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Worthy Brief - 6/5/2018

Friend, be valiant!

Judges 6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valour!

Judges 6 begins with an angel talking to Gideon saying, "thou mighty man of valour!" However, in this passage Gideon isn't feeling very valiant -- he's consumed with his circumstances -- how poor his family is and how he's the least of his fathers' house. He doesn't feel he's done anything worthy of being called valiant, yet the angel still addresses him "mighty man of valour!"

Gideon is not the only one who struggles with feeling unvaliant, though, is he? Even the best of us struggle with feelings of failure and defeat. But we must remember that we are part of the Lord's army -- and in the Lord's army, we do not depend upon our own strength. We depend upon the power of the Lord! We depend upon the victory that He has already won!

Imagine the countless thousands of saints like Gideon who have passed away before us and now sit in heaven's glory where every tear is dried, and every wound is healed -- who have already fought the battle of life and are calling down to us from heaven saying "Fellow Saint, you can get through this thing! Fight this battle -- for we have fought these same battles in our lives and been rewarded with heaven's glory! So fight through and we'll see you soon beside us! March forward you mighty man and woman of valor!"

Friend, the Lord stands anxiously awaiting our call. He wants us to walk in His power, not our own! Let's give him our circumstances today and strive to rely on His strength to conquer them!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Arad, Israel

Around the World
Merkel: Germany will exert its influence to push Iran out of Syria
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and German Chancellor Angela Merkel emerged from their 90-minute meeting in Berlin on Monday still disagreeing about the merits of the Iranian nuclear agreement, but in accord about the need to push Iran out of other countries in the Middle East.
Khamenei says Iran set to boost enrichment capacity if nuclear deal founders
Iran’s top leader said on Monday he had ordered preparations to increase uranium enrichment capacity if a nuclear deal with world powers falls apart after the U.S. withdrawal, and he vowed never to accept limits on Tehran’s ballistic missile program.
Turkey says it may attack Kurdish rebel stronghold in Iraq
Turkey has threatened to attack Iraq's Qandil region, where outlawed Kurdish rebels maintain their headquarters.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Netanyahu: Israel wants to stave off ‘humanitarian collapse’ in Gaza
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel was 'examining various possibilities to prevent a humanitarian collapse in Gaza.'
Israel shares key files from Iran nuclear archives with EU allies
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to travel to Europe this week in a bid to rally support from key allies for amending the international nuclear deal with Iran and for pushing Iranian forces out of Syria.
Palestinian ‘Naksa Day’ protests come amid heightened Gaza tensions
Palestinians are gearing up for Tuesday’s 'Naksa Day' . The day is commemorated as the 'setback' when Israel took over the West Bank and Gaza as well as East Jerusalem during the Six Day War. Along with Nakba Day and Land Day it makes up one of the key Palestinian protests of the spring and summer every year. This year the events come after months of protests along the Gaza border in which more than one hundred Palestinians have been killed and thousands wounded in clashes.

Inside the United States
Supreme Court rules for Colorado baker who refused to make cake for same-sex wedding
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday in favor of a Colorado baker who objected to making a cake for a gay couple’s wedding due to his religious opposition to gay marriage.
ICE: NYC released 440 ‘dangerous’ illegal immigrants over 3 months, many rearrested
Over just three months this year, New York City, which acts as a 'sanctuary city' for criminal illegal immigrants, released 440 'dangerous' offenders sought for deportation, and 10 percent went on to commit more crime, according to a new review.
Trump cancels Eagles' White House visit over national anthem dispute
President Donald Trump has canceled the Philadelphia Eagles’ visit to the White House in celebration of their Super Bowl victory because not all players planned to attend.
Facebook's privacy woes grow in Washington
Lawmakers are slamming Facebook over a report that the company shared its users' personal data with a range of device makers, which one House Democrat suggested means CEO Mark Zuckerberg lied under oath in April.
Trump Says Mueller’s Appointment Is Unconstitutional -- Here Are 7 Reasons Why
President Donald Trump questioned the legality of the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller on Monday while indicating that he will let the Russia investigation proceed.
Poll: Most Americans say alcohol, marijuana use morally okay
Most Americans said in a new poll that smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol are morally okay.
US appeals ruling that Trump could not block Twitter followers
The US Justice Department said on Monday (Jun 4) that it would appeal a federal judge’s ruling that President Donald Trump may not legally block Twitter users from his account on the social media platform based on their political views, according to a court filing.
Gun Sales Set Record Again in May
The number of gun-related background checks reached an all-time high once again in May, a report posted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday shows.

Christian News
The American Bible Society Affirms Biblical Marriage, Employees Resign in Protest
he American Bible Society, one of the world's oldest Bible distributing organizations, is defending its decision to ask employees to sign a statement of faith affirming traditional marriage.
Supreme Court: Colorado Ridiculed Jack Phillips' Faith
Many legal analysts agree: the Supreme Court didn't deliver the home run for religious freedom with its Jack Phillips decision that many people of faith were hoping for. In a narrow ruling, it left unresolved the constitutional free speech clash between Christian wedding vendors and LGBT customers who want their services.