Dear Starr,

Over two years ago, I wrote to you for the very first time in my capacity as president of Derek Prince Ministries.

This two-year period has been very rewarding—and, yes, at times, very challenging. Without a doubt, I am extremely grateful to be serving the Lord (and you) in this position.

Over the past two years, numerous friends and acquaintances have asked me why, in our empty-nest season of life, Cindi and I would agree to leave the Cleveland, Ohio, area where we had built relationships and served for the last twenty years. Why would we agree to move to Charlotte, North Carolina, to head an organization whose founder and leader had passed away a few years earlier?

It is a fair and understandable question.

When that “why” question comes, I invariably cite three key reasons for moving to Charlotte to take on this assignment:

1.    We clearly sensed the Lord directing us to do it. Of course, as committed followers of Christ, that alone was enough. But in addition to our response of obedience to the Lords’ will . . .

2.    We loved Derek Prince and took seriously his mandate to “Carry on!” We knew it was right to continue the ministry he had begun—to keep it moving forward until the Lord’s return. But especially . . .

3.    In these days of spiritual intensity, I am carrying a growing concern for the health and stability of the Church. Maybe I have been reading First and Second Timothy too often, where I see Paul’s grave warnings about deception and false teaching leading believers astray in the last days. I know the only antidote to that inevitable shaking is a firm and deep grounding in the Word. Only a solid foundation in God’s Word can keep a believer from falling prey to the powerful, seductive lies of our times. And that is why I am so passionate about offering Derek’s clear and systematic teaching to the Church and to the world.

This concern for the Church is especially compelling for me because, lately, I have seen some disturbing occasions where God’s people—even mature believers who should know better—are falling prey to various false doctrines and dangerous theological fads.

Some of these fads and “new revelations” try to negate the status of Israel and God’s plan for the Jewish people. Others downplay the necessity of spiritual disciplines, the truth of God’s Word, and the reality of spiritual warfare. And some of these erroneous teachings actually fly in the face of what Jesus accomplished for us on the cross.

Of course, to counter each of these areas of error and confusion, we offer a large, rich body of doctrinal truth and teaching from Derek Prince. It is teaching that God has used to solidly establish several generations of believers in balanced, biblical truth.

I believe one of the commands from the Spirit of the Lord to us in this moment of history is, “Hold fast to the truth!”

Three “Coordinates of Truth”

Derek was always passionate about proclaiming the truth; he took the prospect of spiritual deception very seriously. Derek understood deception’s uncanny power to seduce even seasoned Christians away from the authenticity of Jesus and the authority of God’s Word.

That’s why I want to point you to some of his timely words along those lines. (And before I close, I will also tell you about a new resource by Derek Prince on the subject of deception. I believe it will benefit you and others with whom you can share it.)

Derek taught that truth is the foundation of belief for the Christian. He knew that if believers would build upon the truth, they could stand unmoved against the gale-force winds of deception gaining strength in this period of prophetic history.

In one of Derek’s messages on the subject of deception, I came across this practical, powerful nugget of insight:

Now in order to avoid deception we have to be able to identify the truth. The Bible presents truth in three aspects and, in order to be sure we have the truth, we have to check on all three aspects—what I would call three coordinates of truth. And if you’re going to be sure that you really have the truth, you have to check all three coordinates to see that they’re all in place.

First of all, in John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the truth.” So, the truth is Jesus. But in John 17:17, Jesus was praying to the Father and He said, “Your word is [the] truth.” So, God’s Word, the Bible, is the truth. But in 1 John 5:6, John says, “The Holy Spirit . . . bears witness” to Jesus and “the Spirit is truth.” So you have truth in three related aspects: The truth is Jesus. The truth is the Bible. And the truth is the Spirit.

In order to know for sure that you really have the truth, you have to check all three coordinates: Jesus, the Bible, and the Spirit.

As Derek pointed out, it’s not enough to know the truth. We must also know how deception enters.

In the teaching I mentioned above, Derek lays out several keys to avoiding deception. Among them are:

1.    Cultivate humility and the fear of the Lord.  - Psalm 25:89

2.    Focus on Jesus. His testimony is the essence of prophecy.  - Revelation 19:10

3.    Cultivate the love of the truth.  - 2 Thessalonians 2:9

If you love truth and are interested in learning more about defending yourself against deception (and helping others do the same), you’re going to want a copy of Derek’s recently republished book, Protection from Deception. I would like to send it to you as our “thank you” gift for your offering of $10 or more.

Of course, Derek Prince is no longer with us, but the biblical truth he proclaimed continues to change lives as friends like you make it possible to extend it to others.

You and I have the privilege of sharing his legacy with the world. As you invest in DPM’s many outreaches, you are actively helping vulnerable believers worldwide to avoid deception in these prophetically significant times.

That’s why your gift of support this month is so deeply appreciated. Your participation makes an eternal difference in lives—and your help now carries an eternal reward.

Our Guardrail

     The spirit of this age is imposing seductive false doctrines and destructive theological errors upon multitudes. That’s why we must raise what Derek once called “a guardrail of truth” in our lives and the lives of friends and family throughout the Church today:

And one day I was kind of meditating on the greatness of God and all that He’s done, and on His calling, and I felt like I was at the top of a very rugged, beautiful mountain peak. I could look out in different directions and see glorious vistas. And I was getting carried away with the beauty and the exhilaration. I looked one other way and I saw a very steep, sheer precipice, going down hundreds of feet, and I wasn’t far from it. And I was really gripped with fear.

I felt the fear in the pit of my stomach. And I thought, “God, where’s the guardrail?” And I got this answer: “The guardrail is the Scriptures. As long as you stay inside them, you’re safe! But if you get outside, you’re headed for disaster.”

That is sound teaching. And it is more timely than ever in these volatile and tempestuous days: “The guardrail is the Scriptures . . . stay inside and you’re safe!”

                                          All the best,

                                         

                                          Dick Leggatt
                                          President, DPM - USA

P.S.  Remember, you can raise a guardrail against deception by arming yourself and others with biblical truth. To that end, we would like to send you a copy of Derek’s recently republished book, Protection from Deception, as a token of our deep gratitude for your gift of $10 or more. Just click here to let us know you'd like to have a copy. Thank you so much!