Thursday, July 11, 2013

CHPP Daily Brief Thursday, July 11, 2013






Breaking: Please see our Good News Report for a major victory for parental rights
in the State of Illinois!
Capitol Hill Prayer Partners
P.O. Box 5152
Herndon, VA 20172-1970
chpp@patriot.net


The Daily Brief Thursday, July 11, 2013

"Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him." (Proverbs 30:5)


HOW TO SUBSCRIBE

Capitol Hill Prayer Partners welcomes all who wish to pray for our leaders to join us in prayer for our nation. You may sign up to receive our alerts by sending an email to us at chpp@patriot.net, requesting that your name be added to our list of subscribers.

WELCOME!


VISIT OUR BLOG!

CHPP's blog includes archives of past editions of all of our alerts, as well as features on praying for the government, Israel, and other key issues.

Come visit us by going here.



The Daily Brief

1. 61 Executions Since Iranian Elections - Arutz Sheva

More than 60 Iranians have been executed since the recent presidential elections on June 14th, opposition and human rights activists told Arutz Sheva. Activists condemned the elections themselves as a "sham", given that the Iranian "Supreme Leader" Ayatolla Khameini hand-picked the list of eligible candidates.

- Lord, we cry out to You for mercy over the people of Iran, and for justice against the extremist leadership. It seems that no matter who "wins" an election there is no way out for the people.

- "The Lord is known by the judgment He executes; the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands." [Psalm 9:16]


2. Saudi Arabia 'targeting Iran and Israel with ballistic missiles' - UK Telegraph

Images analysed by experts at IHS Jane's Intelligence Review has revealed a hitherto undisclosed surface-to-surface missile base deep in the Saudi desert, with capabilities for hitting both countries.

- Father, we pray for Your mighty protection over the Middle East. Let no plan of the enemy be accomplished against Your Beloved.

- "No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper;" [Isaiah 54:17a]


3. Gun Geo Marker app tries to locate homes, businesses of gun owners- Fox News

A new Android app asks users to expose the home addresses of gun owners they deem "potentially unsafe" -- and share that information with the world.

The Gun Geo Marker apphttp://global.fncstatic.com/static/v/all/img/external-link.png, released to Google's Play app store on July 7, invites users to mark the homes and businesses of "suspected unsafe gun owners . . . to help others in the area learn about their geography of risk from gun accidents or violence." The app bills itself as merely a tool to collect information, but it was hit with a firestorm of negative reviews and comments from people worried that it could do more harm than good.

Read more:

- Lord, we pray that this app for Android phones be removed from the market. Gun ownership is a right according to the Constitution, and this devious plan causes arbitrary and judgmental actions that target ordinary people rather than criminals. We also ask that whoever created it be visited by Your Holy Spirit, that they may change their minds and hearts to see the truth.

- "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" [Proverbs 9:10a]


4. House to Vote on Bill Prohibiting IRS Enforcement of Obamacare - Weekly Standard

The House of Representatives will take up a bill that would stop the Department of the Treasury, including the Internal Revenue Services, from implementing and enforcing the provisions of Obamacare.

- Father, we pray that Congress will be able to find a way to defund this massive program.

- "For the Lord gives wisdom, from His mouth come knowledge and understanding" [Proverbs 2:6]


5. REPORT: DOJ spent tax dollars to help organize, support 'Justice for Trayvon' protests - Judicial Watch

Judicial Watch, Inc. on April 24, 2012 launched an investigation into the Trayvon Martin case based on reports that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) had sent a secret team of "peacekeepers" to Sanflord, Florida, where Martin was shot on February 26, 2012 after wandering in a gated community after dark. George Zimmerman, a resident of the community and its neighborhood watch captain, is currently on trial for Martin's death though he maintains he acted in self-defense.

- Lord, we are extremely upset that our tax dollars were spent to create protests and a media frenzy over this situation. We ask that You stop this kind of spending permanently.

-"The evil will bow before the good, and the wicked at the gates of the righteous." [Proverbs 14:19]


6. Senate HELP Committee's Approval of ENDA Threatens Religious Liberty, Employers' Rights - FRC

Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins expressed strong disagreement with the U.S. Senate HELP Committee's approval of S. 815, a bill that mandates special rights based on sexual preferences. Businesses would be forced to comply (or face penalties), regardless of the impact on their organization.

The legislation in its current form also requires employers at daycares, public schools, and Christian businesses to change their restroom and shower policies to accommodate men who dress like women and vice-versa.

- Pray that when this bill reaches the Senate floor, it will die. Scripture tells us that, in the latter days, men will have their consciences so seared, they will not be able to distinguish good from evil. Ask our Lord to visit the 100 members of the United States Senate with a move of His Grace and His Mercy in such a powerful way that they WILL be able to know right from wrong . . and in the end, see the foolishness and the dangers of ENDA. Pray for an END to ENDA. In His Name, amen.

- "He will deliver one who is not innocent, And he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands." (Job 22:30)


7. Prosecution's Closing Arguments Today in Zimmerman Trial - Fox News

Defense to Begin Friday

Prosecution attempts to paint Zimmerman as an angry wannabe cop who 'tracked' Martin, after judge rules jury can consider manslaughter charges, but denies prosecution bid for felony murder based on child abuse.

- No matter how this trial turns out, we pray today for peace in the streets of Miami and in every city in the nation. If there is a "ticking timebomb" out there, ready to explode, we thank our Lord that, as we turn to Him in repentance, He can and will defuse this bomb. Ask our Lord to forgive all those who would use this trial to bring chaos into the streets of the nation, for they know not what they do. In Jesus' Name, amen.

- "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." (Col. 2:15)


8. House Leaders Hold Firm on Immigration Bill - Gary Bauer

After a contentious two-hour meeting yesterday on immigration reform, the House GOP leadership, along with two key committee chairmen, released a joint statement outlining how the House plans to proceed. Here are excerpts of that statement:

"Today House Republicans affirmed that rather than take up the flawed legislation rushed through the Senate, House committees will continue their work on a step-by-step, common-sense approach. The American people want our border secured, our laws enforced, and the problems in our immigration system fixed to strengthen our economy.

"But they don't trust a Democratic-controlled Washington, and they're alarmed by the president's ongoing insistence on enacting a single, massive, Obamacare-like bill.

The president has also demonstrated he is willing to unilaterally delay or ignore significant portions of laws he himself has signed, raising concerns among Americans that this administration cannot be trusted to deliver on its promises to secure the border and enforce laws."

- House leaders are right to take this approach. The more the public learns about the Senate's bill, the less they like it. Offer praise to the Lord that the House leadership has found the strength to say NO on this bill, until a better one can be written that will be a blessing to all Americans. Amen!

- "Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)


The Middle East in Focus

The Middle East in Focus

This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:

""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)


1. Report: Russia Could Suspend Syria S-300 Sale for Golan Role - Arutz Sheva

Israel may drop its opposition to stationing Russian troops on the Golan Heights as members of the UN peacekeeping force there -- if Moscow halts its shipments of S-300 missiles to Damascus. Such a deal could be in the works, the London-based Arabic language a-Sharq al-Awsat said Wednesday.


2. Israel warns Arabs against 'bashing' it at U.N. nuclear meeting - Reuters

Arab diplomats signaled on Tuesday they would seek to step up pressure on Israel over its assumed nuclear arsenal but the Jewish state said any attempt to "bash" it would be counterproductive.


3. Israel strengthens Syria border with an eye on Hezbollah - Reuters

Israel is bolstering its forces on the once-quiet frontier with Syria where it believes Lebanese Hezbollah militants are preparing for the day when they could fight Israel.


The Persecuted Church

Today's Focus: The Persecuted Church

"Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." (Hebrews 13:3)


1. House Churches in Northwest China Share Stories of Persecution - ChinaAid

Xinhe Tang is a brother from Beitun Church in the Aletai area of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Because he held worship services at his home, the local police confiscated all the church's properties.

Brother Tang heard that a Christian human rights lawyer had just arrived in Beijing, and he hoped to invite the lawyer to Aletai to help them. He wanted to know how to get back the church's properties that were taken away by the police. In May 2013, the lawyer made a special trip to Aletai after finishing his case in Yili. Brother Tang said that their church has often been harassed by local police. Members of the church all wanted to know how to defend their rights by legal means and to learn more about their protection under the law.


2. Anything But Myth: Bedouin Trafficking and Torture of Christian Eritrean Refugees Exposed - CBN

From the West Coast of Africa to the deserts of Sinai, Bedouin tribes are conducting a human trafficking trade on a massive scale.

It's no secret. The trade reaps millions of dollars and deals with human misery. It could be stopped but so far no one has dared.

"By that time I had lost sense (sensation) in both my hands," an Eritrean torture victim told CBN News. "It was a result of the accumulated torture but mainly because (both) of my wrists were tied up so tightly, (and I was) hanged up from the ceiling for three days, the blood was cut off from my hands and the flesh started to literally drip from my hands."

This man is just one victim of this widespread modern-day slavery, kidnapping, and torture trade in the Sinai desert. There are many pictures and videos of this horrible practice on the Internet.


3. Nigeria Sentences 4 Boko Haram Militants to Life-in-Prison for 2012 Church Bombing - BBC

Four alleged members of the Islamist Boko Haram group have been sentenced to life for their role in bomb attacks that killed 19 people.

They were found guilty of masterminding and carrying out attacks on an electoral commission office and a church last year.

These are the heaviest sentences given to any Boko Haram suspects.

The group is responsible for a series of deadly attacks across northern and central Nigeria.

It has increasingly targeted civilians, with more than 2,000 people killed since Boko Haram launched its insurgency in 2009 to create an Islamic state in the mainly Muslim north of Nigeria.

A state of emergency was declared on 14 May in the north-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, with more than 2,000 soldiers deployed to break up Boko Haram camps and insurgent operations.

The authorities say they have arrested hundreds of militants since then but only a few have been taken to court.


For more news about the Persecuted Church, and how you can be more involved in intercession for these precious saints, go here.


The Madison Report

The Madison Report

www.MadisonProject.com

THE MADISONIAN

Student Loans


In 2007, the Nancy Pelosi Congress passed a bill to slash the rate of interest on government-subsidized Stafford loans from 6.8% to 3.4%, at a cost of $6 billion. This superfluous handout to Big Education, which continues to fuel the higher education bubble, expired last summer and was reauthorized for another year. The lower rate expired again on July 1, and both parties are trying to out-pander each other on throwing more money into failed subsidization of higher education.

Instead of harnessing the opportunity to explain limited government and free markets, Republican leaders are pandering and trying to out-left the Democrats on their own proposals. They are decrying the inaction of Congress in extending the subsidized rates. In May, the House passed H.R. 1911, which would require interest rates for all federal student loans to be pegged to the 10-year Treasury note plus 2.5 percent for undergraduate degrees and 4.5 percent for graduate degrees.
Meanwhile, there are two competing plans percolating through the Senate. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), is pushing a bill (S. 1238) to extend the 3.4% rate for another year and pay for it with tax hikes on private retirement accounts. There is also a bipartisan compromise supported by Joe Manchin and Lamar Alexander, which would take the House proposal of pegging the rate to the 10-year Treasury note plus 1.85%. This is still well below the market value of those loans.
Prayer Request:

Pray for a breakthrough in these negotiations. Our hard-working young people deserve better than this!

"Though we are slaves, our God has not forsaken us in our bondage." (Ezra 9:9)


Keeping the Peace after Zimmerman Trial

Law Enforcement Officials Look to Ministers, Churches and Miami Heat
to help Keep Calm after Zimmerman Verdict


"I just want to reiterate on behalf of the Martin family, please, no violence." -Miriam Martin, Trayvon's aunt.


EDITOR'S NOTE: I have felt the urging, in dreams and in waking, for the Body of Christ to pray for peace over this situation. May the Peace that passes understanding guard hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, as this trial comes to an end. -Aimee Herd, Breaking Christian News

Agreed - Sara Ballenger, Capitol Hill Prayer Partners


The Miami Herald reports that a committee of Miami-Dade's Community Relations Board will be actively promoting peace and calm following whatever verdict is announced in the George Zimmerman trial.

Churches in the area were approached by the committee and asked to keep their doors open for people to come pray and talk about the situation; they've agreed to do so.

The committee has reportedly also asked Miami Heat players to "lead a unity walk through the inner city."

In addition members of the board plan to use social media to get the message of no rioting out to the public. Facebook and Instagram will be employed, and the Twitter hashtag of #keepcalmfortrayvon is being created.

Rev. Walter T. Richardson, chairman of the board's executive committee noted, "Our goal is to make sure we have a response no matter how it comes out."

Miriam Martin, Trayvon Martin's aunt was quoted as saying, "I just want to reiterate on behalf of the Martin family, please, no violence."

(Miami Herald) Read more here.
Reported by Breaking Christian News. Go here to read this report.

Urgent Prayers Needed for Texas!

* * * URGENT LEGISLATIVE ALERT 7/11/2013 * * *

Pro-life HB 2 Passed the Texas House 96-49 Yesterday;

Senate Will Debate HB 2 at 2 PM on Friday

Pro-Life Citizens Wearing Blue Needed to Flood the Senate Gallery and Encourage Our Pro-Life Senators
We have confirmation from the office of pro-life Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst that HB 2 will be debated on the floor of the Texas Senate starting Friday, July 12, at 2 PM! We need YOU in the Senate gallery, in blue.
Please come very early to get in line, and plan to stay late into the evening. The debate may continue on Saturday if necessary. Planned Parenthood and other opponents of this bill are pulling out all of the stops to kill HB 2. This will be the showdown!
We urgently need pro-life citizens to come to the Capitol in Austin to #Stand4Life! The Texas Senate is where an unruly mob wearing orange filled the gallery and shouted down the Senate debate, preventing a successful vote during the first special session. We cannot let that happen again! During debate in the House, supporters in blue outnumbered opponents in orange 5-1. We need to do that again!
HB 2, authored by Rep. Jodie Laubenberg (R-Parker) and sponsored by Sen. Glen Hegar (R-Katy), is an unparalleled opportunity to protect mothers and innocent unborn babies in Texas. If passed, HB 2 would:
- Increase safety standards for 36 licensed abortion facilities to the the level of ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs), There are 420 ASCs in Texas, including six that perform abortions. We believe all abortion providers should be held to that level of safety.

- Require the 18,000 RU-486 abortions performed each year in Texas be done according to FDA safety standards,

- Require physicians who perform abortions to be qualified to treat life-threatening complications after botched abortions by having priviledges at a hospital within 30 miles of the abortion facility, and

- Bans abortions on unborn children beginning at five months of pregnancy, when scientific evidence clearly shows babies can feel pain.

Prayer Request:

Stand in prayer in support of those in Texas who are working to see this bill passed. Praise God for the victory they have seen in their House; by the grace of God, may we see another victory next in their Senate. Yes, Lord!

"For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil. 1:L6)


Prayers During Ramadan

Hungry for truth: meet the children of Algeria

For Friday July 12, Ramadan 2013 - Day 04.
"Loving Muslims Through Prayer"


One summer a church organised a camp for children. Joseph longed to go, but this camp was meant for the children of the church and Joseph did not belong to it. He was told he could not join in. But the day before the camp started, one of the camp workers felt moved to make a place for him after all. Joseph was thrilled!

Joseph thoroughly enjoyed his days at the camp, but deep in his heart, he was still asking whether Islam or Christianity was the right way. On the last day of the camp, the worker who had been moved to invite Joseph along began to talk to him. Through this talk, Joseph learned about the love of God and the message of Jesus, calling us to repent of our sins and follow Him. When asked if he wanted to believe in Jesus as his Saviour, Joseph answered "Yes" and he prayed together with the worker, at peace at last with his question.


PRAYER IDEAS


- Pray for the children in Kabylie and throughout Algeria, that they will all get an opportunity to hear about Jesus (Luke 18:16).

- Pray for the children who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, that their faith will grow and that they will have the courage to tell others about Him (Mark 9:36-37).

- Pray that God will protect the Christians in Algeria who are persecuted (Matthew 5:10).

Complete article, video, audio, comments is here.
Source: Calling Christians to Pray with Faith, Hope and Love | 30-Days of Prayer for the Muslim World

The Good News Corner

The Good News Corner:

Illinois State Supreme Court affirms parental rights, after 18 years!

Decides notification law for minors is constitutional


For nearly two decades there's been a law on the books in Illinois to protect minors from abortion practitioners by requiring that a parent or guardian be notified of a pending procedure 48 hours before it happened.

Finally, it's about to be enforced.

That's after the state Supreme Court today ruled unanimously that the law does not violate the Illinois Constitution.

"This is a huge victory for the rights of parents not only in Illinois but in all Midwestern states," said Tom Brejcha, president of the Thomas More Society, which had argued on behalf of the law.

The state's Parental Notice of Abortion Act was adopted in 1995, but never enforced until now. It requires a parent or guardian to be notified at least 48 hours before a child under the age of 18 undergoes an abortion.

The Thomas More Society said the decision represents the successful culmination of an almost nine-year effort on the part of constitutional scholar Paul Linton to have the law enforced.
Casey Mattox, senior counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom noted that the law now is scheduled to take effect in five weeks.

"The well-being of young women is more important than the bottom line of abortionists. All this law has sought to do since 1995 is to uphold the duty and desire of parents to protect their own children rather than allow them to be taken advantage of by others," he said.

"As the Illinois Supreme Court unanimously found, the law constitutionally encourages 'an unmarried, pregnant minor to seek the help and advice of a parent or other adult family member in making the very important decision whether or not to bear a child.' The ACLU kept this law from protecting women for more than 17 years, but that is now over." (WND) Read more

Prayer Request:

Join us in offering a GREAT CHORUS OF PRAISE for this victory FOR LIFE in the State of Illnois! Praise God!

- "Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee." (Jeremiah 32:17 KJV)


Pray for the Harvest!


Pray for the Harvest!

"Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." (John 4:35)


Every day, in every nation on earth, tens of thousands of men and women are making decisions for Christ. Now, you can monitor this amazing fact online by literally "watching" as these souls are born again into the Kingdom.

Of course, the identities of those who are coming to the Lord are never revealed, but our God knows who they are!

Join us as we monitor these "names" daily, praying over each one to be mentored and to grow in his or her faith . . . even in these perilous times. You may visit either or both of the sites below, to pray for fields that are ripe for harvest.

> > > OPTION ONE: AboutJesus.net

Go here!



> > > OPTION TWO: The Great Commission Map!

Go here!


Worship With Us Today!

Worship With Us Today!

How Emptiness Sings
Christa Wells

Glory to God, Glory to God!
In fullness of wisdom,
He writes my story into his song,
My life for the glory of God.
Hmm, hmmm