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,
Wondering what's around the bend;
How are we to keep moving on?
Where will this life end?
Where is the joy we seek?
How can we be happy,
When life can seem so bleak?
That when you seek God's will;
He's standing at the faucet,
Waiting, life's cup to fill!
To guide you every day...
To fill your life 'til it overflows
In wondrous and countless ways!
Just idling and passing time.
Get movin' with your Father
To a life that's pure sublime!
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