I'll never forget what Oral Roberts once told me. He said, "Son, you'll never see the power of healing operate in your ministry until you first see Jesus."

I didn't know what he was talking about then, but I know now. See, compassion flows from the deepest part of a person. When I understood Jesus' compassion, I saw Him. And when I saw Him and His compassion, the ministry of healing began to take off in my life. That's because when I'm moved with Jesus' compassion, God reveals His power through me.

But that power is not to make me look good. Actually, manifestations like healing should draw our focus to God, because it's a demonstration of His compassion. The love of God is not selfish, arrogant or prideful. The love of God says, "What can I do for you?" It constantly gives.

I've heard many say, "If you pray, you'll receive power." You know, that may help, but if you turn prayer into a mechanical thing and pray without love or compassion, you won't be operating to the fullest capacity of God's power. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be powerless in this life! I want my life to be full of God's power.

It's like baseball. I can't skip first base and try to get to home plate, or the umpire will say that I'm out. I can touch second, third and home plate, but if I still miss first base, I'm out.

God said, Bear ye one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2). That means your thinking should be, I love others with the love of God. I want so much for their lives to be changed. I want so much for their bodies to be healed. Oh God, help me to help them! And the Lord will allow His anointing to flow through your life. Whether it's counsel, might, wisdom or money, it will come when God's love begins operating in your life. Remember, love produces power, and power produces the anointing.

Jesus has called us to walk in love. His is the kind of love that causes us to respond positively even when watching negative reports on a newscast, for example. We may say, "God, what can I do to help in this situation? That child was abandoned." Or "This family's house burned down. What can I do?"

There are needs that God desires to meet through your hands. There are things He wants to do through you. But He can't use you if you don't know how to love. He can't work through you if you're just concerned about the mechanics of ministry and disinterested in the heartbeat of ministry-loving His people.

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