Personal Growth Archives | Kerry L. Skinner

September 16, 2019 By KSkinner 4 Comments

The Powerful Impact of God’s Word

our God whom we serve is able…and He will deliver us…

Daniel 3:17 NKJV

When God does His mighty work in the midst of His people, several truths must be recognized:

God has always desired to work through His people, but they have not always recognized His initiative in their lives, or His activity around them.
When God does a great work in and through His people, those involved desire to share humbly the wonderful works of God with other Christians.
In the process of sharing, it is apparent that all God did cannot be included or adequately communicated.
In the sharing, there are always those who respond in diverse ways.

People in the churches of our day seem to be at a crossroads. Many truly desire God’s presence and activity and are praying for a great touch from God while others seem somewhat afraid to release their lives to God.

Throughout the Scriptures, God has always spoken to His people. When He speaks, it is to reveal His past, present, and future activities in their lives. What He is doing is always far more important than what His people are doing for Him.

God works through His people–the churches. Believers need to be taught how to walk with God. They need to know how to hear Him speaking. They need to be able to identify things only God can do. Why? Because God chooses to work through the entire body, not just the leadership.

A church is the Body of Christ. Each member is vitally important to the body. A body functions as one unit with spiritual leaders and members. All are interdependent–they need each other. Each leader and member of the body needs the others to fully know God’s will. Each member has a role in the body (Gal. 6:1-5) and each leader has a responsibility to the body to equip the members (Eph. 4:11-13).

Because of all of this, we must spend time in God’s Word daily! We must spend time in God’s Word individually and as a body of believers. Make sure you spend time in personal devotions but also take time to study God’s Word with others under the guidance of a godly leader.

Remember, “…our God is able [to teach us]” what we need so that we know how to respond to Him!

Filed Under: Articles, Main Blog, Personal Growth

September 2, 2019 By KSkinner Leave a Comment

Two Kinds of Patience

There are two basic kinds of patience, active and inactive patience. Inactive patience simply waits on things to happen. Inactive patience thinks, “Well I hope it all works out.” It is like a prisoner waiting out time in a jail cell. “I’m not going to try to escape. I’m not going to try to redeem myself. I’m not going to try to talk to an attorney, even though I may have been put in here unjustly, I’m just going to wait it out.”

Active patience is like a soldier whose focus is victory. He is systematically working toward victory. This person endures all the difficulties that are required to capture the situation. Whatever it takes to accomplish the task, active patience will pursue. This active patience gets the job done.

Have you ever heard this statement: “Well I’m just waiting on the Lord.” That phrase can be used with either kind of patience. It can be an inactive patience, “I’m just going to sit on my front porch and do nothing, slowly. I will wait, hoping something happens.” But you see waiting on God is not inactivity. Waiting on God is pursuing the last thing He told you to do and doing it with all your heart and soul until you receive a new direction from Him. In Jesus’ brief ministry on earth, He did not sit around and wonder what to do next. Jesus actively pursued the will of God as the Father let Him know what to do. His waiting on God was not like sitting and waiting out a term in prison. It was rather like a soldier who is actively pursuing the orders of his commander. Jesus was not going to go in any new direction until God gave Him a new direction.”

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

Hebrews 12:1

That is not inactivity. It is actively pursuing the last instruction God gave you.

…looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2

Jesus completed His mission. He fulfilled it completely. He pursued us with the power of patience. It kept Him focused and on task. This focus of Christ would lead Him to the cross and He would not turn back from it. It took patience to go through it. He had to live with twelve men who did not completely understand Him. He had to suffer. He had to go through the pain. But impatience did not take Him there. Patience took Him there.

Does the patience of Christ rule your heart?

Filed Under: Articles, Biblical Counseling, Main Blog, Personal Growth

August 26, 2019 By KSkinner Leave a Comment

What Is My Problem?

“What is my problem? Why can’t I change to be better? I need help! If I could just find out what the issue is, then I would know what to do to get better!” Ever had these questions and thoughts? All of us need a refresher on this subject. In fact, this article is essential reading for anyone who is serious about overcoming anxiety, stress, and frustration. Let’s first set the context by considering this passage from Proverbs:

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones. (Proverbs 3:7-8)

One of our responsibilities as Christians is to be witnesses to weary travelers who are trying to use human resources to deal with sin. The collapse of family life and the escalation of dishonesty, stealing, violence, crime, physical and sexual abuse speaks for itself. Our world needs a good dose of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Who Can I Turn Too?

Many in our day wonder whether their problem can be solved by spending time in the solitude of some peaceful place or whether they must see their doctor for medical help. Christian’s minds are confused by the constant magazine articles, newspaper clippings, and news reports that claim a cure to the monotony of life. They wonder whether their problem is physical, emotional, or spiritual. Where do they turn when everyone is claiming to have the answer?

Am I depressed? Am I A.D.D.? Do I have a chemical imbalance? Why am I so dissatisfied with life? Can somebody help me? These are the questions that I hear every week as people consult me looking for peace.

Can the biblical counselor be so bold as to claim that the Scriptures have all the answers they are looking for? Maybe a person they counsel started with a sin problem but now has a physical problem too. Now what?

Counselors trained in methods that do not use biblical guidance seem to think God is not the answer. Family members are tired of going to secular and Christian counselors and churches looking for help but coming up empty. Who really has the answer?

Is Jesus Really The Answer?

Jesus has the answer but many are so disoriented to a relationship with Him that they can’t seem to find Him. For every born-again believer, He is available twenty-four hours a day yet many cannot sense His presence. How do they get back in tune with Him? IF they do, will Jesus solve their problem? Can Jesus deal with physical issues or is He just interested in your spiritual condition? If your problem is physical, what do you do next?[Continue Reading]

Filed Under: Articles, Biblical Counseling, Main Blog, Peace, Personal Growth