My Favorite Flowers!!!

When words escape, flowers speak.- Bruce W. Currie

The Lilacs are Blooming!

If you've never been thrilled to the very edges of your soul by a flower in spring bloom, maybe your soul has never been in bloom. ~Audra Foveo

Peanut Butter Pie

Crust:
15 hydrox or oreo cookies, crushed
1/4 Cup butter, melted

Filling:
1 1/4 Cup creamy peanut butter
1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 Cup powdered sugar
2 Tbs. unsalted butter (1/4 stick)
1 1/4 Cup chilled whipping cream
1 Tbs. vanilla
melted chocolate (optional)

Mix oreo cookies and butter together and press into sides and bottom of pie pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 7 minutes. Cool.

Using electric mixer, beat peanut butter, cream cheese, 1/2 Cup sugar and melted butter in a large bowl.

Using clean dry beaters, beat cream with remaining 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla in medium bowl until peaks form.

Stir 1/4 of cream into peanut butter mixture, then fold in remaining cream (mixture will be thick).

Spoon into prepared crust. Refrigerate until firm.

Optional: Fill a pastry bag with melted chocolate (chocolate syrup might also work) pipe about 8-10 rows on the top of the pie. Using a knife drag perpendicular all the way through the lines.

Tribute to Mothers

Mother's Day is just around the corner. Here is a tribute to all the Mother's who read this blog! 

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan

Simple Trust

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. ~~ Proverbs 3:5  

There will always be secrets and motives of God that lie beyond our grasp. God knows everything; we do not. Only in Heaven will we understand God's ways more fully. As Paul said, "Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known" (1 Corinthians 13:12). 

But based upon what we do know about God's character, demonstrated supremely in the Cross, we can trust that God is doing what is best for us. God says in His Word, "I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11). 

As Corrie ten Boom once explained, "Picture a piece of embroidery placed between you and God, with the right side up toward God. Man sees the loose, frayed ends; but God sees the pattern." God is in control. 

Whatever comes into our lives, we can confidently say, "We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). The Reverend Billy Graham in Hope for Each Day, Words of Wisdom and Faith, J. Countryman, publisher

Trust Me

by Charles R. Swindoll Read 1 Samuel 17:48--51  

All David had was a sling and a stone as he took on a giant wearing two hundred pounds of armor. It may seem silly, but that's the way God operates. 

In the final analysis, there was a whoosh, whoosh, whoosh---one stone flew through the air, and that's all there was to it. Goliath fell like a sack full of sand. 

Got any more giants? I don't know what your intimidating giant is today. It may relate to your job, your roommate, or your school. Maybe it is a person, a lawsuit, unemployment, a disaster . . . maybe even your own partner in life. Perhaps it is some fear that is lurking around the corner, sucking your energy and draining your faith.

God is saying to you right now, "All I ask of you is five smooth stones and a sling of faith. I'll take it from there. You don't have to wear somebody else's armor. You just trust Me. And I'll strip you down to nothing but faith, and then I'll accomplish a victory where I'll get the glory. But as for you . . . you trust Me." 

Perhaps you don't know what lies across the valley. Maybe you can't get a handle on what that giant is; but it's there, haunting you. That uncertainty alone is a giant. But look at that worry in comparison to the Lord God Himself, and say, by faith, "The battle is Yours, Lord. It is Your battle. I lean on You. I give You all my weapons, all my skills, and I stand before You, trusting You." 

 It is God's love for us that causes Him to bring us to an end of our own strength. He sees our need to trust Him, and His love is so great that He will not let us live another day without surrendering our arms to Him, giving Him our fears, our worries, even our confusion, so that nothing becomes more significant to us than our Father. Never, ever forget it: the battle is the Lord's!

I Love Spring!

Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world. ~Virgil A. Kraft

French Dip Sandwich

Ingredients

1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 beef bouillon cube
1 bay leaf
3 to 4 peppercorns
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic powder
12 French sandwich rolls, split

Directions: Place trimmed roast in a 5-quart slow cooker. Combine soy sauce and next 6 ingredients; pour over roast. Add water to slow cooker until roast is almost covered.

Cook, covered, on low 7 hours or until very tender. Remove roast, reserving broth; shred roast with a fork. Place roast in rolls, and serve with reserved broth for dipping.
Yield
12 servings

Mississippi Mud Cake

Ingredients

1 cup butter, melted
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
1 (10.5-ounce) bag miniature marshmallows

Chocolate Frosting

Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; top warm cake evenly with marshmallows. Return to oven, and bake 5 minutes. Drizzle Chocolate Frosting over warm cake. Cool completely.

Note: 2 (19.5-ounce) packages brownie mix, prepared according to package directions, may be substituted for first 7 ingredients. Stir in chopped pecans. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Proceed with marshmallows and frosting as directed.

Yield

Makes 15 servings

A Kindred Spirit

by Charles R. Swindoll Read 1 Samuel 18:1--4 

God knew that David needed an intimate friend to walk with him through the valley that was ahead of him. 

Intimate friends are rare in life. Often we have only one, occasionally two, usually not more than three in our entire lives. There's something about an intimate friend that causes your souls to be knit together. It's what we call a kindred spirit. You don't have to beg a close friend for a favor, which was certainly the case with Jonathan. 

"Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt" (1 Samuel 18:4). 

 He wanted to give David something that belonged to him and was meaningful to him. 

Friends do that. They're never stingy with their possessions. Later, Jonathan says to David, "Whatever you say, I will do for you" (20:4). 

That's the promise of an intimate friend. You can hardly impose on an intimate friend. He doesn't keep score. An intimate friend is there to assist whenever and in whatever way is needed. Unselfishness prevails. An intimate friend is a loyal defense before others. He's not a fair-weather friend. He won't talk against you when you're not around. It says, "Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father" (19:4). 

That was very significant, because Saul was not only the king and Jonathan's father, but also, by that time, Saul had determined to be David's enemy. Yet Jonathan stood up to his father and said, "Dad, you're wrong about David." In fact, he not only defended his friend, he also rebuked his father for his attitude toward David. 

What a friend Jonathan was! No pettiness, no envy, no jealousy. After all, Jonathan, as Saul's son, might have been the heir apparent. He might have wanted the praise of the people, yet here was this kid from the hills of Bethlehem, garnering all of it. Still, Jonathan stood in defense of his friend against his own father, who was ready to take David's life. 

This is what we might call bottom-line theology. This is putting shoe leather to your belief, to your faith. He stood in his defense because he was his friend.

Unique Techniques

by Charles R. Swindoll Read 1 Samuel 17:17--39

Man is impressed with the externals; he doesn't see the heart. God is different. He doesn't judge by appearance or intelligence. King Saul hadn't learned that, however, so he looked at David and said, "You don't have the size for it. You're just a kid. Look over there at that giant!"

As I picture it, David was blinking and thinking, What giant? The only giant in my life is God. That's a dwarf over there, Saul. God is not impressed with the externals; He looks on the heart. God is omnipotent! And if He's on my side, omnipotence can't lose.

So often, when facing our own giants, we forget what we ought to remember, and we remember what we ought to forget. We remember our defeats, and we forget the victories. Most of us can recite the failures of our lives in vivid detail, but we're hard-pressed to name the specific, remarkable victories God has pulled off in our past.

Not so with David! He says, "You know why I can fight Goliath, Saul? Because the same God who gave me power over a lion and a bear will give me power over Goliath. It is God who will empower me . . . so just let me at him."

Well, that let Saul off the hook, so he says, "Go, and may the LORD be with you." Isn't it remarkable how people can use spiritual clichés to cover up their empty lives? They know all the right words to use . . . all the pious-sounding sayings. Saul sure did.

Then Saul said, "Now wait a minute, David. We have to fix you up for battle." Imagine it! You can't tell me the Bible doesn't have humor, because it says, "Saul clothed David with his garments." Here's Saul, a 52 long, and David is a 36 regular.

What works for one person will not necessarily work for someone else. We're always trying to put our armor on someone else or wear someone else's armor. But that's not the way to do battle. It was a great breakthrough in my own life when I finally discovered that I could be me and God would use me. I couldn't operate well, wearing another's armor. God provides unique techniques for unique people.

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.

Dump Cake

Ingredients:

1 can cherry pie filling

1 can crushed pineapple

1 box yellow cake mix (white works, too)

1 stick margarine

1/2 stick butter

Whipped Cream

Directions: Dump cherry pie filling and crushed pineapple into baking dish. Stir together. Sprinkle cake mix over the top of the fruit. Slice margarine and butter and distribute over the surface of the cake mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Whip cream and place a dollup on a single serving of dump cake.

Is Your Armor On?

Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:10-18

God vs. Our Giants

by Charles R. Swindoll (Read 1 Samuel 17:1--16) 

"There's no reason for your entire army to be involved in this. Just send a fighter, and I'll take him on. I am the champion. I am the greatest." 

Goliath didn't issue this challenge one time and then leave. No. His challenge went on for forty days (17:16).

Every morning and every evening for well over a month, he strutted out there, flaunting his size and his strength, daring someone to take him on. 

How applicable to any "giant" we encounter! That's the way with the giants of fear and worry, for example. They don't come just once; they come morning and evening, day after day, relentlessly trying to intimidate. They come in the form of a person, a pressure, or a worry. 

Some of you have fear that hammers on your heart every morning and every night, day in and day out, yelling across the ravine in your own personal valley. Few things are more persistent and intimidating than our fears and our worries . . . especially when we face them in our own strength. 

I want to look again at something that occurred prior to that battle, when the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). 

Literally, God said, "for man looks at the face, but the Lord looks at the heart." 

We, being human, are subject to that same problem. We are impressed with, or not impressed with, individuals because we judge on the basis of surface appearance. We look at the externals, and we form opinions that are usually erroneous. 

If God's statement ever applied, it applied in the story of this battle. Goliath had all the things that would normally impress and intimidate. 

In this instance, however, David had been given the ability to see as God always sees, and he was neither impressed nor intimidated. Because no matter how big the giant might be, God is greater. And no matter how powerful he might be, God is all-powerful.

Banana Crunch Muffins

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 extra-large eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)
1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
1 cup small-diced walnuts
1 cup granola
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Dried banana chips, granola, or shredded coconut, optional

Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 18 large muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don't overmix.

Fold the diced bananas, walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each 1 to the top. Top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola, or coconut, if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

What a great feeling to look back on what you've already climbed!

Never Give Up

It is not the critic who counts, 

Nor the man who points out 

How the strong man stumbled, 

Or where the doer of deeds 

Could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man 

Who is actually in the arena, 

Whose face is marred 

By dust and sweat and blood; 

 Who strives valiantly; 

Who errs and comes short again and again; 

Who knows great enthusiasms, great devotions; 

ho spends himself in a worthy cause; 

Who, at the best, knows in the end 

The triumph of high achievement, and Who, at the worst, if he fails, 

At least fails while daring greatly, 

 So that his place shall never be 

With those timid souls 

Who know neither victory nor defeat. - Theodore Roosevelt

Blueberry Cobbler

Recipe courtesy of Robin Miller

Cooking spray

1 (16-ounce) bag (2 cups) frozen blueberries (keep frozen until ready to use)

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup milk (regular, lowfat or skim)

Ice cream, for plating, optional

Blueberries, for garnish, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 by 12-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the blueberries and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Toss to combine and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup sugar, the flour, and baking powder. In a large bowl, beat the butter and milk together until smooth. Gradually beat in the flour mixture until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, then scatter the blueberries over the batter, letting them sink in, without mixing. Bake until the top is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving. Spoon the cobbler into bowls and top with ice cream and/or blueberries, if using.

Southern Cornbread

The recipe calls for the corn bread to be baked in the oven in a cast iron skillet. We serve the corn bread at the table directly from the skillet, the benefit being that because the cast iron holds its heat so well, the corn bread stays warm throughout the entire meal.

1 cup self-rising cornmeal*
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup milk
3 Tbsp bacon drippings (warmed to liquid)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup of cooked corn, either fresh, defrosted frozen corn, or drained from a can

*Self-rising cornmeal is just cornmeal with the leavening already in it. You can make your own easily. 1 cup of self-rising cornmeal is equivalent to 1 Tbsp of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1 cup minus 1 Tbsp of cornmeal.

1 Preheat oven to 350°F.
2 Combine cornmeal, soda and salt. Add remaining ingredients, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.
3 Spoon into a greased 10-inch cast-iron skillet. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 8 servings.

Soup Beans

Courtesy of Paula Deen

1 pound dry pinto beans

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 pound ham hocks

4 cups water

1 onion, chopped

House Seasoning, recipe follows

Wash the beans and soak overnight in cold water. Drain the beans and dump into slow cooker. Stir in chili powder and oregano.

If using ham hock: Pre-soak ham in a separate pot, for at least 2, or refrigerated up to 24 hours, depending on how salty you want your stock to be. Add ham hock to slow cooker with beans and pour in ham soaking liquid. Add more water until ham hock is completely covered. Pour 4 cups water into pot.

Add onion to slow cooker with beans and meat. Stir well. Season, to taste, with House Seasoning, cover the pot, and cook on high until beans are very tender, about 5 hours.

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt

1/4 cup black pepper

1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups

O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. Isaiah 25:1

Sharing the Faith

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” -Matthew 5:16  

One faithful witness is worth a thousand mute professors of religion. 

Tom Allan, Scotland’s famous young preacher, was brought to Christ while a soldier was singing, “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?” 

He said it was neither the song nor the voice, but the spirit in which that soldier sang—something about his manner, something about his sincerity of expression—that convicted him of his wicked life and turned him to the Savior. 

Our faith grows by expression. If we want to keep our faith, we must share it—we must witness. Prayer for the day May others be drawn to You, Lord Jesus, as I tell them of Your love. By Billy Graham

He is There

No matter how steep the mountain - the Lord is going to climb it with you. - Helen Steiner Rice -

The Tapestry of Life

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believealso in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.~~ John 14:1-3 NKJV ~~ 

Life is a tapestry of good days and difficult days, with good days predominating. During the good days, we are tempted to take our blessings for granted (a temptation that we must resist with all our might). 

But, during life's difficult days, we discover precisely what we're made of. And more importantly, we discover what our faith is made of. 

 Has your faith been put to the test yet? If so, then you know that with God's help, you can endure life's darker days. 

But if you have not yet faced the inevitable trials and tragedies of life-here-on-earth, don't worry: you will. 

And when your faith is put to the test, rest assured that God is perfectly willing -- and always ready -- to give you strength for the struggle. A Woman of Prayer - 365 Daily Devotions, Freeman-Smith, LLC Publisher

One Step...

Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Faith

When you come to the end of everything you know and are faced with the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing one of two things will happen: Either there will be something solid for you to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly. --Barbara J. Winter

Emeril's Chocolate Cream Pie

Ingredients:

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream, plus 1 3/4 cups
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch salt
4 egg yolks
4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar 1 (9-inch) Chocolate Cookie Crust, baked, recipe follows

Directions: In a small saucepan combine sugar, 3/4 cup heavy cream, buttermilk, cornstarch and pinch of salt, and whisk until smooth. Place over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil, whisking from time to time for the sugar and cornstarch to dissolve and the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking at a low boil for an additional 5 minutes, whisking constantly.

In a mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks lightly. Pour 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the egg yolks and whisk thoroughly. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the saucepan and whisk over the heat until thoroughly combined and very thick, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl, and whisk in the chocolate, butter and vanilla. Continue whisking until thoroughly combined (mixture will be very thick). Cover the mixture with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface and refrigerate until cooled to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Place 1 3/4 cups heavy cream in a chilled mixing bowl and add the confectioners' sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold about 1/4 of the whipped cream into the cool chocolate pudding mixture, then spoon the chocolate mixture into the prepared pie crust and refrigerate until firm and cool, at least 4 hours. Refrigerate the remaining whipped cream until you are ready to serve the pie. When ready to serve, top the pie with the remaining sweetened whipped cream and serve immediately.

Pie Crust:
Graham crackers to yield 2 cups crumbs
Chocolate sandwich cookies (white centers removed) to yield 1 1/2 cups crumbs (recommended: Oreo)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, process the graham crackers and chocolate cookies to make crumbs. In a bowl mix together the cookie crumbs, sugar and butter with your hands. Press the mixture evenly into a 9-inch pie pan. (It will seem like an excessive amount of crumbs, but will compress down quite a bit with pressure.)

Cover the crust with plastic wrap and top with another 9-inch pan, pressing quite firmly to make a smooth surface. Remove the pan and the plastic wrap from the pressed crust prior to placing it into the preheated oven. Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and let cool completely before filling. Yield: 1 (9-inch) crust

Why Worry?

Matthew: 25-29 25: 

25: Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 

26: Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 

 27: Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 

28: And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

 29: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Senate Bean Soup

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen

Ingredients:

2 pounds Michigan navy beans
4 quarts water
1 thick slice leftover spiral ham, cut into small pieces (not country ham, which is too salty)*
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 medium onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves

Directions: Rinse the beans in hot water until they are white. Place them in a stockpot, add the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 hours.

Heat the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion until lightly browned. Add the onion to the pot of beans.

Remove 2 cups of the bean mixture, puree in a blender, and return to the soup. Add to ham to soup mixture. Just before serving, season the soup with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with parsley.

*Cook's note: This recipe can also be made with ham hock.

God of Every Detail

by Charles R. Swindoll (Numbers 27:12-23; Deuteronomy 34:9) 

I am always amazed to hear how the Lord uses His Word in the lives of His people. 

I don't know your circumstances. I don't know how God intends to use this episode from the life of Moses in your own life. It may be that these words fall on a very hungry heart. Or perhaps you have been strengthened and encouraged with the thought that you're very special to God, that none of His children are insignificant. 

Or maybe you're engaged in the awesome task of finding a man or a woman for a position that carries a great weight of responsibility, and you've been reminded that you are dependent, more than ever, on God to locate His Joshua. 

Or perhaps you are that Joshua, and you've been asked to accept a responsibility broader than you ever dreamed. 

Whatever your circumstances, I want to remind you that our heavenly Father cares about areas of your life that would seem insignificant to a distant deity. 

He's never too busy to hear your hurts, to wipe away your tears, to whisper words of encouragement, and to put His big shoulder under your load. He's the God who cares about the details. 

As I write these words, I'm praying that our sovereign God might be a very personal comfort to you this week. I pray especially for you who are wrestling with loneliness and discouragement. Even though you're surrounded by people, deep within there's an ache. 

Friend, God can meet your need as only He can, even as He did in the heart of Moses just a few hours before the great man's death. 

If you're God's Joshua, you don't need to worry that you'll be forgotten. You don't need to worry that the shadow of your predecessor will eclipse you and your ministry in the years to come. In fact, you don't need to worry about anything. If you're God's Joshua, you're right where you ought to be. 

Remind yourself that He is sovereign. He has everything under His control. He will have His way in His time, for His glory, which includes your life, your position, and your future. Worrying over any of that is a waste. He's got every detail covered---every one.

God of All My Moments

by Charles R. Swindoll (Numbers 20:1-3) 

Wouldn't you love the ability to go back in time and change something you did or said? 

I know there have been moments in my life---awful moments when I acted on the impulse of the flesh---that I would dearly love to call back. But alas, I cannot. 

 Don't you imagine, during those days prior to his home going, Moses would have cheerfully given his right arm to relive that incident at the rock? "Oh Lord, if I could only back up and do that all over! I would have cried out for Your help to control my anger. I would have been more concerned for Your glory. I would have done exactly as You instructed." 

But he couldn't go back. In a single moment of rage, he forfeited his right to lead Israel. He threw away his opportunity to enter the Promised Land. 

The sad fact is, we cannot go back. None of us can. We cannot undo sinful deeds or unsay sinful words. We cannot reclaim those moments when we were possessed by rage, lust, cruelty, indifference, or hard-headed pride. Like Moses, we may be forgiven for those sins and have them blotted out of our record by the blood of Christ. 

Even so, we must live with the consequences of our words and our actions. What we sow, the Scriptures warn, we will also reap. No, we can't go back. Our gracious Lord has covered our past with His own blood, given on the cross for us. David reminds us that, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" (Psalm 103:12). 

But we can learn to walk much closer with Him, day by day, hour by hour, moment by moment. We can keep short accounts with Him and lean on the Holy Spirit to guard our hearts and shield us from destructive, life-shattering sins. He will do it. He has promised to provide us with a way of escape so that we can bear up under any temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13)---any temptation at any moment. 

 If this becomes our way of life, my friend, when God says speak to the rock, we will speak, not strike. And the water that flows from those moments of obedience will refresh.