Category Archives: Discernment

The Importance of Speaking Up

Posted on December 13, 2022 by russellmckinney

In the summer of 2011, Tonya and I loaded the boys into the Dodge Caravan and headed down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for a vacation. Ryan was fourteen years old at the time and Royce was ten. One experience … Continue reading →

Posted in Church Discipline, Commitment, Discernment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Faithfulness, Fear, God's Will, God's Work, Honesty, Influence, Ministry, Obedience, Persecution, Personal, Problems, Reward, Sanctification, Service, Sin, The Tongue, Truth, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Flow of God’s Will

Posted on November 16, 2022 by russellmckinney

In the November, 2002, edition of Focus On the Family magazine, the following letter from Tyson Chastain was used: One Sunday my wife and I noticed an announcement in the church bulletin about a men’s missions trip to Honduras. Through God’s providence, … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Decisions, Discernment, God's Sovereignty, God's Will, Personal, Spiritual Warfare, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Poor Choices

Posted on November 2, 2022 by russellmckinney

Good judgment wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction. All who are prudent act with knowledge, but fools expose their folly. (Proverbs 13:15-16, N.I.V.) Two prisoners were on the chain gang digging a ditch. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Decisions, Discernment, God's Will, Humor, Sin, Sowing and Reaping, Temptation | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

R-E-M-E-M-B-E-Q

Posted on July 27, 2022 by russellmckinney

Most of us have spent some time doing word-search puzzles. You know the kind I’m talking about. They are the ones that require you to find a list of words or names, each of which is imbedded in a large … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, Deception, Decisions, Discernment, God's Will, Inner Peace, Satan, Temptation, The Devil | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

What to Do About Clouds

Posted on July 15, 2022 by russellmckinney

I miss Patrick Swayze. He was one of my favorite movie stars. I always liked watching him, no matter what part he was playing. Swayze and his wife Niemi were both pilots, and they enjoyed flying airplanes together. On one … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Bible Study, Choices, Decisions, Discernment, Faith, God's Will, Perseverance, Problems, Scripture, The Bible, The Holy Spirit, Trials, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Slander

Posted on June 13, 2022 by russellmckinney

Ray Donovan was the Secretary of Labor under President Reagan. His time in office was marked by a highly publicized case in which Donovan and six others were tried in New York on charges of larceny and fraud. In the … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Communication, Criticism, Discernment, Doing Good, God's Work, Holiness, Honesty, Influence, Personal Holiness, The Tongue, Truth | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Building a Babel

Posted on April 2, 2022 by russellmckinney

Let’s say that you are toying around with doing a particular thing in your life. Maybe you are considering buying something (a house, a piece of land, a car, a boat, etc.) Maybe you are mulling over making an investment. Maybe you … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Decisions, Desires, Discernment, Disobedience, God's Will, Obedience, Pride, Rebellion, Sowing and Reaping, The Trinity | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Divine Link Between Growing & Learning

Posted on February 28, 2022 by russellmckinney

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me… (Matthew 11:29, N.K.J.V.) There was a preacher who had been in the ministry for twenty years. In a conversation he had with one of his church members, he said with pride, … Continue reading →

Posted in Backsliding, Bible Study, Church Attendance, Commitment, Discernment, Discipleship, Dying To Self, Faithfulness, Giving, Personal Holiness, Prayer, Preaching, Sanctification, Service, Witnessing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A Crossroad in Life

Posted on February 25, 2022 by russellmckinney

The word “crossroad” probably brings up a certain mental image with you. I myself envision a dirt road out in the middle of nowhere that comes to a four-way intersection with three other dirt roads. The person who comes to … Continue reading →

Posted in Backsliding, Business, Change, Choices, Decisions, Discernment, Dying To Self, God's Will, Leadership, Obedience, Submission, Temptation, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Two Different Agendas

Posted on January 7, 2022 by russellmckinney

When my son Ryan was in high school and trying to get a chance to play college baseball, I took him to a Prospect Camp at a small college in Georgia. The college had a successful DII baseball program, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Aging, Complaining, Contentment, Desires, Disappointment, Discernment, Discipleship, Elderly, Faithfulness, God's Love, God's Omniscience, God's Sovereignty, God's Will, Heaven, Loneliness, Persecution, Perseverance, Personal, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Problems, Prosperity, Sanctification, Sickness, Spiritual Warfare, Sports, Suffering, Trials, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments