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Worthy Brief - 10/3/2016

Friend, revival is here!

Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.

Over the years I've often gotten emails asking "When do you think revival will come?"

Well.... first, what is "revival", exactly? One of Merriam-Webster's definitions is "a renewed attention to or interest in something". Here are some important questions for us to answer today:

How interested are we in praying to the Lord and truly worshipping His Holy Name?
How interested are we in growing in God's truth and knowing Him deeply?
How interested are we in gaining a greater knowlege and understanding of His Word?
And just how interested are we in sharing those precious things with the dying world around us?

A key aspect of world revival is revival within ourselves. And it's not just a one-time thing, either. Once, a lady asked Billy Sunday "Why do you keep having revival meetings?" He quickly retorted, "Why do you always take a bath?"

Revival is something that needs to happen daily. It's an ongoing transformation of our hearts to be constantly moved by the Spirit of God. We need to be daily breaking up our fallow ground, those places in our hearts which we've allowed to grow hard. We have to ask the Lord to reveal those hard places, pray that He would forgive us and ask Him to heal all our rough edges that we might be soft before Him and sensitive to His leading.

Friend, let's get serious about getting ourselves revived as we celebrate Rosh HaShana today! It's a new year -- so let's begin this new year the right way -- in revival!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Negev Desert, Israel

Editor's Note: We are hoping to come to the United States this upcoming January-March for a cross country speaking/music tour. If you want to hear timely word from Worthy News Founder and Director, George Whitten and powerful Israeli Worship Music from Baht Rivka Whitten, Lazman Hazeh Music, as well as testimony of life and ministry in the Land, make sure to book soon for your Congregation, Conference, Church, Home Fellowship or Israel focused Event. We hope to hug you! Please send an email to george [ @ ] worthyemail.com for more information.

Editor's Note: Watch George's message: Which voice will you listen to in the last days?

Today's Breaking News
Around the World
Hospitals in Aleppo 'all but obliterated'; civilians in 'living hell,' U.N. warns
Civilians in the rebel-held portions of Aleppo are enduring a "living hell" and the hospitals there have been all but obliterated, the United Nations warned Sunday as bomb attacks continued to hit the city.
Sudan reported to use chemical weapons in Darfur
A report by Amnesty International on Sept. 27 said that people in 32 villages in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur reported symptoms consistent with exposure to 'blister agents' -- a banned class of chemical weapons
Putin's Syria playbook? To recapture Soviet glory in the Middle East
The destruction of Aleppo, especially the city's eastern neighborhoods that are tenuously held by anti-regime rebels, is largely pushed out of the nightly news by the fierce fighting around the presidential race in the United States. A few doughty reporters and photographers venture into Syria, but usually the cameras stay at a safe distance, so that much of what we see are the flashes and smoke from shells and bombs bursting in its cities.
Society and superbugs: Losing 'one of the most serious infections disease threats of our time'
'Superbugs' are strains of bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics, and they have been gaining strength and shifting the tide in their favor.
Russia warns US not to attack Syrian regime
Russia warned the United States about taking direct action against the Syrian regime, saying it would cause negative consequences across the Middle East, Russia's state-run Sputnik news agency reported Saturday.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Police uncover IS terror cell in Jerusalem planning attacks against Israelis
Israel's Shin Bet domestic security service and Jerusalem Police uncovered a terrorist cell run by the Islamic State group in East Jerusalem that planned to carry out attacks across Israel, the Shin Bet cleared for publication Sunday.
Israel will never reach peace deal with PA, 2/3 of Israelis say
Israel and the Palestinian Authority will never be able to reach a final status agreement, most Israelis believe, with just 1 out of 20 saying such a deal is likely to occur in the foreseeable future.
Public deeply unhappy with Israel's religious policies, study shows
The haredi Orthodox parties are back in power, and Israelis aren't thrilled with their work.
Ahead of New Year, PM Netanyahu 'extremely hopeful about our future'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday issued a bittersweet message on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, sending holiday greetings to Jews around the world.
Antisemitism and radical Islam could drive Jews from Europe, rabbi warns
The situation of Jews in Europe today is like a person standing on train tracks while two trains approach on a collision path, Pinchas Goldschmidt, Chief Rabbi of Moscow, told European Parliament.
Obama Admin Strikes 'Jerusalem' From Israel
The Obama administration stripped Jerusalem from being located in Israel in its official communication of the president's remarks in the ancient city at a memorial service for recently deceased former Israeli president Shimon Peres.

Inside the United States
Hurricane Matthew Blowing Through Caribbean
Jamaica and Haiti continue to encourage residents in vulnerable areas to evacuate as the Caribbean begins to get hit by powerful Hurricane Matthew.
Supreme Court to weigh reach of insider trading law
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider this week a closely watched insider trading case that could limit the ability of prosecutors to pursue such charges against hedge fund managers and other traders.
Pentagon paid PR firm $540 million to make fake terrorist videos
The Pentagon paid a UK PR firm half a billion dollars to create fake terrorist videos in Iraq in a secret propaganda campaign exposed by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
California at imminent risk of major earthquake
California may be about to be hit by a massive magnitude 7 earthquake after geologists discovered a succession of smaller tremors under a lake near the San Andreas fault.
Near 'Collapse,' Minnesota to Raise Obamacare Rates by Half
Minnesota will let the health insurers in its Obamacare market raise rates by at least 50 percent next year, after the individual market there came to the brink of collapse, the state's commerce commissioner said Friday.
US cuts cord on internet oversight
The US government on Saturday ended its formal oversight role over the internet, handing over management of the online address system to a global non-profit entity.

U.S. Politics
Who gave Trump's taxes to the New York Times? The mystery behind a bombshell story.
When New York Times reporter Susanne Craig checked her office mailbox a few days ago, a thin Manila envelope immediately caught her eye. She almost gasped when she opened it.
Pence walks Trump tightrope by keeping his faith at the forefront
To some people who know and appreciate Pence's deeply spiritual side, his selection as the running mate for Republican presidential nominee Trump was seen as something of a mixed blessing. In style, if not substance, the faith-on-his-sleeve Pence seemed a stark contrast to the brash real estate mogul and twice-divorced reality TV star.
Trump allies defend his tax record: He's 'an absolute genius'
Top supporters of Donald Trump lauded him as a 'genius' on Sunday for taking a loss of $916 million on his 1995 tax returns, which may have allowed him to avoid paying personal income taxes for nearly two decades.
Trump confidant predicts WikiLeaks will end Clinton's campaign this week
A friend of Donald Trump who has served as an unofficial campaign surrogate says Wednesday will be the end of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Christian News
Pulpit Freedom Sunday: Pastors to Protest IRS Restrictions on Speaking About Politics
Pastors across the country will protest Internal Revenue Service restrictions on them not to talk politics in the church as they observe the annual Pulpit Freedom Sunday, days after the introduction of the Free Speech Fairness Act in the U.S. House to reinstate pastors' and churches' rights to speak freely.
Arrest of Christian Workers in Sudan Serves Islamist Regime as Warning to Others
Christian workers imprisoned under charges related to tarnishing Sudan's image are innocent, but their arrests serve the Sudanese government as a warning to others against criticizing the Islamist regime, sources said.
Syria: At least 20 churches suffered damage as a result of air strikes on Aleppo
A senior Russian official has confirmed that twenty churches have been destroyed as a result of the air strikes on Aleppo. Reports are that a prominent Syriac Catholic church in Aleppo sustained significant damage in a shell attack, earlier this month. Aleppo has become the main battle ground of a conflict as the Syrian forces try to capture rebel districts of Syria's largest city. At least more than 250,000 civilians are trapped, inside the city.
Underground Christian Ministry Witnesses Mideast 'Miracle'
An underground Christian ministry is claiming a 'miracle' saved its some 50 people from an attack today by Islamic militants following the secret baptism of 24 Muslim converts near the Arabian Sea.
American pastor faces fines, end of ministry under new Russian law
An American missionary's bid to spread the Gospel in Russia is facing end times after authorities accused him of violating an anti-religion law that was sneaked into recently passed anti-terror legislation.