Turmoil and Lawlessness

2 Timothy 3:1-5 "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power."

Egypt

I will set Egyptians against Egyptians; everyone will fight against his brother, and everyone against his neighbor, city against city, kingdom against kingdom. The spirit of Egypt will fail in its midst; I will destroy their counsel.for they will cry to YHVH because of the oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Mighty One, and He will deliver them. Then YHVH will be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know YHVH in that day." (Isaiah 19: 2-3b, 20b-21a).

Great "leader" nations in the Middle East continue to erupt in volitile tumultuous upheaval, with each day presenting new and often unexpected faces to the situations, faces which may be quite different tomorrow. Last week Egypt's first democratically-elected President Islamist Mohamed Morsi was deposed, after the cries of millions of disgruntled citizens, angry at a collapsing economy, broken promises and what they see as a bullying takeover by the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood, spurred the military to step in and remove the President after his having served only one year in office. As a safety measure, not only was Morsi placed in confinement, so were the top five leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood. Counter demonstrations by Brotherhood and other Morsi supporters have kept the streets of Cairo seething and the death toll rising. Although the military has proposed an interim government and new elections in which the Brotherhood may be again represented, at this point they seem in no way inclined to agree to this.

Meanwhile, an Islamist party called Al Nour has risen into a surprisingly influential position with the military leaders. Made up of ultraconservatives known as Salafis, Al Nour's sheik leader was carefully positioned behind the general who announced the military takeover on television, presumably to assure the populace that the action was not an attack on Islam. Since then, Al Nour has already wielded its new enfluence by nixing the military's proposal of liberal Nobel-winning diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei for interim prime minister. That this Islamist party might itself come to replace the more moderate Muslim Brotherhood is worrisome indeed for those who had hoped for more separation between religion and politics. Al Nour and other Salafist groups have already been active in a campaign for constitutional provisions enshrining Islamic Law, and against its containing a new express guarantee of equality for women ("Islamist Party a Surprise Force in a New Egypt": The New York Times, 7 July 2013).

The fall of the Brotherhood in Egypt has had repercussions in Gaza, where the rogue-rulers Hamas are looking with dismay at what this probably means regarding the support they've enjoyed under Morsi's regime. (Hamas itself came into existence as a militant offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.)

  And in Syria, where the Brotherhood forces, although by no means in the majority, have been the most influtential faction and only truly organized group in the Sunni opposition seeking to overthrow Assad, it is feared that the toppling of their "mother branch" in Egypt may so weaken their influence that the more militant factions who have no interest in even a semblance of democratic order may take the ascendancy.

Meanwhile, the international community, within which many have strong economic/military ties with Egypt, is steering clear of labeling the shake-up a "coup." (The military claimed it didn't carry out a coup, but rather merely enforced the will of the people.)

PLEASE PRAY:

* God's mercy over the 84 million souls in Egypt; that His Kingdom Come in that land.
* Against a spirit of lawlessness which is running rampant in Egypt. Besides the battles between warring factions, there have reportedly been hundreds of women assaulted by bands of thugs roaming the squares where the demonstrations are taking place.
* All of Isaiah 19, including the portion quoted at the head of this section.
* For the thousands of believers in Egypt-that they will be led in truth and courage; granted angelic protection, and divine strategy and counsel.
* For a Christian reporter and his cameraman we know who God has led into the midst of Egypt this week; that he will have the protection and guidance and assistance necessary to record and chronicle exactly what God is sending him there to report.
* For leaders in Israel to see and understand and have insight from heaven into what is taking place in her neighbor to the south, and how best and most wisely to respond. That the treaty between Israel and Egypt will be preserved.

portions taken from Israel prayer list

SURVIAL BOXES



 

 

As the threat of war continues and the violence increases on our northern and now southern borders, often spilling over into Israel, we also continue to prepare. Hands of Mercy packs 1000’s of ‘Survival Boxes’ that are filled with food and emergency supplies. 

The work is accomplished thanks to those who support us as well as those who come and help pack the boxes. 
Contingency plans for delivering boxes are in place for when, (not if) war breaks out. In the event of war a team of brave volunteers will be delivering boxes to the front lines where they are needed the most. 

The work is not without its challenges however, as we saw this week. Our storage building was once again vandalized and supplies stolen. As a result, supplies and packed boxes were moved into a more secure building nearby. This required nearly a week of heavy labor as a large hole was made in the cement wall and a new gate installed. Volunteers continue to take measures to reinforce the new building.

We look forward to returning to the work of packing the boxes and finalizing the distribution plans that will be initiated when war comes.  

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Continue to pray for this ministry that is on the front lines.

portions taken from where the action is---Sderot blog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Praise to God

Isaiah 25

"O Lord, You are my God, I will exalt You, I will praise Your Name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
For You have made a city a ruin, a fortified city a ruin, a palace of foreigners to be a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.
Therefore the strong people will glorify You. For You have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; for the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
You will reduce the noise of aliens, as heat in a dry place; as heat in the shadow of a cloud, the song of the terrible ones will be diminished.
And in this mountain The Lord of hosts will make for all people a feast of choice pieces, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of well-refined wines on the lees.
And He will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken.
And it will be said in that day: Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him and He will save us, This is the Lord; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.
For on this mountain the hand of the Lord will rest, and Moab shall be trampled down under Him, as straw is trampled down for the refuse heap.
And He will spread out His hands in their midst as a swimmer reaches out to swim, and He will bring down their pride together with the trickery of their hands.
The fortress of the high fort of your walls He will bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, down to the dust.

Egypt: What does it mean for Israel?

“Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”

 Isa 45:22

 

 

MORSI IS NO LONGER PRESIDENT:

 

 Egypt’s army, Wednesday night, seized power in a people’s coup. In a televised broadcast, Egyptian Armed Forces Commander Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi - flanked by military leaders, religious authorities and political figures - declared the removal of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi saying the president had "failed to meet the demands of the Egyptian people." Al-Sisi also announced the suspension of the Islamist-tinged constitution and a roadmap for a return to democratic rule under a revised rulebook. The president's aide said Egyptian leader Morsi had been moved and was being held at an undisclosed location. General al-Sisi called for presidential and parliamentary elections, a panel to review the constitution and a national reconciliation committee. He said the roadmap had been agreed upon by a range of political organizations. Egyptian defense leaders, who ousted the president, have assured the US that they are not interested in a long-term rule. They pledged to put a civilian government in place quickly. The head of Egypt's supreme constitutional court, Adli Mansour, will be sworn in as interim head of state on Thursday. (J.Post/MailOnline/Reuters)

 

 Pray for strong leaders to emerge from Egypt’s continuing political crisis, ones who will be able to realistically address the nation’s growing poverty issues and relate fairly to a wide range of political and social groups, including its Coptic Christian community numbering more than 12 million. Pray against renewed Islamist control in Egypt and leaders who hate Israel.

 

CROWDS CELEBRATE ACROSS CAIRO AFTER ARMY STATEMENT:

 

 Jubilant crowds across Cairo cheered, chanted pro-army slogans and set off fireworks after the military suspended the constitution and overthrew President Mohamed Morsi on Wednesday. Men, women and children waved red-white-and-black Egyptian flags as confetti twirled in the air, protesters stood on each others' shoulders and families snapped pictures in Tahrir Square, the center of demonstrations that drew millions out against Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood. "The people and the army are one hand," they chanted. "This will be in the minds any politician in the future - they will not want to face the same destiny as Morsi or Mubarak." One poster near Tahrir read: "This is the end of Brotherhood colonization." A uniformed police officer waved his hands above his head as honking cars drove by. "Great Egypt is victorious," he said. "Egypt is victorious over the Brotherhood." (Ynet)

 

EGYPT POLICE ARREST TOP BROTHERHOOD LEADERS:

 

 Egyptian security forces arrested the head of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and another of the movement's top leaders on Wednesday, after the army toppled Mohamed Morsi from the presidency. Saad El-Katatni, the head of the FJP and the former speaker of parliament, was arrested along with Rashad al-Bayoumi, one of the Brotherhood's deputy leaders. Egyptian media disclosed that arrest warrants had been issued for 300 Brotherhood members who are accused of inciting violence and disturbing general security and peace. Hours after Islamist President Morsi was overthrown, Egypt's military-led authorities shut down three Islamist-run TV stations including the Egypt 25 channel operated by the Muslim Brotherhood. Its managers were arrested, state news agency MENA reported. The Egypt25 channel had been broadcasting live coverage of rallies by tens of thousands of pro-Morsi demonstrators in Cairo and around the country, with speeches by leading Brotherhood politicians denouncing the military intervention to oust the elected president. (J.Post)

 

WHAT DOES THE EGYPTIAN COUP MEAN FOR ISRAEL?

 

Pray for co-operation and peace agreements between Egypt and Israel to remain intact and not to be weakened due to religious sects and political factions vying for power in the Egyptian government.

 

Now that Egypt has again replaced its leadership, what will it mean for Israel? The two neighboring countries fought three full scale wars until the 1978 Camp David Accords in which Israel relinquished control of the strategic and oil-rich Sinai Peninsula in exchange for a cessation of hostilities with its southern neighbor. The ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in 2011 resulted in an increased level of lawlessness and violence in the Sinai region. The repeated attacks on the natural gas pipelines that supplied power to Israel, Jordan and Egypt were one example of such anarchy. It remains to be seen how Wednesday night's military coup will affect the Jewish State. While Israeli leaders have been careful not to take sides in Morsi’s struggles, many fear extremist Islamic groups could take advantage of chaos to launch attacks against Israel from either Egypt or the Gaza Strip. Israel’s PM Netanyahu told media sources that “like everybody, we are watching very carefully what’s happening in Egypt. Remember that for 30 years now we have had an anchor of peace and stability in the Middle East, and that was the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty. We hope that peace will be kept.” (INN)

 

taken from Jerusalem online



Friday prayer points

Praise YHWH; for it is good to sing praises to our God; for praise is delightful and becoming. YHWH builds up Jerusalem; He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.Psalms 147:1-2

Thank You for restoring Jerusalem, the city of the great King, to Your people Israel.

 

Thank You for protecting Jerusalem - especially at this time.

 

Bless You for bringing Your children back from all over the world (Isaiah 43:5-7)

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From Jerusalem, we say to You, precious King Yeshua, Baruch haba b'Shem Adonai - Blessed are You who comes in the name of YHWH (Matthew 23:39).

 

What a joy to see Your word literally coming to pass. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. (Zechariah 8:5)

 

We are so thankful that Israel is still an island of peace and stability in a very chaotic Middle East.

 

This past week the Egyptian Army overthrew the Muslim Brotherhood [MB] government. While many in the West so worship 'democracy' that they cannot see reality, we as intercessors must not do that. The MB government was establishing an Islamic Sharia-based nation that would have been very dangerous to Israel. In fact, the MB are still the most cohesive group in Egypt. Their role in that nation is far from over.

• Abba, today is the Islamic holy day. Please watch over all that You are doing in Egypt - for Your glory.
• Reveal Your will to us - and even Your timing if need be - so that we can pray both with the Spirit and with our understanding (1 Corinthians 14:15a).
• We know that at some point in history You will say, Blessed be My people Egypt… (Isaiah 19:25b) Therefore we plead with You to reap a mighty harvest out of all that is happening there at this time.
• Use the mass demonstrations in the streets of Egypt - with all of the signs declaring that Obama is a friend of terrorists and a betrayer of the Egyptian people [he supported and apparently still supports the MB to be in charge] to wake up Americans to how some people now see their democratically elected leader.
• Lord, who is this 'cruel lord and a fierce king' whom You say You will raise up to rule over Egypt for a time (Isaiah 19:4)? Please reveal to us how to pray about this.

As we did last week, we again pray for Israel's government ministers by name - asking God to bless and guard them and lead them in paths of righteousness - for His name's sake (Psalm 23:3b).

• Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: Protect, defend and use him for Your glory (Psalm 115:1-3).
• Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon: Impart to him clarity of thinking and planning and surround him with wise advisors (Proverbs 20:18; 24:6).
• Finance Minister Yair Lapid: Give him all the grace he needs for this very steep learning curve he is on and at the same time hedge in his ego.
• Trade and Economy Minister and Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett: Guard him in all his ways. Give him an anointing to speak truth concerning the land of Israel and the 'peace' process.
• Internal Affairs Minister Gideon Sa'ar: Help him to reform the Interior Ministry
• Justice Minister Tzipi Livni: Use her in the areas where she is in line with Your will and block all of her efforts that are not.
• Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz: Give him deep insight concerning all of the current threats facing this nation - especially from Iran.
• Benny Gantz is the IDF's Chief of Staff
• Lord, as with the elders of Israel in the wilderness, place Your Spirit on them all. (Numbers 11:16-17)

The IDF is tasked with an almost impossible job of protecting this nation from all of its enemies - both inside and outside of its borders.

• We bless and thank You for all of Israel's security forces.
• We thank You for watching over Your prophetic promise in raising up an exceeding great army from Israel's dry bones in the days following the Holocaust (Ezekiel 37:1-12).
• Yeshua, Lord of the armies of heaven (Joshua 5:13-6:2; Revelation 19:11-16), we proclaim You as the true Chief of Staff of the IDF.
• Give wisdom to Ya'alon and Gantz as they have to deal with a decrease in the IDF's budget this year.
• Help them to cut what needs to be cut - but block them from cutting anything that is needed now.
• Do not allow any necessary training programs to be hindered or stopped.
• Lord, we look to You to give courage, strength and grace to the young men and women of the IDF.
• Keep them alert to all that is happening around them.
• God, stop any successful kidnapping attempts. We thank You for all the attempts that have been foiled.
• Anoint Messianic Jews in the IDF to be vessels for Your glory. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)
• We bless You for the increasing number of Israeli Arab Christians who want to serve in the IDF and defend this nation. Use them to provoke Jewish Israelis to jealousy (Romans 11:11).

We specifically pray for the IDF guarding Israel's northern border - with both Syria and Lebanon.

• Pour out Your divine caffeine and keep the soldiers on Israel's northern border super alert.
• Do not allow the enemy to trick, trap or deceive them in anyway.
• Let Israel's enemies reap what they are trying to sow for this nation. They have prepared a net for my steps…they have dug a pit before me, they have fallen into it. Selah. (Psalms 57:6)
• We are so grateful that Israel still retains the Golan Heights. Prevent it from ever being given away.
• Prevent Israel from being dragged into the quicksand of the current Syrian situation.
• Watch over this promise of Yours which is given in response to corporate prayer (Joel 2:17): I will remove the northern army far from you, and will drive him into a barren and deserted land, with his face toward the eastern sea and his rear toward the western sea. And his stench…his ill odor shall come up, because he was doing great things. Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice. For YHWH will do great things. (Joel 2:20-21)

portions taken from Intercessors for Israel

Israel and All Nations

Why does God in His Word speak so frequently, and with such emphasis, about the ownership of this relatively small land?

First and foremost, God is a covenant-keeping God, and He wants the entire world to know it. I believe there is another principle involved, however, which is stated by Moses in Deuteronomy:

"When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He divided all mankind, He set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel."  Deuteronomy 32:8

God has an allotted dwelling place for each section of the human race. Think about that, God has not left it to chance to determine where each nation shall dwell.

So the question is when He allotted the appointed areas to the nations, what was God's starting point?
Going back to Deuteronomy 32 we see through Moses' words the answer to this question.  It was from the land He had allotted to Israel. First, He chose Israel's inheritance for them; then He allotted the inheritance of the other nations in relationship to that of Israel.

This is confirmed in the New Testament by the Apostle Paul in Acts 17:26:

"From one man he (God) made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live."

We see, then, that God has determined not only where the nations shall dwell, but also when they shall dwell there. It is around God's dealings with Israel, however, and the inheritance He has appointed for them, that His dealings with all the other nations revolve. Israel is both the starting point and center.

Let me share an illustration to help bring clarity to this. Suppose you are putting on a three-piece suit with a vest. The vest has five buttons. In buttoning up the vest, you make a mistake so that the top button ends up in the second hole. What will be the result? Problems all the way down! Every other button will likewise end up in the wrong hole, and when you get to the bottom, there will be one button left over without any hole for it.

Now take this simple illustration to the nations on earth. Israel is the first button. If Israel is not in the right "hole," then there will be something wrong with the situation of every other nation on earth.

When we consider God's plan for Israel, we cannot stand aside, as citizens of other lands, and say, "Israel's fate does not concern us." The fact is, the well being of every nation is at stake. Until Israel enters into its full inheritance, the other nations can never enjoy the blessings that God has in store for them also.

All that God is doing in the Middle East has this end in view. Doubtless there will be more suffering and upheavals. In the midst of it all , however, God will continue to work out His eternal purpose, as revealed in His prophetic Word.

FACT: God is at work in the earth and particularly in the Middle East, bringing about the fulfillment of His predetermined plan. Ultimately, the well-being of all other nations is bound up with the fulfillment of God's plan for Israel.

Thank you, Derek Prince for sharing your thoughts with the body of Christ.

Heightened Alert

Heightened Alert on Israel's Border as Egypt Burns

Thoughts from Mike Evans of Jerusalem Prayer Team:

Israeli Defense Forces stationed along Israel's border with Egypt are on high alert today as unrest continues to roil the nation of Egypt. The election of Mohammed Morsi, a member of the radical terrorist Muslim Brotherhood organization, last year was hailed by many in America as a sign of democracy and progress. Those of us with long enough memories to recall that it was the Muslim Brotherhood that murdered Egyptian President Anwar Sadat for the great “crime” of signing a peace treaty with Israel knew better.

Now the entire nation is in chaos. Millions took to the streets demanding Morsi be removed from office. The military, which has been systemically ignored and degraded under the Morsi presidency, has indicated that they may take action if no political solution is reached. Though it is hard to sort out fact from rumor, reports of Egypt indicate that even some members of the Morsi government may be resigning/being fired as the standoff continues.

Ever since my dear friend Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed the peace treaty with Anwar Sadat at the Camp David summit, Israel has been able to focus its attention and defenses in other directions. Peace with Egypt has been a key building block for Israel's defense policy for decades. That foundation has been threatened by Morsi and his radical regime, who repeatedly threatened to revisit or revoke the peace treaty. Israeli intelligence has watched with great concern the provision of weapons to Hamas terrorists in Gaza through tunnels that Egypt once helped block.

None of this takes God by surprise. Centuries ago the prophet Isaiah wrote:

The LORD has mingled a perverse spirit in her midst; and they have caused Egypt to err in all her work, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit. Neither will  there be any work for Egypt, which the head or tail,  palm branch or bulrush, may do. In that day Egypt  will be like women and will be afraid and fear because  of the waving of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which He waves over it (Isaiah 19:14-16).

Remember that throughout history, every nation and empire that has lifted up its hand against the Jewish people has been cursed just as God promised Abraham in Genesis 12:3. It should come as no surprise that an Egyptian government that hates Israel is suffering confusion and distress.

  Please join me in praying that Israel will be defended and that Egypt will have a government that is and will remain at peace with the Jewish state.