Then He would preach the Word to them, lay hands on them, and they would receive miracles. He was not sitting off in the corner somewhere all the time trying to believe God for things that He wanted. You need to tell God what you want, but it just needs to be a matter of fact thing. The main desire of your life, though, should be to meet the needs of other people.
True prosperity, accurately defined, is the ability to use God's ability to meet every need that comes before you. The love of God will give you the ability to put the needs of others first. Do you think God loves you enough to make you able to reach out and love those who are not too much fun to love—the grouchy, unappreciative ones?
It doesn't take anything to love somebody who loves you. There is no trick to that. Any old sinner can do that. But when you love the unlovable, you press in and keep loving them, and you keep loving them, and you keep loving them. Then the love of God will change them.
It may take a year. It may take five years. It may take twenty-five years, but it is worth it. How long did Jesus wait for you?
God loves you, and He loves all those people all around you, too. Saved or sinner, He loves them, and He wants to use you as a channel to pour out His love.
Don't be afraid to step out. God's love is setting you free from fear and condemnation, and He has given you the ability to love. Be determined to spread God's love around. Start just being friendly with people. Make it your business to be friendly and be a blessing to people in the Body of Christ.
Ask people over for dinner and have people come and visit you. Shake hands with people, smile. God has something for you to do. He wants to use you in ways that He can't use any other creature on this earth.
There are people that only you could minister to. Nobody else could reach that person, but you. Ask God to show you ways to reach out with His love, and He will teach you.
God loves you!
(Tulsa: Harrison House, 1998) All rights reserved. Used by permission.