The Powerful Gifts Available to You Every believer has been given at least one supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit. Do you know which you have and how to operate in it? Internationally renowned Bible teacher Derek Prince explains that any believer who is not manifesting gifts of the Spirit is living far below the level of God’s provision for his life. Prince reveals how One of our greatest necessities in the church today is to demonstrate through the power of the Spirit that Jesus is alive and that His gospel is true. The world needs to see the manifestation of the presence of God. Believers need the ministry of the body of Christ through spiritual gifts. The Gifts of the Spirit reveals how we can fulfill both of these needs—practically and powerfully.
Derek Prince (1915-2003), was an International Bible teacher and founder of Derek Prince Ministries International, wrote more than fifty books. He was born in India of British parents. Educated as a scholar of Greek and Latin at Eton College and Cambridge University, England, he held a Fellowship in Ancient and Modern Philosophy at King’s College. He also studied Hebrew and Aramaic, at Cambridge University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. His daily radio broadcast, Derek Prince Legacy Radio, still reaches listeners around the world.
"If we do not exercise the gifts of the Spirit, we are robbing ourselves and others of the means of edification." (Derek Prince, The Gifts of the Spirit, Page 228.)
Well laid out book on the gifts of the Spirit. Each gift is explained on the basis of Scripture. The gifts of the Spirit expounded upon are:
Gifts of Revelation * A Word of Wisdom * A Word of Knowledge * Discerning of Spirits
Gifts of Power * Faith * Gifts of Healing * Working of Miracles
The Vocal Gifts * Kinds of Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues * Prophecy
If you have ever wondered what your spiritual gifts are and how to operate in them, then you should read this book.
One thing the author says is that you can't turn the gifts on at will. I don't necessarily agree with this. I think you can turn the gifts of the Spirit on at will. I think it is up to the individual to step out in faith and to turn the gift(s) on.
The world is seeking believers who can demonstrate the power of God and I say as Paul says, "concerning spiritual gifts, I would not have you ignorant (unknowing or uninformed)." (See 1 Corinthians 12:1).
I've been reading quite a few books on spiritual gifts, and this was the best one by far. Prince was a nondenominational pastor who moved powerfully in the supernatural. In this book, he walks through the spiritual gifts listed in 1 Cor 12. He gives definitions for each gift, examples from Scripture, and examples from his own ministry. What makes this book stand out amongst the others I've read on spiritual gifts is that it is both Scripturally sound AND full of power. It is clear, thorough, and rich. If I had to give one book to someone on spiritual gifts, this would be it!
Best book on the gifts and use of them I have ever received. A major must read if you are involved in any minstry what's so ever. If you really want to grow in this area, this is a must read. Thank you JESUS for allowing me to find this book and thank you for Derek princes minstry.
Derek Prince used only biblical references to explain the spiritual gifts. His personal experiences always follow the trend of the Bible. His language is plain and easy, allowing us to really understand this so important factor of faith.
I loved this book. The insight in how and why God gave these gifts, and what the gifts are, inlightens the use of these gifts for the upbuilding of God's kingdom. Not man's.
Excellent and Biblical explanation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how they operate individually and corporately. Every Christian has access to walk fully in these gifts. I recommend this book.
I love Derek Prince's books! His teaching is so deep and profound. I am always blessed and instructed by what he writes. I have done a lot of research about spiritual gifts, so I was excited about finding this book. It took a while for me to read and digest it all, but I am glad I did.
Derek Prince's book focuses only on the gifts of/from the Holy Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12. He doesn't look at the gifts of/from God described in Romans 12. He also talks mostly about their exercise within the church, since that's what Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 12-14. He doesn't really talk about their exercise outside the church. He also indicates that tongues is the evidence of the presence of Holy Spirit in a person's life, which is the error Paul was addressing when he wrote to the Corinthians about gifts of/from the Spirit.
For the most part. I appreciate this book and recommend it for folks who want to learn about the subject. It is definitely superior to books that make it sound like gifts are innate abilities people are born with which are enhanced or activated when they get saved.
I rarely agree with everything in a book, and this one is no exception. I do, however, recommend it to ALL Christians. I think this is an important book because the Pentecostals are such a fast growing denomination and that I believe every Christian should be aware of what Pentecostals really teach (or in some cases SHOULD teach) about the Gifts of the Spirit. After all, there are guidelines set down in the Bible as to how some of the Gifts of the Spirit should operate, and if a church allows gifts to operate in their church, they should be following those guidelines.
This is presented in an easy to read style. It was a relatively fast read, and I liked how the Gifts were grouped in different sections. (Gifts of Revelation, Gifts of Power, Vocal Gifts). It was a great way to group them.
This book uses lots of Scripture to back up his beliefs, which I liked, even if I don't agree with all he teaches. It showed me where he was coming from, and I believe it's important to understand the differences between denominations, and this is a good overview of that.
Focused on 1 Corinthians chapters 12-14. Very well anchored in Scriptures with relevant experiences. Derek Prince is very comfortable in the area of Spiritual Gifts.
I had questions concerning the gifts of the Holy Spirit and I found this book very helpful. It was well organized and scripturally based. It was just what I was looking for.
"Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand 'is' a hand of falsehood: That our sons 'may be' as plants grown up in their youth; 'that' our daughters 'may be' as corner stones, polished 'after' the similitude of a palace: 'That' our garners 'may' be' full, affording all manner of store: 'that' our sheep may bring forth thousands and tens of thousands in our streets. 'That' our oxen 'may be' strong to labour; 'that there be' no breaking in, nor going out; 'that there be' no complaining in our streets. Happy 'is that' people, that is in such a case, 'yea', happy 'is that' people, who's God is the LORD"
Psalm 144:11-15
It has been impressed upon myself to share a personal testimony of both my late mother, may she rest in peace, and that of a very brief relationship that i, myself, had with a lady. Firstly, my mother was a very mentally il/unstable person in many ways, and neither i, nor any of my other siblings recall our mother ever being in a state/condition one would consider 'the norm.' My mother was intensely private, so it was very, very difficult to try and ascertain the reasoning behind the root cause of her illness and she would get very agitated ie violent, if pressed (she was of Irish stock). I suspected it was due to her early years and her association with the Roman Catholic Church, which she hated with a passion, as she would always turn the air blue if they were talked about, be it on the TV, radio or where-ever. When i, myself, was led to Truth ie the Holy Bible narrative and all that entails, my mother literally went into overdrive, and would go out of her way in an attempt to dissuade myself and my then young nephew, who was approx 18 at that time, but is 21 now and a fully-fledged member and trainee priest of our local RCC (this despite not just my mother's attempts to warn him, but mine own also). Even in front of my young son, my mother would often go berserk, and i would regularly receive letters of vitriol and bile damning both God and Jesus Christ. I, myself, would doggedly resist and impart the Truth to my mother, who was herself an ardent advocate of (Truth), she just needed to be persuaded (somehow). That said, my mother was 'always' someone who put the interests of others before those of her own, most especially children (whom she didn't actually really like/get on with till around the age of 5 upwards, which we as her own children found quite amusing). Many times my mother over the years would find herself in trouble with the local authorities ie Law, and i, my siblings would be called to 'bail' her out of some police station, sometimes quite a journey away, or even go to a county court hearing concerning her (my mother was a kleptomaniac, but never stole anything for herself, just others whom she strongly felt needed help with either clothes, food or even money if she had it to spare). My mother was quite obviously ill in a mental capacity, but somehow she found herself in a ladies prison (from which she managed to escape with a convicted murderer, but that story can wait till another day) for a few months, which we, her children visited but were obviously upset by.
Anyway, cutting to the chase and having i hope painted enough of a picture to 'acquaint' you with my mother (albeit briefly), who up until last March was 84 yrs of age and diagnosed ie dying of stomach cancer. It was mercifully a relatively short but brutal fight and one that was blissfully handled by a local Marie Curie hospice (thank-you LORD). Despite having told me to not invite anyone to the hospice, it was impressed upon myself to do just this and we had many visitors come and pay their last respects (the hospice were very kind). It was around a week in when it was impressed upon myself to start praying for my mother with my young son of 6yrs. It was impressed upon myself to pray for my mother (who was sleeping) to 'confess' Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour, and no sooner had myself and my son said these words, my mother squeezed our hands and intimated that she too, wanted to repeat and speak the words of 'repentance and faith'.......i can't explain to you how unbelievably, relieved and happy i actually felt after hearing my mother utter those Word's of salvation with all humility, as up until that time i had almost despaired and given up that my mother would ever come to this most crucial of Truth's. Amen and thank-you LORD for opening my mothers heart up to your Truth.
(Needless to say this is just the 'bones' of the matter, as Satan the devil tried very, very hard to make it difficult for my mother, and others of my extended family, to come to the realisation of the Truth ie the Word of God.......i am sad to say that where my mother prevailed, that others/the rest of my family are still in the dark as we speak, so need continual prayer through Faith, Hope and Love).
The next testimony is about a brief relationship i had with a lady whom i met at a birthday gathering of a friend of my son's. I was drawn to this lady, who, as it turned out, was a new-found believer in Almighty God, the Lord Jesus, the Holy Ghost and the Bible narrative. Even more impressive was that she also read from the King James Bible and that earlier that same morning she had prayed for 'a sign' regarding meeting a fellow male believer in the Faith. I, myself, have not been intimate with a woman for 6 years now, so was also looking to meet someone suitable in the Faith. So, everything appeared to be 'perfect' ie ordained by God, but sadly this did not turn out to be the case. Firstly, we discussed and both agreed that the Bible narrative was to be observed, which entailed no fornication ie intercourse before marriage, so after a couple of weeks of getting to know each other better, we decided to talk about marriage, which is something neither of us had done before (in hindsight we should have waited longer ie been more patient). We were both very, very into the Word and Derek Prince sermons online (she already found Derek Prince without my intervention, which also strongly impressed me) and would constantly be swapping Bible verses/material). It was made known to myself that she was in a 'magic circle' (practitioner of witchcraft) up until around November of last year, and that she was in a relationship with one of these guys who was very established in this 'cult' (they essentially read from the Bible, but would put their 'own' twist/stamp/theology/doctrine on it to suit whatever their leader's needs were). I also noticed that she wore the 'evil eye' of the pagan Egyptian god Huros, and in fact had many of the 'idols' round about her person. I did not discover if there were any other pagan artifacts she was in possession of, or if she had indeed 'repented' of adequately in the eyes of the Almighty. She said she did, but i was not convinced as i was led to a Derek Prince video sermon on witchcraft whereby it specifically mentioned this 'evil eye', to which i forwarded on to her, but i got the impression she was annoyed at my interference ie inference she that might still be involved with pagan artifacts/idols.......she promised me she threw them all away, but i am not sure/convinced that she indeed did. Anyway, things came to a head after only a few weeks when, after 'communications' between us became somewhat 'awkward' (i, myself, was much to blame here), and after a very, very intense spell of being violently sick with diarrhea and vomiting at the same time, along with a feverish cold sweat that left me 'passed-out' on the toilet for a while, long enough for me come round with the somewhat shocking realisation that i was in fact naked, sitting on my toilet and covered in 'black vomit' that looked like dried/dead blood and smelt horrific. When i looked at the time it was exactly 2:30am. Anyway, we abruptly and rather inexplicably parted company the day after this event, which i don't mind confessing left me feeling very upset and depressed for about a week, and then it was revealed to me 'why' by Lord God. Even though we had not had intercourse, we still kissed very passionately 'a lot' and if I am absolutely honest, there is a chance we may well have slept together if she had not shown more constraint (not me). It was made quite clear to me that i had 'taken on' a demon(s) from my sinful lust and inappropriate conduct, and that the violent sweating and vomiting was myself 'expelling' said unwanted demon(s), so i thank the Lord God for His mercy, by both showing me my error (sin) and in delivering me from said error. I hope and pray i learnt a valuable lesson, but i also hope and pray that the lady in question takes it upon herself to seek deliverance from demons through fasting, prayer and show True remorse for her sin (this was the advice given to me by God for said lady). This, and to be baptised in the Holy Spirit ie born again, lest our Lord and Saviour' selfless sacrifice on the cross for our sins be in vain.......Amen. (There is, of course, more to this story, and no doubt given the chance the lady in question would furnish us with an altogether different version of events, perhaps justifiably so, this is just an honest and sincere account of what transpired from my own perspective).
It was also impressed upon myself to pray the; "Prayer to Break the Spirit of Control" which as i understand it, is a form of witchcraft and is prevalent in almost all walks of today's society, but most especially in the Church and that of professed followers of the Faith ie Christians.
The Jezebel Spirit of control is rife and i pray for deliverance from it over 'all' whom i pray for daily, most especially of that of my son, his mother, myself and whomever the Good Lord impresses upon me to pray for. Please see below a copy of the prayer in the event someone finds it helpful, as in my honest opinion and experience, no-one is immune from the Jezebel Spirit of control.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, i repent for myself and my generational line,
For all manipulation that resulted in the spirit of Jezebel, the spirit of control,
For all rebellion that resulted in witchcraft,
For operating out of woundedness,
For damaging others with words and actions,
For blaming others instead of personal confession,
For using others for selfish purposes,
For not protecting those who needed protection,
For those who destroyed relationships and released disunity,
For leaders who used the church for their own purposes,
In my generational line, from Adam to the present, i break off the spirit of control,
And break off all curses and assignments of the spirit of control over myself and my generational line,
Remove all ungodly spiritual beings and evil networks connected to me and empowered by my ancestors.
Remove the veil from my head that hides me from others and God and bring me into freedom.
Cut the cord that encircles my neck and breath life into me.
Restore to me and my family line all that the enemy has stolen,
I surrender my rights to follow the Lord Jesus Christ,
I will walk in the protective armour of God,
I will be a leader of grace, humbleness and mercy,
I will walk in unity with my fellow brethren and sisters in the Lord,
I will practice hospitality,
I will bless those who persecute me,
I will be patient, loving and kind,
I will be humble,
I will be quick to forgive,
I will let all wrongs roll off me,
I will rejoice in Truth,
I will protect, hope, trust and persevere,
LORD, i declare that i am a child of God,
That i am RULED by You,
That You 'are' LORD over all.
Amen.
"So likewise, whosever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my desciple. Salt 'is' good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; 'but' men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear" Luke 14:33-35
"Then drew near unto him all the publicans and the sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisses and the Scribes murmered, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found 'it', he layeth 'it' on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he come there home, he calleth together 'his' friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine persons, which need no repentance" Luke 15:1-7
"Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep th house, and seek diligently till she find 'it?' And when she hath found 'it,' she calleth 'her' friends and 'her' neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth" Luke 15:8-10
It was impressed upon myself to post this Scripture concerning parables of those things which were 'lost', searched and seeked for diligently by the 'owner', and thus found again, causing 'much' joy and celebration both on earth 'and' in heaven.
The point i, myself, wish to make here is this: if there were indeed many people 'saved' and made it into heaven through the narrow gate, then it seems to me there would be a never-ending chorus of cheering and joyous celebrations before the angels of heaven, which is not something we are informed (confirmed) is actually True, and to myself seems highly unlikely.
Try to imagine the scenario, you are an angel who presumably has been allotted their duties to perform, only every few seconds or so, you need to stop what it is you are doing to celebrate yet another sinner on earth who was deemed 'saved' through repentance 'alone' (it would be never ending, and the Scriptures do not inform the reader of a never-ending flood of souls passing through the gate o heaven, quite the opposite). This doesn't make make sense to myself, but in the scenario where 'few' are saved, as per Mathew 7:13-14, and as per the strong allusion in the parables of the lost sheep ie only 'one' in a hundred, then this would make perfect sense (to myself at least, or is it just me?) This particular parable reminds me of when i was in Texas during the mid 90's and was in an eatery, the neighbouring table of which had a large group of Texican's cheering the arrival of just about every round of food & drink and even the arrival of a new guest (i believe some were just coming back from a visit to the loo), and so after a while this 'never-ending' whooping and cheering grated on the nerves of the other guests (not just me then).......i hope I am not sounding unkind here, as i do honestly believe it to be a good analogy.
Yet more undeniably verifiable proof that the 'original' texts of both the Old Testament (Torah) and New Testament (written in Greek) and that of the English text (King James Bible) are, indeed 'inspired' of God as per 2 Timothy 3:16-17, is the life-time work of one Ivan Panin, who was 'shown' many Bible 'codes' by Almighty God, and you don't need to be a genius to understand that if you 'change' the text ie Word's of God, then you don't get the benifit of the code (Almighty God in His 'wisdom' has thought of everything has He not!).
Please take a look at the website of: Berean Publishers and subsearch; Bible Numerics, the Works of Ivan Panin, and you will read a very insightful article explaining the impossibility of anything other than the Hand of Almighty God working within the OT, NT and KJV, proving without a shadow of a doubt that 'anything' else by way of Translation, Version, Interpretation is 'not' the Word of God.
Do you, as professed followers of the One True Faith, and who (presumably) read from another Bible other than that of the original Word of God, and who now know better, what 'are' you going to do after learning this new-found knowledge? Without trying sound boasty here, i have never felt the need to read from anything other than a King James Bible, even when i purchased an Amplified Bible to help with some of the translation, which i confess is hard to understand at times, it was still impressed upon myself to 'ignore' both this word/work of man and to ignore the commentaries, as this would not only be a 'waste' of time and energy, but more importantly, it showed a 'lack' of Faith in the Holy Spirit in me (1 John 4:4 and also John 14:13).......so now i just use my Amplified Bible as a ref for historical info, and not 'inspiration'.
Chuck Missler, my second favourite servant of the LORD, has some Truly revealing video sermons and books concerning Bible codes and the names of famous Biblical characters which can be found in the OT. Names such as Boaz, Ruth and Miriam, Esther and Malachi, etc and so forth. There is even a Book of Genesis chapter that has the names of 'all' the trees referenced in the OT included in this one chapter, quite extraordinary. Chuck Missler was a very learned and scientific man, and he leaves the seeker of Truth in no doubt as to the authenticity and improbability of said codes, by letting them know that the 'chances' of said codes occurring by accident are billions, to trillions to gazillions to one, so, no chance really if one is Truly honest with themselves and looks at the evidence objectively ie honestly and sincerely.
The name of Shakespeare (William) appears in Psalm 46, and if one were to count 46 words down from beginning of Psalm, they will come to the word Shake. Likewise, if one were to do the same, but count 46 words back, from the end of the Psalm, they will come to the word Spear. This was discovered around a hundred years back by someone unknown, but don't believe it is 'that' unique as the words Spear and Shake are very common in the Bible, leastways in the original they are. Still, it is unusual it seems to me and like Chuck Missler, i, too, also believe the Holy Bible to be the Book of Life ref in the Book of Revelation.
"Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you" Habukkuk 1:5
A clear, concise, well-cited explanation on the topic of Spiritual Gifts. If you are unfamiliar with, or confused about any aspect of this biblical aspect, it's a worthwhile read.
This is the first book exclusively on this subject that I've read--though it's something I've studied peripherally for many years. And I honestly, wish I'd picked it up sooner.
As always, Prince has a calm and pleasantly conversational tone to his prose. He's an even-handed teacher--generally humble and not prone to hyperboyle.
Very early on Prince makes an important and helpful distinction between having a particular spiritual gift, and situationally operating as a conduit through which the Holy Spirit can administer the effect of said gift: "If you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you potentially have everything in Him. There is nothing to prevent the Holy Spirit from manifesting the gift of healing through you--at that moment. However, the scripture would not justify you saying you have the gift of healing unless it is regularly manifesting in your life."
The author also makes a bit of a stand against the stifling effects of legalism, emphasizing the need to obey God as you operate in your gifts--even at the risk of putting off those who've put God in their own comfortable box: "There will always be people with their religious protocol, who say you must not conduct yourself differently from the way things have always been. Yet, if you want what God has for you, you have to do it when God says to do it."
Yes... he specifically addresses the controversy over the gift of tongues: "One of the first things we have to do in the field of the vocal gifts is learn from the Word of God the purposes for which they are given--the right way to use them--and the ways we should not use them." (1 Corinthians 14)
And while I've come to better understand in recent years that prophecy isn't the commonly assumed act of predicting the future, but rather speaking words from God... it was good to have this elaborated on more fully. (And as with other gifts, it can be regarded as a sort of spiritual muscle that can be exercised to be strengthened.) "Few people ever begin by prophesying perfectly. Paul said, "If we have the gift of prophesy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith." (Romans 12:6) We are to do as much as we have faith for, and stop there. If we begin to operate in the gift, we will grow and mature in it. If we never begin, we will never mature."
Favorite Quotes:
"It is not loving to reject the gift of the one whom we love. Likewise, it is not showing love for God when we refuse His gifts. If we think this way, we are deceiving ourselves." (Matthew 7:11)"
"Many religious people think they have to do something to earn God's grace. And even worse, most of them think they HAVE done something to earn it. They are wrong in both respects."
"If you ever meet a group that says, 'If you want to be right, you must join us.' You can be sure of one thing: When you have joined them, you are wrong. Any group having that kind of spirit is wrong to begin with." (Colossians 1:18)"
A must read for any member of the Body of Christ!!! I sat with my highlighter out and ready the entire time! Filled with revelation after revelation, written in an easy-to-understand manner, and practical advice for not only how to discern the different gifts, but also how to walk in them and judge them in a Godly manner. I look forward to adding more Derek Prince to my bookshelves.
Quite balanced in theology, such as the tounges without interpreter in the mass service should be hold under the tongue. A great book in the spiritual gifts theme that not only explained each gifts, but also the background why this gifts given.
This book was great! It explained each gift, how it manifests and how we see it today. The last chapter explained so many practical ways to test prophesies and giftings. I think it should be required reading for anyone wanting to understand each gift.