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The Elephant In The Room - Israel And The Word of God

10/28/2017

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Shalom, dear Praying Friends,

We are in the US right now and will be traveling for close to two more weeks. Although we are not attending our regular prayer meetings, I have felt that I should share some thoughts on issues that relate to praying and interceding for Israel.

This week I would like to touch on Israel and the Word of God, next week I hope to write something about the security of Israel and the challenges facing the nation at this time. ​
***
The Elephant In The Room; Israel and the Word of God

for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ ” Matt. 23:39 

There is, in my mind, no greater tragedy that has befallen Israel than this estrangement from Her Messiah, and the blinding of Israel’s understanding. What can be a more significant loss and more tragic, than that which is expressed in the words of Yeshua, ‘You shall see Me no more’?!. This, of course, is expressed to our nation as a nation, not to individuals; many Jewish people have come to faith in the last two millennia, and have known the fellowship and the presence of God in Messiah. But our disaster and loss are as a nation. Having rejected Yeshua as the rightful heir to the throne, and having rejected Him as Messiah, these words represent the most horrific of all losses. 

We are a people chosen by the Lord to be His own inheritance “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.” Deut. 7:6

Yet, we ended up resisting Messiah and delivered Him up to be crucified. Twice the house of God was destroyed, twice has our nation lost her national home and the land. And once, oh the shame of it, we have rejected our King and Messiah and delivered Him up to be executed as a blasphemer. 

Peter pulled no punches in the first ever address he preached to our people in Jerusalem.  "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:" Acts 2:23

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." Acts 2:36 

Yes, it was foreordained, and yes, it had to be so; yet this does not diminish in any way, the scope of the disaster or the depth of our responsibility. 

Stephen too preached these things boldly (and paid with His life for it).

 "Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye.Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:" Acts 7:51-52

No wonder the prophets lament so bitterly:  Jeremiah cries: “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by?  Behold and see If there is any sorrow like my sorrow, Which has been brought on me,  Which the LORD has inflicted  In the day of His fierce anger. Lam. 1:12

'Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ Ezek. 37:11 

'But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me,  And my Lord has forgotten me." Is. 49:14

And the result of all this? A hardening.  2Cor. 3:14 But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the  reading of  the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ.

The word ‘hardened’ does not simply mean temporary blindness, but a closing of our understanding. Louw and Nida have it: ‘to cause to be completely unwilling to learn, to cause the mind to be closed.’ Thayer defines it as: ‘to grow hard or callous, become dull, lose the power of understanding:’ 

As a nation, we are utterly stuck in this condition. It is so severe and grievous a state, and only the Lord Himself can remove it; ‘it is removed in Messiah.” 

"But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away." 2Cor. 3:15-16

Why share these things, why underline the problem and not the solution? Why not write about the amazing, wonderful promises waiting to be fulfilled regarding Israel's restoration to the Land, and to the Lord? Why not write about God’s promise to restore His presence to us as a nation?  (Ezekiel 37, especially Ezekiel 37:25-28)

Because shallow understanding leads to superficial praying. 

The strong words of Peter and Stephen follow the events themselves. They had just seen Yeshua crucified, they had seen the mob turn against Him, unto death. They had just seen Judas betray Him; they were witnesses to the trial and execution of the prince of life! They had also witnessed His resurrection. It was all very alive and very real to them; made more so as the Holy Spirit fell on them as fire from heaven and filled their hearts.

It is precisely this same awakening that we need. We need these things to be made real to us. As we see the enormity of this tragedy of all tragedies, our prayers will become deep, and eventually urgent as the Holy Spirit leads us into His own burden. Just as when the LORD shared His burden for Sodom with Abraham, which led Abraham to an intense wrestling with God. His prayers did not save Sodom, but it saved his nephew’s family. 

As we pray with the great need in view, as we press into God for the removal of the veil from the eyes of Israel, the Holy Spirit will ignite a fire in our bones, and we will press into God in prayer. 

We will become desperate like the woman who pressed through the crowd to touch Yeshua. We will be resolute like the Shunammite woman who would stop at nothing till she got a hold of the feet of Elisha. We will come to God again and again in prayer, as Hannah did at Shilo. In all those instances, the need caused the pressure in the praying. All these women received what they prayed for and then some. 

In the days before the Azusa revival, Frank Bartleman, inspired by the revival in Wales, took to prayer for revival. It is evident from his writings that the pressure of the Holy Spirit to pray increased gradually and grew to a become great burden till he could hardly contain it. 

Here are some quotes from His book “Azusa Street.”
It is interesting to note what he has to say about the mood of some of the people in the Church was like. It is not much different in these days. 

“The spirit of prayer was increasing upon me, and I determined to be “obedient to the heavenly vision.

“The burden of prayer was heavy on me for the work in those days. I had little rest day or night, in services and prayer. They were initial days. The fight was on. Both God and the devil were on the move.

“Jesus’ life was pressed out in prayer at every pore. This kind comes too high for most people. But may not this be our Lord’s ‘last call’?

“I spent most of my time on my face in the woods in prayer. In the moonlight evenings, I poured out my soul unto God, and He met me there. There was much “empty wagon” rattle in the camp. Most were seeking selfish blessings. They rushed to meeting like a big sponge, to get more blessing. They needed stepping on. And largely so with the Pentecostal people today.

“In those days, real prayer was little understood. It was hard to find a quiet place where one would not be disturbed. Gethsemane experiences with Jesus were rare among the saints in those days. And it is fast getting to be the same condition among our Pentecostal missions. In the Azusa Mission days, the first thought for a suitable mission was the prayer room. Now it seems too often to be the last consideration.

“At night, I could scarcely sleep for the spirit of prayer."

I am not calling people to produce a burden, only the Lord can put a genuine burden on us, neither am I calling for emotionalism, soulishness and a drumming up of some urgency. What I do believe is that if we give thought, study and prayer to Israel’s need and predicament, the revelation we receive will make the need urgent and He, by the Holy Spirit will take us deeper into prayer, until we too are crying to Him day and night.

God promises to meet us there: "And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?" (Though He seems to be delaying.) Luke 18:7 

There is a coming intervention of God in the history of Israel. He is coming to remove the veil from off the eyes of His people. For this, we give ourselves to pray and press in. There is no other spiritual hope for Israel; the need is colossal, and only God can meet it. Only God can remove the hardening He put there. 

He promised this very thing  “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.  Zech 12:10

Will you stand with us before the Lord till He pours out His Spirit upon Israel? It is quite urgent

Blessings from Jerusalem 
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Seeing God

8/2/2017

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There is more to seeing than meets the eye!
How is it, that although Yeshua performed many mighty works in Capernaum, the people never recognized that He was the Messiah? They saw the mighty works, they flocked for the healing but never turned to Him as Messiah and Savior. (Mat. 11:23)

Yeshua’s neighbors in Capernaum saw Him every day; they saw His mighty works; they could see with their eyes, but were blind. Ironically, the two blind men who sat begging on the outskirts of Jericho could plainly see Yeshua for who He was.

"And as they departed from Jericho, a great multitude followed him. And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David." Matt. 20:29-30
In their plea for mercy, the two blind men addressed Yeshua by His Messianic title! How is it that the two blind men, could see better than the whole crowd, or the educated scribes and rabbis?

We have a need to have our eyes opened to see God

I was reminded of all this lately, as I spoke with a brother about the recent Temple Mount crisis. He told me that, living on the Mount of Olives, he had a front view seat of all that was going on.

As you will recall, following a terror attack that killed two police officers, Israel set up metal detectors at all the entrances to the temple mount. The Muslims refused to be searched, they refrained from entering the Temple Mount, and this led to riots, especially in front of the Lion’s Gate. The Lion’s Gate is most famous for being the gate through which the paratroopers entered the Old City in the 1967 war and so it has become a symbolic place for the Muslims as well.

I reminded this brother that the Lion’s Gate was not the only gate through which the IDF entered the Old City. In fact, the first troops in the Old City were those of the Jerusalem Brigade who entered through the Dung Gate. Of course, ‘Lion’s Gate’ sounds a little more glorious than the ‘Dung Gate,' but our troops entered first through it.

This fact became a parable to me. Christians often get so excited and worked up by the drama, or what the enemy is doing, that they lose sight of the Lord. Sometimes we look events and miss what God is doing, under-the-radar so to speak, to fulfill His Word. While the enemy is rising in a great swelling of pride and violence, the Lord in His lowliness is going about the restoration of Israel in His own way.

Our challenge is to see Him in all circumstances, difficult and challenging as they may be; outrageous as they may be.

We must remember and take into account that: a. All power has been given to Yeshua, in heaven and earth! (Matthew 28:18) b. He has won the victory and has made an open show of all principalities and powers at the cross. (Colossians 2:14-15) c. He is sitting at the right hand of God until all His enemies are made His footstool. (Psalm 110:1)

This does not mean that we refrain from praying into events and situations, quite the contrary. But it does mean that we pray from this vantage point of seeing Him through the Word of God. Seeing God is essential to successful prayer and intercession.

To see how we prayed during the Temple Mount crisis click here: http://www.israelprayercenter.org/weekly-prayer-intercession  (Prayer and Intercession July 26)

Do you see the Lord?

It is not my intention to write a full teaching on how to see the Lord; only to point to our need of seeing Yeshua. Surely each one of us is challenged daily with this very thing. Do I see Yeshua or the circumstances? Do I see Yeshua or yield to my fears, anxieties, and unbelief? Do I allow myself to be distracted by the enemy to look at him, or do I see Yeshua?

We all remember I am sure, the incident in which Elisha and his servant were surrounded by the Syrian host.  In great fear, the servant cried, “Alas, my master! How shall we do?” “Fear not,” answered Elisha, “for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” Apparently, he saw something that his servant did not. Elisha then prayed to the Lord, that He might open the servant’s eyes that he might see!

"And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” 2Kings 6:17 

May we all have our eyes opened to see the Lord, in our circumstances, in world events; may we see in His light and sight.

May we all have our eyes opened to see Him, that we might “see.”

​Blessings from Jerusalem,


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Purim and The Urgency of Prayer For Aliya

3/19/2017

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The Restoration to Zion under Cyrus
In 538 BC, Cyrus king of Persia, after conquering Babylon, issued a decree for the Jewish people to return to Zion and build the House of God. It was all of the Lord, of course; He providentially prepared the whole sequence of events which led to this decree.

Two hundred years before the issuance of the decree, Isaiah already prophesied of Cyrus. God chose Cyrus to sponsor the restoration of Judah; He called him by name two hundred years before he was born!

Seventy years before the issuance of the decree, in 605 BC, a young man, Daniel by name was exiled along with many of the elite of Jerusalem, to Babylon. The Lord providentially placed him in the very heart of Babylon that He might use him in due time, to pray for that restoration and to reveal to Cyrus his God determined destiny. Daniel 1:1

A half-hearted response?
And yet, in 538 BC, only about 42,000 people went back to Zion with Zerubbabel. The rest of the people stayed in Babylon. The scriptures are silent as to the reason, but we can surmise that many did not feel it would be a good move for their family, or perhaps they had a good job, or their life circumstances were comfortable. Some perhaps did not cherish the effort it would require to move back to a place that needed rebuilding.

The unforeseen danger
But this choice proved dangerous; for approximately 60 years later, a great enemy arose in the capital of Persia, and the Jews there faced a great peril. Haman the Agagaite plotted to annihilate the Jews. Not only would this have been a great tragedy for thousands upon thousands of Jewish families, but it would have set back the plan of God. Were Haman successful, there would be no Ezra and no Nehemiah. Even a cursory reading of those books in the bible will give you an idea of the magnitude of the disaster that would have been.

Both men were greatly needed in Judah. One to bring the people back to the Word of God, the other to lead them to rebuild the city and the walls. Remember, all of this was part of setting the stage for the Messiah to come, for the work of salvation.

God’s providential intervention
But God providentially placed a godly man, Mordechai, and his adopted niece Esther, in strategic positions to affect a rescue and deliverance from this evil. The plan and purposes of God were thus protected and safely carried out as He determined.

**
Another “Haman” rose in Europe….
Some years before the Holocaust, several men, Zionist prophets if you will, called on the Jewish people to come back to the Land. They called, they warned, they thundered even, but with little success. One of them was Zeev Jabotinsky.

The following quotations are from an article found on The Tower Magazine’s website. (1)  

“The catastrophe that arrived in 1939 had been visible on the horizon for years. In February 1937 the New York Times reported on the wave of anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe: “Anti-Semitism, raised by Adolf Hitler in Germany to the status of a political religion, is rapidly spreading throughout Eastern Europe and thereby turning the recurrent Jewish tragedy in that biggest Jewish center in the world into a first rate disaster of truly historic magnitude.”

“The Times reported that five million Eastern European Jews faced “the prospect of either repeating the Exodus on a bigger scale than that chronicled in the Bible … or spending the rest of their lives in an atmosphere of creeping hostility and dying a slow death from economic strangulation.”(1)

Our people had their prophets
““For years, Jabotinsky had been calling for a Jewish exodus from Eastern Europe, and the formation of a Jewish majority in Palestine as the basis of a Jewish state. He was savaged by other Jewish leaders for what they called his “evacuationism.”

“In his testimony before the Commission, Jabotinsky said: I am very much afraid that what I am going to say will not be popular with many among my co-religionists, and I regret that, but the truth is the truth. We are facing an elemental calamity … We have got to save millions, many millions. I do not know whether it is a question of re-housing one-third of the Jewish race, half of the Jewish race, or a quarter of the Jewish race; I do not know; but it is a question of millions …

“In August 1938, Jabotinsky was in Warsaw, delivering an address on Tisha b’Av, the day set aside to remember the destruction of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. To the Jews of Poland, he set forth both a warning and a vision:

“It is for three years that I have been calling on you, Jews of Poland, the glory of world Jewry, with an appeal. I have been ceaselessly warning you that the catastrophe is coming closer. My hair has turned white and I have aged in these years, because my heart is bleeding, for you, dear brothers and sisters, do not see the volcano which will soon begin to spurt out the fire of destruction. I see a terrifying sight. The time is short in which one can still be saved. I know: you do not see, because you are bothered and rushing about with everyday worries … Listen to my remarks at the twelfth hour. For God’s sake: may each one save his life while there is still time. And time is short.”(1)

How tragic it is, that for most part, the Jews of Europe did not heed the warnings. I am grateful that my grandmother did heed and did act.

My Grandmother listened
My grandmother, who was a dentist in Poland at the time, heard and heeded the warnings. A strong-willed and determined woman, she single-handedly pushed her family, whoever would listen, out of Poland and into Palestine, as it was then called. Thank God!

**
More Hamans have arisen, again
Anti-Semitism is rising at an alarming rate, in many countries, some as far away as Australia where a Jewish gym owner was threatened with death recently (2). In Canada, a leader of a student body at McGill University calls on other students to punch a Zionist in the face (3). In Holland, Turkish demonstrators against the government, in an entirely unrelated matter, begin to chant ‘cancer Jews’(4). In France, two Jewish men were viciously attacked by Muslims, who beat them and sawed the finger of one of them off. (5)

In the USA things are no better: “Since January, 161 bomb threats have targeted Jewish institutions across the country, including Jewish Community Centers, schools, synagogues and ADL offices in New York, San Francisco, Washington, DC, Atlanta, and Boston. In the USA Jewish graves are desecrated, Jewish community centers are threatened with bombings.” (6)

We must pay heed, and we must act

I am not predicting another Holocaust, yet I am greatly alarmed by the renewed and fierce demonic hatred that has arisen against the Jewish people. I believe the church must pray for and encourage and help the Jewish people to return to Israel.

The nation of Israel is the miraculous provision of God for His people
Israel’s birth and existence are wonderfully miraculous in many ways. Israel is a provision of God for His people. It is a fulfillment of the promises of God, and it will culminate in the revelation of the Lord to His people as the prophets have said.   

The Jewish people should come home now
Rather than just fight antisemitism in the nations, Jews should come home, this is the express will of God, articulated in the prophets. See for example  Ezekiel 36:24, Ezekiel 37:12, Amos 9:15, Jeremiah 23:8 (see the context that shows these verses belongs to our days).

Israel has been a nation for 69 years now. Antisemitism is rising again at an alarming rate. But the Jewish people are reluctant to come back, yet they have a glorious future in the Land.

Jabotinsky again:

“I want to say one more thing to you on this day of the Ninth of Av: Those who will succeed to escape from the catastrophe will merit a moment of great Jewish joy — the rebirth and rise of a Jewish State. I do not know if I will earn that. My son, yes! I believe in this just as I am sure that tomorrow morning the sun will shine once again. I believe in this with total faith.”(1)


We need more Mordechais
In all biblical stories of redemption and of the providences of God, we find godly men and women who lived a godly and holy life, and who interceded. Such were Mordechai, Daniel, Anna and Simeon, Zechariah the father of John, or many others who walked with God and could be used by God for His purposes. It is God’s providence to raise such people.

This is what we need today, godly intercessors; not only those with vision and availability but also with a life to back it up. A life that is pleasing to the Lord.

In Babylon, God needed servants who would not only know His plan, but live a life that could withstand the pressure of corruption, and the resistance and attacks of His enemies against His plan and people. He had those men in Daniel and his three friends.

In Persia, God needed to have some who would be godly, faithful and fearless. He had it in Mordechai and Esther.

What about today? What about you, and I? Certainly, we are called to persist in prayer and faith  - Luke 18:1-8, but we are also called to holy conduct and godliness - 2Pe 3:11-12

For such God is looking, such servants, He must have, indeed He will have.

Let us say Hineni, Here am I Lord.



Blessings from Jerusalem,

Ofer Amitai

____________________________________________________________

1. http://www.thetower.org/article/jabotinskys-lost-moment-june-1940/

2. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4311708/Jewish-leader-gets-death-threat-abusive-caller.html

3. http://www.timesofisrael.com/canadian-student-leader-urges-twitter-users-to-punch-a-zionist-today/

4. http://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Dutch-Muslims-shout-antisemitic-slogans-during-Turkish-consulate-protest-484071

5. http://www.jpost.com/Diaspora/Report-Attackers-saw-off-Jewish-mans-finger-beat-his-brother-near-Paris-482485

6. https://www.adl.org/news/article/6th-wave-of-bomb-threats-targeting-the-jewish-community





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I Am the Light of The World

12/23/2016

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John 8:12

​There are all kinds of lights in the world
There is a natural light that comes to us via the sun. There is man-made light. There is an intellectual light - the light of understanding.There is the light of God’s presence as he lit the camp of Israel in the desert.

Sometimes leaders are spoken of as being light to a nation. Such is spoken of David: “Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.” 2Sam 17:22

Sometimes light is spoken of as freedom and safety and deliverance from danger. “The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honor”  Esther 8:16

Evil is also spoken of as a type of light — light of the understanding which has been darkened: “Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine.” Job 18:5

Without natural light we will physically perish, without true spiritual light "we will also perish — forever! 

Oh, what a relief! What happiness it is to know, that the Lord has not left us alone to sit in darkness, but has shined HIs Light into our hearts! 

​I saw a great light
​Many years ago,  in December of 1976, when I was alone in India, sitting in great darkness, I saw a great light. As I cried to God for help and deliverance, light entered the room. It was a light growing in an ever increasing nearness and intensity, I saw light filling the room. And in a surprising flash of recognition, I realized, “The light is a Person!”  He had come to me and shined His Light upon my darkened and chained soul. 

“The people  who walked in darkness  have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of  deep darkness, on them has light shone.” Isaiah 9:2

“For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2Cor 4:6

In Him Light is the Grace of God to us: “There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.” Psalm 4:6

In Yeshua, Light is salvation to us: “The LORD is my light and my salvation.” Psalm 27:1

In Him light is life to us: “For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.”

In Him light is Truth to us, guiding us to Himself: “O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles” Psalm 43:3

Christmas — a celebration of that Light 
Isaiah, in chapter 9, goes on to describe that great light that has shined on those who sit in great and deep darkness: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” Isaiah 9:6-7

In Yeshua God has come into our view
As humans, compared to the full spectrum of light and sound, we are pretty much blind and deaf. The chart below shows how little we can see and hear.
Picture
But in giving us His Son, God humbled Himself and came into our view, so that we could see, so that we could hear Him so that we could understand and turn and be saved from darkness. Such mercy is hard to comprehend! 

Thank God there shall be an increase of His government with no end. Thank God the Light is coming, the light will fill the earth. The  Zeal of the Lord shall perform it. 

We have a great hope - The Light is Coming
In the same way God came to me; He will shine again in this land; He will shine a light upon Israel, He shall reveal His Son to His people, and from Israel, He will shine his light of salvation to the ends of the earth, once again.

“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake, I will not be quiet, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,  and her salvation as a burning torch.The nations shall see your righteousness, and all the kings your glory.” Isaiah 62:1-2

He who is Righteousness, Salvation, He who is the Grace of God, will light a lamp in the earth once again, that they might turn to that light and be saved. He will 'come into view' again. What a mercy! How deserately the earth needs this mercy now. 

​May He who is Light, Life, Salvation, Righteousness, Healing and Grace shine upon you this season, and may you be ever drawn to Him who is the Light, away from all else. John 8:12

Have a blessed Christmas and a blessed Hanukkah (they coincide this year). 

From Jerusalem,

Ofer Amitai 

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Don't Lose Heart

8/30/2016

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“…..to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart”
Luke 18:1
[To lose heart means: [to lose one’s motivation to accomplish some valid goal — ‘to become discouraged, to lose heart, to give up.’]
​
More prayer for deeper needs
Recently, we added another prayer meeting to our congregation’s schedule. 

It seemed our people were in great need. Our people looked harassed and preoccupied. Some were attending the meetings sporadically. Some of the young people had slipped back into the world, other people were struggling with job issues, another desperately needed to find housing. Still others need healing, and to top it all, our congregation needed to find a new home. 

So we called on the people to come and pray together, and added another prayer meeting to our schedule. After all, we have a Father, do we not? We have a Great God, who is compassionate and gracious and merciful. Our God can do all things; nothing is too hard for the Lord. 

So we gathered just outside of Jerusalem, in the Biblical Garden of Yad HaShmona, a messianic village, situated in the Judean Hills, and we began to pray.

Why is the Prayer Meeting the most contested meeting
At first, many came to the meeting, but as time has gone by, the numbers have diminished. 
Why does this happen? Why is the prayer meeting the most contested gathering of the congregation? Why is it so challenging for people to consistently come together to pray? Why do people lose heart? 

It has to do with feedback 
You don’t necessarily get feedback and assurance right away in praying, as you would with other things. We come to a prayer meeting, we lift up our voices to God, we read and pray scriptures, but there is not necessarily feedback as far as an outward sign, sound or light, or change in the atmosphere, or a voice to assure you that you have been heard. You can pray and pray and pray, and come week after week to a prayer meeting and not feel anything. 
I think this is why sometimes we try to make the prayer meeting itself exciting, emotional, moving. Of course, there are times we are moved by the Spirit when we pray; there are times we feel great emotion during a prayer meeting. But those don’t necessarily make God hear us better. Nor are those times more effective than other times, when we have prayed and felt nothing.

We can be blind to the answers
Another reason we lose heart is that we don’t necessarily connect what is happening, with our prayers. In other words, we are blind to the answers. Many times the answers are not what we were expecting, or perhaps we are waiting for God to answer in a certain way, and are blind to the way He is answering.

God is answering our prayers
God has been answering our prayers in a most wonderful way. Just recently, the Lord intervened in a powerful way in the life of one of the young people who backslid. People saw it as a negative thing and did not recognize the favor of the Lord in doing what He did. Things have begun to move in the business of one whom we have been praying for, nothing dramatic, but with great potential. Woe to us if we despise the day of small things. 

Naaman would have missed his healing had he insisted on drama instead of being willing to descend in the way of humility. We have seen some sweet healings, some blessed providential, protective interventions. We have also seen some small answers to our cry for revival in the congregation. 

We have seen breakthroughs in the lives of people, and we have also seen some crises that have brought people to a place of decision. Not all of this is pleasant, but we recognize that the Lord is working out the answers to our prayers, in His own way. 

We have even found a temporary place, in the nick of time, to tide us over as we keep searching for a place for the congregation.

​We must not give up watching and praying
The parable we quoted above, ends with this verse: 

“I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8

What a startling thought: Yeshua will come with the answers, for sure, but it is not certain that His elect will be there!  

Thank God that He has told us not to lose heart. He is coming with the answers.
Keep praying, keep believing, and don’t lose heart…

Blessings from Jerusalem

Ofer Amitai  
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We Need Revival

6/13/2016

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“…..And, lo, they were very dry.” Ezekiel 37:2
With summer upon us, Israel is turning from green to brown. The fields, so recently lush and green after the winter rains, are now brown. And with every oppressing heat wave, our hearts grow in deeper longing for the rains, which we hope, will come again in the fall.

As we look at the brown fields, we can’t help but think of Ezekiel the prophet who was taken by the Spirit of God to a valley where he was shown Israel’s condition. It seems as if we are standing with him in that place and as we contemplate the scene, we see those bones, and lo, they are “very dry.”

Our hearts long for the rain of the Spirit; our hearts long for revival, life from the dead for those bones. We long for God’s presence, we long for God’s Spirit, we long for the Word of God to come in power and grace and breath Life into our nation.

We cry to the Lord with Isaiah, “Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence,” Is. 64:1

We ache and long for the rain, for the Lord to come; we are desperate to see the floods.

But, we must be careful
But we must be careful not to project our feeling of desperation on God’s ability and willingness. We must be careful to not to let our desperation lead us to conclude that God is unable, or weak, or lacking. We must not attribute to God an indifference to our condition.

God is well able  
Last May, after four years of drought, Texas experiences a deluge. The heavens opened over Texas and flooded the State. In some places, rain fell for twenty-five consecutive days!
​
All in all, Texas received 35 trillion gallons of rain at that time. How much are 35 Trillion gallons of water? Here is an infographic to give you an idea.(1)

Picture
That’s a lot of water!
​​
I am inspired to think that no matter what things look like to us, how dry and how brown the land looks spiritually, God is well able to open the heavens and pour out the Spirit as a flood, a deluge.
​
In fact, He promised to do so.

“Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen: Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:”  Isaiah 44:1-3

But we must pray
God called Ezekiel to bear the sight of Israel’s awful condition so that he might stand before Him for His will to be accomplished. As he was called, so are we called to bear, both the sight of the need, and the prayer for the need to be met; until the floods come.

We must pray, we must pray without ceasing, we must cry day and night to Him, we must travail in prayer, persevere in prayer, prevail in prayer until the answer comes. We must know the promises, we must stand on the promises, we must believe in the One who promised; we must pray into the promises.

We must not give Him rest till He establishes His Will and fulfills His promise to send the rain. By His grace, we will not faint, nor grow weary in prayer till we hear the sound of the wind, and see the clouds gather. We are called to persevere in prayer

The Body of Messiah needs Revival too
I believe the Body of Messiah needs revival too. There are signs in the Body of Messiah that it is in some spiritual decline. And although there are many goings on in the Body; activities, initiatives, projects and conferences, they do not necessarily point to the true life and power of God in the midst. Perhaps they even highlight the lack of power and the need for revival in the Body of Messiah in Israel.

A quote from "Pentecostal Outpourings" describes this need well:

“Revival is a fresh manifestation of the vigor and effectiveness of God’s word after a period of spiritual decline, lethargy, and indifference. It is initiated by the sovereign, extraordinary, saving activity of the Holy Spirit and is characterized by an intense sense of God’s presence. It takes place against the backdrop of declension among God’s people and a militant ascendancy in the world’s godlessness.”(2)
(emphasis, mine - O.A.)

That is exactly the situation in Israel, and I suspect the world over.

I pray you will get a sight of the need, I pray you will hear the Lord’s call to you, I pray you will take your place before Him, and pray for Israel and the Body of Messiah (both in Israel and the world) until you hear the “sound of abundance of rain.” 1Kings 18:41



Blessings from Jerusalem

Ofer Amitai

__________________________________________________________________________
1. (http://houstonlocalnews.newsngin.com/2015/05/31/how-much-rain-has-fallen-in-texas/)
2. Robert Davis Smart; Michael A. G. Haykin; Ian Hugh Clary. Pentecostal Outpourings: Revival and the Reformed Tradition (Kindle Locations 386-389). Reformation Heritage Books. Kindle Edition.


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A Blessed Encounter With Iranian Believers

5/17/2016

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​“And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD.  But, it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 49:38-39

Iranian Christians
It is often a great blessing to meet brothers in the Lord, who are from Arab countries; especially, when they have a clear view of scripture of Israel’s restoration in the last days. Then, a miracle happens: hatred vanishes, love blooms, and fellowship is restored. What a demonstration of the power of God!

While visiting a congregation in Germany recently, I met several Iranian brothers in the Lord.  The encounter was wonderful, and it became especially significant with one of them.

German congregation
Although I had been in this congregation once before, I learned only this year that the pastor comes from a family with Nazi background. His grandfather was a driver to some of the highest officers in the Reich, and even long after the war, continued to display much pride whenever he showed him photos with these high ranking Nazis. 

Several years ago this dear pastor began to get revelation about Israel’s place in God’s economy. To make things more interesting, this past year has brought refugees— some of them from Iran— to his congregation. The congregation is being transformed into a multi-cultural fellowship. 

After I spoke, four or five of the Iranian brothers approached me. They hadn’t met a Jew before, let alone an Israeli believer. It’s hard to describe the happiness we felt, meeting each other at the feet of Yeshua; there was such a release of joy!

A special moment
One of those young men, quieter than the rest, waited for an opportune moment, and began to speak with me about his nation. He was sorry, he said that Iran harbors such hatred for the Jewish people. “We should be like Cyrus, who was used to build Israel up, and not plan to destroy you,” he said. “We should protect you and help you. Please forgive us,” he continued. 

This was totally unexpected and moving, but then, he asked to wash my feet. 

After getting over a bit of reticence, I agreed. We went over to the side, where the youth pastor joined us. Instead of water, oil was brought and this young Iranian, put a few drops on my feet, laid his hands on them and began to pray. Softly and tenderly he prayed, tears falling from his eyes; he was doing this unto the Lord and I was just standing in for my people. 

As he prayed, I laid hands on him and prayed for him. As I prayed, I began to sense that the Lord had placed a burden on this young man, and that he was called to prayer and intercession; for his nation and for mine. 

I asked him whether I could pray for him and anoint him with oil. He agreed and I was led to anoint him in the way it was done in the tabernacle of old. Oil was placed on the right ear, and the thumb of the right hand, and the great toe of the right foot. Ex. 29:20-21 

After anointing him thus, I prayed that the Lord would open his ears to hear His voice, direct his hands to do His will, and guide his feet to bring good news. I prayed he would be a blessing to my people and to his. Above all, I prayed that the Lord would draw this young man’s heart to Himself and that he would grow to be a mature man of God.

What a joy flooded our hearts at this divine encounter! Here we were, an Iranian and an Israeli praying for each other in a German church. 

The Kingdom of God
Now, none of this may seem as such a “big deal”, not enough anyway to change realities on the ground and to stop a nation like Iran from its mad pursuit to destroy Israel. Yet, for a moment there, I could see, by inspiration, the Stone Daniel spoke of. The Stone that smashed the image of the world ruler, and became a “great mountain, which filled the whole earth.” Daniel 2:34-35

Even now that ‘Stone’ is growing in Iran; many have secretly found Yeshua the Messiah, as their savior. To be sure, there seems to be no end to the trouble ahead, and it may very well be that we are heading for a terrible confrontation with Iran. But, I have seen the ultimate future in the face of this young man. 

The Word of God confirms this: 

“And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD.  But, it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 49:38-39

The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown commentary, explains these verses in the following way.  (Emphasis mine).

“God will soon set up His throne on earth (Jer 49:38), and make all men to know that the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. The issue of the conflict between light and darkness is not doubtful. All the events of history and politics are, in spite of the intrigues of ambitious and unscrupulous men, and the commotions of earthly affairs, being overruled to the grand end of setting up the throne of Him to whom the kingdom of right belongs.” 

The writer’s advice in this commentary should be carefully heeded.

“Let us see that we are decidedly on the Lord’s side, and, amidst all the clouds that obscure the vision now, let us by faith see Him who is invisible to the men of the world, and look for the blessed day when His people shall see Him in glory, and at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow.”

Blessings from Jerusalem,
Ofer Amitai
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Life and Death - A Clash of Two Kingdoms

2/9/2016

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Picture
Looking over Israeli fields into Syria at Mount Bental, Golan Heights
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10
*
​*‘We Love Death More Than You Love Life’
Hamas1

An Odd Observation
Anyone visiting Israel’s northern border with Syria on the Golan Heights will immediately notice something peculiar. While on the Israeli side, groves of fruit trees and fields fill the landscape up to the very border itself, the Syrian side is quite barren. Although sounds of guns and bombs now fill the air as the Syrian civil war rages, the site was the same before the war erupted. 

When the Syrians had the Golan in their possession, they used it by and large to build their forces in preparation to attack Israel, not to cultivate it. When Israel gained control of the area after successfully defending herself in two wars (1967 and 1973), she immediately began settling it and developing its agriculture. If you visit the Golan today, you will be astounded by the green fields, beautiful vineyards, wineries, herds of cattle, and even a ski resort.

The same is true in Southern Lebanon; fields and vines on the Israeli side stretch to the border with Lebanon, while on the Lebanese side, Hezbollah is using the area to build its forces, dig tunnels, and fortify buildings; all in preparation for their next attack on Israel. 

The Greater Love
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13

By far the greatest love that a human can demonstrate is to lay down his life for his friends; thus the commandment of Yeshua clearly teaches. There is no greater wonder one can contemplate than the death of Yeshua on the cross. God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son as an atonement and a sacrifice. Upon Him the full wrath of God would be emptied, so that all and any who come to believe in Him would receive life — Eternal Life.

God is the Author of Life (Genesis 1:24, Genesis 1:27), and God is the Fountain of Life (Psalm 36:9). God bestows life-giving mercies freely on those who turn to Him (Psalm 103:3-5). It is His express will to give life to all those who turn to Him — abundantly! (John 10:10)

Death as Worship
In a hideous twist, in Jihad, “to kill oneself in order to harm non-Muslims is an act of deep piety.”2

In Islam, the act of killing others through killing oneself is not considered suicide (forbidden in Islam), but is rather considered worship.

Can there be anything more antithetical to God than that?!

All those who adhere to such thinking and devotion are by definition in the enemy’s camp. 
The thief comes not but to steal, kill and destroy, we read in John 10:10. 

“….We tell them: in as much as you love life -- the Muslim loves death and martyrdom.” Sheikh 'Ikrimeh Sabri, Mufti of Jerusalem and Palestine 3

“In 2004, (Hassan) Nasrallah, (secretary general of Hezbollah) said this: "We have discovered how to hit the Jews where they are the most vulnerable. The Jews love life, so that is what we shall take away from them. We are going to win because they love life, and we love death.”`”4

I Will Redeem Them From Death
Overlooking the beautiful fields of the Golan, the growing of fruit trees or the cultivation of vineyards might seem feeble and weak compared with those ominous threats of death and destruction. In a world that worships force, that is the impression one gets. 

But that would be wrong, for behind those groves, vineyards, and herds of cattle is God — the Lord of Life. He is performing His Word and fulfilling His promise in restoring His people to their land. 

“And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them.” Amos 9:14 (See Ezekiel 36:33-36 in addition.)

While the Jewish people are planting vineyards and building the waste cities, in reality, it is God who is doing the planting. 

“Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with My whole heart and with My whole soul.” Jeremiah 32:41

That in itself is a grand demonstration of life: the resurrection of a people, brought back to life from the dead. 

“Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, O My people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the LORD, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up out of your graves,  And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.” Ezekiel 37:12-14

Those fields and vineyards point not to the people of Israel, as much as they do to her Mighty, Life-giving, Resurrecting God. And He has set Himself as an enemy to Death. 

“I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from Mine eyes.”  Hosea 13:14

From Jerusalem He will one day put the final enemy, Death, into the pit. 

“He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.”  Isaiah 25:8

“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” 1Corinthians 15:26

What Shall be the Receiving of Them?
In his great letter to the believers in Rome, Paul unfolds the mystery of Israel. Here we find this amazing truth that is an anchor of our hope and faith: 

“For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead.” Romans 11:15

Paul claims that the restoration of Israel will unleash resurrection life! Nothing less. This is astoundingly wonderful.

In light of all this, and in sight of groves of fruit trees, vineyards, and cattle roaming the Golan, one realizes that far from being weak signs, they point to a mighty, life-giving revolution about to come.

The enemy doesn’t get it.

Do we?


Blessings from Zion,
Ofer Amitai 
________________________________
  1. http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/11/19/hamas-warns-israel-we-love-death-more-than-you-love-life/
  2. http://www.meforum.org/2478/suicide-bombing-as-worship
  3. http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/466.htm
  4. http://www.wiesenthal.com/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=lsKWLbPJLnF&b=4442247&ct=5850817#.VriooJN97ys
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He Staggered Not

4/2/2015

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He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief;  
but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;  
Rom. 4:20 


Prayer creates tension and struggle
Prayer creates tension in the life of the one praying; on the one hand are the vast promises of God, on the other is the situation, or reality of things as they are in the world. The more one continues to pray; the more one feels this tension and resistance to the fulfillment of the promise.

Prayer often leads one into an immense spiritual struggle, personal or otherwise. Just read of David’s struggle in prayer for Israel when he went against the prohibition to count the people of Israel. (1Chro. 21), or Jeremiah’s intense agony in prayer over Israel’s condition (Lamentations), or Esther’s struggle in interceding against the annihilation of her people. 

Israel’s existence is greatly contested
There is perhaps no matter so contested— in both the spiritual and physical realm— as the existence and restoration of Israel in these last times. I cannot remember a time, since the establishment of the State of Israel, where her existence was not threatened. There is not a more prevailing and widespread hatred in the world today as the hatred of the Jew and the hatred of the Jewish nation. 

The latest one to express this hatred is the commander of the Basij militia of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Mohammad Reza Naqdi who has declared that “erasing Israel off the map” is “nonnegotiable.”1

Iran is the current greatest threat to Israel’s existence. It is feverishly attempting to build a nuclear bomb with the goal of annihilating Israel, it supports its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the rebel movements in Syria, Yemen. 

In Islam and especially Iran, the spiritual, physical, and political resistance to the promises and purposes of God on the earth, are all coalesced into one great opposing force.

He staggered not
How, then, shall we stand in prayer without staggering against such opposition? Let us learn from Abraham the secret of prevailing in faith with God. For the battle of prayer, is really a battle of faith. 

“(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickens the dead, and calls those things which be not as though they were.  Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. Rom. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.” Romans 4:17-21

Briefly, let us see what Abraham did and what he didn’t do, and the result of such a choice.

What Abraham looked at
  1. Looked at, and to, the God who raises the dead. 
  2. Looked at, and to, the God who creates out of nothing.
What Abraham refused to look at
  1. His own body - which was good as dead 
  2. Sarah’s body - that could no longer produce.
The result of such choice
  1. He did not waver — his heart was not divided. 
  2. His faith was strengthened unto giving glory to God (we glorify God when we believe Him.)
You understand that this does not mean that Abraham was blind to his body’s  condition. Rather, he did not look to his body to produce and fulfill the promise of God. Only God can fulfill what God promises, and what he saw of God, diminished every other consideration; yea, obliterated it. 

That is the faith that will fuel our prayers unto victory. 

The counsel of God shall stand
“….I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is no other, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, I say, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all that I please.” Isaiah 46:9-10

This declaration, and others like it, greatly encourages my faith. No matter how many enemies rise against His Word, His victory is assured twice over. First, because He is God and there is no other and second, because of Calvary! Yeshua has won the victory, He has risen from the dead and is coming back to reign over His people and over the earth. There is no force on earth or under the earth of in the heavens that can stop it.

Its Passover time
Tomorrow, Israel will be celebrating the Passover, again. We have been doing this for well over 3,000 years now. Every year, we remember our deliverance from Egypt, and with it we celebrate all our many, many deliverances, throughout the ages.

There is a part in the Haggada (the telling of  the Passover story on Passover eve.) where we recount His interventions to save us from our enemies. We recite and sing:“That which stood for our ancestors applies to us as well. For it was not only one individual who stood up against us to destroy us. Rather, in every generation they stand up against us to destroy us. But the Holy One, Blessed Be He, redeems us from their hands.”

By faith we say that we shall continue to sing of these deliverances till He comes. 

A blessed Passover to each one of you.  Keep Praying!

Blessings and love from Israel,

Pastor Ofer Amitai


_____________________________________________
1. BERMAN, LAZAR. "Iran Militia Chief: Destroying Israel Is ‘non Negotiable’." The Times of Israel 31 Mar. 2015. Web. <http://www.timesofisrael.com/iran-militia-chief-destroying-israel-nonnegotiable/?utm_source=The Times of Israel Daily Edition&utm_campaign=37bcbb641e-2015_03_31&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_adb46cec92-37bcbb641e-54468053>.

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On What Do You Rest This Trust? 

9/8/2014

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Terrorism’s psychological warfare
It was amazing to see that at the conclusion of Operation Defensive Shield, Hamas declared victory! Never mind that huge parts of Gaza are in ruins, never mind that all Hamas’ plans were revealed and thwarted, and that they lost hundreds of fighters; still they declared victory.

Amazingly, many in Israel believed it and became downcast. Many newspapers carried articles enumerating how Israel failed in this and in that, how Israel should have brought an end to Hamas, but didn’t and how the leadership of the country failed. 

Most of the Islamic terror groups use the same psychological warfare to try to discourage their enemies, and frighten them, into submission. This is why ISIS is using social media to shock the world and frighten the west, but they are not as strong as they seem; so say the PKK Kurdish fighters who are successfully pushing them back in many places. 

The reality of the situation
The reality of the situation is quite different. The truth of the matter is that the Lord moved providentially, and through very difficult circumstances brought to naught Hamas’ plans. Through this unexpected eruption of hostilities, Israel has destroyed much of Hamas’ infrastructure in Samaria and Judea, found and destroyed attack tunnels, meant to be used this very Rosh Hashana (Jewish New Year) in a devastating massive attack against Israel. Israel also destroyed much of Hamas’ rocket arsenal; and this has freed her, for now at least, to be prepared to deal with trouble from the north, if it erupts.  

We listen to the enemy too much
Through this, I realized that we listen to and watch the enemy too much. Sometimes, we watch and listen to what the enemy is doing, more than we watch for and listen to, God! Just see how much time you spend on the Internet vs. the time you spend in your Bible and you’ll get the point. This is true, often, in our own lives too— we receive the assessment of the Flesh or the Devil rather than seeing things from God’s perspective. Is there really any other, worthwhile, perspective other than God’s?
~~~~~~~~~~

This kind of strategy is not new
When Sennacherib the Assyrian king, surrounded Jerusalem in 701 B.C. he tried to frighten and discourage Hezekiah into submission. He had no internet in those days so he sent his leaders to speak by shouting, to the people on the walls of Jerusalem. He used big words, boasted of his many successes, declared that the gods were with him, and promised that if the Jews surrendered, they would have a fine future, but elsewhere. 

The full story of this incident can be read in Isaiah 36-37, 2Ki 18-19, 2Chro 32:1-24

But Sennacherib made a big mistake
He defied the God of Israel, the only true God.
“Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The LORD will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand? Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand? Isaiah 36:18-20

Sennacherib made two wrong assumptions: he compared the God of Israel to the gods of the nations, and made himself to be more powerful than God. 

This was not a good idea! 
 “You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and  my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me   and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.  I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior.  I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and  you are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and I am God. Yea, before the day was I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back? Isaiah 43:10-13

"All the nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness. To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?" Isaiah 40:17-18 

"Do you not know? Do you not hear?   Has it not been told you from the beginning?   Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?"  It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; Is. 40:23 who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. Isaiah 40:21-22




What did the Leaders of Judah do in the face of such an attack? 
First - They told the people not to listen nor respond to the enemy - Isaiah 36:21
Second - Hezekiah spared no effort to get to the Lord - Isaiah 37:1-4
Third - They prayed! Isaiah 37:3-4,16-20. [It is good to note that  their prayer did not only consist of what the enemy said, but in declaring who God is.)
Fourthly - They waited to hear from the Lord -- Isaiah 37:6-7, 21-35

This time, the Lord sent His Angel— “And the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.” Isaiah 37:36

And that was the end of that war. The result was that Hezekiah was, “magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.”

War is not a game played on the Internet
I am not suggesting that Israel sit back and does nothing, after all, Hezekiah prepared well by diverting the Gihon spring into the city, thus protecting Jerusalem’s water sources and depriving the enemy of the same. This is still considered an unparalleled engineering feat to this day. 

But, I am saying that those of us who are called to prayer and intercession, should not allow ourselves to be influenced by the enemy’s prating and boastings. We should not be downcast or be frightened by everything we see and hear the enemy say and do. Instead, we should turn to the Lord, see Him, cry out to Him on behalf of our nation and press on till we hear, and perhaps also see, His answer. 

Two quotes:
“The devil is NOT GOD, he’s just a fallen angel, and he can’t stop the WORD OF GOD in any way.”

"Do you believe there’s a SAVIOR in this world who is as much greater than the devil, as you are compared to a black or red ant crawling around? He is the CREATOR! All power in heaven and earth is given to Him.” 

Let us then turn from the enemy to God and pray - Yeshua has won the victory!!
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus," Hebrews 10:19
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16




 

On Him we rest our trust!  










Ofer Amitai

Jerusalem Prayer Center 

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