The leader of the World Health Organization now says we’re in “uncharted territory” with the COVID-19 epidemic.

Worldwide, more than 90,000 people have been infected, and 3,100 have died from the coronavirus.  At least 70 countries have been affected, like Italy where COVID-19 cases have spiked, leading Delta Airlines and American Airlines to suspend all flights to Milan.

Here in the US, another state, Georgia, has now confirmed its first two cases of the virus. Health officials have confirmed more than 100 cases of the virus in 14 states.

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As the disease continues to spread in the US, the epicenter is a Washington state community that’s bracing for more infections, while taking action to stop the spread.  Just outside Seattle, Wash., the death toll has risen to six, research suggesting the virus could have been spreading in the community for weeks. 

Dr. Jeff Duchin, health officer for Seattle and King County, said, “The risk for all of us of becoming infected will be increasing.”  

Four of the victims were all living in the same Washington state nursing facility. It’s now the center of the outbreak.

Colleen Mallory, whose 89-year-old mother lives at the nursing home, is afraid. “If she gets sick she’s going to be gone,” she said.

On the other side of the country, school officials shut down a Rhode Island high school, and 38 people are under quarantine. Officials made the decisions after a student and faculty member tested positive for the virus following a school trip to Italy.

In New York state, officials launched their own testing procedures after announcing the first case in Manhattan.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) said, “There is no doubt that there will be more cases where we find people who test positive. This is New York. We’re a gateway to the world.”  

Vice President Mike Pence, who is in charge of the government’s response to the coronavirus, says the US is prepared. 

“Despite today’s sad news, let’s be clear, the risk to the American people of the coronavirus remains low,” he said.

Pence also said a possible vaccine could be making its way to clinical trials within the next 6 weeks.

President Donald Trump says he’s urging drug companies to speed up the process of creating a COVID-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, prayer leaders have issued a call to prayer against the coronavirus. The Reformation Prayer Network and the intercessory group Generals International declared Tuesday as a day of prayer and fasting.

Prayer points include praying Psalm 91 over families and nations, praying against fear, and wisdom for leaders.

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This is Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International with the Whyte House Daily Devotional Bible Reading Episode #97. Where I read three chapters of the Holy Bible in the King James Version a day with my family as a part of our family devotions, to encourage you to read the Holy Bible in a year’s time. We are using a modified version of the Five Day Bible Reading Plan. It is modified because we read the Bible everyday and not just five days a week. The benefit of using the Five Day Bible Reading Plan is: you can read the entire Bible in a chronological reading plan that helps the Bible make sense. Today we are reading Numbers 11, Psalm 63 and Acts 23.

Thomas Watson said, “Meditate on what you read. The Hebrew word for “meditate” means to be intense in the mind. Meditation without reading is wrong and bound to err; reading without meditation is barren and fruitless.”

John Stott said, “The Bible is the portrait of Jesus Christ.”

Numbers 11
1 And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.

2 And the people cried unto Mo’-ses; and when Mo’-ses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched.

3 And he called the name of the place Tab’e-rah: because the fire of the Lord burnt among them.

4 And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Is’-ra-el also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in E’-gypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:

6 But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this man’-na, before our eyes.

7 And the man’-na was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium.

8 And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.

9 And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the man’-na fell upon it.

10 Then Mo’-ses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Mo’-ses also was displeased.

11 And Mo’-ses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?

12 Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?

13 Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

14 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.

15 And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.

16 And the Lord said unto Mo’-ses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Is’-ra-el, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.

17 And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.

18 And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in E’-gypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.

19 Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;

20 But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of E’-gypt?

21 And Mo’-ses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.

22 Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?

23 And the Lord said unto Mo’-ses, Is the Lord’s hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.

24 And Mo’-ses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle.

25 And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.

26 But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was El’-dad, and the name of the other Me’-dad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.

27 And there ran a young man, and told Mo’-ses, and said, El’-dad and Me’-dad do prophesy in the camp.

28 And Josh’-u-a the son of Nun, the servant of Mo’-ses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Mo’-ses, forbid them.

29 And Mo’-ses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!

30 And Mo’-ses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Is’-ra-el.

31 And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.

32 And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.

33 And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague.

34 And he called the name of that place Kib’-roth-hat-ta’-a-va: because there they buried the people that lusted.

35 And the people journeyed from Kib’-roth-hat-ta’-a-va unto Ha-ze’-roth; and abode at Ha-ze’-roth.

Psalm 63
A Psalm of Da’-vid, when he was in the wilderness of Ju’-dah.
1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;

2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:

6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.

7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.

8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.

10 They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.

11 But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

Acts 23
1 And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.

2 And the high priest An-a-ni’-as commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.

3 Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?

4 And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest?

5 Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.

6 But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sad’-du-cees, and the other Phar’-i-sees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Phar’-i-see, the son of a Phar’-i-see: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.

7 And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Phar’-i-sees and the Sad’-du-cees: and the multitude was divided.

8 For the Sad’-du-cees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Phar’-i-sees confess both.

9 And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Phar’-i-sees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.

10 And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.

11 And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Je-ru’-sa-lem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

12 And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

13 And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.

14 And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.

15 Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him: and we, or ever he come near, are ready to kill him.

16 And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.

17 Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to tell him.

18 So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee.

19 Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me?

20 And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would enquire somewhat of him more perfectly.

21 But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from thee.

22 So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me.

23 And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Cae-sa-re’-a, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third hour of the night;

24 And provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Fe’-lix the governor.

25 And he wrote a letter after this manner:

26 Clau’-di-us Lys’-i-as unto the most excellent governor Fe’-lix sendeth greeting.

27 This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a Ro’-man.

28 And when I would have known the cause wherefore they accused him, I brought him forth into their council:

29 Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.

30 And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee what they had against him. Farewell.

31 Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by night to An-tip’-a-tris.

32 On the morrow they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the castle:

33 Who, when they came to Cae-sa-re’-a and delivered the epistle to the governor, presented Paul also before him.

34 And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Ci-lic’-i-a;

35 I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in He’-rod’s judgment hall.

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PRAY
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When I was a teenager I wanted to get wisdom and knowledge, so I set out the read the big family Bible that many families had in those days. But I couldn’t get past Genesis 2 before I got bored with reading the Bible. I found out later in life that you have to believe on Christ and get saved before you can understand the Bible. So here is how I became a Christian and how you can too:

First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 18:8: “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.” Also, the Bible states in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

Now that is bad news, but here’s the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will.

Romans 10:9 & 13 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the Cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour! For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read “What To Do After You Enter Through the Door”. Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

If you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior today, please email me at [email protected] and let us know. There is some free material that we want to send you. If you have a prayer request, please e-mail that to us as well, and we will pray for you until you tell us to stop.

God loves you. We love you. And may God bless you.

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An Alabama pastor who fatally shot himself after shooting his estranged wife at a local church struggled desperately with mental illness, his sister claimed.

On Sunday, Unice Woodard, owner of Alabama’s famous Big White Wings and twin sister of the late Elder Ulysses Woodard, who led the True Word of Deliverance Church of God in Prichard, revealed in a statement on Facebook that her brother had been struggling with mental illness for a while and had reached out to his pastoral community for help but none came.

“To set everyone straight, my brother was a True Mighty Man of God. He gave and did so much for other people but when he needed help where were y’all? He begged for his pastor friends or so called Christian friends for help before it came to the point of him taking his own life. There so many stories, lies and rumors going around about him,” she wrote.

“Since y’all know so much then why didn’t y’all know Buck was suffering from Mental Illness, Depression, Pain all day every day and the separation from his wife!!! But y’all want to say well if he was a pastor then why did he take his own life. You BASTARDS would’ve last a day in his shoes,” she said.

Last Wednesday, Pastor Derek Scott Gandy and his wife Kula of True Cornerstone Church in Mobile, Alabama, recounted to The Christian Post how his friend, Ulysses Woodard, shot his wife, Prophetess Alisha Woodard, after a women’s conference outside their church on Feb. 21.

Pastor Gandy told CP that what happened on Feb. 21, he never saw coming. Elder Woodard, he said, “wasn’t a monster.”

“I didn’t see this coming. … I didn’t see this coming. He wasn’t a monster, at least not that I’ve ever seen,” he said.

He noted that his friend had “vented” to him about things in his relationship that he thought could have been helped with counseling but saw “nothing that would lead to this” — that his friend would shoot his wife in the chest while standing right next to him.

Unice Woodard accused Pastor Gandy and his wife who witnessed the tragedy unfold along with their three young daughters, of trying to profit from the tragedy and blamed them for not doing more to prevent the attempted murder-suicide from happening at their church.

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The Somalia-based al-Qaeda-linked group al-Shabaab has “ordered” Christians to leave three counties in northeastern Kenya to allow local Muslims to get all local jobs, according to the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern.

“Muslim teachers, doctors, engineers, and young graduates from the northeastern province are unemployed. Isn’t it better to give them a chance? There is no need for the presence of disbelievers,” al-Shabaab’s spokesman, Sheikh Ali Dhere, said in an audio clip posted online, referring to the counties of Garissa, Wajir and Mandera.

In the 20-minute clip, the spokesman urged Somali-Kenyans to drive all non-Muslims out if they do not leave on their own.

The majority of the people living in the three counties are Somalis, who fled to Kenya due to war and violence in Somalia.

“This is not news at all because the conduct of the local people here has always suggested that they want us to leave,” the Rev. Cosmas Mwinzi of the Assemblies of God in Garissa was quoted as saying. “This region has been unstable for years due to war in Somalia and hatred against non-locals who are mostly Christians. The levels of education and infrastructure in the three counties are low and it is only through the expertise and hard work of the non-locals that the living standard of the Somali people in Kenya can improve. We have non-locals in all sectors, from health to education.”

In January, three Christian teachers were murdered in the town of Kamuthe in Garissa County during an attack on a primary school believed to have been carried out by al-Shabaab. As a result, many non-local teachers were already being transferred to other schools outside northeastern Kenya, or teachers themselves were requesting transfers.

“This release is terrible news for Christians living and working in eastern Kenya,” Nathan Johnson, ICC’s regional manager for Africa, said. “They already live with increased fear and anxiety, as many have had to travel to find work. Now with this threat, it is clear that al-Shabaab will be increasing attacks on Christians who are simply trying to provide for their families.”

Last Wednesday, two Christians were reported to be among three people killed after suspected al-Shabaab militants attacked a bus carrying passengers to the capital of Nairobi from a market town near the Ethiopian and Somalian borders.

Source: Christian Post

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