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Release

Fatah Seeks Release Of Ill Terrorist Who Murdered 7 Israelis

by The Israel Insider January 10, 2022

Palestinian prisoners’ organizations and Fatah have launched a campaign demanding the immediate release of terrorist Nasser Abu Hamid, who is ill with cancer, claiming that there is a serious deterioration in his health

Protest rallies called for the immediate release of Abu Hamid. Activists from various organizations are calling for a strengthening of the balance of deterrence created by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which led to the release of Hisham Abu Hawash, and to establish the link between the events in Judea and Samaria, Jerusalem, Gaza, and the prisons where the security prisoners are held.

Abu Hawash, an Islamic Jihad member held by Israeli authorities, went on a hunger strike and the Islamic Jihad threatened to “bomb Tel Aviv” if he was harmed. After 141 days, Israel caved into threats and announced he would be released next month.

Abu Hamid, 49, a resident of the Al-Amari refugee camp near Ramallah, was arrested in 2002 and sentenced to seven life terms and another 50 years for a number of terrorist acts in which seven Israelis were murdered. He was convicted of another 12 attempted murders.

The Abu Hamid family is considered the “Fatah family” because five of its members are security prisoners sentenced to lengthy periods, and another member of the family was killed in 1994 in a confrontation with the IDF.

The Abu Hamid family’s home was destroyed several times by IDF forces, but the Palestinian Authority repeatedly rebuilds it.

Islam Yusuf Abu Hamid killed IDF soldier Ronen Lubasky in May 2018 by throwing a marble slab on him during an IDF operation in the al-Amari neighborhood. Hamid was sentenced to life in prison.

Another brother was a member of the Tanzim and he is serving five life sentences for his involvement in two terrorist attacks.

Sharif Abu Hamid was a member of one of his brother’s units that carried out terrorist attacks. Sharif is serving four life sentences for accompanying a suicide bomber to carry out an attack.

Muhammad Abu Hamid is serving a sentence of two life sentences and another 30 years in prison for involvement in terrorist attacks.

January 10, 2022 0 comment

Articles

Let Go and Step Out

by Paula R. Bryant March 29, 2019

written by Paula R. Bryant

When God gives you a new vision, and then leads you through a mind-boggling process to embrace and prepare for it, your time of release will come! No question about it. The next step is up to you. Are you ready to believe God and enter a new day? Are you poised to let go and step out on the path that leads to your future?

Looking back on when the Lord shifted me out of an administrative career into full-time writing, He made certain I could clearly see my new path was unfolding by His hand. Because after getting the eye-opening call at work from my prospective employer (see my last blog)—it was my turn to make a move. That challenged me, because for several reasons the thought of leaving Houston had become bittersweet. After hanging up, hands shaking, I quickly called my husband and broke the news. There was a long silence on the other end (during which, I’m sure, he was regaining his composure). Numbed yet exhilarated, we agreed to talk more that evening.

I am thankful that my husband and I were walking in agreement. I wanted to pinch myself to make sure this was really happening. We both realized: our next step was to give notice to our employers. Whew! Beyond giving up our positions, my boss’ wife worked with my husband and had been instrumental in getting him an interview with their organization, and we had become good friends. At times, the world can feel like a tiny place.

God’s Word of Release

Days passed as I anticipated giving notice to the best boss I had ever worked for. It felt like I was walking a tightrope. This was real. God was requiring me to trust Him, let go of my “perfect arrangement,” and choose to step out on His path back to Dallas. I prayed and prayed. At times, it was grueling, heartbreaking. Then one day while I was seeking the Lord, He gave me a promise from Mark 10:29–30:

“…there is no one who has given up and left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for My sake and for the Gospel’s who will not receive a hundred times as much now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.”

I broke down in tears as a divine light bulb illuminated my spirit and peace flooded my entire being. And I received the promise. A greater future was ahead. We both gave notice at work, and despite our initial concerns, my boss and his wife handled the news spectacularly. He even gave me a special going-away gift, a beautiful Montblanc pen, to commemorate my new writing career.

My husband and I were off to the races, thanking God, packing to return to Dallas, and making a flurry of preparations until the unthinkable happened. Bear with me, there’s too much to share to go into this now. Just hang on till next week—because there are times when our decision to follow the Lord is tested.

The Next Step

Entering a new day sounds wonderful but the process can be unsettling. It impacts us spiritually, physically, emotionally, and financially. At times, we must put our mind in check to do something that defies logic. What vision has God shown you? Has He ever required you to let go everything you’ve known and step into the future? If so, how did you respond? Did you come all the way through the process, or did something hinder you? Here’s the bottom line. God is impartial (see Acts 10:34–35). What He did for me, He’ll do for you. And if you missed taking a step, He may give you another opportunity to shift onto a new path of destiny. I know because He’s done it for me a time or two. God’s gifts and His calling are “irrevocable” (see Romans 11:29).

Now, let’s pray: Heavenly Father, we come to You in the Name of Jesus, thanking You for Your love, wisdom, and goodness. Thank You for teaching us and for guiding us on our path, so that when You release us, we walk into the new. If, for some reason, my friend has missed taking that step, thank You for extending mercy and grace. Draw us to You, Lord. Give us a heart that is willing to trust You, let go, and step onto the path of our greatest potential. Amen.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you [who are willing to learn] with My eye upon you.” (Psalm 32:8)

March 29, 2019 1 comment

Articles

Preparing for Release

by Paula R. Bryant March 25, 2019

written by Paula R. Bryant

Looking back, it’s amazing how God shifted my whole life 180 degrees, gradually at first, and then suddenly after a surprising meeting in Dallas. That is what happens when we walk with the Lord. He is all about change, growth, and keeping us on our path of destiny.

Has God ever suddenly shifted your direction?

If so, I’m sure you remember walking through a process, astonished as each door opened. With every word, dream, prompting, and situation, God prepares us for the moment of release. That pivotal event and culminating confirmation that shocks our senses and challenges us to move into something new—NOW.

After my impromptu job interview in Dallas, two weeks passed before my family made another weekend trip. At home in Houston, the Lord prompted me to go over my resume while watching my kids at the pool. Yuck! I hated updating my resume—but that’s not what He had in mind. That uncanny question from the week before lingered in my mind: “What would you want to do…”? So, I dove right in. As I reviewed my work experience, I sensed the presence of God. I stopped what I was doing, stilled my thoughts…and a light bulb of inspiration illumined my understanding. God wanted me to read between the lines and identify the skills I had excelled in, regardless of what my official titles or responsibilities might have been.

As I read with new eyes, three areas came to the forefront: project management, special projects, and writing. I started writing my letter, presenting those areas to my prospective employer. There was a problem, though. The Lord was prompting me to put writing at the top of my list, but I was resisting Him. Why? Writing had always been easy for me. Not only had I gained plenty of indirect “on-the-job experience,” I had experience copywriting for our personal ministry. Beyond that, I was stretching my wings, writing with vigor for my college classes. How is it that I hadn’t fully acknowledged this gift?

Have you ever read between the lines?

…the lines of your life experience to see God’s true grace and gifting? If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to pray and try it. Your innate gifts reveal your purpose. And when you belong to God, He will bring them out in every situation that requires you to use them—because He’s preparing you for a pivotal moment of release.

As I wrote, the Lord reminded me of what I had seen in that incredible dream/vision I shared in my blog a couple weeks ago. In that “higher realm,” I knew the ability to write was mine, and I had immediately engaged in a battle to take it back. Wow, I thought, sensing the peace of the Lord again. I finished the letter—putting writing at the top of my list—and within a few days sent it via overnight delivery to Dallas.

You could imagine the look on my face when I received a call from my prospective employer about a week later—on my work phone! My eyebrows shot up when I heard her voice, and I’ll never forget her words: “Paula, you’ll never guess what happened today. Right before we met in Dallas, I had hired a full-time writer. Today, she didn’t show up for her first day of work…” I caught my breath, remembering her cryptic comment during our meeting. This was surreal. Suddenly, everything in me slowed down, as if moving in slow-motion.

The rest of our conversation is a blur, except that I was offered my first full-time writing position! God knew it the whole time. Everything began to crystallize. That’s why I had asked Him to show me more; why He’d directed me in a dream to start journaling; why the impromptu meeting had taken place in Dallas; why I’d had the dream/vision of going to battle for what was mine; and why He’d strongly directed me to list writing as the first area in my letter. With each step, God was preparing me for release.

God is preparing to release you.

He’ll make it obvious that He’s shifting you. The question is: Have you seen beyond your situation to recognize it? Are you keeping a journal? In times of transition emotions run high. They can distract us from seeking God, and as a result, desensitize our spirit to His leading. I urge you to resist resisting the Holy Spirit. I pray today that nothing will hinder you from hearing the Lord, DOING what He leads you to do, and experiencing a great release. May you know your innate giftings and increasingly flow in them for God’s glory. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

“[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, by having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints [His set-apart ones].” (Ephesians 1:17–18)

Source: Featured photograph by Marc Olivier Jodoin, Unsplash.com

March 25, 2019 0 comment