PRAY FOR AMERICA: THANK GOD for His many blessings on America throughout it's history. May we then ask that AMERICA once again be a blessing TO GOD, by once again submitting to HIS will in our affairs - both personal and national - that He may truly "heal our land." (2 Chron. 7:14)
7/1 - PRAY - 3 Israeli Teens Found Murdered - PRAY esp. for the comfort of the 3 families who lost their teenage sons just discovered murdered by Islamist terrorists after being missing for almost3 weeks. PRAY that those responsible might come to know God and His mercy before they have to face His justice. PRAY that Israel will determine a just and measured response to these murders.
7/1 - PRAY - "Boko Haram Attack Christians, Burn Down Churches in Nigeria" - 7/1/2014;http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=7997 - " Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram has killed scores of worshipers and burned down four churches in a major attack on Christians in Kwada and Kautikari villages in Nigeria. As the Lord leads, please pray: For the Christians of Nigeria living in fear of the Boko Haram. 2) About the rampant rise of Islamist militancy in Africa and the Middle East.
Contact President Obama to Get Miriam Out of Sudan: http://members.opendoorsusa.org/site/MessageViewer?dlv_id=100961&em_id=70401.0
ANSWERED PRAYER! 'SCOTUS Hands Hobby Lobby an HHS Mandate Victory" - By Paul Strand, June 30, 2014; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2014/June/CEO-Hobby-Lobby-Case-Strikes-at-Heart-of-US-Life/ WASHINGTON -- In a victory for Hobby Lobby, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that profit-seeking businesses such as the arts and crafts chain can hold religious views under federal law. ... Kristina Arriaga is executive director of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, the legal group representing the Hobby Lobby owners. She told CBN News if Hobby Lobby had lost, federal fines would have crushed them, adding that the Green family wasn't asking much of the government. "They have a terrific health care plan and all they objected to was four out of 20 FDA-mandated drugs," Arriaga said of the owners. "And the government said 'fine. You don't have to provide them and we'll fine you $1.6 million a day.' The fines would have been crushing."
ANSWERED PRAYER! "High Court Strikes Down Abortion Clinic Buffer Zones" - CBNNews.com, June 26, 2014; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2014/June/High-Court-Voids-35-foot-Abortion-Clinic-Buffer/ - The Supreme Court handed a victory to pro-lifers Thursday.The justices unanimously struck down a 2007 Massachusetts law that created a 35-foot protest-free zone outside abortion clinics in Massachusetts. [AS I SEE IT: As one who used to pray outside of abortion clinics, this is a great decision, esp. as it was UNANIMOUS! - Stan]
ANSWERED PRAYER! " Sudan Mom Sentenced to Die for Faith Set Free - CBNNews.com, June 23, 2014: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/June/Sudan-Mom-Sentenced-to-Die-for-Faith-Set-Free/ :The Sudanese mother condemned to die for refusing to renounce her Christian faith has been set free, according to her attorney. Meriam Ibrahim's release came after her sentence was overturned by an appellate court..."
Month of RAMADAN - Please make note that the Muslim month of Ramadam this year is June 28-July 27. This is the second year I will join with the over 1 billion Muslims in their annual time of prayer and fasting (sun-up to sun-down each day) and ask God to reveal Himself to them in dreams and visions. As this is the time each year when they are most open to spiritual things, I ask you to join me that God would speak clearly to each one and come to lead millions to leave their kingdom of darkness for Jesus' kingdom of light. (Col. 1:13-14) - Stan
RAMADAN 2014 - Day #5 - Kindness - When Shirin became a believer, his relatives gave him a choice: Jesus or his family? Shirin chose Jesus. Alone, on the streets of AZERBAIJAN, a Christian man took him in. Lord we pray for believers who have been rejected by their families. May Your people be willing to offer a "cup of water" in Your Name to those seeking Your truth during Ramadan. - from Open Doors Ramadan Prayer Guide for the Persecuted Church.
SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november
WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:
6/13 - PRAY FOR THE CRISIS HAPPENING NOW IN IRAQ (see post #907)
(6/12-7/13) PRAY for the WORLD CUP IN BRAZIL - that God will show favor to the many thousands who are there to present the message of Christ to the athletes and visitors from around the world. May many return to their home countries having come to Christ and sharing that same new faith with family and friends.
LATEST SAHEED NEWS! May 22 - "Pastor Saeed Forcibly Returned to Prison after Beating" - By Caitlin Burke,CBN News, May 22, 2014;http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/May/Pastor-Saeed-Beaten-Sent-Back-to-Iran-Prison/ "Saeed Abedini, a U.S. pastor imprisoned for his faith, was severely beaten at an Iranian hospital before being returned to the brutal Rajai Shahr prison. His Iranian family claims the transfer was unexpected and the reason is unclear. But one of the guards involved in the transfer suggested recent Iranian nuclear talks could be a motive, the family said...""
We need to continue to pray for Pastor Saeed - that his health will improve and that he will be re-united with his wife and two young children who live in the United States. We also remain hopeful that in addition to getting the medical care he so desperately needs, that Iranian officials display the kind of humanitarian treatment that often accompanies the start of the Iranian New Year which began on March 21st. This is the time of year when the Iranian government frequently offers clemency to prisoners of conscience. [If you have not yet, please sign the petition for his clemency- http://beheardproject.com/saeed#sign]
PRAY ALSO : - For comfort and peace for Saeed’s wife and children here in the U.S.\
- For a strong witness and testimony from Pastor Abedini in the prison where God has placed him
- For Christians around the world who are being persecuted for their faith in Christ
- For leadership from the White House and State Department in defending the freedoms of Abedini and other Americans
- GO TO SaveSaeed.org to sign a petition over 600,000 others asking for his immediate release
The U.S. State Department believes the Russian army is now prepared to launch an invasion of eastern Ukraine if President Vladimir Putin decides to pull the trigger, according to a senior Administration official."At this point, they are amassed and they could go at a moment’s notice if Putin gave the go ahead," the official said...Top Ukrainian security officials said Thursday that Russia now has 100,000 troops on its side of the Russia-Ukraine border.(Sources: CBS News, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Daily Beast)
As the Lord leads, please pray:
*For God to suppress President Putin’s ambitions to "restore" the Soviet empire.
*For the people of Ukrainen [esp. for the church 'to be THE church'] as they wait to see if the Russian troops will advance.
*About President Obama and to use wisdom in crafting our foreign policy, and wisdom for his advisers.
NEWS/PRAYER ALERT!"Kim Jong-un Calls for Execution of 33 Christians" - 3/7/2014; http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/Prayerwatch?pw=3651 "North Korea tyrant Kim Jong-un has reportedly ordered that 33 Christians believed to be working alongside South Korean Baptist missionary Kim Jung-wook be put to death. The South Korean missionary - who was arrested last year - and his accomplices have reportedly started 500 or so underground churches..."[PRAY that the plans for execution would be rescinded, and these believers released.] [Che\ck out: They'll Be Dead By Morning (What Difference Will It Make) http://loristanleyroeleveld.blogspot.com/2014/03/theyll-be-dead-by-morning-what.html
NEWS ALERT/PRAISE! "Iran Allows Surgery on Ailing, Imprisoned Pastor" - CBNNews.com,March 07, 2014;http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/March/Iran-Allows-Dire-Surgery-on-Ailing-Imprisoned-Pastor-/ The Iranian government has finally allowed doctors to perform surgery on imprisoned Pastor Benham Irani.Irani suffered from a herniated disc and bleeding intestines and urgently needed medical care. PRAY for the final release of Pastor Irani and others imprisoned for their faith.
Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
An Iraqi Turkmen fighter holds a position June 25 in the village of Turklan. (Photo: Marwan Ibrahim/AFP/Getty Images)
Less than three years after U.S. troops left Iraq, political leaders and policy analysts are wrestling with how to respond to the growing turmoil there. But why should Americans worry about the violence and unrest?
James Phillips, The Heritage Foundation’s expert in Middle Eastern affairs, underscores that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamist terror group ISIS, already threatened to attack the U.S. homeland back in July 2012. Should al-Baghdadi’s violent insurgents consolidate their hold on much of Iraq, he will be “in a much better position to carry out this threat,” Phillips says.
In the first part of an exclusive interview with The Daily Signal, Phillips sheds more light on this deadly possibility and critiques President Obama’s record on Iraq.
The Daily Signal: Iraq is culturally and geographically far away from the United States, so why should Americans care what happens? Why not leave Iraq to fix its own problems?
Phillips: Iraq is located in the heart of the Middle East. If it falls to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), it will offer a well-positioned base for exporting revolution and terrorism to its neighbors, including U.S. allies Turkey, Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. If ISIS expands farther west in Syria it will also increasingly threaten Israel and Lebanon.
Iraq also would be a much more dangerous base for launching terrorist attacks against the United States than Afghanistan, which gave sanctuary to al-Qaeda terrorists before the 9/11 attacks.ISIS, an al-Qaeda offshoot, is a predominantly Arab organization that is better positioned to recruit Arabs and other Muslims from the Middle East and Europe than al-Qaeda was in distant Afghanistan. ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi threatened to attack the U.S. homeland in July 2012 and will be in a much better position to carry out this threat if he is able to consolidate control over Iraq.
Also, Iraq is a major oil-exporting state. If the fighting spreads and disrupts Iraq’s main oilfields in the south, then world oil prices will surge. This would trigger higher gasoline prices and possibly another recession. Since World War II, most of America’s economic recessions were preceded by oil price spikes.
Q: In an earlier interview with The Daily Signal, you said ISIS was on the verge of creating a huge terrorist sanctuary in western Iraq. Do you believe this group is capable of mounting another 9/11-style attack and why?
A: Although ISIS is focused now on consolidating its power in western Iraq and eastern Syria, once it has secured this “Islamic state” it will look for new targets. It already has recruited Americans, according to U.S. intelligence officials. As I said, ISIS leader Baghdadi has threatened attacks against the U.S. He is sure to use any U.S. military action against ISIS as a pretext to justify what he already has threatened to do.
I doubt that ISIS is capable of pulling off an attack as damaging as the 9/11 attack, but it is increasingly capable of launching attacks against Americans throughout the Middle East and Europe, where it also has recruited followers.
Q: To what extent is the current crisis the fault of President Obama and his decision not to keep U.S. troops in Iraq?
A: The Obama administration bears a heavy responsibility for helping to create the conditions in which ISIS is now thriving. The administration underestimated the threat posed by al-Qaeda in Iraq and overestimated the ability of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government in Baghdad to address political and security challenges.When it came into office, the Obama administration made clear it was more interested in a quick exit to “end” the war, rather than staying the course to consolidate the hard-won security gains of the surge in U.S. troops, which President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton and Vice President Biden had opposed as U.S. senators.
Politics trumped long-term security interests: The White House repeatedly ignored the advice of military commanders on the ground and ordered a rapid drawdown of U.S. military forces according to a timetable driven by domestic political considerations. It overruled the Pentagon’s recommendation that a residual force of 10,000 troops be maintained to train, advise, and assist counterterrorism operations after the December 2011 withdrawal of combat troops. Instead, the White House proposed that only 3,000 to 5,000 military personnel be retained in Iraq. This undermined the incentives that Iraqi political leaders had to take political risks to support a continued U.S. military presence.
As Heritage Foundation analysts repeatedly warned, the abrupt U.S. troop withdrawal in 2011 deprived the Iraqi government of important counterterrorism, intelligence, and training capabilities that were needed to keep the pressure on al-Qaeda. This allowed it to regain strength in a much more permissive environment.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
Next: In Part 2 (tomorrow), James Phillips shares the strategy he thinks the Obama administration should adopt, saying “it may be too late” to achieve some U.S. goals.
"'A New Era of Jihad:' ISIS Declares Caliphate" - CBNNews.com, June 30, 2014; http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/June/ISIS-Declares-New-Islamic-Caliphate/ "The terrorist group that's conquered large areas of Iraq and Syria has declared their territory an Islamic caliphate, and they're demanding the support of Muslims all over the world...
For more of James Phillips’ insight and analysis:
"Q&A: What You Need to Know About ISIS in Iraq" - http://dailysignal.com/2014/06/14/qa-need-know-isis-iraq/
"The Iraq Meltdown: What Next?" - http://dailysignal.com/2014/06/13/iraq-meltdown-next/
"Iraq: Fall of Mosul Spells Disaster for U.S. Counterterrorism Policy" - http://dailysignal.com/2014/06/11/fall-mosul-spells-disaster-u-s-counterterrorism-iraq-policies/
"To Defeat al-Qaeda in Iraq, Stronger Cooperation Needed "- http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2014/06/to-defeat-al-qaeda-in-iraq-stronger-counterterrorism-cooperation-needed
"Al-Qaeda Resurges in Iraq" - http://dailysignal.com/2014/01/07/al-qaeda-resurges-iraq/
No comments:
Post a Comment