Worthy Brief - 2/16/2026
Friend, beware of the golden calf syndrome!
1 Corinthians 10:7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, "THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND ROSE UP TO PLAY."
Paul points directly to one of the most shocking moments in Israel’s history -- the golden calf. This was not a pagan nation experimenting with false worship. This was a redeemed people who had just watched God wage war against the gods of Egypt and publicly expose them through the plagues. They had seen the Nile god humbled, the sun god darkened, and Pharaoh’s power broken. They had walked through the sea on dry ground. They had heard the voice of the living God and watched the mountain tremble with His glory. And yet—after seeing the gods of Egypt defeated—they fashioned and craved an image rooted in the very system God had just proven false.
And yet -- they grew impatient.
Moses was on the mountain longer than they expected. The visible leadership was out of sight. The timing felt uncertain. And in that space of delay, impatience gave birth to idolatry.
Idolatry is often impatience with God.
They did not necessarily want a different god; they wanted a faster one. They wanted something visible, controllable, immediate. So they fashioned a calf from the gold God had given them. What was meant for covenant was melted into compromise.
And notice what happened next: “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” Worship turned into entertainment. Reverence gave way to indulgence. What began as impatience ended as distortion.
This is the Golden Calf Syndrome.
When God does not move on our timetable, we are tempted to create substitutes. When heaven feels silent, we are tempted to manufacture stimulation. When waiting feels uncomfortable, distraction feels spiritual.
But idols are often born in waiting seasons.
The wilderness revealed that delay exposes devotion. When Moses did not return quickly, their hearts turned quickly. They preferred a god they could see to the God who had already proven Himself faithful.
This is a word for a revival generation. When the promise feels delayed, will we remain faithful -- or will we seek substitutes? When God stretches our timeline, will we deepen in trust -- or drift toward a form of idolatry?
Friend, this is the hour to guard your heart in the waiting. Revival will not be sustained by those who demand immediacy, but by those who remain faithful when heaven seems silent. Do not trade promise for performance. Do not exchange presence for entertainment. The God who led you out is still worthy of trust, even when He is unseen. Let waiting purify your worship, not distort it. If you refuse the golden calf in the delay, you will see the glory on the mountain -- and you will enter into all of His promises without compromise.
George & Baht Rivka (Ocala, Florida)
Transatlantic Unity Tested At Munich Security Conference As Leaders Stress Alliance
Western leaders sought to project unity at the 2026 Munich Security Conference despite tensions over U.S. interest in acquiring Greenland, differences on ending the war in Ukraine, and questions surrounding the future of transatlantic cooperation.
U.S. Deploys USS Gerald R. Ford to Middle East as Trump Pressures Iran on Nuclear Deal
The Pentagon is deploying the Navy’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the Middle East as the United States intensifies preparations for potential military action against Iran.
Orbán Says Hungary Should Fear EU More Than Russia Ahead Of Heated Elections
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said over the weekend that Hungary should fear the European Union more than Russia, pledging to dismantle what he called Brussels’ “oppressive machinery” ahead of heated parliamentary elections in April.
Rubio Pledges Deeper U.S. Ties With Hungary And Slovakia Despite Ukraine Divisions
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has pledged to deepen cooperation with a group of four Central and Eastern European nations, including Hungary and Slovakia, despite concerns over their leaders’ perceived authoritarian style and refusal to provide military aid to war-torn Ukraine.
Bulgaria Names Central Banker As Caretaker Prime Minister In EU’s Most Corrupt Member State
Bulgarian President Iliana Yotova has appointed a senior central bank official as interim prime minister in a bid to steady the European Union nation after years of chronic political instability.
Deutsche Bank Continued Serving Jeffrey Epstein After Conviction, Files Show
Deutsche Bank, Germany’s largest bank, continued providing banking services to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein years after his 2008 conviction and months before his 2019 arrest, according to U.S. Justice Department documents released Thursday.
Hungarian Opposition Leader Alleges Smear Campaign Over Intimate Tape Ahead Of Elections (Worthy News Investigation)
Hungary’s main opposition leader, 44-year-old Péter Magyar, said Thursday that he has become the target of what he described as a “Russian-style smear campaign” after he was secretly filmed during a consensual sexual encounter with a former girlfriend in 2024.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Trump: Board of Peace Nations Pledge $5 Billion, Thousands of Personnel for Gaza Security
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Sunday that countries participating in his Gaza “Board of Peace” have pledged more than $5 billion toward humanitarian relief and reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip, along with committing thousands of personnel to support new security arrangements in the enclave.
Inside the United States
27 Members of TdA, anti-Tren Members Charged in New York
An additional 27 members of Venezuelan transnational criminal organizations, Tren de Aragua and its splinter faction, anti-Tren, have been indicted in New York in an ongoing prosecution of groups the Trump administration has designated as foreign terrorist organizations.
Christian News
‘Muslim Extremists Beat Two Pastors In Eastern Uganda’
Two pastors in eastern Uganda who were reportedly attacked by a group of Muslim extremists have been discharged from a hospital and are continuing to recover at home, Worthy News learned Sunday.
Worthy Insights
1,600 Decisions for Jesus at U of Central Florida: ‘Revival Is Not Slowing Down!’
The ongoing spiritual awakening that has been unfolding at college campuses across the U.S. reached the University of Central Florida on Tuesday night, leading to hundreds of new salvations and baptisms.
Revival in London: 2,000 Decisions for Jesus as Atlanta Pastor Preaches, UK Christians Mobilize
Nearly 2,000 young people either gave their lives to Jesus or made renewed commitments of faith at a large-scale evangelistic crusade in London last week, confirming what recent data already suggested: revival is here, and the UK Church must decide how to respond.