My Question to the Lord About His Plans

Search for Hope Series

Search for Hope is a series of questions and answers between me and the Lord concerning my prayers. The Lord's answers are so profound that I want to share them with you. Here is question #2 in the series.

12/24/2021 I know You have plans for my life. It has been proven and confirmed time and again. But what’s mind boggling is what You want “me” to do. You’ve got me so far in the dark about Your plans till I don’t know whether to turn, go forward, or stay put. ● Six years ago, I had been praying about whether to go back to work or enter ministry. You had been using me in a way that made me think the door might be open. While going around Dead Man’s Curve on Highway 175, I saw a church marquee that said, “Do God’s Work and Will.” Hark!! A word from the Lord! I stopped job hunting and focused on ministry. ALL my bills got behind in spite of my cries for help. Clearly, You were not trying to assist me in that regard. Someone said, “Where God guides, He provides!” Not so in my case. I found a job and finally got back on my feet. ● Why did I think You were telling me to go into full-time ministry? Sometimes when I hear a song on the radio or an unexpected post come through my Facebook feed I will feel like it's a word from the Lord confirming my petitions but then it never seems to manifest. It just keeps getting my hopes up over and over to be disappointed again and again. This has happened many, many, many times. ● If a song comes on the radio at the precise moment I start my car, and ministers to me so profoundly that I have to believe it was from God, why do I keep being disappointed? There has been several other occasions when I felt in the dark, and kept out of the loop about Your plans for me. I can understand that You don’t want to show me the full picture at once, but I should at least know what the next step is, so I know what You want me to do. How can I obey You when I am totally in the dark about what You want me to do? I’m bumping into stuff and making a complete idiot of myself in the darkness. ● Thank You for letting me come boldly to Your throne of grace with my complaint. I will wait to see what You have to say and how You will plainly answer my dilemma.
Humbly yours, Voice of the Dove

Here is the Lord's response.

12/25/2021 Do you remember the time you were being fingerprinted by the police officer for a job? Both you and he were competing for control of your hand so he could press it on the ink pad and then on the paper. Both of you were trying to control your hand at the same time. Then when he told you to close your eyes, your hand went limp in his, and he was able to guide your fingers without your assistance.

You have a tendency to be too independent and I am training you to trust and rely on Me. I am using your confusion to increase your dependence on Me. When stumbling around in the dark, you have no other alternative but to trust Me for guidance. I'm allowing these things (like the church sign) to throw you off balance and drive you to Me.

When you feel certain, you tend to go your way, but you cannot have your certainty and My confidence too. I cannot guide you in a way that you can predict too easily. The only path to true confidence and dependency is through confusion. That is when I am fully in control, like when you closed your eyes and your hand went limp in the police officer's. I cannot allow you to get stuck in a system that will short circuit your faith.

I want you to seek Me first in everything. Get in the habit of acknowledging Me in everything; look to Me for counsel, and I will direct your paths. I am teaching you to make My presence your priority.

Your whole life as you came through school I taught you good study habits, for such a time as this. When you need guidance, get in My word and I will counsel you and give you wisdom. Your way out of the darkness is through Me, your Good Shepherd. I know My sheep. I am able to lead you in a way that you can go in and out and find fresh, tender, green pasture. Ask Me. I will give it to you. Seek Me. I will show you how. Knock. I will open the door for you. I don't want you out there independently making things happen, I need you dependent on Me to make it happen. I will still send songs and messages through other means, but I want you to always confirm it through Me.

For the rest of your life, let Me be your guide and you will never be confused again. I love you too much to let your faith short circuit. Seek Me with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and you will most certainly find Me, I'll make sure of that. I love your independent spirit but lay it aside and make My presence your priority.

Daddy

My Question to the Lord About Prayer

Search for Hope Series

Hope deferred makes the heart sick.

Search for Hope is a series of questions and answers between me and the Lord concerning my prayers. The Lord's answers are so profound that I want to share them with you. Here is question #1 in the series.

Heavenly Father, over the last few years I have continued to struggle with getting my prayers answered. My hope is fading because of the unmet expectations. I need You to explain what is going on because my hope is deferred and making my heart sick.

Here is the Lord's response.

Daughter, when you pray, you already have an idea of how you want Me to answer your petition. When I fail to meet that expectation, you get upset and frustrated, and this effects your faith. It is written, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Because I don’t answer you in the manner you were expecting does not mean I have abandoned you. This is where We need to strengthen your faith. Remember in the story of Lazarus’s death, Martha said, “If You had been here, my brother would not have died.” Mary and Martha expected Me to come and heal Lazarus, but I lingered long enough for him to die and be buried four days. Then I saw Martha’s faith when she said, “But even now, I know that whatever You ask of God, He will give You.” Even when Lazarus had been in the grave four days, Martha said, “Even now.” When I don’t respond to your prayers in the way you wanted, please don’t assume it is an unanswered prayer. My thoughts and ways are not your thoughts and ways. If I don’t answer your prayer in the manner you expected, I want you to remember Mary and Martha. I raised Lazarus from the dead. Their prayers were answered, just not in the way they initially expected. I will never leave you, nor forsake you. Never… no never. Remember this always. I know that you are convinced of My power to do anything and that nothing is too hard for Me. If the need you are praying about is dire, I want you to remember Martha’s words, “Even now!” Because a bill is past due and you have a disconnect notice does not mean I cannot still work it out, even now! I love you daughter. Never forget that. Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. I am your Good Shepherd.

Daddy

Too Heavenly Minded

Is there such a thing as
being too devout and committed?

Can you be so heavenly-minded

that you're no earthly good?

TAKE A LOOK: You're Not Crazy!! (Video Clip)

Colossians 3:1-2 NKJV If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

Matthew 6:21 NKJV For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

We are never warned in the Bible of being “too heavenly-minded.” However, we are repeatedly cautioned about being too earthly-minded and carnal. When a child of God is heavenly-minded, it makes them of more earthly good because of the way it influences their thinking.

Romans 8:6 NKJV For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

I have been accused of being too heavenly-minded, and no earthly good. I tried to change and "loosen up" but it never seemed to work. I finally decided that it's okay to be me. Having a spiritual mindset is better than having a carnal mind.

Click on the link above to watch the thirty-seven second video where the preacher encourages that we're not crazy because we take Jesus seriously.

You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.

To God be the glory.
Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

God's Answer to Job's Prayers

Job had seven sons and three daughters. They were old enough to have houses of their own. On each one's birthday, the boys would have days of feasting and celebrating, inviting their sisters to participate in the festivities.

As the priest and religious leader of his household, when their days of feasting were over, Job would send for them and sanctify them through burnt offerings and prayers. He offered sacrifices to God (one burnt offering per child) asking forgiveness for any sin or lasciviousness they may have committed at their parties.

Job feared God and shunned evil, and was afraid his children may have blasphemed or behaved profanely against God. Job had many servants and I am sure they were able to give him certified details of the ongoings of his children. They were always giving Job a reason to pray. They were ungodly and Job knew it.

As a result of Job's prayers, God decided that He wanted to bless Job with new children that would produce a lineage of godly sons and daughters that feared and respected God as their father Job did. So, when Satan came around confessing that he had been going here and there on the earth, God presented Job to Satan, and removed the hedge of protection that had been preventing Satan's attacks on Job.

On a day when Job's children were celebrating at their oldest brother's house, Satan sent a tornado and it demolished the house which collapsed and killed all ten of Job's children.

During Job's trials he had lost everything (all his livestock, his health, and his children). God restored all Job's losses giving him back twice as much as he had before.

God also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. BUT... these children were not the same as those that died. These were as God fearing as their father Job was, and were beautiful inside and outside. Job did not have to offer burnt offerings as a result of lewd and lascivious behavior. These ten children produced beautiful generations of godly children that Job was able to enjoy and leave an inheritance to. The Lord let Job live 140 more years to enjoy seeing his family up to his great, great grandchildren, then he died being old and full of days.

James 5:11 (NKJV) Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord - that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove 🕊

Guardian Angels

 

Psalm 91:10-12 (NKJV)

No evil shall befall you,

Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

For He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you in all your ways.

In their hands they shall bear you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

Check out my blogpost from 8-18-2019 called

Unanswered Prayers

https://richardsonblogger.blogspot.com/2019/08/unanswered-prayers.html

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

God's Not Ignoring You

1 Chronicles 28:20 (NKJV) David said to his son Solomon, "Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God - my God - will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you (never, no never), until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD."

Check out my blogpost from May 30, 2017 called God Cares.

https://richardsonblogger.blogspot.com/2017/05/god-cares.html

💙💙 To God be the glory. 💙💙

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

Setting Priorities

Get out of Martha's kitchen.

Martha was the hostess with the mostest. She knew how to put on a feast and hook it up exactly right. Jesus and the disciples came to her house for dinner, and she was doing what Martha does best.

Undistracted by all the busywork going on in the kitchen, Martha’s sister Mary went and sat down at the feet of Jesus to listen to what He was teaching. Martha came to Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t You care that Mary has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me.” Jesus gently answered her, “Martha Martha, you are worried and troubled by many distractions, but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen devotion and it will not be taken away from her.”

Some years back, my mother and I had a conversation about Mary and Martha. I defended Mary’s devotion and my mother who is the perfect likeness to Martha, of course defended Martha’s busywork. She said, “Well… somebody had to do the cooking.” I had no come back to that. She was right.

I went home that day and got on my knees to speak with the Lord about it. I said, “Jesus, my mama said, ‘Somebody had to do the cooking.’” Jesus answered me back and said, “I would’ve just eaten figs.”

Luke 10:42 NKJV One thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

God's Bullhorn

God had a calling on Joseph's life and gave him a prophetic dream about it at the tender age of 17. Joseph bragged about it to his family and his brothers got jealous. They threw him into a pit. Then they sold him into slavery. His slave owner’s wife tried to molest him then lied about it and he was thrown into prison. There he met Pharaoh’s butler and interpreted his dream. When Pharaoh’s butler got out of prison, he told Pharaoh about a man who could interpret his dream, and Joseph was brought to the palace. The dream God had given him came true, but the journey to get there was turbulent.

I did a study to see if I could determine a better way to get from the pit to the palace without all the turbulence. I asked the Lord if I just get into His presence, can spiritual maturity occur as a result?

God told Jeremiah to go down to the potter’s house and watch what was happening. The vessel that he made from clay was damaged in the potter’s hand so he had to start over. As the damaged clay goes back through the wedging, spinning, and shaping process in the potter's hand, so do we in God’s hands.

Sometimes God must break us down to build us up, for the destruction of our sinful nature, and the breaking up of our fallow ground, driving us to a heart of true repentance at His altar.

The apostle James said to count it all joy when you fall into various trials. It seems crazy in the middle of weeping, to count it all joy. But looking back, we can see it was God’s bullhorn used to get our attention. And the thing that created this vessel of honor was the turbulence of the Potter's wheel.

Amid all my seeking God about my turbulence, I stumbled across a song by the Gaither Vocal Band that touched my soul very deeply. Sometimes It Takes a Mountain. Listen to it.

To God be the glory.
Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

Detail-Oriented God

God cares about every detail of our lives.

Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
That's how detail-oriented God is.

My Blogpost About the Sink Strainer

Luke 12:6-7 (NKJV) Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove