TAKE UP YOUR WEAPONS
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Ephesians 6: 10-18
Last evening I watched this video of a dear sister in the Lord who, with her whole family, was miraculously saved from the massacre of October 7 in Kibbutz Nahal Oz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEut_Udik_c . I recommend you watch her testimony for it is both uplifting and encouraging, but also contains a somber and challenging message for us all. I was touched and not a little convicted by her following words,
" The spiritual army of the LORD, here in the Land and all around the world, they just got up and began to (make) war. That's His army. And the Lord told me later on, "To all my children, I am drafting them into my army. There is no more time to sleep. You need to take up your weapon and fight over Israel, over my nation. You all need to fight. You need to stay alert." We are very much in the end times. We are in very special days. He wants to awaken his people throughout the entire world..."
Today, 27th February, we are in Day 144 of the Israel - Hamas War. As the IDF prepares to move into the last phase of its ground incursion into Gaza, the entry to Hamas' last stronghold, Rafah, the battle against Hamas may be nearing victory, but the war is very, very far from over. It is just beginning.
To call this war the Israel-Hamas war is misleading. We are fighting a world war, even if most of the world has not yet woken up to the fact. We are not fighting against a terror organization, we are fighting against a terror ideology, and a false Satanic religion, which is using every evil tactic it can to turn the world against Israel, and it is succeeding. Israel is finding herself more and more criticized, blamed and accused even by those we call our 'friends'.
Over the last few days, for example, over 40 nations have made oral presentations to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) supporting the Palestinian claim condemning Israel for "gross violations of international law", and asking the Court to demand an immediate, unconditional, and total Israeli withdrawal from the “occupied territories”. Only the US, UK, Hungary and Fiji pushed back against this absurd demand.
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil,
Israel has made every effort to refrain from violating International Law, even at the risk of our own soldiers lives. Even the ratio of civilian to military casualties at 2:1 is far below the average for urban warfare of 9:1 that has occurred in other conflicts. This attests to the extreme measures that Israel has taken to avoid civilian losses in an impossible densely populated situation where Hamas is using them as human shields and fodder for their propaganda machine. The IDF has found weapons, tunnel entrances and other military paraphernalia in nearly every home, school, mosque and hospital they have entered in Gaza. Where is the outcry against Hamas for these humanitarian atrocities and its violations of International Law?
On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.
Zechariah 12: 2-3
Many voices around the world are pressuring Israel to stop the war in Gaza. If Israel were to do so, it would unequivocally give victory to Hamas, rewarding them for the grossly barbaric act, the slaughter, torture, rape and the taking of hostages, that occurred on October 7th. If given this victory it would embolden Hamas to carry out more such atrocities, as it has openly and repeatedly threatened, and lead to the potential genocide of all Israelis - Jews, Arabs and others alike- from the "River (Jordan)to the Sea (Mediterranean)". All the efforts of Israel to destroy this Hamas cancer in Gaza would be lost. A surgeon does not leave part of a cancerous tumor inside his patient, if there is a chance of taking it all. If even part of the tumor is spared it will stimulate all its related abnormal cells to spread far beyond its original site, Gaza, and reach to the very ends of the earth.
And what are these "occupied territories" they are talking about? The last Israeli soldier and civilian left Gaza in 2008. Furthermore, Judah, Samaria, East Jerusalem and Gaza are all legitimate war 'spoils' according to International Law, since they were won from the nations that attacked Israel in 1948 and consequent wars. Then again, whose Land is it anyway? It is the LORD'S and he unequivocally gave it to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as an everlasting inheritance, a promise he reiterated many times in the Bible.
Hamas and its supporters are crying for an independent Palestinian state. For the last 15 years Gaza had self-rule. What did they do with that opportunity? Did they rebuild homes, build hospitals, schools, roads, water and electricity supply capacity to improve the lives of the Gazan people? No, they built hundreds of kilometers of tunnels, underground bunkers, factories, storage facilities and bought billions of dollars worth of weapons, all intended for the destruction of Israel. They did not even make use of the established and lucrative industries and farms the Israelis left behind for their benefit.
Israel is at a great disadvantage in this battle of the minds. We are constrained by the facts, truth and rationality. The enemy has no such scruples and the Western world is so incredibly gullible it is falling for their propaganda. Nearly every post-Christian nation has be infiltrated and seduced by the lies of the radical Islamic elements, energized by the Enemy, Satan. Having abandoned the Lord of all Truth, these nations, and the individuals in them, are easy-prey for the Father of Lies. They may well find themselves on the wrong side of the fence come Judgement Day.
The other day the cat of one of my friends brought home a mangled dove (as they do- don't you love them?). My friend took up the dove and treated its wounds. It survived. My friend saw this incident as a metaphor for the condition of Israel today. Doves are the symbol of peace. Israel has never initiated an attack against her neighbors. We want to live in peace and have many times offered an olive branch to those who will receive it. But today a 'cat' has got us in its jaws and we are broken and injured, but not dead. Our Father in heaven will take us in gentle hands and heal us in due course.
Psalm 74: 18-19
There are many things I could write about but I will just finish with some prayer points, as I exhort all you who call upon the Name of the LORD, to take up your spiritual weapons and stand with Israel in this war.
1. Pray that the Lord's army all over the world will wake up and take up our spiritual weapons against the Father of Lies, Satan, and all who are promoting his evil plans against God's people.
2. Pray against the propaganda and lies, the old blood libels and the antisemitic tropes that are gaining expression, acceptance and power all over the world.
3. Pray that the believers in Yeshua all over the world will understand the true issues at stake and be found to stand on God's side, praying and when possible speaking out against the Enemy and his evil plans.
4. Pray that the leaders of your nations will support Israel and not be deceived by the lies of Hamas and its supporters, so that your nation will not be cursed by God as it is written in Genesis 12:3.
5. Pray that Israel's leaders will stand firm, act responsibly and not give in to the pressures from the world, against God's will.
6. Pray that the people of Israel will stand united, even as much controversy threatens to divide us at a time when unity is absolutely necessary
7. Pray for repentance. Israel has sinned in so many ways and though we call upon God to help us in this time, there are few voices calling the people to repent and little sign of an understanding of the need. God is 'flogging' us as punishment for our sins as a nation, trying to bring us back from our wicked ways, because he loves us enough to discipline us as a good father will do to his wayward child. God has not abandoned us or lost his love for us, but he is calling us to repentance and to return to Him. We, as a nation, have not got this message yet and I fear for what it will take to get through to us.
“If his sons forsake my law
Psalm 89: 30-33
8. Pray for the release of the hostages. It will take a miracle for that to happen. There are many rumors and 'leaks' about potential deals but I find it hard to believe any deal can be reached in time. The clock is ticking for these 134 souls who are being kept in inhumane, unhealthy conditions and who are being denied adequate food and the medicines they need. We believe about 50 of them may already be dead, but there is no confirmation of that. Pray for the families and friends of the hostages, who are waiting and waiting and waiting....
9. Pray for the people of Gaza, who are also suffering severe deprivation in the midst of winter. Most of the aid that has reached Gaza has been hijacked by Hamas operatives for their own use, or to sell at inflated prices to the populace. Pray too for their liberation from the bondage and oppression of the Hamas regime. Pray that the Holy Spirit will expose the lies of Islamic fanaticism and draw many to the true God and salvation in Yeshua. Pray especially that the brainwashing of a whole generation (at least) into a culture of hatred, violence and death can be undone and a culture of peace, and coexistence instilled in its place.
A recent poll showed that over 90 percent of Palestinians
falsely believe that Hamas did not attack civilians on October 7.
Pray too for the Christians in Gaza (about 1000 people). I don't know if they are still there or if efforts of believers here to rescue them were successful.
Where the aid money goes!!! This cache totaled around 3 million shekels and was found in a Hamas leader's private home. This is only one of many such hordes the IDF has found.
10. Pray for our soldiers many of whom have been fighting on the front lines for 4 months now, with only a day of home leave sporadically in that time. Most of the reserve soldiers have now been released for rest, but they may be called up again if/when a major confrontation with Hezbollah kicks off. Pray for their re-entry to 'normal' society and their readjustment to family life. Many have seen and experienced terrible things and are suffering various degrees of PTSD. Wives and husbands have had very different experiences, emotions and needs during this time, and this can put a big stress on relationships.
There are so many more prayer needs but I need to stop so I can get this out today. Today is the last day of a 3 day call to prayer and fasting being held by the local congregations all over Israel. Please join us in fervent prayer for the situation. Pray in the Spirit and with the wisdom and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
I want to encourage you to be careful about sourcing and disseminating information. There is so much disinformation, misinformation and fake news. All news outlets (including my blogs) have their biases and none are infallible, but here are some I can recommend:
All Israel News - aimed at Evangelical believers and written by local believers - https://allisrael.com/
IsraelRealtime - a news feed updated several times a day via WhatsApp or Telegram - just click on the link you prefer and you are in.
Telegram https://t.me/Israel_Realtime_Updates
WhatsApp https://chat.whatsapp.com/IDuXiB9W2YKEGQciw2Ajd3
I have recently published three articles in All Israel News. Here are the links:
- Where was God on October 7? https://allisrael.com/where-was-god-on-october-7
- Genocide? https://allisrael.com/blog/genocide
- Balance or Truth? https://allisrael.com/blog/balance-or-truth
Arab Palestinian Warns the World about Hamas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jA5iFyjOrU8 Hamas' strategy of psychological warfare
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