IS THE WATER GETTING TOO HOT?

If you are like me, you have probably heard the old apologue describing a frog being slowly boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out; but if the frog is put in tepid water, which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. The story is often used as a metaphor for the inability or unwillingness of people to react to or be aware of sinister threats that arise gradually rather than suddenly. Unfortunately, this premise is false, because a frog in water that is gradually heated will jump out! Furthermore, a frog placed into already boiling water will die immediately, not jump out.

But let us consider that this old metaphor may carry in it a grain of truth regarding the lack of urgency on the part of the frog in water that is ever so gradually being heated to the boiling point...what is the perceived danger and if perceived, when would it jump out? Now, I ask this question because I believe we, as believers, are living in a pot of tepid water when it comes to the sins of our society and our less than urgent attention to deal with the threat of the water temperature as it continues to rise.

You see the devil, with his demons and minions, are the ones that seem to have their hands on the knob that controls the heat that is being applied to the "water" of our mental, physical, social and spiritual states in these latter days....and what do I mean by that accusation? In the physical realm, our American population has over 70 million adults considered obese and another 99 million that are overweight; and our children are right on our heels as their numbers continue to rise in being obese or overweight....all from eating too many "carbs" and their lack of exercise and healthy eating habits. In the social realm, we have lost the desire to actual communication face to face. Rather it is not uncommon to go to a restaurant and see a family of four, seated at a table, with their faces, all enthralled in staring at their phones...and don't get me started about the filth of pornography that is literally a click away when you Google any medical condition that has to do with personal health issues. 

In seems there was a time, not so long ago, when we all used to be social beings as we spent time with family and friends; but, those days and hours of pleasurable conversation are gone because of the social and political divide that has swept across our land. I am still mad, as well as totally bewildered, that we have become like a third world country that enables one to believe they have a civil, if not moral mandate, to shoot someone because they espouse a moral or personal conviction on faith; or, the genocide of the unborn; or, a personal vendetta to attack and seek to kill a person who has been sworn to protect the citizens of our country against lawbreakers and those who have entered our sovereign nation illegally...and the devil keeps turning the knob as the water of complacency continues to rise and we continue to stew in the process.

And last, and certainly to me, the one that is most concerning....the spiritual state of America! What happened to upholding our first amendment right to freedom of religion and our freedom of free speech? We have forsaken our mandate from Jesus Christ to proclaim the Gospel as we have allowed those with political power and clout to kick us out of the schools of our nation, making it an offense to pray in school then filling our young children's heads with the amoral idea of homosexuality, unprotected sex and the greatest lie of all....that children should be able to change their God-given sex at the behest of some school psychologists and money hungry doctors, all the while perpetuating this evil and not notifying the parents as to the procedures that are being done to their children!  GOD HELP US as the devil continues to crank up the heat, as we, the proverbial frogs, sit complacently in boiling water, clueless that our death is imminent!

We cannot afford the luxury of our stupidity as we continue to "go along to get along."  There is nothing wrong with being a tolerant person until your tolerance becomes a "tripping stone" or "parking curb" that causes you to fall and spill your brains all over the parking lot. And I speak from experience regarding this, having spent my energy more than once from tripping over a parking curb; and then racing like a full back, trying to score a TD over the last six yards, before I fell flat on my face, tore my pants, skinned both knees and hands, and wiped out a good pair of pants as I skidded across the pavement.

Trust me, we do not want to be remembered for our falls; rather, we want to be acclaimed for our stand for Christ in these last days... before His return....and since NO ONE KNOWS THAT DAY OR TIME, we  need to stand strong and get out of the water of the devil's induced apathy and share the Good News of Grace and Mercy and Forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus. Then, let us once again claim our birthright as citizens of heaven, who now sojourn on earth for a little while, as we prepare to leave this world behind for the riches and glories of Heaven...COME LORD JESUS COME QUICKLY,  and rescue us from the "boiling waters" of the devil's cistern of this fallen world!

 Leaping for safety and the Arms of Jesus,

WPQ

 

Poem for the day....

Life can be such a battle,
To face the rigors of each new day;
Spending our time in service to our King;
Seeking to show others, His will and His way!!!
Staying the course so others will see,
That we have a call to obey;
To turn back the devil's schemes and ploys;
To be immovable each day as we pray....
 
To give our hearts and minds to Him
That was led as a lamb to the slaughter;
To know when it's time to bail from the pot,
That is filled with the devil's boiling water?
To live a life that honors our God;
To be righteous, holy and devout....
To know when it's time to take a stand;
When to rise up and call sin out?
 
To no longer hide in the shadows;
But be courageous, strong, and true.
To live a life that directs others
To place their faith and trust in....YOU!
 
wpq © october 2025
 

IS TIME ON YOUR SIDE?

There is one immutable resource that everyone has at their disposal; be you rich or poor; smart or intellectually challenged; free or held captive....if you are alive, breathing and have your wits about you, then you qualify for this resource...the resource of TIME! Yes, each day when you wake up, you are given a new 24 hour commodity of time...you can use it for any number of reasons; but at the stroke of midnight, that 24 hours is OVER and the clock starts ticking all over again. The rock band, The Rolling Stones, wrote and recorded a song in 1964 entitled, TIME IS ON MY SIDE, which told his lover that though she had left him, SHE WOULD COME RUNNIN' BACK TO HIM, OH YES SHE WOULD. This was never a favorite song of mine; I guess it just never struck a chord with my heart or mind; however there is someone who spoke quite eloquently about time and how it works for and against us in this life...

His name...KING SOLOMON! If you go to the Old Testament and search for chapter 3 of the Book of Ecclesiastes, it tells us,

there is...A Time for Everything

There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time. There is a time to be born and a time to die. There is a time to plant and a time to pull up plants.  There is a time to kill and a time to heal. There is a time to destroy and a time to build. There is a time to cry and a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad and a time to dance with joy. There is a time to throw weapons down and a time to pick them up. There is a time to hug someone and a time to stop holding so tightly. There is a time to look for something and a time to consider it lost. There is a time to keep things and a time to throw things away. There is a time to tear cloth and a time to sew it. There is a time to be silent and a time to speak. There is a time to love and a time to hate. There is a time for war and a time for peace.

God Controls His World...Do people really gain anything from their hard work? I saw all the hard work God gave us to do.  God gave us the ability to think about his world, but we can never completely understand everything he does. And yet, he does everything at just the right time.  I learned that the best thing for people to do is to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live. God wants everyone to eat, drink, and enjoy their work. These are gifts from God.  I learned that anything God does will continue forever. People cannot add anything to the work of God, and they cannot take anything away from it. God did this so that people would respect him. What happened in the past has happened, and what will happen in the future will happen. But God wants to help those who have been treated badly. (Found in the Easy to Read Version)

 So my question is...HOW ARE YOU SPENDING YOUR COMMODITY OF TIME EACH DAY? Are you squandering it on foolish endeavors or planting seeds of faith in new ground? If planting, are you watering adequately with prayer, petition and supplications or letting the weeds have their way in your new garden of obedience to the Creator of the Universe? Are you looking and preparing for the harvest of God's abundant blessings or are you gripping and complaining of a bushel not filled to overflowing? Are you wondering where the TIME went and upset that you did not do all that you told God you would accomplish for His Kingdom? Well if any of these situations tilt your world off its axis....here's the GOOD NEWS....TOMORROW IS JUST HOURS AWAY BEFORE YOU CAN TRY AGAIN....and with the indwelling of God's Holy Spirit, you can trust Him to make all things NEW so that you can say....

TIME IS ON MY SIDE, OH YES IT IS.... BECAUSE GOD IS IN CONTROL AND I WILL GO WHERE HE LEADS AND DO AS HE COMMANDS SO THAT ALL WILL BE WELL WITH MY SOUL...AND I SHALL KNOW PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING AS I LIVE EACH SECOND, MINUTE AND 24 HOURS OF EACH DAY FOR HIM!

 May it ever be so, AMEN AND AMEN!

 WPQ

 

Poem for the day....
 
Living in this fast-paced, modern world,
With all its worries and concerns;
Can make one often anxious,
When we think we've got hours to burn?
 
We gulp our food as we check our phones;
Where do all those hours go?
Until we lay down our weary heads,
With little for our day to show...
 
That we are living as the Bible instructs;
Helping those in spirit as well as deed.
To see someone whose just getting by
And give them what they need.
 
For that is what our Savior taught
By His words; but more, His life;
For we are to help those adrift
In the midst of storms and strife.
 
So lean into the works prepared for you;
Spend wisely your commodity of time....
So that when you lay your body down;
God's peaceful rest will be sublime!!!
 
WPQ © October 2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SATAN'S DECEITFUL NATURE....THE WAR CONTINUES

As we turn our thoughts on getting back to that GOOD OLD TIME RELIGION, let us continue to evaluate this new spirit of progressive Christianity that tells us to believe the mindset that says, we know better than God; that since these words were written by mere mortal men, thousands of years ago; then truly the plain sense of the words of the Bible cannot be trusted, and that the old, proven paths are not proven at all. In fact, the very God of the Bible must be recreated if He is to live up to our enlightened standards. This would be bad if it was some uprising of intellectuals, spouting this rubbish from afar; however, it is worse, unfortunately,  because it is being espoused from the pulpit of so many of our "modern day churches." The teachings of Jesus to love our enemies is still true; but we have allowed these "enemies" to stand in our pulpits and tell us that sin is okay. We are told to accept homosexuals, love 'em and praise them for their willingness to bring, what was once called "sin against God and sin against humanity,"  out into the open forum so that ALL mankind will no longer call this type of lifestyle, "SIN";  but rather celebrate their "forward thinking" that they know better than God how to live their lives and be fulfilled, while living a lifestyle, corrupted by sin.

BUT, we should know better! For when we begin to think in such a manner, what we are then left with is simply our religion—a faith without a backbone; a bible with which we have chosen only the parts that fit our distorted mindset and a god that we have created in our image, based on our values. Augustine summed it up nicely: “If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself." Christ warns, on many occasions in His words to us, "And He said: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near Therefore do not go after them." Luke 21:8....and that is EXACTLY what we see happening in so many of our long, established houses of worship here in the United States.

We should also take to heart the message from the Apostle Paul when he writes in 1 Corinthians 9 &10, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God."

However, there are two more passages from GOD'S WORD, THE BIBLE, that tell us not TO BE DECEIVED....Don’t be deceived! “Evil companionships corrupt good morals.”  I Cor. 15:33 WVB;  as well as, ^"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." Galatians 6:7 NIV

AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE DOING...WE ARE MOCKING GOD with our outlandish ways on how to live and our smug attitudes that thumbs our collective noses in God's face, calling Him out and daring Him to correct us and our demonic mindset....A MINDSET that tells us to believe that we are GOD and HE IS NOT!!!

The following excerpt is from Michael Brown ©2022  and the reason I wrote this series... But, again, this is not merely an intellectual battle. At root, this is a spiritual battle, one that can only be won through prayer, fasting, through clear Gospel proclamation, through resisting the enemy, refusing to compromise and walking in genuine, heartfelt love. The spirit of the age will be against us (“You are so old-fashioned and outdated!”). The spirit of the flesh will be against us (“You are such boring legalists!”). The spirit of that ancient serpent will be against us (“If you want to be on the right side of history, you need to abandon your inflexible, fundamentalist mindset!”).

But the Holy Spirit is with us, and by His power we pull down these deceptive strongholds and demolish these destructive ideologies. We do it by wrestling in prayer in the secret place before we raise our voices in the public square. We do it by pointing to the inevitable trajectory of progressive beliefs, as little by little, they depart further and further from the faith until even the most fundamental doctrines are denied. We do it by exposing the moral bankruptcy of a faith that questions God’s integrity and His Word, producing bondage rather than freedom. And we do it by setting the captives free, offering them radically new life through the Gospel and a true encounter with the living God through His Son, Jesus.

In the days ahead, this battle will intensify. The foundations of our faith will be questioned as never before, and the “old ways” will be rapidly abandoned. But be encouraged. Progressive religion is no better than a beautiful sandcastle, soon to be washed out when the tide comes in.

It is that holy tide, in the life and power of the Spirit, grounded in the Word of truth, that will carry us to victory and deliver many from its deception and the adjoining lies. (End of Michael Brown insert)

Don't be one of those fools of which the Bible speaks of in the days that lie ahead...where in 2 Timothy 4:3, it reads," For there will come a time when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, because they have itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in line with their own desires." Evangelical Heritage Version

Those times are upon us and you must choose whom you will serve...the GOD of AGES PAST, who sent His Only Son to die on a Roman cross for your sins and mine; then rose on that third day to now stand at the right hand of the Father, waiting for that trumpet blast to GO GET GOD'S CHILDREN AND BRING THEM HOME TO ETERNAL REST.... OR....You may choose the God of YOUR OWN MAKING AND THOUGH NOT A PROPHET, I DO NOT FORSEE A HAPPY ENDING FOR ANYONE FOOLISH ENOUGH TO MAKE SUCH A CHOICE! 

May the God of that GOOD OLD TIME RELIGION FOREVER DWELL IN THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF THOSE HE HAS CALLED TO BE HIS OWN....AMEN and AMEN!             

 WPQ

 

 Lyrics from Old Time Religion...

Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
It is good enough for me

It was good for my old mother
It was good for my old mother
It was good for my old mother
And it's good enough for me

It was good for the Hebrew children
It was good for the Hebrew children
It was good for the Hebrew children
And it's good enough for me

Well, give me that old time religion
Well, that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
It is good enough for me

I want that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
Give me that old time religion
It is good enough for me

 

 

Another Step A Way ....

As we continue our study of how we got so far away from that Good Old Time Religion, we must next look at the family...and how the dynamics of family, raising children, technology and sports have worked quietly behind the scenes to disrupt and even destroy the family unit here in America and across the world.

When I was being raised as a child, my family had a different dynamic than most. There was my dad, mom, my younger sister, me....and my aunt (my father's younger sister) and her daughter who was six months older than me....and all this new family came to be shortly after I had my sixth birthday. It was quite different; adding a sister/cousin and an additional mom....talk about a double whammy when it came to being chastised and disciplined. But, as families did back then, we settled into life, loving and leaning on one another for familial support. My sister now had someone she could play with and thus, not spend her time, bugging me....and I had another mom who was a great cook. We did what most families did back then....go to work and school, play outside until the street lights came on or my dad hollered for us to come home for supper or school work; went to church Sunday morning for Sunday School, worship service; back at 5 pm for Youth Choir; Wednesday family supper, prayer meetings and youth activities...and if all was going well, a vacation trip each summer for a week's vacation at the beach or to the mountains to visit aunts, uncles and other cousins. I played baseball and took up golf and basketball in junior high....and my all-star baseball team traveled some in the summer before school began in the Fall.

But the mainstay, rock-bed foundation of our family was our evening meal. WE ALL SAT DOWN at the same time, ate the same thing, seated around the dinner table as we discussed the highs and lows of our day... parents and children all joining in to share what was taking place in our lives. If the phone rang during the meal, it rang until it stopped...no one got up to answer it, thus breaking our family circle that was sacred at dinnertime. Everyone was given a chance to share, no interruptions, and seconds, both in food and conversations, was always allowed. The only night we did not eat together at home was on Wednesday night, when we ate at church; or if a special occasion occurred and we went out for dinner. Fast food was NOT AN OPTION....only thing about fast food at my house...how fast I could eat it, so I could be excused and get back outdoors!

There were no answering machines to take a message; no cell phones, tablets or personal computers, vying for our attention; no tweets, no Instagram, no selfies, no self-inflicted interruptions to take us away from what mattered most...SPENDING TIME TOGETHER, CATCHING UP ON LIFE, EATING A GOOD MEAL, TALKING ABOUT OUR SUCCESSES AND OUR "SPEEDBUMPS"....AND LETTING THOSE WE LOVED KNOW THAT WE HAD MISSED THEM DURING THE DAY!

But all one has to do is look at what modern technology has done to the family dynamics in this modern era....everyone coming and going their own ways, with little to no interaction with others in the family. Hardly ever eating together; both parents working and the kids involved in almost every sport imaginable; running from one end of the county to the other; exhausted and distraught, shortened hours for sleep, homework....but plenty of time for X-box or other diversions that may add to self indulgence, but do little for self-worth and self-improvement. 

Church life is almost becoming an extinct activity for families. Forget Wednesday night at church or Sunday afternoon choir for kids and young people....they are all wrapped up in traveling team sports, often leaving on Friday afternoon to go play in a tournament that won't wrap up until late Sunday afternoon; or participating in a swim, track or gymnastic event that takes them away from attending Sunday School/Bible Study or worshiping together as a family on Sunday. SPORTS FOR OUR CHILDREN HAVE BECOME THEIR IDOL AND WE DRIVE THEM TO WHEREVER THAT MAY TAKE THEM...until they can drive and then, they leave to go play and we go back to taking a long nap on Sunday afternoon. 

No wonder our world is being turned upside down with all these "woke" and "off-beat worldly views." God has been left off of our "things to do" list and our children, our families and our churches are suffering the ill effects of trying to teach our children to live a "good life" with a broken compass that gives them neither spiritual guidance nor heavenly directions....What we need is to return, once again, to that 

OLD TIME RELIGION.....AMEN AND AMEN,

WPQ

 

The following three posts where added to my blog back in 2020, about the time Covid-19 was rearing its ugly head...and probably exacerbated the onset of the most progressive shift in American values I have seen in my lifetime...and it is still running amuck in our society as we approach the end of 2025. So for that reason, and many others, I felt it prudent to re-post this series entitled, GIVE ME THAT OLD TIME RELIGION. Please read and share with friends, family and those of the "woke" mentality, before it is to late and God deals directly with the sin, discourse and abominations of changing God's TRUTHS into our own twisted morays in the time of godless living. I PRAY IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO TURN GOD'S WRATH AWAY FROM AMERICA AS WE REPENT FROM OUR SINS, PRAY FOR FORGIVENESS AND ASK GOD TO HEAL OUR LAND....MAY IT BE SO BEFORE HIS JUDGMENT IS UPON US!

Give Me that Old-Time Religion...

Maybe, you are like me when it comes to thinking about where we are in relationship to our values, morals, personal, as well as, religious beliefs. It wasn't that long ago when we could talk about our faith and even have an open and honest discussion with another about our different or even oppositional views...IT SEEMS THOSE DAYS ARE LONG PAST AND ARE NO LONGER EVEN VISIBLE ON THE HORIZON.

So, what has happened to us; to our fellow believers and to those who are un-believers regarding coming to know Jesus as a friend, confidant, guide, moral counselor and most of all, LORD AND SAVIOR? Over the next few days, I hope to address this malady that has befallen us and what it is doing to our society; to our churches and to our personal and professional relationships with those we know and love. First let's start with our society....we used to be civil to each other and sought to listen to our fellow citizens voice their opinion, before we began shouting them down, calling them names and looking for ways to "cancel them and their ideological rants." We say we believe in tolerance; however, if their viewpoint/truth does not totally align with our own viewpoint/truth; then we begin to look at ways to belittle them for their "backwater views",  'hillbilly ways" and  "intellectually deficit mindset"....in short, we plug our ears, make loud, gibberish noises and try to get them to shut up and quit spewing their "nonsense". Oh yes, we are TOLERANT... as long as they believe what we believe, with very little to no deviations. In fact, for many there seems to be an unwritten rule...TWO THINGS WE DON'T DISCUSS; RELIGION AND POLITICS!

I ask you, what was the first step down this road to disenfranchise those with which we disagree....I call it....SELECTIVE TRUTH! It seems there is no such thing as ABSOLUTE TRUTH any more, for we have all fallen for the devil's lie that we each can have OUR OWN TRUTH! Fortunately, this way of thinking has yet to invade the laws of physics like gravity, laws of motion, laws of thermodynamics, etc...get my drift? I believe we can all agree that if you jump off of a 10 story building, even if caught by a upward wind current, eventually you are heading for a nasty, downward fall....and remember, it is not the fall that will kill you...IT'S THE SUDDEN STOP!!

It would seem, to any observant person, that we have laid aside the moral laws of the one true God and have decided that we know better than the God of the Universe. After all, that nonsense of evolution, if true, says mankind is always evolving into something "higher and better, more enlightened." Therefore, what we know now, surely makes us better equipped than our ancestors to discern our OWN TRUTH. So, rather than relying on an ancient relic named the BIBLE, we, as enlightened, evolving, logical and rational human beings, have earned the right to discern truth and to determine how to administer truth to others. However, one quick look around the world with all its problems, plagues and persecutions of our fellow brothers of humanity tells us (if we are honest)...WE ARE FAILING MISERABLY WITH LITTLE OR NO HOPE FOR A FUTURE, if we continue down this road.

So how did we end up so far off course from the road that God set humanity upon when He gave us HIS ten commandments" I believe it starts with PRIDE AND SIN....TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN. What do I mean by that? Well, in each word, smack in the middle of each word is the letter, "I"....I don't need a God to tell me right from wrong; I get to decide that for myself. In fact, I don't need a God for anything; I got this!   Now if that is not a bad case of prIde which leads to all kinds of  sIn, I don't know what is?

Yes, sin, and the pride that precedes it, always takes us away from the TRUTH...for Jesus said it best in John 14: 6. "Jesus told him, “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Caps, my emphasis)....and so, it is our sin that separates us from the God who loves us; created us; died for us; rose again to complete our redemption and now reigns for us and with us in this world, and the new world that He has gone ahead to prepare. So don't be deceived by the prince of the air, the Devil and his lying minions; but take this scripture from 1 Peter 5:8 to heart...  Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Now, more than any other time in history, we need to be ready to stand firm in our faith and take heed to the message of Paul to his young pastor-in-training when he said; "Timothy, do everything you can to present yourself to God as a man who is fully genuine, a worker unashamed of your mission, a guide capable of leading others along the correct path defined by the word of truth." 2 Timothy2:15 The Voice

With this mindset as our goal and with the help, guidance and leadership of the Holy Spirit, our words should never bring anger or resentment into any of our conversations regarding Jesus and His teachings; rather, they should show our love and our compassion for those with whom we differ and should be the bridge of God's TRUTH that leads them to the Savior and to their eternal home with HIM... MAY IT BE SO IN THE POWER OF GOD THE FATHER, THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT....AMEN AND AMEN,

WPQ

 

Poem for the day...Truth...Naturally? I DON'T THINK SO!

When we are born as a little babe,
Our parents often failed to see;
Though they saw an angel,
There's a little devil in you and me.

They try to teach us right from wrong.
They surely give it their best;
But often we come up lacking
And fail to pass the test.

The test to share our toys and things
Without having to be told;
So we cling to them; we cry and scream;
No strong man could break our hold.

Or what about that broken vase
That lies shattered on the floor;
We tell them, "I didn't do it"
As we lie again once more.

Yes, we did not need to be taught to lie
For it comes so naturally;
All because of the bite Eve took
From the apple of the forbidden tree.

But there's a cure for this insidious sin
If we do one simple thing...
Ask ourselves, WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?
Then, live like a child of the KING!
 
 
W. Patrick Queen © May 2020

The Transmission of Life...READY, SET...DRIVE

Well, today we reach what many people would consider the most important gear in our transmission of life...the gear know as D RIVE. But let's take a moment or two and really put on our thinking caps as we unpack this particular gear.

Now, granted, Drive is a very important gear to have working properly in your car...and if you remember my discourse on the gear of Reverse, you may remember that I told you that my transmission in my 1957 Bel Aire began to falter and would not let me go backwards at all; however, it wasn't very long before it would not let me go forward either, thus my trade for my '66 Nova Super Sport. In fact, I was barely able to get the '57 Chevy into the car lot at City Chevrolet to make the trade for my new car. So, it was increasingly clear to me that my transmission was going bad and pretty soon, I would have a 3600 pound piece of yard art if I did not make a trade.

But here's another thought about drive! It pays to know where you are going before you pull the stick shift or press a button for Drive....especially at the price of gas these days! Now, I am not against a leisurely Sunday afternoon drive to enjoy the peace and tranquility of God's beautiful handiwork; but if you do that on Monday morning and all of the days that follow, it won't be long before you have no job, no income and no money to fuel your idle time of driving aimlessly around, soaking up the scenery. Yes, life is better; no, make that BEST, when you GO WITH GOD! Take our Bible hero, David, who at his father's request, took bread and cheese to his 3 brothers on the battle front of the Israelites and the Philistines. Now, Goliath kept coming out each morning around sunrise, challenging the Israelites to send out their most fearsome warrior to do battle with him...to the victor would go the spoils; the losers would serve the victorious army. But, NO ONE DARED TO ENTER THAT RING OF CERTAIN DEATH...except David!

So, David put himself in DRIVE, not because he was the better warrior; rather, David went forth because he had the GOD OF ISRAEL ON HIS SIDE AND HE HAD ALREADY CLAIMED THE VICTORY. So, with purpose and God on your side, it makes PERFECT sense to drive forward and claim that which God has already promised....if you want to read the entire story and see how David was driven to go forth and defeat the giant, Goliath, then read 1Samuel 17. IT'S A STORY OF GOD'S DIRECTION AND POWER LIKE NO OTHER!

And last, but not least, is our desire to go where God leads. It is our earnest desire and our responsibility to put ourselves in the Drive position in the transmission of life; to be always ready to follow God's instructions, to walk and to proceed in His ways and to take as many of the lost with us as we live, not just in the life, but in the life that is eternal. I think the passage that speaks to this mindset and wills us to live in this manner is the theme of Malachi 4:1-3, that reads, "It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills and peoples shall flow to it,  and many nations shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."

So, my final questions of this series....which gear are you stuck in and what do you intend to do regarding your situation? Is Park your favorite gear since you can just stay still and do nothing...or are you fighting hard to get out of Reverse and get moving in the right direction? Are you in Neutral and thus, at a whim, can be moved in almost any direction with the slightest nudge or push? Are you in Drive, moving forward; perhaps in the right direction with God... or driving where you want to go, with little thought or concern that you may be heading the wrong way?  This much is true....God is ready to go with you...NOT AS YOUR CO-PILOT; BUT AS THE ONE WHO IS DRIVING AND NAVIGATING BECAUSE HE HAS THE WHEEL!!!

Letting go of the Wheel...For God's Got Control,

WPQ

Poem for the day...
You're motoring down life's highway,
Driving as though you know the route;
But just when you think you've made it,
Here comes that thing called....doubt!
 
You wonder if you missed a turn,
Or failed to see the sign?
So are you lost, in search of,
Something you can't find?
 
But if the Father has the wheel,
You need not fear the drive..
For as you let Him take control
You can rest and enjoy the ride!!!
 
                       
WPQ © October 2025
 
 
 

 

Transmission of Life...THAT GEAR CALLED...NEUTRAL?

Have you ever gotten stuck in neutral when your life seems to be at a standstill? Nothing seems to be working out for you or you've come to a point in your life when nothing excites you...or nothing really seems to matter like it has in the past? Well, if so YOU MAY BE STUCK IN THE TRANSMISSION GEAR WE ALL CALL... NEUTRAL!   

Now N eutral  in and of itself may just be where God wants you to be in the phase of life where you are living...or it may have been brought about by several external forces; forces that may be holding you back from moving forward.

The first one that comes to mind is FEAR...for FEAR is a great immobilizing force, a constant tool of the devil to hold God's people in Neutral...in fact, one of my favorite verses tells me, in Psalms 56:3, "But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in YOU!"NLT  Yes, fear of failure can make one shift into neutral; as often, we place the success or failure of something God has called us to accomplish for Him in the strength and abilities of our frailties...so neutral seems like the perfect place to reside. We don't want to let God down, so instead of moving forward to do that which God has laid before us, we find ourselves in neutral, often hoping that God will change His mind and forget that we did not move out in faith, rather, we succumbed to our fears and remained steadfast in NEUTRAL.

Another force of neutral is our plight of indecision that makes us stand still and traps us into becoming immobilized from moving forward in faith and in trust of our Lord and His calling upon our lives. God gave his servant Joshua a great message of how to NOT get stuck in neutral in Joshua1:7, when He said, "Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go."  Did you catch all that in this edict of faith given to Joshua?  God begins by giving Joshua explicit instructions that it takes courage and a strong will to not get stuck in neutral if you are going to observe ALL THAT IS REQUIRED OF YOU BY GOD...he was to follow all that his mentor and man of God, Moses, had instructed him to do.... and those instructions came from the LORD ALMIGHTY; but here's the meat of this instruction to Joshua...DON'T LET INDECISON MAKE YOU TURN TO THE RIGHT OR THE LEFT, FOR IN TURNING IN EITHER DIRECTION, IT WILL HAVE YOU TURNING AWAY FROM GOD AND THE SUCCESS THAT GOD HAD ALREADY PREPARED FOR YOU TO EXPERIENCE AS YOU FOLLOW IN THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE LORD!!!!

Yes, like it or not, God has a plan for your life and when you are not sure what to do next, ie; turning to the right or to the left; then such indecision can bring your journey with your Lord and Savior to a screeching halt. Then, in those moments that lack clarity, YOU WILL FIND THAT YOU HAVE BECOME STUCK IN NEUTRAL...so if you want to start moving forward again,  you need to shift into DRIVE and follow the instructions given to you in GOD'S HOLY WORD....when He tells you, in Jeremiah 29:11, " I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future for which you hope." GNT

And it is ALWAYS the HOPE that we have in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, that will propel us out of Neutral and get us moving forward again as we seek to know, to do and to fulfill the plans that God has already laid before us...SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? If you must get stuck in neutral, let something good come from that time...let it be time that you renew and refresh the calling of God upon your life. May it be a time of self-examination and consecration as you turn,  not from the Lord, but run into His open, loving and waiting arms to find the HOPE you need to strike out on the road set before you and for all the good things God has prepared for you in this life...and the LIFE to come!!!!

So, see you tomorrow as we select the gear that may just matter the most....DRIVE!!!

Following the instructions of the LORD...Staying in the center lane,

 WPQ

 

Poem for the day....
 
Often we may find ourselves
Wondering what's around the bend;
How are we to keep moving on?
Where will this life end?
 
What can be our purpose?
Where is the joy we seek?
How can we be happy,
When life can seem so bleak?
 
I have a simple answer
That when you seek God's will;
He's standing at the faucet,
Waiting,  life's cup to fill!
 
To give you joy, peace and love;
To guide you every day...
To fill your life 'til it overflows
In wondrous and countless ways!
 
So don't get stuck in neutral;
Just idling and passing time.
Get movin' with your Father
To a life that's pure sublime!
 
 
WPQ © October 2025