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One Year Ago Our Life Changed Forever
by Sally
Shiff, at HaMayaan congregation
October 7, 2024: I am starting to
write this at 6:27 am, four minutes later, 1 year ago our life changed forever.
So much has happened since then, and all day, our media will show over and over
again the barbarism that came from Gaza.
I am sure you will get that on your
news, however watered down it will be up to the news agency you choose. The
biggest question in a simple question is why? Why did it happen? Why now?
Instead of giving you all the footage of what happened or the
testimonies of people who were there and what they went through, I will only
give you two brilliant conversations that could answer your questions. Israel: Past, Present, and Future (Tony
Perkins, President of FRC, leads a panel discussion with Michele Bachmann,
Daniel Cohen, Gary Hamrick, and Dr. A.J. Nolte at the Pray Vote Stand Summit.) | Israel Wants to Make This the Last War (Melanie Phillips)
One
thing no one has ever said yet...the "never again" we all said after
the Holocaust did not hold true because it happened again, last year, October
7, 2023. And if we don't stop them, it will happen again, and again, and again.
Arrows from Zion
Summarized from the Weekly Summary of Prayer Requests Israeli Ministries
Joel
Jelski of Fields of Wheat leads off this week as Israel observes 1
year since “The worst day in the history of the modern nation of Israel…. except for the shock of the Yom Kippur War
in 1973, no other events in our 76-year history can be compared with the
brutality and lack of preparedness of October 7. Without a doubt, it is a turning point, a
moment where there will be a before and an after. The horrors of October
7 can really only be compared to the horrors of the Holocaust. The stories and
testimonies I have heard and read are unspeakable…. I want to encourage you, if
you have not read the stories of what took place on October 7, 2023 - please do.
Read a few stories and hear some testimonies. If you are praying for
Israel, you must know what the people of Israel are going through today.
Please connect emotionally with the collective grief and trauma,
so that you can participate in the words that God gave Isaiah thousands of
years ago, that ring as true today as they did then: "Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to
Jerusalem, and cry to her" (Isaiah 40:1).
“…. An expanding war and more military
service ahead for me… | After
months of waiting, there has been a sharp shift in Israel's approach to Lebanon
over the last three weeks….. It is evident now that Hezbollah was preparing
for the equivalent of what happened in the south on October 7 to do the same in
the villages and cities of northern Israel on a much larger scale. Whatever
the world may think, it was clear to us and our leaders that Hezbollah
couldn't be allowed to continue with its plans. Drastic measures were needed…. As a result of the ground operation into
Lebanon, my tank regiment has been (re)called up earlier than expected. I'm
scheduled to be in active duty until December 11. This is good news since I
will be available for the Katzir youth camp at the end of December. But our service could get
extended. At this time, we don't really know. So, for now, join us in
praying for clarity as things unfold so we can make the right decisions
concerning the Katzir camp. Please pray
for Teresa and my young sons as I have to leave again for an extended time this
year.
“Tactical life-saving uniforms for
Messianic soldiers – Update Thanks
to your generosity, we were able to purchase 100 fire retardant uniforms
for combat reserve soldiers…. Currently we need an additional 20
more uniforms ($500 each) to help provide
everyone who signed up to get one. Please pray for these soldiers, for
protection beyond the uniforms. That God would watch over and protect
them and their units as they defend our families and our nation from real and
present danger. …. With lasting gratitude for your care and involvement
with us.
From
Israel Poctar, the evangelistic
pastor of Beit Hallel in Ashdod:
WATCH the October 7th Documentary:
HOW ISRAEL WAS CHANGED FOREVER | When Israelis went to bed on October 6th,
they couldn’t possible imagine they would wake up to a reality that would not
only shake the very foundations of our nation, but that it would also transform
each and every one of us, marking a before and after in our history as a
nation, leaving behind a wound that is
still bleeding — exactly one year later today.
There
isn’t a single person in Israel that hasn’t been affected by the biggest
massacre of Jewish people since the holocaust. As horrified as we all were,
there was one big difference between the holocaust and today: God brought us back to
our Land, just as He promised, and we needed to stand up and defend ourselves
like our future depended on it, because it did.
The people
of Israel united and stood shoulder to
shoulder like guardians in a land entrusted to us by God. In a time
of war, when most people flee, Israel‘s war had the opposite effect: Israelis
started returning in masses back to Israel from all over the world, to defend
HOME. Continue
reading online and watch the documentary.
Cookie Schwaeber-Issan | AllIsraelNews in
Jerusalem | Available for Zoom Calls for your
Israel-interested groups: EMAIL itscook7@gmail.com | Some the Latest : The Fate of Those Who Try to Destroy
Israel 10/6 | U.N.
Positioning for a One-World Government 10/8 | The Courage Needed to Call Yourself a
Zionist 9/30 | We Didn’t
Start the Fire 10/3
Ron Cantor of Messiah’s
Mandate & ShelanuTV writes, “My wife needs your prayers | It has been the heaviest of years, ending
in the October 7th commemoration of the massacre that took place last year.. .
. .I want to ask you this week to specifically pray for my wife. Elana
carries things much deeper than I do. The October 7th commemoration was
incredibly hard on her. She was up most of the night. She deeply loves her
nation. Unlike me, she was born in Israel. Hebrew is her native tongue.
Whenever they announce a soldier dying, it takes an emotional toll on her. So,
this week, I want to ask you to pray specifically for the well-being of her
soul. On Tuesday mornings, we pray with several believers in Jerusalem. After
Elana shared about some of the things that she is going through, other leaders
encouraged us to ask if there were those of you who feel led to pray for us and
our family daily…. Please pray for Elana: that she will be free of all
traumas from this past year and that her soul will prosper. Please pray for
our daughters. Danielle is in Tel Aviv and leads a nonprofit helping those
in need from all backgrounds. This year has also been tough on her. Like her
mom, seeing people suffer as they did this year is traumatic for her.
Yesterday’s ceremonies were particularly hard for her. Our oldest daughter,
Sharon, is in America. In addition to helping me, she works in photography and
has a small embroidering business. Yael, our middle child, is about to open a
restaurant in Richmond called Susie’s, named after her grandmother. It’s a
mixture of Moroccan Jewish and European Jewish cuisine. Please pray for all of
them, that they would experience the love of Yeshua greatly! They were able to
watch the ceremonies online yesterday.
* DD: This easily could be a
prayer point for all of the women of ministry and the Messianic body in
Israel … many are struggling with the
emotional burden of it. It is generally true of women that we carry
the emotional burdens in life much more heavily than men.
Orna Grinman’s lastest blog post: When We Run Out of Words … | How can a
human mind fathom an enormous disaster? We can’t. No one can really comprehend
the burning of 6,000,000 Jews. But then you read one diary of one girl, one
Anna Frank, and you can connect to the fear, the helplessness, the level of
cruelty.
How
can we comprehend the monstrosity of October 7th? By telling personal stories,
small stories, one at a time. The
media in Israel is full of such stories this week, as we ponder and re-ponder
the horrors of last year. I take in as much as I
can, and then disconnect myself and take time to process. As much as I can.
Well, not sure I can really fully process. But at least I can breathe.
Anyway, today
is about one story that will give you a peek into the bigger picture.
Prepare your tissues, and do not forget to breathe. Continue to read in full online at Orna's blog.
From Tikkun Global on 7/10 366 Days Ago—Never Again | Click to play VIDEO |366 Days. Over 100 men,
women and children still held in captivity. We call all Christians to
observe this day in prayer.
From 10/10 Israel has been in a
war with Hamas, Hezbollah, and global jihadism for over a year now. Despite the
horrible difficulties, God has been incredibly gracious. We have seen miracle
after miracle. He is showing His hand in victory as the Lord of Armies.
Prime
Minister Netanyahu has given a new name to the war:
Tekuma.
This means "rising up" or even "resurrection". It is
reminiscent of the call to rise up in the Isaiah 60 "rise and shine"
prophecy and the Ezekiel 37 "dry bones" vision. This is the time for believers everywhere to rise
up and receive the same heart that David had to be victorious and
courageous in battle. This is the heart of Yeshua as the Lion of the
Tribe of Judah.
There is a worldwide witness
now demonstrating the power of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. May
the heart and anointing for victory that was on David be upon all of us in the
name of Yeshua, the Captain of Armies of Heaven! | The Heart of David for Victory | VIDEO teaching by Asher Intrater
Family in
Trying Times by Eitan Shishkoff | So, where does this concept come from?
What does it mean to be a family? And what are the implications for my life,
day to day? . . . .In the beginning was family. God created us male and female and
told us to multiply. [A Must Read &
Study!]
What is the
World Really Afraid Of? By Ariel
Blumenthal
* DD: This easily could be a
prayer point for all of the women of ministry and the Messianic body in
Israel … many are struggling with the
emotional burden of it. It is generally true of women that we carry
the emotional burdens in life much more heavily than men. This is one of
the reasons that 1 Peter 3:7 calls for husbands to understand the term
“weaker vessel.” Women can have incredible strength, but God created
them as the
heart of the family – the carrier of the emotional territories
of family. Peter said, "Likewise, you husbands, live with your
wives with understanding, giving honor unto the wife as unto the weaker vessel,
and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers be not
hindered." Did you catch that: “so that your prayers be not hindered?”
How many of our prayers have been hindered by husbands (and wives) failing
to understand the differences God created in men and women for the purpose of
fulfilling them “being heirs together: of His grace on their life? God
created men to be the strength of the family, together each understanding how God created the
other is what makes us “heirs together of the grace of life…and our prayers
unhindered.” Historically, misinterpreted ideas within Judeao-Christian thinking of the differences of the roles of men and women (the
strength & the heart) are
still being brought to perfection by God. (Strength
doesn’t mean Bully-boss and the emotional heart doesn’t mean lacking in smarts or spiritual strength
– but that still doesn’t mean men and women in Yeshua function exactly alike!)
Howard
Bass of Nachalat Yeshua
(Yeshua’s Inheritance) writes about his personal experience of the “the ballistic
missile attack by Iran against Israel.” Comparing the April attack from Iran on non-ballistic, gps guided
missiles, he writes: “Last night was much more threatening, and potentially much more
destructive. But God.... He also credits “the amazing defense system
Israel has created to deal with different types and speeds of attacks.”
Israel’s enemies are at many different lengths from them, so it was a must to
develop weapons capable of optimum effectiveness depending on which enemy
started war exchange. He wrote that he was at a mid-week house group in an
apartment building in another neighborhood of Beer Sheva when “Around 7:30
(19:30), my phone sounded a sound that I had never heard it sound before. It was from the Home Front Command app, which
I have had all this year, but I never heard it before. Our group all
went into the bomb shelter on that floor, along with other tenants on that
floor. There were 6 separate siren
warnings during the 1/2 hour…. we found out that there was another
believer who lives on that same floor!
She goes to a Russian-speaking congregation in the city, and is the
sister of one of the elders, whom I know.
Now she, and our host family know each other! Small world. Only God....
Three
articles written by Howard Bass on issues related to these Fall Feasts: The New Moon
- covered or revealed? | Three New
Years | What Time Is
It and What Day is Today? | “May this coming year see many Jews and
Christians be in the ingathering of those who already are, or who will yet be,
the chosen and elect people of the holy God of Truth and Love, with many more
Arabs and other Gentiles filling up their measure in number and in maturity
towards the completion of the end-times purposes of the triune God!”
Guy Cohen who pastors Katzir Asher congregation in the town of his own birth, Acco,
writes an excellent parallel of Ephesians armor of God and Israel’s defense
system. “The three levels of our current defense system are against attack
from missiles, rockets and UAV: the Iron Dome, David's Sling and the Arrow
defense system - each covering a distance ranging from close range missiles to
outside the atmosphere. Currently yet another level is being developed - laser
technology, all of this in Israel's defense.
The armor
of God is our spiritual defense system against all that physically and
spiritually come against the Believer. The parallel which we can draw
between the physical and spiritual defense systems is that they are designed to
protect us from attacks coming in every direction and on all levels. The
inner attack which believers are at greatest risk of is fear and doubt which
destroy faith. This then affects our autoimmune system (faith) which weakens us
and can render us defenseless.
An example of how this
works in the physical can be seen when Israel was attacked on October 7, 2023. During the time preceding this attack the Nation of
Israel was divided by infighting, attacking each other and weakened due to
the autoimmune deficiency caused by the inner conflict. It is when in this
condition, either in the natural or spiritual, satan's attack is relentless.
When we
read Paul's words in Ephesians on how to cover ourselves and not allow doubt,
fear and worry to enter; we understand that our victory is in the Spirit and
we must walk always in the Spirit. We cannot allow doubt to steal our peace. We then see how on October 7th, after
Israel was attacked, the nation began to come together and we showed ourselves
to be stronger than anticipated by our enemies because we were one. May Israel remain unified; standing in
strength against her enemies. May we as Believers in Yeshua; covered with the
full armor of God; stand strong in the time of battle.”
Reuven
Doron has two articles so worth making the effort to link to online: Trumpet Blast | Yom Te'ru'ah — The
Mystery of God's Fifth Feast “….we are in a season of restoration
after nearly 2,000 years of exile. | YHWH
is restoring the people of Israel to the Land of Israel. He is restoring the
Land to her early glory and fruitfulness, and is progressively restoring the nation of Israel
to His true calling of pointing the nations to Himself whether through good or
bad times. As He has
promised, “… I will sanctify My great
name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in
their midst; and the nations shall know that I am YHWH,’ says the Lord GOD,
‘when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.’” (Ezekiel 36:23).
“Our Lord is also
restoring the Ecclesia Church to her own biblical and authentic foundations and
calling as set forth in the Book of Acts. We are
living in the blessed “… times of restoration
of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since
the world began.” (Acts 3:21). May we obtain and cultivate the true grace
of God to walk uprightly and in the power of His Spirit during this incredible
time of human history….” .(Click to read the
entire article)
Also 10/9 The
War in Numbers | Your prayers are more valuable than you can imagine.
You will find this article on Reuven’s
Facebook page OneNewManCall
Chaim Malespin of the Aliyah Return Center writes, “10/3 Yesterday as I was at my base at the border of Gaza, in the south of
Israel, it looked like end of days, stars were falling out of the sky! I
have never seen anything like it before in my life. And somehow, after 180+
massive rockets were fired at us from Iran, only one person was killed by
this attack. This is nothing short of a miracle.”
And on 10/6 Chaim writes, “What is
the Hebrew word for repentance? | This Friday is the eve of Yom Kippur,
the Day of Atonement. This is a very important week for Jewish people around
the world. In Leviticus 23:27 - 28, Yom Kippur is described as a sacred
assembly, a day to deny yourself, present a food offering, and is a Sabbath
day. . . . Repentance is a powerful thing. According to the Word of God,
it is not just an emotion of remorse or regret. It is much deeper than that. The
Hebrew word for repentance is "teshuvah" (תְּשׁוּבָה), which means
"to return" or "to turn back"…. Repentance, is not just
about avoiding punishment or the assurance of going to heaven. To have our
sins wiped away, being cleansed from wickedness, and choosing to walk down the
straight and narrow, is about living in God’s presence.”
Pastor
Aleksey Raikhstadt at the Beit Immanuel
congregation in Jaffa writes, “These
are difficult times our nation is experiencing. . . .We ask for your prayers
during the days ahead. Please pray for our soldiers, government leaders, and
all civilians facing this threat. May God grant wisdom, courage, and protection
to those defending our nation and guide us through these difficult times. May
it lead our people to hope and faith in Yeshua. Pray for us to be His light
and used by Him to reach our people with the Gospel.” As the congregation
joins in the biblical Fall Feasts, Aleksey writes, “We are grateful for
Yeshua’s sacrifice, ensuring eternal life for those who believe. Our nation
as well as our enemies need His salvation. Even in the difficult days, the
Lord continues to work and move in the lives of people and our congregation. .
. .Thank you for your continual prayers and support.” He writes that “Seven
Baptized into New Life in Yeshua” in their congregation, and reports that “two
young adults in our congregation together with other believing young adults
from Israel, are spending the next five weeks in India, sharing the Gospel with
Israeli backpackers. Pray with them for protection, God's divine
intervention, timing, and meaningful and thought-provoking conversations that
lead to Salvation.”
Lastly, “By the grace of God, we were able to purchase a vehicle for transporting
congregational members to services, youth activities, delivering food and
necessities to the elderly, assisting in the war effort, and more. We ask
for your prayers that the Lord will provide for us the remaining costs to pay
off the van. If the Lord lays on your heart to help us cover the remaining
costs” GIVE HERE.
I had
a very difficult time as I was working with Return
from Zion Leon Mazin’s report on the Eagle Project 2024, crying
each of the four times I needed to read it in order to prepare it for sharing
in the Weekly Summary and Arrows. It brought me to tears reading how this year
the program designed for ministering to Messianic IDF soldiers as they come to
the end of their active duty, was so needed, effective and restorative. Leon
writes, “All of you know that Israel faced
a cruel reality on October 7th; many of our finest young people were in the
Army and many were called in to reserve service to all the fronts of the war
from the North to the South. The need for such a program was huge, we
started to see signs of PTSD among young messianic soldiers, and we searched
for the right platform to help them.” The Eagle Project was established in
2014 and RTZ works with close and united relationships with Christian
friends and partners from Norway and now the USA as well.
This
year RTZ joined hands with STONEWATER Church in Granbury, Texas and took 30
young adults after an active service in the IDF to Texas to achieve the goals
of the Project together. SWC provided a great team including educated staff
with PTSD specialty with extensive experience working with Christian veterans
that served in Iraq and Afghanistan. God brought us this new amazing
connection only a few months before the Project (this year) started, all the
planning was done through the war.
God gathered the right people and a good plan,
accompanied the process by miracles and wonders and we saw His hand at every
step of planning and executing…. After
only a week we started to see changes and testimonies of God’s movement inside
those young people, they shared their heart about changes only God can make.
Many
of these young people will be back to the service soon, in Gaza, Lebanon and
different areas of Israel, but they say, that they are ready, God changed them
and healed, God renewed and taught them and I'm sure they are going to
fight the good fight also in the spiritual world as they did and will do in the
physical one. Please pray for these people, as individuals. They need
your spiritual covering, not only to survive, but to grow and prosper, to build
God's Kingdom in Israel and worldwide.
*DD:
There
are widespread reports of PTSD among those in active duty. Pray for God to pour
out on those all those suffering from the traumatic things they have seen and
experienced.
Rania Sayegh, Christian Arab prophetic intercessor
in Nazareth at HOPE, writes wishing happy holidays to all who are
celebrating the Biblical Fall Feasts. Rania writes, “We would also like to invite
you to partner with us in this unique opportunity to sow during the Days
of Awe, funds which will be used toward our prayer seminars, women and
youth prayer gatherings in the House of
Prayer for this year. Our goal is to
raise $15,000 within the next few months. To
partner with our growing ministry, full donation information on our website. We
value you and your partnership as it propels forward with strength in all that
the Lord has for us and our people in this strategic season! Thank you for
sowing a seed into Nazareth! We are grateful for you standing with us, as we
contend for God's promises for Israel and the nations!
You can follow
HOPE on Instagram at Hope_nazareth to watch videos from our daily prayer and worship
meetings at the House of Prayer during the war. Look at the highlights under
"The War Cry" | We also have a HOPE YouTube
Channel you can subscribe to.
Carolyn
& Richard Hyde at Heart of G-d Ministries were driving home from a family
gathering 10/1 when “the sky lit up without sirens as most
missiles were headed to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. As we continued driving while
videoing, we began to declare that NOT ONE missile
would strike anyone or anything! Upon arriving at home, the sirens
sounded so we made it to our bomb shelter just in time. This was Iran’s second
attempt to destroy Israel with a huge missile strike.” Not a single person died
in this attack. On her Altar of Prayer Watch the
next day she “asked Israelis of
varying faiths if the Oct. 1 missile strike was the hand of G-d or just luck
that saved us. ALL agreed IT WAS THE HAND OF G-D!”
Also Prayer Walking The Gates of Zion in Jerusalem “we heard about
Nasrallah's demise. Of course this wasn’t solely due to our actions, but we believe we have authority in Messiah
to do those “greater works” that Yeshua promised. We can close gates
of curses in the Land and open portals of blessings, asking Adonai
to pour out dreams and revelations of His Truth and Love.”
*DD Yes and amen! We also saw God
answer miraculously when after seeing so much loss and destruction after
Hurricane Helene in the USA, Christians rose up and prayed for a miracle when
Hurricane Milton came barreling toward Florida at Category 5 potency. I have seen reports that: “the storm split
into two. The eye wall collapsed as it reached land. Tampa Bay was completely
drained.” Sounds like “Red Sea” miracle of God territory to me!
Watch this short Shana Tova
video from Youval Yanay of Revive
Israel as they also are observing the biblical Fall Feasts of the LORD. And
read this Yom Teruah,
the Day the Heavens Open and the King Returns by
Raphael Almeida “Growing up here in
Israel, I always thought of Rosh Hashanah as the start of the new year. It’s
what we learned, celebrated, and expected. But as I began to really study the
Scriptures, I discovered something surprising: Rosh Hashanah isn’t actually the
“New Year” in the Bible. Instead, it’s called Yom Teruah, the Day of Blowing
the Shofar. . . .” click title to continue
Dani
Sayag gets real with his article on Yom Kippur – confessing his true struggles
as October 7th unfolded in 2023. It takes courage to be real with
people and I really appreciate all the pastor of HaCarmel had to say. He writes, “When we arrived at the congregation,
preparing to start our Shabbat service, the dreadful news came that terrorists
had entered southern Israel. At that moment, we didn’t understand the scale of
the horrific things that were taking place in the kibbutzim and the towns in
the South. As we were worshipping during the service, we received news from
a believing family in one of the kibbutzim near the Gaza border that terrorists
were inside their home, while they themselves were locked in their safe room.
The message from the family was, “Please pray for us.” This was our first
clue as to what was happening in the South. We stopped the worship and as a
congregation we began to intercede for them. Later on, we heard the news that
this family was saved, but many others did not make it.”
“During the following days, we began
to understand the whole picture of what had actually taken place on October 7. The
nation was in shock. Personally, I had a difficult time functioning during
those days. I felt like a pilot spinning in his aircraft. The only thing
that brought me to a place of stability was looking at the compass on the
control panel. During moments like those, I couldn’t trust my feelings. I
had anger toward our government and our army. It was difficult for me to hear
Arabic. During a worship service shortly after the war started, when we
were singing a song in Arabic, I found it hard to do.
For
me, looking at the compass is looking at God’s Word. I remembered His
promises, the promises toward Israel and what He wrote about the Jew and the
Gentile becoming “one new man” in Messiah Yeshua. Because of God’s words, I
knew how He felt about my Arab brothers, that in Messiah Yeshua, we are “one
new man” (Eph. 2:15). It was no longer a struggle for me to hear Arabic and
to worship together with them. As long as I kept my eyes on God’s Word, I
felt safe and stable.”
“….Throughout
this year we have had many moments of pain. We were grieved every time we heard
a report about the death or injury of a soldier. We are constantly hurting
concerning our hostages. However, there were also moments of joy. . . .As a
pastor, no one ever taught me before how to lead a congregation during this
kind of war, but I want to thank God that He led us by His Spirit and
filled our community with people that have servants’ hearts. As I am writing
this, we are still in the middle of the war. We believe that God has called us,
and you, for such a time as this. This is the time to join together as the army
of God, fighting against the darkness with our powerful spiritual weapons of
worship, prayer, and the proclamation of God’s Word. Thank you for standing
with us during this dark hour.”
From Maoz
Ministries, Kobi & Shani Ferguson write: “This Yom Kippur will be different because
while we've just noted the one year anniversary of October 7th, the Jewish
calendar is different, and as such, this is the first Yom Kippur since the
massacre last year.
In light
of this being a time of fasting and praying for our nation we wanted to share
an updated “Pray Wisely” for prayer ideas, a podcast sharing about what is going on in Israel right now
with additional prayer points and playlist of
Israeli worship specifically created with your prayer time in mind.
Thank you
for being a part of the story of Israel.
We know it’s not easy. But at least it’s not boring.
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