Definition of a Mercy Girl
No four walls, nor state, nor ring around our finger or necklace around our necks define who we are. We don’t conform to the world’s standard of beauty that measures our waists, thighs and success, but we are transformed by the greater One who lives in us. We are the most dangerous women on this earth because we do not harden our hearts when we hear the voice of the Lord. We diligently guard our hearts and our minds, but we live without limits within our relationship with God. We come boldly to the throne where we have been met with grace time and time again knowing that everything we need will be met by Him. We know that in understanding ourselves we understand the greater One who lives inside us.
We are like athletes, training our hearts and minds to be fixed on Jesus. God has called us to be extreme believers. To be front-runners and go where no generation has gone before. We are forgetting what lays behind us; our mistakes, our shame, and our short comings and pushing towards the true destinies that God has for us. We have been in the pit…the miry clay, but God’s hand is never too short. He threw out a lifeline and we grabbed hold with all we had. Now we walk in freedom that God has paid the greatest price for us to have. We are grateful for all the seasons of our lives whether desert, wilderness, valley or mountain top because we know that God’s plans for us are always good. We are grateful for every moment we have because we know that we don’t deserve these 20 second, third, fourth…chances at life.
We live our lives out loud, allowing our decisions, our actions, words and countenance to be our testimonies. We are zealous and passionate to be the women that God has called us to be. Honoured we receive the scepters and crowns being placed on our heads. We receive the mandate and calling to be royalty because of Jesus Christ, and in humility we lay down our crowns at His feet knowing that all things belong to Him. He is the centre or our thoughts, our relationships, and the very breath we breathe. We have shaken the chains and dust off and have clothed ourselves in strength, beauty, righteousness, and robes as white as snow. We know that our value is worth far more than rubies and pearls because it is found in Jesus Christ.
There is an unspoken understanding that we are all going to make it. We are a team united and submitted under One mission! God is longing for a people that will say, “We’ve come too far to not take hold of the Promised Land!” and we are determined to walk the straight and narrow allowing God to bend, break, mould and purify us. We know that everything He does is love motivated and meant to equip us to be more Christ-like. We are running this race to win, to hear our Father in Heaven say “Well done good and faithful servant.” We’ve been poured into by the love of those whom God has called into our lives and now it is our chance to let our cups overflow! We choose life; to be vessels of God’s everlasting love to everyone we come into contact with. We are Jesus with skin on, lights on a hill, and the salt of the earth.
We don’t wear masks or pretend to be strong, for we know that God’s strength shows up strongest in our weakness. We’ve lifted up our shields of faith declaring that satan has been defeated! God has called us up higher, into deeper intimacy with Him, so that He can empower us to preach the Gospel, bind the broken hearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, bust open the prison doors, give beauty instead of ashes, joy instead of mourning, and garments of praise for a failing spirit. We’ve turned around 180 degrees and have committed our lives to living 110% sold out for Christ. We are nation shakers and world changers proclaiming that nothing is impossible for God! We’re stepping out of the boat and walking on water. Though we’ll fall, stumble at times sink, we’ve got a Saviour who will not let us down! His love is patient, kind and unfailing. We lean on, trust in, and rely on Him to live out everyday to its fullest. We are girls of God’s Mercy.
SADJKSDHF GOD IS SO GOOD!!!!!
My beautiful, beautiful sister in Christ has a date for Mercy!! She’ll be entering the home on 4th Feb. It’s been such a struggle whilst she’s been going through the application process - there’s problems with her physical health as well as mental health. God is just reminding me of how He pulled through for me, though. I was also in the application stage for 6 months and the enemy convinced me that I wouldn’t make it to the date of entering the home. God told me He’d already gone before me and made a way, and the same is true for my wonderful friend. I am so excited for her. I have absolute faith that God will get her through those doors and that she will come out healed and transformed, walking in the freedom God intended her to walk in. She is going to CHANGE the world, guys. Seriously. God’s got these out-of-this-world, mind-blowing plans for her life that none of us can even imagine or dream up right now.
The enemy works hardest on bringing down and attacking the children of God whom God has the biggest plans for. She is a world-changer and that’s why the enemy has spent YEARS trying to devour her. BUT WHO HAS ALREADY WON THE BATTLE?! GOD! And who is on the winning side?! Who’s been made victorious already?! ALL OF US.
If you could please keep Heather (shefoundtrueworth) in your prayers from now up until her entry date, then I would (and so would she) appreciate it more than you will ever know. The enemy will be attacking even more than before to try to keep her from entering the home, because he doesn’t want her to find healing or freedom. God is bigger and greater.
Wow. I’m so overwhelmed right now.
I’ve known this girl for like, 2 years or something and I’ve seen every high and every low. Cannot wait to meet her one day. She’ll be speaking at one of my conferences, I betcha. ;0)
There's No Treatment At Mercy Ministries, Literally
It is written on their walls. You will notice in all of Mercy Ministries website they never use the word “treatment” to refer to their program. They use words like “proven methods” and “program”. But it’s true that Mercy Ministries cannot actually use the word treatment. Why? Because Mercy Ministries is NOT actually treatment and this can help them curb any lawsuits who may claim that they’re illness was “treated” wrongly. Mercy Ministries can actually cop a plea that they are nothing more then a Bible study course and that girls should obviously know this. Let’s break it down.
I have put in bold the areas which I will make a note on.
This is Mercy Ministries “About us” section.[1]
Mercy Ministries’ free-of-charge, voluntary, faith-based residential program serves young women from all socio-economic backgrounds, ages 13-28, who face a combination of life-controlling issues such as eating disorders, self-harm, drug and alcohol addictions, depression and unplanned pregnancy. Mercy also serves young women who have been physically and sexually abused, including victims of sex trafficking. Using proven methods, a holistic approach and professional counselors in a structured residential environment, Mercy has helped thousands of young women be restored to wholeness. Mercy’s goal is to help these young women find freedom from their issues and empower them to serve in their communities as productive citizens.
Residential Program, What is a residential program? Let’s consider that Mercy never uses the word treatment program. So it’s just a residential program. So what is a residential program exactly?
Well residential means living there. So you would be living at Mercy Ministries. And program being a listing of the order of events. So someplace you would be living where you would be doing an order of events. Like a soccer camp. A place you go to be taught. A place you go to be taught “Biblical Principals”, but you will receive NO treatment, please understand that. Mercy Ministries is literally saying “we are not giving you treatment, we are putting you through six months of Bible school and we hope this heals the PTSD you have from that sex trafficking”. And at that these Biblical principals will be incredibly charismatic. We don’t tell you that.
Life Controlling Issues. Have you ever questioned what a life controlling issue was? I had never even heard of the term prior to Mercy.
Proven Methods/ A Holistic Approach- Why can’t you just say treatment? Because this is supposed to be soccer camp.
Professional Counselors- But they never say Licensed Therapists. Why? Because what is a counselor exactly? A person who gives counsel; an adviser. A lawyer can be a counselor. Counselor is a broad term. Therapist is often interchanged with counselor. A therapist is a counselor, but a counselor is not always a therapist. Mercy Counselors are literal life coaches and disciplinarians. They are advisers. The word “Professional” honestly means nothing when you break it down. Some people are professional jugglers. It just means it is a person who is engaged in a certain activity, or occupation, a “profession”, that makes them their salary. It’s funny how Licensed Therapist and Professional Counselor just sound so similar though don’t they?
Residential Environment- Again, but no treatment.
Restored to wholeness- But not treated.
As you can see Mercy’s wording really can fool with anybody’s perception of reality and especially when that girl is sick and desperate and looking for answers. Not even somebody who is healthy can surely say “I know the difference”, but to put a girl who’s already struggling with her confidence and self esteem in this situation, is just a disaster waiting to happen.
Tell me from reading their about me section, without my explanation, did you think that Mercy Ministries was offering treatment?
I Saw the Light
One year ago TODAY (10/13/2010), I CHOSE FREEDOM. I walked into the light. I walked into MERCY. I had no hope for my future. I was a lost and broken girl. I was hurt. I was confused. But, God is bigger. God’s plans were bigger. For seventeen years I tried doing it on my own. I had my “salvation.” But the prayer of salvation that I prayed at such a young age was merely words. It was my “Get out of hell” card. I had a legalistic view of God… I knew salvation wasn’t based on works, but at the same time, I struggled with perfectionism. The desire deep down to have it all together all the time was too much to handle.
I was fake.
I was a hypocrite.
I was a liar.
I was a manipulator.
I was a whore.
I was hurt.
I was closed off.
But, I entered into a world of peace. I found that salvation was based not on anything that I could ever do, but it was about what was done for me, on the cross. When you allow yourself to experience the love and shalom of God, that true inner peace place found only in Him… there’s NOTHING like it.
I’m walking in freedom.
You can’t walk in freedom until you know what you’ve been set free FROM. A lot of people don’t understand sin and the fact that it separates you from God. God created you. BAM. He loves you. He wants to spend eternity with you in perfect fellowship. That’s why he sent his son, Jesus as an atoning sacrifice to PAY for your soul. The only thing that can pay for a sinful soul is an UN-SINFUL soul. Because truly, what’s the difference between one sinner and another? Sin is sin in the eyes of the Holy one. By Jesus’ death and resurrection we have the opportunity to receive eternal life. To receive freedom. When Jesus took his last breath, HE TORE THE VEIL. The curtain was torn. It was thick stuff. Kind of representing all the sin he just died for…. but he breathed his last with your face on his mind. That curtain split… making a way for us to enter the place- the holy of holies… where we may dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
This was intended to be about my journey over the past year… what God has done for me… but I blog about that all the time. I never get tired of talking about it, don’t have me mistaken. But I know that I probably just rambled about salvation because someone out there needed to hear it. Maybe you knew all of that.. but it helped you understand it.
A year ago… I went to Mercy Ministries.
(www.mercyministries.org) (<—- see what they’re about. The most legit place in the world.)
Ask me about my story.
Ask me about what God has redeemed.
I’m pure.
I’m beautiful.
I’m a daughter of the King.
I’m worth it.
I’m loveable.
He has given me beauty for ashes.
He has put a new song in my soul, and I sing for HIM now.
I’ll probably blog again later about how significant this day is to me… but I need to get to bed.
Tomorrow I’m going to be serving the Lord and other people with a group from my college. We will be doing construction, so I need rest!
A New CREATION In Christ,
Jordan
Mercy Ministries.
I have not said this before on here, but I am a graduate of Mercy Ministries UK. There has been a lot said of mercy, both good and bad so I want to speak about it from my perspective.
There is a lot of negative posts about mercy saying that everything is a choice, that if we are ill its our fault. I was never told that, and i think we misinterpret sometimes, I believe the heart behind mercy is understanding. At mercy I was taught that sometimes things happen to us that shouldn’t, that were never intended, that mental illness is NOT a choice, but in the end we do have to make a choice to recover and undergo treatment.
Also, mercy work continuously with local doctors and in many cases have recommended people to stay on medication as it is needed.
One of the things i loved about mercy, is the balance between knowing that people need general help from doctors and medications, but also knowing that God is our healer as well. I’m not saying accounts of people are wrong and if you have been mistreated i am truly sorry about that, but often i think it is an individual staff member in the wrong, not the organization.
I can honestly say, that in the UK home, i saw no sign of the abuse some people mention, and i don’t say that lightly, i have read peoples reviews and gone over my experience in my head time after time to make sure. But the women that lead my through the program had amazing hearts and are people i still admire today.
Although i know I am far from perfect, mercy ministries took me out of a pit where i couldn’t do anything, i wasn’t allowed to spend time on my own because people feared for my life. Now i am at uni, doing a the things I have always wanted to, I have never been into deep depression since mercy, I havn’t felt hopeless, suicidal or the need to hurt myself since, i learnt that joy is real and i have a relationship with God more intimate than ever before. I know a lot of this blog contains things about EDNOS but again, that is simply part of my journey, a journey I am at peace with because God brings things up at the right time and this is simple my time to completely deal with that area of my life.
”for such a time as this”
sorry for the long post, but if you read all the way down to the bottom, and have questions or opinions, please use my ask box, i want to know your thoughts.
Getting Help.
I think I’m FINALLY getting help and I am SO proud of myself and my decision. I searched the Mercy Ministries website today and it’s the EXACT thing I need. I would go for depression and self-harm addiction and eating disorder and dealing with sexual assault. However, it’d probably focus more on self-harm for me because that’s my main struggle. I mean, I know most of my friends won’t support my decision, but none of them are willing to help and they don’t really care so this is the PERFECT thing for me.
I’m just scared. What if they reject my application? What if the thoughts get worse? What if the ministry can’t help me? So many question, so little time.
It’d be scary though, because I would have to move and live there for a while. I wouldn’t be allowed to see or talk to my friends. I don’t think they would really mind, but the fact that I know they probably wouldn’t care upsets me. The ministry’s up in northern Louisiana so at least it’s not THAT far away.
Ah, whatever happens is God’s will. I just pray that I can go because I know I need help and I’ve been checking out Mercy Ministries since June, so this is really exciting! Y’all just pray everything works out :)
Pray for Heather - Waiting to enter the Mercy home.
My beautiful friend, Heather (Hevvur bbz haha) (shefoundtrueworth) - whom I’m sure some of you will know - is going to Mercy soon. The enemy has been playing the same card he played with me and no doubt all the other girls that have walked through the doors of Mercy - the card of “you’re not going to make it to the date you’re to go, it’s too hard, you can’t do this anymore, remember? You’re weak and you just need release.” He’s coniving and deceitful, but I KNOW how real all of it seems when you’re in that place. You’re still suffering and you’re desperate for a place of safety and love, where you won’t have to live in complete fear anymore… and even though you’ve been accepted, you still feel the date is too far away, and you’re convinced you’ll die before then.
I’m just asking for fervent prayer for Heather.
Hopefully she’ll be finding out her entry date this week and we’re hoping it will be January. Please pray that God just continues to keep her safe, keep her strong and keep her persevering. THANK Him, because He has been FIGHTING for her. THANK Him, because we are ALREADY VICTORIOUS. The battle has ALREADY BEEN WON. We are already on the winning side; we’ve been bought with a price. Pray that throughouut the time before Heather goes to Mercy, that God will not only get her through this, but get her through it with peace and joy in her heart.
He is so faithful, you guys. So faithful and so true and so amazing.
He will fight for us, we need only be still. So please pray… that Heather will be still and know that He is God. Pray that she will not be overwhelmed and succumb to temptation and the empty promise of release that self-harm brings. Pray that she will just be held and therefore be safe until she enters the Mercy home.
Give thanks to our faithful God, for all He has done and is yet to do in this beautiful, treasured, precious girls life.
freaking out.
I’m going to California.
WHAT.
I’m so so so so excited.
and terrified.
and I don’t want to go. But I do.
Six months is a long freaking time.
I’m going to be waaay out of my comfort zone.
No Facebook, no ipod, no cellphone.
REHAB basically.
I’m going to be flying for the first time. ALONE.
Going where I’ve never been before, living with complete strangers.
IN CALIFORNIA.
AH.
I’m so scared, lets be honest.
As the days get closer, the more crazy I’m getting.
woah. This is going to change my freaking life.
I said I wanted to get out of here. That I wanted freedom. and adventure.
Well guess what.
ADVENTURE HERE I COME.
