For over 35 years, men and women who enroll in our counseling programs have heard the same message. “God didn’t bring you here to fix a small problem. He brought you here to give you a complete transformation in your inside world!” And we’ve been watching God do that very thing over and over.
The details of every transformed life will vary, but the key features are always the same. Pride is replaced with humility. Bitterness bows to forgiveness. Self-sufficiency gives way to dependence. Self-love dissolves in the love of God.
Without this deep transformation, a person’s behaviors may change, but their innermost character will remain just as selfish and self-centered as ever.
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of transformation is that we learn to become a vessel of mercy. When our inside world is filled with the love and mercy of God, it destroys the very roots of addiction—selfishness and pride. Becoming a vessel of mercy radically changes the way we look at life and people; life is no longer about taking, it’s about giving.
This year at our Alumni and Friends Benefit Banquet we featured the story of Delbert and Jenny Hill, two souls who were gripped by the mercy of God and went on to live out truly transformed lives.
Like so many Christian couples, Delbert and Jenny believed that marriage would be a cure for their respective problems. And they were both severely disappointed when they found out that marriage did not change his lustful heart or satisfy her longing soul.
Delbert eventually confessed to Jenny that he struggled with homosexuality and that he had even been unfaithful to her. A storm of emotions broke inside her, and she went to the Bible, wanting to know if she had the right to divorce Delbert. In that moment, the Lord made it very clear that divorce was permissible in her situation, but that it had never been God’s design or desire. And He also made something else clear—He was going to do something wonderful through this. So she chose to stay.
Delbert finally entered the Pure Life Ministries Residential Program. Because he had already tried several things to find freedom, he entered the Program with no hope that he would ever change. But then, one day, he came into contact with the presence of God. This was the beginning of the great change. He began to pursue the Lord with all his heart, and the self-protection, manipulation, jealousy and anger that had ruled him for years began to lose its hold.
Meanwhile, Jenny was being transformed in her own way. She began to realize that Delbert simply could never meet her needs, and that to demand this from their relationship was idolatry. Little by little, as she repented, the love of Jesus became so real to her. Suddenly she knew that even if the marriage ended, she would be OK. She had found in Jesus everything she had searched for all those years.
But Delbert and Jenny had both been changed from the inside out, so the marriage wasn’t over—it was reborn. It was so real to them that they had been given tremendous mercy, and so mercy began to flow out of their hearts in a multitude of ways.
A phone for a woman who had just gotten out of jail. Volunteering at a drug rehab. Providing a warm bed and a meal for a homeless man. Tracking down a job for a single mom. The needs were endless, but they did what they could for whoever God brought to them.
After years of living this mercy life, God began to give them a vision for a next step. They would found The Covering. It would be a Christ-centered residential and transitional home for women who wanted to be free from addiction, depression, domestic violence and other life struggles. This would be done in a family environment, and would focus on reunifying them with their children, preparing them for marriage and mothering, and building relational, emotional and spiritual health.
Nearly a year has passed since they officially opened their doors, and who knows how many lives will be changed because Delbert and Jenny were willing to become vessels for the mercy that was given to them?
We recently released a podcast series titled, Victory which you can listen to on our Smartphone app or wherever you get your podcasts. This powerful series will show you how to experience greater victory in your walk with the Lord as you learn how to live in His mercy.
