Video from Robert Pears
"Part of the Secret Place and Spiritual Warfare Series We are called to walk with authority in the Name of Jesus! Discover powerful insight from Smith Wigglesworth as we look at the story of Paul and David and learn the secret of walking with dominion and authority." from video introduction.
"Smith Wigglesworth (1859—1947) was a British preacher who was influential in the early Pentecostal movement. Wigglesworth, along with Charles Parham in the U.S., was one of the first preachers to espouse and practice the teachings of Pentecostalism, particularly faith healing and the gift of tongues as evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Fans of Wigglesworth call him the “Apostle of Faith.”
Smith Wigglesworth grew up poor and was unable to gain an education because, from a young age, he needed to work to help support his family. After he married, his wife taught him to read using the Bible. Remarkably, the Bible was the only book Wigglesworth ever read, and he did not permit other reading materials in his home—not even a newspaper!
In 1907, Wigglesworth claimed that “the Glorious Presence of the Glory of God” rested on him for seven days straight, and after that time he was “actually living in the Acts of the Apostles’ time. I am speaking with new tongues, the Holy Fire of God’s Presence fills me till my pen moves to the glory of God, and my whole being is filled with the Presence of the Holy Ghost” (Confidence magazine, October 1908, p. 11, 15–16). He taught that speaking in tongues was a necessary sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and that a different gift of tongues could be received later to pray and praise the Lord with. During one of his early sermons, people in the audience started falling on the floor and laughing, which Wigglesworth took as a sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
There are many reports of Wigglesworth healing people of various maladies: fevers, appendicitis, deafness, heart failure, asthma, cancer, and even seasickness. Wigglesworth’s view was that all sickness is a work of the devil, and so healing was an act of spiritual warfare. For this reason, he often cast out whatever “demon” was causing the trouble. Sometimes, the exorcism required violence, and Wigglesworth would slap, punch, or shake the sick person. Wigglesworth explained his need to resort to violence: “There are some times when you pray for the sick and you are apparently rough. But you are not dealing with a person, you are dealing with the satanic forces that are binding that person” (Ever Increasing Faith, Gospel Publishing House, 1924, p. 135–136).." from the article: Who Was Smith Wigglesworth?