Worthy Brief - 8/3/2017
Friend, do you want to be made well?
James 4:3 You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts.
John 5:6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, "Do you want to be made well?"
Yeshua (Jesus) asked this man "Do you want to be made well?" Of course, he did! Wouldn't you? Why did Yeshua ask a question like this when its answer was so clearly obvious? It seems the Lord wanted to hear him verbalize his need.
In the biography of George Mueller, a strong man of God who established orphanages throughout England in the 1800's and raised the kids up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, this amazing Saint relied upon God for every single need that he faced without making any financial appeals. He laid before the Lord every aspect of these orphanages. He prayed for the locations, the buildings, the furniture to fill them, the workers to run them, and everything else he could think of. When the first orphanage was ready, Mueller realized one major thing was lacking -- orphans!! He forgot to ask the Lord to provide the orphans!
Sometimes the obvious things just smack us in the face, don't they? On several occasions, I've found myself in this very position! Silly me -- I forgot to ask!
Friend, perhaps the Lord is asking us today, "Do you want to be made well?" Whether it be physical healing, spiritual, emotional or financial healing, no thing is too great or too small for our Lord! Perhaps we've just forgotten to ask Him!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Arad, Israel
Around the World
Iran's Revolutionary Guard finds new route to arm Yemen rebels
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has started using a new route across the Persian Gulf to funnel covert arms shipments to their Houthi allies in Yemen's civil war, sources familiar with the issue said Tuesday.
'Full Trade Trade War', Russian PM says
New sanctions imposed on Russia will lead to a "full-scale trade war", Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.
Trump eager to declare Iran noncompliant on nuclear deal; Tillerson argues for leverage
A heated behind-the-scenes debate is playing out among high-level Trump administration advisers over whether the president should declare Iran in violation of the nuclear accord reached under his predecessor, President Obama.
EU's Juncker says ready to retaliate if needed over new U.S. sanctions on Russia
The European Union's chief executive on Wednesday said the United States had taken into account some EU concerns over new sanctions on Russia but Brussels was ready to retaliate within days if the measures hurt EU economic interests.
Trump Signs Russia Sanctions Bill, But Lays Out His Concerns About the Law
President Donald Trump signed a Russia sanctions bill Congress forced on him, adding a statement saying the administration will carry out the law but with reservations about its impact and the constitutionality of some provisions.
Human embryos edited to stop disease
Scientists have, for the first time, successfully freed embryos of a piece of faulty DNA that causes deadly heart disease to run in families.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel begins concept work on Arrow-4 defender
Israel’s Defense Ministry and industry developers have begun early work on what could evolve into the Arrow-4, a new missile-intercepting system to defend against much more sophisticated, future threats from Iran.
Israeli spy agency uncovers Gaza-Turkey-West Bank terror money trail
A Hamas money laundering ring transferring money from officials in Gaza, via Turkey, to the West Bank city of Hebron has been exposed by the Shin Bet, IDF and Israel Police, the internal security agency cleared for publication on Thursday.
'Everyone here tonight proved that they want a Third Temple'
Thousands of Israelis converged on Jerusalem's Old City Monday night, marching around the walls of Jerusalem to commemorate the destruction of the Temple.
Jerusalem gears up for gay pride parade under banner 'LGBTQ and Religion'
Thousands of people are expected to march through central Jerusalem Thursday afternoon in the city’s 16th annual LGBTQ pride parade.
Inside the United States
Trump endorses merit-based system that would cut legal immigration by half
President Trump threw his support Wednesday behind a Senate bill that would cut legal immigration in half and impose a merit-based system, giving preference to English-speaking immigrants who demonstrate job skills and curtailing the traditional pipeline that rewarded extended family ties.
Dems suddenly scrambling to come up with ObamaCare fix
After fighting Republicans tooth-and-nail for years on their plans to repeal and replace ObamaCare, Democrats have in a matter of days started touting a slew of proposals aimed at improving the ailing health care system.
US Senate panel to vote on Taylor Force Act
The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee will vote on Thursday morning to proceed with the Taylor Force Act, after its leadership made significant revisions to the legislation in consultation with the Trump administration, Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
US runs successful ICBM test launch in California
The U.S. military successfully test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile from an Air Force base northwest of Los Angeles early Wednesday.
Immigrants are 22 percent of federal prison population
A stunning 22 percent of inmates in the federal prison population are immigrants who have either already been deemed to be in the country illegally or who the government is looking to put in deportation proceedings, the administration said Tuesday.
Christian News
New Archaeological Discovery Confirms Biblical Account of the Babylonian Conquest of Jerusalem (Video)
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) recently confirmed the Old Testament's account of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian Empire in the sixth century BC.
New Indonesian Report Warns Religious Minorities Fear Intolerance
CSW's new report on freedom of religion or belief in Indonesia warns that religious minorities are increasingly fearful of intolerance.
Iraqi Christians Look to Reclaim Their Ancient Homes
It was the night of August 6, 2014. Fresh from their capture of Mosul, ISIS fighters swept through the Nineveh Plains and overnight drove more than 12,000 Christian families from their homes and ancestral lands. The families fled, quite literally, with only the clothes on their backs.
South Carolina: Breakaway Anglicans Must Return 29 Churches
A conservative South Carolina diocese that left The Episcopal Church five years ago has been involved in a complicated dispute over its name, leadership, and land ever since.