#NOTACOINCIDENCE

On 10/25/2019 I was on a private cabin retreat. I headed up to Brookshire's grocery store to pick up a few things but got lost trying to find the store. I finally found it, and picked up a few things to last till the retreat was done. As I headed to the checkout, I looked up and down each open lane and picked the one that looked like it would check me out the fastest. The lady standing right in front me turned around and stared at me with a furrowed eyebrow, and finally said the Lord told her to pray for me. She had absolutely no idea that I was in the middle of a spiritual retreat. Had I not gotten lost trying to find the store, I probably would've never seen her. We stood right there in the checkout line and she prayed for me. We shared a tight hug afterward, and I introduced myself and explained to her that I was having alone time with God. None of that was a coincidence. God connected the two of us that day, He answered her prayer, and the retreat was great.

What may appear to us as random chance, is in fact orchestrated by the sovereign God who knows our sitting down and rising up, and understands our thoughts from afar off, and comprehends the paths we go down, and is acquainted with all our ways, and knows even the number of hairs on our heads.

There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the Lord's counsel  — that shall stand. (Prov. 19:21)

View From My Cabin

May I suggest reading the entire Psalm 139.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove †

THE VALUE OF MONEY

Thurston Howell the third, took hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, and changes of clothing with him for what was intended to be only a three-hour boat tour in Hawaii, on the S.S. Minnow. They got caught in a violent storm and ended up stranded on an uncharted desert isle that they called Gilligan's Island. No phone - no lights - no motor cars - not a single luxury. Thurston Howell's money was absolutely worthless on Gilligan's Island.

Many years ago, my aunt testified of a vision she saw of dollar bills just blowing up and down the street. No one was trying to pick them up, they just walked right passed money laying on the ground, as if it was as worthless as Thurston Howell's was while he remained on Gilligan's Island.

The "mark of the beast" in the book of Revelation refers to a physical or symbolic mark, often associated with the number 666, that individuals will be forced to receive to be able to buy or sell. Their money will be worthless.

As our world becomes more and more technologically advanced, accepting the mark of the beast will be a way of life when the anti-Christ rise up. Personally, I believe this will take place after the rapture of the church.

But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers (1Peter 4:7).

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove †

GOD AND HIS REPUTATION

God And His Reputation - His Name's Sake

In my lifetime, I have probably read and heard Psalm 23 thousands of times. Recently, I was reading through it again, and made a hard stop at the third verse... "He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake." For His name's sake?

I thought, "You mean God does all this for His name's sake?" In other words, to bring glory and honor to His name. That bothered me because I assumed that meant, that He's putting us through hell just so He can look good. Of course, a Bible study ensued!

Job's Friends:

When Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar had nothing more to say concerning Job's turmoil, Elihu became the fourth man up to get Job straightened out. This was the first and only time he spoke. Apparently Elihu was a bystander and much younger than the others, but he introduced a new viewpoint.

Job 36:26 (NKJV) "Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; nor can the number of His years be discovered."

Job's three friends were mistaken about God in their speeches to Job. They clearly did not accurately reflect the character of God, and the reason He let Job endure his calamities. Because they didn't have any indepth knowledge of God, they assumed things about Him that is not His true character. In fact, God confronted Job's friends about that.

Job 42:7 (NKJV) The LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.

The trials Job suffered were not related to his behavior at all. God said of Job that there was none like him on the earth, and that Job was a blameless and upright man, one who feared God and shunned evil? (Job 1:8) God used Job's sufferings as an answer to his prayers about his 10 children, that were possibly committing incest with their sisters (Job 1:4-5). Following Job's time of suffering, God blessed Job with twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10). God also blessed Job with 10 new children, whose behavior was a lot different than his first 10, who had been tragicly killed (Job 1:18-19; 42:13-14). Job and his friends came away from his experience with a much greater knowledge of God's reputation, and who He really is.

God stakes His name (or His reputation) on how we come to know Him. As we read these Bible stories, we also come to know Him in the way Job did. As we endure our own suffering, we come to know God in a way we wouldn't otherwise.

Psalm 106:8 (NKJV) Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make His mighty power known.

God does not permit us to go through hell so He can look good. He does it so we can come to know Him better and better. It elevates us to the next level of our spiritual journey.

Now, no chastening seems to be joyful while we're going through it, but it's painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it - and we come to know God in ways we never could have, had we not seen it for ourselves.

Job's story had a very, very, very happy ending... and so will ours.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove †

GOD WHY DO YOU TOLERATE WRONGDOING?

𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗚𝗢𝗗 𝗜𝗡 𝗔 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗢𝗧𝗜𝗖 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗

Habakkuk 1:3

The prophet Habakkuk asked the Lord, "Why do You tolerate wrongdoing?" (Hab. 1:3 BSB) The Lord's response to the prophet was, "I am doing a work in your days that you would never believe even if someone told you." (Hab. 1:5 BSB)

Obviously, there's a specific purpose that the Lord did not disclose to Habakkuk. I read the whole book. I watch the news everyday and pray for victims all the time, but I don't always see immediate results. The children of Israel were sent to Babylon for 70 years as punishment for idolatry and disobedience to God. Inspite of any prayers, they remained there all 70 years, and then were released from captivity.

When Adam and Eve ate that forbidden fruit, they died a spiritual death, and we inherited it. Humans are innately sinful beings until we come to Christ and are filled with the Holy Spirit. The psalmist David said, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity." Doing wrong is part of who we are.

Romans 7:24-25 (NKJV) O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

The apostle Paul said, "Right now we see life as a dim reflection, like in a mirror in a dark room; but following Jesus' second coming, we shall see Him face to face. Right now we know in part; but then we shall know fully, even as we are fully known." (1Cor. 13:12)

1 Corinthians 13:9-10 (NKJV) For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

I'm currently doing a study in the book of Lamentations. That's how this subject came up. We won't understand it all right now. The just shall live by faith. But one thing is for certainly sure, God does not approve evil.

Lamentations 3:34-36 (BSB) To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land, to deny a man justice before the Most High, to subvert a man in his lawsuit — 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove †

WAIT ON THE LORD

I've been frustrated for quite some time because of many unanswered prayers. For the last couple of days I've been studying Lamentations 3 and I ran across Isa. 30:18 that says the Lord waited for me. I know that is truth, so why shouldn't I be patient and wait on Him?

Lamentations 3:25-26 (NKJV) The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.🍃

The psalmist David said, "Be of good courage, and the Lord shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD!"

He has heard our prayers. He won't forsake us. He won't leave us. He's not ignoring us.

1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV) Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.🍃

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove †

JUDGE NOT THAT YOU BE NOT JUDGED

It's written in James 5:16 to own up to our faults, and pray for each other so God can heal us. Therefore, I must confess my judgment of obesity. Every time I see someone that is atrociously obese, I judge them. I'm not talking about someone that's a little overweight, I'm talking morbid obesity.

Jesus said in 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."

When I saw the woman in this picture, I immediately judged her for being the size she is, and having the nerve to put on a bikini. Not only this woman, but all images of morbid obesity, whether in person or an image, my first reaction is going to be negative. But the truth is, there but by the grace of God, go I. I myself, used to weigh over 200 pounds. How can I judge anyone, when I walked in those shoes myself not that long ago?

Heavenly Father, please forgive me. I apologize for my negative attitude of another human being. I am no better than them. I know You will judge me by the standard in which I judge others. I want to be gracious to my fellow man, and an imitator of God as Your dear child (Eph. 5:1). Please transform and renew my mind so that when these images come across my path, I will think godly thoughts, and love them as You love them. Have mercy on me O God, and wash me thoroughly of my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. I confess my sin in the presence of others, that You may heal me. In Jesus' name, Amen. 🛐

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove †

HOW WE DEPEND ON GOD

For years, the Lord has been minimizing my I'll-just-do-it-myself spirit. I was very independent and just did without, before I would ask for help. I have come a long way from where I started. I realize now, that right off the bat, I need to pray BEFORE I start to tackle something, and as soon as I begin to see trouble rising... pray some more.

This has been my character, pretty much all my life. In the first grade I told my mother that I would just walk back and forth to school by myself, I didn't need an escort.

We depend on God by praying to Him. We must train ourselves to take all our needs to God in prayer. We depend on God by living with childlike faith in Him. Faith is the essence of the Christian life.

Childlike faith... humble submission with a sincere and trusting heart. We must identify as children — weak and dependent on God's strength. His strength is made perfect in our weaknesses.

Jesus promoted a humble, honest faith in God, and He used the innocence of a child as His example. In the same way that children trust their earthly parents, we should trust our Heavenly Father.

Matthew 18:4 (NIrV) Anyone who takes the humble position of this child is the most important in the kingdom of heaven.

Sometimes we make life too complicated, but the more we learn to trust God, the more we will let Him guide our lives. And who better to depend on than God to guide our lives?

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove †

THE GOD-SHAPED HOLE

The God Shaped Hole In The Heart

My last date of full-time employment in corporate America was September 28, 2022. Since then, I have upped my game in the areas where I believe God has called me to serve.

Yesterday, I was out for a walk and I began reflecting on how fulfilling this work is over all the jobs I've held in my lifetime... and there's been quite a few.

Work is important and employment is meaningful, but it will not meet our ultimate need for God. Life at its best fulfillment includes our acknowledgement of God, in addition to our pursuit of work.

There's a God-shaped hole in the heart of every person which cannot be satisfied by any created thing, but only by God our Creator, who has been made known to us by Jesus Christ, our Savior. >>Blaise Pascal (Defender of Christianity in the 1600s)

It's unfortunate that I didn't figure this out forty-something years ago, but I'm enjoying it a lot right now. I'm not saying to quit your job, but to include God in it each and every time you enter those doors. That's where job fulfillment comes from.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove †

NOTHING CAN UNDO WHAT GOD DOES

In the midst of life's afflictions, we have God's assurance of His eternal presence and His eternal power to make us super-conquerors (not just reaching the finish line, but breaking world records in the process).

Romans 8:35-37 (NKJV)

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

• tribulation (enduring great affliction)
• distress (upset, worry, and pain)
• persecution (oppression and torment)
• famine (extreme scarcity of resources)
• nakedness (without a covering)
• peril (imminent danger)
• sword (weapons of war)

Romans 8:38-39 (NKJV)

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• death (termination of life)
• life (the duration of existence)
• angels (supernatural beings)
• principalities (authorities and powers)
• powers (capacity of influence)
• things present (at hand)
• things to come (approaching)
• height (distance to the top)
• depth (distance to the bottom)
• any other created thing (anything else in all of creation)

1 Corinthians 15:57 (NKJV) Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 🏆 🥇🥈🥉

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove †

CONFESSION TIME

At conversion, all our sins are forgiven—past, present, and future. Yet even after we become Christians, we still sin and still need to confess it. This kind of confession is not offered to gain God’s acceptance (we received that on the day of our conversion), but to remove the barriers of fellowship that our sin puts between us and God. Confession should include our confirmation that we want to be close to our Heavenly Father.

1 John 1:9 (NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

MY CONFESSIONS:

#1 - I Have Anger Issues (Eph. 4:31)

#2 - I Need to Shed My Independent Spirit (Deut. 8:17-18; Jer. 17:7)

#3 - Antisocial Behavior (Heb. 10:24-25)

#4 - Not Honoring My Mother (Deut. 5:16)

#5 - Submission to My Husband (1 Peter 3:1-2)

#6 - Too Much Pride (Matt. 23:12)

#7 - Judging Others (Matt. 7:1-2)

#8 - Taking Blessings for Granted (Heb. 2:3)

#9 - My Disgust for Fiery Preaching (2 Tim. 4:2)

Psalm 139:23-24 (NKJV) 🙏 Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 51:2-3 (NKJV) 🙏 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

Psalm 51:10-13 (NKJV) 🙏 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to You.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) 🙏 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Today, if you find yourself in an irritating circumstance or a frustrating situation, stop and examine your heart, then ask for God’s help in resolving the works of the flesh, so you can draw closer to Him. It is the wise and peaceful thing to do.💙

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove †

HELL IS REAL!

A patient that was lying in the Emergency Room, suddenly went into cardiac arrest. The doctor put the defibrillator on him and shocked his heart — the patient recovered. (A defibrillator is a medical device that delivers an electrical shock to the heart, to restore a normal heart rhythm when the heart suddenly stops beating.)

The patient recovered and began yelling at the top of lungs, "Please, please don't let me go back to that place! That was hell!" His heart stopped a second time. They hit him with the defibrillator again, and he recovered a second time. Again, he was yelling at the top of his lungs that they would not let him go back to hell.

The horror in the patient's voice shook the doctor and he prayed, "Dear Lord, please help this man who needs Your mercy, and is crying out for Your grace. May he have an encounter with You, and may You save his soul."

The patient's whole body relaxed, and his vital signs stabilized.

Heaven is real, and so is hell. 🔥 👿 🔥

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove †

MORBID OBESITY

They eat, but still cannot be satisfied, and become morbidly obese, because what they're really hungering for is not physical food. I used to weigh over 200 pounds eating Blue Bell ice cream everyday. All the enemy had to do was make sure I had a bad day at work, and I was gonna surely have some Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla for dinner.

But God showed me a better way. He delivered me from this stronghold. I lost 60 pounds and haven't touched Blue Bell in years. When I'm having one of those days, I reach out to my Heavenly Father and get some help and strength to sustain me.

Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. The one who comes to Me shall NEVER hunger, and the one who believes in Me shall NEVER thirst."

This was me over 200 pounds,
at a work function.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove †

THE GREAT HIGH PRIEST

To the Jews of the Old Testament and the Pharisees of the New Testament, the high priest was the highest religious authority in the land. Once a year, he alone entered the Most Holy Place in the Temple to make atonement for the sins of the whole nation (Leviticus 16).

Christ is superior to the high priests, and His royal priesthood (the church) is superior to their priesthood. Like the high priest, Jesus mediates between God and us. As humanity’s representative, He intercedes for us before God. As God’s representative, He assures us of God’s forgiveness. As both truly God and truly man, Jesus has more authority than the Jewish high priests. Unlike the high priest, who could go before God only once a year, Christ always sits at God’s right hand, interceding for us. Jesus is the Great High Priest, and His believers are the royal priesthood.

Hebrews 4:14 (NKJV) Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

1 Peter 2:9 (NKJV) But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove †

PRAYER TO STAY ON TRACK

My dear Heavenly Father,

I care so much about what You think, and I don't want to be distracted by anything that You don't want me to do. If I start to get off track, please re-align me with Your will. It is written, that we should acknowledge You in all our ways and You will direct our path. I want to do what You've called me to do. Sometimes I tend to get a little intimidated by what You might ask. I pray that You will give me the desire and enable me with the power to get it done. In Jesus' name. Amen. 🛐

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove †

ALL MEANS ALL

All Means All

Psalm 34:19 (NKJV) Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them ALL.

Philippians 4:19 (NKJV) And my God shall supply ALL your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 9:8 (NKJV) And God is able to make ALL grace abound toward you, that you, always having ALL sufficiency in ALL things, may have an abundance for every good work.

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and ALL these things shall be added to you.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove †