars in relief from international sanctions in exchange for a decade of constraints on its nuclear program. Officials in Saudi Arabia, a Sunni nation, have cautiously supported the deal, but worry about enforcement and whether an Iranian government flush with cash will wreak havoc throughout the Middle East. (Read more)
- Well, Lord, for once we side with the Saudis, who are quietly against this deal. They see the danger ahead, and they are not fooled. Lord God, let their voice and those of their other Sunni Middle Eastern allies speak loud and clear later this month at the United Nations, when this deal comes up for a final vote. We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen and amen.
- (Regarding passage of the Iran deal) "Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; State a proposal, but it will not stand, For God is with us." (Isaiah 8:10)
6. Leading Lawyer Defending Crosses in 'China's Jerusalem' Jailed Before Meeting US Ambassador - Christianity Today
China has arrested the leader of "Lawyers for Protection of the Cross." The group defends churches whose crosses have been forcibly removed amid a government campaign to strip skylines of Christian symbols.
Zhang Kai is the latest of more than 250 attorneys, pastors, and human rights activists detained or arrested since July in connection with the 400 to 1,200 cross removals in the eastern province of Zhejiang, a Christian stronghold.
On August 25, police in Wenzhou, a coastal city known as "China's Jerusalem," jumped a wall at Xialing Church and arrested Zhang Kai and his intern, Liu Peng. The arrests occurred on the eve of a scheduled meeting with David Saperstein, the US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.
"These detentions fit into the disturbing pattern of state intimidation of public-interest lawyers, internet activists, journalists, [and] religious leaders," Saperstein said to news media. "Other people that I have met, or tried to, have suffered harassment of some kind. [The US government] demands the immediate release of these activists, who boldly underline the precariousness of religious life in China." (Read more)
- Lord God, we ask for Your divine intervention in this matter. Be with those who are now in jail in China, as they work to defend our faith in a land of religious persecution. We ask for their release, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen and amen.
- "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. . . " (Psalm 23:1)
7. GOP leader surrenders to Obama. . . again! - Grassfire
Senate Majority Leader Refuses to Bring Up Bill to Defund Planned Parenthood
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has, once again, raised the white flag when it comes to challenging the Obama agenda. On Monday, McConnell told WYMT-TV:
"The President's made it very clear he's not going to sign any bill that includes defunding of Planned Parenthood, so that's another issue that awaits a new president, hopefully with a different point of view about Planned Parenthood."
Really? Planned Parenthood is harvesting the organs and tisssue of aborted babies! Yet the "leader" of the United States Senate just admitted that he's unwilling to put forward a bill to stop these heinous and depraved acts because President Obama won't sign it?
So what if he won't sign it!
Force our nation's "Radical-in-Chief" to veto a bill to defund Planned Parenthood. That way, the American people will know exactly where the President stands on providing tax-payer money to abortion mills that carve up their unborn victims (some who reportedly are still alive!) and sell their "parts" to the highest bidder. (Read more)
- Lord God, we thank You that we live in a nation that still allows us the freedom to voice our opinions on matters of our choosing. We ask that a groundswell of citizens will take action, informing the leadership of both the House and the Senate that the time for action to defund Planned Parenthood is NOW. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen and amen.
- "Thy people will volunteer freely in the day of Thy power." (Psalm 110:3)
8. Cruz on Kentucky Clerk: 'What Happened Today Is an Outrage'; 'That Is Not America' - CNSNews.com
"What happened today is an outrage," Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) told Fox News's Megyn Kelly Thursday night. He was talking about Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis, who spent the night in a Kentucky jail for refusing a federal judge's order to issue marriage licenses to homosexuals. "God's moral law conflicts with my job duties," she told the judge in court on Thursday. "For the first time we're seeing a Christian woman thrown in jail for standing up for her faith," Cruz said. "I'll tell you. I stand with Kim Davis, unequivocally. I stand with her and anyone else that the government is trying to persecute for standing up for their faith. This is fundamentally wrong and it's inconsistent with the First Amendment of the Constitution. (Read more)
> > > See also: remarks by Senator Rand Paul by going here . . . and comments by Mike Huckabee by going here.
- Father . . . now it has begun. To quote Senator Cruz, "We are a nation that was formed by people fleeing religious oppression and coming to seek a land where we could worship free of the government getting in the way. And it is stunning what is happening here." We cry out in repentance before You for our sins as a nation, and we ask for Your Hand of mercy to rest upon us. We ask for a way of escape for Kim Clark, and forgiveness for those who are persecuting her. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen and amen.
- "In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the one who is feeble among them in that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them." (Zech. 12:8)
9. The REAL Story Behind the Kentucky Clerk Facing Jail - Breaking Christian News
"If the Word of God Isn't Worth Fighting For, I Don't Know What Is"
The press is trying to paint her as a hypocrite with a shady past who's been divorced multiple times. What they don't tell you is that she was redeemed from her past only four years ago when she was radically saved during a church memorial for her mother-in-law.
A report published by Decision Magazine details the remarkable spiritual journey of Kim Davis, the Rowan County Clerk from Kentucky who has made headlines since being arrested for not issuing gay marriage licenses.
"[Davis'] deep devotion to Christ is rooted in the love and grace she received at her conversion [in 2011] more than four years ago, which she said followed years of "living in a pit of sin that I had created with my very own hands."
The article says Davis is grounded in the peace of God that "passes all understanding" and notes that she prays regularly for "the salvation and protection of the same-sex couples who have assailed her."
"We serve a living God who is alive and on the throne," she said. "He knows exactly where I am and I know that His hand is upon me and upon His people. He is in full control."
"If the Word of God isn't worth fighting for," she concluded, "I don't know anything that is." (Read more)
- Praise the Lord for the strong testimony and witness of Kim Davis. Lord God, may many others be raised up like her, who will proclaim the absolute truth of Your Gospel in these desperate times! We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen and amen.
- "Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord!" (Psalm 150:6)
10. Glenn Beck Calling for "Nationwide" Prayer for "All Those Who Protect and Serve Our Nation" - Breaking Christian News
As the family, friends and the many members of law enforcement attended the funeral, Friday morning, for Deputy Darren Goforth in Houston, TX; Radio Host, author and speaker Glenn Beck asked for the Church to also come together and pray.
Beck noted that his team would be present and in prayer at the Watermark Church in Dallas, and urged Christians to pray together at the churches in their own communities.
"Now is the time," says Beck. "We must unite in prayer for our nation's first responders." (Read more)
- Lord God, we thank You for Glenn Beck's call to prayer, and we agree with him, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen and amen.
- "The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16)
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The Daily Jot
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Friday, September 4, 2015
US Culture War--jailed for religious beliefs
The clash between the First Amendment and judicial activism has come to a boil as Morehead, Kentucky, Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis has been sent to jail for not issuing same sex marriage licenses. The judge says she is breaking the law in defying his court order to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples. He has ordered her incarcerated until she changes her mind. Davis, an elected official, is required to discharge her duties as an officer of the state. She is experiencing the power of government in this situation because it is the law of the land that same sex couples can marry. But it is not the law of the land, far from it. And in this, is where Davis may have a chance to get out of jail.
Laws in the United States follow a process. Many states outlawed same sex marriage through the legal or referendum process. The Supreme Court stretched and twisted the Constitution to create a law from the bench to require all states to marry same sex couples. It is no different than the way abortion was legalized. No law was voted on by elected representatives of the people. The Constitution also says that if an item is not enumerated in the Constitution it is reserved for the individual states or for the people to decide. The Constitution's remedy for no law is to kick the question back to the states or the people--not to allow the Supreme Court to make law where there is no law.
Same sex marriage is not in the Constitution. It should be a state issue or a people issue. The Supreme Court, some of which are homosexual or homosexual activists (two I know of performed same sex civil unions or marriages before the vote), overstepped its bounds by making law. This created two problems in the very least--redefining marriage and undermining the First Amendment guarantees of religious freedom and free speech. The case in Rowan County underscores this. Because of personal religious beliefs, Kim Davis is sitting in jail. OR because Kim Davis refuses to execute her job as a government representative according to the law of the land, she is sitting in jail.
The way these lawyers and government activists will get past the First Amendment is by saying your religious beliefs cannot compel you to break the law. You can't say (at least currently), for example, I am allowed to murder someone because of my religious beliefs (does Islam come to mind?). You have to abide by the law. This is how the First Amendment will be undermined by the homosexual agenda. You have the right to worship how you want or say what you want so long as it isn't standing against homosexual marriage because it is now the law of the land. It wasn't law, it was judicial activism. But it is perceived as law. This is the real war. Your rights as a Christian are at stake. Put on the full armor of God that as Ephesians 6:11 says, "you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
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Obama Wins; America Loses
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Obama Wins; America Loses
Yesterday, Maryland Democrat Barbara Mikulski became the 34th senator to support the Iranian nuclear deal. Her support gives President Obama the votes needed to sustain his veto of a congressional resolution disapproving the deal. That means this terrible deal will likely go into effect.
This is a hollow victory for Obama and his party. A new Rasmussen poll finds that 66% of likely voters believe that the deal should not go into effect unless Congress approves it. But that isn't going to happen because most members of Congress will not vote for this bad deal. And it is a bad deal.
How do we know that?
More than 200 retired U.S. admirals and generals oppose it.
Scores of arms control and non-proliferation experts say it is "not verifiable." They are right. Iran's defense minister said yesterday, "Iran does not plan to issue permission for [U.N. inspectors] to inspect every site."
And two-thirds of civilian and military government workers in national security-related positions who were polled oppose it. (Gary Bauer; Excerpt)
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Our Grandmothers' Songs
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Songs Our Grandmothers Sang:
SING PRAISE TO GOD WHO REIGNS ABOVE
"O praise the greatness of our God!" (Deuteronomy 32:3)
Lyrics
Sing praise to God Who reigns above, the God of all creation, The God of power, the God of love, the God of our salvation. With healing balm my soul is filled and every faithless murmur stilled: To God all praise and glory.
What God's almighty power hath made His gracious mercy keepeth, By morning glow or evening shade His watchful eye ne'er sleepeth; Within the kingdom of His might, Lo! all is just and all is right: To God all praise and glory.
The Lord is never far away, but through all grief distressing, An ever present help and stay, our peace and joy and blessing. As with a mother's tender hand, God gently leads the chosen band: To God all praise and glory.
Thus, all my toilsome way along, I sing aloud Thy praises, That earth may hear the grateful song my voice unwearied raises. Be joyful in the Lord, my heart, both soul and body bear your part: To God all praise and glory.
Let all who name Christ's holy Name give God all praise and glory; Let all who own His power proclaim aloud the wondrous story! Cast each false idol from its throne, for Christ is Lord, and Christ alone: To God all praise and glory.
Melody
Please go here.
About the Author:
Words: Johann J. Schütz, 1675.
Music: Mit Freuden Zart, 1556
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Signs and Wonders
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60,000 antelopes died in 4 days - and no one knows why
It started in late May.
When geoecologist Steffen Zuther and his colleagues arrived in central Kazakhstan to monitor the calving of one herd of saigas, a critically endangered, steppe-dwelling antelope, veterinarians in the area had already reported dead animals on the ground.
"But since there happened to be die-offs of limited extent during the last years, at first we were not really alarmed," Zuther, the international coordinator of the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative, told Live Science.
But within four days, the entire herd - 60,000 saiga - had died. As veterinarians and conservationists tried to stem the die-off, they also got word of similar population crashes in other herds across Kazakhstan. By early June, the mass dying was over. (Read more)
"There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea." (Luke 21:25)
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The Good News Corner
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Christian Child Fulfills Prophecy of Isaiah 56:7
on the Temple Mount
(Israel)-The conflict over the Temple Mount has grown more intense in recent weeks. Despite court rulings... that the holy site is "a house of prayer for all the peoples" (Isaiah 56:7), Jews are continuously harassed and prevented from praying at the site.
Recently, efforts by Rabbi Yehudak Glick, world-renowned Temple Mount advocate and founder of the Temple Mount Heritage Foundation, have produced miraculous results for non-Muslims wishing to ascend the holy site. For the first time in years, Jews and Christians are allowed to visit the Temple Mount without being harassed.
A touchingly poignant video shared with Breaking Israel News by Glick shows the fulfillment of the words of Isaiah coming true. A young boy is seen saying the prayer of Shema Yisrael with total devotion, his hand covering his eyes precisely as Jewish law requires. What is remarkable about this video is that the young boy is not Jewish.
Read more and watch video
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Worship With Us Today!
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Worship With Us Today!
"The Sound That Saves Us All"
From the CentricWorship Retreat
Worship Here
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Two Daily Conference Calls
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners encourages you to participate, any day of the week, on these calls which are each ongoing, day and night! To learn more about how you can join these calls, please go here.
