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It can be difficult to walk openly in the Lord these days. Our modern society seems to espouse tolerance for every belief and lifestyle under the sun – except for traditional faith. It's seen as stodgy, backwards, even naive. While everyone is entitled to their opinion, and we're told to just let comments roll off our backs, it can be hard sometimes. It's tough to always be the nail that sticks out, the odd man out.

It can encourage you to be silent. To keep it to yourself. To stop being "that guy” in the room.

But we can't do that. God calls on us to speak up, to share His word. As it says in Matthew 5:15-16 "15, Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16, In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."

It might be tough. But we have a duty as Christians to share the word openly. To speak up when we see injustice or evil. People may roll their eyes or snicker behind your back, but you'll know you're doing the right thing.

Of course, there is a balancing act to it. It's fine to be polite. You don't always need to be on the warpath, slinging fire and brimstone at all times (in fact, that's liable to do more harm than good when it comes to sharing the word).

While the Bible teaches us the importance of vocal faith and open belief, it also teaches us the importance of moderation, of being the bigger man or woman. It's fine to avoid a large disagreement when you can, or to let the occasional thoughtless comment slide, to turn the other cheek as it were.

But there is a line. When you find yourself constantly biting your tongue for the sake of others, that's not good. When you feel like you are being dishonest to who you are to fit in, that's not right. When you are constantly working hard not to step on eggshells or create any waves, that's more than just being polite. That's hiding your light under a basket.

Remember, people didn't always like what Jesus and the Disciples had to say. While some people would welcome them into their homes, others cursed them and jeered and plotted behind their backs. But did that stop them? Did Jesus worry that He was causing a commotion? That He was ruffling feathers? No (in fact, you could ask some temple vendors and money changers about His position when it comes to causing a commotion).

Be polite. Be respectful. But never hide who you are and the thing you believe in. Not everyone is always going to like what you say or do. That's fine. In the end, life isn't about seeking the approval or others, or always getting along. It's about your walk with the Lord. As long as you focus on that, the rest is just noise.  

Practice compassion over correctness

Reach out to them

Recognize that maybe you're not always so lovable yourself

Israel can expect an ongoing series of visits by African dignitaries following the successful African tour by PM Netanyahu early in July 2016. Marcel Alain de Souza, who in April this year took up his role as president of the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS) told Israel's President Reuven Rivlin that he will be returning next month when he accompanies Togo President Faure Gnassingbe who is due to visit Israel on 10 August 2016. ECOWAS is an economic conglomerate of 15 West African countries with a total population in the vicinity of 300 million who collectively represent enormous potential. De Souza, who has been to Israel on three previous occasions, said that ECOWAS needed innovation in the battle against poverty, and was looking to Israel for cooperation in this struggle. He emphasized that militarily, more help was needed in fighting terrorism, and on the civilian side, it was essential to have much better training in agriculture for African farmers and in medicine. Other areas in which Africa is seeking Israel’s cooperation include energy and drinking water. "We don’t see Israel as a small country. We see Israel as a giant,” De Souza said. Rivlin replied, "Everyone knows that Africa is part of the future of the world,” adding that ECOWAS represents not only economic interaction between African states, but also represents Africa’s cooperation with the world.

"It is in Israel’s interests to cooperate with Africa, especially when it comes to fighting Islamic fundamentalism said Rivlin. "ISIS is a dangerous phenomenon, he continued, noting that when it fails in Iraq and Syria, it takes out its ire on the rest of the world, striking indiscriminately in Florida, Germany, Belgium, Nice, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and California. Therefore, all countries engaged in the struggle against terrorism must pool their intelligence and operational know-how in fighting terrorism and guaranteeing preservation of the values of the free world. He added that Israel had been happy to help Africa in combating its health, agriculture and water problems, especially during the Ebola epidemic. (Koenig)

Israeli forces tracked down a group of suspects behind the deadly ambush of a family car in Judea & Samaria earlier this month and killed the man who pulled the trigger in that attack on Wed. 27 July 2016, the military said. The terrorist assault killed Miki Mark, a 48-year-old father of 10 children, and wounded his wife and two teenage children. The military subsequently sent hundreds of troops to the area of the attack to search for the perpetrators. On Wednesday the military said that after almost a month of pursuing the perpetrators, troops closed in on the Hamas cell behind the ambush. It said troops surrounded a house near Hebron where the group was hiding and called on them to surrender. One Palestinian, believed to be the shooter who murdered Mark, was killed in the pre-dawn shootout. Weapons were found on his body, the military said, adding that three others were arrested, including one who belonged to the official Palestinian security forces. Since mid-September 2015, Palestinians have carried out dozens of stabbings, shootings and attacks using cars against civilians and security forces, killing 34 Israelis and two visiting Americans. Israel says the violence is fueled by a Palestinian campaign of lies and incitement, compounded on social media sites that glorify attacks. (ABC) [Comment]

Angela Merkel's open door policy to refugees is no longer welcomed in Germany following four savage Muslim attacks in a week. Attitudes to Syrians seeking asylum has hardened after ISIS suicide bomber Mohammad Daleel blew himself up outside a wine bar in the quiet Bavarian market town of Ansbach. Other violence over the space of four days in the last week has left Germans feeling vulnerable and afraid. A new survey found that 83% of Germans see immigration as their nation's biggest challenge - twice as many as a year ago. More than 200,000 failed asylum seekers like Daleel remain in the country - and many Germans blame Merkel for inviting more than a million refugees into the country in the past year without adequate background checks. The mood sweeping Germany was summed up by a mother of two who said she now feared for her children's safety. (UK Daily Mail) [Comment]

On 26 July 2016, the president of France, Francoise Hollande, arrived to the scene shortly after the grisly terror attack in Northern France where two terrorists armed with knives broke into a church and took the priests inside hostage. They succeeded in beheading an 84-year-old priest inside before being killed by security forces. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. "ISIS has declared war on us," Hollande said at the site. "We must fight this war with all our means." The two attackers in a French church on Tuesday forced an elderly priest to kneel before killing him and also filmed the murder, a nun who escaped the scene said. According to reports, one of the two ISIS knifemen was a convicted terrorist and was meant to be living with his parents with an electronic tag. The tragedy comes just a few weeks after a deadly terror attack in the French city of Nice, in which a jihadist terrorist plowed a truck into a crowd of people, killing more than 80. A state of emergency is still in place after that assault. France has been rocked by a string of Islamist terror attacks of late, and pressure is building on the embattled government of Francois Hollande to take effective action to curb the attacks. (J. Post/INN) [Comment]

More than five dozen speakers took to the stage on the first day of the Democratic National Convention - and not a single one mentioned the words "ISIS, Islamic, terror, terrorist or terrorism,” an analysis confirmed 26 July 2016. "On night one of the Democrat convention, we saw lots of boos, infighting, steamrolled votes and controversy, but amid 61 speakers, we heard not one mention of the greatest terrorist threat facing America today,” said Raj Shah, a spokesman for the Republican national committee. The non-partisan Web site PolitiFact confirmed the claim after analyzing transcripts and video archives. Donald Trump and his running mate, Mike Pence, pounced on the omission, with the GOP nominee claiming Democrats don’t want to talk about ISIS because they are to blame for its existence. "We need to change our foreign policy to focus on defeating and destroying ISIS, a word you didn’t hear last night at the Democrat convention,” Trump said in Charlotte, NC. (NY Post) [Comment]

Israeli leaders prefer Donald Trump to be the next president of the USA rather than Hillary Clinton, according to former NY City mayor Rudy Giuliani. "I’ve talked to the members of the Israeli government at the highest levels. I know who they want elected here. It’s not Hillary Clinton. It’s not Obama 3,” Giuliani said in an interview for the Washington Post at the recent Republican National Convention. Giuliani has been a close friend of PM Benjamin Netanyahu for over 20 years, and the two met last March at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem. While he refused to specifically say Netanyahu supported Trump, Giuliani stated, "I’ve known Bibi almost as long as I’ve known Donald, 25 years. I can’t speak for Bibi, but there is no question Donald Trump and a Republican administration would be much better for Israel. They are politically aware enough to know that if Hillary gets elected, she is going to go further to her left, to protect her left flank against Elizabeth Warren,” Giuliani said of Israel's political leaders. "They know she’s going to start the two-state solution thing again and cave in to the Palestinians. They realize Donald Trump can say Islamic terrorism, can stand up to it. So there’s no question he would be better for the state of Israel than Hillary.” (J.Post)

People in Israel are used to seeing Palestinians and Iranians burning the Israeli flag. But it was a bit of a shocker to see Americans doing the same. Especially at the national convention of the Democratic Party which so often and so adamantly asserts that it is a true friend of the Jewish state. Left-wing protesters demonstrating outside of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, 26 July 2016, torched Israeli and American flags amid chants of "Long live the Intifada,” a call of support for the Palestinian terrorist campaign plaguing Israel. A day earlier, members of the same "progressive” movement held aloft a Palestinian flag inside the convention center. USA media reported that nearly 2,000 demonstrators marched on the convention to vent their anger over recent controversies that have embroiled the Democratic party. During the convention on Tuesday night, Hillary Clinton officially secured the Democratic nomination in the 2016 White House run.

The Democratic party faced an internal crisis this week after a massive data breach on its national leadership was revealed. A hack of the Democratic National Committee and leak of over 20,000 emails has already claimed the scalp of the party’s chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida, who was compelled to resign last weekend. The leak revealed bias among top DNC brass on behalf of Clinton during her primary fight against Sanders. (Fox/J.Post/ Israel Today) Intercede for the USA Presidential election. Ask God to direct you and others in making the best possible choices for those who will further His purposes on the earth. Remember that leaders who faithfully support Israel will garner blessing for their nation: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse” Gen 12:3