Shani Ferguson: Summer is the most important
time of year for Israeli believers, as the youth who are surrounded by a
godless culture all year at school, get to worship and spend time together with
believers from all over the county. Unfortunately, the Covid restrictions are
resulting in the cancellations of these events and this is sure to have an
impact on the spiritual state of many of the young people. So let us take this
time to pray for God to bring other opportunities for spiritual strengthening.
Rescuing a Generation
by Shani Ferguson, Maoz Ministries
No
matter how hard we try as humans, we never seem to evolve—by nature—into a
superior creation. We keep falling into that cycle of doing things our way and
realizing too late that it was a bad idea. As our actions produce the results
we were warned about, we eventually look up to heaven for help.
As promised, God comes in for the rescue—though that rescue can take years or sometimes a generation to undo the damage of our foolishness (or the foolishness of our predecessors). How long it takes us to fall to our knees and how desperately we cry out for rescue often directly correlates with how long it takes God to get us out of our mess.
Once again this week I am laying out some topics to pray through. As always, feel free to choose one topic or go through all of them as you pray together with thousands of Maoz prayer warriors. Let’s make our prayers loud—God promised He’s listening.
Lord, remember what has happened to us. See how we have been disgraced! Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners. We are orphaned and fatherless. Our mothers are widowed…Our ancestors sinned, but they have died—and we are suffering the punishment they deserved!....But Lord, you remain the same forever! Your throne continues from generation to generation. Why do you continue to forget us? Why have you abandoned us for so long? Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had! (Lamentations 5)
Concerning Children: In the Bible, whenever a generation was significant in God’s plan, the enemy attacked the children.
As promised, God comes in for the rescue—though that rescue can take years or sometimes a generation to undo the damage of our foolishness (or the foolishness of our predecessors). How long it takes us to fall to our knees and how desperately we cry out for rescue often directly correlates with how long it takes God to get us out of our mess.
Once again this week I am laying out some topics to pray through. As always, feel free to choose one topic or go through all of them as you pray together with thousands of Maoz prayer warriors. Let’s make our prayers loud—God promised He’s listening.
Lord, remember what has happened to us. See how we have been disgraced! Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to foreigners. We are orphaned and fatherless. Our mothers are widowed…Our ancestors sinned, but they have died—and we are suffering the punishment they deserved!....But Lord, you remain the same forever! Your throne continues from generation to generation. Why do you continue to forget us? Why have you abandoned us for so long? Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had! (Lamentations 5)
Concerning Children: In the Bible, whenever a generation was significant in God’s plan, the enemy attacked the children.
It is
obviously much easier for God to develop a new generation when their parents
have passed down godly principles and instructions. It is also obviously much
more difficult if the parents passed down worldly principles and lifestyles
that will need to be broken. What must remain constant however, is the
continuation of the family cycle—father, mother, children.
It is therefore obvious why the enemy would work so hard to target children and damage this refresh cycle. Today’s young generation is under two strategic attacks
1. Many are never exposed – in real life or even on TV to an ideal healthy family.
2. The aggressive push to expose young children to sex education that includes questioning their identity to the core of their being is robbing children of years of innocence that are necessary for bringing up emotionally healthy adults. Many will be robbed of their reproductive abilities because doctors and psychologists will push them to make life-altering decisions when they are too young to understand what it really means.
With millions of children sex trafficked each year, countless others experimented on by ideologues with a theory, and hundreds of millions unwittingly being exposed to porn that will distort God’s gift for marriage—this generation’s children need to be rescued.
Father, we first thank You for everything that You made in its perfect form.
We thank You for the pure love that You created to be between a man and his wife, and the joy and closeness they can experience in a lifetime together.
Many people don’t know how to build a family because they didn’t grow up in one and they’ve never seen one. We ask for You to create high-profile healthy marriages and families.
We ask that You would highlight the beauty and purity of that in the Body of Messiah.
Open the conversation of sexuality and sex within marriage among pastors, spiritual leaders, parents and believers in general, so that our children will not have to learn about it from “Google.”
Bring down the voices of pseudo-scientists and doctors who are destroying the lives of the next generation of boys and girls.
Alert the hearts of the parents. Forbid that evil predators reach the children of believers before their parents do.
It is said that it takes a village to raise a child properly. Bring godly influences— both older mentors and friends their age—into the lives of our children.
Protect our children from online or community predators who would prey on them.
We thank You that a serious sex-trafficker, Ghislaine Maxwell, was caught this week. We ask that You keep her alive to testify and that she will be the first of many dominoes to fall in this evil network of slavers.
We ask that You collapse the businesses of porn pushers and lift up and strengthen the organizations that exist to help deliver sex/porn addicts.
Heal marriages and restore families that have been damaged from these addictions.
Show the world the power of the cleansing blood of the Lamb that cannot only cleanse the soul, but heal a mind damaged by sexual perversion.
In another prayer point | Concerning our Fall Trip to the U.S. | Kobi and I and our five children usually spend the summer traveling to congregations and churches. However, Europe currently has restrictions of travel from Israel, and the U.S. is in the middle of a difficult summer. For both ministry and medical reasons, we are planning a trip to the U.S. in November. In light of the travel restrictions, we plan to limit our speaking engagements to Texas and Arizona.
Father, we ask for protection and wisdom on where to go and where not to go. There are people who have prayed and asked You to connect them with Israel and to help them understand Israel more. We ask that You would bring those people in contact with Kobi and Shani as they visit.
It seems crazy to have to pray this in the U.S., but we ask for protection from the anti-Semitic attacks that have been increasingly happening around that world. We thank You that there are still many Christians who love You and love Your people, and are covering Jews in prayer. We ask that You bring to the mainstream of Christian conversation the question of the New Covenant that was made first with the Jews. (For more on this, see Hijacked New Testament article)
It is therefore obvious why the enemy would work so hard to target children and damage this refresh cycle. Today’s young generation is under two strategic attacks
1. Many are never exposed – in real life or even on TV to an ideal healthy family.
2. The aggressive push to expose young children to sex education that includes questioning their identity to the core of their being is robbing children of years of innocence that are necessary for bringing up emotionally healthy adults. Many will be robbed of their reproductive abilities because doctors and psychologists will push them to make life-altering decisions when they are too young to understand what it really means.
With millions of children sex trafficked each year, countless others experimented on by ideologues with a theory, and hundreds of millions unwittingly being exposed to porn that will distort God’s gift for marriage—this generation’s children need to be rescued.
Father, we first thank You for everything that You made in its perfect form.
We thank You for the pure love that You created to be between a man and his wife, and the joy and closeness they can experience in a lifetime together.
Many people don’t know how to build a family because they didn’t grow up in one and they’ve never seen one. We ask for You to create high-profile healthy marriages and families.
We ask that You would highlight the beauty and purity of that in the Body of Messiah.
Open the conversation of sexuality and sex within marriage among pastors, spiritual leaders, parents and believers in general, so that our children will not have to learn about it from “Google.”
Bring down the voices of pseudo-scientists and doctors who are destroying the lives of the next generation of boys and girls.
Alert the hearts of the parents. Forbid that evil predators reach the children of believers before their parents do.
It is said that it takes a village to raise a child properly. Bring godly influences— both older mentors and friends their age—into the lives of our children.
Protect our children from online or community predators who would prey on them.
We thank You that a serious sex-trafficker, Ghislaine Maxwell, was caught this week. We ask that You keep her alive to testify and that she will be the first of many dominoes to fall in this evil network of slavers.
We ask that You collapse the businesses of porn pushers and lift up and strengthen the organizations that exist to help deliver sex/porn addicts.
Heal marriages and restore families that have been damaged from these addictions.
Show the world the power of the cleansing blood of the Lamb that cannot only cleanse the soul, but heal a mind damaged by sexual perversion.
In another prayer point | Concerning our Fall Trip to the U.S. | Kobi and I and our five children usually spend the summer traveling to congregations and churches. However, Europe currently has restrictions of travel from Israel, and the U.S. is in the middle of a difficult summer. For both ministry and medical reasons, we are planning a trip to the U.S. in November. In light of the travel restrictions, we plan to limit our speaking engagements to Texas and Arizona.
Father, we ask for protection and wisdom on where to go and where not to go. There are people who have prayed and asked You to connect them with Israel and to help them understand Israel more. We ask that You would bring those people in contact with Kobi and Shani as they visit.
It seems crazy to have to pray this in the U.S., but we ask for protection from the anti-Semitic attacks that have been increasingly happening around that world. We thank You that there are still many Christians who love You and love Your people, and are covering Jews in prayer. We ask that You bring to the mainstream of Christian conversation the question of the New Covenant that was made first with the Jews. (For more on this, see Hijacked New Testament article)
Arrows from Zion
Summarized from the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests Israeli Ministries by subscription only donna@israelprayer.com
Summarized from the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests Israeli Ministries by subscription only donna@israelprayer.com
From Leon Mazin of the Return to Zion congregation in Haifa, an update on
the ministry work they are doing "despite the social unrest and the
pandemic." Something that is a ministry particular to R2Z ia their "Music
and Art School, with our vision to identify and release the gifts and talents
of children and to foster them through music and arts. And furthermore, to
reach out to new immigrant children returning to Israel!"
If you don't know, culturally the Jewish people have always placed high value in their children cultivating creativity the Arts. It isn't just doctors and lawyers that Jewish mama's wanted their children to become. This remains true in the Messianic community where several Messianic ministries are dedicated to fostering music and arts in children from a young age. This is probably due to the blessing of God made to Abraham, " in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” We see that drive of blessing among Jews not only in the medical and sciences fields, but also in the creative arts. It is a mistake to think this blessing is limited to bringing forth the Savior of the world, it is a broad blessing that Jews will be involved in bringing great blessings to all the families of the earth. Another paradox of God that a people who bring so much blessing to the world is also the most scapegoated people of the world.
If you don't know, culturally the Jewish people have always placed high value in their children cultivating creativity the Arts. It isn't just doctors and lawyers that Jewish mama's wanted their children to become. This remains true in the Messianic community where several Messianic ministries are dedicated to fostering music and arts in children from a young age. This is probably due to the blessing of God made to Abraham, " in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” We see that drive of blessing among Jews not only in the medical and sciences fields, but also in the creative arts. It is a mistake to think this blessing is limited to bringing forth the Savior of the world, it is a broad blessing that Jews will be involved in bringing great blessings to all the families of the earth. Another paradox of God that a people who bring so much blessing to the world is also the most scapegoated people of the world.
So, the Music and Art school in Haifa has "80% of our students have
returned to classes - about 135 persons. The others are not able to return, as
their parents cannot effort the much-needed education, Leon Mazin writes.
"We have long planned to launch the program called Foster a Student. This is a wonderful chance to offer a talented
child a sound education in music and art and
to show them the love of Yeshua. Do not miss this opportunity to partner in
the spiritual Restoration of Israel and its future generation. You can make a
lasting difference in the future of Israel." Make a difference by partnering with them now.
Daniel Juster, Restoration
from Zion in Jerusalem, Is a prolific writer. If you aren't following Dan on Facebook, you may
not know how prolific or how engaged he is in the issues of the day. Here are
just a few of his recent articles, Innocents
Abroad, Christianity has been tried and found Wanting?,
The Great Anomaly: Russia, America and the LGBT
Movement, An Easy Solution and a New Organization: ALL Black Lives
Matter
Yontan Arnold and Stefan Silver from the Kerem-El congregation in the
Carmel region send a brief VIDEO "Thank you" from our pastors
for the prayer and financial support from the nations. They send the report of how they have
continued as a congregation during the Israeli quarantine due to Corona virus,
with Zoom meetings and once the restrictions began to loosen up with limited
live meetings. Now the quarantine in certain hot spots have gone back into
effect in Israel. One of the first things they did when the quarantine was
lifted was to conduct baptisms.
Kerem-El has a real need for more financial partnership in order to deal with several specific needs due to the Corona outbreak: 1. Many Kerem-El members who have lost their jobs due to the closures and are facing an uncertain future not knowing if or when they will be able to return to work. 2. Kerem-El moved to live streaming services in order to comply with the government regulations regarding the number of people allowed to gather. While this is temporarily being accomplished through borrowed equipment, it has in fact been a long-term goal to make the worship and teaching of the Shabbat services available in video format. The urgency comes now as Kerem-El seeks a way to continue providing opportunity for teaching and worship to the Body of Messiah. Total Cost: $5000-$10,000 USD Contact them via email or at the website.
Kerem-El has a real need for more financial partnership in order to deal with several specific needs due to the Corona outbreak: 1. Many Kerem-El members who have lost their jobs due to the closures and are facing an uncertain future not knowing if or when they will be able to return to work. 2. Kerem-El moved to live streaming services in order to comply with the government regulations regarding the number of people allowed to gather. While this is temporarily being accomplished through borrowed equipment, it has in fact been a long-term goal to make the worship and teaching of the Shabbat services available in video format. The urgency comes now as Kerem-El seeks a way to continue providing opportunity for teaching and worship to the Body of Messiah. Total Cost: $5000-$10,000 USD Contact them via email or at the website.
Joel Jelski, with Fields of Wheat in northern Israel, writes about their
moving day as his family and three other families begin to put down new roots
in the Golan Heights, an important region in Israel's history and future. They
have located a house and begin their move in just a few days. It is a huge
undertaking, a step of faith too as they continue to search for the right
property for the Fields of Wheat vision. Joel also works with Eitan Shishkoff
in the youth camps called, Katzir, which means Harvest. God is establishing
spiritual beachhead in the area of several young Messianic families, it sounds
like to me. Pray for them " to not be isolated and to have faith-based
community life to strengthen and encourage one another and to minister to the
lord together building an altar of worship and prayer and hosting his presence
in an area where there are very few believers at all." They also report a
breakthrough in receiving the proper approvals on the non-profit status of the
ministry.
Howard Bass writes about the stability of the Word of God even as the
world seems to become more unstable around us every day. We are transitioning
through troubled times the likes of which "we have never faced
before. Love is growing colder, and even
being enforced." That is a profound statement that we can attest to in the
US and I know many throughout the nations are experiencing the same.
Bass continues, "Lawlessness is increasing, and the intimidation and
fear are paralyzing those in government and law-enforcement agencies from
distinguishing between lawful civil dissent and unlawful words and deeds. Since
all are sinners who fall short of the glory of God, even those in government
and security forces are party to the break-down of the social order, some even
giving legitimacy to it....He (God) is in the process of separating the light
from the darkness, good from evil, holy from profane, clean from impure, those
who are His from those who are not. Fear the Lord, and give Him glory! The
gospel goes out until the end of the age, to both Jews and non-Jews."
Howard writes also about "In Israel we have recently had two court
cases connected with Israel's attitude toward the gospel being preached to the
Jewish people.... Shelanu ("Ours") was taken off the cable network
HOT.... The second case was a congregation in Ashdod finally taking Yad L'Achim
(a notorious anti-missionary organization) to court for the weekly harassment
since 2011 to bother, hinder, threaten the lawful and peaceful assembly of the
believers to gather together for worship services, to make it difficult to
offer humanitarian aid to the needy residents in the city, to use their new
facility despite having complied with all the necessary requirements for doing
so. Praise God, the congregation won in
the court to have a restraining order put upon Yad L'Achim from their
continuing and illegal activities against them.
I remember when we lost our lawsuit against Yad L'Achim and the Chief
Rabbi of Beer Sheva 10 years ago in 2010, I told Israel Pochtar, the pastor of
the Beit Hallel Cong in Ashdod, that we had been praying that, as we submitted
to God and resisted the devil, that the devil would flee from us and go
somewhere else. Oh well, he did, and he
has found his match in the present situation!"
This was a jam-packed ministry letter from Howard which I cannot fully
relay, but one final article forth you checking out is Howard's personal story,
Why I Came To Israel (on Kehila
News Israel).
Asher Intrater's Revive Israel writes, "In 2020 new levels of uncertainty and disquiet are affecting most of us, wherever we are in the world. Racial tensions are mounting in the US. Giant nuclear powers China and India engaged in a small battle on their shared border. Anti-Semitism continues to rise according to statistics. Much of the world is experiencing a second Coronavirus wave. What next?....It can seem more than overwhelming. Yet, we know the one who has already overcome the world, YESHUA, our peace, anchor, help and guide in these turbulent days "
Asher Intrater's Revive Israel writes, "In 2020 new levels of uncertainty and disquiet are affecting most of us, wherever we are in the world. Racial tensions are mounting in the US. Giant nuclear powers China and India engaged in a small battle on their shared border. Anti-Semitism continues to rise according to statistics. Much of the world is experiencing a second Coronavirus wave. What next?....It can seem more than overwhelming. Yet, we know the one who has already overcome the world, YESHUA, our peace, anchor, help and guide in these turbulent days "
In this 40 Days of Fire July newsletter, Tal Haroni is introduced with
her story growing up in Tzora and now leading the Revive Israel Nesher discipleship program. They also write about other
changes happening as their Global team has taken on a more international flavor
with team members Felipe Hasegawa, Daniel Shaphorenko, Robi Bishai, Diego
Polly, Sharon Cantor, and Andrew Raeder. And finally there is a portion on the
Revive Hong Kong ministry team with a new RI Hong Kong Facebook page
launched with Hebrew worship and teaching translated in Chinese.
Israel Pochtar's latest ministry letter sends this link, Beit Hallel's Battle Makes International Headlines.
Also VIDEO & ARTICLE Building Unity in the Galilee about how
"the Sea of Galilee is the place we go to every year with a group of local
Israeli and Arab pastors, to just sit at Yeshua’s feet and be nurtured." A
special PDF Psalm 23 The Lord is My Shepherd in the
English, Hebrew and transliterated. Another VIDEO & ARTICLE Youth
Discipleship Summer for
God youth camp . Plus check out how you can get involved in the " many projects
we are doing in Israel"
From Tikkun.tv, I am playing catch up on the many articles I receive each
month from different Tikkun-associated members: Guy Cohen in Akko writes on Jerusalem
and Annexation, Joni Koski in Greece also on the same subject Pray: Applying Israeli Law in the ‘West Bank’.
Then Revive's Sarah Singerman on Kingdom Seed – Spirit, Soul and Body. Eitan
Shishkoff Together? and
Asher Intrater Running From Trouble?. Tents of Mercy pastor Avi Tekle asks What’s Up
with 2020? then Ron Cantor explains Five Ways Suffering Brings Life and Guy
Cohen back with Affliction, Hope & Relief.
On the
news front Ron Cantor shares As COVID cases rise again, Israel re-imposes some
restrictions and this The
Arab-American plan to undermine Israel about a 30-yr old video that has
recently come to light revealing a long-term strategy by the president of the
Arab American Institute to undermine Jews and support for Israel among
Americans. That last article is confirmed by the 1993 FBI wiretap evidence that
was entered into court records in the 2007 & 2008 Holy Land Foundation
trial sthat I attended. There were hours of wire taps of Hamas and other North
American Muslim Brotherhood leaders plotting their long term strategy to change
American public opinion on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict which backs up the
Zogby video Ron writes about.
Avner Boskey of David's Tent writes about God's SWAT team and the nations. Hostage-taking is what enemies do. Hostage-freeing is what the good people do.
Ron Cantor of Messiah's Mandate shares "a video of Ward and I on I24 News here in Israel" about the Shelanu TV cancellation. "This has been airing all week and I am told, because of the Corona Virus, they are halting most of their new productions, which means, it will be played more than usual. We had complete freedom to share!"
Cantor writes, about a new show for Shelanu on the internet and for
" GOD TV today called "Israel Shelanu" or "Our
Israel". We will interview Israeli newsmakers like my first guest, Rabbi
Yehudah Glick who was shot 4 times in the chest by an Islamic terrorist. He is
a truly fascinating man, who feels his mission in life to see the Temple Mount
become "a house of prayer for all nations." (Is. 56:7)
Yariv Goldman of Hands of Mercy & Tents of Mercy writes of the new
outbreak of violence against their Adullam Outreach Center in Jerusalem by
ultra-Orthodox extremists. Watch the SECURITY VIDEO of the attack which put
his daughter Halel at great physical risk. The center has been repurposed
Adullam into a women's shelter during the Coronavirus lockdown, and they
resumed outreach activities with youth as the lockdown was lifted. Yariv
writes, " We are praying to the "L-RD of the harvest" to provide
resources, so we could open a bigger and more adequate women's shelter in a
safer environment, outside the centre of Jerusalem. Please pray for more
volunteers and workers and an influx of finances to be able to maintain and
even expand this life-saving service."
He also writes, " Please pray for the L-RD's wisdom, strength and
protection for Yariv, Naomi, Halel and the rest of the Hands of Mercy team and
volunteers, as they are faithfully reaching out to people in desperate need.
Please click to express an interest in becoming a member of our "Lost Sheep of Israel"
prayer and support groups. Click To Donate"
I
Can Breathe. Watch
now
I know I needed that!
Urgent HEALING Needs: Life and Death is
in the power of the tongue
Please keep in prayer these Israeli ministry leaders
and believers with urgent health needs
URGENT PRAYER NEED A prayer
request for Naomi, for a
dear family that is a part of Israel Pochtar's pastoral team, who was diagnosed
recently with colon cancer. "Despite what this battle entails, we are
confident in God’s unfailing Word and promises." Read in
her own words, as she has been prepared for chemotherapy which will begin next Monday.
| Ronit Bender whose cardiologist told her that
her irregular heartbeat is SEVERE, and is suggesting further tests. Please
intercede for Ronit: No weapon formed against her shall prosper! | Olga Bikas severe back pain has kept her in "quarantine"
for the past 4 years or so! Please pray for God to do a miracle of healing for Olga. | Please pray for Rachel Netanel's brother who is
recovering | Please continue to pray for Jacob Damkani for the LORD's mercies
over Jacob and his dear wife, Elisheva | Continue please to pray for Ruth Nessim Critical prayer need she is losing sight! Prayers for a
miracle for Ruth.| Pray for Rania Sayegh who asks for prayer of restoration of strength, energy,
and complete healing.
Donna Diorio donna@israelprayer.com or donna@d10r10.com
THANK YOU to those who support this ministry with donations. ♥
Donations appreciated | on PayPal donna@israelprayer.com
Or by postal mail make
donations payable to the order of Donna Diorio
P O Box 111302 Carrollton, Texas 75006 | I do not have tax exempt status.
P O Box 111302 Carrollton, Texas 75006 | I do not have tax exempt status.
