What is the difference between faith and wishful thinking?

It seems to me that if you really boil it down, the difference between faith and wishful thinking is: “Ultimately, who are our eyes focused upon?” With faith, our eyes are clearly fixed upon the Lord. With wishful thinking, our eyes are fixed upon I/me/my/mine. Faith focuses upon the things of the Spirit. Wishful thinking focuses upon the things of the flesh.

Regarding Joel Olsteen and those who teach the prosperity Gospel, it seems to me that any lost person would absolutely enjoy that message and never be offended by anything they say. This is in spite of the fact that Paul told the Corinthians that the Gospel is by its very nature offensive (1 Corinthians 1:23-24). Their message is geared toward satisfying the flesh/natural life/who we were before we were saved. Ultimately, it seems that they try to answer the question: “How can I be happy, fulfilled, prosperous, healthy, etc.” In contrast, a true follower of Christ will ask: “How can I live in such a way that I glorify God.” Christ-followers benefit in all sorts of ways as a result of following God and glorifying Him but this isn’t our ultimate aim.

So, with that being said, I believe that determining whether something is an act of faith or simply wishful thinking could be clarified by asking questions much like these:

- Is my heart focused upon God’s glory? Is my ultimate aim my own pleasure and happiness or is it to show others just how incredible my God is?

- Is there some Scripture that I can rest my faith upon? Faith is not work. It is restful. It simply rests upon a promise/precept of God and says, “God, You have said this in Your Word. I’m just trusting that You will do what You said You are going to do.”
- Is my heart seeking first God’s kingdom and righteousness? Is what I am trusting God for going to further God’s rule and reign on planet Earth and will it help others along on their road to Christ-likeness.
- Is my heart cleansed from sin? The Bible says that if I regard sin in my heart, the Lord won’t hear me (Psalm 66:18). If I have any expectation of getting what I am asking for, I must be “repented/confessed up.”
- Is my heart broken before God? This simply means that my “self-life” has died and I am fully dependent upon my Heavenly Father. My wants and desires are aligning up more and more with the wants and desires of my God. Only then am I capable of being trusted to ask God for the right things.
- Is my heart testifying with the Holy Spirit that this is something I should pray for? Is the Holy Spirit who resides inside every believer giving me peace about praying for a particular thing?