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Worthy Brief - Christian Newsletter » Newsletters » 2016 » April » Worthy Brief - 4/14/2016

Worthy Brief - 4/14/2016

Friend, have you been drinking your water?

John 4:13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

My wife was feeling terrible earlier this week. For a few straight days, she was battling bouts of fatigue, nausea and dizziness and we couldn't figure out what was going on. Finally, she tried drinking a few glasses of water -- lo and behold, the sickness left her instantly!

When tourists come to Israel, and especially to these southern parts where we live, one of the first things they're warned is to make certain they drink enough water. The climate here is very dry -- it fools you into thinking it's not as hot as it really is. You might not even feel thirsty, and before you know it, you can collapse from dehydration.

Experts say that although thirst would seem to be a main indicator of dehydration, it is actually not. By the time one feels thirsty, he or she may very well already be dehydrated!

Could the same be true with us spiritually? How many of us are walking around spiritually dehydrated and we don't even realize it? Satan, the enemy of our souls, would love nothing more than to keep us very busy and unaware of our dire need for the living water of the Word, prayer, worship and Godly fellowship. But we need to be smarter and take time to drink enough of these important nutritious spiritual beverages, that we might be strong and ready to do the work of the Lord!

Friend, let's examine ourselves today. Have we been drinking enough? Let's make sure we are! We don't want to collapse -- there's so much work to be done!

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?

Today's Breaking News
Around the World
Iranian General visits Moscow for talks with Putin, defying UN travel ban
Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani has flown to Moscow for talks with Russia's military and political leadership, three sources with knowledge of his trip said on Friday. Soleimani's trip defies the UN Security Council travel ban, which was imposed on Soleimani and other Iranian officials in 2007 due to concerns about their ties to Tehran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Aftershocks, widespread damage after deadly Japan earthquake
Aftershocks rattled communities in southern Japan as businesses and residents got a fuller look Friday at the widespread damage from an unusually strong overnight earthquake that killed nine people and injured about 800.
US says it detected and tracked a failed North Korean missile launch
The US military detected and tracked what it has assessed was a failed North Korean missile launch, a Defense Department spokesman said on Thursday.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Obama Admin Open to U.N. Measures Focused on Israel
The Obama administration says it "will carefully consider" what are expected to be a series of United Nations Security Council Resolutions aimed at Israel in the coming months, generating accusations in Congress that Washington is preparing to abandon Israel at the U.N., according to State Department officials and congressional sources apprised of the measure.
Child poverty in Israel among worst in developed nations: UNICEF
Child poverty in Israel is among the highest in the world's most developed countries, surpassing Mexico and Chile, according to a report published by the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday.
As Hamas grows stronger in Gaza, IDF prepares for future conflict
Hamas has quickly learned the lessons of the 2014 Operation Protective Edge and has been hard at work recovering its strength, a high-ranked IDF officer said Thursday. However, the Gaza terror organization has yet to restore its rockets arsenal to the same quantity and quality as before the war, it is hindered by a shortage in supply of arms and raw materials, and suffers from increasing tensions between its military and political branches.

Inside the United States
DARPA is investigating self-mutating vaccines to take down viruses
How do you begin to deal with viruses that mutate quicker than we can provide vaccines or antivirals? DARPA, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, thinks the solution may be playing the enemy at its own game, and making vaccines that reproduce and evolve faster than the viruses they target.
US Military's Satellite-Launching XS-1 Space Plane Could Fly in 2019
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is now entering the second and third phases of its ambitious Experimental Spaceplane (XS-1) program, which aims to make launching satellites a daily occurrence.
Report: Terrorist's iPhone turned out to be useless
The iPhone at the center of the months-long battle between Apple and the FBI contained nothing of interest, according to a recent report.
Gay rights movement 'emboldened' by marriage ruling targets religious liberty
Professor John C. Eastman, founding director of the Claremont Institute's Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, said the Supreme Court opened a Pandora's box in June when it struck down all laws nationwide defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.
Federal judge calls IRS untrustworthy in tea party case
A federal judge said the IRS isn't to be trusted as he and his colleagues tried Thursday to figure out whether the tax agency is still targeting tea party groups for intrusive and illegal scrutiny.

U.S. Politics
Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders trade blows in contentious Democratic debate
With the crucial New York primary just days away, Sen. Bernard Sanders and Hillary Clinton engaged in a brutal, tough-talking debate fitting of the Empire State on Thursday night.
Poll: One-in-three GOP voters would support a Trump independent run
A poll released Thursday finds that one out of every three Republican primary voters supports a third-party presidential run from Donald Trump if he is denied the GOP nomination at a brokered convention.
Clinton and Sanders Have Extended Exchange Over Differences on Israel
Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) had a lengthy exchange over their differing opinions on the U.S.-Israeli relationship at Thursday night's debate.
Fox News Poll: Trump widens lead in GOP race, Clinton-Sanders tightens
Donald Trump jumps to an 18-point lead over Ted Cruz this week with record high support for the Republican nomination.
Donald Trump's favorite Bible verse is one Jesus specifically repudiated
Donald Trump was asked about his favorite Bible verse in a Thursday radio interview, and he responded by citing an Old Testament law that Jesus specifically repudiated.

Christian News
Syria: Damage, destruction to churches
After the April liberation of an ancient Syrian town from the Islamic State's control, many of its churches and Christian buildings were found to have been destroyed, or badly damaged.
Anne Graham Lotz: God Is Hiding From America, His Anger and Judgment Are Coming
Anne Graham Lotz, the daughter of famous evangelist Billy Graham, has warned that God might be purposefully hiding himself from America in preparation for a coming judgment on the nation.