Worthy Brief - 6/23/2017
Friend, it's washed away!
2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith: Finally, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give to me on that day: and not to me only, but also to all who have loved His appearing.
As Scotland was declaring its independence from England in the 1300's, the English were hunting for Robert Bruce of Scotland in an attempt to prevent his accession to the Scottish throne. In the search, the English put Bruce's own bloodhounds on his trail. As they grew closer to apprehending him, Robert the Bruce found a small river, and he said to his foster-brother who was with him, "Let us wade down this stream for a great way, instead of going straight across, and so these unhappy hounds will lose the scent; for if we were once clear of them, I should not be afraid of getting away from the pursuers."
Robert the Bruce escaped his pursuers by entering a river, and not long afterward, the crown of Scotland rested on his head.
The devil uses our own "sin-hounds" to hunt us relentlessly -- past and present sins, he uses, to keep us from our crown, our position with Yeshua (Jesus), and the rewards which will follow a life of abiding in Him. But we also have a way of escape! Entering into the river of God which flows with the blood of Yeshua, being totally cleansed, the "hounds of sin" cannot touch us, and we too, can come out on the other side, free, and ready to reign with Him!
Friend, allow your sins to be washed away -- swept into eternity by the cleansing flow of the blood of Christ, and walk in the freedom that Yeshua provided 2000 years ago. Let your past with all its sins be washed downstream, realizing that a crown of righteousness awaits you, and every other saint who loves His appearing!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Arad, Israel
Around the World
North Korea tests rocket engine, possibly for ICBM: U.S. officials
North Korea has carried out another test of a rocket engine that the United States believes could be part of its program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile, a U.S. official told Reuters on Thursday.
Brexit: UK offer on EU citizens a good start, says Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has described UK plans to ensure the rights of EU citizens in Britain after Brexit as 'a good start'.
Arab states send Qatar 13 demands to end crisis, official says
Four Arab states boycotting Qatar over alleged support for terrorism have sent Doha a list of 13 demands including closing Al Jazeera television and reducing ties to their regional adversary Iran, an official of one of the four countries said.
US urges China to pressure North Korea to rein in weapons progams
A day after the US president said China's efforts on North Korea had failed, his secretary of state has asked for Beijing's help. The situation has been complicated by the death of a US student imprisoned by Pyongyang.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Turkish Temple Mount takeover bid prompts MKs to take action
Israeli lawmakers expressed serious concern Wednesday over Turkey's concerted effort to position itself as a Muslim power on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Massive Iranian funding for anti-Israel terror groups revealed
Iran's massive funding of terrorist groups that endanger Israel was exposed in shocking detail by IDF Military Intelligence chief Maj.- Gen. Hertzi Halevi on Wednesday.
Russia wants closer cooperation with Israel in Syria
Russia wants to increase cooperation with Israel regarding Syria, and would like Jerusalem to use any influence it has to get opposition groups there to lay down arms and enter negotiations, Konstantin Kosachev, a senior Russian parliamentarian, told The Jerusalem Post.
Abbas' new bureaucratic trick
Although PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has reportedly made gestures that might indicate an end to PA support for terrorist prisoners and their families, a new report indicates that the gestures are merely a pretext to garner favor with the US, and that the payments will continue in more roundabout ways.
IAF chief: Israel has 4-5 times the power than in 2006 to strike Hezbollah
The Israel Air Force would 'act with full force from the beginning' in any potential next war with Lebanon, IAF Commander Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel said Wednesday in a firm warning to Hezbollah.
Inside the United States
Cruz, Johnson, Lee, Paul 'not ready' to support GOP healthcare plan
Four Republican senators are demanding changes to a GOP proposal to repeal and replace Obamacare, and warned just hours after the bill was released that they "are not ready to vote" on the proposal until it is altered.
Court Dismisses Bogus Charges Against David Daleiden for Exposing Planned Parenthood
In a huge victory, a California court today dismissed almost all of the criminal charges abortion activists filed against the pro-life advocates who recorded undercover videos exposing Planned Parenthood selling the body parts from aborted babies.
Judge halts DHS attempt to deport 100 criminals to Iraq; gives 14-day reprieve
A federal court halted the deportation of more than 100 Chaldean Christians that Homeland Security had been poised to send back to their home in Iraq, as a judge dealt yet another blow to President Trump's immigration plans.
30 GOP Congressmen Have Been Attacked or Threatened Since May
A total of 30 Republican members of Congress have either been attacked or revealed that they were the victim of a death threat since the beginning of May.
Eight States on California's Banned Travel List
California is restricting publicly funded travel to four more states because of recent laws that leaders here view as discriminatory against gay and transgender people. California now restricts travel to Texas, Alabama, Kentucky, South Dakota, Kansas, Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee.
US test to shoot down ballistic missile fails
Amid the threat of North Korea possibly launching a missile, the latest U.S. effort to test its shoot-down capability failed on Wednesday night, according to a statement from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.
Flint airport attack: Michigan officer stabbed in 'act of terrorism,' FBI says
The stabbing of a police officer at a Michigan airport Wednesday by a Canadian citizen who yelled 'Allahu Akbar' and referenced people being killed in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan is being investigated by the FBI as an act of terrorism, officials said.
Christian News
Kidnapped Girl Reunited With Christian Parents In Iraq
A girl kidnapped in Iraq three years ago by Islamic State group militants reunited with her Christian parents, friends, and activists involved in finding her confirmed to BosNewsLife.
Bernie Sanders Says Christian Trump Appointee Has Religious Freedom But Shouldn't Work in Government
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has reiterated his belief that a Christian Trump appointee was unfit for a position with the federal government due to expressing his belief that Jesus is the only way to salvation.