Be Wise in Discerning

For every tree is known by its own fruit.

My ex-husband and I traveled to Florida on our wedding anniversary and as we drove through the Florida panhandle, we saw a grove of lemon trees that were absolutely breathtaking. They cascaded up a hill on both sides of the freeway, for miles and miles. I just kept saying over and over, “Look at all those lemon trees.” It was amazing. On our way back home, I did the same thing.

The next year we went back again, and it was a repeat of the last time… just overwhelming. A few years passed and we went back a third time. This time as we drove pass the grove of trees, the voice of the Lord said to me quietly, “They’re not lemons.”

I squinted my eyes and focused, “Oh my God! Those are oranges!!” I had been fooled four times.

Jesus taught in Luke 6:44 that every tree is known by its own fruit, but I was misled because these oranges were not in season yet, and were more yellow than they were orange.

Sometimes what we think we see, is not really what it appears to be. What our eyes thinks it sees, might not be the real deal. Let us learn to lean on Holy Spirit to help us discern good and evil.

Matthew 7:1-2 (NLT) Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.

Romans 16:19-20 (NKJV) For your obedience has become known to all. Therefore, I am glad on your behalf; but I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

Let's Go Higher

A story is told about a group of eaglets hatched in captivity and spent their whole lives like ordinary birds, on the low lands, eating what they were fed and not being bothered about it, because they didn't know any different.  They didn't know they could soar at heights no other birds could reach.  They didn't know about the strength in their claws that could clutch other animals rendering them defenseless.  Living in captivity, they didn't know that their eyesight was so keen they could spot a rabbit moving almost a mile away.

Zion, God has put the power in us to soar at high altitudes. Yet, we continue to fly at low altitudes, living far beneath our privilege, and the Lord is saying "why won't My people raise the standard"?

LET US rise up as children of Almighty God.  Put on your strength. Stand up and fight.  Let Zion prevail.  With His power and might, we will not fail.

LET US take up our swords and fight. Defeat the enemy with the word of God.

LET US become rooted and grounded in the love of Christ and know that absolutely nothing can separate us from it.

LET US not settle in mediocrity because God wants to take us higher and higher.

LET US stop being weaklings and declare that we are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

LET US walk in the authority Christ gave us through His name.

LET US believe in the power of the Holy Spirit who is at work in us and is able to carry out the will of God for our lives.

LET US suit up and go.

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

The Pastor at Home

 

There is a true story I heard about a Pastor and First Lady. He had God’s grace and favor on him, and when he prayed over members of his congregation, they overwhelmingly flourished. Most of the members in his congregation did very well, except this same blessing did not fall on his household. They continued to struggle financially.

One day in the middle of service, the First Lady got up and walked out of the sanctuary and went home. When service ended the pastor quickly made his way home and kept asking his wife what the matter was, but she would not say a word. She just kept serving until the dinner table was prepared.

Psalm 23:5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

She came before her husband and dropped to her knees and said, “Servant of God, my family is in need of a breakthrough.”

Her pastor looked at her and suddenly the same anointing that washed over him at church (which he had never felt in his home), came upon him… and he stretched his hand over his wife and spoke a word, and they received the breakthrough she requested.

Until the First Lady acknowledged the grace and favor on her husband's life, it did not flow into their home.

There are many pastors whose relatives have never benefited from the favor of God on his life because to them he’s just a husband, or a cousin, or a brother.

This same thing happened to Jesus as He visited His hometown of Nazareth. He was teaching in their synagogue, and they were surprised and asked, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works?” They saw him as Joseph the Carpenter’s son and they were offended at Him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own house.”

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

On One Accord With God

💚💙💛CLARITY IS💛💙💚clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding; freedom from indistinctness, ambiguity and confusion; the state or quality of being clear and transparent to the eye; the clearness of pure water.

Heavenly Father, I pray You will come against the spirit of confusion and uncertainty. Bind every work of the enemy to keep us from seeing and walking in Your way.

Let the Holy Spirit guide us into all truth and declare the whole counsel of God, with a clear understanding. Close every door that would give confusion and delusion any activity in our lives.

Bless our eyes that they may see and our ears that they may hear. Lead us into our destinies with the mind of Christ. Help us discern the lies of the enemy that we may walk according to the Spirit in full knowledge of the truth. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Mark 4:24-25 (NLT) Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given-and you will receive even more. To those who listen to My teaching, more understanding will be given. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.

Ephesians 1:18 (NLT) I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called - His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance.

To God be the glory.

Prayer for Deliverance

Break the Chains

Let my life be valued in the eyes of the Lord, and let Him deliver me out of all tribulation.

Return to me my Lord and deliver me and save me for Your mercies sake. O Lord my God, in You I put my trust; save me from all those who persecute me, and deliver me please. Deliver me from the power of the dog. Deliver me from poverty and lack. Deliver me from the enemy's attack. Keep my soul, and deliver me. Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. Please don't deliver me to the will of the enemy. Be sensitive to my prayers and deliver me speedily, with an urgency, like an ambulance with sirens blasting.

Deliver us in Your righteousness. Bow down Your ear to us and be sensitive to our earnest prayers. Deliver us from all our transgressions. Rescue us as you have said. Make haste to help us! Vindicate us O God, our Mediator and Intercessor. Plead our cause. Deliver us out of the quicksand and let us not sink into destruction.

As You delivered the Hebrew Boys from the fiery furnace, please deliver us. Deliver our souls and make haste to deliver us quickly. Deliver us in Your righteousness, and let us escape from the quicksand enveloping us. Incline Your ear to us and be sensitive to our earnest prayers. Deliver us out of the hand of the wicked. Because Your mercy is good and abundant, deliver us. Consider all our affliction and deliver us according to Your word. Attend to our cries for help, for we are brought very low but You're the lifter of our heads in Whom we take shelter and refuge. Rescue us and deliver us out of great waters as You did Peter when he began to sink. Deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

The Lord will deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever in Jesus' Holy name. Amen!

Numbers 6:24-26 (NKJV) “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

To God be the glory.

The Missing Piece

Testimony:

I lost a piece to my jigsaw puzzle and really wanted to find it because it was one of the hardest puzzles I ever put together and I wanted it to be complete. I looked everywhere that I thought it could be. I finally prayed that the Lord would send it back to me. Over the next two months I prayed and prayed, many, many times that the Lord would send it back from where ever it was, because I knew that He knew where to find it.

I had been feeling really depressed because of my job situation, to the point of despair. To take my mind off things, I decided to dismantle my puzzle table since I wasn't working on anything at the moment. For some strange reason, I decided to lift up the fireplace cover... faith and behorrah... there was the missing puzzle piece!! It had fallen and stuck on the tape holding the fireplace covering. The Lord brought it back to me in answer to my earnest prayers, and just at the moment when I really needed a pick me up.

Seeing that puzzle piece made an immediate about face on my depression. The job situation is still not resolved, but finding that puzzle piece was a definite God moment that brightened my day considerably. Thank You Lord.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

Tender Loving Care

January 8, 2022... Feeling unqualified, inexperienced, depressed, hopeless, and unfit, I received a word from the Lord. As I passed by my Jesus Calling devotional, I felt led to read the day’s devo. It was God sending me a message for sure. He said…

“Softly I announce My presence. Shimmering hues of radiance tap gently at your consciousness, seeking entrance. Though I have all power in heaven and on earth, I am infinitely tender with you. The weaker you are, the more gently I approach you. Let your weakness be a door to My presence. When you feel inadequate, remember that I am your ever-present help.

Hope in Me, and you will be protected from depression and self-pity. Hope is like a golden cord connecting you to heaven. The more you cling to this cord, the more I bear the weight of your burdens; thus, you are lightened. Heaviness is not of My kingdom. Cling to hope, and My rays of light  will reach you through the darkness.” *

Psalm 46:1 (NLT) God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

Romans 12:12 (NLT) Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

Romans 15:13 (NLT) I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Psalms 24:1 (NLT) The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.

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͢͢͢͢͢Keep hope alive.

Resuscitate it.

Put it on life support…

but don’t let it die.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

* Reference: Jesus Calling Devotional, Thomas Nelson Publishers, January 8, Sarah Young, Author

Letting Go of Offenses

 Previous Blogpost on Forgiveness

(from 6 years ago)

https://richardsonblogger.blogspot.com/2016/01/forgiveness.html

It is easy to say the words, "I forgive you." The hard part of letting go of offenses, is truly meaning it where your heart is concerned. The only thing God is expecting us to do is make the "decision" to forgive. Walking it out so that it becomes reality is accomplished by the Holy Spirit in us. It can be done. Lean heavily on Him to banish the hurt and heal your wounds.

After a while, you'll look back and see how far you've come and be amazed.

I also suggest keeping a journal (noting dates) of the journey. Be honest with God about where you are and what you're feeling. You'll be able to look back and see how much your soul has prospered as you move on.

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 2.

It feels good to be moving on. Enjoy Jonathan and Mali as they sing, I'm Movin' On.

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

Catch and Release

Many years ago, the Lord showed me a vision. My ex-husband and I was fishing off a pier. A fish got on my line, and I assumed it was huge because he fought me violently. I kept yelling at my ex, “I got a big one! I got a big one!” But he would not come to my aid. I fought with this fish until I finally got him to the surface. Low and behold, it wasn’t a fish at all. It was someone at church that I was severely offended with. When I saw the person's face on my hook, the Lord said, “Now let them off the hook!” It wasn’t a request. It was a command. I released the fish from my hook and threw it back in the water.

I had to forgive this person, although I had no idea how to deal with the heartache and offense, I said, “I forgive you.” Not long after that, the person became severely ill. When I found out how sick they were I became sad and so extremely concerned about this person that all of my offense seemed to slip away, as I grappled with what this person must be going through. God healed them… and me. I was healed of the heartache and offense they had caused. Unforgiveness is like poison, only it doesn’t affect the offender. It is the offended that is dying a slow and painful death. For your sake let them off the hook and throw them back in the water. Ask God to heal your hurts and move on. Forgiveness does not mean you have to be friends. It just makes room to move on.

Love keeps no record of being wronged. 1 Cor. 13:4

Have a great day! 🤗

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

Leah, The Unloved Wife

Abraham’s grandson Jacob had two wives, Rachel and Leah. Jacob was tricked into marrying Leah by her father Laban, but the woman he absolutely loved was Rachel. When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb and caused her to bear Jacob sons but Rachel would not get pregnant. Leah thought Jacob would begin to love her since she bore him sons, but his love remained true to Rachel, who had stolen her father’s idol gods, hid them, and would not return them to him.

After Leah gave birth to her fourth son Judah, she said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Leah decided to stop craving the love of Jacob and turned her attention to the Lord. Our fulfillment does not come from man, it comes from God. He’s a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He can maneuver the king’s heart like a river that channels and turns wherever the Lord wishes.

The Lord said, “I have loved you with an everlasting love that cannot be quenched. I will build you again, for I know the plans I have for you. They are plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to restore your hope and give you a bright future. My thoughts toward you are so great that if you should count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand on the seashore. Turn your eyes upon Me, and let Me heal your brokenness, and love you back to health.”

Isaiah 54:5-7 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall He be called. For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. 

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

Someday

 John 13:7 (NLT)

Jesus replied,

"You don't understand now

what I am doing,

but someday you will."