Worthy Brief - 3/18/2020
Friend, don't get too comfortable!
Exodus 5:18-23 Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks." The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, "You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day." When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, and they said, "May the LORD look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us." Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O LORD, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."
The story of the Exodus is a story of miracles – yet in the beginning, when Moses first appeared before Pharaoh to deliver the children of Israel from 400 years of slavery, the Israelites were severely tempted and became angry because of the initial hardships that were laid upon them.
They leveled their anger at Moses because suddenly they were told that they would have to gather their own straw for making bricks. They were concerned about offending their slave-masters, fearing that they would slay them.
The Israelites were so accustomed to their slavery that they didn’t want their lives disrupted despite the fact that freedom was at hand. Resigned to this miserable life, they utterly failed to apprehend or appreciate the freedom that was soon approaching. Yes, there was a temporary price: increased hardship and great pressure would set the stage for their final deliverance.
The same can happen to us. It has often been said, "The darkest night is just before the dawn"...
Perhaps the enemy senses his impending defeat and pulls out all the stops to prevent it. Perhaps the Lord loves a good story with a really dramatic and climactic ending and great glory for His Name...in any case --
Friend, don't let yourself remain accustomed to any form of bondage – seek and believe for the freedom that God has given us through His Son. Expect a life of great victory over sin and demonic oppression - Why? Because that is His promise to us!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Baltimore, Maryland
Editor's Note: Watch George's latest video update: Cycles, Patterns, and the Corona Virus! Also, be sure to subscribe to our new YouTube channel.
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!
Around the World
Coronavirus Ravages Middle East as Iran Warns of 'Millions' of Deaths
From Jerusalem’s Western Wall to Saudi Arabia’s Mecca, the coronavirus is changing the Middle East and people in the region are adjusting to a new normal.
African locust swarm headed for Middle East
An 'unprecedented' locust swarm is forming in the Horn of Africa, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and is expected to cause major food shortages across Africa and the Middle East later this summer.
EU will close borders for 30 days to slow coronavirus outbreak
The European Union announced that member nations will close the EU’s external borders for the next 30 days to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
China plans to disbar three major US news organizations
China is revoking the press credentials of three major US media organizations, in a move that has been censured by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as a further step toward secrecy by the communist administration of Xi Jinping.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
IDF says Hezbollah, Syrian army behind attempted sniper attack on border
The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday accused the Hezbollah terror group and the Syrian army of being behind an attempted sniping attack against Israeli soldiers in the Golan Heights earlier this month, which was thwarted by an Israeli strike on the suspects’ car.
Inside the United States
Wall Street bounces after Monday's selloff as Fed boosts liquidity
The S&P 500 rose 6% on Tuesday, a day after its steepest decline since the 1987 crash, as the Federal Reserve took further steps to boost liquidity and stem damage from the coronavirus outbreak that has gripped the global economy.
White House seeking multi-billion dollar coronavirus stimulus package
The White House proposed an $850 billion stimulus package Tuesday for an economy that has been rocked by coronavirus fears, the Trump Administration expecting bipartisan support for a move that may involve sending Americans $1,000 checks.
Biden blowout victory in Florida leaves Sanders with no path to nomination
Joe Biden crushed Bernie Sanders in Florida, adding to a series of decisive wins that leaves the Vermont senator with no realistic path to securing the Democratic presidential nomination.
Mississippi House passes bill banning abortions on the basis of race, sex, genetic abnormality
The Mississippi House of Representatives passed a bill that, if enacted, will ban abortions performed due to an unborn baby’s race, sex, or possible genetic abnormalities.
Fed relaunches crisis-era lending program to aid companies facing pandemic credit crunch
The Federal Reserve on Tuesday announced that it was setting up a special entity to purchase short-term debt issued by corporations to help keep afloat companies facing a credit crunch because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Senate Approves 77-Day Extension of FISA Court’s Surveillance Powers
The Senate on March 16 agreed to a 77-day extension of a set of FBI surveillance tools under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that had expired March 15, to allow lawmakers time for further negotiations on necessary reforms to the powerful domestic eavesdropping program that saw wiretapping of individuals in the Trump campaign.
From field hospitals to respirator masks, Pentagon wades into coronavirus support role
The Pentagon on Tuesday laid out how the U.S. military would support the medical response to the coronavirus, from using its stockpile of respirator masks to potentially building field hospitals and perhaps even deploying Navy hospital ships to reduce the stress on U.S. emergency rooms.
DOJ abruptly drops once-heralded prosecution of Russian troll farm initiated by Mueller
In a striking and unexpected abandonment of a once-heralded prosecution initiated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the Justice Department moved Monday to drop charges against two Russian companies that were accused of funding a social media meme campaign to further their 'strategic goal to sow discord in the U.S. political system, including the 2016 presidential election.'
Pentagon Preparing Navy Hospital Ships Mercy, Comfort for Coronavirus Response
The Pentagon is starting the process of activating Navy hospital ships USNS Mercy (T-AH-19) and USNS Comfort (T-AH-20) as part of the Defense Department’s domestic response to the spreading COVID-19 virus, USNI News has learned.
Christian News
UK: Churches make national call to prayer for coronavirus pandemic
Church leaders are calling on people across the UK to "light a candle of hope" by praying in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
South Korea threatens to shut down churches not complying with coronavirus measures
Churches in South Korea could be shut down for failing to implement preventative measures amid the spread of the coronavirus in the country's most populous metropolitan region.