Worthy Brief - 8/1/2016
Friend, tune it all out!
1 Kings 19:11-12 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.
If your house is anything like my house -- sometimes it's incredibly loud! Kids playing and screaming, my wife preparing for guests who are frequently here, news on the television behind me and praise and worship playing in the background, then...the phone rings.
Suddenly it becomes imperative to tune everything out in order to hear the person calling.
In the same way, when we're listening for God's direction, we need to tune everything else out...in order to tune in!
In the above passage, God had something to say to Elijah. He first allowed some powerful and noisy manifestations; those things might have easily been mistaken for His voice. Then, a strong wind –- so strong in fact, that it tore the mountain apart right before Elijah's very eyes. After that, an earthquake followed, and if that wasn't enough, a fire! I would say by the time these massive events had passed, Elijah might have been a little distracted -- don't you think?
But the Lord wasn't in any of them.
Then, God spoke to Elijah.... in a still, small, voice.
Friend, I believe that God still speaks in that still small voice today. But are any of us able to hear Him with all the craziness around us? It is so necessary to tune out the noise so we can hear Him! When God has our full attention, not only can we come to know Him better, but we can receive the direction we've been longing for!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Negev Desert, Israel
Editor's Note: Watch George's message: Which voice will you listen to in the last days?
Around the World
Iran and Russia discuss increasing military ties; Iran blasts US for 'violation' of nuclear deal
Senior Iranian and Russian defense officials discussed improving defense ties in a meeting in Moscow on Sunday.
Turkey: Erdogan Takes Charge Of Military
Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has introduced new powers bringing the military further under civilian authority.
Pope says it's wrong to identify Islam with violence
Pope Francis said on Sunday that it was wrong to identify Islam with violence and that social injustice and idolatry of money were among the prime causes of terrorism.
Amid terror fears, France may ban foreign funding for mosques
Following a wave of terrorist attacks in France, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls is considering prohibiting foreign funding for mosques in the country and has suggested adopting a new model for relations with Islam.
Islamic State calls on members to carry out jihad in Russia
ISIS called on its group members to carry out jihad in Russia in a nine-minute YouTube video on Sunday.
Turkey culls nearly 1,400 from army, overhauls top military council
Turkey dismissed nearly 1,400 members of its armed forces and stacked the top military council with government ministers on Sunday, moves designed by President Tayyip Erdogan to put him in full control of the military after a failed coup.
Pope to Young on Poland Trip, Believe 'In a New Humanity'
Pope Francis encouraged hundreds of thousands of young people at a global gathering of the faithful Sunday to 'believe in a new humanity' that is stronger than evil and refuses to see borders as barriers.
Pope makes historic visit to Auschwitz concentration camp
Pope Francis made a historic visit Friday to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the former German Nazi concentration camp in Poland, to pay tribute to the more than 1 million people, mostly Jews, who lost their lives there in the Holocaust.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Top Israel, US military brass to meet in Washington on security, cooperation
Israeli Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot arrived in the US on Sunday for an 'official work visit' with his American counterpart, Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Joseph Dunford, the IDF said in a statement.
Israel Gearing Up for Worst-Case 'Day After' Scenarios Against ISIS, Hezbollah if Russia-Brokered Syria Deal Materialize
Israel is gearing up for the 'day after' an agreement is reached in Syria between the Assad regime and rebel forces, by preparing for worst-case scenarios, the Hebrew news site Walla reported on Sunday.
Security forces detain Israeli-Arab man with pipe bombs at W. Bank checkpoint
Israeli security forces on Sunday night detained an Israeli-Arab man at a West Bank checkpoint who was carrying improvised pipe bombs in his car.
PA insists on timeframe for any peace talks with Israel
Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday said that any reboot of peace talks with Israel should happen within a clear timeframe and under international supervision.
Israel hits back at US over settlement construction criticism
The Israeli Foreign Ministry on Friday rejected US State Department criticism of Israel's construction over the Green Line as 'factually baseless.'
Nasrallah slams Saudis for 'normalization with Israel for free'
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah criticized Saudi Arabia on Thursday night for an apparent warming of ties with Israel, accusing it of 'normalizing for free, without receiving anything in return.'
Inside the United States
Seven Years Later, Recovery Remains the Weakest of the Post-World War II Era
Even seven years after the recession ended, the current stretch of economic gains has yielded less growth than much shorter business cycles.
Fight continues against California's Big Sur fire as new blaze breaks out near Fresno
Crews battled a massive wildfire near California's Big Sur that is threatening thousands of homes as it burns for the tenth day, while a much newer fire in Fresno County quickly spread, damaging homes as it more than doubled in size Sunday.
Franklin Graham: Allowing Muslim Refugees Would Risk Christians' Security in US
Evangelist Franklin Graham said allowing tens of thousands of Muslim refugees into the United States, as President Barack Obama wants, could mean attacks on Christians in the country just as they are being targeted elsewhere, pointing to the killing of a Christian priest in Normandy, France, last week.
Muslim Dad Khizr Khan Tells CNN Terror 'Has Nothing to Do with Islam'
Khizr Khan, the bereaved father of fallen soldier Capt. Humayun Khan who attacked Donald Trump last week in a speech at the Democratic National Convention, told CNN's Jim Acosta Sunday morning that terror has 'nothing to do with Islam.'
States' Voter ID Laws Struck Down Ahead of November Election
U.S. courts have struck down voter identification laws as discriminatory in several states recently, ensuring voting rights for more minority and lower-income voters ahead of November's U.S. presidential election.
U.S. Wrestles With How to Fight Back Against Cyberattacks
It has been an open secret throughout the Obama presidency that world powers have escalated their use of cyberpower. But the recent revelations of hacking into Democratic campaign computer systems in an apparent attempt to manipulate the 2016 election is forcing the White House to confront a new question: whether, and if so how, to retaliate.
U.S. Politics
Poll: Clinton snags 7-point convention bounce
Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump 43-40 percent in a Morning Consult national poll conducted entirely after the Democratic Convention concluded Thursday night, a 7-point swing from a Consult poll done just before the convention.
Goodbye, God Gap: Trump and Clinton Have Churchgoers Unusually Split
Donald Trump seems to be breaking yet another political tradition this election: the 'God gap.'
Trump camp will seek to change debate dates
Upset that two key presidential debates coincide with NFL games, the Donald Trump campaign will press for changes.
Third-party support surging
Voters now confronted with the choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are making something abundantly clear: they want another option.
Trump: Can't I respond to an attack?
'I was viciously attacked by Mr. Khan at the Democratic Convention,' he tweeted on Sunday. Trump was referring to Khizr Khan, a Muslim lawyer whose son was in the Army and died in Iraq in 2004. Khan in his speech asked Trump if he had even read the Constitution and said that Trump has 'sacrificed nothing and no one.'
Christian News
Burlington Revival Comes to an End; More Than 1,250 Accept Christ
The Burlington Revival has come to an end after going strong for 11 weeks. Friday night was the last night the revival services were held in Burlington, North Carolina.
Pastor in Eastern Uganda Killed for Evangelizing Muslims, Refusing to Sell Land
Upset with a pastor for evangelizing and refusing to sell them land for a mosque, Muslims in eastern Uganda tied him up and killed him on Sunday (July 24), sources said.
Pastor forgives Muslim extremists who attacked his church
After his church was attacked and vandalised by a group of Muslim extremists, this pastor responded by following what Exodus 14:14 instructed him to do. That Bible verse states, 'The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.'