Pastor Rick Warren: Four Secrets to Answered Prayer

April 20, 2018 By Leave a Comment

By Rick Warren 

“Then [Nehemiah] said, ‘O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, listen to my prayer! . . . I confess that we have sinned against you . . . . Please remember what you told your servant Moses: “If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.” . . . Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me’” (Nehemiah 1:5-6, 8-9, 11 NLT).
Here are four secrets to answered prayer from the life of Nehemiah:
1. Base your request on God’s character. Pray like you know God will answer you: “I’m expecting you to answer this prayer because of who you are. You are a faithful God. You are a great God. You are a loving God. You are a wonderful God. You can handle this problem, God!”
2. Confess the sins you’re aware of. After Nehemiah based his prayer on who God is, he confessed his sins. He said, “We have sinned.” It wasn’t Nehemiah’s fault that Israel went into captivity. He wasn’t even born when it happened, and he was most likely born in captivity. Yet he included himself in the national sins. He said, “I’ve been a part of the problem.”
3. Claim the promises of God. Nehemiah prayed to the Lord, saying, “I want you to remember what you told your servant Moses.” Can you imagine telling God to “remember”? Nehemiah reminded God of a promise made to the nation of Israel. In effect, he prayed, “God, you warned through Moses that if we were unfaithful, we would lose the land of Israel. But you also promised that if we would repent, you’d give it back to us.”
Does God have to be reminded? No. Does he forget what he’s promised? No. Then why do we do this? Because it helps us remember what God has promised.
4. Be specific in what you ask for. If you want specific answers to prayer, then make specific requests. If your prayers consist of general requests, how will you know if they’re answered?
Nehemiah was not hesitant to pray for success. He was very bold in his praying. Have you ever prayed, “Lord, make me successful?” If you haven’t, why? What is the alternative? A failure?
Is it okay to ask God to make you successful? It all depends on your definition of success! I believe a good definition of success is “fulfilling God’s purpose for my life in faith, love, and the power of the Holy Spirit and expecting the results from God.” That is a worthy life objective that you should be able to pray for with confidence.
Consider this: If you can’t ask God to make you a success at what you’re doing, you should be doing something else. God doesn’t want you to waste your life.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>
Talk It Over
Why does God want you to expect him to answer your prayers and want you to pray in anticipation?
What are the promises in God’s Word that you can claim?
Think of some of the requests you made of God this week. How could you have made those prayers more specific?

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.

Filed Under: Columns

Diane Burroughs – Mulkeytown, IL

April 20, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Diane Burroughs, 52, of Mulkeytown passed away on Wednesday April 18, 2018.

She was born on March 6, 1966 in Chicago to Dennis Martin and Linda (Divito) Martin.  She was married to Larry Burroughs and he preceded her in death on August 6, 2017.

She is survived by her daughter Ashley Akers (fiancé Corey Thomas) of Mulkeytown; granddaughter Bailee Thomas; father Dennis (Mary) Martin of Christopher; and one brother Dennis Martin.

She was preceded in death by her mother, and her husband.

She was a member of the Bear Point Free Will Baptist Church in Sesser.

Memorial service will be on Monday April 23, 2018 at 6:00 PM at the Bear Point Free Will Baptist Church in Sesser with Brother Larry Cook officiating.  Visitation will be on Monday April 23, from 5:00 PM until 6:00 PM. 

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the family.  Make checks payable to Ashley Akers.  Envelopes will be available at the church.

For more information go to our website www.gilbertfuneralhomes.com 

Filed Under: Obituaries

FCN Daily Bible Verse

April 19, 2018 By Leave a Comment

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.Romans 12:3-5 (Read all of Romans 12:3-5)
New International Version

Filed Under: Columns

Doug Miller hired as Hamilton County boy’s basketball coach

April 19, 2018 By Leave a Comment

The Hamilton County school board hired Doug Miller as its next boys basketball coach Tuesday night. He replaces Jeremy Varner, who helmed the squad for three years.

Here’s a link to the story at the Southern Illinoisan.

Filed Under: Sports

RLC’s Natalie Stark Recs the Scale

April 19, 2018 By Leave a Comment

RLC’s Natalie Stark Recs the Scale

INA, Ill. – Natalie Stark, Rend Lake College Records Specialist, won the college’s Rec the Scale Challenge earlier this month. The contest is designed to encourage locals and the RLC community to get into shape. Over the 12 weeks, Stark lost nearly 15 percent of her body weight.

Rec the Scale took on 11 participants in January and kept track of the top competitors based on body weight percentage, rather than total pounds lost. It was a tight race at the end, and finishing in second was Amy Epplin, RLC Financial Aid Specialist, and in third was community member Rita Liszewski. In total, all of the participants lost over 175 pounds.

NatalieStark Winner2018WStark, RIGHT, poses with Larry Williams, Rec Lab Assistant, LEFT, in The Rec Wednesday morning. Stark will receive a cash prize for placing first in this year’s Rec the Scale Challenge. Click on the image for a larger view.
(ReAnne Palmer / RLC Public Information)

Filed Under: Breaking News

Salukis win shootout vs. Murray State, 11-9

April 19, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Next Game:
at Tennessee Tech
4/20/2018 | 6 p.m.
105.1-FM WVZA
Box Score

CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Southern Illinois baseball team won a shootout against Murray State, 11-9, on Wednesday night at Itchy Jones Stadium. SIU trailed 7-3 in the fourth inning and slowly chipped away until Logan Blackfan‘s three-run home run in the eighth inning gave the Salukis the win. 

“It went as expected,” SIU head coach Ken Hendersonsaid. “Because we played yesterday and had two mid-week games, we knew it was going to be a bullpen game for us. We were going to have to score some runs and grind some stuff out. Outstanding job by our offense to continue to battle and grind and keep scoring runs.”

SIU (20-17) used five pitchers in the game, and Murray State (17-19) used six. After Murray scored seven runs early, Allen Montgomery and Trey McDaniel held the Racers down the rest of the way. McDaniel pitched two scoreless innings at the end of the game to earn the win without allowing a hit. 

“Walks were the big deal,” Henderson said. “We walked seven people in a two-inning stretch (third and fourth innings) and gave up seven runs, but we didn’t walk anybody in the last five innings, and that was crucial. We threw up some zeros and gave our offense a chance.”

After Murray scored seven runs in the early innings on just four hits, SIU played uphill the rest of the way. Kenton Crawford got SIU within 7-5 with a two-run single in the fourth inning, but the Racers pushed it back to 8-5 in the fifth. Hunter Anderson hit a two-run homer in the bottom half of the fifth to pull SIU within 8-7; but again, Murray State extended the lead to 9-7 with a run in the sixth. 

Blackfan hit an RBI single in the sixth to get SIU with 9-8. Montgomery pitched a scoreless seventh, and McDaniel pitched a scoreless eighth to set the stage for Blackfan’s go-ahead home run in the eighth inning.

“We felt like we were going to win the game the whole time,” Henderson said. “That’s a credit to our make-up and toughness. It was a good character win. You have to be tough enough to know you’re going to have to keep scoring. You can’t get demoralized when you give up a run or two. You have to keep believing, and we’re going to find a way to win this game. It’s a mental thing.”

Anderson hit two home runs in the game—his second two-homer game against Murray State in as many games this season. 

“When he doesn’t try to hit the ball out of the ballpark, he can do that because he has great bat speed,” Henderson said. “They were really good swings. He stayed calm; he stayed quiet, and he used his hands. The result was awfully good, obviously.”

Blackfan finished 3-for-5 and was a triple shy of the cycle. He had five RBIs in the game, four of which came with two outs. SIU had nobody on with two outs in the eighth inning, but Addison Fugitt beat out and infield single and stole second. Connor Kopach drew a walk, and Blackfan followed with the go-ahead home run. 

“Stay inside and play in the middle of the field,” Henderson said of Blackfan. “When he does that, he’s as good as anybody around. He has power to all fields. Great job by Addi with two strikes, and Connor draws the walk to get Logan up there, all with two outs.”

SIU improved to 16-4 against unranked opponents since March 5. The Salukis travel to No. 21 Tennessee Tech for a three-game series this weekend. The Golden Eagles lead the nation in almost every offensive category, including runs per game and home runs per game. TTU is riding an OVC-record 22-game winning streak into the weekend. 

First pitch on Friday night is set for 6 p.m.

Filed Under: Sports

Illinois National Guard, Polish Military mark 25-Year Partnership

April 19, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Gov. Rauner meets with Polish defense ministry officials; Lt. Governor hosts press event in Chicago today

WARSAW – Governor Bruce Rauner marked the 25-year partnership between the Illinois National Guard and Polish Armed Forces today. He met with senior officials from Poland’s Ministry of Defense in Warsaw and proclaimed it State Partnership Day in Illinois to recognize the bilateral economic and military ties between the state and Poland.

“Poland has become a strong and unwavering military ally and friend,” Rauner said. “Our soldiers have fought together for many years to protect the freedoms we enjoy and, as we stand here today, they’re fighting side-by-side in Afghanistan as they have done continuously, without break, since 2003.”

The State Partnership Program between Poland and the Illinois National Guard started in 1993, shortly after the people of Poland threw off the yoke of Soviet oppression and emerged as a free nation and budding democracy. Illinois was among the first National Guard Bureau State Partnership Programs, and is among the most successful.

Lt. Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti is celebrating the partnership in Illinois at an event in at Humboldt Park Armory where she will be joined by Lt. Col. Brad Leighton, Polish Consul General Piotr Janicki, and an assembly of military and Polish-American leaders.

“As chairman of our Military Economic Development Committee, I’ve seen firsthand the importance of this partnership,” Sanguinetti said. “The alliance is just one of the many special connections we have with Polish community here in Illinois.”

The two military forces hold about 30 Security Cooperation events each year in support of the U.S. European Command.

Illinois National Guard Major General Richard J. Hayes first worked with the Polish military in 1999 as they prepared for entry into NATO. He also deployed to Kosovo with two Polish Motorized Infantry Battalions in 2007.

“Our Soldiers and Airmen have established long-standing relationships with Polish troops. Many of the officers I got to know are now senior leaders in the Polish Armed Forces,” Hayes said. “We have forged a powerful and undying level of trust between our forces. It is a unique relationship within the Department of Defense.”

Illinois has played a key role in the modernization of the Polish Air Force. Air National Guard pilots flew the first F-16 into Poland as the Poles began to upgrade their arsenal.  They have assisted in pilot and crew training associated with the Polish F-16 and C-130 programs; and provided expertise for their state-of-the-art maintenance systems.

The Army National Guard has participated in many exchanges to help the Polish military build capability within its noncommissioned officer ranks.

Illinois exports to Poland totaled $275.2 million in 2016, an 87.2 percent increase since 2009. Illinois ranks sixth among the 50 U.S. states in imports from Poland. Since 2010, the value of trade between the United States and Poland has doubled. Poland has also been investing in its military, consistently meeting its NATO obligations for mutual security.

Filed Under: Breaking News

Dardeen signs to play at RLC

April 19, 2018 By Leave a Comment

DARDEEN INKS WITH RLC

AlyssaDardeenSigningW
INA, Ill. (April 17, 2018) – Alyssa Dardeen (Center) out of Evansville Indiana’s Central High School has signed on to play golf for the Lady Warriors during the 2018-19 season. She is joined by RLC Head Coach Danielle Kaufman (Right) and RLC Assistant Coach Shane Dyel (Left). 

Filed Under: Sports

Pastor Rick Warren: Four Steps to Fighting Spiritual Warfare

April 19, 2018 By Leave a Comment

Four Steps to Fighting Spiritual Warfare

By Rick Warren — April 19, 2018

04-19-18 Hearing-Gods-Voice-Four-Secrets-To-Answered-Prayer

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV).

There are four things we need to do when we are facing spiritual warfare in our lives:

1. Acknowledge the adversary. Satan is real (1 Peter 5:8-9). Why would God send his Son to fight what does not exist? The Bible says in 1 John 3:8, “The Son of God came to destroy these works of the Devil” (NLT).

When you’re being attacked, it’s proof that you’re a believer. The more you make an impact for God, the more the Devil is going to fight you. You never outgrow it; it just gets more intense.

2. Accept God-given authority. Most believers don’t understand about the authority they have against the Devil. Matthew 28:18-19 says we have all authority in Heaven and on Earth. Then Jesus says, “Therefore go and make disciples” (NIV). He transfers the authority to you and me. He does that because he’s given us a specific mission: sharing the message of Jesus as his ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20).

3. Put on God’s armor. When Paul wrote about the whole armor of God in Ephesians 6:11-17, he was in prison chained to a Roman guard. Paul used the Roman centurion as a model for spiritual armor. Paul says that just as the Roman soldier was properly dressed to do battle, we also need to be dressed for battle.

For instance, I will often pray, “Lord, I put on the helmet of salvation that will protect me from the thoughts the Devil will try to give me. I don’t want to think the Devil’s thoughts. I don’t want to think my thoughts. I want to think your thoughts, so that I may be a voice for you. I put on the belt of truth. Lord, I want to share the truth, not falsehood. I want to lead people into righteousness.”

4. Aim the artillery. The battlefield for spiritual warfare is primarily in your thought life (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). The weapons God gives you to use demolish arguments are humility, faith, truth, and praise. Take every thought captive!

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>

Talk It Over

  • When you feel attacked by the Devil, what does your authority in Christ give you the power to do?
  • How does memorizing Scripture help you engage in spiritual warfare?
  • We’re told to “take captive every thought” (2 Corinthians 10:5 NIV) — what do you think that means?

Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.

Filed Under: Columns, Opinion

Scorching slugger Tyler O’Neill set to join Cardinals in Chicago

April 19, 2018 By Leave a Comment

The Cardinals won’t make the move official until Thursday morning, before game time, but one of the hottest-hitting sluggers in the minors has arrived from Class AAA Memphis.

Here’s the link to the story at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Filed Under: Sports
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