prayers

The One That is Lost

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He counted them once and then he counted them again. He knew he had one hundred sheep but he could only count ninety-nine. So he counted again and yes, one was lost. It was just one sheep, but these were his sheep. He knew each one by name and knew each one by sight. Now most of them are safe, but one was lost.

Ninety-nine sheep are safe. Only one is missing. Outside it is cold and dark. The wolves are howling. It is dangerous to go out. Some shepherds would say, “Ninety-nine are safe, so I won’t concern myself with the one that is lost.” But not the Good Shepherd. He knows His sheep by name and His heart trembles for the one that is lost.

Carrying a staff and a rod for protection, he goes out into the cold darkness. He searches until he finds his lost sheep. Tangled in the briars and brambles, the frightened sheep is torn and bloodied. Using his staff, the shepherd draws the lost one to safety. Anointing him with oil and binding his wounds the Shepherd sings with joy because he has found the one that was lost.

Jesus, my Lord, is the Good Shepherd. Many of His children are safe in the fold. But some have wandered away. Maybe you have been cast into the briars and brambles of addiction. Or maybe you are just confused, stumbling around in the darkness, endangered by the worldly wolves. But Jesus, the Lover of your soul, is heartbroken because you are in danger. He longs for His lost ones to be safe.

Listen to my words all that are sick and lonely, afraid of the darkness that surrounds you. The Savior is calling out your name if you will just be still and listen. The Holy Spirit is the rod that will protect you and the staff that will rescue you. Jesus is the Seeker of the one that is lost. He will draw you close, bind your wounds, and anoint you with healing oil.

Trust in this promise from Ezekiel 34:15-16; “I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down.” says the Lord GOD. “I will seek what is lost and bring back what has been driven away, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick.”

Douglas & Deborah Huff

email- pavementendministry@gmail.com

Remembering the Heroes

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Over two thousand years ago one man voluntarily gave His life for all the world. In Romans 5:7-8 we read “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man, someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Our hope of eternal life was purchased by the blood of the Holy Son of God. This is something that I will choose to remember and never forget.

On April 19, 1775, in Lexington Massachusetts the first battle of the Revolutionary War took place. When the shooting ended and the smoke cleared, eight brave patriots lay dead. Their blood would join with the blood of many others as a priceless sacrifice to purchase our liberty.

Beginning with the eight men who died that day, about 3 million Americans have given their lives in the service of this great Nation. When I see the blood-red stripes on Old Glory, I am reminded that I must always remember and never forget the soldiers who died so that I might be free.

3 million is not just a number. It is a 19-year-old boy who will never see 20. It is a young father who will never hold his daughter. It is a young wife weeping over a flag-draped coffin. It is a mother hugging a folded flag to her breast. It is an old man burying his pride and joy. It is the sound of taps floating over the hills and valleys of this great land. It is a reminder that while freedom is a gift from God, it is not free. I will always remember and never forget that my freedom was purchased with the blood of American soldiers.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “ Any nation that does not honor its heroes will not long endure.” As Christians, we must honor Jesus who gave His life that we might live. As Americans, we must honor those who died so that we might live in freedom. On Memorial Day we are reminded to always remember and never forget that our God-given rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness have been sealed by the blood of many great American heroes.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

The Promises of God

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The promises of God are as sure as the air we breathe. And like the air we breathe, the promises of God are necessary for our very existence. However, while breathing air is involuntary, claiming the promises of God is not. In His Sovereignty, He has given us the free will to receive or reject His great gifts. If we do not receive the promises of God, we lose tremendous blessings. But God allows us to choose. He never forces His blessings on anyone.

One promise that God made is found in John 6:47 which says, “Truly, I say to you, he that believes in Me, has everlasting life.” Now everybody wants to live forever. But I ask you, are you willing to do what God says to have that eternal life?

Many people say I have eternal life because I believe in God. But do you understand what it means to believe? To believe means to have absolute trust. God requires complete surrender. If you distrust Him even a little bit, you have rejected His promise of eternal life.

Now all of us struggle to surrender completely to God. But God is gracious and understands our hearts. There is recorded in the Bible the story of a man who came to Jesus and said, “Lord I believe, but help me in my unbelief.” Jesus helped this man in his unbelief and He will help you in yours if you will call out to Him.

This I know. God is rich in mercy and it is with a great love that He has loved us. Even when we were dead and useless in our sin. He has raised us to live forever with Jesus and we are saved by His Grace.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where the Pavement Ends

email-pavementendsministry@gmail.com

The Promises of God

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One promise that God made is found in John 6:47 which says, “Truly, I say to you, he that believes in Me, has everlasting life. Now everybody wants to live forever. But I ask you; are you willing to do what God says to have that eternal life? This devotion is an audio podcast. Click the link below to listen as I talk about the promises of God.

https://podpoint.com/pavement-ends-ministry/the-promises?fbclid=IwAR2QZSIqxKGbq2Mgo114-1VNybCdJwwdEjMp75IBOClkkRhSnjweDKwYXqk#

Mighty Men Of Valor

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In 1 Chronicles, the Bible speaks of Mighty Men of Valor. These men loved their families, their nation, and their God. They were willing to fight and die for their families and their faith

In America, we have our own Mighty Men of Valor. For many generations, brave American soldiers have laid down their lives for our freedoms. And we owe a huge debt of gratitude to all the men and women who have sacrificed so dearly.

In a nursing home, a sweet lady spoke of her brother who died in World War 2. For many years her heart still ached and her tears honored her brother. She told me about the darkness of the bright sunshine when she learned that he was not coming home. I told her that her brother was a hero. And the truth is he was a Mighty Man of Valor.

I once worked with a man who served his country in World War 2, Korea, and Vietnam. He told about marching thru Europe when just a few feet away his buddy was obliterated by a mortar round. Years later in Vietnam, he was much older than most soldiers. As the helicopter landed, they jumped out running toward the enemy. Each soldier carried a heavy pack. Because of his age and the weight of his pack, he stumbled and fell. A black soldier stopped and picked up his pack and carried it along with his own. His story revealed the truth that when the bullets are flying there is no skin color among brothers who are Mighty Men of Valor.

Another Mighty man of Valor was my neighbor Mr. Thomas Rhodes. Like many true-life heroes, he was a gentle man who worked hard and never said much. It was only after he died that I learned that he had been a German prisoner of war in World War 2.

We have much to be thankful for. We set freely in our churches, worshiping without fear. We go to the polls and vote, without fear. We travel wherever we wish without fear. We live in the greatest country in the world and we are the most blessed people in the world.

So, with humble gratitude, I honor the great American heroes who are our own Mighty Men of Valor.

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

Everybody is a Nobody Who Can Be Somebody

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In Mark Chapter 5, there is a story about a woman who was a nobody. We don’t even know her name. If we had been there on this day, she would not have been in our field of vision. Seeing her would have made us uncomfortable, so we would have chosen not to see her. If we had seen her at all, we would have assumed her problems were her own fault, because that is the way we think.

She was a nobody that most people avoided. She was not supposed to be there. For twelve years she had suffered from an issue of blood. This made her unclean. Because she was unclean, she could not be around others. She could not even worship God. In her shame and grief, she spent everything she had seeking help. She has suffered all sorts of abuse and indignities. Hopeless and helpless, she spends her days and nights lonely and untouched.

She felt like a nobody, but one day she overheard people talking about Jesus. I say “overheard” because since she was a nobody, why would anyone bother to tell her about The Savior? She considers herself a nobody so she cannot even face Jesus. She hopes that maybe if she can just touch his coat she will be healed. To the world and herself, she was a nobody. But to Jesus she is somebody. He stops everything and looks for her. He finds her and calls her His daughter. Her faith in Him has made her well. She was a nobody, but now she is somebody. She is a child of God.

Do you feel like a nobody? Have addictions caused you to spend all you have seeking relief from your demons? Are you broken and abused? Do you stand there weeping? Is your life filled with loneliness and do you spend your days untouched and unloved? Maybe it seems that no one sees you, because no one offers help. It seems that no one cares. To the world you are nobody.

Today I hope you hear about Jesus. I hope you will push through the crowd and reach out for Him. Have faith only in Jesus. He will stop everything to reach out to the ones the world ignores. Everybody is somebody to Him. The Bible tells us that God is rich in mercy. Because of His great love, even when we are nobody and dead in our sin, He makes us somebody alive in Christ. Wow, look at the love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Anybody can reach out to Jesus because everybody is somebody to Him.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

Pavement Ends Ministry

The Patience of God

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This week my daily Bible reading has me in the book of Job. As I read, it occurs to me that we may have missed something in this story. You see for years I’ve heard people talk about the patience of Job. However, I think it was God and not Job who was patient.

As I read the story of Job, I see God being very patient as Job’s wife tells him to “curse God and die.” God was patient with Job’s friends who gave long speeches but had nothing to say. Most of all I see the patience God had with Job himself. Job struggled with his pain and suffering. He charged God with being unfair. He wanted to meet with God in a court of law and he demanded answers from God. But through it all, God patiently waited until Job was ready to see Him with clear eyes.

God’s patience has been evident throughout all time. He was patient with Adam and Eve when they hid in the garden. He was patient when David cheated with Bathsheba. He was patient when Jonah ran from His calling. And He has been very patient with me when I have been everything but the man I should be.

I am thankful that the God of all grace has called me to His eternal glory in Christ. I know that even though I fail miserably, He will restore me and make me strong, firm, and steadfast. The patience of God is driven by His love and mercy. It is because of His merciful patience and not my goodness that I know He will never leave nor forsake me.

Douglas & Deborah Huff

From Down Where The Pavement Ends

Email- pavementendsministry@gmail.com

A Fool For God

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I refuse to insult my intelligence by watching any of the alphabet-soup propaganda networks on TV. However, recently I read that one of their vacuous talking heads insinuated that no intelligent person believes the Bible. That same morning in my daily Bible reading I was encouraged by Second Samuel Chapter 22. So this is what I have to say to all of Beelzebub’s cranium-deficient mouthpieces on TV.

God is a rock, a fortress and He is my protection. A shield and a refuge, He is my place of safety. If the waves of destruction and death sweep over me, I will cry out to Him. I know He will hear me because my prayers are prioritized in Heaven’s throne room.

I am an extremely sinful person. But because of the blood of Jesus Christ, God sees me to be blameless. If I seem to be bragging, it is because I have a great and powerful God to brag on.

He has reached down from Heaven to rescue me and He will continue to shield me from a strong and powerful enemy who hates me.

You may say, “I see no God, therefore there is no God.” Understand this. To the pure, God reveals Himself to be pure. To those with integrity, He shows His integrity and to the faithful, HE IS the manifestation of faithfulness. If you have eyes to see, He is the light of life. However, if you choose to remain in your blindness, for you He has reserved eternal darkness.

Satan is the prince of the power of the airwaves and he comes to kill, steal and destroy. From many screens, he spews excrement into our homes. He uses poor deluded fools to attack the Word of God and the faith of His people. His goal is to deceive people into worshipping the puny and putrid gods of this world.

But the Bible is perfect and true. In its pages, I feel the breath of God and hear the voice of my Savior. Because of the infallible Word of God, I know the Lord lives. I shout praises to the Rock of my salvation. Everyone must choose who they will worship. But as for me and my house, we will serve the one true God who is our Savior, Jesus Christ. If that makes me a fool, then I am a fool for God.

Douglas & Deborah Huff