From Derek Prince Ministries

Derek Prince Ministries

How firm is your foundation? And what is it built upon?

Two fairly good questions to begin a new year, don’t you think? Especially good questions in the midst of some incredibly unsettled times in the world around us—times in which we must have a solid foundation.

I thought it would be good to begin our new year together with a renewed focus on the pivotal role of the Word of God in our lives. (By the way, that is the answer I had in mind for question #2 above.)

You may be familiar with the classic hymn that begins this way: “How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in His excellent word!” Wouldn’t you agree? We simply couldn’t have a better, stronger foundation in our lives than “His excellent Word.” Indeed, God’s Word is our rock.

Derek’s Love for the Word

One of my fondest recollections of my early contact with Derek Prince had to do with his love for the Word of God, and his priority of studying and honoring it.

By the time I met Derek in 1971 when I was a young man, I think I had already completed an early copy of his Self-Study Bible Course. I already knew from my experience with that study manual and also from listening to some of his audio teachings that Derek was a man of the Word. No question about that.

But what really settled the issue for me was a personal visit in 1972 to his home while I was doing some research work for him on a theme he was considering for a forthcoming book. The day I came to discuss my notes with Derek, he invited me to have a seat next to his desk while he went into the kitchen to prepare a cup of tea. As I waited, I glanced over to see Derek’s Bible, lying open where he had left it.

I couldn’t resist. I had to sneak a peek to find out what passage Derek was studying. Imagine my surprise when I couldn’t read his New Testament because it was all in Greek. “No problem,” I thought to myself. “I’ll just read the interlinear translation in English to identify the verses.” Guess what? No interlinear. Derek was studying his New Testament in the original Greek. My very next thought was, “What kind of a man is this?”

I’ll tell you the answer to that question. Derek was a man who knew and loved the Word of God. It was the foundation of his life. It was his rock.

Our Need for God’s Word Today

How do we, as Derek did, make God’s Word the bedrock of our foundation—especially as we begin 2010? It may well be a much more important issue than we realize.

I was jolted recently by a rather startling passage of Scripture. In Amos, chapter 8, verses 11–12, God spoke a warning through Amos to His people of days ahead when there would be a scarcity—a famine—for hearing God’s Word. “They shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord, but shall not find it.” Could that happen in our day? What must we do to prevent that from happening in our own lives?

Other Bible passages speak of this same scarcity of God’s voice and lack of knowledge of His Word.

“And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no widespread revelation” (1 Samuel 3:1).

“For a long time Israel has been without the true God, without a teaching priest, and without law; but when in their trouble they turned to the Lord God of Israel, and sought Him, He was found by them” (2 Chronicles 15:3–4).

Could such a time come for us? Is it upon us even now? And if this famine occurs, will we have already established a firm foundation for ourselves in His Word? Maybe our credo should be that of the psalmist, expressed in Psalm 119:11 and 16: “Your word I have hidden in my heart. . . . I will not forget Your word.”

How do we as the people of God prepare ourselves for such a time, should it come? I believe the key is a renewed devotion to the Scriptures right now. We cannot place too great an emphasis upon devoting ourselves to the Word of God.

God’s Word, Your Source of Life

I can’t think of any better way for us to start the year 2010 than with a renewed commitment to studying, understanding and memorizing the Word of God. And we want to help you do exactly that through two excellent helps from Derek’s material.

First, we want to offer you a booklet that is one of Derek’s most succinct and helpful messages on the Bible. The title is Authority and Power of God’s Word, and if you request it, we will send it to you free of charge. Here are just a few quotes from the booklet to whet your appetite for more:

Right Relationship with the Lord: “If we really want to be rightly related to Jesus, we have to be rightly related to the Bible. We cannot be rightly related to Jesus but wrongly related to the Bible.”

What the Bible Will Do in You: “What the Bible will do in you depends, in part, on how you receive it. If you receive it as the word of man, it will not work its full work in you. But, if you receive it as the Word of God, it works effectively in you.

“When you read your Bible, take time every now and then to say to the Lord, ‘I believe this is Your Word. I receive it as Your Word. Let it work in me everything You have sent it to do, in every area of my being—spirit, soul, and body—because I believe it.’”

The Key to Your Success: “Never neglect your Bible. It is the key to your well-being and the key to your success. It is the most precious gift God has ever given us.”

Please click here to get your copy of Authority and Power of God’s Word. It will not only give you a good foundational step in renewing your devotion to the Word, but it will also supply you with some practical tips for applying the Word in your life.

A New Online Tool

The next tool we want to offer you represents a new development for our website. Every day in the coming year, we will be posting that particular day’s excerpt from Derek’s powerful 365-day devotional, Declaring God’s Word.

Why not make one of your new year’s resolutions to take just five minutes every day to read Derek’s brief teaching for that day, along with the prayer and proclamation at the end? It will enable you to start each day of 2010 by positioning yourself to be a Word-centered warrior in the Kingdom of God. “And take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:17).

If you would rather have a printed copy of this book, just contact us to order it -- if you don’t already have this powerful resource. In the environment and culture in which we live, our focus must be on the Word of God in these challenging days.

Growing and Expanding

Let me close this letter with the happy news that through your involvement and your contributions, the work of Derek Prince Ministries is expanding in a dynamic way. If the past years are any indication, we can only expect our work to increase. The hunger for reliable teaching based solely upon the Word of God is growing around the world—including here in the United States. In many places, that famine talked about in Amos has already been going on for some time.

We are totally committed to getting Derek’s material into the hands of many more people who want and need his Bible-based teaching. Thank you so much for standing with us through your prayers and your financial help to make this happen.

In closing, many people who have contacted us lately have said that they have never seen such difficult times as these. You, too, may be encountering more challenges than you have ever faced. Would you allow us the privilege of standing with you in prayer?

Here at DPM–USA, we are committed to the power of prayer. Each week, we have regular prayer meetings to lift up DPM’s worldwide outreaches as well as the requests we receive. If you have a specific need, please let us know. It would be our honor to partner with you in prayer, just as you have partnered with us in the work of DPM.

We look forward to launching into the new year—shoulder to shoulder with you. Together, let’s face every challenge that lies ahead, standing firm on the most authoritative and powerful foundation ever given by God to man—the Word of God.

Weekly Devotional

from Derek Price Ministries