WEEKLY Arrows from Zion 7/19/2017

Priority Prayer Focus

Thank you, Lord, for you peace in the midst of the storms.

Arrows from Zion
Strategically Aimed for the Lord’s Harvest in Israel
Contact info for all the ministries included inside the subscription-only Weekly Summary.

The first thing I want to draw your attention to this week in the midst of all the crisis that the world is getting pounded with, "God's grace," as Israel Pochtar of Beit Hallel writes this week, "Is always sufficient."  He notes that to carry the work and vision God has entrusted us with is often challenging but "when we see the fruit of this work, the far reach and the impact our labor has, we can't help but glorify God for the changed hearts, transformed lives, families and communities."  That is really what it is about, isn't it?

That being said, I do want to share with you that the very last thing Pochtar mentioned in his prayer letter I have reversed and put at the beginning because I want Israelprayer subscribers to realize that the religious opposition is real and it is stalking our brothers and sisters in Israel now. In the midst of all they are doing to advance the kingdom of God in their communities, and as much as they downplay it, intercessors must be aware of the spiritual battle so we can pray into it and hold up our brothers hands in the battle.

Israel Pochtar writes, "Recently the religious orthodox have mobilized their people to advance furthermore their persecution of us and our congregation. They even tried infiltrating our services, just to spy and find out about upcoming events so they can send people to disrupt and disturb people attending. Pray for protection of the people, both leaders, whose families are being severely persecuted, and also protection for new believers and people who come to our congregation to our projects, not to be deceived into believing they are doing something wrong by coming to us. The pressure the religious put on people is intense and we need your prayer covering. "

Learn more of what this thriving community of believers are doing in their communities that would earn them so much religious opposition inside the Weekly Summary attachment      

Ye'shi Reinhardt of Hands of Mercy humanitarian aid in S'derot makes an appeal for volunteer workers in short and long term volunteer programs. Read more inside the Weekly Summary attachment 

The Maoz Ministries of Ari and Shira Sorko-Ram talk about the UN voting to designate Hebron as a Palestinian heritage site.  It's a win that "literally has no real value, since there are no legal implications to any UNESCO vote. In the meantime, a humanitarian disaster is breaking out in Gaza, and the world is silent. For years Israeli Electric Company has been supplying power to Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and to Gaza." Learn more what's a stake and get their prayer points in order to pray for "the innocent men, women and children in Gaza and that God will somehow break the yoke off them and set them free."

See also the Tiferet Yeshua prayer requests submitted by Maoz Israel  inside the Weekly Summary attachment

We have an update this week from the family of Antony Simon, who was preaching the gospel in Iraq in May when he was struck in a fatal car accident. His family is continuing the Voice in the Wilderness Ministry. They write, "The loss for Voice in the Wilderness is a great one but as we knew Antony, we know that he believed the gospel should be a lifestyle and that the work of our Father in Heaven is of utmost importance. That is why we see the work continuing. Our church life is continuing as usual, as we have our leaders teaching and undertaking the responsibilities of the church. In the church we had a baptism last week on Thursday performed by Leonid our elder and one of our deacons, Kang, which was a great blessing for us as a church. " Read more inside the Weekly Summary attachment             

Over the weekend a relative of mine that I have tried to work with to get him free from opioid addictions, even living in may home many times over the past several years, came to do work in my suburban Dallas town. There have been so many betrayals that my husband will not allow him in the house anymore, and when he comes around now, my anxiety level goes through the roof. I see that I am not equipped to help him as I have painfully learned over the last several years. That is why I am always so touched to share the reports of the Israeli ministries who work exclusively with the addicts on the streets and in their rehabs.

This week Dov Bikas of the Aviv Ministry which works in a ministry center in Tel Aviv and also in their congregation and rehab in the Negev has some encouraging reports on the things they are seeing in the Tel Aviv outreach and also the Negev rehab where they generally have 8-10 people living. It was especially touching to read the testimony of one man who has been at the rehab for five months. He had visited the outreach many times over the years for food but finally he was persuaded to go into the rehab.  This man had been estranged from his family and had not even seen his son for the last seven years, so in rehab, his heart was turned toward finding his son.

Imagine what God did next:  "All this time I did not give up hope to find my son and prayed about it. The Lord revealed Himself in a wonderful way, albeit through sad events. The director of our rehab received a call from a young man who asked to start a rehabilitation program. It turned out this man was my son! My joy had no limits, because it turned out that he also had a wife and a son, whom I had never even heard of. I had an opportunity to tell my son about Christ and deliverance from addiction. I do not know what will happen tomorrow, but I'm sure of one thing: while I'm with God, I'll be alright. Once again I want to thank the leaders of Aviv Center, for allowing Aviv Center to be a place in which I could go to rehab and get to know Christ.”

Read this and another encouraging testimony from the Aviv Center, along with the ministry prayer requests from Dov Bikas. It is a work that is close to the Lord's heart to reach those who have lost everything important in their lives to sins they are helpless to extract themselves from.

From Revive Israel an article by Asher Intrater Fruit of Self Control and a video by Cody Archer Intentionality . Also read about their Arab Christian team members who were baptized and the couple learned they were pregnant the same day inside the Weekly Summary attachment              

Rick Ridings of Succat Hallel, a 24/7 worship and prayer in Jerusalem sends this Prayer and Encouraging Sign from the Lord at the Border of North Korea Read it in full inside the Weekly Summary attachment        

Here are just a few articles from recent issues of Kehilanews.com

A really encouraging article about a group of Arizona inmates who took up a collection in order to bless an Israeli Messianic congregation: From the ends of the earth: Kingman prison inmates raise support for Beer Sheva kehila  Also a report on the annual SAYF Jewish, Arab leaders sit together at Yeshua’s feet

The political power in Israel has put its religious parties into driving their agendas with boldness, which means they are turning up the heat on the Israeli Messianic believers, and we need to pray about that. Two articles to give you insight on the issues:  Prayer request regarding Israeli citizenship issues and It’s time for a change – Messianic Jewish immigration to Israel

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Urgent HEALING Needs
Life and Death is in the power of the tongue

Please see inside the attached DOCX Weekly Summary to keep in prayer the Israeli ministry leaders and believers with urgent health needs including the fight for their very lives: 

Olga Bikas continues to suffer from chronic, acute back pain. She is getting medication and physiotherapeutic treatments that will hopefully improve her condition | Eliyahu Ben Haim, IFI's chairman, had back surgery 7/6. The operation was a success. Pray for his wife Hannah, and that his recovery from the surgery be complete and speedy | Esther Ridings Moore for cancerous tumor to yield to treatment and prayer with full healing | PLEASE CONTINUE PRAYER FOR for HaMaayan congregant Danny Meyuseff suffering poor health on several fronts,  healing  for David B., the wounded soldier/worship leader from Beer Sheva congregation, , David Ortiz, Ami Ortiz, Ruth Nessim,  Eddie Beckford | PRAY for RECOVERY of David at Revive Israel; Gila in Arad, Chaya Mizrachi | LONG TERM BATTLES |  David Stern,  David, Leah and Ami,  Moshe M.;  the son of an Arab pastor, Ghazi, who is suffering from Leukemia. Michael E, Claude Ezagouri; Baruch & Karen Maayan, Judy, wife of pastor Yaakov K;

Teaching Articles

In this Guest Post by Arni Klein of Emmaus Way in Israel, Arni contemplates the high cost in the Church to knowing Israel is special to God, but not acting on that truth. Read it inside the Weekly Summary attachment or online here.

Praying the Headlines

Inside the Weekly Summary attachment               Martin Sarvis provides spiritual background on the current controversies in Israel regarding two holy sites, The Temple Mount and the Cave of the Patriarchs. He notes, on July 18, Israel enters the second week of Bein haMetzarim —“Between the Straits.”

My Word

Familiar Spirits & the Python

I believe in miracles but I am somewhere between those who deny miracles are for today and those with a spirit of divination who promote supernatural miraculous signs that are not from God. Even to say such a thing I know I risk being called a heresy hunter. I'm not, but I do have an aversion to all the craziness that has been accepted in prophetic circles over the past several decades.

Last week while doing Israelprayer I had a strong urge to find out what the original Hebrew definition was of the translated term "familiar spirits". In its biblical usage and definition it is a spirit of divination. I would say that means calling something a prophecy that is obtained through sources other than from the Spirit of God, whether it is from evil spirits or from our own intuition or knowledge.

It seems to me that many traffic in this today - and let me tell you right off the bat that I repented yesterday myself for this very thing.  Read more at my blog

Israeli Ministry Tours

Living Stones Tour with Avi Mizrachi & Dugit |  We are pleased to announce that our annual "Living Stones Tour" will be from December 3-12.  This year we have decided to lengthen our trip to 10 days in order to spend more time at special places.  It is our goal to immerse each guest in the reality of living in Israel as a believer.  To maintain the intimate nature of this trip, we only have 45 spaces available. For more information including tour cost and itinerary click HERE!   

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Donna Diorio 
 arrowsfromzion@gmail.com or donna@d10r10.com
 
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