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Both God the Father and God the Son (Jesus) are motivated by a strong heart of mercy, lovingkindness and compassion.

This mercy drives and motivates all that God has ever done in history, and it dominates the way He responds to us today. As we have observed several times in the Word of God: "The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works" (Ps. 145:8-9).

There is still another word in the Bible that describes an aspect of the mercies of God: comfort.

The God of All Comfort
In 2 Corinthians 1:3 God is called the God of all comfort: "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort."

Likewise, Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as another Comforter (John 14:16).

All of these add up to one truth: Comfort is a major attribute of all three Members of the Godhead - Father, Son and Holy Ghost. If the Spirit of God dwells within you, a believer, then the same should be true of you!

As believers in Jesus Christ, we should have a ministry of mercy and comfort. In fact, that is the very truth we find in 2 Corinthians 1:3. Let's take a look at this verse again and continue on with verse 4:
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
(2 Cor. 1:3-4)


If you are a believer, then you have a ministry of comfort. But according to the verses we just read, you can't give comfort unless you have received it.

How do you receive comfort? By getting into the presence of the God of all comfort!

As we continue to explore the Word, we will see that comfort and compassion are two sides of the same coin.

Set Free by Compassion
In the fifth chapter of Mark's gospel, we find the remarkable account of Jesus' encounter with the madman of Gadara. We see here a man so bound up by Satan that deliverance seemed unthinkable.
And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he [Jesus] was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
(Mark 5:1-5)
This man was such a prisoner of Satan that even his physical body was energized by demonic power.

Maybe you, a child of God, are bound up in some way today. No matter what might have you bound - whether it be some form of addiction, habit or lifestyle - you are no more a slave to it than this man of Gadara was.

Look at Jesus' response to this situation:
But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
(Mark 5:6-8)
Did Jesus reject the man or tell him he had to go away and clean up his act first before he could be ministered to? No. Jesus immediately set about to address this man's need.

Once the man had been delivered from bondage, he asked if he could join Jesus' disciples. Instead, Jesus gave him a mission:
Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.
(Mark 5:19-20)
Do you see Jesus' motivation for ministering this man's deliverance? It was compassion. Jesus sent him back to his hometown with a message concerning the compassion of God.

This is a message we as recipients of the mercies of God should be offering to the world every day. Far too many of us are doing the opposite. By our negative words and defeated lifestyles, we are carrying a message of the meanness of God, the neglect of God, the stinginess of God.

Of course, we know God is none of these things. But we are sending out this message to those around us when we are not delivering a victorious, faith-filled message of God's goodness and mercy.

There is a wonderful thing about the kind of compassion Jesus has for us. Not only is He moved emotionally by our circumstances, He is also moved to do something about them! Just having someone to feel sorry for you does you no good whatsoever. Help comes by getting your need met. That's the kind of compassion Jesus has for you.

Compassion Removes Doubt
I hope by now you are noticing that the entire Bible is, first and foremost, a revelation of the mercy, love and grace of God. We see another aspect of this revelation in Mark, chapter 1:
And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.
(Mark 1:40-42)
Notice what this man was saying to Jesus: "I know You can heal me; I'm just not sure You will."

It was excusable for him to be unsure about the will of God because he had no knowledge of God's Word. But for us today as believers to feel this way would be an insult to our heavenly Father. His will to heal has been made abundantly clear in His Word.

Of course, Jesus' response to this man was consistent with everything else we have seen thus far. Notice again verse 41: "And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean."

We see here a sequence in Jesus' activities.

First, Jesus was moved with compassion.

Second, this compassion moved Him to reach out to the man. Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him.

Third, Jesus addressed the man's doubts about God's will to heal. Jesus...saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. You see, Jesus had to deal with that doubt before the man could receive his healing. Jesus had to make sure the man knew God wanted him healed.

The same is true for us today. We need to go to the Word and get our doubts removed before we will be able to receive the promises of God. Far too many believers are still in the place of thinking, I know God can; I'm just not sure He will.

Millions of Christians have been told that God would put cancer on them to teach them a spiritual lesson or to build their character. They have been told God would take the life of one of their children in order to accomplish His purposes in the earth.

These are filthy lies - lies against the character and compassion of God. God does not need sickness and tragedy to teach you anything. He has His Word and His Holy Spirit to teach you whatever you need to know.

You must get this issue settled in your mind before you will be able to receive. Nothing can help you do this more effectively than an understanding that Jesus' response to your need will always be one of compassion.

Source: Answers Awaiting in the Presence of God by Creflo A. Dollar
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers

Author Biography

Creflo A. Dollar
Web site: World Changers Church International
 
Creflo Dollar is a founder and senior pastor of World Changers Church International (WCCI). He's a world-renowned Bible teacher, sought-after conference speaker, and bestselling author with hundreds of books, CDs, and DVDs in distribution worldwide. Recognized for his cutting-edge revelation and humorous, pragmatic approach, he enables thousands to experience grace, restoration, healing, and financial breakthrough by applying simple, biblical principles to their lives. He is the author of such game-changing books as "The Radical Life of Grace" and "Why I Hate Religion", and his award-winning Changing Your World television broadcast reaches nearly 1 billion homes. His ministry includes an app available on mobile devices and smart TV's, a dedicated YouTube channel, and the Changing Your World Network, a 24-hour online channel. A thriving social media presence has allowed him to connect with World Changers worldwide.
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