MY OUT OF CONTROL TO DO LIST

Rid Anxiety From Your Life

On April 14th I wrote out the following prayer:

Heavenly Father (Teacher), I have an abundance of studies in progress. These are subjects that I started to study and have not completed. It is overwhelming me because I want to complete them and it seems to be impossible because of the quantity. This also includes my writing projects that are not completed. I need Your direction in how to proceed with this. I also want to be well prepared to teach Sunday School each week so studying for that is at the top of my list. It is written, “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Fifteen days later, on the morning of April 29th my anxiety level was still rising with a To Do List that seemed completely out of control so I wrote the following in my journal:

Anxiety is robbing me of the joy of studying the word of God. There are too many irons in the fire, and the fire is not big enough to heat all the irons. Currently, I have 68 Bible study topics that are not completed. And I have 29 blogposts in Drafts mode. And I have 5 books I need to finish reading. And I have 11 major writing projects to work on. And I have Sun School to prep for. Comfort me O God and soothe my anxieties. Teach me a better way to tackle my To Do Lists so that I come away feeling like I’ve accomplished some things, and not just added yet another thing to the lists.

After this, I attended our Saturday Fit Body and Bible at church and afterward the First Lady and I had a conversation about my anxiety. She gave me a word… “fluidity”. She said Holy Spirit wants me to release my rigidity and flow in the Spirit as He leads me from study to study, and project to project.

I went home that same day and completely dismantled my Studies in Progress binder. I made sure that all the study projects were on my spreadsheet and I filed them all away for future reference. The Holy Spirit wants me to follow His lead from now on. As He leads me into a study, I will look on my Studies in Progress spreadsheet and see if it is already on there. If it is, I will pull the reference material and continue the study as He leads me that day. If we don’t complete it that day, I will update the spreadsheet and file it away. If we do complete the study I can remove it from the spreadsheet and process it accordingly. If it becomes a blogpost, I will add it to that list, and if not I can file it away in the journal and so on. My anxiety was completely gone. I was relieved to no longer be governed by my To Do List but now governed by the gentle leading of Holy Spirit. The Scripture that He dropped in my spirit was Matt 11:28-30… “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

On the following Monday morning, the very first thing He led me to study was The Glory of God. I searched my spreadsheet and saw that we had already begun the study back in March. I pulled those notes out and studied for hours. It felt good. I enjoyed it. There was no anxiety at all. I stumbled across a YouTube video where this teacher was expounding on the glory of God and I received life changing revelation.

I heard Pastor Steven Furtick say, “If the enemy cannot distract you, he’ll try to discourage you, just as he did the prophet Elijah. The Lord approached Elijah and asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” God likes asking rhetorical questions that will get us to thinking.

God will never design a life for us that makes Him unnecessary, because if I think that I can do it all on my own, then I don’t need Him. He had to show me that without Him I am nothing but a ball of anxiety with no way to make my calling worthwhile, but through Him, I am more than a conqueror.

My anxiety level had taken away my enjoyment of studying. This was the enemy’s goal to discourage me from studying God’s word. The word that First Lady gave me to stay fluid was the answer to my dilemma. As a result, I have now developed a brand-new process for studying the word of God. His yoke is easy. His burden is light.

Thank You Lord!

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

LET THERE BE LIGHT

Let There Be Light

Yesterday we had an interesting Bible Study at church. Pastor Phillip started out with, “God wants to share His heart with us.” I wrote in my notes, “How does God feel toward me?” Pastor Phillip expounded on why God allowed His Son to be bruised… because He wanted us for His family. He read Isa. 53:9-10. “He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief.” Those who believe are in the family of God.

He also read 1 John 5:1-15 in The Passion Translation. Ironically, 1 John 5:14-15 is a passage that I often quote when I’m praying. “If I know that You hear me when I pray, then I know I have the petitions that I have asked of You.”

Another irony in the Bible Study was that Joseph (from the book of Genesis) came up. In a 5/13/23 blogpost (22 days ago), I spoke about Joseph stating, “It could’ve been easy for Joseph to become frustrated in his faith, because all he had was a dream of greatness that kept going in opposite directions.” I also brought this up in the Bible Study.

I’m taking to heart that this study was definitely orchestrated by Holy Spirit, and was desperately needed. In an effort to see that this seed falls on good ground and yields a hundredfold crop, I am going to explore it further.

A third topic that came up at the Bible Study was the concept of Spirit versus Reality. I’m sure some of that went over my head, but Pastor Phillip used the concept of dreams controlling life… the things we cannot see, touch, taste, hear, or smell… controlling the things that we can see, touch, taste, hear, or smell.

This morning I was awakened by my dear husband having nocturnal seizures (these are uncontrolled spasms or convulsions that happen while one sleeps). In the past, I have prayed many, many, many times that the seizures would stop. I have cast the devil out of our home. I have asked the Lord to rebuke the devil. I have also prayed that the Lord would put me into a deep sleep so that I may sleep through the seizures. None of these have worked. ☹ This is just one of many examples of my unanswered prayers hanging in limbo, that continue to perplex me on a regular basis. Is God causing the seizures so I will get out of bed and go study or write? Is that supposed to be my indication to get up? Even if I heard the Lord communicate the reason, or direction, I would feel better, but I have nothing but prayers going up, which brings me full circle back to my initial question, “How does God feel toward me?”

Three days ago (on 6/1/23), I published another blogpost. It was a prayer to God that I may have the ability to hear Him speaking in plain English from His mouth to my ears. Not through a preacher nor a prophet but straight from His lips to my ears in plain English. I’m not disqualifying preachers just hopeful that there could be better communication between me and God so there may be light in my darkness. He could then explain the nocturnal seizures issue, and I would have a response to my prayers that are hanging out there in limbo year after year. Then as prayers go up a response will always come back. That is my concept of relationship… a two-way conversation.

Before I fully knew the call of God on my life, I prayed He would make me a singer with a voice like Whitney Houston’s so I could travel the globe singing for His glory. I prayed for this many times. One day, I got a response. God said, “Daddy can’t make you a singer. Your whole life I have prepared you for another calling.” He then took me all the way back to elementary school and walked me through life detail by detail and showed me those things that were Him preparing me to fulfill His calling. I let go of the Whitney Houston prayers and accepted what He had shown me.

When I think about how God feels toward me, I have many firsthand experiences logged in my journal. I will only need to read a short time before I run across one, then another, and another of God revealing Himself to me, and His love for me through a song that popped up, or a social media post, or a commercial on TV, or a Scripture that fell in my spirit, or a Bible Study such as the one we had on yesterday. Indeed, God does care for me! There is no doubt about it. He loves me as a Daddy should.

I recently saw a YouTube video of a guy cleaning obstruction out of a culvert by pulling a car tire through it. On the other end you could see mud, branches, dead leaves, trash, and debris being pushed out by the tire. I began to pray that my spiritual culvert would also be cleaned out so God’s special gifts may flow freely through me without obstructions.

SO NOW, as I come full circle back to my desire for the seed of God’s word, that I received in Bible Study yesterday, to produce and bear fruit, I now submit my prayer to God.

Heavenly Father, Jesus said in Matthew 13:23, “The one who received seed in good ground is the one who truly hears the word and understands it, and produces a plentiful harvest. I commit my concerns to You because I know that even the very hairs on my head are all numbered. You’re concerned about EVERYTHING that concerns me. You know my thoughts afar off, and You know my heart. I’m not in this thing all by myself. Let this mind be in me which was also in Christ Jesus. In His name I humbly ask and pray. Amen.

2 Corinthians 4:6 (NLT) For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

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

SPEAKING IN TONGUES

Dear Heavenly Father,

You and I have spoken a few times about my having better clarity concerning the things of God. At times it seems the church is struggling to be clear about how You are leading us, and speaking in tongues is one of those times. I have studied and read commentaries on it, and I am getting varying degrees of explanations — none really agreeing wholeheartedly with the others. We also discussed it at length in Bible Study and it was the same. The church is not in agreement about speaking in tongues. I have forgiven the church for teaching that tongues was a mandate from You as evidence that we are filled with the Spirit. I hope that clears out the culvert, so this special gift may flow to me.

Those that spoke in tongues on the Day of Pentecost, began to speak as the Spirit gave them utterance. This is what I’m going to hang my hat on. I will begin to speak in tongues as the Spirit gives me utterance. As the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets, I will not resist the Holy Spirit, but I will not force it either. I will let the Spirit’s anointing come forth as He will’s it to. I welcome the ability to speak in tongues when the Spirit begins to give me utterance.

The apostle Paul spoke of the tongues of angels in 1Cor. 13:1. I am not sure if what I’m thinking is correct but perhaps when we speak in unknown tongues we are speaking the language of angels… giving them instructions or plans to carry out. In that case, I overwhelmingly welcome the gift of new tongues. Paul also said that he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God. Speaking in tongues carries the idea that in my spirit I am speaking mysteries, as Holy Spirit gives me utterance.

Father, please allow me to pray boldly concerning this, if You will. While I do appreciate what tongues accomplishes, what I desire even more than that, is not so much the ability to speak, but the ability to hear. If there is an ability for You to speak plain English words from Your mouth to my ears, instead of me speaking to You in tongues, I actually desire that much, much more. I need conversations that does not land as a parable I am scratching my head about, totally confused about what it meant and how it relates to me personally. God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. We seem to be making a bigger deal of speaking in tongues but what I need more than that is to hear You with better clarity. I desperately need a way for my Lord to talk to me in plain English, and in a way that eliminates and annihilates my confusion… that shines a 400-watt flood light onto my path that I may see at a distance, without stumbling around, bumping into stuff, and tripping over rocks. More than speaking in tongues, that is what I need.

Jesus said to His disciples that a time was coming when He would no longer speak to them in figurative language, but He would tell them plainly about the Father. I am assuming He was speaking of the presence of Holy Spirit in us, bringing with Him our ability to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Jesus also said that He had to speak in parables because it had not been “given” to them to know the mysteries of the kingdom. But the kingdom is now within us, therefore we have been “given” that ability.

Moses wrote the entire Pentateuch. The Bible says that the Lord spoke to Moses face-to-face, as a man speaks to his friend. There were many occasions where Moses had the advantage of hearing Your voice speaking in his language, that he wrote down, and we are reading it today.

Adam walked with You in the cool of the day, he also had the advantage of hearing Your voice with his ears. The ability to hear You plainly is my request, this desire is much greater than my ability to speak in tongues, although I welcome that too. Jesus said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says.” Thank You for letting me come boldly to Your throne of grace with my requests.

James 1:5 (NKJV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

THERE IS NO PLAN B

A fictional story is told of a conversation between Jesus and the angel Gabriel.

After Jesus ascended to heaven, Gabriel approached Him and said, "Master, You must have suffered terribly for mankind down there." "Yes I did," Jesus said. Gabriel continued, "Do they know all about how You loved them and what You did for them?"

"Not yet," Jesus said. "Right now only a handful of people in Palestine know. I left them to preach My kingdom and be My witnesses to the ends of the earth. Ultimately, all of mankind will have heard about My life and what I have done for them."

Gabriel was perplexed and a little skeptical. "So You expect Peter who denied You three times, and the other disciples who scattered when You were being arrested to take this message to the ends of the earth? What if Peter, James and John grow weary? What if the people who come after them forget? What if way down in the twenty-first century, people just don't tell others about You? Haven't You made any other plans?"

And Jesus answered, "I have no other plans. I'm counting on them."

Twenty centuries later...Jesus still has no other plan!

Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses of Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

THOU SHALT NOT WEAR PANTS

I grew up in a legalistic church environment. Ladies were not permitted to wear pants, nor make up, nor cut our hair. These are three of many commandments we were taught to obey. As a result, I came away with a really uncharacteristic opinion of God. To me, He was this impossible-to-please judge leaning over His bench, waiting to smack me over the head with His gavel for every little infraction. It isn't God, but it's actually the accuser of the brethren, who has been cast down, that makes these accusations against us.

As a result of the dresses-only-mandate, I came to hate dresses. My mother started letting my sister and I wear pants outside of church activities… and we moved on with life. But I came to hate wearing dresses and for most of my life, I rarely ever bought a dress, or wore a dress, unless I was attending church functions.

Recently my pastor preached a sermon that I could not shake for three days. I studied and meditated on that sermon from the time I got home that Sunday till the following Tuesday. He described a ballistic missile type weapon that sounded somewhat like a bow and arrow assembly. Once the missile is inserted, the crossbow is stretched back as far as it can be pulled. The only thing keeping the missile from launching is a lynchpin. When the lynchpin is removed, the missile flies in the direction it is facing.

For three days I sought the Lord about my lynchpin. Long story short… I made a long list of possibilities to consider. Somewhere in the middle of all this, I had an aha moment. I scribbled on my notepad, “I am done being mad at the church because they said I couldn’t wear pants.” The lynchpin was pulled and the missile was fired. Before the end of the week, I pulled out the two skirts that I own that were tucked way back in the closet and decided that I was going to wear a skirt to church on Sunday. The church I attend wears pants, and has no legalistic commandments that we must follow.

Once I forgave the church, suddenly I felt free to wear dresses. The church had made it a mandate to only wear dresses, so I made a mandate to only wear pants. For most of my life that is all I have worn.

In his sermon, my pastor talked about the transformation of old mindsets and compared that to the lynchpin. “If we agree to let go of the lynchpin, we can overcome anything. Where we are seated together in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus, we have the power to overcome anything,” he said. We are equipped with His power. There is nothing done that cannot be undone – because there is nothing too hard for God. For the first time in a long, long time I wore a dress and felt good about it.

We are more than conquerors in Christ, and can overcome anything in Him. What’s your lynchpin holding back?

The freedom and the peace I received was totally unexpected. I didn’t even know that I needed to forgive the church. I’m looking forward to more aha moments that I may achieve more freedom and more peace. If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed (John 8:36).

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

THE MYSTERY OF THE GLORY OF GOD

The only way for us to know God, is that He reveals Himself to us. Jesus’ disciples had seen Him resurrect people that had only been dead a short time, but to raise Lazarus after he was already decaying in the tomb proved to them that Jesus is truly the Resurrection and the Life. According to John 11:42, that was the purpose… that they may believe Jesus was sent by God. Those that loved Lazarus (and even Lazarus himself) was uncomfortable for a while but afterward they knew God in a brand-new way. And not only them, but us too as we study this passage. John 11:45 says many believed in Him as a result of Lazarus’ resurrection.

It was the same with the man born blind in John 9. How many millions of us know God better because of the blind man whom Jesus healed? Jesus said of that man, that the works of God should be revealed through him, is why he was born blind. For a season, the blind man had hardship but it literally had an eternal impact.

Prior to entering the Promised Land, the children of Israel wondered in the wilderness for 40 years, and ate manna. When they were finally able to enjoy milk and honey, it had a much greater impact because of their wilderness experience. God could’ve easily rained down milk and honey instead of manna, but He didn’t. The other day, I heard a song by TobyMac where he sang to God, “Through all these seasons — I’m still believing — You’re my promised land.” That gives new life to the milk and honey motif. Christ said, “In Him we have ‘perissos’ (quality of life)” John 10:10. Perissos is the Greek word for "life abundantly." That beats material things every day of the week.

Joseph said to his brothers, that they meant evil against him, but God meant it for good. Everything Joseph went through was preparing him to be Emperor over Egypt. In that role, he was able to save many, many lives from extinction. Everything the enemy meant for evil, God meant for Joseph’s good. It could’ve been so easy for Joseph to become frustrated in his faith because all he had was a dream that kept going in opposite directions. But one morning (many years later), it unexpectedly came true.

Apostle Paul said, “We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (1Cor 2:7-8). Many times, the mysteries of God is hidden from us too, because all we can see is the trouble we’re facing. On purpose, Jesus lingered two more days before heading to Bethany after Mary and Martha had summoned for Him… fully intending to find Lazarus dead. He said to His disciples, “For your sakes, I am glad that I was not there to heal him so that you may believe” (John 11:15). The only way for us to know God, is that He reveals Himself to us.

Both Mary and Martha expressed their disappointment by saying to Jesus, “If You had been here my brother wouldn’t have died.” Jesus did answer their prayers, just not in the way they had expected. Lazarus’ sickness was not unto death, but it did include death, that they could believe in Him. As a result, they knew God in a better way and so do we when we study their story.

In that same story, when Jesus encountered Mary and Martha’s disappointment, John 11:35 says that He also wept. Jesus is fully God, but also fully man with human emotions. The love of God was fully in His heart and He was moved by their grief. Even knowing that He would raise Lazarus, He wept with them.

There’s a German Shepherd that lives next door to us. Their fence is about 10 feet outside the window to my home office, where I’m studying and trying to concentrate. That dog barked incessantly for many days (over a year) and got on my last nerve. Many prayers had gone up but no response coming back. When I couldn’t take it anymore I was yelling at God to the top of my lungs because He was tormenting me with this dog while I’m trying to study His word. It was definitely a mystery. God interrupted my yelling and said, “Where I’m taking you, you will experience people barking at you and I need to prepare you for that.” When God was all done using that dog to teach me how to not become distracted by noise, He quieted the dog. He still lives 10 feet outside my office but he rarely ever barks anymore. Even when he does, I’m not paying attention to it. Now what I hear is the beautiful chirping and singing of birds outside my window. 😊 He’s making up for the dog.

Many times, I’ve wished that God and I could meet at Starbucks and talk things out. That never happened. But He daily reveals Himself to me through activities He is orchestrating, even as He did through my misunderstanding of His glory. I couldn’t imagine why He’s putting people through disappointments and hardship when He has the ability to make it stop. Scripture says that He does it for His glory. That troubled me even more, because we’re suffering so He can look good? That didn’t seem right to me, that God would use us as pawns in His chess game with the devil. The only way for us to know God, is that He reveals Himself to us. That is the mystery of the glory of God. It is not so He can sit on His throne and gloat.

He hid Moses in the cleft of the rock. We are hidden in the Rock, Christ Jesus. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust (Ps 18:2). While His glory passed by, Moses couldn’t see His face, but He let Moses see His back. In the same way, we may not see God coming but after He’s passed we definitely know we’ve just had an encounter with God.

James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” That was me questioning God’s motive, that He is sitting on His throne gloating, while letting us suffer. But He did not reprimand me, He woke me up in the middle of the night and guided me into this truth. I have a much better understanding of the glory of God. The only way for us to know God, is that He reveals Himself to us. That is why Jesus said of Lazarus, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it" (John 11:4).

Heavenly Father, open our eyes that we may see wondrous things in Your word.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

DON'T LISTEN TO THE DEVIL

I heard Pastor Steven Furtick say this, and felt led to share it.

“If the devil can’t trick you into thinking something is never going to happen, then he’ll tell you it’s going to happen quickly so that when it doesn’t happen when you thought it would, you’ll get discouraged and give up on it. And if that doesn’t work, and you’re still believing God then he’ll use a tactic to deceive you into thinking you were crazy to even think that God would do that thing in your life to begin with.”

Romans 8:31 NKJV

What then shall we say to these things?

If God is for us, who can be against us?

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

THE WORDS OUT OF MY MOUTH

Do I hear the words that are coming out of my mouth?

Proverbs 18:21 NKJV Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Matthew 15:18 NKJV Those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.

Proverbs 4:23 NKJV Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.

If you continue to say, "I can't afford it," you'll never be able to afford it.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

ENTERING THE PROMISED LAND

Entering the land which the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the Lord God of your fathers promised you. Deut 27:3

Come on, let's go!!!

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

WHERE'S MY ABUNDANCE?

Why must I live like a pauper,

when my Father is the King?

A pauper is a very poor person, destitute of the basic necessities of life.

Every beast of the forest belongs to God and all the cattle grazing on a thousand hills. He knows all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field, all of it belong to Father God (Ps 50:10-11). He is my Father, and I am His daughter. Shouldn’t there be some sort of advantage for those whose Father is the King of kings? Even so, I continue to struggle from year to year and I'm still living in lack.

Am I stingy? Am I covetous? Am I greedy? Do I have not, because I’ve asked not? Are my desires evil and carnal? Am I asking amiss that I may spend it all on me, myself, and I? Am I jealous of others? Are my motives all wrong? Am I being pretentious, asking so I might look good in front of others? Why must I live like a pauper, when my Father is the King?

Psalm 23:1-2 (AMPC) The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack. He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.

John 10:10 (AMPC) The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).

Is there something I’m supposed to be learning in this season of living like a pauper, because I don’t seem to be getting it? Jesus is the Good Shepherd who came so that the sheep may enjoy fresh, tender, green pasture, but I’m still grazing in dried up, withered pasture, and living in lack continually.

Isaiah 59:1 (NKJV) Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear.

James 1:12 (NKJV) Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Numbers 23:19-20 (NKJV) God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

1 Kings 8:56 (NKJV) Blessed be the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses.

Habakkuk 2:3 (NKJV) For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Deuteronomy 28:2 (NKJV) And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God.

Matthew 7:11 (NKJV) If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

1 John 3:1 (NKJV) Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!

Don’t give up hope.

Romans 5:5 (NKJV) Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Heavenly Father, I pray that You will rebuke the spirit of poverty, and lift us out of it. Your rebuke dries up the sea and it makes the river a dried-up wilderness. We lift our eyes to the hills from which comes our help. Our help comes from You. Let Your word manifest in us, and lead us out of poverty into a life of abundance. In Jesus holy name we pray, Amen.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

DAMAR HAMLIN'S STORY

This is a follow up to a blogpost I uploaded back in January

called The Humanity in Us.

Here's the link: https://richardsonblogger.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-humanity-in-us.html

In the post I talked about Damar Hamlin

who had a heart attack on the football field

in the middle of the game.

The response was uplifting!!

In these times when Mass Shootings have become the norm,

my heart is still warmed by Damar Hamlin's story.

❇❇❇❇❇❇❇

UPDATE 4/25/23 ◼ Damar Hamlin isn’t going to let a heart attack (1/2/23) stop him from doing what he loves. During a press conference on Tuesday (4/18/23), Hamlin said he was diagnosed with commotio cordis and described the condition as "a direct blow to the chest at a specific point, causing cardiac arrest, and five to seven seconds later, you pass out." The 24-year-old NFL safety officially announced that he does plan to return to the NFL this next season.

“Over these last few months," he said. "I've been on a journey and I’ve seen some of the top professionals across the country and their answers to me were pretty much all the same. This event was life-changing, but it’s not the end of my story. So I’m here to announce I plan on making a comeback to the NFL.”

Go in peace.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

THE SATURATION OF LIVING WATER

If God’s mercy and grace is like water, and I'm a dry sponge, then all I need for complete and total deliverance is to be soaked with His living water. All I need is for Mercy and Grace to saturate the fiber of my soul and all the dryness will wash away. God’s presence fills the cavities and holes in my soul and my stony heart becomes a heart of flesh. There is nothing and no one beyond God’s reach. All He needs is for an intercessor to bring them to the living water so Mercy and Grace can saturate them.

Hebrews 4:16 NKJV Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 7:25 NKJV Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Ezekiel 36:26 NKJV I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Isaiah 65:1 NKJV "I was sought by those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. I said, 'Here I am, here I am,' to a nation that was not called by My name."

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

A VISIBLE ENCOUNTER OF GOD'S PRESENCE

I was in bed asleep one night and woke up feeling uncomfortable so I flipped over on my other side, looked at the clock — it was 2:22, and I went back to sleep. The very next night the same thing happened. I woke up uncomfortable and flipped over and glanced at the clock and it was 2:22 again. I laid there for a little while, wondering if that was just a coincidence or if God was trying to tell me something. I am one of those that really don’t believe in coincidences where Christian believers are concerned. A week or so passed and it happened again a third time. I knew for sure that this must be God. I thought it was just me feeling uncomfortable, but it was actually the Holy Spirit causing me to feel uncomfortable so I would wake up and see the clock.

During that season of my life, I was feeling like God had distanced Himself from me. To realize that He was coming to me, instead of me going to Him lifted me up tremendously. Generally, when we pray to God, it is us going to Him, but He was creating a way for me to know that He was coming to me as well. The 2:22 awakenings happened over and over after that. Then I started seeing 2:22 in the afternoon. I would happen to pick up my phone for something and it would be 2:22. I would walk into a room and it would be 2:22. I would be playing a game on my tablet and glance at the clock and it was 2:22. Over and over and over this happened.

Months passed and then I started seeing 3:33 and 4:44 and 5:55. Recently I started seeing 11:11 as well. These moments have become most precious to me, because God is coming to me in those moments, not because I invited Him, but just because He wants to. He is letting me know that He is here with me.

In those moments, I started speaking with Him. “Since You’re here Lord, I have something I need to speak with You about.” Then I launch into my prayer concern.

I used to wish that the Lord and I could meet up at Starbucks and have lattes and talk things over. He fixed it so we could. It’s not Starbucks but it accomplishes that same purpose and He is approaching me first.

I’m reminded of how Adam and the Lord God walked in the Garden of Eden in the cool of the day. What a refreshing to have a visible encounter of God’s presence.

Psalm 139:17-18 (NLT) How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

AN AHA MOMENT

As the prodigal son sat starving in the hog pen, considering whether or not he should eat their food, HE CAME TO HIMSELF and said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough to eat and to spare, and I perish out here with hunger. I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.’” He returned to his father with a servant’s heart. His father welcomed him home with love and compassion, as his son, and not as a servant. (Luke 15:11-24)

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove

HEALING THE POISON OF DISAPPOINTMENTS

Life’s circumstances can cut into the heart so deeply that it forever changes and redefines who we are and how we think. We were expecting God to do something one way, but He did it another, or perhaps He didn’t do anything at all. We were bitten with the poison of bitter disappointment. In some cases, bitten more than once. The answer seems so unclear that it’s like trying to catch the wind and turn it into something visible, but the chase continues until it just wears you out. I’ve been there and done that.

The secret to letting go is to have an honest conversation with God about it. Give Him one more chance to make it right. The Lord is ready to inject the antidote for this poison, to heal the brokenhearted and bind up those wounds. Let God’s presence fall on you, not to answer the “Why God why” question, but to help you see that good can and will come to you, and through you, as a result. Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through His Holy Spirit, the Comforter.

Karen Clark Sheard sings a song called Secret Place. Find your secret place to be in the presence of God and let Him fall softly upon you. Have that honest conversation with Him, then sit quietly in His presence.

There is a place

The secret place

A place where I can go.

To God be the glory.

Dee Richardson, Voice of the Dove