Our Worthy Brief is a daily Christian newsletter designed to encourage, inform, and edify believers in their daily walk with God. Our online Christian magazine incorporates our daily devotional (Worthy Devotions) along news from around the world provided by our Christian News service, Worthy News.

Worthy Brief - Christian Newsletter » Newsletters » 2016 » February » Worthy Brief - 2/22/2016

Worthy Brief - 2/22/2016

Friend, fight on the hidden battlefield -- and WIN!

1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

Have you ever heard of the Valley of Elah? It's the valley near Bet Shemesh where David defeated Goliath, yet this historic battlefield is virtually untouched in Israel. During the rainy season a brook runs through the midst of the valley, however it dries up during the summer. This brook is very likely the one from which David chose his five smooth stones -- one of which was used to kill Goliath. Yet, this historic place has no landmarks, no churches -- people drive past it all the time unaware of it's biblical or historic significance.

The present "invisibility" of this battlefield causes me to reflect on the fact that David's battle with Goliath was also won in an "invisible" place...the place of David's faith. Isn't it true, most of the battles we face are won or lost in the spiritual realm -- on a hidden battlefield where we wage war in our prayer closets? Spiritual victories in our prayer closets won't necessarily result in monuments marking them, but those victories will be well remembered in Heaven, and will leave dynamic memorials of faith in our hearts!

Friend, is there a spiritual Goliath facing you today? If so, remember where the battlefield lies, hidden – in your prayer life! Stand strong and firm in devoted prayer...and the victory will be won -- fight on the spiritual battlefield, where the greatest victory of all, Yeshua's own triumph on the cross, has already prepared the way for yours!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Lawton, Oklahoma

Editor's Note: We hope to see you on our travels across the United States. Check out our schedule online.

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

Today's Breaking News
Around the World
US, North Korea agreed to peace talks before latest nuclear test
Days before North Korea's latest nuclear-bomb test, the Obama administration secretly agreed to talks to try to formally end the Korean War, dropping a longstanding condition that Pyongyang first take steps to curtail its nuclear arsenal.
Pope Francis calls for worldwide death penalty ban
Pope Francis condemned capital punishment and called for a worldwide ban on the death penalty in his Sunday address in St. Peter's Square.
White House verifies U.S. airstrikes against Islamic State camp in Libya
The White House confirmed Friday that the U.S. military carried out airstrikes earlier in the day against an Islamic State training camp in Libya, targeting a top militant commander.
At least 30 killed in four bomb blasts in southern Damascus district
At least 30 people were killed in four bomb attacks that hit a southern suburb of Damascus on Sunday, pro-government media outlets and a monitoring group said.
Islamic State claims bomb attacks in Damascus suburb
Islamic State claimed responsibility for bomb attacks that killed at least 30 people on Sunday in a southern district of Damascus where a Shi'ite shrine is located, the Amaq news agency, which supports the militant Sunni group, reported.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Joint US-Israel drill will help build 'regional stability,' says IDF
A joint IDF-US European Command missile drill, dubbed Juniper Cobra 16, began Sunday, the military said.
OP-ED: Did someone cross Israel's red line?
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which reported Wednesday night on an alleged Israeli strike south of Damascus, is usually a reliable source of information on the subject of Syria. Although the organization is based in London, it has people on the ground all over Syria who are skilled at collecting information, and have been reporting on military and humanitarian activities throughout the five years of the civil war. Therefore, there has been a rush in the international media to highlight the attack which the organization attributes to Israel.

Inside the United States
Abortions could be curbed by US Supreme Court
The Supreme Court will hear a case next month whose outcome could limit access to abortion for millions of women across the United States.
Official Washington turns out for Justice Scalia's funeral Mass; Obama skips
Thousands of mourners, including much of official Washington, attended a funeral Mass Saturday for the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, one of the most influential jurists in the history of the high court.
Judge orders California pregnancy centers to give abortion info
A federal judge refused to grant a preliminary injunction Friday against a California law that forces pro-life pregnancy centers to advocate for abortion.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich signs bill to defund Planned Parenthood
Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican presidential hopeful, signed a bill Sunday to strip Ohio's funding from Planned Parenthood.

U.S. Politics
Trump Gains Super Tuesday Momentum as Rubio Wins Second Life
Donald Trump won a decisive victory in South Carolina's Republican presidential primary on Saturday to boost his chances of winning the nomination, as Florida Senator Marco Rubio earned a second campaign life with a strong showing and later scooped up an important endorsement heading to the next state contest.
GOP sets another turnout record, Democrats' numbers slide
Republicans' turnout streak continued, with GOP voters shattering their South Carolina primary record Saturday night.
Trump Tells Story of Executing Muslim Terrorists with Bullets Dipped in Pig's Blood
Donald Trump's stump speech, which usually sounds like a one-hour stand-up comedy act, is highly repetitive as most stump speeches are. But last night, his speech turned dark as he added some new material to the mix. As an example of how the United States needs to get tough, Trump favorably recalled an apocryphal story about executing Muslim terrorists with bullets dipped in pig's blood.
Evangelicals Give Big South Carolina Kiss To Donald Trump
72% of the voters in South Carolina Saturday night with evangelical. Trump won 33 percent, of them. Ted Cruz won 27 percent, and Rubio won 22 percent. So let's not kid ourselves here: Donald Trump is on his way to the GOP nomination and if he wins it, it will be because of evangelicals. Plain and simple.
Trump poised to step on the GOP accelerator
The Republican presidential race expanded across the country Sunday, and polls show the real estate mogul ahead in eight of the dozen states voting in the next nine days.
At least 1,730 Clinton emails contain classified material
At least 1,730 emails that Hillary Clinton sent or received contained classified material, according to the State Department's latest update from its ongoing review of more than 30,000 emails.

Christian News
Belarus: Police raid private Christian gathering
Police raided a group of Christians gathered inside a private home in Gorki, Belarus on Dec. 22.
India: Hindus injure Christians
A mob of Hindu nationalists assaulted a Christian prayer gathering in Nagepur village in Telangana State on Jan. 17, resulting in the hospitalization of six Christians.
Sudan: Refugee churches may be forced to close
Representatives from Sudan's Ministry of Internal Affairs have convened leaders of refugee churches in Khartoum to tell them to stop their services until they have registered.
Ethiopia: Churches damaged and destroyed
Two separate incidents have left six churches either destroyed or damaged in the west-central border region of Oromia state in southern Ethiopia.