Worthy Brief - 8/31/2017
Friend, be sure to check your foundation!
Matthew 7:24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.
Over the past week, Hurricane Harvey cause catastrophic damage in the United States. In a report today, Joel Myers, president and chairman of AccuWeather, said "This is the costliest and worst natural disaster in American history. AccuWeather has raised its estimate of the impact to the nation's gross national produce, or GDP, to $190 billion or a full one percent, which exceeds totals of economic impact of Katrina and Sandy combined."
He continued and said, "the United States' fourth largest city will be uninhabitable for weeks and possibly months due to water damage, mold, disease-ridden water and all that will follow this 1,000-year flood."
In Matthew 7, Yeshua is speaking to Jews who understood and were familiar with the rains
and how vigorously it comes down during these seasons. They knew not to build their houses on sand -- or else they would quickly collapse when the rains came!
The Lord is warning us about building our houses on weak ground. He knew that stormy seasons would come and He wants us to be prepared!
We don't want to be one of the many whose houses will collapse because they were built on fame, fortune or even seemingly innocent things like family, tradition and good works. We want to be of those who've established our foundation upon the ROCK of the truth of His Word and who will be able to weather the coming storms because of it!
Friend, are there storms raging about you today? Let's hurry and examine whether our lives are completely built upon the Rock. For Yeshua is the only foundation to build your lives upon! [1 Corinthians 3:10-15]
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Arad, Israel
US tests shooting down ballistic missile in message to North Korea
The US military shot down a medium-range ballistic missile during a test off Hawaii late Tuesday, officials said.
NATO fears Russian war games to turn into invasion
NATO allies have voices their concern that Moscow might be planning a surprise invasion, following its large-scaled military exercise with Belarus. Specifically, NATO is worried that Russia might leave military equipment behind in Belarus when the exercise concludes, perhaps to use later should President Vladimir Putin want to send troops quickly across the border, as he did in Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014.
Russia warns US against news sanctions on North Korea
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that potential new sanctions against North Korea would be 'dangerous.'
U.S. sees signs of North Korean nuke test
Amid the latest North Korean missile test that overflew Japan, U.S. intelligence agencies recently detected increased activity at the North’s main underground nuclear testing facility in the northeastern part of the country that signal preparations for a sixth underground test blast.
Pentagon: 11,000 troops are on the ground in Afghanistan
The Pentagon for the first time revealed Tuesday that nearly 11,000 American troops are still on the ground in Afghanistan, roughly 40 percent more than what Defense Department leaders had acknowledged since President Obama ended the U.S. combat mission three years earlier.
US flies bombers, fighters in show of force against N.Korea
The United States on Thursday flew some of its most advanced warplanes to South Korea to take part in bombing drills aimed at intimidating North Korea, after Pyongyang fired a midrange ballistic missile over Japan earlier this week, South Korea’s military said.
Nanomachines that drill into cancer cells killing them in just 60 seconds developed by scientists
Nanomachines which can drill into cancer cells, killing them in just 60 seconds, have been developed by scientists.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Friedman to 'Post': US, Israel of 'same mind' on stopping Iran in Syria
The US and Israel are 'of the same mind' when it comes to opposition to any Iranian military presence in Syria, US Ambassador David Friedman told The Jerusalem Post in an exclusive interview this week.
Netanyahu pummels media, accuses ‘fake news industry’ of trying to topple him
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a seething attack on the media Wednesday, accusing the press of playing up a pair of corruption investigations against him in an effort to end his premiership.
UN said set to bolster peacekeeping force in south Lebanon
The United Nations will reportedly expand the mandate of its peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon following complaints from Israel over the international body’s failure to address Hezbollah’s weapons buildup in the area.
Israel to advance plans for 3,000 settlement homes – report
The Defense Ministry body responsible for authorizing construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank will reportedly be advancing plans for some 3,000 new housing units when it convenes next month.
Inside the United States
Trump on tax reform: 'I don't want to be disappointed by Congress'
President Donald Trump on Wednesday touted tax reform as his key to unlocking economic growth and job opportunities -- and put the onus on Congress to overhaul the U.S. system.
Federal judge blocks enforcement of Texas' 'sanctuary cities' law
A federal judge blocked enforcement of much of a 'sanctuary cities' law in Texas on Wednesday night, just days before it was set to go into effect.
AccuWeather predicts Hurricane Harvey to be the most costly natural disaster in US history
AccuWeather predicts Hurricane Harvey, which has wreaked havoc in Texas, to be the most costly natural disaster in United States history.
US revised second-quarter GDP up 3.0% vs 2.7% rise expected
The U.S. economy grew faster than initially thought in the second quarter, notching its quickest pace in more than two years, and there are signs that the momentum was sustained at the start of the third quarter.
Legislation to limit smartphone encryption ‘may be necessary,’ deputy AG Rosenstein says
Legislation may be needed to solve the Justice Department’s ongoing problem with uncrackable digital encryption, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said Wednesday.
Trump sticks with 15 percent tax rate and child care credits in Missouri speech
President Trump restated his campaign goals of lowering the corporate tax rate to 15 percent and offering new tax benefits for child care in a speech on tax reform in Springfield, Mo., Wednesday, although he didn't offer any new details.
BLS: Americans Spend More on Taxes Than Food and Clothing Combined
Americans on average spent more on taxes in 2016 than they did on food and clothing combined, according to data released this week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Los Angeles votes to rename Columbus Day 'Indigenous Peoples' Day'
The Los Angeles city council on Wednesday voted to rename Columbus Day 'Indigenous Peoples' Day.'
FBI says lack of public interest in Hillary emails justifies withholding documents
Hillary Clinton’s case isn’t interesting enough to the public to justify releasing the FBI’s files on her, the bureau said this week in rejecting an open-records request by a lawyer seeking to have the former secretary of state punished for perjury.
US clears breakthrough gene therapy for childhood leukemia
Opening a new era in cancer care, U.S. health officials on Wednesday approved a breakthrough treatment that genetically engineers patients' own blood cells into an army of assassins to seek and destroy childhood leukemia.
Christian News
Leftists RAGE After Evangelical Leaders Sign 'Nashville Statement' Affirming Biblical View Of Sexuality
The sexual revolution has inflicted great damage on Western culture, producing broken homes, out-of-wedlock births, abortion, the redefinition of marriage, and now the promulgation of transgender theory, indoctrination from which even kindergartners are not exempt. To combat this seemingly unstoppable movement, a group of high-profile evangelical leaders, from John Piper to Francis Chan to Tony Perkins, signed what is now known as “The Nashville Statement,” affirming the biblical notion of sexuality, marriage, family, and gender.
Ministries coming alongside those overcome by Harvey
Faith-based disaster assistance teams continue to put their faith into action for victims in Texas whose lives and property have been devastated by Hurricane Harvey.
African Christian leaders hold Jerusalem start-up summit
Christian leaders from several African countries concluded meetings in Jerusalem on Wednesday with Israeli start-ups, politicians and businesses during the African Leadership Summit hosted by the Institute for Christian Leadership Development.