The Gift of Gentleness and Compassion

Over the years in my walk with Christ I have received many gifts from the Father. I believe that other believers have also received gifts, though they might not have recognized them as gifts. I want to raise your awareness about a gift that you might have received from Our Father and want to encourage you not to take any gift for granted, but to praise God for them.  Furthermore, do not forget to move in these gifts, transferring them to others by the laying of hands. We receive freely, and therefore we should give freely.

You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help [gentleness] has made me great. (Psalm 18:35. NIV)

He has made His wonderful works to be remembered; The Lord is gracious and full of compassion. (Psalm 111:4. NKJV)

Life made me into a very callous person. Though I did not see myself as a bitter person, I realise that I built so many walls around myself that I was unable to cry and did not allow myself to grow close to others for fear that my walls would crumble. These walls protected me from hurt and from disappointment.

I only realized later in life that fears and feelings of rejection formed part of this package. This closed my heart to the people closest to me, and prevented me from living my life in victory.

I read that issues of rejection include: self-rejection, hurt, woundedness, feeling bruised, low self-esteem, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, inferiority, insecurity, sadness, grief, depression, hopelessness, despair, withdrawal, loneliness, isolation, perfectionism, feeling like a black sheep, pride, shyness, talkativeness, and more. (Eckhardt, J. 1995. Demon Hit List ).

You might want to check yourself against that list.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9)

My Father has released me from these bondages. When I minister to people I am able to sense the Lord’s heart for those that are lost or in bondage. I can sense His love for His children, the saved and the lost. Gentleness and compassion, which I know can only come from my Father, floods my heart. I can intercede on their behalf with tears and humility and take their burdens and struggles to the Lord.

By the humility and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away!;( 2 Corinthians 10:1)

Colossians 3:12

One of my recent clients was not sober when I ministered to him. He broke down in tears when I spoke to him about general things. I did not immediately speak to him about God, but asked him about his life and health. He complained about his back but I knew there was something else that bothered him. This is where the word of knowledge guided me. Before I left him, I asked whether I could pray for his specific needs. He spoke about his mother – how she rejected him because of his lifestyle. (He came from a stable middle class family. He drinks a lot and has been unemployed for years.) In spite of this, life is good to him because of his loving family. The one thing that he wants is his mother’s acceptance and love. I laid hands on this drunken man and together we prayed and agreed in Jesus name that he will have his mother’s acceptance.

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2: 17)

I phoned his wife two days later about another matter and got news that the man’s mother had come to stay with them for two days. This is the first time that this happened in the 30 years they had been married – his mother had not stayed over once before that day.

He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. (Isaiah 40:11)

The Lord gave me the gift of gentleness and compassion to listen to the heart’s desire of a drunken and rejected man. The Lord heard our petition and answered our prayers. Without this gift I would be unable to visit this man or to be attentive to him and others like him.