Sid Roth - How To Operate in the Gifts of the Spirit
Sid Roth: Hello. Sid Roth here. Welcome. Welcome to my world where it's naturally supernatural. My guest Steven Brooks operates in all nine gifts of the Spirit and he says every true believer in the Messiah can operate in these gifts. There's no rejects. Every one of you can operate in these gifts. And he tells me that when he prays to activate the gifts that are within you, they're going to be activated. You want that? Recently I had just a wonderful privilege of talking to an orthodox Jewish woman that came to know Messiah through a book that I had written and the only thing she knew, she didn't know the Bible, she didn't know anything except the book that I had written and our television show. And so I was trying to explain to her that some churches believe in miracles, some don't believe in miracles, and you should have heard her reaction. Utter shock. They don't believe in miracles? What's wrong with them? Steven, you didn't believe in miracles at one time. So Steven Brooks, what turned it for you? In fact, you were taught not to believe in miracles.
Steven Brooks: Well all of my life growing up in church as a young child I was taught that the day of miracles had passed by. But I received a mighty baptism in the Holy Spirit when I was college. It changed my life and I found out that the power of God is still available to God's people today.
Sid Roth: Now I would like to take some of the gifts of the Spirit and have you explain what they are, maybe give an example. Let's take my favorite, the gifts of healings.
Steven Brooks: Yes. That's a wonderful gift. And as the old saying goes, "The gifts of healing has always then the dinner bell for the lost". In other words, back in the old days, a ranch hand would ring the dinner bell and then all the workers knew that means take a break, time to go to lunch. And so healing is still that dinner bell for the lost. And when those healing gifts are in manifestation, people will come to receive the healing power of God, and if we can have them come and receive that healing power, often times the lost also want to receive the healer as well. So they get the whole package: physical healing for the body, which is a restoration back to healing condition. The body may be diseased or injured or a condition of the body that previously held it back, coming back into a normal healed state. And the gifts of healings are very, very powerful. We must have them operating in the church today.
Sid Roth: I want them operating in the schools, in your business, when you're shopping, when you're going to the doctor's. I think that this, I like what you said. It's God's dinner bell. It gets your attention, especially if you're hungry. And people are hungry. You're hungry. So Steven, there was a moment when you were touched with the supernatural gift of healing. Tell me about that.
Steven Brooks: Well before this gift was given to me, I would always pray for sick people, but I would pray with a prayer of faith. There was no tangible anointing or there was no manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit. But I would still see people healed just by praying in faith. They would connect their faith with mine and then that healing would come forth. But the gifts of healings are very powerful. It's when the Holy Spirit works through you with a tremendous anointing. And that gift came upon me one day when I was in the Dallas, Texas area, and this gift came on me. It fell on me like I had put a garment over my shoulders. I said, "Lord, what is this"? He said, "From this day forward you will operate in the gifts of healings". And a tremendous healing happened on that very same day as tangible proof that God had given me something that I had never walked in before.
Sid Roth: Tell me about the first time, the first one that happened that same day.
Steven Brooks: Well I was in Texas that day. I was staying at my brother's house and my daughter came running into the house weeping and crying, screaming actually. And she said, "Daddy, they're all over my legs". I looked at her legs, there was nothing there, but she had brushed off the fire ants and she was still feeling their presence, but they stung her all over her legs. She had 28 welts that just broke out on her legs. I counted them and these red huge welts began to break out all over her legs. I laid my hands on her legs. I said, "In the name of Jesus, leave"! And every welt instantly disappeared, all the pain gone. She got up and went back outside and started playing.
Sid Roth: Did it shock you?
Steven Brooks: It did shock me. I had never had this happen before, ever. And before that, I would minister in the gift of prophecy and would minister in other gifts, but I never had the healing gift. So this was brand new. So I thought, I'm going to try it out. I'm going to go to the next meeting and I'm going to start praying for the sick. And the next meeting I went to I was going down the line praying for people, laying hands on them, and a young woman in the line, she was 16 years old, she had wore a back brace every day of her life. Matter of fact, she was required by the doctors to wear the back brace 22 hours out of every 24. And she severe scoliosis of the spine, and I prayed for her, and I knew the Lord had touched her. I knew God got her. She went back to her seat, but when she walked back to her seat, she looked totally normal. And I left the next day to go to another meeting, but the pastor called me two days later. He said, "Steven, when she woke up the next morning, she got out of bed and her back was completely healed". And on that same day, she had an appointment with the doctor. She went to the doctor. To the doctor's great shock, he verified the healing. He said, "What happened to your back"? She said, "The Lord Jesus has healed my back". And it was a dramatic healing. It was a miracle healing.
Sid Roth: You know Steven, he went with his wife Kelly to Israel with us as a guest teacher and a major miracle happened to one of our tourists. She had for, what was it, for 20 years multiple sclerosis?
Steven Brooks: She had severe pain with multiple sclerosis, and Sid, has always enjoyed to see people get healed because often times they're in tormenting pain. And to see the relief of that pain leave and to see the joy on a person's face is priceless. And I remember we were there and I had ministered that night. There were some people that came forward for prayer. I had laid hands on her and God instantly healed her. All the pain left her body and it was an instantaneous miracle that happened right on the spot. That's been four years.
Sid Roth: I was just going to ask how long has it been and he just answered that. Four years after 20 years of that type of pain. I'm going to tell you something. That is normal according to the Bible that I read and it's time that we started being normal. When we come back, I'm going to ask Steven to totally demystify the gifts of the Spirit.
Sid Roth: What I love is when these gifts happen when you're having a cup of coffee. You were in Israel having a cup of coffee with your wife. What happened?
Steven Brooks: Well I went down to get a cup of coffee. I sat at the table. This was at the Jerusalem bus stop in a very busy area. I wasn't doing anything spiritual. Matter of fact, Sid, I didn't really want to have to pray for anybody or have to do any type of ministry. I just wanted to drink my latte. So my wife went in line to get me a cup of coffee and she got herself one. And two elderly Jewish ladies were there in line and my wife overheard them talking about how much pain they were in. One basically was saying, "My back is killing me". The other was saying, "Yes, I'm in tormenting pain as well". And my wife said, "Well my husband, he's sitting right over there. Why don't you go over and ask him to pray for you. He'll pray for you". So they came over to my table. They kind of interrupted my coffee time. But I said, "Okay, I'll pray for you, but I have to use the name of Jesus". And they said, "Sshh, don't say that name here, you'll start a riot". And they said, "We don't want anything to do with that name". I said, "Okay. That's fair, but I have to use his name because that's where the authority comes from". They said, "Okay, just be real quiet". I said, "All right". So I reached out to pray for the first lady. I felt an anointing, but nothing dramatic happened. I just touched her and I said, "Receive God's healing power". And then I reached over to touch the second lady. When I did that, the Spirit of God came on me with tremendous power. My hand from my elbow down to my fingers caught on fire.
Sid Roth: Now when I hear you say that, caught on fire, describe.
Steven Brooks: It was a spiritual feeling.
Sid Roth: I know it was spiritual, but describe what it felt like.
Steven Brooks: I felt flames leaping off my hand. Both ladies jumped back. One of them said, "Dear God, what is that"? I said, "It's the healing power of God".
Sid Roth: Can you picture some of you young people walking up to your teacher and putting your hand on them and the flames of God go right into your teacher? Forget class that day.
Steven Brooks: I had to calm them down. I said, here it comes. In other words, don't be afraid of it. Here it comes. And I touched her also and they, she began to be like on fire herself. She said, "I'm burning up". And I said, "It's God's healing power". The other lady said, "I'm on fire, too". She said, "I thought they spiked my coffee and put some liquor in my coffee". And I said, "No, that's God's healing power". Then they looked at their watch. They said, "We've got to catch our bus". And they staggered out of the bus stop. They looked like two drunk ladies. They were overcome with the Spirit's power. I don't know what happened to them, but I know God got their number.
Sid Roth: And again, this is God's dinner bell. They knew that Steven prayed in the name of Jesus. They knew that something supernatural happened to them and I believe as they went home they realized the pain was totally gone. Now you said that you want to demystify the gifts and you said that knowledge is so important. Explain.
Steven Brooks: Well the apostle Paul said, "I do not want you to be ignorant of the spiritual gifts". And so what that word "ignorant" means is it means uninformed or misinformed. And so I found out that the better we understand the gifts, we unlock them in a sense that now we know exactly what they, are and they come forth and begin to manifest so much easier when we have a proper understanding of what they are and how they operate. The rest after that is a very easy process. After that, really all you have to do is just step out in faith because they will come forth.
Sid Roth: Now speaking about stepping out in faith, tell me about the gift of faith. This is a gift.
Steven Brooks: The gift of faith is very powerful. And Sid, we have to understand it that all nine gifts mentioned in First Corinthians, Chapter 12 are supernatural. We cannot pull them down and try to explain these as like just basic gifts. They're all on a supernatural level. And when we keep them in the place that God assigned them to, then we see the power that comes with them come forth and build up the body of Christ, and reach out and touch the lost. So the gift of faith is not ordinary faith. In other words, this is not like, I believe Jonah was swallowed by a large fish and then later, three days later, he went and ministered to Nineveh. This is a supernatural faith that comes upon you and it won't stay forever. It might rest for three minutes. It might rest for three days or three hours.
Sid Roth: Okay. Tell me about the person that had a problem with their feet.
Steven Brooks: Well I had this leap of faith come upon me one time when I was ministering to the sick, and I said, "Somebody needs a miracle". And there was a young man. He was 17 years old and his feet were as flat as a pancake. He had no arches in his feet. And so his mother said, "Would you pray for his arches". I said, "I will". And I had such faith come upon me. I said, "Take off your shoes. Take off your socks and anybody who's never seen a miracle, come watch, and when I pray for him, do not close your eyes. Keep your eyes open and you will see arches form in his feet".
Sid Roth: But wait a second. What if it didn't happen? You realize the faithful of the whole group would go
Steven Brooks: Right if it wasn't going to happen, I'm in big trouble.
Sid Roth: For sure.
Steven Brooks: But when that gift comes, it obliterates out.
Sid Roth: You knew.
Steven Brooks: There's no doubt. There's no fear. You know God is going to do that.
Sid Roth: Okay. So people are watching you grab his feet, flat as a pancake. What happens?
Steven Brooks: I took his, I took, it was the right foot, if I'm correct, I took in my hand. And before I could even pray, "In the name of Jesus", an arch formed right in front of everybody. I couldn't even get out the full prayer and the arch went ... and a perfectly formed arch in his foot. I grabbed the other one. I started to pray, "In the name of..". and there went the arch. It formed completely in his feet. He stood up and I received the written testimony of his mother of this tremendous miracle that happened in his feet, and now his feet are normal. That's not just a healing. That's a miracle. And the reason it happened was because special faith came upon me. If people want to move into the gifts of healings and into the working of miracles, they have to go through the door of special faith. And the power gifts, the greatest one is the gift of special faith. Sometimes I call it super faith because when it comes on you, you feel like Superman and it's the power of God to do what you're called to do, and step out and do it boldly.
Sid Roth: Okay. You also operate in, he actually operates in all the gifts of the Spirit, all nine. However, tell me about the gift of discernment, discerning of spirits.
Steven Brooks: This is a fascinating gift. Out of all the gifts, Sid, I used to look at them, I felt I was beginning to get a handle on some of the gifts and I would look at discerning of spirits. And one day I just set my Bible down and I said, "Lord, I haven't a clue in the world what this gift is. Would you please help me understand it so it can begin to come forth in my life". And many people call it perhaps a gift of discernment. But discernment is not necessarily a gift. We all should have good discernment. We should all be able to have what also we call good common sense. But this is something different. This is discerning of spirits. So it can be discerning of evil spirits. It can be discerning of angelic spirits. It can be discerning of the rim of God and His Glory or it can be discerning the rim of the Satanic world. But discerning the spirits is when our senses are opened up, and God can open it up, and it can come in different facets. To be in the Spirit we can hear, taste, touch or smell in the spirit realm through the gift of discerning the spirits.
Sid Roth: And you know I think is so neat? When we come back, I'm going to have Steven pray for you for just a release of the gifting that God has already put within you maybe for healing. But he has the ability to see or smell when something is evil and when something good is going on. I want him to teach on that. We'll be right back.
Sid Roth: The Steven, the Bible says that we are supposed to desire spiritual gifts.
Steven Brooks: Yes.
Sid Roth: What does that word "desire" mean?
Steven Brooks: In the Greek, it literally means to boiling over. Some translations say, "white hot or on fire". So God wants us to have the spiritual gift. Now some people said, well if the Lord wants me to have them, He'll just give them to me. But in the Greek, it's implied we need to go after them. Yes, God wants us to have them, but we have to pursue them. And when we pursue God and He sees that we really want these mighty gifts of the Spirit, He will release them into our lives and the church will be built up and many people will be blessed.
Sid Roth: You know, it specifically says we should go after prophecy.
Steven Brooks: Prophecy is a tremendous gift because prophecy, out of all the nine gifts, I believe is the easiest gift to have up and running in your life. It is so easy to prophesy. Whether it's the simple gift of prophecy for exhortation, edification or comfort, or even deeper levels of prophecy, which begin to appear deeper into a person's heart, the gift of prophecy is so easy to move in to. All you have to do is step out in faith when the Holy Spirit begins to move.
Sid Roth: I'm going to have Steven step out in faith. However, just as we came back from the break, I began to smell an aroma. In Israel, when Steven was praying for people, I could smell roses. It was the most wonderful smell. Okay. If I was to play a little game with Steven and say a word, except I know what he's going to say, if I was to say the word "skunk", tell me what comes to mind.
Steven Brooks: Well of course, that's not a good fragrance.
Sid Roth: No.
Steven Brooks: Now see, when these gifts operate we can choose or tell the Holy Spirit how to manifest them. It's as He wills. That's how they'll come forth. And He's doing it now for our prophet. Paul said that these gifts are for our prophet, not our failure or for our demise. So they'll put us over into victory. And so one time, I was in a conference and I was a guest speaker, but there were also many other speakers. Now I've been to tons of conferences, Sid, so nobody is ever going to know where this was at. Because when I was ministering, a speaker went up and began to minister, that I had never met. I wasn't familiar with this person. But the moment they began to speak, the fragrance of a skunk went over the entire audience. I smelled the skunk. My wife turned to me and she said, she said, "Steven, I smell a skunk". I said, "I know", but I said, "I'm not in charge of the conference, but unfortunately, something is probably going to happen here that's going to leave a stinky smell". And some things did happen that almost...
Sid Roth: I'll tell you what. We're running out of time right now. There's an urgency for you to pray right now for a release of the gifting that God has already put inside of people, and if God moves you into words of knowledge please free.
Steven Brooks: If you want to receive the mighty gifts of the Holy Spirit right where you're at right now, lift up your hands. A new measure of the Anointing of God's Spirit is coming on you now. Receive the gifts. The gift of prophecy is rising up within you right now. Somebody feels a burning in their hands. That is the gift of healing has now been granted unto you. Somebody watching me just felt a mantel come right over your shoulders. Those are for the power gifts. Step out in special faith. Step out in gifts of healings and working of miracles. It's yours. There are people watching right now all over the world who are smelling roses. God is giving you the gift of discerning of the spirits. Somebody is smelling flowers and beautiful floral scents. Lift up your hands and praise the Lord, for these gifts are being bestowed on you right now. And when the Lord gives a gift, He never takes it back. It's yours for the rest of your life.
Sid Roth: You have to tell me, very briefly, you have seen Jesus' face. What does he look like? What did you sense when you saw his face?
Steven Brooks: I've seen some beautiful paintings of the Lord that are close, but I've never seen a painting that's got him just as who he actually really is. But he is the kindest person I've ever met. He is so kind. He is so humble. He has all of this power and all of this authority. He is the head of the complete church in Heaven and Earth, but he is so kind and humble.
Sid Roth: You know, did you hear that? How would you like your best friend to be the Creator of the Universe and his major virtue is he's kind, he's humble and he's pure love? His name in Hebrew is Yeshua, in English, Jesus. If you will with your mouth say, "Jesus", do this with me right now, say out loud, "Jesus, please forgive me for all of my sins. I believe your blood washes them away and now that I am clean, Jesus, come inside of me. I make you Lord of my life". Amen.