Over a decade ago, one of my very first counselors wrote three little words on a white piece of paper that have changed my life forever: Refer, Refer, Refer. I stared at those three words on my fridge for months as I tried to internalize their lesson: I don’t need to be the one who helps everyone else; God has provided others to share in the work. Thanks to those words, I now know that sometimes, the greatest help I can give someone is to refer them to someone else.
In that vein, today I am referring you to the ten-minutes-or-less radio broadcasts (now podcasts) of Derek Prince as he teaches about the supernatural “gifts” that every Christ-follower can receive from God. Derek’s interpretation and application of scripture is in line with my experience of how the supernatural gifts operate. I love that he doesn’t try to explain away why the gifts of miracles or prophecy don’t work anymore, because they do still work. Instead, he gives some practical suggestions on how to get started growing in your understanding of and faith for receiving the gifts (and yes, you can receive as many as you would like.)
Below is a Spotify embed to Derek Prince’s radio teaching series on what many Christians call “the spiritual gifts” (although that is not their name in the Bible, but alas, here we are.) His ministry also has a YouTube channel for longer teachings, if you are interested.
Quick Caveat
But before you scroll down, here’s my caveat for suggesting teachings to you: no, I probably don’t agree with 100% of what Derek or any other Christian teaches about God, spirituality, ministry, scripture, or anything else. I doubt there is a person on this planet who agrees 100% with me, either—and if they are following God, they shouldn’t.
God loves to keep his kids guessing by showing us different facets of reality that can take a lifetime to fit together. So God may not show me the same things God shows Derek, and vice versa, and our disagreement may be a necessary part of our growth process. Also, sometimes we receive lessons from God that are limited to the understanding of the generation in which we were born—and later, God reveals more about those things in later generations. So it may seem that two believers from two different generations disagree, but in reality, one is building on the understanding of the other.
None of these things are worthy of accusation or condemnation, but they do require you to pray about every teaching you receive—whether from me or anyone else—by asking God if that teaching is sufficiently accurate for your generation and if it applies to you personally. Something that may be sufficiently accurate may still not be for you to receive into your life (for example, some people need to hear that they should love others greater than themselves but other people need to hear that they need to love themselves well before loving others), so keep close guard over your heart by praying about all things.
Phew! Now that that’s over, please enjoy.
Derek Prince on the Spiritual Gifts
“Tools, not toys, gifts of the Spirit are part of God’s equipment for every believer.”
What did you like about these teachings? And what are your favorite resources to refer to others?