Stuck in Reverse Quotes

“There is a basic truth to shifting your life out of reverse and into a forward gear, and it is this: no matter what your circumstances are or what you have done in the past, God loves you with an everlasting love, and He will make your life count for something wonderful, if you will place your trust in Him.”
― Charles F. Stanley, Stuck in Reverse: How to Let God Change Your Direction

“God has not designed you for failure. He created you for success—not success from the world’s perspective, but success His way—which glorifies and honors Him and also brings many blessings.”
― Charles F. Stanley, Stuck in Reverse: How to Let God Change Your Direction

“Remember, the author of Proverbs writes, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones” (3:6–8). We make wrong decisions. Satan will never tell you about the consequences. He always wants to tell you about what you are feeling and how unfair the circumstances are or how your needs should be met. Only the Spirit of God will warn you about the consequences of sin and disobedience. The prodigal walked away from his father’s love and the very things he longed to have—security and a future. All too often we do the same thing. We abandon God’s will for what we think will be greener pastures, but this is never the case. Sin may seem pleasurable for a season, but sooner rather than later, we find out the truth and also the price of our rebellion. The issue at stake is whether we will do whatever we feel is best or whether we will obey the Lord. The decision to walk away from God is always a disastrous one.”
― Charles F. Stanley, Stuck in Reverse: How to Let God Change Your Direction

“Luke records the parable Jesus told His disciples. He begins the story this way: “A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living. Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him.” (15:11–16) Jesus told this parable so that His followers would have an accurate portrayal of His heavenly Father’s love and grace. Many had wondered what God was like. Christ’s description in this story was certainly unlike anything they had been taught. Their lives had been steeped in Jewish tradition and following the letter of the law of Moses. Jesus, however, portrayed God as a loving, forgiving, tenderhearted Father who understands our weaknesses and frailties. He is Someone who hears our prayers and our cries for help. He forgives sin, fills us with His Spirit, and restores us so we can learn to love Him better and honor His name in all that we do.”
― Charles F. Stanley, Stuck in Reverse: How to Let God Change Your Direction

“Sometimes I run into a person who tells me, “I was once committed to God, but something happened. I changed or He changed or something, but it’s just not like it once was between us. I don’t feel like He cares for me.” God will never stop loving you. Nothing you can do has the power to derail His love. If there seems to be a distance between you and Him, then it is because you have moved in your devotion, trust, or love for Him. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8). Satan, however, will do all he possibly can do to remind you of past sin—sin that you have asked God to forgive. He will tell you the Lord is disappointed in you and that there is distance between you and Him. Never believe a word of this. God is intimately involved in the lives of His creation, and He is always close to you. If you have yielded to sin, then you will sense a distance between you and the Lord. But the distance is not because God has moved. He remains the same in His loving care for you. We are the ones who move whenever we choose to disobey the Lord. Sin creates a distance within our hearts. James writes, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (4:7–8).”
― Charles F. Stanley, Stuck in Reverse: How to Let God Change Your Direction

“Many times we fail to sense God’s love because our hearts are burdened with false guilt over past mistakes we have made. However, once we pray and ask God to forgive us, He does. He never brings up our sin again. He will not point His finger at us and say, “Remember when you sinned here or failed to keep My commandment there?” This is what the devil does to prevent us from growing in our love and devotion to God. He accuses us and seeks to discourage us so we will want to run away from the Lord. Condemnation is not from God (Rom. 8:1); it is from the enemy of our souls. The Lord knows we are not perfect. However, He wants us to submit our lives to Him so that He can mold and shape us into the image of His Son.”
― Charles F. Stanley, Stuck in Reverse: How to Let God Change Your Direction

“Will there be times when we step back and do some of the very things that once brought heartache to our lives? More than likely we will. However, there is a difference now. We are no longer under the powerful influence of sin unless we choose to be. Sin’s power has been broken in our lives. Jesus did this for us on Calvary’s cross. We have done nothing to deserve God’s wondrous grace. It is a gift, and it is the very thing that transforms our lives from being filled with guilt and shame to being reflections of His love, mercy, and forgiveness. He set us free from the bondage of sin so we do not have to live life in reverse. We can live moving forward and not backward.”
― Charles F. Stanley, Stuck in Reverse: How to Let God Change Your Direction

“One of the reasons people fail to trust God and seek His plan for their lives is because they become too wrapped up in their own desires, thoughts, and dreams for the future. The focus of their lives is not set on God and doing His will. It is set on fulfilling their own desires—desires that frequently are not in keeping with His plan and purpose.”
― Charles F. Stanley, Stuck in Reverse: How to Let God Change Your Direction

“There is always a sense of emptiness within the heart of a person who does not know the Savior. But Jesus tells us in John 8:32 that God’s truth—the knowledge of His expressed will and purpose for our lives—sets us free from the bondage of sin, sorrow, defeat, anger, and anything else that causes us to live life in reverse. The truth He is talking about in this Scripture is not a worldly truth based on a philosophical argument. It is a truth based on the Word of God—written out for us as a reflection of His unconditional love and grace.”
― Charles F. Stanley, Stuck in Reverse: How to Let God Change Your Direction

“People who realize they are traveling in reverse usually respond in one of two ways: either they turn and walk toward the Lord, or they ignore His call and continue traveling in misery and sorrow. You do not have to travel away from God any longer. Right now you can turn and walk toward the one Person who loves you just the way you are. The moment you acknowledge that you have taken the wrong route and that you want your life to change, God moves mightily on your behalf (Isa. 30:18–19). In Joel, He tells us, “I will make up to you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten” (2:25). You may have drifted in your devotion to the Lord, but He is waiting for you to return to Him. Or perhaps you have never made a commitment to love and obey Him. My prayer is that this book will be used in your life to encourage you to follow the Savior and begin to spend time with Him in prayer and worship. If you will allow God to work, He will restore all that has been lost. It may not be exactly the same, but whatever He gives, it will be more than enough to meet every need you have, to the point of overflowing. Charles F. Stanley”
― Charles F. Stanley, Stuck in Reverse: How to Let God Change Your Direction