We already saw that compassion is why Jesus ministered healing. We also saw that compassion causes us to act, and it is not just an emotion.

Compassion

Compassion is love in action. It is God in action. Compassion is simply allowing God to work through you to do what He would do if He were physically present. It is not just a warm, fuzzy feeling, but an active force that moves you to take action to help others. It is a combination of an overwhelming tenderness and love for the person, as well as a tremendous hatred for the sickness or evil that is afflicting them.

Key aspects of compassion are:

• It is love demonstrated, love exhibited, love expressed – not just an emotion.
• It allows God’s power and character to flow through you to meet the needs of others.
• It involves both a heart of love and a righteous anger towards the forces of darkness.
• It compels you to take concrete steps to help and minister to those in need, not just feel sorry for them.

Compassion is a Spirit-empowered love that moves you to action on behalf of others, rooted in the character and power of God Himself.

Compassion vs Emotion in ministering

Some people mistake emotions for compassion when it comes to healing and ministering to others. There is a difference between human emotion and the love that comes from the spirit. Sympathy is an emotion-based response, where you feel sorry for someone but don’t necessarily take action. In contrast, compassion is a spirit-led response that compels you to take action to help.

When ministering to family members, people often pray out of emotional attachment rather than operating out of their spirit. Even though parents may have deep emotional love for a sick child, that emotion alone does not guarantee healing, only the legality of what Christ has done, and standing on the Word of God, does. The key point is that what matters most is ministering out of the spirit, based on the legal basis of what Jesus has done, rather than relying on human emotion. When you can minister to your own family with the same spirit-led compassion as you would to a stranger, you will see greater results. Emotions have a place, and we are not asked to be robots, but true compassion and power for healing comes from operating out of your spirit, not just your feelings. The spirit-led response is what releases God’s power to transform lives.

Compassion is persistent

True compassion, rooted in the Spirit, is bold and uncompromising. It does not back down or water down the truth, even if it means going against social conventions. Compassion is willing to be unconventional in order to see people set free. Genuine compassion stands firm and does not retreat in the face of opposition or social pressure. It is a Spirit-empowered love that takes decisive action to bring about transformation, no matter the cost.

So believer, will you have compassion on the lost around you? So, what is compassion, it is love in action, never backing down and irrespective of what you see the results, holding the fort and holding onto the Word and standing on it. It is knowing that anyone you meet who needs healing didn’t deserve to go through it.