Breaks Down The Cedars
Man have I been really asking to hear the voice of the Lord and have my writing inspired. It seems its been a while since I have really experienced the prompting of this even though I am in the word daily. But oh my goodness! How beautiful when it just flows.
This morning I went straight to YouVersion and started reading my verses for the day. I can not explain in words the difference it makes in my day when I begin in the Word rather than in social media.
From there, God ordered my steps to a sermon by Beth Moore. The theme was "Time" and its part of the "Breaking Free" series. In her sermon Beth asked her audience (which now includes me) to envision their grave stone. Your name first - Keri Ann Unsworth - then your date of birth - November 6, 1976 - and then a large blank space underneath. This really got my wheels turning. Go with me here -do that yourself now. And God opened my eyes to His Calling on my life. When I am finally headed to my "real home" away from this Earth for eternity, what do I want that blank space to read. And of course, it does not come to me immediately. I spent about a half hour more just reading scripture. God further ordained my steps and time with Him to pick up my "ESV" reading plan and it led me to Psalm 29:5. "The Voice of the Lord breaks the cedars". The passage is David telling us to "Ascribe to the voice of the Lord".
When I pass through periods of time where I am not hearing His Voice He is still present. But as I grow and change and seek the Lord, I long to hear from Him the more I am in His Word and around people. And today it was received so seamlessly. I want my blank space to be something like, "Her life reflected Truth - The Voice of the Lord breaks the cedars".
While there is ALOT packed into this, what the voice of the Lord put on my heart to share was so clear. As I got up from reading, I walked towards the laundry room and examples of scripture and how it applied in my life in relationship to this verse just simply overwhelmed me. Stay with me...Please!
Two weeks ago I had the greatest blessing to take a mini-cation to Great Wolf Lodge. It was our first family getaway that we paid cash for, planned, and it was just us disconnecting for three days. During our trip to Charlotte we were blessed with the awesome opportunity to visit dear friends and their two beautiful daughters. We were able to see their new beautiful home and go out to dinner. While we were at their house, they took us on a house tour. When we stepped out onto the gorgeous stone patio the french doors opened to a colorful backyard full of everything a young family finds ideal for a backyard safe haven. My 5.5 year old son James ran to the playset. Now this playset was not your ordinary deal. It was a cadillac playset made out of cedar. I started asking questions because I knew I needed the download on this playset because my son may wish for one and I needed to pretend that maybe we can attain one as I do believe in miracles! (Laughing) But seriously, my dear sister loved by God begins to explain why they purchased this cedar set. She says, "Cedar does not break down like regular wood. It will stand the long test of time". Okay so back up with me here because I am back in the laundry room in the setting of today. As I am folding my husbands underwear, it hits me, "The voice of the Lord breaks down the cedars".
What this means for me, friends, is that the voice of the Lord, when we seek Him, read His Word, and experience His guidance, a POWERFUL move of the Holy Spirit BREAKS DOWN ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that stands between us and the Lord. I thought of the song with the lyric,"Every high thing must come down, every stronghold shall be broken, we wear the victor's Crown, You Overcome, You Overcome"....
YES! I want my grave stone to say that my life was an applied example of the breaking of the cedars - generational sin - BROKEN and healed (parents divorce, my early divorce) - generational addiction (alcohol and gambling BROKEN and healed) - AND OH THE LIST OF STRONGHOLDS OF SIN is forever long - and for those of you that truly know me you know the strongholds I have and that I deal with - but I am fighting (Beth Moore) the "beautiful fight" to pursue righteousness and represent the righteousness of Christ.
** STOP HERE AND READ 1 Timothy 1 and 2 **
Friends, it is IMPOSSIBLE to fight without doing as David did - ASCRIBING - to the voice of the Lord, applying it in our life, and sharing with others the confessions of our FAITH.
I resist embarrassing my family by listing all of my sins and trials, but friends I am here to tell you that my life is 100% a picture of His Grace and He absolutely 100% overcomes everything we turn over to Him for His Glory and Victory. I am living proof.
Friends, we may not ever have that cedar made swingset, but we do have an immeasurable power granted to us as we are the righteousness of Christ to tear down anything that puts space between us and God's best for our life.
Think of the song "Amazing Grace". "I once was lost but now I'm found" - well if I filled in some of the more practical experiences of His Grace applied in my life it would go something like this:
Some of my CEDARS:
"I once was in the red all the time in my bank account, and now we are free from that"!!
"I once was not protecting my marriage and my family, and now I am healed"
"I once was putting myself first all the time, and now the fruit in my life shows Christ has LORDSHIP"
"I once believed wine was what I needed to get through the end of the day, and I am free from even needing a drink" (Meaning I used alchohol as a crutch, and once I fasted from it I turned more to God's word (permanent solutions) rather than temporary pleasures to keep my eyes focused on Him.
"I once shopped at Chico's impulsively and had my nails done every two weeks spending too much money so that I could feel secure in my outward appearance and the things and events that pulled me out of the home - now I am healed from this stronghold of materialism and I fight against anything that moves me outside the home that may be apart from the vine or lure me into temptation".
Just to name a few....
BELIEVE - "The voice of the Lord breaks down the cedars"
This morning I went straight to YouVersion and started reading my verses for the day. I can not explain in words the difference it makes in my day when I begin in the Word rather than in social media.
From there, God ordered my steps to a sermon by Beth Moore. The theme was "Time" and its part of the "Breaking Free" series. In her sermon Beth asked her audience (which now includes me) to envision their grave stone. Your name first - Keri Ann Unsworth - then your date of birth - November 6, 1976 - and then a large blank space underneath. This really got my wheels turning. Go with me here -do that yourself now. And God opened my eyes to His Calling on my life. When I am finally headed to my "real home" away from this Earth for eternity, what do I want that blank space to read. And of course, it does not come to me immediately. I spent about a half hour more just reading scripture. God further ordained my steps and time with Him to pick up my "ESV" reading plan and it led me to Psalm 29:5. "The Voice of the Lord breaks the cedars". The passage is David telling us to "Ascribe to the voice of the Lord".
When I pass through periods of time where I am not hearing His Voice He is still present. But as I grow and change and seek the Lord, I long to hear from Him the more I am in His Word and around people. And today it was received so seamlessly. I want my blank space to be something like, "Her life reflected Truth - The Voice of the Lord breaks the cedars".
While there is ALOT packed into this, what the voice of the Lord put on my heart to share was so clear. As I got up from reading, I walked towards the laundry room and examples of scripture and how it applied in my life in relationship to this verse just simply overwhelmed me. Stay with me...Please!
Two weeks ago I had the greatest blessing to take a mini-cation to Great Wolf Lodge. It was our first family getaway that we paid cash for, planned, and it was just us disconnecting for three days. During our trip to Charlotte we were blessed with the awesome opportunity to visit dear friends and their two beautiful daughters. We were able to see their new beautiful home and go out to dinner. While we were at their house, they took us on a house tour. When we stepped out onto the gorgeous stone patio the french doors opened to a colorful backyard full of everything a young family finds ideal for a backyard safe haven. My 5.5 year old son James ran to the playset. Now this playset was not your ordinary deal. It was a cadillac playset made out of cedar. I started asking questions because I knew I needed the download on this playset because my son may wish for one and I needed to pretend that maybe we can attain one as I do believe in miracles! (Laughing) But seriously, my dear sister loved by God begins to explain why they purchased this cedar set. She says, "Cedar does not break down like regular wood. It will stand the long test of time". Okay so back up with me here because I am back in the laundry room in the setting of today. As I am folding my husbands underwear, it hits me, "The voice of the Lord breaks down the cedars".
What this means for me, friends, is that the voice of the Lord, when we seek Him, read His Word, and experience His guidance, a POWERFUL move of the Holy Spirit BREAKS DOWN ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that stands between us and the Lord. I thought of the song with the lyric,"Every high thing must come down, every stronghold shall be broken, we wear the victor's Crown, You Overcome, You Overcome"....
YES! I want my grave stone to say that my life was an applied example of the breaking of the cedars - generational sin - BROKEN and healed (parents divorce, my early divorce) - generational addiction (alcohol and gambling BROKEN and healed) - AND OH THE LIST OF STRONGHOLDS OF SIN is forever long - and for those of you that truly know me you know the strongholds I have and that I deal with - but I am fighting (Beth Moore) the "beautiful fight" to pursue righteousness and represent the righteousness of Christ.
** STOP HERE AND READ 1 Timothy 1 and 2 **
Friends, it is IMPOSSIBLE to fight without doing as David did - ASCRIBING - to the voice of the Lord, applying it in our life, and sharing with others the confessions of our FAITH.
I resist embarrassing my family by listing all of my sins and trials, but friends I am here to tell you that my life is 100% a picture of His Grace and He absolutely 100% overcomes everything we turn over to Him for His Glory and Victory. I am living proof.
Friends, we may not ever have that cedar made swingset, but we do have an immeasurable power granted to us as we are the righteousness of Christ to tear down anything that puts space between us and God's best for our life.
Think of the song "Amazing Grace". "I once was lost but now I'm found" - well if I filled in some of the more practical experiences of His Grace applied in my life it would go something like this:
Some of my CEDARS:
"I once was in the red all the time in my bank account, and now we are free from that"!!
"I once was not protecting my marriage and my family, and now I am healed"
"I once was putting myself first all the time, and now the fruit in my life shows Christ has LORDSHIP"
"I once believed wine was what I needed to get through the end of the day, and I am free from even needing a drink" (Meaning I used alchohol as a crutch, and once I fasted from it I turned more to God's word (permanent solutions) rather than temporary pleasures to keep my eyes focused on Him.
"I once shopped at Chico's impulsively and had my nails done every two weeks spending too much money so that I could feel secure in my outward appearance and the things and events that pulled me out of the home - now I am healed from this stronghold of materialism and I fight against anything that moves me outside the home that may be apart from the vine or lure me into temptation".
Just to name a few....
BELIEVE - "The voice of the Lord breaks down the cedars"
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