Your Prayers Don’t Have to Be Perfect

Posted on July 17, 2026 by russellmckinney

Acts 12:1-19 records the story of Peter’s prison break. The story begins with Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great, having Peter arrested and incarcerated in a Roman prison in Jerusalem. Herod is riding high because he has recently had another apostle, James, executed. That move has pleased the spiritually lost Jewish religious leaders immensely and Herod knows that Peter’s execution will please them even more. And so, Peter sits in prison awaiting his death. The only thing keeping him alive is the fact that it’s the week-long Jewish feast time known as The Feast of Unleavened Bread. Once that week is finished, so is Peter.

All Peter has going for him is a group of prayer warriors who have been praying constantly for him all week. But now it is the night before his execution and all those prayers have seemingly accomplished nothing. Still, though, the prayer warriors keep praying. In particular there is a certain group who have met for an all-night prayer session in the home of Mary, the mother of the Mark who will one day write the gospel of Mark. Mary’s house is not far from where Peter is imprisoned.

So, Peter is fast asleep that night. I’d love to say that his sleep stemmed from a confidence that God was going to show up and show off for him by somehow getting him miraculously spared. The events of the story, however, might indicate otherwise. Then again maybe Peter was remembering a promise that Jesus had once made to him, a promise that Peter would live to an old age (John 21:18). Perhaps it’s best to say that Peter could sleep so soundly that night because he knew that he was going to be alright either way. Either God was going to rescue him or he was going to be granted the honor of being killed for the cause of His Savior just as his friends Stephen (Acts 7:54-60) and James (Acts 12:1-2) had been.

Peter is bound with two chains as he lies there asleep between two Roman soldiers. Other guards are stationed at the prison door. But then what happens? A light appears in the prison and suddenly there’s an angel standing beside the sleeping Peter. The angel strikes Peter in the side to wake him up and says, “Quick, get up.” After causing Peter’s chains to fall off his wrists the angel says, “Put on your clothes and sandals, wrap your cloak around you, and follow me.” Peter then follows the angel stealthy through all those guards right out of that prison. When they come to the iron gates that serve as the entrance into Jerusalem the angel even causes those gates to open by themselves.

You might be asking, “Why didn’t those guards stop them?” Well, the story reads as if those guards went into some kind of trance or something that caused them to either not notice the angel and Peter or not care. Even Peter himself wasn’t sure what was happening. He thought he was having a vision similar to one he had experienced in previous days (Acts 10:9-16).

However it happened Peter is now free from prison. The angel accompanies him down one street and then vanishes as suddenly as he had appeared. It’s then that the fog begins to lift from Peter’s mind and he understands what has happened. Next, he makes his way to the house where that group of prayer warriors is praying for him. He knocks on the door of the outer entrance and a servant girl named Rhoda comes to the door. She asks, “Who’s there?” and becomes overjoyed when the reply comes back, “It’s Peter.” As a matter of fact, she becomes so overjoyed that she gets in such a hurry to report the news to those in the house that she forgets to open the door for Peter.

Here now is where we come to my reason for this post. When Rhoda informs all those people that Peter is standing at the door their unified response to her is, “You’re out of your mind.” To her credit, though, Rhoda sticks to her story. This causes those prayer warriors to change their assessment of the situation and theorize that it must be Peter’s guardian angel at the door.

“You’re out of your mind.” “It must be his angel.” Those comebacks don’t exactly ring of perfect faith in prayer, do they? As much as those folks had been praying all week for God to deliver Peter we would expect them to respond to Rhoda’s report by saying, “Praise God! We knew He’d hear our prayers and grant our request.” But that’s not what they said. It wasn’t until they had gone to the door to verify Rhoda’s report and let Peter in the house that they fully believed that God had delivered him. Even then they were astonished at what God had done.

What I take from all this is that our prayers don’t have to be perfect to get God to respond. Our phrasing doesn’t have to be intricately precise. We don’t have to be in a specific place or position. Our faith doesn’t even have to be 100% ideal. After all, didn’t Jesus say that faith as small as a mustard seed (Luke 17:6) can get the job done? One father of a demon-possessed boy even admitted that even though he had some belief that Jesus would cure his son he needed Jesus to help him with his unbelief (Mark 9:24). But did Jesus cure that son? Yep.

I’ll illustrate this by describing the relationship I have with my two sons. When Ryan or Royce come to me with a request my response to that request won’t be based upon how they word the request or where they are when they relay it to me. My response will be based upon whether or not the request fits in with my will for the situation. You see, in regards to that story from Acts chapter 12 it was God’s will to spare Peter’s life in that particular situation. As for James, though, it obviously wasn’t God’s will to spare his life. That’s why all the praying in the world didn’t prevent Herod from executing him.

What I’m trying to do here is get you to correctly understand the nature of prayer. There’s no doubt that you having more faith/belief will help you pray better, more effective prayers. Passages such as Matthew 21:22, Hebrews 11:6, and James 1:5-8 prove that. Also, there’s no doubt that you can pray more intimately when you are alone as opposed to standing on a street corner or in the midst of a crowd (Matthew 6:6, 14:23). But you shouldn’t obsess over every minute detail about your praying as if checking off the boxes of all those details will be the difference between God granting your request or not granting it. God doesn’t want your prayer life to be that complicated or burdensome.

First and foremost, He wants you to be genuine, honest, sincere, and real. He wants your prayers to be conversations you have with Him in which you: thank Him for His blessings, honor His greatness, confess your sins, dedicate yourself to repenting of those sins, pour out your heart to Him, tell Him what’s on your mind, share your anger, express your frustrations, admit your fears, make your requests, and die to His will regarding those requests. Trust me, if you build all those things into your prayer life I promise you that God won’t turn a deaf ear simply because you don’t word everything the way a world-class writer would or don’t have a faith that is bulletproof. Those folks in that house in Jerusalem that night were just regular Christians who were not that much different than you and I. They were imperfect people praying imperfect prayers. And yet those prayers worked, didn’t they? So, take heart in this, Christian, and keep praying!

Posted in Adversity, Angels, Belief, Comfort, Confession, Discipleship, Doubt, Dying To Self, Encouragement, Faith, Fatherhood, Fear, God's Love, God's Provision, God's Will, God's Work, Grace, Honesty, Influence, Needs, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Problems, Repentance, Submission, Thankfulness, Trials, Trusting In God, Worry | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Bubba Smith Learned Too Late

Posted on July 15, 2026 by russellmckinney

Bubba Smith was an All-American football player at Michigan State. He is one of only three players from that program to have his jersey number retired. Following his collegiate career, he was the #1 overall pick of the 1967 NFL draft. He played for three NFL teams (the Colts, the Raiders, and the Oilers) during his successful nine-year career, winning a Super Bowl title with the Colts in 1970.

When his NFL days were finished Smith eased into acting and landed several minor roles in television shows and movies. For example, if you remember the campy Police Academy movies from the 1980s his 6’7 height made him a natural to play Officer Moses Hightower. Actually, though, Smith became well known as an actor because of a couple of Miller Lite beer commercials in which he played himself. Those commercials rank among the most successful ads ever.

In the early 1970s, lite beer was a fledgling product trying to find its foothold in the marketplace. The executives at Miller Lite had what they believed could be a sellable item but they needed to make an advertising splash to get the product launched. That would require commercials that resonated with the public.

Their advertising company’s solution was to employ famous sports figures to hawk the product, and Bubba Smith became one of those guys. At the close of his best-known commercial, he ripped the top completely off a Miller Lite beer can and said, “I also like the easy-opening cans.” In a follow up commercial, which he did with retired Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus, he ripped the top off a can of tennis balls and asked, “Tennis, anyone?” So, in a matter of only a couple of years, the catchy slogan attached to the Miller Lite commercials — “Tastes great! Less filling!” — became a phenomenon.

Interestingly, the ironic thing about Bubba Smith selling beer was the fact that he didn’t even drink it. To him the commercials were nothing more than harmless ways to make some money, keep his name in the spotlight, and hang out with some of his jock friends. He really didn’t understand the national effect his commercials were having.

That changed, though, on a day when Smith returned to his alma mater of Michigan State to serve as the Grand Marshal of the Homecoming parade. There he was, riding in the backseat of a convertible, waving to throngs of Michigan State fans as the car made its way down the street. People on both sides of the street were yelling at him, but they weren’t yelling, “Go, State, go” or anything of that sort. The fans on one side of the street were yelling, “Tastes great” and the fans on the other side were yelling, “Less filling.”

Things only got worse when Smith arrived at the stadium for the Homecoming game. As he later recalled:

The older folks are yelling, “Kill, Bubba, kill!” (their old chant from Smith’s playing days). But the students are yelling, “Tastes great! Less filling!” Everyone in the stands is drunk. It was like I was contributing to alcohol, and I don’t drink. It made me realize I was doing something I didn’t want to do. I was with my brother, Tody, who is my agent. I told him, “Tody, I’ll never do another Lite beer commercial.”

Unfortunately for Smith his advertising legacy was already sealed. Because of those commercials kids would continue to come up to him on the street and recite the lines, verbatim, from those Miller Lite commercials. The kids remembered the lines better than Smith did. Smith would also go to popular Spring Break locations such as Daytona Beach and Fort Lauderdale as a paid spokesman for the brewery and be shocked to see just how drunk the college kids would get.

Bubba Smith learned too late that your actions have lasting consequences and the more influence you have the more responsibility you have to use it wisely. In summing up his decision to stop doing beer commercials he said, “As the years wear on, you stop compromising your principles.” Smith died in 2011 at the age of 66. As for the Miller Lite advertising campaign it ran from 1974 to 1991 and is responsible for making lite beer a staple of American life.

Bubba Smith’s story reminds me of Philippians 4:8. That verse says:

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy — meditate on these things. (N.K.J.V.)

True. Noble. Just. Pure. Lovely. Of good report. Virtuous. Praiseworthy. Boy, talk about a list! These are the kinds of matters upon which you should meditate, with which you should get involved, and around which you should build your life. As best you can, keep yourself separate from anything that is false, ignoble, unjust, impure, ugly, disreputable, unethical, and scandalous. The simple takeaway here is that there is a lot that is wholesome and worthy about life. So, why spend your time polluting yourself with stuff that is unprincipled, unwholesome, corrupt, and even downright evil? God has better for you than that.

Posted in Alcohol, Character, Choices, Decisions, Discernment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Dress and Appearance, Drugs, Entertainment, Family, Gambling, God's Will, Holiness, Honesty, Influence, Justice, Personal Holiness, Righteousness, Sanctification, Separation, Sin, Sports, Temptation, Truth | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

When God Doesn’t Seem to Care

Posted on July 13, 2026 by russellmckinney

How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? (Psalm 13:1-3, N.I.V.)

A pastor was in his study working intently on a sermon when he heard his study door creak open a bit. He was surprised by the intrusion because he’d left strict orders that he wasn’t to be disturbed. Apparently, his young daughter hadn’t received those orders.

As she began to enter the room the father scolded her by saying, “Stop right there. I’m busy and don’t have time to play. Please leave and close the door as you go.” Realizing she was on the brink of being in real trouble the child spun around and hurriedly slammed the door behind her. Unfortunately for her one of her fingers didn’t quite clear the door and got mashed in the process.

Screaming and crying followed which compelled the father to get up from his desk and walk over to the child. Without even glancing at the mashed finger he called for his wife to come and tend to their daughter. The mother came running and escorted the little girl to the bathroom where the medicine cabinet held the needed supplies. As the mother worked on the finger she asked the child, “Does it hurt much?” To that the daughter answered, “Yes, but what made it worse was that daddy didn’t even care.”

It’s bad enough to have to go through a difficult experience, but it’s something else altogether when you feel like God doesn’t even care about your predicament. I can hear this feeling in David’s question, “Will you forget me forever?” Of all the things I love about David’s Psalms my favorite thing is that he doesn’t mind being down-to-the-bone honest when he talks to God. David was feeling abandoned by the Lord and he told God so.

I myself have been there. I’ve had my share of mashed fingers that God seemingly couldn’t have cared less about. Like the little girl who entered the study when she shouldn’t have, I’ve brought some of these mashed fingers upon myself. No question there. Other times, however, my enemies have pulled out hammers and given me mashed fingers I didn’t deserve. David had this kind of situation in mind when asked, “How long will my enemy triumph over me?”

Where David leaves me behind and goes off to some lofty place that I have trouble finding is summed up in the last two verses of the Psalm. There he says to God:

But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me. (Psalm 13:5-6, N.I.V.)

Did you catch that? David’s answer to him feeling completely abandoned by God was to trust in God all the more, find his joy in God, and sing of God’s goodness. You talk about a difficult prescription for treatment! Let’s say that someone has broken your heart by severely disappointing you. What should you do about that? David’s prescription amounts to you forcing yourself to continue to show confidence in that person and continue to give that person chance after chance to come through for you.

David’s basis for this irrational course of action was God’s past goodness toward him. As David puts it, “…for he has been good to me.” These words don’t mean that David was forgetting about his present situation. No, he still felt forgotten, abandoned, and even betrayed by God. But what got him through all that and allowed him to keep looking to God was God’s long-term track record with him.

When David looked at the totality of his life, he could see the lengthy list of good things that God had done for him and the favorable position to which God had brought him. Was the “bad” he was currently experiencing real? Absolutely. Was it painful? Definitely. All told, though, David had to admit that the “good” in his life far outweighed the “bad.”

In golf, you can have a few rough holes and yet still have a good overall round. In tennis, you can lose a lot of points and yet still win the match. In football and basketball, you can lose a quarter and yet still win the game. In baseball, you can strike out and yet still have a good day at the plate if you get some hits in your other times at bat. The key in all of these situations is to keep a proper perspective. Don’t let the unpleasant minority moments rob you of the joy provided by the pleasant majority moments.

Of course, this is easier said than done when your finger just got mashed and God seems thoroughly unconcerned about your plight. Therefore, I’m not saying that David’s prescribed treatment is always easy to put into practice. Nevertheless, I can tell you from my own experience that it does help. It really does.

As for why God doesn’t always come rushing to our aid and comfort when we get our fingers mashed, well, that’s another post for another time. Perhaps He is trying to purge us of our childish mentality. Or maybe He is trying to build trust in us. Whatever His reasons are I’m sure He has them and we’ll just have to leave them with Him.

What we can say for sure is that God does LOVE us. Jesus (God the Son) dying on the cross so that anyone who believes in Him as Savior can have all their sins forgiven proves that. Also, isn’t it interesting that David doesn’t say of God, “But I trust in your unfailing self…”? Instead, he says, “But I trust in your unfailing love…” Getting back to my opening illustration, that father never stopped loving his daughter even though the daughter couldn’t feel his love in that specific situation. Feelings, you see, are not necessarily in line with reality. I would encourage you to keep this in mind anytime you feel like God is unconcerned about your pain. Just because you feel unloved by Him doesn’t mean that you actually are.

Posted in Adversity, Attitude, Children, Christ's Death, Comfort, Complaining, Depression, Disappointment, Discernment, Doubt, Encouragement, Faith, Faithfulness, Fatherhood, God's Love, Honesty, Needs, Parenting, Pastors, Persecution, Personal, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Problems, Suffering, Thankfulness, Trials, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

“Why Sit Here Until We Die?”

Posted on July 10, 2026 by russellmckinney

“Why sit here until we die?” That question is at the heart of one of the Bible’s most incredible stories, 2 Kings 7:1-20, and it’s a question that still has relevance to a multitude of situations today. So, let’s talk about the story.

The army of Ben Hadad, the King of Syria, has laid siege to Samaria, the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel. Either as a result of the siege, or perhaps in addition to it, severe famine conditions now prevail in the city (2 Kings 6:24-25). People are literally dying of starvation. A donkey’s head is selling for eighty pieces of silver, and a pint of dove droppings (commentators believe this was a nickname for a certain type of plant) is selling for five pieces of silver (2 Kings 6:25). Some of the citizens are even resorting to cannibalism (2 Kings 6:26-29). Yes, the situation has gotten that extreme.

As bad as the conditions are inside the city, they are even worse for the lepers who are forced to live in designated areas outside it. Consequently, there comes a day when four of the lepers who live just beyond the city’s gate engage in a serious conversation. The conversation begins with the logical question, “Why sit here until we die?” (2 Kings 7:3). Then they discuss their possible courses of actions.

One option is to stay where they are and die there from starvation. A second option is to enter into the city and die there from starvation. Since neither one of those options offers any glint of hope, the lepers decide upon a third option. They will make their way out to the Syrian army, surrender, and hope the Syrians will not only mercifully spare their lives but also pity them enough to give them something to eat. Even if the Syrians kill them, nothing will really be lost because death seems inevitable anyway (2 Kings 7:4).

At dusk, as darkness falls, the lepers make their way to the Syrian camp. But when they reach the outskirts of the camp, they are surprised to find no one there (2 Kings 7:5). What the lepers don’t know is that God has just seriously messed with the Syrian army.

What has God done? He has caused the Syrian soldiers to falsely hear the noises of a massive approaching army’s horses and chariots. Upon hearing those noises in the dark, the Syrians have deduced that Israel’s King Jehoram has hired an allied army of Hittites and Egyptians to go to battle against them and that the allied army is about to attack (2 Kings 7:6). Despite the fact that the Syrians haven’t actually seen an army in the darkness, they have certainly heard it and have consequently dropped everything and fled their camp in fear (2 Kings 7:7).

The Syrian soldiers have left behind tents, horses, donkeys, clothing, silver, gold, and plenty of food and drink. Can you imagine the sight of four emaciated lepers, their skin barely hanging from their bones, having free run of the entire Syrian camp? The lepers go into one tent and there they eat and drink. They go into another and there they claim silver and gold. They go into another and there they claim even more silver and gold (2 Kings 7:8). They are like kids having free run in a candy store!

The bounty is so great that the lepers actually begin to feel remorse because of their selfishness. This prompts them to leave the camp and report the situation to the gatekeepers of Samaria. Because King Jehoram suspects the whole thing is a setup to lure his citizens out to a slaughter, he sends a couple of soldiers in chariots to survey the situation firsthand (2 Kings 7:11-15). When the soldiers return with the news that what the lepers have said is true, the citizens of Samaria stampede out to the camp and plunder it (2 Kings 7:16). They actually trample to death the officer that King Jehoram has placed in charge as Samaria’s gatekeeper (2 Kings 7:17-20).

You talk about a story! But now let’s get back to those lepers and their question, “Why sit here until we die?” How many individuals should be asking that question right now? How many businesses should be asking it? How many schools should be asking it? How many churches should be asking it?

I mean, it’s one thing if you are doing what God wants you to be doing and He hasn’t given you a peace about changing. In that case, you need to stick with what you are doing and trust that God has a plan. But if you aren’t making a needed change because you are being foolish, illogical, cowardly, or just downright stubborn, then you can learn something from those four lepers. You see, if no one else comes off looking good from this story, those lepers do. That in itself proves that God was pleased with not only their actions but (perhaps even more importantly) the attitude that led to their actions.

Posted in Addiction, Adversity, Attitude, Change, Choices, Church, Complaining, Contentment, Courage, Decisions, Desires, Discernment, Faith, Fear, God's Timing, God's Guidance, God's Provision, God's Will, Inner Peace, Needs, Problems, Seeking Advice, Suffering, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

By His Stripes We Are Healed

Posted on July 8, 2026 by russellmckinney

Religious television programming has been dominated by preachers of the Charismatic/Pentecostal persuasion since the first day satellites started beaming such programming into our homes. Consequently, because one of the tenets of Charismatic/Pentecostal doctrine is that it’s always God’s will to heal, it’s not surprising that more Americans than ever now know the closing of Isaiah 53:5:

…And by His stripes we are healed. (N.K.J.V.)

The popular line of preaching that has sprung from these words is that physical healing was provided for in Christ’s atonement. In other words, Jesus didn’t just die on the cross to ensure the Christian’s eternal, spiritual healing, He did it to also ensure the Christian’s earthly, physical healing. Therefore, if a Christian gets stricken with any kind of sickness or disease, all that Christian has to do is claim his or her healing by faith in Jesus’ name and watch God work.

And so, the phrase “By His stripes we are healed” can now be found all over the place. We see it on church signs. We see it on t-shirts. It shows up in our Facebook feeds time and time again. It’s as if, at least in this one area of doctrine, the Charismatic/Pentecostal preachers have converted Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, and all the other denominations to their side.

But are we right to interpret “By His stripes we are healed” to mean that the Christian is guaranteed earthly, bodily healing by Christ’s death on the cross? No, we aren’t. “Says you,” I can hear the Charismatic/Pentecostal folks replying. Well, if you will permit me, I’ll give you the Biblical reasons for my contention. Ready? Here we go:

Reason #1: The Bible wasn’t originally written with chapters and verses. Those were added in later. This means that the words that immediately follow the Isaiah 53:5 words “…by His stripes we are healed” flow naturally out of the thought and explain it. And what do the words of Isaiah 53:6 say? They say:

All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (N.K.J.V.)

You see, there’s nothing there about earthly, bodily healing. To the contrary, these words are all about our spiritual condition rather than our physical condition. Isaiah doesn’t say we are all like sheep who have fallen into a ditch and become physically damaged; he says we are all like sheep who have gone astray. He doesn’t say we are all like sheep who have come down with a disease; he says we are all like sheep who have turned to our own way. The context of the passage has absolutely nothing to do with earthly, bodily healing.

Reason #2: Along the same lines, the prophet Isaiah himself uses the opening of his book to explain just exactly what type of sickness he is attributing to Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel. Isaiah quotes God as saying of the people of Judah, “…they have rebelled against Me” (Isaiah 1:2). God then goes on to say they are a people “laden with iniquity” who have “forsaken the Lord” and “turned away backward” (1:4). He says, “The whole head is sick” and “the whole heart faints” (1:5). He says they have no soundness “from the soul of the foot even to the head” (1:6). He says their “wounds and bruises and putrefying sores” have not been “closed,” “bound up,” or “soothed with ointment” (1:6).

Do you see how Isaiah is quoting God and speaking of Judah’s sickness in a figurative, metaphorical sense as opposed to a literal one? He’s saying to the people of Judah, “God says that you are a people sick and diseased with sin.” In light of this, when we get to Isaiah 53:5, which deals with the healing that Judah’s coming Messiah (Jesus) will provide, the reference can’t suddenly switch and start referring to bodily healing rather than spiritual healing. That just isn’t in keeping with what Isaiah has been saying all along to those people.

Reason #3: In 1 Peter 2:24-25, the apostle Peter references the words of Isaiah 53:5-6. He says concerning Jesus:

who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness — by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (N.K.J.V.)

Here again we find that the healing provided for by Jesus’ stripes has to do with sins, not bodily sicknesses. Notice that the verses say that Jesus bore our sins, not our sicknesses, in His own body. That is an important distinction to make.

Actually, there is no mention whatsoever by Peter of physical healing either in these verses or the verses that surround them. The immediate context of the entire 1 Peter 2:18-25 passage has to do with Christian slaves submitting to their masters as a way of emulating the way Jesus submitted Himself to His unjust arrest, trial, scourging, and crucifixion. That’s a far cry from being a passage about bodily healing.

It is also worth noting that Peter, writing under the inspiration of God, changes the tense of the Isaiah 53:5 passage. He says of Jesus “by whose stripes you were healed” rather than “by His stripes we are healed.” This subtle change means that the healing spoken of in Isaiah 53:5 has now happened. It isn’t an ongoing thing. Peter doesn’t say of Jesus, “by whose stripes you will be continuously healed.”

Reason #4: In Romans 8:18-25, the apostle Paul says that all of creation “was subjected to futility” (by mankind’s fall into sin) and that it will one day “be delivered from the bondage of corruption” (8:20-21). He then compares this bondage of corruption to the “groans and labors” of “birth pangs” (8:22). While each Christian might rightly assume that his or her body is a part of creation, Paul leaves no doubt that this is a correct assumption when he says that each Christian is “eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body” (v.23).

Notice that Paul specifically says that the Christian is waiting for the time when his or her body will be redeemed. This shows us that while the Christian’s soul has already been fully redeemed (bought back from sin), the body hasn’t. We’re all still waiting on that. In the meantime, our bodies are susceptible to sickness and disease. They are still adversely affected by the Fall just as creation itself is still adversely affected by it.

Reason #5: There are multiple New Testament passages that clearly show that it isn’t always God’s will to heal. Consider the following:

  • Paul left Trophimus, one of his ministry companions, sick in Miletus. (2 Timothy 4:20)
  • Rather than tell Timothy to claim his healing by faith, Paul advised him to drink a little wine for the sake of his stomach and his frequent infirmities. (1 Timothy 5:23)
  • Paul himself evidently suffered from some type of ailment with his eyes. (Galatians 4:13-15; 6:11)
  • Even Jesus didn’t heal every sick, blind, lame, paralyzed person with whom He came into contact. In the story of Him healing at the Pool of Bethesda, He only healed one. (John 5:1-15)
  • If Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was some type of physical ailment, God refused to heal him of it even though Paul asked Him to do so on three occasions. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

As you can see, these passages simply don’t fit with the whole “by His stripes we are healed” line of preaching that is going out incessantly over the airwaves. I don’t say this with any joy. After all, why wouldn’t I, as a Christian, want to claim a promise of guaranteed healing anytime I get sick? That certainly would make my life, not to mention my preaching, a lot easier. But facts are facts, and a wrong interpretation is a wrong interpretation, no matter who is preaching it.

The good news is that there is coming a day when all Christians truly will experience bodily healing in the fullest sense. That day will be the moment of the Rapture, when each and every Christian (whether alive or dead) will have his or her body changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:50-52). Jesus will step down out of heaven into earth’s sky and snatch up the bodies of all of history’s Christians to be with Him.

The dead in Christ will have their bodies resurrected first, and those bodies will be changed into glorified bodies and reunited with the souls that once inhabited them, Jesus having brought those souls with Him from heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:13-16). Next, the bodies of living Christians will be caught up and changed into glorified bodies on the way up (1 Thessalonians 4:17). And all of this will happen in a split second as our bodies of corruption at last put on incorruption and our mortality finally becomes immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53-54).

Until then, however, we must wait for the bodily fulfillment of what Jesus did for us on the cross. This means that we are fair game for everything from colic to cancer, boils to blindness, fevers to fibromyalgia, appendicitis to arthritis, gingivitis to gangrene, and toothaches to tetanus. Someone asks, “But doesn’t God still miraculously heal?” Well, even if He does (in very rare instances) we certainly have no scriptural right to expect Him to do so every time. That’s just not how us living in bodies that are still under the bondage of the Fall works. And, unfortunately, all the misinterpreting and misapplying of all the Bible verses in the book won’t change that. Sorry.

Posted in Christ's Death, Christ's Miracles, Creation, Discernment, Eternity, God's Will, God's Word, Heaven, Human Life, Prophecy, Restoration, Resurrection, Salvation, Scripture, Sickness, Sin, Suffering, The Bible, The Gospel, Truth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Strange Looking Bread & Fish

Posted on July 6, 2026 by russellmckinney

“Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:9-11, N.K.J.V.)

It’s one thing for the Lord to ask you to sit back, do nothing, and let Him handle a problem. It’s quite another thing when you do all that and He doesn’t handle the problem to suit you. If you think such disappointment won’t put a strain on your fellowship with Him, you obviously haven’t lived it.

The core issue is that God isn’t always after the same result you are. While you focus on the temporary, He focuses on the lasting. While you focus on the earthly, He focuses on the eternal. While you focus on life’s rewards, He focuses on heavenly rewards. While you take a short-range view, He takes a long-range view. While you are only concerned with how your situation affects you, He is concerned with how it affects others as well.

Jesus said that if an earthly father knows how to give bread when a child asks for bread, and knows how to give fish when a child asks for fish, how much more will our heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him (Matthew 7:9-11). In light of these words, doesn’t it make sense that if God seems to be giving you stones when you’ve asked for bread and serpents when you’ve asked for fish, perhaps His bread and fish just look different from the bread and fish you were expecting?

Therefore, the next time you ask God for a specific request, but what He sends seems to be something very different than what you requested, go to Him in prayer again and say, “Lord, what You’ve sent here doesn’t look like the bread and fish I requested, but I’m going to trust You that my bread and fish are in it somewhere. Please clear up my vision in the days to come so that I can see my request in what You’ve sent.”

In doing this you’ll begin to understand your situation from God’s perspective. Your objectives will start to merge with His and you’ll enter the process of figuring out His long-range goals in the situation, as opposed to everything being about your short-range goals for it. Will this be the immediate gratification you originally requested? No. But, frankly, the fact is that God is rarely in the business of immediate gratification anyway. You heard it here first.

Posted in Adversity, Anger, Attitude, Complaining, Contentment, Desires, Disappointment, Discernment, Discipleship, Faith, Faithfulness, God's Omniscience, God's Provision, God's Sovereignty, God's Will, God's Work, Impatience, Needs, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Problems, Suffering, Trials, Trusting In God, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Tip for Determining God’s Will

Posted on July 3, 2026 by russellmckinney

Like everybody else I make about a zillion decisions each day. Some are as simple as, “Should I have a ham sandwich or a tuna fish sandwich for lunch?” Others are as complex as, “Should we list our house with a real-estate agent and try to sell it?” Some have to be made on the spur of the moment: “Can I beat that yellow light?” Others only get made at the end of a long, drawn-out process of investigation: “Which college should my kid attend?”

It’s the “big” decisions, of course, that stress us out, keep us up at night, and drive us to prayer. These are the ones that have the potential to radically change the status quo and usher in major changes. While it’s true that sometimes our “little” decisions are actually “big” ones in disguise — as the old saying goes, “Big doors swing on little hinges” — some decisions seem “big” right out of the gate and stay that way right down the line because, let’s face it, they are.

Regarding these decisions I hope you won’t mind if I share with you a tip that I’ve found very helpful over the years. Actually, this tip can be used to help you determine God’s will regarding any decision (“big” or “little”), but I myself usually just use it for “big” ones. The tip goes like this:

When you are faced with a decision, go to God in prayer and say this: “Lord, if You called me up to heaven right now and asked me, ‘What do you think My will is regarding this decision?’ here is what I would answer: ……”    

Now that I’ve given the tip let me add in two important details about it. Detail #1 identifies the basic assumption that serves as the foundation for the tip. That assumption is: Not only does God want you to know His will regarding your decision, He has already been working on you to let you know what His will is.

Admittedly, God’s work in you must not be complete yet if you are still in decision-making mode. Nevertheless, the fact that you have already formed at least a working answer that you can give in reply to His question shows that He has been on the case a while. Again, the work isn’t finished and you aren’t ready to commit to any course of action, but God already has the bread in the oven.

Detail #2 plays right off the first one and has to do with the nature of how the tip works. What you need to know is that the tip is only helpful for the specific moment in time in which you employ it. What I mean is, just because you answer God’s question in a certain way on Monday, that doesn’t mean you’ll answer it the same way on Tuesday. Sometimes just a little more information or a new set of facts can tweak your whole mindset and completely change the answer you give to God.

Because of this the tip is not intended to be an end-game type of deal. Instead, you should think of it as being simply a mile marker on the journey that ends with you finalizing your decision. It’s just you saying to God, “Okay Lord, if I had to make my decision this second, here’s what I think is Your will.” Needless to say, if the answer you give isn’t truly God’s will, He knows that He has to do that which is necessary to bring your thinking into line with His. And He will always be faithful to do that.

Posted in Change, Choices, Decisions, Discernment, God's Guidance, God's Will, Personal, Prayer | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Thy Rod & Thy Staff They Comfort Me

Posted on July 1, 2026 by russellmckinney

The 23rd Psalm is all about how the Lord leads His people. One of my favorite parts of the Psalm is verse 2:

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. (K.J.V.)

Green pastures and still waters, you have to love those.

Verse 4, however, describes the sheep being led to a much different place:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (K.J.V.)

Finding comfort in the serene tranquility of green pastures and still waters? Sure, put me down for that. But finding comfort in the Lord’s rod and staff while He’s leading me through the valley of the shadow of death? Sorry, I think I’ll pass.

First of all, the place itself isn’t exactly inviting. I mean, it’s not called the valley of the shadow of life, is it? Second, when I hear the word “rod” or the word “staff” my mind doesn’t automatically associate either with comfort. However, having studied this issue, I have to admit that I’ve learned that my mental association is incorrect.

I’ll start with the rod. A shepherd’s rod is more or less a club he uses to either defend his sheep against predators or to keep a wayward sheep from going far astray. The rod’s purpose is not to cruelly beat a sheep into submission or to whale away in discipline on the sheep for having wandered from the flock. There’s certainly no comfort in either of those propositions. No, the rod is an instrument whereby the shepherd protects the sheep not only from the sheep’s enemies but also from the sheep itself.

Author Phillip Keller grew up in the African country of Kenya as the son of missionary parents. By far, his most famous book is A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. In that book, he writes the following about how he watched the shepherd boys of Kenya make their rods from young saplings and through much practice learn to wield them effectively. He says:

The sapling itself is shaped to exactly fit the owner’s hand. After he completes it, the shepherd boy spends hours practicing with this club, learning how to throw it with amazing speed and accuracy. It becomes his main weapon of defense for both himself and his sheep. I used to watch the native lads having competitions to see who could throw his rod with the greatest accuracy across the greatest distance…The rod was what he relied on to safeguard both himself and his flock in danger.

With Keller’s description in mind, we can understand how a shepherd’s rod can bring comfort to a sheep. Let’s say that a poisonous snake is lying in the path of the sheep. The rod comes flying and WHACK; the snake is either dead or fled. Or let’s say that a lion is stalking the flock and getting within striking distance of a lamb. The rod comes flying and WHACK; the lamb doesn’t look so appealing anymore. Christian, don’t you love the idea of Jesus, your Shepherd (John 10:11-30), throwing His rod and keeping your enemies at bay in your life? Now we’re talking comfort!

Remember, though, that a shepherd also uses his rod to keep a wayward sheep from harming itself by going astray. On this subject, Keller writes of his upbringing in Kenya:

I could never get over how often, and with what accuracy, the African herders would hurl their knob-kerries at some recalcitrant beast that misbehaved. If the shepherd saw a sheep wandering away on its own, or approaching poisonous weeds, or getting too close to danger of one sort of another, the club would go whistling through the air to send the wayward animal scurrying back to the bunch.

Here again we see how a certain comfort can be associated with a shepherd’s rod. Whereas a shepherd will throw his rod with ill intent toward a predator, his intent will be totally different when his aim is toward one of his sheep. The goal in that situation is loving protection or loving persuasion rather than adversarial harm. It’s a case of the shepherd inflicting a bit of hurt upon the sheep in order to keep the sheep from carelessly or foolishly getting into more serious hurt. Does any one of us want to dispute the fact that the Lord, like a loving father who sets boundaries of safety for his child, has on occasion either rebuked us through His word or whipped us through circumstances to keep us away from truly serious harm?

So, all this covers the idea of the Lord’s rod providing us with comfort as He leads us through the valley of the shadow of death. But what about His staff doing the same? For that matter, what is a shepherd’s staff anyway? And how can it be used to provide comfort? I’m glad you asked.

A shepherd’s staff is a long, slender, straight stick with a u-shaped crook at the top of it. Such an instrument, in the hands of a skilled shepherd, has a wide variety of uses. Keller, in his book, describes several of them. Here’s a compiled list:

  • A shepherd uses his staff as an instrument to gently lift a newborn lamb and lay it alongside its mother.
  • A shepherd uses his staff to reach out and draw individual sheep to himself for closer inspection.
  • A shepherd uses his staff to draw individual sheep that are shy or standoffish into the unity of the flock.
  • A shepherd uses his staff to guide individual sheep into the proper path.

In regards to the 23rd Psalm’s picture of the shepherd’s staff providing the sheep with comfort as the sheep traverses the valley of the shadow of death, it’s that last usage that best defines the staff’s role. Obviously, the valley of the shadow of death is no place for a sheep to be exploring new paths or wandering around aimlessly. To the contrary, it’s a place where a loving shepherd will keep extra close guard on a sheep to ensure that the sheep doesn’t drift off course. Since death’s shadow is all around, it is imperative that the shepherd keep the sheep in line.

And just exactly what is “the shadow of death” in our lives? While it’s true that these words have been effectively used as the text for countless funerals, the word “shadow” actually implies that the valley isn’t necessarily a valley of literal death. Certainly it’s a valley of potential death, but it’s not a valley of certain death. And the difference might very well lie in how closely the sheep obeys the shepherd’s guidance and walks in the safe path while in the valley.

Understanding the valley this way, the valley of the shadow of death in our lives represents any difficult experience through which we must walk. Times of suffering? They qualify. Times of temptation? They qualify. Times of persecution? They qualify. Times of injustice? They qualify. Times of loss? They qualify. Times of disappointment? They qualify. Times of spiritual warfare? They qualify. Times of fear? They qualify. Times of stress? They qualify. Times of confusion? They qualify. Times of perplexity? They qualify. Times of anxiety? They qualify. Times of depression? They qualify.

These are all “valley of the shadow of death” experiences, and in each of them we would be well advised to find our comfort in the Lord’s guiding staff of wisdom and direction. You see, He knows the safe way through the valley. Not only does He know how to lead us into the valley, He knows how to lead us through it and out the other side. That’s why your best move, little sheep, whenever you find yourself in the valley of the shadow of death, is to feel for the great Shepherd’s crook around your neck and go with that flow rather than against it.

Now let me close out this post with one final word about the shepherd’s staff. Since I’ve already quoted so extensively from Phillip Keller’s wonderful book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, it seems only appropriate that I do so again. As you read Keller’s words, apply them to your own life and your own walk with the Lord. By doing this I think you’ll find great comfort in them. Keller writes:

Sometimes I have been fascinated to see how a shepherd will actually hold his staff against the side of some sheep that is a special pet or favorite, simply so that they “are in touch.” They will walk along this way almost as though it were “hand-in-hand.” The sheep obviously enjoys this special attention from the shepherd and revels in the close, personal, intimate contact between them. To be treated in this special way by the shepherd is to know comfort in a deep dimension. It is a delightful and moving picture.

Posted in Adversity, Backsliding, Comfort, Depression, Disappointment, Discipleship, Discipline, Disobedience, Encouragement, Fear, God's Love, God's Omnipotence, God's Omnipresence, God's Guidance, God's Omniscience, God's Provision, Obedience, Persecution, Perseverance, Problems, Rebellion, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Submission, Suffering, Temptation, The Devil, Trials, Trusting In God | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Word About Greatness

Posted on June 29, 2026 by russellmckinney

“…whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:43-45, N.K.J.V.)

Joe and Ted went hiking, and somewhere deep in the woods they ran across a grizzly bear. Both men froze as they waited to see whether or not the bear would charge. As the bear became more agitated and began giving indications that it would charge, Joe bent down and started untying his hiking boots.

Ted, continuing to stand completely still, watched Joe take off the boots, pull a pair of sneakers from his backpack, and put on the sneakers. Finally, Ted said to him, “No matter what kind of shoes we are wearing, neither one of us is going to be able to outrun that bear through this rough terrain.” Joe, after tying his last shoe, stood up, looked Ted squarely in the eyes, and said, “I don’t have to outrun that bear. I just have to outrun you.”

This story provides an uncomfortably accurate picture of how this world works. Far too many people are only concerned about themselves. In their way of thinking everything is fine as long as they come out on top. Getting eaten by a bear is for losers.

How shocking it was then when God Himself in human flesh showed up in the person of Jesus Christ and sung the praises of serving others. Even Christ’s chosen twelve apostles struggled mightily to grasp this concept. “How can there be greatness in serving others?” they wondered. “How can a slave be first?”

As proof of their struggle our text passage is found within the context of a story that takes place very late in Christ’s ministry, actually just a few days before His crucifixion. James and John, two of Jesus’ inner circle of apostles, ask Him to grant them the honor of sitting at His right hand and His left hand during His kingdom reign (Mark 10:35-37). You talk about being spiritually tone deaf! Jesus is about to be crucified in a matter of days, and these men are worried about acquiring places of prominence in His kingdom. Matthew’s version of the story (Matthew 20:20-28) says it was their mother who literally voiced the request to Jesus on behalf of her sons. How typical it is for a parent to want his or her child to be considered great.

Truth be told most of us have some James, some John, or some of their mother in us. We either want greatness for ourselves or for our family members. Facebook exists for the purpose of us reporting any family news that makes us come off looking great. But how popular do you think Facebook would be if it only allowed the reporting of news wherein you or some member of your family humbly became a slave and served others? I’d hate to own Facebook stock if that ever became the requirement for posting.

Right now, wherever you are in life, it would be worth your while to take a minute and ask yourself, “Is my life marked more by achieving or by serving?” Phrasing the question another way, ask yourself, “If greatness is measured by humbling serving others, how great am I?” And if you don’t like your answer then do something about it. Find some individual who is in genuine need and do what it takes to serve them well. Then find someone else. Then find someone else. Then find someone else.

If you will keep doing that over and over again serving others will eventually become a way of life to you rather than just an occasional event. And as you perform every act of service always keep in mind that Jesus has provided you with the ultimate example of such self-sacrificing servitude by dying on the cross for the sins of the world. That means that He’s not asking you to do anything that He Himself hasn’t already ideally done.

Posted in Discipleship, Doing Good, Dying To Self, God's Work, Humility, Influence, Leadership, Ministry, Missions, Service | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Difference Between Pit Stops & Racing

Posted on June 26, 2026 by russellmckinney

It’s been said that Christians need to be the church rather than just go to church. Truer words were never spoken. When church is a once-a-week-event rather than a seven-day-a-week lifestyle, it runs the risk of becoming little more than a couple of hours of religious piety each week.

Have you ever watched the Indianapolis 500 or the Daytona 500 on television? The race cars zoom around the track mile after mile, each driver pouring himself into doing his job to the best of his ability. At certain intervals, however, the drivers have to drive their cars into the pit area for pit stops. Nobody can race 500 miles without a few pit stops.

Once a pit stop officially begins, a whirlwind of activity takes place. Pit crew members come flying over the retaining walls onto the track. Each pit crew attacks its driver’s car like a swarm of bees. Does the car need gas? One crew member does that job. Does the car need fresh tires? A team of crew members do that job. Does the windshield need cleaning? A crew member does that job.

And what does the driver do while all this activity is going on? He sits in the car, maybe grabs a quick drink of something, and gets a round of encouragement or instruction from his crew chief. The entire event takes less than twenty seconds and then the driver roars the car back onto the track and resumes the race. You see, it’s the race that is the big deal, not the pit stop. The pit stop is just something that helps the driver do better in the race.

Perhaps you’ve figured out by now where I’m going with this. The race in which Christians are running is life — the real world — and the regularly scheduled pit stops are church services. As for the pit crews, they are the pastors, ministers of music, Sunday School teachers, youth ministers, etc. These people do the work in the “pit” area as they provide the Christian (the driver) with encouragement, instruction, and assistance each church service.

Unfortunately, the problem that Christianity has had for a long time now is that Christians think of the scheduled pit stops as being the main thing. To them the race (life) is just what you have to endure to get back to the safety of the pit area once a week. They don’t understand that God gifts each Christian with not only natural talents but also spiritual gifts, all of which are supposed to be used in service to Him not only in church services but out there in the real world. Talents are abilities the Christian receives at his or her physical birth. Spiritual gifts are abilities the indwelling Holy Spirit brings to the Christian at the moment of his or her spiritual birth (the born-again experience).

So, by stretching our analogy a bit further, we see that the Christians “car” is his or her body. That body has been well equipped by God with talents and spiritual gifts to run the race well. But what happens if the Christian doesn’t use those talents and spiritual gifts? The answer is, each day that Christian falls further behind in the race. And no driver ever won a trophy for being the first to make a pit stop or for making the most pit stops.

Christian, I hope this simple post will help you get church attendance into proper perspective in your life. Are those pit stops important to the driver? Absolutely. There’s no doubt they help the driver do a better job of racing. But what you must always keep front and center in your mind is that the race is the thing. You see, God is trying to use Christians to minister to the whole world, and He knows full well that the whole world doesn’t attend church each Sunday. That’s why He needs you to be the church every day, wherever you are, whatever you are doing, rather than just go to church.

Posted in Church, Church Attendance, Commitment, Doing Good, Faithfulness, God's Work, Ministry, Service, Spiritual Gifts, Sports, Talents, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment