Derek Prince - Hear Gods Voice

Table of Contents

Publishers note : This book was compiled from the extensive archive of Derek Princes unpublished materials and approved by the Derek Prince Ministries editorial team.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version , 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (kjv) are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible. Scripture quotations marked (niv) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , niv, 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. Scripture quotations marked (niv84) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version , niv, 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (nasb) are taken from the updated New American Standard Bible , nasb, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org). Scripture quotations marked (ampc) are taken from The Amplified Bible , Classic Edition , 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org). All rights reserved.

Boldface type in the Scripture quotations indicates the authors emphasis. Personal pronouns and adjectives relating to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in Scripture quotations from the New International Version (1984 and 2011 editions) and the King James Version have been capitalized to correspond to the overall style used in this book. The forms Lord and God (in small caps) in Bible quotations represent the Hebrew name for God Yahweh (Jehovah), while Lord and God normally represent the name Adonai , in accordance with the Bible version used.

Hear Gods Voice

Derek Prince Ministries

P.O. Box 19501

Charlotte, North Carolina 28219-9501

www.derekprince.org

ISBN: 978-1-64123-493-1

eBook 978-1-64123-494-8

2020 by Derek Prince MinistriesInternational

Whitaker House

1030 Hunt Valley Circle

New Kensington, PA 15068

www.whitakerhouse.com

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020945183

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanicalincluding photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systemwithout permission in writing from the publisher. Please direct your inquiries to permissionseditor@whitakerhouse.com.

This book has been digitally produced in a standard specification in order to ensure its availability.

FOREWORD:

The Wonder of Hearing Gods Voice

H ow important is it to hear Gods voicebeyond what we read in the Bible? Would you say that you are able to hear God speak to you? What price would you be willing to pay to clearly hear His voice?

Many biblical themes can be taught in a straightforward manner, but the matter of hearing Gods voice is necessarily subjective. This is not to say the Bible doesnt guide us in knowing Gods will and learning to discern His voice. But specific answers to many of our questions in life are not always directly available in the Scriptures. For those questions, we need to receive personal guidance from the Lord. One principle is clear: we must take responsibility for making time not only to listen to, but also to test, what we hear spiritually. No one else can do this for us.

Nothing is more important to our spiritual life than learning to hear Gods voice. Derek Prince learned much about this ability through his study of the Scriptures and through his own experiences. As he did with many other biblical subjects, early in his ministry, Derek taught extensively and effectively on this topic. Then, in his later years, he gained additional wisdom and personal experiencesometimes through the tests and trials he describes in this book. Consequently, the Lord refined and deepened his understanding of this message.

As you read the teachings Derek shares in Hear Gods Voice , we hope the importance of hearing the Lords voice for yourself will become clear and that experiencing this wonder will become more accessible to you. As you put these principles and skills into practice in your daily walk of faith, we pray that your life will be transformed and your fellowship with Jesus Christ will be revitalized.

The International Publishing Team of

Derek Prince Ministries

PART I:

Our Sovereign God

Taking Time to Hear

I want to begin Hear Gods Voice by sharing an experience my wife Ruth and I had some years ago. We took a sabbatical of six months that turned out to be one of the most intense and challenging times of our lives. Although the experience was very difficult, it ended up being the means by which we eventually heard Gods voice and discovered His life-changing direction for us.

TRIALS AND TESTING

Ruth and I had both felt the Lord was leading us to take an extended rest from our ministry work. We planned a sabbatical in Hawaii because we wanted to hear from God and learn what He was asking us to do next. We felt we had come to the end of the current phase of our ministry, and, naturally, we wanted to know Gods purposes for us.

When we arrived in Hawaii, we had great expectations of having a wonderful respite in a warm climate surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. We thought this six-month break would be relaxing and restful, with plenty of time to read the Bible, pray, and walk by the ocean and on the beautiful hills. But it didnt turn out like that at all!

I started to feel unwell, and I became increasingly sick. At first, the doctors couldnt determine what was wrong with me. Eventually, I was diagnosed with what is called subacute bacterial endocarditis, which is a progressive infection of the lining of the heart. I ended up spending seventeen days in the hospital and six weeks on intravenous antibiotics.

In addition to this situation, a few months earlier, Ruth had faced a life-threatening illness. It had started when she and I were in New Zealand for meetings with our international directors. Ruth began having intense abdominal pain, and I didnt know what to do. But when she began praying, Lord, I commit the family to you, and then, Lord, I commit the ministry to you, and then, Lord, I commit Derek to you, it got my attention. I thought to myself, I had better do something quickly!

I phoned the Derek Prince Ministries directors who were staying at the same meeting place in New Zealand, and they immediately came and prayed. Thankfully, Ruth was raised up. But I felt she really had been at deaths door.

A NEW SEASON

In preparation for our time away in Hawaii, I had handed over the administration of the ministry to my son-in-law. Taking six months away from the ministry seemed like a very long time to us. Yet, we believed that by consecrating this period to the Lord, we would receive new direction. Our thought was, If we give Him six months, that will be wonderful.

Rather ironically, we heard nothing from God about our future until almost the end of those six months. The Lord spent all that time dealing with problems in us that were preventing us from being ready to hear and respond to what He had to say.

Usually, if a preacher speaks about personal problems, most people tend to conclude the issue is one of the following: immorality, alcohol abuse, or misappropriation of funds. In our case, it was none of these! As you might guess, there are plenty of other ways Christians can block Gods purpose for their lives. God dealt with some of those issues during our sabbaticalclearing them away so we could more clearly hear from Him. He used our trials to chasten and refine us for His service.