NOW is the Time to Pray and Intercede for Israel!
I have gleaned much interesting information from various email newsletters I have received over the last few days (from Israel) and the various Israeli news and commentary sites I've looked at, to publish this article. Unfortunately, because of the sensitive nature of some of the material, I am not allowed to publish the original letters on any website or blog. This prevents me from giving credit where it's due for the information sources used. So I'll give you the gist of it built around my own personal viewpoint formed by prayer, research and study.
The current Israel/Hezbollah conflict began in 2000 (although some say Iran started it as far back as 1979). Israel pulled its troops out of southern Lebanon without getting a meaningful internationally recognized agreement that Israel would never be attacked again over its border with Lebanon. In the process, Israel abandoned its South Lebanese Army friends to the depraved authority of Hezbullah. That was not a good move! We heard stories of the most evil retribution taking place.
Hezbullah boasted it had driven Israel out of Lebanon which in turn gave impetus to another Palestinian uprising, the second intifada. Prime Minister Sharon and his administration took it on themselves to start redrawing Israel's borders and purged the Jewish people from the Gaza strip, again with no firm internationally recognized agreements in place. Hamas, revitalized from this new impetus, proclaimed they would fight on "until the liberation of Palestine was complete and the occupying Jews pushed into the sea" and until their message "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger" reaches the entire world.
Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon gave Hezbullah six years to build fortifications, underground tunnels and bunkers. Some of these bunkers are 100 to 130 feet underground which makes them almost impossible to seek and destroy by air power alone. Hezbullah mined the entire Israel/Lebanon border, prepared sniper positions and trip wires, brought in upto 15,000 rockets and missiles, to prepare for the day when Israel would have to go back into Lebanon with her army.
The U.N. had more than 2000 so-called personnel along this border -- so-called "peace keepers" and "observers". They did not report any of this activity to Israel, the US or anybody else for that matter. Apparently reporting this sort of activity was not in their brief. It wasn't important to them. But nothing was done to halt this supply of weaponry. Why?
Hezbollah knew what was coming; they (Hezbollah, Syria and Iran) planned and prepared for it very carefully. While all this military preparation was going on, Israel, who obviously knew about the build-up of rockets and munitions from their military people up in the north of the Land, did nothing to stop it. They simply talked about it. Why? If this situation had been on any other border there would have been an international outcry and something would have been done to stop the build-up of weaponry!
Up until this time, mid-July 2006, even though rockets that had been reaching Sderot, Ashkelon and other communities, Israel's response was weak and half-hearted. The Gaza land battle started when Hamas-Fatah extremists tunneled into Israel , killed two Israeli soldiers and kidnapped another. The land battle in Lebanon started when Hezbullah crossed the Israeli border to kill and kidnap Israeli soldiers. This was a step too far for Israel. The gloves came off and Israel released an awesome torrent of firepower upon Hezbollah, and to a lesser degree, Hamas. These groups invaded sovereign Israeli territory to kill and kidnap. Under international law, this was war.
Most countries, especially France and Russia, are blaming Israel for the mess on the ground in Lebanon because of the "disproportionate use of force" by the Israeli military. Would they have stood idly by and watched as trained and well-equipped military groups killed and kidnapped their own military personel? I don't think so. But hypocrites like Putin and Chirac are the first to point the finger. Israel is entitled to use whatever means at her disposal to prosecute this war to a successful conclusion.
Unfortunately, innocent civilians have been killed on both sides but this is the nature of war. While Israel has attacked much of Lebanon's infrastructure to hinder the ability of Syria and Iran to resupply Hezbollah, not to punish the Lebanese people, Hezbollah has attacked Israel indiscriminately. Isn't it strange how no-one is concerned about the wanton destruction in Israel caused by all those rockets being fired over the Land to deliberately harm and kill civilians and destroy property?
Hezbullah has deliberately placed itself in the midst of civilian populations in the towns and villages of south Lebanon. Israel has warned these people to flee, and at times Hezbullah has actually tried to stop this movement north by threatening to shoot those who leave.
We urgently need to redouble our prayer effort for the innocent civilians of Lebanon -- especially the Christian believers, who are working tirelessly, around the clock in very difficult conditions, to help those who have fled their homes. Pray for their protection, strength and well-being; and that through their display of the love of Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah, these displaced Arab people will come to know the Lord.
Take a look at some of the amazing work going off right now in Lebanon with Pastor Walid El-Khoury and his dad, George (a former chairman of two banks in London). They launched a program to take the Gospel to Arab people, 24-hours a day on the satellite Hotbird, eighteen month ago. It is called The Spirit Channel and broadcasts to 350 million Arabs. They have a website at www. spiritchannel.tv. Their videos are excellent: faithful to the Word, and excellent production.
Hezbullah has hidden rockets and launchers in people's houses. According to the rules of war, this renders such civilian places as military targets. Yet Israel continues to show restraint when it comes to routing the terrorists and cutting the supply lines from Syria and Iran to Hezbullah. Active resupply IS going on from Iran to Syria to Lebanon, and Israel is doing little about it because she does not want to draw Syria and Iran into the war. She's afraid to take that necessary step.
Perhaps if she would repent and call upon the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (as did her leaders throughout scripture) and rely on His strength to give her victory, Syria and Iran would not be such a daunting task. Instead she prefers to do it in her own strength. Consequently, Israel is showing a lack of determination to do what needs to be done to protect Israel: take out Syria and Iran. The U.S. administration would dearly like to see this happen, sooner rather than later. (Not to mention the fact that U.S. elections are coming up this fall: homeland security and the fight against terrorism is the single big issue where President Bush is ahead on points. A protracted war against the extremist Islamic jihadist fascist war groups in the middle east would certainly help President Bush's party to hold power.)
The nations are complaining about the might of Israel's sophisticated weaponry against the "home-made pipes and bombs of Hezbollah" (as Jon Snow, the Channel 4 news moron, recently described it when confronting the Israeli Ambassador). Snow is not alone in promulgating this anti-Jewish/anti-Israeli vitriol and innuendo; Jeremy Bowen and his colleagues do the same sort of thing for the BBC. ITV is just as bad but I can't recall the names right now. CNN is probably the worst of all; these guys really go the extra mile to make Hezbollah look like angels and Israel like satan. The only station I've found to broadcast any semblance of fair and balanced tv news coverage is
The nations accuse Israel of fighting the kind of war that is fought only between nations and that Hezbullah is not a nation. Poppycock, Hizbullah is a nation within the nation of Lebanon. It has the weapons that many modern nations have: short and long range rockets; anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons, plus, a committed and prepared fighting force, better prepared, and more dangerous than any of the armies Israel has faced in previous wars.
Airpower alone will not do the job that needs to be done. Israel needs to flatten those villages where Hezbullah is entrenched. But she isn't willing to fight this type of war; Hezbollah is. This erroneous thinking will exact a terrible price in Israeli lives and, in the end, in Lebanese lives too.
The nations are calling for an immediate cease-fire that would leave Hezbullah and Hamas as the victors in this war. The only nations that are really standing firm with Israel and maintaining that she be allowed the time to finish this war are the U.S. and Britain. However, after Margaret Beckett's outburst yesterday, I have some concerns about Britain's staying power. Beckett complained about US aircraft carrying military supplies to Israel stopping off to refuel on British soil. Several others (MPs and a junior minister) have since joined the bandwagon. This smacks of anti-Israel/anti-Jewish/anti-Bush sentiment. I think P.M. Blair will stay the course if the media and his Labour colleagues don't manage to hound him out of office before his tenure is up.
The American president has spoken clearly of Israel's right to defend herself and to destroy the Hezbullah threat on her northern border. So has the UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair. Both Bush and Blair have spoken clearly and directly about the fact that the powers behind Hezbullah are Syria and Iran; Iran being the guiding force behind the timing of the Hezbullah attack against Israel. The recent G8 meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, was supposed to come up with a way to force Iran to stop its nuclear weapons program. A few days before the meeting began, Hezbullah attacked Israel and Iran was off the hook. A master stroke by Iran; specifically designed to do what it has achieved.
Concerns are rising that many in the Israeli Government are already looking for a diplomatic way out of this war. They are already talking about a NATO force on the Lebanese border. P.M. Olmert has spoken of an "eternal covenant of peace with his neighbors". That will not happen. The only One he can have an eternal covenant with is the God of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. There cannot be any sort of peace until Hezbullah is completely smashed and unable to regroup. A premature cease-fire that leaves Hezbullah and its leadership intact will merely perpetuate the problem and lead to a bloodier and more difficult conflict at a later date.
Please pray for the Israeli government, especially Ehud Olmert and the war cabinet, that God will strengthen them with the necessary resolve to prosecute this conflict to the end, until at the the very least, Hezbollah has been completely wiped out and Nassan Hasrallah killed or captured. Israel's General's have advised P.M. Olmert to pursue a big land invasion, but I doubt he'll do it. The same General's advised Ariel Sharon against pulling out of Gaza and the likely consequences but he ignored them. There seems to be a weakness and fear endemic in the Israeli administration that is in serious need of prayer.
What will it take to drive them back into the arms of their God. Israel REALLY needs to wake up, arise to their calling, and cry out to the Lord their God, the God of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, to lead and direct them in this battle. Perhaps this is a timely reminder for Israel and each of us that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places"(Eph.6:12).
Prayer Points
Pray for the safety of all Israeli military personnel, especially for the safety and protection of all those involved in the battles.
Psalm 61 HEAR MY cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed and fainting; lead me to the rock that is higher than I [yes, a rock that is too high for me]. For You have been a shelter and a refuge for me, a strong tower against the adversary. I will dwell in Your tabernacle forever; let me find refuge and trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear, revere, and honor Your name. May You prolong the [true] [a]King's life [adding days upon days], and may His years be to the last generation [of this world and the generations of the world to come]. May He sit enthroned forever before [the face of] God; O ordain that loving-kindness and faithfulness may watch over Him! So will I sing praise to Your name forever, paying my vows day by day. (Amplified Bible) .
Pray that the believing soldiers will know the peace of the Lord, and that as the Lord protects them, protection will spread to their units.
Pray that the believing soldiers will hear from the Lord regarding what to do and which way to go.
Pray that the believing soldiers will be able to share their faith with everyone around them and that the Holy Spirit of God, Ruach HaKodesh, will move upon them, convict them, bring them to repentance, save them and give them His peace.
Pray regarding the ground offensive.
1 Samuel 17:45-47 Then said David to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, Whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will smite you and cut off your head. And I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands (Amplified Bible).
Ezekiel 39:3-7 And I will smite your bow from your left hand and will cause your arrows to fall out of your right hand. You shall fall [dead] upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your hosts and the peoples who are with you. I will give you to the ravenous birds of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. You shall fall in the open field, for I have spoken [it], says the Lord God. I will send fire on Magog and upon those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service]. And I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name any more; and the nations shall know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. (Amplified Bible)
Pray that Israel will have the will, stamina, courage, and wisdom to see this war through to the end-the end of Hizbullah as a military threat to Israel. Israel needs to strike the arrows as many times as are needed.
2 Kings 13:15-19 Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and arrows." So he took a bow and arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, "Put your hand on the bow." And he put his hand on it, then Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands. He said, "Open the window toward the east," and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot!" And he shot. And he said, "The LORD'S arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will defeat the Arameans at (A)Aphek until you have destroyed them." Then he said, "Take the arrows," and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground," and he struck it three times and stopped. So (B)the man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you would have destroyed it But now you shall strike Aram (C)only three times." (NASB)
Pray: for the Lord to go ahead of Israel's army and sow fear in the hearts of the terrorists; for the army to find the launcher sites and destroy them, and for the Lord to give Israel success on the battlefield; for good military intelligence; for the protection of the North of Israel from Katyusha rockets; for wisdom, strength, and resolve for our leaders, both military and political; for comfort, help, and strength for the one million people sitting in shelters. Many have tremendous needs: the elderly, the infirm, children, etc;
Pray concerning the steadfastness of President Bush and the U.S., and Prime Minister Blair and the UK.
Pray for Israeli soldiers to be supernaturally made aware of: (i) Enemy ambushes, (ii) Friendly fire, (iii) Mines, sniper positions, and trip wires set up by Hezbullah.
Pray for the Israeli government that: (1) The spirit of compromise in Israel and the Israeli government would go and (2) Worldwide pressure for a premature cease-fire would cease forthwith.
Remember: there is a much bigger spiritual battle taking place in the heavenlies that is manifesting itself right here on earth. Our war is against demonic spirits. The battle victory belongs to the Lord. Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
Shalom aleikhem
Peace be upon you
William
P.S. My resources include: Bishop Dominiquae and Rabbi Baruch Bierman of Kad-Esh MAP Ministries for information gleaned from a recent newsletter of theirs; David Silver, Out of Zion Ministries, Haifa, Israel; Eliyahu Ben-Haim, Intercessors for Israel, David Dolan's Israel Update, Israel Today, Debkafile, Honest Reporting, Israel National News, Voice of Judea, ynetNews, Fox News, Haaretz.com, The Jerusalem Post, Aish.com, Jerusalem Online, and some I can't name.
The current Israel/Hezbollah conflict began in 2000 (although some say Iran started it as far back as 1979). Israel pulled its troops out of southern Lebanon without getting a meaningful internationally recognized agreement that Israel would never be attacked again over its border with Lebanon. In the process, Israel abandoned its South Lebanese Army friends to the depraved authority of Hezbullah. That was not a good move! We heard stories of the most evil retribution taking place.
Hezbullah boasted it had driven Israel out of Lebanon which in turn gave impetus to another Palestinian uprising, the second intifada. Prime Minister Sharon and his administration took it on themselves to start redrawing Israel's borders and purged the Jewish people from the Gaza strip, again with no firm internationally recognized agreements in place. Hamas, revitalized from this new impetus, proclaimed they would fight on "until the liberation of Palestine was complete and the occupying Jews pushed into the sea" and until their message "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger" reaches the entire world.
Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon gave Hezbullah six years to build fortifications, underground tunnels and bunkers. Some of these bunkers are 100 to 130 feet underground which makes them almost impossible to seek and destroy by air power alone. Hezbullah mined the entire Israel/Lebanon border, prepared sniper positions and trip wires, brought in upto 15,000 rockets and missiles, to prepare for the day when Israel would have to go back into Lebanon with her army.
The U.N. had more than 2000 so-called personnel along this border -- so-called "peace keepers" and "observers". They did not report any of this activity to Israel, the US or anybody else for that matter. Apparently reporting this sort of activity was not in their brief. It wasn't important to them. But nothing was done to halt this supply of weaponry. Why?
Hezbollah knew what was coming; they (Hezbollah, Syria and Iran) planned and prepared for it very carefully. While all this military preparation was going on, Israel, who obviously knew about the build-up of rockets and munitions from their military people up in the north of the Land, did nothing to stop it. They simply talked about it. Why? If this situation had been on any other border there would have been an international outcry and something would have been done to stop the build-up of weaponry!
Up until this time, mid-July 2006, even though rockets that had been reaching Sderot, Ashkelon and other communities, Israel's response was weak and half-hearted. The Gaza land battle started when Hamas-Fatah extremists tunneled into Israel , killed two Israeli soldiers and kidnapped another. The land battle in Lebanon started when Hezbullah crossed the Israeli border to kill and kidnap Israeli soldiers. This was a step too far for Israel. The gloves came off and Israel released an awesome torrent of firepower upon Hezbollah, and to a lesser degree, Hamas. These groups invaded sovereign Israeli territory to kill and kidnap. Under international law, this was war.
Most countries, especially France and Russia, are blaming Israel for the mess on the ground in Lebanon because of the "disproportionate use of force" by the Israeli military. Would they have stood idly by and watched as trained and well-equipped military groups killed and kidnapped their own military personel? I don't think so. But hypocrites like Putin and Chirac are the first to point the finger. Israel is entitled to use whatever means at her disposal to prosecute this war to a successful conclusion.
Unfortunately, innocent civilians have been killed on both sides but this is the nature of war. While Israel has attacked much of Lebanon's infrastructure to hinder the ability of Syria and Iran to resupply Hezbollah, not to punish the Lebanese people, Hezbollah has attacked Israel indiscriminately. Isn't it strange how no-one is concerned about the wanton destruction in Israel caused by all those rockets being fired over the Land to deliberately harm and kill civilians and destroy property?
Hezbullah has deliberately placed itself in the midst of civilian populations in the towns and villages of south Lebanon. Israel has warned these people to flee, and at times Hezbullah has actually tried to stop this movement north by threatening to shoot those who leave.
We urgently need to redouble our prayer effort for the innocent civilians of Lebanon -- especially the Christian believers, who are working tirelessly, around the clock in very difficult conditions, to help those who have fled their homes. Pray for their protection, strength and well-being; and that through their display of the love of Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah, these displaced Arab people will come to know the Lord.
Take a look at some of the amazing work going off right now in Lebanon with Pastor Walid El-Khoury and his dad, George (a former chairman of two banks in London). They launched a program to take the Gospel to Arab people, 24-hours a day on the satellite Hotbird, eighteen month ago. It is called The Spirit Channel and broadcasts to 350 million Arabs. They have a website at www. spiritchannel.tv. Their videos are excellent: faithful to the Word, and excellent production.
Hezbullah has hidden rockets and launchers in people's houses. According to the rules of war, this renders such civilian places as military targets. Yet Israel continues to show restraint when it comes to routing the terrorists and cutting the supply lines from Syria and Iran to Hezbullah. Active resupply IS going on from Iran to Syria to Lebanon, and Israel is doing little about it because she does not want to draw Syria and Iran into the war. She's afraid to take that necessary step.
Perhaps if she would repent and call upon the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (as did her leaders throughout scripture) and rely on His strength to give her victory, Syria and Iran would not be such a daunting task. Instead she prefers to do it in her own strength. Consequently, Israel is showing a lack of determination to do what needs to be done to protect Israel: take out Syria and Iran. The U.S. administration would dearly like to see this happen, sooner rather than later. (Not to mention the fact that U.S. elections are coming up this fall: homeland security and the fight against terrorism is the single big issue where President Bush is ahead on points. A protracted war against the extremist Islamic jihadist fascist war groups in the middle east would certainly help President Bush's party to hold power.)
The nations are complaining about the might of Israel's sophisticated weaponry against the "home-made pipes and bombs of Hezbollah" (as Jon Snow, the Channel 4 news moron, recently described it when confronting the Israeli Ambassador). Snow is not alone in promulgating this anti-Jewish/anti-Israeli vitriol and innuendo; Jeremy Bowen and his colleagues do the same sort of thing for the BBC. ITV is just as bad but I can't recall the names right now. CNN is probably the worst of all; these guys really go the extra mile to make Hezbollah look like angels and Israel like satan. The only station I've found to broadcast any semblance of fair and balanced tv news coverage is
The nations accuse Israel of fighting the kind of war that is fought only between nations and that Hezbullah is not a nation. Poppycock, Hizbullah is a nation within the nation of Lebanon. It has the weapons that many modern nations have: short and long range rockets; anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons, plus, a committed and prepared fighting force, better prepared, and more dangerous than any of the armies Israel has faced in previous wars.
Airpower alone will not do the job that needs to be done. Israel needs to flatten those villages where Hezbullah is entrenched. But she isn't willing to fight this type of war; Hezbollah is. This erroneous thinking will exact a terrible price in Israeli lives and, in the end, in Lebanese lives too.
The nations are calling for an immediate cease-fire that would leave Hezbullah and Hamas as the victors in this war. The only nations that are really standing firm with Israel and maintaining that she be allowed the time to finish this war are the U.S. and Britain. However, after Margaret Beckett's outburst yesterday, I have some concerns about Britain's staying power. Beckett complained about US aircraft carrying military supplies to Israel stopping off to refuel on British soil. Several others (MPs and a junior minister) have since joined the bandwagon. This smacks of anti-Israel/anti-Jewish/anti-Bush sentiment. I think P.M. Blair will stay the course if the media and his Labour colleagues don't manage to hound him out of office before his tenure is up.
The American president has spoken clearly of Israel's right to defend herself and to destroy the Hezbullah threat on her northern border. So has the UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair. Both Bush and Blair have spoken clearly and directly about the fact that the powers behind Hezbullah are Syria and Iran; Iran being the guiding force behind the timing of the Hezbullah attack against Israel. The recent G8 meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, was supposed to come up with a way to force Iran to stop its nuclear weapons program. A few days before the meeting began, Hezbullah attacked Israel and Iran was off the hook. A master stroke by Iran; specifically designed to do what it has achieved.
Concerns are rising that many in the Israeli Government are already looking for a diplomatic way out of this war. They are already talking about a NATO force on the Lebanese border. P.M. Olmert has spoken of an "eternal covenant of peace with his neighbors". That will not happen. The only One he can have an eternal covenant with is the God of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. There cannot be any sort of peace until Hezbullah is completely smashed and unable to regroup. A premature cease-fire that leaves Hezbullah and its leadership intact will merely perpetuate the problem and lead to a bloodier and more difficult conflict at a later date.
Please pray for the Israeli government, especially Ehud Olmert and the war cabinet, that God will strengthen them with the necessary resolve to prosecute this conflict to the end, until at the the very least, Hezbollah has been completely wiped out and Nassan Hasrallah killed or captured. Israel's General's have advised P.M. Olmert to pursue a big land invasion, but I doubt he'll do it. The same General's advised Ariel Sharon against pulling out of Gaza and the likely consequences but he ignored them. There seems to be a weakness and fear endemic in the Israeli administration that is in serious need of prayer.
What will it take to drive them back into the arms of their God. Israel REALLY needs to wake up, arise to their calling, and cry out to the Lord their God, the God of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, to lead and direct them in this battle. Perhaps this is a timely reminder for Israel and each of us that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places"(Eph.6:12).
Prayer Points
Pray for the safety of all Israeli military personnel, especially for the safety and protection of all those involved in the battles.
Psalm 61 HEAR MY cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed and fainting; lead me to the rock that is higher than I [yes, a rock that is too high for me]. For You have been a shelter and a refuge for me, a strong tower against the adversary. I will dwell in Your tabernacle forever; let me find refuge and trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear, revere, and honor Your name. May You prolong the [true] [a]King's life [adding days upon days], and may His years be to the last generation [of this world and the generations of the world to come]. May He sit enthroned forever before [the face of] God; O ordain that loving-kindness and faithfulness may watch over Him! So will I sing praise to Your name forever, paying my vows day by day. (Amplified Bible) .
Pray that the believing soldiers will know the peace of the Lord, and that as the Lord protects them, protection will spread to their units.
Pray that the believing soldiers will hear from the Lord regarding what to do and which way to go.
Pray that the believing soldiers will be able to share their faith with everyone around them and that the Holy Spirit of God, Ruach HaKodesh, will move upon them, convict them, bring them to repentance, save them and give them His peace.
Pray regarding the ground offensive.
1 Samuel 17:45-47 Then said David to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, Whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will smite you and cut off your head. And I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands (Amplified Bible).
Ezekiel 39:3-7 And I will smite your bow from your left hand and will cause your arrows to fall out of your right hand. You shall fall [dead] upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your hosts and the peoples who are with you. I will give you to the ravenous birds of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. You shall fall in the open field, for I have spoken [it], says the Lord God. I will send fire on Magog and upon those who dwell securely in the coastlands, and they shall know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service]. And I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name any more; and the nations shall know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. (Amplified Bible)
Pray that Israel will have the will, stamina, courage, and wisdom to see this war through to the end-the end of Hizbullah as a military threat to Israel. Israel needs to strike the arrows as many times as are needed.
2 Kings 13:15-19 Elisha said to him, "Take a bow and arrows." So he took a bow and arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, "Put your hand on the bow." And he put his hand on it, then Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands. He said, "Open the window toward the east," and he opened it. Then Elisha said, "Shoot!" And he shot. And he said, "The LORD'S arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will defeat the Arameans at (A)Aphek until you have destroyed them." Then he said, "Take the arrows," and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, "Strike the ground," and he struck it three times and stopped. So (B)the man of God was angry with him and said, "You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you would have destroyed it But now you shall strike Aram (C)only three times." (NASB)
Pray: for the Lord to go ahead of Israel's army and sow fear in the hearts of the terrorists; for the army to find the launcher sites and destroy them, and for the Lord to give Israel success on the battlefield; for good military intelligence; for the protection of the North of Israel from Katyusha rockets; for wisdom, strength, and resolve for our leaders, both military and political; for comfort, help, and strength for the one million people sitting in shelters. Many have tremendous needs: the elderly, the infirm, children, etc;
Pray concerning the steadfastness of President Bush and the U.S., and Prime Minister Blair and the UK.
Pray for Israeli soldiers to be supernaturally made aware of: (i) Enemy ambushes, (ii) Friendly fire, (iii) Mines, sniper positions, and trip wires set up by Hezbullah.
Pray for the Israeli government that: (1) The spirit of compromise in Israel and the Israeli government would go and (2) Worldwide pressure for a premature cease-fire would cease forthwith.
Remember: there is a much bigger spiritual battle taking place in the heavenlies that is manifesting itself right here on earth. Our war is against demonic spirits. The battle victory belongs to the Lord. Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.
Shalom aleikhem
Peace be upon you
William
P.S. My resources include: Bishop Dominiquae and Rabbi Baruch Bierman of Kad-Esh MAP Ministries for information gleaned from a recent newsletter of theirs; David Silver, Out of Zion Ministries, Haifa, Israel; Eliyahu Ben-Haim, Intercessors for Israel, David Dolan's Israel Update, Israel Today, Debkafile, Honest Reporting, Israel National News, Voice of Judea, ynetNews, Fox News, Haaretz.com, The Jerusalem Post, Aish.com, Jerusalem Online, and some I can't name.
posted by William at 7:44 AM
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