Tongues - a Door to Blessing

by John Edwards

I remember hearing Dr Derek Prince once say something like:

"Some of the greatest blessings in my life have come the easiest."

The example he gave was that one morning while he was standing in front of the mirror shaving, he was thinking about the ministry of Philip the Evangelist (the miracles he did; how unclean spirits cried out with a loud voice and came out of many that were possessed; and how many who were lame were healed, resulting in great joy in the city - see Acts 8:5-14).

And he thought to himself, "It must be exciting to have the signs of an evangelist happen in your ministry" - or something like that.

Then the words came to him, "You can, you know".

So he simply said, "Okay."

And that was it.

From then on demons started coming out of people, and the gifts of healing started functioning, in his meetings.

He was no longer just a teacher of the Scriptures - but the power of the Lord was also present.

I remember when I was a child, Derek Prince ministered in the Great Hall at the University of Queensland.

There were hundreds of people present. A person's leg appeared to be quite a bit shorter than the other. Dr Prince invited all the children to come to the front and watch.

He spoke to the leg, and with my own eyes, I saw: the person's leg moved and became aligned with the other.

Evil spirits cried out with a loud voice, and came out of many people.

I heard and saw numerous wonders.

As people fell under the power of God and lay on the floor, Derek explained that they were “on God’s operating table”.

It was the same when Dr Prince visited our church, at Brassall, Queensland. My father drove him to the meeting, in my brother’s car. The building was packed beyond capacity.

With loud cries, demons came out of so many people, all across the congregation, as they were at their seats.

He was also ministering to people with back and leg problems. After a while, he realised he wasn't going to be able to lay hands on so many people personally. So he invited the Elders of the church and their wives forward, and he laid his hands on them to impart the same anointing that was on him onto them.

As he laid hands on them, many of them fell under the power of God.

Then when they got up, people streamed forward in lines, to be ministered to by them.

My father was one of the Elders in the church. And my mother recalled that after Derek Prince laid his hands on them, when my father and she laid hands on each person who came forward, she just 'knew' straightaway what was wrong with each person, or knew what to pray, without even asking them.

And nearly everyone they prayed for, fell to the floor under the anointing, and received deliverance or healing just like when Derek Prince himself laid hands on people.

This was happening all across the auditorium. It was a powerful meeting!

Such signs and wonders followed Derek Prince's ministry wherever he went, in those days. He became famous worldwide for his deliverance and healing ministry.

Years later someone asked him what he remembered most about that season of traveling-ministry in his life.

He answered, "The presence of God".

All of that began to happen in his ministry, he said, after that morning, standing in front of the mirror shaving, when he simply said, "Okay".

There were other nation-impacting blessings which Derek Prince laboured over with much prayer and fasting - but the launch of his deliverance and healing ministry wasn't one of them. It began, he said, by simply saying, "Okay".

Just that easily.

The manifestation of the Spirit - spiritual gifts - are just that: gifts.

We don’t work for gifts - they are to be freely received.

What blessing can you simply say 'Okay' to today?

And then all you have to do is be deliberate about making room for its expression in your life, ministry and meetings.

“Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you…” (Luke 12:32).

“Jesus…saith…ONLY believe” (Mark 5:36).

"But the manifestation of the Spirit is GIVEN to every man to profit withal" (I Corinthians 12:7).

"...let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him...

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning..." (James 1:5,17).