Worthy Brief - 1/31/2020
Friend, take that leap of faith!
Php 3:13-14 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Over the past few days, one of our servers that hosts roughly 20 different web sites was breached and used to send SPAM. While there was no real damage done, the thousands of bounced messages literally caused the server to shut down. There was no personal information stored on the server, however, the hours spent setting up a new server in the midst of a speaking tour created chaos which we really didn't have the time to deal with. However, the worst of it is all over, and we're back! Just as we're getting ready to launch another website (https://worthy.bible) for the Kingdom ... we get attacked from all sides!
Isn’t it the way it is sometimes? As soon as you make that leap and take on a responsibility that stretches your faith, the enemy comes and tries to find a way to hinder you from going forward with it!
But we have NO intention of allowing him to squelch our plans! We are pressing forward toward the “high calling of God in Messiah Yeshua!”
Friend, you don’t let him either! Has God been calling you to do something specific? Has He laid something on your heart to do and you keep being sidetracked with other things? Go do it! Don’t let anything stop you! Be blessed this weekend ... we'll see you on Monday! Shabbat Shalom!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Birmingham, Alabama
Editor's Note: We'll be speaking in Alabama this week! Check out our calendar for our upcoming speaking engagements. If you would like us to minister at your congregation, home fellowship, or Israel focused event, be sure to let us know ASAP. You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information.
Editor's Note: Experience Real Israel with us— you don’t want to miss this!! We have limited spaces available. For more information, visit Worthy Israel Tours or send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com.
Editor's Note: If you have a prayer request, or if you'd be interested in becoming an intercessor, be sure to visit the Worthy Prayer Team!
China Coronavirus: WHO Declares Global Emergency; First Person-to-Person Transmission in US Confirmed
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday declared a global emergency over the outbreak of a novel coronavirus in China, and U.S. health authorities reported the first confirmed case in the United States of a patient with no recent history of travel to Wuhan, the outbreak epicenter.
Brexit: European Parliament overwhelmingly approves UK divorce deal
The first chapter of the Brexit saga was formally cleared for completion on Wednesday, when the European Parliament endorsed the latest Brexit deal following an emotional debate.
Trump Signs New US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, Largest Trade Deal in American History
President Trump signed a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada on Wednesday. The new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) replaces the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Trump administration rolls out new sanctions over Russian occupation of Crimea
The Trump administration on Wednesday announced new sanctions related to Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Netanyahu in Moscow to discuss U.S. peace plan, retrieve Issachar
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Moscow on Thursday to discuss the U.S. Mideast peace plan and take an Israeli woman who had been jailed in Russia back home.
Arab-Israelis fume as Trump plan says their towns could become part of Palestine
Leaders and residents of Arab-Israeli towns in the so-called Triangle fumed on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump’s peace plan proposed including their villages southeast of Haifa in a future Palestinian state.
Knesset speaker vows to ‘fast-track’ any vote on West Bank annexation
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein on Wednesday promised to 'fast-track' any bill proposed to annex parts of the West Bank in the aftermath of the unveiling of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan.
Pompeo on Mideast Peace Plan Opponents: ‘The Same Critics Who Have Failed for 70 Years’
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday dismissed opponents of President Trump’s Mideast peace proposals as 'the same critics who have failed for 70 years' to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
Inside the United States
Congressional Budget Office: Federal debt to grow to 98 percent of GDP by 2030
The latest Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report projects that the federal debt will grow to 98 percent of GDP by 2030, with the economy expanding at an average annual rate of 1.7 percent from 2021 to 2030.
House Democrats announce $760B infrastructure plan
House Democrats on Wednesday unveiled a $760 billion five-year plan aimed at rebuilding U.S. infrastructure.
Fed Keeps Interest Rates Unchanged Amid Concern for Below-Target Inflation
The Federal Reserve’s interest rate-setting body decided Wednesday to keep the benchmark Federal Funds target rate unchanged within the 1.5 to 1.75 percent range.
Final Day of Q & A in Trump Trial: Will Republicans Bring Swift End to Proceedings Friday?
It looks like Senate Republicans are getting ready to pull the ripcord in President Trump's impeachment trial.
Bill Would Reform NSA Surveillance Program
A bipartisan cadre of lawmakers in the House and Senate have introduced legislation that would reform the 9/11-era authorities used by the intelligence community to access Americans’ phone records and other domestic communications.
Justice Gorsuch: Nationwide Injunctions Raise ‘Serious Questions’ Over Scope of Courts’ Powers
Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch has issued a sharp critique of the growing practice of federal judges ruling beyond the scope of a particular case, in some court orders known as nationwide injunctions.
White House told Bolton to remove classified material from manuscript before publication
The White House has told former national security adviser John Bolton not to publish his upcoming tell-all about his time in the Trump administration until classified material is removed from the manuscript.
Christian News
Young Christian husbands and fathers killed by Muslims in Nigeria
Thirteen young Christian men defending their cattle in Nigeria where murdered by Muslim Fulani herders, who have vowed to execute any Christian 'infidel' caught possessing livestock.
Christian Rohingya refugees persecuted by Muslim Rohingya refugees in camp
One Rohingya Christian is missing and 12--several of whom are children--are seriously injured after Muslims of the famously persecuted ethnic group from Myanmar assaulted the small Christian enclave within the refugee community in Bangladesh.
Protestant churches in Algeria shut down for lacking approval from a government committee that hasn't met
Protestant churches are facing 'systemic closure' in Algeria, according to Open Doors USA, under a 2006 law that bans non-Muslim worship without prior approval from a government-appointed committee--a committee that hasn't even convened yet.
Pence tells evangelicals he is a Christian first and a conservative second
'I’m a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican -- in that order,' Vice President Mike Pence told a crowd of 250 assembled Iowa evangelicals, pleasing words to a voting bloc President Trump must hold if he is to be reelected in November.