Worthy Brief - 12/26/2022

[WorthyNewsBot]

Friend, Emmanuel! (God with us!)

Joshua 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before you all the days of your life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with you: I will not leave you, nor forsake you.

Moses was used mightily by the Lord, yet we all know he had his inadequacies and limitations too. Still he was the vessel through which God chose to work through as He carried out the plagues over Egypt, divided the Red Sea and miraculously led and fed the children of Israel for forty years. That's pretty big stuff. Can you imagine having to be Moses' successor after all that? That's exactly what Joshua had to do. I can't even begin to imagine what Joshua was thinking at the time -- How can I possibly live up to Moses? But the Lord comforts and reassures Joshua and says, "as I was with Moses, so I will be with you!"

Those words for Joshua are also for us today. You know why? All the men and women who have done great things for the Lord were just ordinary men and women --- with a great God. The same God who walked with Moses, Elijah, Daniel and all the great men and women of God -- is with us today! Not only is He with us, He is FOR us too!

Friend, let's walk in confidence! God is with us! He will never leave us nor forsake us! In His presence and with His power, let's expect to do great things for the Kingdom today! God loves to show off his supernatural power through us ordinary people! There's so much work to be done!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Going to Christian College in Dallas, Texas)
Dallas, Texas

Join us on an epic, life changing journey through Israel, through the eyes of those who are well acquainted with the culture, the people and the Land. This is not your average Israel tour— bring your family, bring your friends, and experience the REAL ISRAEL with George and Baht Rivka as your personal hosts.

Around the World
Ukraine’s president urges Christmas hope despite attacks (Worthy News Radio)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged his people to celebrate the birth of Jesus despite Russian attacks devastating his wartorn nation. His appeal comes as many Ukrainians observe Christmas in bomb shelters.
Hungary’s Premier: ‘Dissolve EU Parliament’
As European legislators prepared for their long Christmas holidays, Hungary’s prime minister advised them not to return.
Russia warns of military confrontation with the United States (Worthy News Radio)
Russia has suggested that the possibility of a military confrontation with the United States is serious as Washington announced more military aid to war-torn Ukraine. Ten months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, the Kremlin suggested that relations with the U.S. were on ice.
Putin Vows To Destroy U.S. Patriot Missile Defense Systems in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened to destroy the Patriot Missile Defense Systems if the U.S. follows through with its commitment to supply them to Ukraine.
Mossad chief warns of Iran’s growing advanced weapons supply to Russia, efforts to enrich uranium
The chief of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency has warned that Iran plans to deliver more weapons to Russia, while Tehran continues to deny that it has supported Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Netanyahu to freeze annexation for Saudi peace deal
Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu is aiming to secure a peace deal with Saudi Arabia, which would see the Gulf kingdom formally normalize relations with Israel, in exchange for sidelining an annexation plan for Judea and Samaria, according to a new report.
Israel’s Christian population grew 2% last year – Central Bureau of Statistics
To mark Christmas 2022, Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics released data about the 182,000 Christians who live in the Jewish state.
Israel’s Netanyahu Preparing Controversial Government
Israel’s prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu prepared for a busy political weekend Friday after confirming that he would lead what critics say is the most right-wing coalition in Israel’s history.

Inside the United States
Powerful Winter Storm Leaves 19 Dead, and nearly 2 Million Without Power
At least 19 people were killed, and nearly two million customers were without power as America’s coldest Christmas Eve winter storm in living memory paralyzed the nation.
Congress will have spent nearly $100 billion on Ukraine war once $1.7T omnibus bill is enacted
Congress will have allocated nearly $100 billion in total to the Ukraine war once the $1.7 trillion omnibus spending bill is signed into law.
New DHS data shows border is deteriorating even before end of Title 42
Border authorities nabbed 233,740 illegal immigrants at the southern border in November, setting a new record for that month and underscoring the chaos of the situation even before the end of the Title 42 pandemic border expulsion policy.
Drug overdose deaths topped 106,000 in 2021, CDC says in final report
The United States hit a grim record of 106,699 drug overdose deaths in 2021, a 16% increase over 2020, the CDC said in its final report released this week.

Christian News
Scores Of Christians Killed In Nigeria Ahead Of Christmas
Christians in northwestern Nigeria faced a bloodstained Christmas after Islamic gunmen killed scores of Christian villagers, residents and authorities said.
Biden Signs Defense Bill Into Law, Overturning Military COVID Vaccine Mandate
President Joe Biden signed Congress’ annual defense bill for 2023 into law Friday, giving his approval to a bill that overturns his own administration’s mandate that servicemembers must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
Myanmar Military Detains Prominent Church Leader As Unrest Spreads
Authorities in military-ruled Myanmar have detained a prominent church leader who previously served as the president of the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) denomination in the country’s Kachin state, Christians say.
Wife Of Jailed Chinese Church Leader Urges Prayers
The wife of a well-known church leader jailed in China has urged Christians to pray for her husband ahead of Christmas.

Worthy Watch
Netanyahu Pushes for Fully Digitized Genetic Record for Every Israeli
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed how Israel became a "lab for Pfizer" and intends to create a genetic database to be merged with its medical database for Israel.
‘Twitter Files’ expose coordination with CIA, State Department, Pentagon
The latest installment of the "Twitter Files" revealed that the FBI acted "as a doorman" for the social media giant to other government agencies, including the CIA, the State Department and the Pentagon.

Worthy Insights
How China’s Social Credit System Works
In mid-November, China's top government agencies published a draft law to establish the country's social credit system, envisioned as a giant, fully integrated mechanism to assess every legal entity in the country.

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