Love is the License
If we have love we can use every perfect gift of God, in truth, and for the good of others.
“When the Word of God is declared without compromise God confirms that word with signs and wonders.” — Lester Sumrall
The reason why people compromise is because they have a deficiency of love. Love is the foundation that sets the precedence when declaring the Word of God. In other words, love is what gives the Word meaning, purpose, and truth. For the love of God, at heart, has always been in revealing the truth (John 3:16). Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians 13 that the greatest of all spiritual gifts, mysteries, all knowledge, faith, and hope— is love.
If a servant of God prophesies with the intention of, “What is in it for me?”, they are simply using the Word of God to serve the desires of their flesh (Galatians 5:17). The apostle Paul told us that “Love is kind…it is not self-seeking” (1 Corinthians 13:5). In fact, operating in any gifts of the Holy Spirit without love is like driving a car without a license. Yes, there may be accuracy — but a person who is not rooted and grounded in Christ’s love (Ephesians 3:17–19) cannot stand in the Word of God(Psalm 119:105). As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:15), it is also written that our “feet [are] fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace”(Ephesians 6:15).
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
1 John 4:1
My dear friends, it is very easy to fake the word-test. Trust me, I have seen ‘men/woman of God’ that have crammed the scriptures like they are living letters of the law(2 Corinthians 3:6). They have an immaculate form of Godliness but — in their hearts — deny the power of the Holy Spirit, whom they proclaim to use to declare the word.
Do you know a prophetic word that is delivered to you with scripture, through a loveless vessel, can be accurate? In most cases, their prophetic utterance can come to pass. Consider the story of the prophet Balaam (Numbers 22, 25). He was a false prophet, not because his source to receive revelation was an evil spirit. But he was false because he was self-serving or a ‘prophet for profit’. Anyone that intentionally uses the Word to deceive people to benefit themselves [Be it money/honorariums, gifts, appraisal, honor, or favor] has no love and is compromised.
“What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain, who killed his brother. Like Balaam, they deceive people for money. And like Korah, they perish in their rebellion.”
Jude 1:11 NLT
There is another test that you must do when you want to test the source of a prophetic word. It is called the love test or test of love — it is near impossible to fake love (1 Corinthians 13:1–13). You either have it or you don’t. The love test is among one of many tests to examine what fruits a servant of God bears. Jesus said, “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit…Therefore by their fruits, you will know them.”(Matthew 7:18,20). So, the first fruit you must discern is the fruit of the Spirit, which is love. I tell you the truth, there is only one fruit of the Spirit, while the others Paul mentions — joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control — define what love is (Galatians 5:22–23).
Before you throw stones! Let me explain:
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.”
1 Corinthians 13:4–8
Here are the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit listed one right after the other in a numbered format:
1. LOVE: “Love never fails” inasmuch as love is from God and God is love(1 John 4:7–21)
2. JOY: “…rejoices with the truth” in that Joy is an expression of the gladness love brings; for love itself rejoices not with iniquity, but rejoices when the truth is spoken or prevailed.
3. PEACE: “It keeps no record of wrongs” because peace allows us to be forgiving because being a peacemaker comes from having love for others.
4. LONGSUFFERING/PATIENCE: “Love is patient”
5. KINDNESS: “Love is kind”
6. GENEROSITY/GOODNESS: “It is not self-seeking” by virtue of the fact that generosity is an expression of the benevolence of love; it seeks to serve others by giving or charity. To be self-seeking is an attribute of Selfishness; which is also the antithesis of love.
7. FAITHFULNESS: “It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres” because faithfulness is an expression of the unyieldingness of love; it is in the steadfastness or consistency to do good to others.
8. GENTLENESS: “It does not boast, it is not proud” and “It does not envy” because gentleness is an expression of the meekness of love; it seeks the welfare of others. Envy is the antithesis of love; it seeks its own desires at the expense of others.
9. SELF-CONTROL: “It is not easily angered”
Do you see why Love is a license to use every perfect gift of God, in truth, and for the good of others?
So we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and if we abide in love we also abide in God, and God abides in us. Truly, we are made perfect with love so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.
I’m telling you these things so you are not included with the ones our Lord Jesus Christ will declare, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:23)
Further Study
Study the Scriptures
Apostle Paul Teaches: Love As the Greatest
1 Corinthians 13
Christ Jesus Teaches: What the Law Says about Love
Luke 6:27–35
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