change your world

You Were Made To Thrive

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For the ones who are graduating, congratulations. The God of all creation has made you to thrive and to accomplish great things. God has a high hill for you to climb. Now it is up to you to find that hill and then climb it. People who reach their God-given summit have refused to be mediocre. They are leaders who stand out from the crowd and thrive. Here are some things you must know if you are going to stand out from the world.

1. No one owes you anything. Not a free education, not free health care, not a free phone, not a free car, nothing. The people who stand around waiting on free stuff never amount to anything. If you work hard and earn your own way, you will be successful.

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2. Learn the difference between wants and needs. The Bible tells us that if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, all things that we need will be added to us.

3. Never demand anything that you have not earned. If you have not earned it, you do not deserve it. If you want something, work for it. By the way, credit is not your friend!

4. Be careful who you trust, not everyone is trustworthy. Let God be your guide. Lean not on your own understanding but always look to God for wisdom.

5. Have respect for everyone, until they prove they do not deserve it. When someone loses your respect, it is their loss, not yours. However, you should always strive to be worthy of everyone’s respect.

6. Treat everyone with dignity. Everyone!

7. Sex is for marriage, period! If anyone says differently, they are lying. Marriage is for male and female Period! If anyone says differently, they are lying.

8. Always obey and serve God “You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.” (Deuteronomy 13:4)

I firmly believe that if you follow these words of advice you will climb the highest hill. Stand on the Word of God, and refuse to blend in with the world. Choose to stand out and you will thrive.

Being Old Is Not The Same As Being Done

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In Joshua 13:1 we read these words; “Joshua was now old, getting on in years, and the Lord said to him, “You have become old, getting on in years, but a great deal of the land remains to be possessed.” Now I wonder, was God displaying a sense of humor here? As Joshua stood there with all the aches and pains that come with age and the long years of service to God, do you think that he needed God to tell him that he was old? No, I don’t think so, I think that God may have chuckled when He said this.

I have had a good many birthdays. When I crawl out of bed in the morning my bones creak and pop. Then I reach for my glasses because the years have blurred my eyesight. Old wounds and scars I have accumulated throughout the years remind me of some of the dumb things I have done to myself. So if God were to say to me, ” Doug, you are old and advanced in years” I would chuckle and say, “You think.”

Now, when God told Joshua that he was old, He also told him that there was a lot more land to possess. In other words, God said, Joshua, you are old, but you ain’t done. So rub some oil on those creaky old bones and get up and get busy.

In my years on this earth, I have seen a lot and done a lot. But I am not finished yet. There is still a lot more to do and see. I believe that God has said to me, Doug, you are old and advanced in years but you ain’t done yet. There is more work to do, so get up and get busy.

Now many of you like me, have had a lot of birthdays. All those birthdays are making your bones ache and your muscles hurt. However, if you have pain that is proof that you are alive, and if you are alive that is proof that you ain’t done yet. God is saying rub some creme on those old muscles then get up and get busy. Remember, make plans for the future as if you have many tomorrows, but live today as if you have none.

Douglas Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

Mother’s Day

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Towels, washcloths, Kleenex, baby wipes, dish towels, and aprons. I believe that these things could be seen as emblems of motherhood because mamas are always wiping something. They wipe stinky bottoms, snotty noses, and skinned knees and they have been known to wash a dirty face with spit and a Kleenex. Their time seems to be filled with wiping down kitchen counters, and bathroom floors, and the tears of broken-hearted children. There is one thing for sure, mamas are always wiping something.

In the book of Judges, there is a woman named Deborah who served as a Judge and leader in the nation of Israel. She was a genuine hero in the history of God’s people and yet when she referred to herself in Judges 5:7, she spoke of herself simply as a “mother in Israel”. She was a poet, a prophetess, a judge, and a heroic leader but her greatest source of pride and joy was in the fact that she was a mother. She knew that there is no higher calling on earth than motherhood.

The fact is while mamas might think that all they do is dry tears, and wipe noses and bottoms in reality what Mama is doing is molding young lives and shaping the future. For this reason, we should all rise up and call our mothers and our wives blessed. Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a mother who fears the Lord and loves her family should be praised.

On this Mother’s Day, I want to honor the memories of my two Grandmothers and my Mother-in-law. I also want to give honor to my Mama and my Wife, my Daughter- in-law and my Daughter their worth is far above rubies or any other earthly treasure. To all mothers, on this day and every day you are highly favored and greatly blessed. Thank you for always wiping up our mess.

Douglas Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

Email-pavementendsministry@gmail.com

Healing is for the One Who Will Get Up and Walk

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The story is told in John Chapter 5. In Jerusalem, there was a pool called Bethesda. Crowds of sick people gathered there, hoping for a miracle. One man had been coming to the pool for 38 years. Jesus asked this man “Do you want to get well?” The man replied with excuses. He said, “ Nobody will help me and I can’t help myself.” Jesus told him “You, get up, take up your bed and walk.”

What can we take away from the story of the man at the Pool of Bethesda? Many people are lying around waiting for help from someone, or a miracle from God to improve their situation. I believe Jesus would say “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” This applies to so many situations.

Many people have made the government their god. They want the government to make people love them, keep them safe, and provide for their every need. But the government is a false god. If you want your situation to be made better, then you should stop depending on the government. Instead, you have to get up, look to Jesus for strength and go to work.

A lot of Christians are wallowing in their besetting sins. They sit around hoping and praying that someone will help them or that God will miraculously save them from their chosen sin. Jesus asks “Do you want to be free from your shame?” They make excuses, “ I can’t change, nobody will help me.” But Jesus says “You get up, listen to God, and walk away from your sinful choices.”

Most churches are praying for a supernatural stirring of a Holy Spirit revival. Maybe once a year they plan for a high-powered evangelist to come and help them to overcome their weakness. Meanwhile, Jesus is asking “Do you want to be made well?” Excuses are flying everywhere, they say; people won’t come to church, and people are not interested in Spiritual things. But God is not interested in your excuses. He says; you get up, you go into all the world and you make disciples of all kinds of people.

This is the bottom line, (which many don’t want to hear). No matter what your situation is, if you are not willing to put forth the effort to help yourself, then God will let you sit there and rot. However, if you want to be made well, Jesus will help you. But you must choose to get up and walk.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where the Pavement Ends

Rise Up

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I confess, like most people, sometimes I miss important words in the Bible. For instance, in Matthew 11:11 Jesus says “Among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.” As often as I have read that passage of scripture until recently I had not seen the word, “risen.” This is important because John was not born great. Jesus is telling us that John the Baptist rose to greatness.

Yes, I know that the circumstances of John’s birth were miraculous. However, that was not what made him great. John became great when he rose up and unashamedly preached the need for repentance. Pointing to Jesus he joyfully proclaimed that He was the Lamb of God. Then John rose up and fearlessly pointed out the sins of King Herod. After this, he relentlessly clung to the Kingdom of Heaven even as the axe separated his head from his body. No, he was not born great, but by his faith, John ascended to greatness.

Strangely enough, after Jesus honors the greatness of John, He then turns to you and me and says “He who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John.” I believe that through these words Jesus is issuing a challenge to all of us. This is the challenge; Godly men must stand up for the Glory of God and by faith cling to the kingdom of heaven.

This time we live in is strange and terrifying. This world needs great men who will stand up for righteousness and the Kingdom of God. These men will not come from the entertainment or sports venues. Nor will they come from the pulpit or political world. The Holy Spirit is looking for ordinary men who will sink to their knees in prayer and stand on their feet to do battle with the enemy.

For the sake of our children and grandchildren, it is time for ordinary men to cling to the Kingdom of Heaven and by faith rise up to greatness.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

Corrosion and Corruption

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A car battery has corrosion on its battery cables. But that is all right because no one can see it and it is just a little spot. But corrosion and corruption do not stay hidden or small. A corroded battery cable will eventually separate the automobile from its power source and then it will refuse to start. And then the most beautiful car in the world will be useless because it cannot do what it was designed to do.

And here we find the churches of our nation. Claiming the approval of God we tolerate, accept, and even celebrate sin. We choose unrepentant leaders. We refuse to stand for righteousness. We will not confront sinfulness because we don’t want to be considered judgmental. Indeed, we cannot see to judge because of the log that is in our own eye. These meeting places that are called churches can no longer do what they were designed to do. Why? Because the corruption of sin has separated us from the Power source which is the Righteous God.

Our nation has ceased to be exalted because righteousness has ceased to be important in our lives. Since righteousness is not important then neither is God’s approval. If you do not seek God’s approval can you call yourself a Child of God? Let me remind you; God said: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Are you listening?

Douglas Huff

From Down Where the Pavement Ends

Email- pavementendsministry@gmail.com

Finish Strong

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Joash was a King of the nation of Judah. His mentor and advisor was a priest named Jehoiada. For many years the King was a great leader. Because of the influence of Jehoiada, he made wise decisions and his leadership was pleasing to God. For this reason, the nation was blessed. But then, Jehoiada died.

With the death of his Godly mentor, Joash lost his mooring. He then surrounded himself with ungodly men who led him to make poor choices. These men influenced the King to turn from worshiping God. This led to great suffering in Judah. The first part of his reign was filled with greatness, the second part was marred with failure. Joash was a good man who listened to the advice of wicked people, for this reason, he died in shame and disgrace.

A local college football team was often encouraged by their coach to “Finish the drill”. The coach was telling them to stay focused on the goal. They had to stay strong, remain grounded in their training, and finish what they started. King Joash was a good man who started strong. But he did not remain grounded in his faith and he did not finish the drill.

Years ago I was watching the World Series when the announcer made a profound statement. He said that the championship teams did not get to the top by practicing the doing of great things. These teams were great champions because they hit the field every day and practiced simple and fundamental baseball. Practice keeping both hands on the glove and the impossible over-the-shoulder catches will come.

In the Bible, Jesus promised that we can do great things. However, He taught us to do the simple things. As children of God, the greatest trophy we can hope to receive is to hear Jesus say “Well done My good and faithful servant.” This will happen only if we stay focused on the fundamentals. We must read the Bible daily, pray constantly and surround ourselves with Godly people.

Remember, it does not matter where you started, it is where you finish that counts. So focus on God, be led by the Holy Spirit, put on the mind of Christ, and finish strong.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

Hezekiah

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In the history of the Kings of Judah, Hezekiah was one of the best. He led His nation well and did many great things. However toward the end of his reign, he did something stupid. (read this story in 2 Kings Ch.20) This thing that he did was a product of him doing what was right in his own eyes and the result was death and destruction for his children, grandchildren, and nation.

Honestly, when I read his story I feel sorry for Hezekiah. After all, he was a good man, who made one very bad decision. Afterward, the prophet Isaiah came to him with this message; “the king of Babylon will invade your nation. Your descendants will become slaves and eunuchs and your people will be scattered.”

Hezekiah responds by saying; “ well, at least there will be peace in my lifetime”. Whenever I read his response I am horrified. I wonder, how could anyone be so cold and callous about the future suffering of their children and grandchildren.

It is true, at some time in our lives all of us have done stupid things. Thankfully for most of us, the result of our bad choices will not be as bad as it was for Hezekiah. However, you must know that everything you do, small or great will have some impact on your and your children’s future. That is why it is important never to do anything simply because it looks good in your own eyes.

One more thing! What is your grandchildren’s future worth to you? Will you speak out while others stay silent? Will you rise up for the battle while others stay home? Will you stand up against evil, even when people call you a fool? Or will you be like Hezekiah and say, “Just let me have peace in my lifetime ?”

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

Email- pavementendsministry@gmail.com

Upside Down

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In the first century, a handful of believers devoutly followed Christ. With the power of the Holy Spirit, this group of believers turned the world upside down. Their numbers grew, and with miraculous multiplication powers, they overcame all obstacles and infiltrated the world.

With a crescendo of Godly power, Christianity molded and shaped civilization. An honest study of history reveals that hospitals, orphanages, and all forms of charitable organizations are rooted in Christian ideals. You will find also that the legal structure of every civilized nation in the world is solidly based on the laws of God that were fulfilled in Christ.

But now we have come full circle. The influence of Christianity has evaporated. Once the worship of God brought about civility, now individual rights have been idolized and crudity reigns supreme. In the days of Christian influence, personal responsibility was admired, but now things of God are considered old-fashioned. No one is held accountable for their actions and personal irresponsibility is treated as a virtue. In this post-Christian world, the Robin Hood syndrome has become a perverted way of robbing from the hard workers and rewarding the lazy and undeserving.

In this era of social Christianity, we have surrendered our ability to impact the world. Instead of the church influencing the world, the world has infiltrated the church. Once upon a time, Godly men turned the world upside down. Now we are afraid to speak the truth because we might offend someone. For the sake of political correctness, we now call wrong right and accept the unacceptable. Once we bore the marks of Christ and had a preservative effect on the world. Now we have turned our eyes from Jesus and the marks we bear are the footprints of the world. Like salt that has lost its saltiness, we are fit only to be walked on.

What many in this world call progress, is actually the destruction of society. We are going the way of Rome, Greece and Babylon. Like these ancient civilizations we idolize gratuitous sex and we worship personal pleasure. And now we are in danger of disappearing into a haze of lunacy.

But it does not have to be this way. God’s children, the crème of His power and mercy can rise to the top again. We must humble ourselves, and in prayer turn from our wicked ways. If we do this, He has promised that He will hear our prayers. He is God and He keeps His promises. The question is will we humbly turn to Him in prayer? Will we do our part? We have to, for the sake of our grandchildren, we just have to.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

Grab Another Gear and Go

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In Matthew 11:12 we read “ From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” For a long time, I did not understand this verse. I would read it, scratch my head and ask God “What in the world are you talking about?” The Bible says to ask and you will receive, so one day while I was driving He showed me what this verse meant.

I was driving up the road in my little pickup when I met a truck pulling an open-sided trailer hauling 10 or 12 cars. As the air went over, under, and around these cars, a forceful turbulence was created. As I encountered this turbulent air, it was like a violent force that almost stopped my pickup. To continue on my way I had to become more forceful than this wall of invisible air. So I grabbed another gear, stepped on the gas, and powered through the violence.

This is the lesson I learned. The kingdom of heaven and God’s children have always faced violent attacks from Satanic forces. These attacks have and will increase as the Great Day of the Lord draws nearer. God’s people must not be fooled by those who tell us we should be tolerant and compromising. Like David, we must fill our pockets with stones and like Jesus, we must prepare to turn some tables over.

Jesus told us in this world we would face turbulence. But we need not be afraid, He has overcome the world. Satan will continue to attack us with violence and force. But with God, we will gain the victory and He will trample down the enemy. So when the enemy comes at us with a wall of turbulence and trouble, don’t let it slow you down. Lean into it, grab another gear, step on the gas, and go.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

Email- pavementendsministry@gmail.com