A Journal Entry From The Heart

Don’t lose focus of the love. His love is my purpose. Its everything. Wen I don’t look at how he has made me worthy, I begin to look at how I, by myself, am unworthy. 

But in all reality, that is not reality. The real reality is, He calls me by name and declares my worthiness. While I drag myself into the pits of despair, His beautiful spirit stops me in my tracks and catapults me into new realms of hope.

My mouth used to speak of sadness and death. Now I cannot cease to speak of the glories of His goodness, the dreams of His heart, the plans of His victories, the prophetic words of truth.

He is my wondrous savior, forever and always.

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Lately I’ve been caught up in romantic emotions, a swirl of ecstasy and fantasy. Trying to describe to myself what I’m feeling is difficult, but one word comes to mind: euphoria.

Females often fantasize about being swept up off their feet by a perfect man, a prince.  We dream of strong arms, handsome face, and a good heart. He’ll surprise us with love when we don’t expect it by romantic nights, pretty flowers, and a moving poem speaking of his undying love for us. He would hold us closely when we’re afraid, and protect us when we’re in danger. He would push our “love” buttons all too well, so we can’t help but fall madly in love. It’s no doubt that we’re ready to commit for life.

Pessimists say that’s not reality. Hopeless romantics ignore that and wait for it anyways.

I’m here to disagree with both parties. It is reality and you don’t have to wait for it.

See, this euphoria that I have been so fully entranced by is real. And it’s now. I’m so enveloped in love that I don’t think I could write enough love songs. I don’t think I could laugh hard enough or sweetly cry enough. I’m so overwhelmed by it. And it’s by none other than the greatest man. Jesus.

Jesus. I am in love with Him. When I hear His name I just want to sigh and daydream about Him.

He’s my everything. He is so perfect. He comforts me when I’m broken. He warms me when I’m cold. He speaks to me when I need a friend. He makes me laugh just because He can. He fills me full of pure joy when I feel I’m at the end of my rope. He kisses me when I need a touch. He holds me closely in a hug when I ask and especially when I don’t. I find myself crying all the time! So sweetly overwhelmed by how much He loves me and how much I adore Him.

He is the strongest man. He is the bravest warrior.  He is the sweetest lover. He is the apple of my eye.

He is so much more than a name in a book or a pretty picture on a wall. He is just… Ahhh.

I just can’t contain my feelings. I have to express my utterly bewitched heart. My whole being longs for him every second of everyday. Yet each and every second he’s there, romancing me. I can’t quite describe it. It’s like my heart is swimming in a pool of sweet emotions. Like its being blanketed by the warmth of joy, peace, love… Euphoria!

It’s like I’m intoxicated.  I’m perfectly in love with the most perfect man in the world and nothing can take it away! He is so committed to me and I am so committed to Him.

He’s beautiful. He is just so beautiful.

I’m soaking in His loveliness. I’m living in his entrancing gaze. My heart is ravished.

I love what John Eldredge says about Him…

“Jesus is our life. We need Jesus like we need oxygen. Like the branch needs the vines. Jesus is not merely a figure for devotions, he is the missing essence of your existence.

To have Jesus, to really have him, is to have the greatest treasure in all worlds. To have his life, joy, love, presence  cannot be compared. To know him as he is, is to come home.”

And with that said, I will leave you to ponder Jesus. May His heart wrenching affections sink deep deep down into your soul. May you come to know Him in such a way that you come home.

Corporate Victory

God is so bountiful in kindness.

He won the victory. Then He called it ours.

That is grace; entitlement to what we didn’t earn. We bask in the glory of what He has done.

I’m just dwelling on that revelation. I believe there is a profound meaning behind it. The fact that His victory is made ours. He fought. He died. He rose again. He took the keys to the gates of hell. He took His victory. Then He named us victorious.

But we didn’t lift a finger.

Im reminded of the importance of corporate pursuit. I think that’s what He is saying. How the victory of one person can be made the victory of many. The breakthrough of an individual can then be declared the breakthrough of multitudes. Through unity in the body of Christ can come desperately needed change. Not by addition but by multiplication, through impartation.

We are not to look at life as a boxing ring; where when you have victory, the victory is yours alone. We are to look at it as a war; where when you obtain victory in battle, it is not only yours. It is the nation’s.

That is the difference between our culture and the Kingdom Culture. What one person conquers becomes the victory of nations.

His hope rests on OUR hearts. His peace flows through OUR beings.

Realize the breakthroughs you’ve had in life. Write them down. For instance: Conquering depression, Breakthrough in finances, Healing in the most impossible way.

Now stay aware and alert. When you see someone that’s struggling with what you’ve had breakthrough in, be bold. Impart into them what you’ve been given. Whether it be the new gift of zealous joy, abundance in finances, or wholeness in your body… I’d encourage you to share your testimony, speak destiny over them, then use the authority you’ve been given and impart into them through prayer.

Jesus set the precedent. He had breakthrough in the most precious of all areas, sacrificing himself for the sake of Gods love being known. And He called that victory OUR victory.

Let us be unified and share in victories. How much greater would life be if what you’ve conquered becomes what your neighbor conquers, simply through understanding the importance of corporate unity and impartation.

My Identity

Like a flower being awakened to spring, you open my heart to the warmth of living in the fullness of You.

You are my fairy tale.

I am Snow White. Sleeping, I was. In a state that closely resembled death. But Your love rescued me! By Your kiss I am revived. Now You call me “Snow White”. An elegant and graceful princess. A fortress of purity and innocence.

I am made white as snow. Let me respond to the name You call me. Let me take it is my own identity. Snow White, beloved princess of The King.

On Earth As It Is In Heaven

God has given us dominion from the start. It’s funny how some blame Him for natural disasters. We are the ones who He’s given the authority to.

Genesis 1:26-28 :
“God spoke, “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea and the birds in the air, the cattle, and yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of the earth.” God created human beings in; he created them godlike, reflecting Gods nature.”

We’ve overlooked a very key element to living out The Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come; Your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven…” ) He has made us the ones responsible for His will being done on Earth as it is in Heaven.  From the very beginning of creation, God gave us dominion over the Earth. He gave us the authority. Like it says right there in scripture, we are responsible for Earth itself.

When we, children of faith, connect to God’s heart, perfection is ceased. We grasp what He wants to do. Through relationship with Him, He speaks His secrets to us; His perfect and beautiful blueprints for our lives and the lives around us. For our city and cities around us. For our nation and nations around us. Out of intimacy He speaks His innermost desires and thoughts. And with each new thing He shares, it reveals His goodness all over again.

The hurricane heading straight for New York that is said to be worse the Katrina; it is not sent from God. He is good. Jesus only ever rebuked storms. The Son doesn’t rebuke what the Father sends, they co-labor with each other to show what His heart feels and says. Therefore, I can say that this hurricane is not of God.

You and I, Sons and Daughters of the King, have been given responsibility for our nation. It is up to us to see that the Lord has a heart to keep us safe and thriving. We do not agree with fear but we agree with trust. Partner with God, trust in His goodness and agree that He is not for this storm and the devastation that this hurricane could cause.

Agree with Him that He wants peoples homes, belongings, friends, family, and lives to be protected. I’m believing that as children of the Lord and rulers of the Earth, we have authority to stop this storm. Not by the physical, but by faith and prayer.

Its faith as small as a mustard seed that moves mountains. And its faith as small as a mustard seed that stops storms. Faith and prayer is simply agreeing with the Lord.

If you are moved to, just agree with me that this storm is not from the Father and speak peace, protection and safety over the states that would otherwise be affected by this storm; and speak that this storm will not cause devastation because its not in Gods desire for this to happen.

As it is in Heaven, may it be on Earth. Heaven has no pain and definitely no devastation.  Let that world invade ours.

You Are Accepted

You’re Accepted

Acceptance has to come from the Father. Because as many times as your people tell you they love you, you still see your mistakes that they don’t see. And you’re left with guilt. No matter how many times your special someone tells you that you’re perfect and they couldn’t ask for anyone better, it’s not enough.

For me, lately, I’ve especially seen this to be true. I’ve been searching for acceptance from others but it doesn’t quite satisfy. Because on the inside I feel like I don’t measure up. And this inner belief causes me to think “People don’t really see me as amazing. They’re just saying that because they see how much I don’t measure up.”

Throughout my whole relationship with God, He had always emphasized certain words to me. In different seasons of life they still resound in my heart. The two words that stand out far above the others are “purity” and “innocence”.

These two words, to me, should mark all Christians in their hearts and minds. Be on their hands and feet. Because of the cross. Because of the beautiful sacrifice Jesus made He can look at us and say “I call you innocent!”

I make so many mistakes and feel like such a failure at times. But do you know what Jesus tells me? He says “You are worth it!” He speaks to me, “Im so proud of you!”

What? How can He tell me such things when I’m such dissapointment to myself?

Because I am pure and always will be. Because I am innocent and nothing can change that. Not one thing can seperate us from Gods love (Rom 8:39). Nothing can reverse the mission that was accomplished on the cross. And that is making a people of innocence and purity. It’s not only a position, but it’s an attitude. It’s having a confidence in that fact that nothing can shake you. No mistake you’ve ever made can change your position.

I am seated by Christ as His daughter. Royalty. A pure and innocent child. Who can dethrone those appointed by God? Not one person.

His eyes penetrate to the depths of your heart. And what does He see? He sees a child. A beautifully pure child. He sees an innocent heart. Not by our efforts but by His mercy (Rom 9:16)

Let acceptance swaddle you. Let it surround you, comfort you, bring you peace and joy. Because there is no lack of it from our Father. Our Daddy. He who is always encouraging, always positive, forever loving you until the end of eternity.

To all my ladies.

Sometime I feel alone, other times I am scared.
Most of the time I’m content, but not yet there.
“There” being the destination of which I dream.
Dream to call my palace, of which I am the queen.
The queen of all good. The queen of all fair.
All beauty that is fanciful, I know will be there.
But, alone I shall not remain.
For by my side, a king shall be proclaimed.

This king, I do not know as of yet.
But I do know, his characteristics shall not be met.
Met by ordinary standards, ideals, and rules.
His heart will be worth millions of jewels.

Dignity and goodness will be his only drive.
And in his body, God’s heart will reside.
Mercy, peace, and hope forevermore
Will be what this king will mightily live for.

This king is my love, my future, heroic man.
Not a boy with sticks and stones in his hands.
He will hold a sword, strong and tall.
But in that sword is love and love is all.

Not Limited

I have recently become aware of the fact that the image of God is
greatly influenced by the authority in your life. When you have
parents that are wickedly abusive, you are most likely going to view
God as an authoritative, abusive, control freak. But if you have
extravagantely giving and unconditionally loving parents, you are
going to see God as a selfless giver and romantically beautiful lover.
If you had an absence of parents, you are going to naturally assume
that God doesn’t care about you, and He has no desire to be affiliated with you.

But I am here to give you the most outrageously wonderful news. Gods character is not dependant on the condition of your childhood. And if you had a nasty home life, I know the very One who heals the broken and brings understanding to the confused.

I have grown up with what I consider, the best parents in the world.
Yes, no one is perfect. Yes, I am the eldest, so naturally I was the
expirimental child. But the fact that through thick and thin, my
parents adored me, is proof enough that they are lovely.

But I am going to be honest and tell you that things haven’t been
easy. At times my family struggles financially. And me being the
eldest, I take on a lot of responsibility. Especially considering I
have a younger Down Syndrome sister.

All this to say, I feel as if I don’t have a “parent-child”  relationship a lot of times, but I have a “friend-friend”  relationship. So I have witnessed the stress that comes along with finances. When one of the children asks for something, I feel the stress and sadness. Because my parents want to give us all the extravagant gifts in the world, but can’t.

Now don’t get me wrong, we can afford everything that’s needed to live a good life. We get wonderful gifts at Christmas and eat heartily
about 365 days a year. We aren’t destitute by any means.

Living in this particular circumstance has persuaded me to be limited in the things I ask for.

Having this attitude, I now realize, is diminishing my trust in the
fact that I can ask God for anything and nothing is too big for Him.
When I am in prayer, and ask Him to do something for me, I feel as if I need to justify why it’s a necessity. I find myself saying, “This is
all I want, just this one thing.” When, in fact, I have a load of
desires.

But today, I realized this type of thinking is contaminating my image of God. He lacks in nothing! He created the universe, for goodness sake. And more than that, He is so very willing to give it all to me! Me.

His character is not limited to my circumstances. His ability is not
limited by my attitude. Gloriously extravagant. Beautifully majestic.
Fearlessly giving. Heart stopping(ly) romantic. Rich in wealth and joy.

I now see that my life is going to be radically full of evidence that
my God is incomprehensibly good.

God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways…
2 Corinthians 9:8

Hannah Mercy

Pretty Please with a Cherry on Top

Hi.

So. I really have a lot to say. BUT I don’t want to bore you. Whoever you are, reading this, please don’t give up on this post because its long. It’s gonna be so good… Or atleast, I hope its as good to you as it was to me. Pretty please with a cherry on top, stick with me to the end.

Well, I was reading in my bible two-ish days ago (Technically speaking, I was listening AND reading because I unfortunately have a short attention span.) and I came across this chapter. I’ve read it before, but something in it jumped out to me and it became alive. It was like a light bulb flicked on above my head. It was a “Tada!” moment.

I’d like to explain this chapter piece by piece so that you may better understand where I am coming from.

“Unlike Moses, we have nothing to hide. Everything is out in the open with us. He wore a veil so the children of Israel wouldn’t notice that the glory was fading away – and they didn’t notice. They didn’t notice it then and they don’t notice it now, don’t notice that there’s nothing left behind that veil…”

Oh my gosh, this is so ridiculous! I can’t wait to tell you all about how awesome this is.

As you may very well know, Moses was part of the Old Testament, meaning the old covenant. God’s old covenant with man. When Moses went up onto the mountain, God showed him His glory and gave Moses the 10 Commandments. Moses came down the mountain and the people were amazed because his face was shining as an affect of the glory he encountered after receiving the ‘Law’.

Fast forward: Jesus died on the cross. The son of God. The majestic and glorious, passionate and lovely, playful and sincerely caring, altogether BEAUTIFUL man was crucified. And in the final moment of his agony, he hollered, “IT IS FINISHED!” What is finished?

Pause. This is beautiful. I am crying as I type this.

What is finished, you ask? The law! The law created a barrier between God and man. The law said, “You behave in perfection, you get blessed. But if you make a mistake, you will be cursed.” Do you realize what a strain that put on man? How must he view The Creator? A mean old god with a cane, ready to wack anyone who makes mistakes. A fiery, angry creature with a desire to see people punished. BUT. But that isn’t God’s character. God doesn’t desire for His children to be cursed. He wants us to have His inheritance! It was the curse of the law that put a false picture of who He is, into our minds. When Jesus died, he stopped the curse dead in its tracks! He tore the veil to reveal who God really is! To reveal how sincerely and ardently he loves us. What he would give for us.

So. I’ve often gotten confused about Moses. How is it that God’s glory was shown on his face after given the law, if Jesus died to stop the law? Well that’s where this scripture comes in. I’m going to say it again:

“Unlike Moses, we have nothing to hide. Everything is out in the open with us. He wore a veil so the children of Israel wouldn’t notice that the glory was fading away – and they didn’t notice. They didn’t notice it then and they don’t notice it now, don’t notice that there’s nothing left behind that veil…”

Moses wore a veil to hide the fact that the glory had diminished! The glory that the law left behind is only temporary. Moses had to hide the fact that it was gone! Even to this day people still believe that the law is everything, and are blind to the fact that its not good anymore. Its like eating plastic fruit; it looks polished and pretty, but there is NO nutrition in it. It is empty!

Oh but Jesus is so full of LIFE.
“Only Christ can get rid of the veil so they can see for themselves that there’s nothing there. Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are – face to face!” 

Yes! I love it! Christ tears the veil so we can see the truth for what it is. And the lie for what IT is. And only Christ could do it, that is why it was so necessary for Jesus to go to the cross. God longed for us to see Him for who he is, so He sent His only beloved son!  THEN we see him face to face. AHHHH! This is so good. Face to face, we see his nature, his characterization, his beauty. His beauty is an essence of His love! His unconditional love for US. The ones who don’t deserve anything in our own eyes, but who He declared worthy!

“They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us!”

He is personal! He is intimate! He holds us close to his heart. He is extravagantly in love with us! When we see Him for who He truly is, the law means nothing! The law is empty! God is not a handbook full of rules and regulations, meant to be a behavior modification! He is our bread and our wine, full of life and joy, meant to be a reviver! We are FREE of the curse, FREE of our guilt, FREE of our distance from Him. We are grafted into His family!

“Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. “
(2 Corinthians 3:13-18)

This is my favorite part. Nothing is between us and God. Lets make it personal: Nothing is between me and God. Nothing is between you and God. Not your past failures. Not your present circumstances. Not your future doubts. We are with Him! And our faces our shining with the brightness of His face! How can someone be in the sun and not come out looking a little redder? How can you spend time with a joyfully exuberant person and it not rub off on you? Who you are with changes your appearance. When you see God for who He is! Oh man, you reflect it! He is life giving! He is deeply passionate, constantly full of unmovable brightness! The more we engulf ourselves into Him, the TRUE Him, the more we shine.

On an ending note, I would like to make something really clear. This is something that I am forever going to try and persuade people to see.

God is always and forever pursuing you. You don’t seek Him, He seeks you. At one point in my life, I was extremely lonely, so I began to focus on relationships, guys. I was obsessed with one young guy in the church and I guess it was evident. A leader in the church was speaking to me one day and out of the blue said, “Calm down. Don’t get worked up about your future husband. God knows who he is and you will too when the time comes. Just relax and let God love on you.”  I was shocked. Not at the fact that he picked up on my obsession, but that he said, ‘let God love on you.’

My thought was, “Aren’t I the one who is supposed to be loving on God?”

No siree. Since that moment I have become deeply aware of the fact that it is not my responsibility to love God. But it is a natural state of admiration that occurs after I realize that he loves me dearly. Oh so dearly.

So with that in mind, pretty please with a cherry on top, engulf yourself in thoughts of His love for you. Then your face will shine brighter and brighter, as you become more and more like Him. Because when you find that you’re worthy and wonderful in someone’s eyes, you are able to see others as worthy and wonderful.

Much love,

Hannah Mercy

Blog Material

In one of my many deep-thinking moments, I was dwelling on Jesus. On the way He works. And this rose in my heart and I thought I would share it on facebook. The fantastic response I had made me decide it was blog material.  😉

“Do you realize that trusting in Jesus is not something YOU conger up? It is something that builds naturally inside of you, as a reaction to receiving His undying love for you. Stop striving and let HIM be the author and finisher of your faith.”

Let go and allow Him to flow inside you, outside you, and through you into the lives of others.

Much Love,

Hannah Mercy