The Power of Holiness (7) ---
Always showing Mercy to Others
To show mercy to another person is “to bless someone who does not deserve kindness from us, including those who deserve punishment from us.”
All men, including you and me, deserve God’s punishment for our sins.
In our sins, we have no right to any of the blessings of God.
But God showed us His mercy when He did not punish us but showed us His love and kindness by sending His only Son to die for our sins.
This is an example of mercy.
Jesus took the penalty and punishment of our sins, and in return, He gave us eternal life---the life of God Himself.
This is the greatest act of mercy that a man can ever receive in this world.
And as God has been merciful to us, likewise He wants us to be merciful to others.
And when we show mercy to others, we will always receive mercy, from both God and from man.
But if we do not show mercy to others, we will in turn not find mercy from others when we are in great need.
We will always show what we reap.
1. Always show mercy to others, so that we will receive mercy from God and from man
MATTHEW 5:7
7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
MICAH 6:8 NKJ
He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does Yehovah require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
God commands us to show patience, kindness, and help to the poor and needy.
He wants us to forgive and bless those who deserved to be punished.
This is showing mercy.
God in turn will cause His mercy and the mercy of all men to come into our lives.
We will reap what we sow, and live in continuous favour from all men, even when we make mistakes or fall and stumble at times.
2. When we show mercy to others, they are touched by the love of God flowing from within us
ROMANS 5:5
5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
1 JOHN 4:11-12
11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and His love is made complete in us.
God commands us to love all men.
God commands us to love one another in the Church as Jesus has loved us.
No one has ever seen God.
But when we love one another, and show mercy to one another, God’s love is made complete in us.
In this way, men can see God’s love within the Body of Christ and know that we are disciples of Jesus.
Likewise, when we show mercy to others outside the Body of Christ, they are touched by the love of God flowing through us.
When we show mercy to others, they have received a touch of love from God Himself.
3. By God’s grace, you can constantly show mercy to others through the Holy Spirit living in you
ROMANS 5:5
5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
1 CORINTHIANS 13:6-8
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails.
The Holy Spirit lives in you.
And all the love of God is in you through the Spirit of God living in you.
Therefore, you already have the capacity to show God’s love and mercy to all men at all times.
God’s mercies for each of us is unfailing.
They never come to an end (LAMENTATIONS 3:22 ESV).
We must likewise not stop showing mercy to all men, as often as the need arises.
Therefore, ask the Holy Spirit to love others through you.
And be led by the Holy Spirit as to how we show God’s mercy to the poor and needy.
Do not do it out of your own strength and wisdom.
Ask the Holy Spirit how you can help a person in need, whether in the Church or outside.
4. Love to show mercy to others at every opportunity
MICAH 6:8 NKJ
8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does Yehovah require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
GALATIANS 6:10
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Make it a focus of your life to always show love to others, to love showing mercy to others.
Rejoice whenever God gives you an opportunity to show his mercy to others through you.
Nothing happens in our lives by chance.
God will set up appointments for us to show His kindness and mercy to others around us.
In this way, many lives will be touched and changed by God’s love, in a world that is selfish and pitiless.
In this way, God is given the legal right to show great mercy to you when you need His help in days ahead.
For we reap what we sow.
For blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy, Jesus has promised.
5. Never consider it a burden and walk away when God gives you an opportunity to show mercy
1 JOHN 3:17
17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?
JOHN 13:34-35
34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
Do not walk away from a person in need.
If you cannot fully help what another person needs, at least help him with whatever you can do to help.
Eg. Pray a blessing over Him; encourage him to trust God that God has answered his prayers; and help him with what you can afford.
Never condemn or judge a person in need.
Never give excuses to walk away from a person in need.
He is in need because he has problems.
Do not point out his problems and walk away.
When you show mercy and help him, you will be able to counsel and help him overcome his problems.
That person in need has been sent by God to bring you the breakthroughs you need yourself.
For when we show mercy to others, God will show mercy to us and give us the breakthrough we need.
So rejoice that you can share God’s mercy and love with others, for you will be blessed in return.
6. If we do not show mercy, we will not receive mercy from God or man
PROVERBS 21:13 NKJ
13 Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard.
We reap what we sow.
When we show mercy to others, we are fulfilling the greatest commandment of God---to love God and to love our neighbours as ourselves (MATTHEW 22:37-39).
If we do not show mercy, we are not walking in love.
In return, God will not show mercy to us.
When we cry to God for help, He will not hear us, unless we repent of our selfishness.
Neither will God touch other men to help us in our times of need.
But if we are merciful and love showing mercy, we will receive mercy constantly from God and man.
7. Decreeing the Decrees of heaven
In Jesus’ name, I declare and decree that .....
1. By God’s grace, I will always show mercy to others, “blessing those who do not deserve kindness from me, including those who deserve punishment from me,” so that I will receive mercy from God and from man.
(MATTHEW 5:7; MICAH 6:8)
2. When I show mercy to others, they are touched by the love of God flowing from within me.
(ROMANS 5:5; 1 JOHN 4:11-12)
3. By God’s grace, I can constantly show mercy to others through the Holy Spirit living in me.
(ROMANS 5:5; 1 CORINTHIANS 13:6-8)
4. By God’s grace, I will love to show mercy to others at every opportunity.
(MICAH 6:8 NKV; GALATIANS 6:10)
5. I will not consider it a burden and walk away when God gives me an opportunity to show mercy.
(1 JOHN 3:17; JOHN 13:34-35)
6. If I do not show mercy to others, I will not receive mercy from God or man, unless I repent.
(PROVERBS 21:13 NKJ)
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A TESTIMONY
“GOD DELIVERED MY ONE-YEAR-OLD GIRL FROM NIGHTMARES AFTER I REPENTED OF MY SIN OF BRINGING HER INTO A CHINESE COLUMBARIUM”
SISTER CY:
"Last week, starting Monday, my daughter had nightmares in her sleep, screaming and agitated, 3 nights in a row, always from 330am to 500am every night.
We could not do much to help her, even after praying and decreeing that she is healed and that she will have a good sleep.
"When I went to work, I asked my colleagues as to how they deal with nightmares in their children.
One of them mentioned that it could be a "hantu" that is oppressing my daughter (the word "hantu" in Malay means ghost).
I suddenly realised that my daughter was indeed oppressed by demonic spirits because I had taken her to a Chinese columbarium last weekend.
My late father's ashes are kept in an urn in a niche at this columbarium.
This was not a Christian columbarium but a Taoist-Buddhist one, with lots of huge idols here and there.
"I remembered that I saw my daughter lifting up her hands, as if in prayer, to one big statute of an idol there.
Because of the interaction with this idol, some demons had then entered my daughter.
"After work, I quickly called my sister to come over and help me to pray for my daughter.
We used the prayers for deliverance in the Book of Declarations and Decrees, and repented of our sins of idolatry and witchcraft, and then commanded all demonic spirits to leave my daughter.
"The demons left my daughter and the nightmares never returned.
From this incident, I have learnt to be more protective of my child and will no longer bring her to such places in future, places that are full of idol-worship and demons.
"I thank God for using my colleague to awaken my spirit to the reality of demonisation through idolatry and witchcraft.
Though the pastor had taught on this issue off and on and had given many testimonies on the deliverance of many who were oppressed, I was not sensitive enough to this spiritual reality and caused needless suffering to my little girl.
"To God be the glory for His great deliverance...!!!"
Shalom