Love, not lust, must be the motivation behind our faith. Some of us have a wrong relationship with material things, which hinders our prosperity. That was the problem the children of Israel had when they were trying to possess the Promised Land. They had so many issues, so much baggage. They couldn't enter into the Promised Land because God couldn't trust them in their arrogance and ingratitude. He knew they'd forget about Him once they got there.

Faith is required to lay hold of and receive whatever it is we're trying to receive; but if our love is not working, then our faith isn't working. We'll still be in the same situation and circumstance, even though we've declared the answer from the Word with our mouths.

Look at a couple of biblical examples about the correlation between love and prosperity.

Let's look first at Matthew 14. After the death of His first cousin John broke Jesus' heart, He saw that the multitude who followed Him were hungry. So He said to His disciples, "Bring Me the two-piece fish dinner." Why? Because He loved them.

Jesus basically said, "As an act of My love, I'm going to show you My power. Because I love this multitude, watch what I do with this two-piece fish dinner. My love is so strong for them that the power has to show up. Something has to happen because I love them." And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and broke, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude" (Matt. 14:19).

To bless means to empower to prosper. Jesus empowered the two-piece fish dinner to prosper. He anointed that dinner to feed over 20,000 people, and 20,000 hungry people is a burden and a yoke. But the anointing removes burdens and destroys yokes.

Lack is a burden. Shortage is a burden. But when the anointing gets on that lack and shortage, it does something about them, and we receive a harvest!

Thank God we get a harvest when we sow; but remember, God's acts are not due to our obedience as much as they are simply an expression of love from a Father who cares for us! That's why the system works. God supports the system He set into motion with His love.

Source: Lord, Teach Me How To Love by Creflo A. Dollar, Jr.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers