Verses of the month  : " Therefore ,since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every heavy weight and also sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Yeshua , the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary of fainthearted . " Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 12 verses 1-3 ( the passage is still relevant for this month and the season we are in.

This year we challenge all the bible loving believers to read their all bible in just one year . We will send you free of charge a help sheet to record your progreess in reading , chapter by chapter , in your own pace . Ask for our " bible reading help "
"Pray without ceasing" : it just takes a few minutes daily to pray for your loved ones, never give up hoping. Our father in Heaven is never too tired to listen to the cry of your heart. ( look at the page : intercession and prayer ministry )

Verse of the year : Isaiah 58:6-7
"Is not this the fast that I choose : to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the throngs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke . Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him , and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? . Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring speedily ."

Praying for the peace of Jerusalem

Psalm 122: 6-9 

"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, may they prosper those who love you.
Peace be within your walls, prosperity within your palaces,
For the sake of my brethren...I will say:" may peace be within you.
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God I will seek your Good."

What does it mean to pray for the peace of Jerusalem? The Bible explains to us that Peace is the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22). It is the outcome of a righteous life blessed by God ("Peace is not the absence of war, but the presence of God"). So we know that there cannot be peace without righteousness.
We also know that we cannot be righteous (having a right standing ) before God without the forgiveness of our sins. We also know that: there is no forgiveness of sins without the shed blood of the Perfect, once and for all, sacrificial Lamb of God, Yeshua of Nazareth, the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world.
We then understand that the peace of Jerusalem can only come through Yeshua. "He is our peace". Then, to pray for the peace of Jerusalem is to pray for the inhabitants of Jerusalem to receive a spirit of grace and revelation and to be saved from their sins and be made righteous through the perfect gift of God, His only begotten son.
"And I will pour out upon the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of Grace and suplication: then they shall look on me whom they pierced. Yes they will mourn for Him as one grieves for a firstborn". (Zachariah 12:10)
Will you then pray for the Peace of Jerusalem?
( excerpt from the book " Mystery of Israel " coming out soon.

Biblical fasting : a great tool to increase prayer effectivness.
Note: This study on biblical fasting was written to encourage intercessors to add fasting with their prayer on behalf of Israel .

What does Scriptures have to say about Fasting?
Fasting is mentioned more than a hundred time in the Bible.
Most of the time, it is linked with prayer.
Fasting without prayer is : diet .
Heb: ''Tsom''  Greek: ''Nesteia''   Definition: voluntary abstinence of food for spiritual reasons.
Examples in the Tanach (Old Testament )
2 Samuel 12:16 - “David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted... and spent the nights lying on the ground".

Fasting for good reasons:
2 Chronicles 20:3 - “Alarmed, Yehoshaphat resolved to inquired of the Lord. He proclaimed a fast for all Judah".
Fasting for bad reasons:
1 Kings 21: 9-12 - King Ahab proclaiming a day of fasting (plot to kill Nabot)
Example of Ezra
Ezra 8:21 - “I proclaimed a fast that we might humble ourselves before God and ask him for a safe journey."
Ezra 9:5 - “self abasement: Lev 16: 29 (Yom Kippur).

Example of Nehemiah
Nehemiah 1:4 - “I mourned and fasted and prayed before the GOD of Heaven”
Nehemiah 9:1-3 - "On the 24th day, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth..."

Example of Esther
Esther 4:3 - “There were great mourning among the Jews with fasting, weeping and wailing.”
Esther 4:16 - '' Gather all the jews who are in Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for 3 days, night or days. I and my maid will fast as you do."
Esther 9:31 - Establishment of the celebration of  PURIM

Example of Daniel
Daniel 9:3 - “So I turned to the Lord and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting and in sackcoth and ashes."

More examples in the Tanach.
Jonah 3:5 - “The Ninivites believed God. They declared a fast of repentance.
Joel 1:14 - "Declare a Holy fast.”
Joel 2:12-18 -
Isaiah 58:3-9 - ''The fast God wants…" speaks about our attitude when fasting.
Jeremiah 14:12 - “Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry."
Zechariah 7:3 - The 4 fasts linked with the destruction of the temple will be canceled.

Fasting in the Psalms.
Psalm 35:13 - “I humbled myself with fasting."
Psalm 69:10 - “When I weep and fast." A time for weeping.
Psalm 109:24 - “My knees give way from fasting, my body is thin and gaunt."

Fasting in the New Testament.
Matthew 2:37:  the example of Hanna.
Matthew 4:1-10: the example of Yeshua who fasted for 40 days in the wilderness.
Matthew 6:16-18: Yeshua teaches about fasting. “When you fast", not  “ if you fast".

There is a time to fast...: " when the bridegroom is being taken away . "
Attitude of true humility: ''Unto the Lord.''
Matthew 9:14-15 - (Mark 2 :18 - Luke 5:33)
John the Baptist's disciples and the Pharisees fasted. Yeshua’s disciples will fast once the bridegroom is taken away( when he departs physically from this earth )
Luke 18:12 - The Pharisees were fasting twice a week and giving the tithe.
According to the Didache (discipleship manual from the  beginning of 2nd Century), the disciples of Yeshua fasted also twice a week but on different days.
Mark 9:29 - Casting out demons through prayers and fasting.
Matthew 17:21 - ''This kind does not go out except through prayers and fasting''.
Acts 10:30 - Cornelius has been fasting when Peter came to him in Ceasarea
Acts 14:23 - Paul and Barnabas : Appointing of elders through prayers and fasting.
Acts 27:9 - The day of atonement (Yom Kippur)- a fasting day is mentioned.
2 Corinthians 11:27 - Personal example of Paul: “I have often gone without food.”

Fasting is also for you today! Give it a try !