| When God Speaks |
When God Speaks Through a Man
The speaker
for the evening was an Englishman, and a real Cambridge professor. As a
journalist-in-training, I had a note pad and my pencil kept moving across the
lines as the man spoke.
Derek Prince
Then when he
had completed his prepared message, he went into a visual demonstration. That
is when things really got interesting. In fact, it was downright scary.
Because I
was acquainted with the religion editor of a Washington newspaper, and was
there as his eyewitness reporter, I was allowed to go up on stage to view
things close-up. What I saw was unbelievable to the non-spiritual person. The
phrase, "I see it but I don't believe it!" comes to mind.
It was in
the late 1960s. The visiting minister was Derek Prince, a highly respected
teacher of the Word of God. He had been called to teach the Holy Scriptures concerning God's healing power, and then to
demonstrate it. In scripture, when God called and sent out an apostle, he
always gave him a divine gift to seal his identity as a man of God.
The gift
given at that time through Derek Prince was the lengthening of limbs. A man was
invited to sit down in a straight-back chair and to hold his legs straight out
in front of him. He said that one leg was shorter than the other and it was
difficult for him to walk.
Derek Prince
spoke some encouragement to the man and said:
"Let us see what God will do."
Then he spoke a command in faith, that the shorter leg would grow out to match
the longer one. I watched as that shorter limb was gradually lengthened. In
fact, that leg grew out past the other one by about an inch, then pulled back
in so that both legs were even.
Can you just
imagine everyone in that place all pulling in a deep breath at the same time!
Not long
before that night, I had read an article in a missionary paper written by Derek
Prince. In it he cited a number of scriptures about the power of the Word of
God, and the problems that people have with their tongues. These problems come
through unhealed emotions, he said. They come through self-centeredness and a
humanistic viewpoint. In short, they are worldly expressions of how we feel at a particular time - they
express our humanity without Christ.
In this article, Prince pointed emphatically
to this passage from Proverbs 18, verses 20 and 21.
With the fruit of a man's mouth his
stomach will be satisfied;
He will be satisfied with the product of his
lips.
Death and
life are in the power of the tongue,
And those who love it will eat its fruit. NASB
Let us remember that at the initial
creation, GOD SPOKE each thing into existence! When it was time to create man,
God took clay from the ground, molded it with His hands, then breathed His
life, His Spirit, into the man's body. Scripture tells us that we were created
in the image of God. That we, once born-again through faith in Christ, are now
a new creation.
Our words also create - for good or
for evil.
There is an important double meaning
in the Proverbs text. Only with modern bio science does the meaning become
clear.
The most obvious meaning is that a
man's (or a woman's or child's) words are living things, and that they produce
"fruit." They create. An old expression among children, "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me" simply is not true. Too many people
go through life deeply wounded by words that have been spoken by others in the
emotion of the moment. Jesus told his followers to bless others, not to curse
them.
What is the antidote? Jesus Christ
upon the Cross expressed it this way:
"Father, forgive them. They don't know
what they are doing."
He was dying as He prayed these words,
and in doing so, He activated the merciful heart of God for all of humanity. We
need God's forgiveness for our sins, because we don't know what we are doing!
The devil, satan, has blinded the eyes of our understanding. We are deceived.
Our selfishness, our lust, our greed, hide God's light and glory from us. Satan
wants to keep us that way.
We must forgive those who have hurt us, and we must forgive ourselves.
Christ came and died
to set us free.
Now back to the scripture from
Proverbs.
How can our words affect our stomach?
"A merry heart does good like a medicine."
A joyful spirit will be centered on
God, and on other people, not on ourselves. For example:
Jesus said: "Unless you become like
little children, you cannot see the kingdom of heaven."
Little children know
how to enjoy the life their Creator brings them with the sunlight, with water,
with a lovely garden, and innocent laughter as they relate to their playmates.
They want to love others, and they forgive quickly. This writer has a
granddaughter who would approach strangers in a hospital waiting room, engage
them in conversation, and sing a song for them. The physical and emotional
state of that person would improve immediately. I actually saw this happen
once, so I'm not just believing the story of her proud mother.
Here's the serious part of the
Proverbs scripture:
"Life and death are in the power of the tongue. And those
who love it will eat its fruit."
Do we love life? Or do we love
death? Our words will decide that for
us.
If we love
life, we will refuse the hurtful words, and choose life-giving words.
If we love death, we will emotionally
choose to express death-dealing words.
In order to love and serve God, we
learn to exercise self-control, and choose to speak LIFE! Any
substance, any drug, legal or illegal, which would influence our tongues toward
speaking death, we will refuse.
Scientifically, our digestive systems
were designed to work best when we are in the congenial company of family and
friends. We need each other. I've come to the conclusion that God is a "Family
Man" and that he loves the company of those who love Him. The Wedding Supper of
the Lamb, when all true believers will be united with Christ as His Bride, will
surely be
"THE event of ALL
ETERNITY!"
The last time I saw Derek Prince was
in a church service in Northern Virginia. The rector of that Episcopalian
church had received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. He was joyfully inviting Christians
from many denominations who shared his new joy in Christ, to come to his church
and to share fellowship.
Derek Prince spoke and ministered that
night. When it was time
to share the Holy Communion,
it was my joy to kneel
next to my brother in Christ.
There was wonderful unity of faith and love
among
us all that evening.
From whatever denominational church we came,
we all shared
the bread and the wine, as those present
remembered and honored, the Holy Sacrifice of Our Lord.
Derek Prince, the man of God, has passed from this world to his home with his Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. However, his friends and associates at
Derek Prince Ministries
in Charlotte, North Carolina, continue to bless the world with the recorded radio messages and the written material which Derek Prince produced during his many years of ministry.
The reader will be greatly blessed and built up in Christ by seeking out the knowledge,
understanding and wisdom of God, from one of the greatest of God's servants of the 20th century,
Derek Prince.
Please accept our invitation.
Here is the address of the Derek Prince Ministries website:
http://www.derekprince.org/site/PageServer?pagename=radio_main