Karen Abercrombie | God's Compass
Summary
Karen Abercrombie joins Jonathan Bernis to discuss her miraculous audition for the role in War Room
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Here’s a quick follow-up to my report last week on the growing threat Iran presents to the Jewish state…
Last week, Israel’s military intelligence chief, Major-General Herti Halevi, proved just how dangerous Iran is to Israel and the entire Middle East region.
Speaking at a conference, he revealed that Iran is investing in terrorism on a large scale. The Muslim nation sends $75 million a year to Hezbollah, $50 million to Hamas, and about $70 million to Islamic Jihad.
Halevi’s information confirms what the Times of Israel reports CIA Chief Mike Pompeo said last week: Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terror. The disclosure provides further evidence of Iran’s ill-will toward Israel as they fight a proxy war through funding their terrorist allies Hezbollah, Hamas, and jihadist groups.
As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza grows increasingly grim, Israel deflects criticism that it is the sole cause of trouble in the Strip. Halevi placed blame for the lack of construction supplies, medical care, drinkable water, and electricity squarely on Hamas by confirming that the terror group is clearly spending most of the Iranian aid on building a terror machine to battle Israel.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Halevi said Israel has allowed into the region “four times the volume of building materials” required to construct one of the world’s largest buildings. But “Hamas is using the materials for war, not rebuilding.”
The U.S. State Department calls Iran an active state sponsor of terrorism. Over a decade ago, an article by CBS News noted former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice labeled Iran a “central banker for terrorism."
CIA Chief Mike Pompeo said last week, “Today, we find [Iran] with enormous influence, influence that far outstrips where it was six or seven years ago,” according to the Times of Israel. Pointing out Tehran’s meddling in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, he said, “Iran is everywhere throughout the Middle East.”
During his meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivli last month, President Donald Trump said, “The United States and Israel can declare with one voice that Iran…must cease its deadly funding, training, and equipping of terrorists and militias immediately,” The Guardian reported. President Trump added that even Israel’s Arab neighbors share a common cause in battling the threat posed by Iran.
We’ve known for years that Iran is a sponsor of terrorism. Still, it’s shocking to learn the actual extent of that country's support of fear, destruction, and death.
Let’s allow the famous words of the great British parliamentarian Edmund Burke to inspire us in the face of Iran’s intimidation: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Let’s do something. Together. Starting with prayer—fervent prayer—for the safety of people and nations who oppose Iran in its campaign of hatred and violence.
As you pray for Israel in its opposition of Iran and other terrorists, please also consider a gift in support of Jewish Voice Ministries. Your partnership will provide the encouragement and financial support that move this work forward, and we are so grateful for you.
For your gift of $45 or more today, we’ll send you the lovely Pewter Temple Plate featuring finely crafted, relief images representing the Jewish faith, the Temple, and Jerusalem. It will surely serve as a beautiful reminder to pray for peace in Israel and for Jewish people everywhere to come to know the Prince of Peace, Messiah Yeshua.
Thank you again for your love for Israel and for your partnership with Jewish Voice Ministries. God bless you.
We have seen the Lord do amazing things in answer to your prayers, and now we are asking you to join us in praying for blessings in Buhera. This region in Zimbabwe lacks so much – such as clean water, employment, and good medical assistance. As we bring medical and dental care to a new location within the Buhera district of Zimbabwe, we will also share the biggest blessing of all – the love and Good News of Yeshua (Jesus) – with both the Jewish people and their neighbors there..
This will be the largest-ever Medical Outreach team we’ve taken to Zimbabwe. Please help us cover them, and every aspect of the trip, with around-the-clock prayer. Choose your own prayer time slot on our calendar. Here are detailed prayer points so you can pray with insight into our day-to-day needs.
You are a blessing as are your prayers. Together we will soon praise the Lord for the blessings He will pour out on Buhera!
Please pray for:
Wisdom and strength for our advance team as they set up the clinic in this new-to-us area in the Buhera district
Special insight for the layout and setup of the campsite as this is the largest number of partners we have ever had on an Outreach in Zimbabwe
Great favor with local authorities, and all permissions, official and unofficial, to fall in place
Our partners as they prepare to leave family, friends, and vocations to minister in Africa
The LORD's watchful protection over our Outreach partners and team members as they travel
All transportation connections to be made easily for our passengers and their luggage
The Spirit of the Lord to prepare all of us for this time of intense and rewarding ministry
Mild, dry weather throughout the Outreach and on travel days, as it can be very cold this time of year
Our group of Outreach partners to bond and build relational connections with one another early in the trip
Purpose, unity, and joy at the welcome meeting and dinner at the hotel in Zimbabwe
Jet lag to dissipate quickly and a good night's sleep every night
The campsite to be well prepared in time for the arrival of our Outreach partners
Safe travels to the campsite
A good day of transition and spiritual fortification before the Clinic begins
Clarity, unity, and understanding during the Clinic orientation and setup
Many to feel loved and be served as the Medical Clinic opens for its first four hours today
Health and physical protection today and every day for all of our team members as well as for those who come to us and then wait to be treated
The Zehra Kids program to be a blessing all week as children come and play, color, sing, and learn together
The best possible layout of the clinic to help our large team of partners successfully serve the many patients who will come
The spiritual affairs manager and all those ministering in the prayer tent to be used powerfully by the Holy Spirit
The worship leader to draw every heart to the Lord for fresh energy and anointing
Each person to serve with a willing, humble heart out of the faith and gifts the Lord has given
The Lord's favor to permeate every element of this Outreach so that we are blessed in order to be a blessing
The food, sleeping, and washroom arrangements to fully accommodate the needs of our largest-ever Zimbabwe team
The powers of darkness to flee as the spiritual atmosphere in the region is changed by welcoming the Prince of Peace
All Outreach partners to be integrated into the larger team with a spirit of unity
Effectiveness of and good reception for our special discipleship materials
The Lemba leaders to be enriched through the new Leadership Training on Wednesday and Thursday evenings during the Outreach
The truth of Yeshua to be manifest through word and deed and accompanied by signs and wonders
Many to receive Yeshua and salvation through Him
The medical team to administer successful treatment for all who come and for the Lord’s healing of many
Deliverance for those who are bound or oppressed in any way and for that freedom to impact the region
Breakthrough and a breaking away from any legalistic religious spirit
Energy and safety as we break down the campsite early in the morning
The Lord to allow us to treat as many as possible this last morning of the Clinic and for Him to meet with each one that we are not able to see
Safe travels back to the hotel and a wonderful evening of joy and Sabbath rest
Rest and reflection with gratitude on all the Lord has done this past week
Staff and Outreach partners to continue to be blessed by the Lord's protection and divine health
Healing for any Outreach patients referred for ongoing medical care
Stamina and attention to detail for our staff team as they close out the Outreach
Safe travels to the airport, across the sea, and home
Partners as they arrive home and resume "everyday life" with new stories of God's power and goodness to share
Our staff team members as they travel home and immediately begin to prepare for the next initiatives and locations where the Lord is leading us
Local congregational leaders as they follow up with the new Believers and those open to contact after the Medical Outreach
We pray, Lord, and boldly ask for unprecedented blessing for the people and region of Buhera, Zimbabwe. You see their hardships, and You hear their cries for healing, deliverance, and mercy. Please pour out Your blessings and save and heal many. Please also bless those in the region who will continue to bring a deeper awareness of Your loving-kindness. In Yeshua’s name, AMEN.
With new developments each day, there is much to keep up with in Middle East news.
Russia’s Ambassador to Israel, Alexander Shein, has refused to call Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist organizations. In a recent interview on Israeli television, he described them as “radical organizations which sometimes adhere to extremist political views.” He added, “We do not consider them to be terrorists at all.”
Despite pressure from the United States, Russian officials have repeatedly said that Hamas and Hezbollah, allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad, will not be designated as terrorist organizations. Russia provides military backing to Assad’s official Syrian army and has keen interest in the outcome of Syria’s internal conflicts.
Not surprisingly, the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, and the entire European Union have a dramatically different opinion of Hamas and Hezbollah.
Do you want to know how to pray for Israel in greater detail and depth? Jewish Voice Ministries has put together this Intercessory Prayer Guide for Israel that provides focused, targeted requests to help you pray for the nation of God’s People. We hope this prayer guide can help both Messianic Jews and Christians pray their support for Israel.
An Iranian missile boat directed a laser at a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter flying over the Strait of Hormuz last week, an action the U.S. military called “unsafe and unprofessional.”
The strait is a key waterway linking the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It has long been a site of frequent naval conflict involving Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the U.S. and its allies.
The Marine CH-53E Super Stallion heavy-lift helicopter automatically fired flares in response to the laser. No one was injured and there was no damage to ships in the strait.
A U.S. Navy commander said Iran’s action was unsafe because “illuminating helicopters with lasers at night is dangerous as it . . . can impair vision and can be disorienting to pilots using night-vision goggles.”
The incident is the latest in a series of Iranian provocations. In March, two sets of Iranian navy fast-attack boats approached a U.S.-led, five-vessel flotilla entering the strait, which resulted in a U.S. aircraft carrier confronting the Iranian boats.
The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation late last week to strengthen sanctions against Iran testing ballistic missiles and conducting other, non-nuclear provocations.
Passed by a vote of 98-2, the Countering Iran’s Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017 would impose new mandatory sanctions against persons and entities involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program and sanctions against the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
The Senate vote on new sanctions for Iran sends the bill to the House of Representatives. If it passes there, it will then go to the President’s desk.
Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said, “We see destabilizing act after destabilizing act—from missile launches, to arms transfers, to terrorist training, to illicit financial activities, to targeting Navy ships, and detaining American citizens…And it’s past time for us to take steps to protect the interests of the United States and our allies.”
Since the Senate vote last week, Iran has engaged in a joint military drill with China in the Persian Gulf and has fired missiles at ISIS in Syria—an action that prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to say “I have one message for Iran: Don’t threaten Israel,” the Times of Israel reports.
The United States is threatening to replace the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) with an alternative group of nations, if the 47-member body doesn’t stop its anti-Israel bias and undergo reform.
“We are either going to reform this thing and make it reflect what it should be reflecting or we will withdraw our support for it,” U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said last week, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post.
If the U.S. does pull out of the UNHRC, Tillerson told the House Foreign Affairs Committee it would “find other means that we can approach human rights issues on a multilateral basis with partners who see it the same way we do.”
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has also spoken publicly about the possibility of a pullout, most recently when visiting Geneva in early June. The Jerusalem Post reports that her office also issued a statement after learning the UNHRC might ask the International Court of Justice at The Hague to issue an advisory opinion on alleged Israeli human rights abuses toward Palestinians.
The U.S. has regularly criticized the UNHRC’s anti-Israel bias. The Jewish state has been condemned more than any other country, including persistent human rights abusers such as Iran, North Korea, and Syria.
Since its founding in 2006, the Human Rights Council has adopted 135 country-specific resolutions—half of which condemned Israel.
I appreciate your interest in what’s happening in the Middle East—and your love for Israel and the Jewish people. My goal with these weekly updates is to help you stay informed so that you can also pray more effectively for the nation of Israel.
Please also remember Jewish Voice. These developments impact our work—providing opportunities, but also hurdles—to the ministry you and so many others partner in. Thank you for your prayers.
As you pray, please consider making a gift in support of Jewish Voice Ministries. Your partnership would mean so much, not just to us, but to the Jewish people we reach out to in the name of Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus).
Their physical AND spiritual welfare is our focus. Your financial support makes a difference in their lives.
For your gift of $35 or more today, we’ll send you an inspiring reminder to pray for Israel. This set of two Jerusalem Square Candle Holders is specially crafted with dimensional depictions of Jerusalem landmarks.
Thank you again for your support. You are helping transform lives and moving us closer to the day when all Israel will be saved. God bless you.
