Attributes of the Gift of Mercy day 5

__________________Misunderstandings Of The Gift Of Mercy

1. Sensitivity to spirit and feelings of others may lead some to think they are being guided by emotion rather than logic. Sometimes this is true but most often it is the immediate recognition of the hurt and the need to step in to protect the one being hurt. The reaction and the motive is purely unselfish.

Unfortunately, the Gift of Mercy only sees the hurt and does not see how the hurt helps. The person with this gift needs to look past the hurt and see how God is using the hurt to help stimulate Spiritual growth .

2. Avoidance of firmness in a situation may appear to be weakness or indecisiveness, this isn't the case, though. The Gift of Mercy wants to comfort above all things and to make the hurts go away, even to the point of taking on the hurt themselves in order to help the other person get better. However, Empathy does not rule the Gift of Mercy. This Gift gently and carefully moves in to make a healing atmosphere, they have a lighter touch than most other gifts. To them, healing is the most prominent and most important event. The Gift of Exhortation wants the hurter to learn from the situation, the Perceiver wants the hurter to hear what God is trying to say through the hurt, the Teacher wants to compare different Biblical examples of the exact same situation. The Gift of Mercy doesn't see anything but a clear track to healing.

Can you see how the different Gifts can possibly be a War with each other? If not for the Binding of the Holy Spirit into unity, these gifts could squabble over a patient until the patient expires!

3. Sensitivity to words and actions which cause hurt may appear to be “taking up another person’s defense”. I have seen the mouse change into the lion more times than I can count on message forums. This Gift does defend the perceived helpless and can become quite the Mother Bear defending her cubs. Once again, this Gift must look at the broader picture before jumping into a scrap. Taking stock of the whole situation enables this Gift to realize when it is appropriate to jump into a fray.

4. Ability to detect insincere motives may appear they are hard to get to know.
The discernment of the Gift of Mercy is phenomonal. The Gift of Perceiver and the Gift of Mercy can spot a fraud a mile away. Trust their instincts! They won't steer you wrong unless they are walking in the flesh, not the Spirit.

5. Attraction to and understanding of those in distress may be misinterpreted by those of the opposite sex. As stated before, this can lead to sexual sin and Satan can turn a helping hand into a web of seduction. The person with the Gift of Mercy must understand this can happen and take steps to avoid this misunderstanding both from his/her own perspective as well as from the other person's perspective. I know this is true because I fell into this trap!

This Gift needs to be careful not to drop to the level of the person they are trying to help and become ineffective in God’s hands.

Evident Distinctions Of The Gift Of Mercy When Walking

In the Flesh....................................... In the Spirit
Unconcern ......................................................Attentiveness
Callousness .....................................................Sensitivity
Partiality ........................................................Fairness
Indifference ...................................................Compassion
Harshness ......................................................Gentleness
Rudeness .......................................................Deference
Anger .............................................................Meekness


REMEMBER…
God has “predestined us before the foundation of the world to be conformed to the image of His Son.” He enables us by the presence of the Holy Spirit and through the gifts He has placed in each of us to help one another reach that goal.

Never = 0
Seldom = 1
Sometimes = 2
Usually = 3
Mostly = 4
Always = 5
Total _______________


Continue the Study... For the best part to Total your scores and find out who you are ;)