Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
"Partners in Prayer for Our Nation"
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net
The Daily Brief Thursday, November 29, 2012
"Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people, says your God." (Isaiah 40:1)
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The Daily Brief
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1. UN General Assembly votes in favor of Palestinian statehood - Fox News
The U.N. General Assembly has voted in favor of Palestinian statehood, after the Palestinians asked it to recognize a non-member state of Palestine in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, and the Hamas-ruled Gaza strip.
The resolution upgrading the Palestinians' status was approved by the 193-member world body late Thursday by a vote of 138-9 with 41 abstentions.
- This is surely a tragic day in the history of the Middle East, if not of almost all of the nations on earth. God is in His Holy Temple tonight, watching over the affairs of man. Ask for MERCY in the midst of soon-coming judgment. May His grace sustain His own.
- "God is jealous, and the Lord avenges;
The Lord avenges and is furious.
The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries,
And He reserves wrath for His enemies;
3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
And will not at all acquit the wicked."
(Nahum 1:2,3)
2. Israeli P.M. Netanyahu Responds to U.N. Vote - ICEJ
This is the statement made by PM Benjamin Netanyahu today in the lead up to the UN vote:
"No decision by the UN can break the 4,000 year old bond between the people of Israel and the land of Israel"
- As the world turns against the Jewish people, denying their historical and biblical connection to the land the Lord gave them, we urge you to join us in making sure that Israel not only has our support, but knows that we will not abandon her at this time! (ICEJ) - "For You have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and You, O Lord, have become their God." (2 Samuel 7:24)
3. United States Votes "NO" on the U.N. Resolution - ICEJ
Rice: US voted against PA bid because it hinders peace
The US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice explained why the US voted against recognition of Palestine as a UN observer state after the General Assembly's vote.
She stressed that the US believes that the only way to reach a two-state solution is through negotiations. Rice noted that the resolution creates further obstacles to peace. (Ynet)
- In her remarks, Ambassador Rice declared that "this vote does not create a Palestinian state." Thank the Lord for the clarity of the position of our nation, in standing with Israel today, and call forth the blessings that shall surely come upon our people as a result our our actions on this vote. Amen.
- "And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." (Genesis 12:3)
4. Congress Threatens Sanctions as a Result of Today's Vote - AP
The U.S. Congress has threatened financial sanctions if the Palestinians improve their status at the United Nations.
Ahead of the vote, Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch filed an amendment to a defense bill Wednesday that would eliminate funding for the United Nations if the General Assembly changes Palestine's status.
"Increasing the Palestinians' role in the United Nations is absolutely the wrong approach, especially in light of recent military developments in the Middle East," he said in a statement. "Israel is one of America's closest allies, and any movement to strengthen one of its fiercest enemies must not be tolerated."
- Pray that this amendment, offered by Senator Hatch, will remain attached to the DOD Authorization Bill when it goes before the Senate this month for passage. Enough is enough!
- "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." (Gal. 6:7)
5. a) Egypt assembly seeks to wrap up constitution - Reuters
The assembly writing Egypt's constitution said it could wrap up a final draft later on Wednesday, a move the Muslim Brotherhood sees as a way out of a crisis over a decree by President Mohamed Mursi that protesters say gives him dictatorial powers.
b) Is Egypt about to become the new Iran? - UK Telegraph
It is not only the anti-government protesters in Egypt's Tahrir Square who should be concerned about President Mohammed Morsi's audacious power grab. Mr Morsi's claim at the weekend that "God's will and elections made me the captain of this ship" has echoes of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's claim during the 1979 Iranian revolution that his mission to overthrow the Shah enjoyed divine guidance.
- Father, we pray for the people of Egypt and for the Church there. We ask for Your mighty hand of protection and mercy over those who desire democracy.
- "Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom a desolate wilderness, because of violence against the people of Judah, for they have shed innocent blood in their land" (Joel 3:19)
6. Hamas: Killing Jews is Worship of Allah - Worthy News
Although a tense ceasefire is in effect, the friction is far from over. On Al-Aqsa TV, Hamas' official media outlet, continued its call to kill Jews and such acts were a form of worshiping Allah according to Palestinian Media Watch.
- Lord, as we see these prophetically charged events open before the world, we pray for Your Holy Spirit to wash over Israel to allow them the knowledge that Jesus is their Messiah.
- "the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service" (John 16:2)
7. a) Fed Stimulus Likely in 2013 - Wall Street Journal
Three months after launching an aggressive push to restart the lumbering U.S. economy, Federal Reserve officials are nearing a decision to continue those efforts into 2013 as the U.S. faces threats from the fiscal cliff at home and fragile economies elsewhere in the world.
b) Here we go again: Government weeks away from hitting debt ceiling - McClatchy
While official Washington is focused on potential tax hikes and automatic spending cuts, another fiscal crisis looms on the horizon. A report released Tuesday warned that the federal government is likely to hit a ceiling on issuing new debt come late December and could begin defaulting on obligations by mid-February.
8. USPS Chief Lays Out Plan for the Agency's Survival - CNBC
The head of the financially struggling U.S. Postal Service said the agency must be allowed to ease the terms of prepayments into a retiree health-care fund and eliminate general mail delivery on Saturday.
- Lord, we pray for a plan that will save the USPS. It has been the best and cheapest postal service in the world until now, so we ask for Your help to make it viable again.
- "Every purpose is established by counsel" (Proverbs 20:18a)
9. Feinstein commissions report on housing Gitmo detainees in US, calls it viable option- Fox News
The Democratic chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence committee commissioned a federal report to identify prison facilities in the U.S. that are suitable for housing Guantanamo detainees, concluding the option is viable -- despite congressional opposition to such a plan when the Obama administration proposed it.
- Lord, we are concerned that bringing this group of men to the shores of the United States will create more converts in our prisons, and incite much more violence than already exists. We pray that our leadership will think long and hard before acquiescing to this idea.
- "The righteous is delivered from trouble, and it comes to the wicked instead." (Proverbs 11:8)
- Father, every year since 2009 we have been at this precipice with Congress because of this administration. We ask for a solution that will help the people of America.
- "If disaster comes upon us - we will stand before this temple and in Your Presence - and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save." ( 2 Chronicles 26:9)
10. Cracks surface in Republican unity on tax rates - Reuters
Republican unity against raising tax rates for the wealthy began to show cracks on Wednesday after a conservative congressman said he would back an agreement with President Barack Obama to raise rates on the rich but extend tax cuts for income below $250,000.
- Lord, please grant our leaders wisdom in the battle over tax rates. While the people who make higher amounts may seem like good candidates for higher tax rates, they are also the main block of employers in America.
- "Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with His hand." (Psalm 37:24)
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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:
"Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Your name give glory, for Your mercy, and for Your truth's sake. Why should the nations say, Where is their God? But our God is in the heavens. He has done whatever He has pleased." (Psalm 115:1-3)
1. Settlers: Annex Area C in response to PA's UN bid - Jerusalem Post
Settlers and right-wing activists called on Israel to annex Area C and threatened to burn the Palestinian flag, in response to Palestinian plans to Thursday to ask the UN General Assembly to grant it the status of non-member state.
2. UN Ambassador to Abbas: Forego UN 'march of folly' - Jerusalem Post
Ambassador to the United Nations Ron Prosor made a last-ditch appeal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to forego his "destructive march of folly at the UN" and instead "forge constructive solutions at the negotiating table" with Israel, in an oped published Thursday in the Wall Street Journal.
3. Abbas brushes off Israeli threats surrounding UN bid - Times of Israel
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday told of massive Israeli pressure and "threats" ahead of the PA's bid to upgrade its United Nations status to nonmember state, and expressed his determination to go through with the initiative on Thursday night at the UN General Assembly in New York.
4. U.S. overseeing mysterious construction project in Israel - Washington Post
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to supervise construction of a five-story underground facility for an Israel Defense Forces complex, oddly named "Site 911," at an Israeli Air Force base near Tel Aviv.
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The Daily Jot
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Tell the White House: Thou Shalt Not Covet
The occupant of the Oval Office held a big media event Tuesday asking Americans to take his case against raising taxes on the middle class to Congress. He said "If Congress does nothing, every family in America will see their taxes automatically go up at the beginning of next year. A typical middle-class family of four would see its income taxes go up by $2,200. That's $2,200 out of people's pockets. That means less money for buying groceries, less money for filling prescriptions, less money for buying diapers. It means a tougher choice between paying the rent and paying tuition. And middle-class families just can't afford that right now." Really? You have got to know there is a catch here.
The cost of the White House socialized medicine program will also raise your taxes--probably twice that amount. The president is correct with certain qualifiers. If Congress does nothing, which it is accustomed to doing, everyone in the US is going to see a huge tax increase that will devastate a lot of people during a time when there are hardly any jobs and it is most difficult to keep food on the table, a roof over our head, and gas in the tank. Quite frankly, this is the fault of the White House and the Congress. Now they want to point fingers at each other and ask the American people to bully one or the other into doing what is right in their own eyes.
Fact is, this president and this Senate and House of Representatives (I can say that because the vast majority of them were reelected) are the ones who have dragged us up to the edge of the fiscal cliff. The problem is that government has spent all of your money to the point that you, and every citizen you know, has a $40,0000-plus share of the federal debt--that's not counting what these shysters at the state and local levels have done. There is one way to put an end to this: Cut Government Spending. Cut it to the bare bones. Cut the social welfare programs. Cut out the various government agencies. Cut out buying $5 wrenches for $200. Scale the Leviathan into a minnow. That is what the White House and Congress should hear from us.
Exodus 18:21 says, "Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear YHVH, men of truth, hating covetousness." The 8th Commandment is "Thou shalt not steal." The 10th Commandment is "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's." Think about it. This government can take your house (because its mortgage is likely guaranteed by the government); you can't afford a servant because of taxes; you probably ate your ox because food is so expensive; and you can't afford your ass. This government is not only unconstitutional, it is unBiblical. That's why we should all write to the White House and tell it: Thou Shalt Not Covet.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
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Statement on Today's Vote by Susan Rice
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Explanation of Vote by Ambassador Susan E. Rice,
U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations
Following UN General Assembly Vote on Palestinian Observer State Status Resolution
New York, NY
November 29, 2012
Source: U.S. Department of State
Thank you, Mr. President.
For decades, the United States has worked to help achieve a comprehensive end to the long and tragic Arab-Israeli conflict. We have always been clear that only through direct negotiations between the parties can the Palestinians and Israelis achieve the peace that both deserve: two states for two peoples, with a sovereign, viable and independent Palestine living side by side in peace and security with a Jewish and democratic Israel.
That remains our goal, and we therefore measure any proposed action against that clear yardstick: will it bring the parties closer to peace or push them further apart? Will it help Israelis and Palestinians return to negotiations or hinder their efforts to reach a mutually acceptable agreement? Today's unfortunate and counterproductive resolution places further obstacles in the path to peace. That is why the United States voted against it.
The backers of today's resolution say they seek a functioning, independent Palestinian state at peace with Israel. So do we.
But we have long been clear that the only way to establish such a Palestinian state and resolve all permanent-status issues is through the crucial, if painful, work of direct negotiations between the parties. This is not just a bedrock commitment of the United States. Israel and the Palestinians have repeatedly affirmed their own obligations under existing agreements to resolve all issues through direct negotiations, which have been endorsed frequently by the international community. The United States agrees-strongly.
Today's grand pronouncements will soon fade. And the Palestinian people will wake up tomorrow and find that little about their lives has changed, save that the prospects of a durable peace have only receded.
The United States therefore calls upon both the parties to resume direct talks without preconditions on all the issues that divide them. And we pledge that the United States will be there to support the parties vigorously in such efforts.
The United States will continue to urge all parties to avoid any further provocative actions-in the region, in New York, or elsewhere.
We will continue to oppose firmly any and all unilateral actions in international bodies or treaties that circumvent or prejudge the very outcomes that can only be negotiated, including Palestinian statehood. And, we will continue to stand up to every effort that seeks to delegitimize Israel or undermine its security.
Progress toward a just and lasting two-state solution cannot be made by pressing a green voting button here in this hall. Nor does passing any resolution create a state where none indeed exists or change the reality on the ground.
For this reason, today's vote should not be misconstrued by any as constituting eligibility for U.N. membership. It does not. This resolution does not establish that Palestine is a state.
The United States believes the current resolution should not and cannot be read as establishing terms of reference. In many respects, the resolution prejudges the very issues it says are to be resolved through negotiation, particularly with respect to territory. At the same time, it virtually ignores other core questions such as security, which must be solved for any viable agreement to be achieved.
President Obama has been clear in stating what the United States believes is a realistic basis for successful negotiations, and we will continue to base our efforts on that approach.
The recent conflict in Gaza is just the latest reminder that the absence of peace risks the presence of war. We urge those who share our hopes for peace between a sovereign Palestine and a secure Israel to join us in supporting negotiations, not encouraging further distractions. There simply are no short cuts.
Long after the votes have been cast, long after the speeches have been forgotten, it is the Palestinians and the Israelis who must still talk to each other-and listen to each other-and find a way to live side by side in the land they share.
Thank you, Mr. President.
(Read more)
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The Good News Corner
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The Good News Corner
Miracles on the border: Syrians encounter Jesus
Part Two: Dead or Alive?
Sami, the Lebanese Christian pastor who told the widow about Jesus, has had similar experiences with other Muslims. He and several Christian partners have been reaching out to Muslim villages in Lebanon with the simple Gospel message. They expanded their outreach to Syrian Muslims when refugees started streaming across the border last year.
Sami, the Lebanese Christian pastor who told the widow about Jesus, has had similar experiences with other Muslims. He and several Christian partners have been reaching out to Muslim villages in Lebanon with the simple Gospel message. They expanded their outreach to Syrian Muslims when refugees started streaming across the border last year.
"We started a couple of house groups in different areas with Lebanese and Syrian Muslims, and we are discipling those people. Some of them have come to know Christ. Others are discovering who Jesus is. They are showing signs of changing in their lives."
A Muslim community leader the Christians befriended last year helped them gain entrance to the homes of many Muslims -- Lebanese and Syrian. During those visits, he heard the Gospel message of God's offer of salvation through Jesus Christ perhaps 100 times.
At the beginning of one such visit, the Muslim leader walked up to a refugee family, pointed at them and said, "Are you dead or alive?"
The family was taken aback; so were the Christians.
He repeated his question: "Are you dead or alive?" Then he pointed at the Christians and declared, "These people have a Book, and it's going to tell you how to find life. You need to read it!"
"This is a Muslim guy who probably has never read the New Testament himself," marvels Christian worker David James, who participated in the visit. "But he's opening doors for us now because he saw something different in us as he heard the things that we were sharing."
In another village, the relief team made a repeat visit to the home of an influential Syrian Muslim. He knows many other needy families, so they brought a large supply of food for distribution.
"We don't need your boxes of food," the Syrian leader said. "What we need is somebody to come and teach us how to walk in the way of Jesus and how we can forgive one another. We don't know how to live with each other." The Christians were happy to oblige. (Baptist Press)
Tomorrow: Part Three:
'I want to follow Jesus'
[Note: the names of those mentioned in this report have been changed to protect their identities.]
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Worship with Us Today!
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Worship with Us Today!
Comfort ye, Comfort ye My people:
Messiah - Handel
Amen . . .
