Category Archives: God’s Will

Why God Hates Gambling

Posted on February 1, 2024 by russellmckinney

God hates gambling. Perhaps your response to that simple statement is, “But what’s wrong with me having a little fun? I can buy a lottery ticket every now and then, go to a casino a couple of weekends a year, … Continue reading →

Posted in Addiction, Christ's Death, Christian Liberty, Contentment, Gambling, God's Will, Greed, Money, Personal Holiness, Prosperity, Sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Get to Work

Posted on January 30, 2024 by russellmckinney

Throughout the Bible, we find verses that can be broken down into two parts: your part and God’s part. Here are a few examples, all from the New King James version, with me adding in the designations “your part” and … Continue reading →

Posted in Brokenness, Commitment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Dying To Self, Faithfulness, God's Will, God's Work, Ministry, Service, Submission, Work | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Preacher Cassity’s Desires

Posted on January 25, 2024 by russellmckinney

I was sorting through some old stuff and came across a sermon outline from Richard M. Cassity. His friends called him Dick, but our entire county knew him as “Preacher Cassity.” He befriended me when my days as a young … Continue reading →

Posted in Desires, Doing Good, Dying To Self, Evangelism, Faithfulness, Family, God's Will, God's Work, Heaven, Ministry, Personal, Personal Holiness, Priorities, Salvation, Sanctification, Service, Thankfulness, Trusting In God, Witnessing, Worry | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

God’s Provision

Posted on January 5, 2024 by russellmckinney

I’ve never been a wealthy man, but there have been times when I was financially better off than usual. One such time was when I served as the pastor of a certain church. That church paid me a larger salary … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Encouragement, Faith, God's Guidance, God's Provision, God's Will, Money, Needs, Personal, Problems, Trials, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Simple Test for Standards

Posted on December 8, 2023 by russellmckinney

You’ve probably noticed that Christians have wildly different standards when it comes to matters of personal holiness. Sometimes these differences stem from nothing more than the generation gap. Other times they are created by the varying diversities of local cultures. … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Christian Liberty, Conscience, Decisions, Discernment, Doubt, Dress and Appearance, Entertainment, Faith, God's Guidance, God's Will, Guilt, Personal Holiness, Rebellion, Sin, Temptation | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Abraham, Ishmael, & Obedience

Posted on December 4, 2023 by russellmckinney

Most of us know the story of how God tested Abraham by asking him to offer up his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-19). However, in Genesis 21:1-21 we find another story in which God asks Abraham to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Commitment, Decisions, Desires, Disappointment, Discipleship, Disobedience, Dying To Self, Faithfulness, God's Guidance, God's Will, God's Word, Obedience, Submission, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Redefining Prosperity

Posted on November 27, 2023 by russellmckinney

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: I wish my blog readership was bigger, my church had more people, my home was nicer, my salary was larger, and my bank account was more impressive. Does that shock … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Contentment, Covetousness, Desires, Disappointment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Encouragement, Faithfulness, God's Will, God's Work, Greed, Influence, Money, Personal, Priorities, Problems, Prosperity, Reward, Service, Trials | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Don’t Be Fooled by Those South Winds

Posted on November 21, 2023 by russellmckinney

The main point of today’s post takes a little bit of time to set up, so I hope you’ll bear with me as I lay all the groundwork. That groundwork involves a brief overview of Acts chapter 27. In that … Continue reading →

Posted in Adversity, Choices, Counsel, Deception, Decisions, Discernment, God's Will, Problems, Seeking Advice, Temptation, Trials, Trusting In God, Waiting, Weather | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Three Factors in Determining God’s Will

Posted on November 15, 2023 by russellmckinney

Like a lot of preachers, I have an extensive collection of file folders where I keep illustrations. For example, in my “A” files I have folders for: “Abortion,” “Alcoholism,” “America,” “Angels,” “Animal Rights,” “Astrology,” and “Atheism.” Next, the “B” files … Continue reading →

Posted in Choices, Decisions, Desires, Discernment, God's Guidance, God's Will, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Problem With an Unequal Yoke

Posted on November 6, 2023 by russellmckinney

A Christian girl once told Charles Spurgeon, the legendary preacher, that she was about to marry a man who didn’t attend church or make any allegiance whatsoever to Jesus. Spurgeon, true to form, quickly reminded her of the command from … Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Choices, Discernment, Discipleship, God's Will, Influence, Marriage, Personal Holiness, Sanctification, Temptation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment