We recently read a great little sermon illustration in which a young boy asked his father, “Dad, I was watching a TV show about marine biologists. Why do scuba-divers jump backwards into the water?” His father wittily responded, “Because if they jumped forward, they’d still be in the boat!”

Scuba divers jump out of boats to investigate marine life in the coastal waters and oceans of the world. It is a way of visiting another ecosystem on our vast planet. Whether it is sunken wreckage, lost treasure or coral reefs, I can see how these diving excursions are great ways to escape the stresses of daily life.

Yet today, there are many people in our culture, in our families and even in our churches who might be tempted to jump out of the boat when things get stressful, depressing or uncomfortable. Those of us who still live in Illinois understand the added frustration of wicked and foolish political leadership. The temptation to move out of this state and into “calmer, peaceful waters” is very real.

Yet we should consider what Scripture has to say about escaping trials and tribulation. Right before He was arrested, Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. He prayed John 17:14:

“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”  

Jesus could have easily prayed that God would deliver us out of the troubled waters of our world, but He didn’t. He prayed that we would remain in the world and that we would be protected from the evil one. Why didn’t He pray for our complete rescue? His prayer continues in John 17:18:

“As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”

Our Lord and Savior, the Son of God, prayed that we would remain so we could be on mission in this world for the advancement of the Kingdom of God.

Yes, our state and our culture is in trouble. But these troubles are a reminder that we are called to be salt and light to a dying world.  David Jeremiah once said, “Today is the day to be a light shining in a dark world, fueled by the joy of the Lord.” May we be that salt and light to a dark and decaying world, all to the glory of God.

PRAYER ALERT

We cannot stress the urgency of your fervent prayers this week as our state lawmakers return to the Capitol for the second half of the Veto Session. There are a number of bad proposals pending in Springfield. Prayer and action are vitally important.

Appeal to God for His Help

• Praise God that many pro-life activists and pastors are headed to Springfield to speak out against the efforts to repeal the Parental Notice of Abortion Act and the repeal of the Health Care Right of Conscience Act. Please pray that these activists would be seen and heard by lawmakers. Pray that their presence and dialogue would help them understand the importance of parental rights and conscience rights. (Read more HERE.)

• Pray that our state lawmakers would understand the wisdom in keeping qualified (or limited), immunity for police officers in Illinois. Pray that the anti-police agenda to dismantle, dishearten and make defenseless would fall short.

Abortion

• Pray for the members of the U.S. Supreme Court as they will be hearing arguments regarding significant abortion regulations in Mississippi and Texas. Pray that God would touch the hearts of the nine Justices on the Court. Pray too, as the debate rages, that eyes and ears would be opened to the abortion industry’s murderous barbaric practices.

• Please pray for the last week of this year’s 40 Days for Life campaign, which ends on Saturday, Oct. 30. Pray that many prayer warriors would take advantage of this opportunity to be a silent witness against the murderous practice of “choice.” Pray that workers at these abortuaries would have a change of heart about their work and leave.

• Pray that every leader in our nation would come to realize that these are real human babies in the womb who deserve protection.

• Pray that the agenda of Satan and his wicked disciples to kill pre-born babies in the womb and encourage immoral sexual activities to innocent young children in government schools would be exposed and stopped.

Public School Exit

• Please continue to pray for our Rescuing Our Children initiative to encourage an exodus from government indoctrination centers. Rev. Ceasar LeFlore, our field director for this project, is meeting with pastors throughout the City of Chicago and suburbs and has been getting favorable responses.

• Pray for Illinois Family Institute and our annual banquet which is scheduled for Friday evening. Pray that the event would be a success, and that our keynote speaker, Dr. Erwin Lutzer, would encourage and challenge us to live up to the high calling of our faith in Christ Jesus.

For Those in Authority

For the next several weeks, please pray for the political leaders listed below. Pray that they would seek God’s wisdom when they make decisions that affect the people they work for. Pray that God would turn their hearts to Himself. (Proverbs 21:1)

Of course, this includes praying for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, JB Pritzker and Julia Stratton and those who serve in these administrations. Pray also for our two U.S. Senators, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.

Please pray for the nine members of the U.S. Supreme Court: John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

In addition, please pray for the following officials:

• • U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal Bennet (D-Connecticut)
  • U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (R-Missouri)
  • U.S. Representative Bobby Rush (D-Illinois)
  • U.S. Representative Peter Aguilar (D-California)
  • U.S. Representative Rick Allen (R-Georgia)
  • State Senator Scott Bennett (D-Champaign)
  • State Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro)
  • State Representative Lakesia Collins (D-Chicago)
  • State Representative Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur)
  • YOUR local City/Village/Township Officials

The regular session of the Illinois General Assembly ended on May 31st,  but with lawmakers at an impasse over the state budget, they could be meeting in overtime sessions well into the summer.  Along with debate over a spending plan, workman’s compensation and the public sector pension crisis will keep lawmakers busy in  Springfield for at least several more weeks. According IFI  sources, Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) has told  state representatives that the Illinois House will be meeting every Tuesday throughout the month of June, and even into July.

Lawmakers could use their extra time in the State Capitol to address other issues as well.That includes SB 1564, which would require doctors, nurses and pharmacists to distribute referrals to patients who are seeking objectionable medical services such as abortion, sterilization, and certain end-of-life care.

In the video below, Dr. Lainna Callentine, a physician, instructor, writer, speaker, and pediatrician at Bolingbrook Christian Health Center, speaks out against SB 1564 on behalf of the Christian Medical and Dental Association.  IFI also interviewed Dan McConchie, Vice President of Government Affairs for Americans United for Life, who warns that passing this legislation into law would be handing proponents of abortion a tool to dramatically change how crisis pregnancy centers operate.

Take ACTION: Click HERE to send an email or a fax to your state representative. Ask him/her to uphold Rights of Conscience for medical professionals and vote NO on SB 1564.

Please also call your state representative during normal business hours to politely ask them to uphold the rights of conscience for medical personnel.  The Capitol switchboard number is (217) 782-2000.

Click HERE TO SUPPORT Illinois Family Institute.

An important lesson I learned early in my theological training was that I ought never violate my own conscience and I must never put pressure on others to violate theirs.  To do so would be immoral and unethical.  One’s conscience may be incorrect, and it is appropriate to educate it when necessary, but in the mean time, it must not be crossed lest that vital “alarm” be deadened.

With the politicians in Springfield debating whether to require medical professionals who oppose abortion to refer abortion seekers to others who will provide those services we see the government of the State of Illinois taking actions that no ethical person can take.  Those of us who oppose abortion see this as similar to someone approaching us to do a “hit” for them, but finding we will not, enlisting the government to force us to refer them to someone who will!

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution was drafted for the specific purpose of protecting the sanctity of conscience.  The government must never be permitted to force people to in any way support actions that violate their personal convictions.  This vital protection has been eroded significantly already, but it must be reestablished!

SB 1564 is not merely a bad piece of legislation that goes against the most precious values that made America great, it is also an insult against young women!  What it says is that while a woman may be wise enough and smart enough to choose an abortion, she may well be incapable of finding an abortion provider on her own.  Apparently, the Yellow Pages and Google are just too complicated for her.  In fact, she may be so helpless that the only possible way for her to exercise her choice is to force those who disagree with her to help her locate an abortion provider!

Does this mean the Left sees its conservative opponents as smarter than these young women?

Strange, don’t you think?

I am sure that proponents of this legislation would reply that the trauma of an unwanted or crisis pregnancy sometimes makes such things as locating assistance difficult.  Well, maybe, if the “crisis” of the moment is such that she struggles to use the moderately simple contemporary tools available for locating service providers, she is in that moment too confused to terminate the life within her as well.

 Take ACTION: Click HERE to send an email or a fax to your state representative. Ask him/her to uphold Rights of Conscience for medical personnel, and vote NO to SB 1564.  

Please also call your state representative during normal business hours to politely ask them to uphold the rights of conscience for medical personnel.  The Capitol switchboard number is (217) 782-2000.

On Wednesday morning, the Human Services Committee heard testimony about SB 1564, a bill that would change the Health Care Rights of Conscience Act by forcing doctors, nurses, pharmacists to distribute information to help a patients find objectionable medical services such as abortion, sterilization, and certain end-of-life care.  The bill passed out of committee on a party line vote of 8-4, as expected.  The bill now moves to the Illinois House floor where it could be voted on as early as next week.

It is important to point out that SB 1564 would also negatively affect crisis pregnancy centers that provide health care services by requiring that these life centers give referrals to Planned Parenthood or other venues that promote abortion.

Dr. Pamela Smith, a Chicago area Obstetrician who graduated from Yale University of Medicine, shares her thoughts about SB 1564 with Illinois Family Institute:

 Take ACTION: Click HERE to send an email or a fax to your state representative. Ask him/her to uphold Rights of Conscience for medical personnel, and vote NO to SB 1564.  

Please also call your state representative during normal business hours to politely ask them to uphold the rights of conscience for medical personnel.  The Capitol switchboard number is (217) 782-2000.