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Hi, I'm Nancy Dufresne. Welcome to our podcast channel. We know you'll be blessed by today's message. We're going to go ahead and start this morning. I want you to turn with me, if you would, go with me to Hebrews chapter 13. Hebrews chapter 13. And we're going to look at something that is so important in the life of faith, because it's something that is to be evident if we say we walk by faith. What I'm going to minister on in this service needs to be evident in our lives. One of the things that my husband, along with other ministers, men of God, who have spoken about the last days is they said that in the last days it would be the last day revival, would contain all previous revivals wrapped up into one. Then they ministered by the Spirit and said all the fivefold gift ministries, the apostle, the prophet, the evangelist, the pastor, the teacher, they would all be operating at full potential power. And then another thing that has been ministered by the Spirit is that all nine gifts or manifestations of the Spirit would be operating at full potential power. The gift of faith, the working of miracles, healings, the gifts of healings, all nine of the manifestations of the Spirit. Now, the power of the Holy Ghost, of course, is here. The power of the Holy Ghost is on the inside of us. But if we don't respond right to that power, the power won't have its full expression that it should. And so today we're going to talk about something that is so important to that flow of power, and that's boldness. Power is God's part, but boldness is our part that God can have his power present, ready to meet the needs of people. But if we as believers are not bold enough to act on that power, then that power will not get ministered as it ought to the lives of people. And so we're going to talk about that, because when we talk about all nine manifestations of the Spirit operating at full potential power, can you imagine what kind of boldness that's going to call for? And so we want to minister about this divine flow of boldness. Now, I don't want you to think that when I'm ministering and when the Word speaks about boldness, it's not talking about your personality. This is not a natural human characteristic. This is a divine force, a divine flow that is an outflow of a person of faith, that when you have faith, it's going to be. It ought to be evidenced with boldness. And I don't want you to think also that boldness moves into unkindness. Because sometimes people want to portray that they have faith, and so they think if they have faith, it's going to come out boldly. And when you try to make that happen in the natural and there's no faith behind it, you just become unkind. There's no boldness. It becomes unkindness. Because when people want to portray themselves as bold. But we're talking about a divine flow. We're not talking about a personality thing. We're not trying to appear to be forceful just so we can look to be people of boldness. But I want you to. We're just going to look at some scriptures in this service, and we're going to start at Hebrews chapter 13 and verse 6. And this is the amplified translation, it reads this way. So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, the Lord is my helper. I will not be seized with alarm. I will not fear or dread or be terrified. What can man do to me? So notice it doesn't just say, when Paul was writing here, because we attribute the book of Hebrews to the writings of Paul. When Paul is writing here, he didn't just say, we say, the Lord is our helper. He said, we. We take comfort, we're encouraged, we are confident, and we boldly say, the Lord is my helper. So I want you to say this. It matters how we say matters, the force that is behind these words. And it has to be a flow of boldness. Because when you are bold, you are so certain, you are so assured. This is what boldness. I mean, no one can shake you off of a truth. And when no one can shake you, bold in that truth. So boldness means you're settled. Boldness means you're anchored. Boldness means that it is firmly rooted in you. And no demon, no opposition, no circumstance can pull you away from what you're believing. And boldness is going to be the evidence that the word has taken root in you. And so it does matter that boldness be a flow of our lives. Because boldness is evidence that the Word is given its place in your life. And you have given it its place, and it's taken its place in your life. Because when you're bold about something, it does not matter who comes and points their finger in your face. Have you ever watched the press conferences of men who were getting ready to go into a boxing ring? They're trained, they have a trainer. They know the technique of their sport. They know their strengths. They know their weak spots. They know how to put themselves forward in their strengths. They know how to protect their weak spots. They know all they need to know to secure a win. But if they go out timidly and face their opponent, that opponent already takes, if nothing else, a man mental step up over them and says, I can beat this guy. And this is what boldness does. Boldness is something, a force that flows on the inside of you that says, nothing whips me because of what's in me. And when you face situations like that, when you face opposition like that, you don't have to be threatening to people, but you're threatening to circumstances. And you're threatening to the enemy who throws those circumstances, because the enemy knows he can't shake you. He can't make you nervous. And this is what the Amplified says in Hebrews 13, verse 6. It says, I will boldly say, the Lord is my helper. And look at this. I like how the Amplified says it. I will not be seized with alarm. So when you're bold, you have no room for fear. You are saying, fear is not getting in here because I've already settled something in me. When you have settled the word in you, you come out bold. It's like that prize fighter who has already settled his technique, his ability, his training has already been settled in him. And he comes out based on what is in him. Our boldness is to be an outflow of what is in us, and so we can have faith for something. But if we don't boldly, if we don't have the boldness to act on that faith, it won't matter that we have the faith. Faith, boldness matters. And so it says here, of course, where Paul said, I will not be seized with alarm. I will not fear or dread or be terrified. What can man do to me? So he's saying, not only does anything that could bring fear not have a place in me, but he says, what can man do to me? Meaning this. I'm bold. When men oppose, when the devil uses men, when men threaten me, when I don't let men terrify me, I don't back up. Because boldness makes my footing, sure. And it does matter how we approach something. I remember after my husband went home to be with the Lord, there were eight big projects that we were left as a staff to have to complete. He had started these projects, but we still had to complete them. And one of them I had to go meet on different occasions. I had to meet with attorneys, I had to meet with city people. I had to meet with bankers. I had to meet with people, professional people that I had no experience with. But I walked in there. I didn't walk in there timidly. I walked in there knowing that I had a voice into the outcome of this. I didn't have a voice into the outcome because I knew banking or because I knew the law or because I knew city codes. I had a voice because I had the helper on the inside of me leading me and directing me. And I was clear on what his help was. And so I was bold to go in, in a setting that was very unfamiliar to me and sit down there and act like I belonged there. And I was in charge and I was expecting the outcome that I needed. I remember when going into one setting with bankers and God told me, because we needed to, there were a lot of financial things that needed to happen. It was regarding our property and our building and stuff. And the bank was wanting to know from me, where are you going to get $400,000? I needed $400,000 to complete the building, one of the buildings here on the property so that we could get some refinancing done on the property. And they said to me, we want to know where you're going to get that money from. Well, of course, immediately, the pressure that comes with those words, they said, by tomorrow you have to give us an answer of where you're going to get $400,000 from. Well, if I knew where I was going to get that, I would have already spent it yesterday. I wouldn't have to wait till tomorrow. But I took time to pray in the Holy Ghost. And the Holy Ghost told me the plan of where to access the money from. And it wasn't my money, it was the bank's money. It wasn't about getting a loan, but it was a plan he gave me to present to the bankers. Well, when we met with them, and I went in there, of course, it's unfamiliar territory to me to be in that banking setting. They've got terminology and all the documentation stuff that's very foreign to me. But what wasn't foreign to me was what God said. And I went in there with what God said very clear in my spirit. And that caused me and enabled me to be bold in the face of a setting that was unusual or unnatural to me, a setting that I was not educated or trained in. Because my boldness doesn't come by my setting. My boldness comes by what I know when I go into that setting. Because you're going to find yourself in settings that are unnatural to you. You're gonna find yourself in settings that don't fit. You don't have any knowledge about it. You don't have any education about it. It's foreign to you. It's a foreign setting. But it doesn't matter. Because when you have it clear in your spirit what God's word is for you in whatever situation you're facing, you can go into any setting bold, knowing that it's going to be the right outcome. And I went in there and I was kind. But see, boldness doesn't mean rude to people. Boldness does not mean. Boldness will never put you outside of the flow of love. So you have to understand, boldness does not mean being speaking to people in a way that's inappropriate. Boldness is a certainty, a confidence that comes from within. And when that's in there, you have to act on that. Now, it wouldn't do me any good to know what the Spirit told me to do in that setting when I needed 400,000 by tomorrow. It wouldn't do me any good for the Spirit to show me that if I would not boldly go in and address the people who were involved in making that happen, I couldn't just sit back and expect the Lord to do it for me. God was sending me to go in with his Word and speak to that situation and cause that situation to change. That's where boldness comes in. Because in the natural my flesh to be in that kind of a business setting, that financial setting, that was foreign to me. My husband had always dealt with those situations. I had never dealt with them. But whenever I went in knowing something, it didn't matter what situation was foreign or natural to me or unnatural to me. What I was anchored on was what God made clear to me. Therefore, I could go in there boldly, knowing this is going to come out right. And I don't go in there and just with a. I don't go in there with the wrong tone, with the wrong approach. Because when you sound weak, you don't win. You don't win. You have to go in there certain. Because when you're certain, the people that you're speaking to become confident in agreeing with you. And so, thankfully, God told me exactly what to do in that setting with a setting that was foreign to me. And I went in there and I spoke it. And it was so almost comical because God presented the plan, told me what to present to the bankers, and I did. And they said, no, we won't be doing that. And so I know this faith comes by hearing. If they haven't agreed yet, they haven't heard it enough. So I repeated it again. Now. I said, now, let me make sure I'm stating this to you clearly. I didn't say you're not understanding. I said, let me make sure I'm stating this to you clearly. And I restated the plan that God gave me. And I restated it a total of three times. And at the third time, the banker heard me because they went in there already with their. They know their rules and their regulations and what they agree to as a lending institution. And when you present something different, they're not even listening because they've already settled what their procedures are. They know their procedures. So that's why I didn't get offended when they said, no, I didn't fuss, I didn't try to go in there and take authority over them, they name of Jesus in front of them. And I just restated what God said. If they're not agreeing, they haven't heard yet. So I need to keep saying it till they get past what they figured out and hear what I'm saying. So it took me three times of saying it before it dawned on them the picture I was painting for them before they began to think, oh, yeah, if we do this, then it will arrive us at the goal we're trying to reach with you. And so we walked out of there and they said, well, we don't know why the committee wouldn't agree to this. And I go, I turned to my staff member who had gone in with me and I said, the person I'm talking to is the head of the committee. So the next day, of course, we got a phone call and said the committee agreed to it. But see, it wasn't enough that God gave me a plan. I had to go in and boldly present the plan. And this is where boldness comes in. God puts faith in us, the Word puts faith in us. Whenever we are feeding on the Word, God is able to build his faith on the inside of us. It won't matter that you got faith if you don't have boldness to act on the faith that's in you. So boldness is such a key to receiving something from God because it is evidence that what God has said, that God's word is anchored and is a foundation in your life so you can move ahead. And so when you're bold, that's what you have to have. When things blow against you, you have to. Boldness makes you sure Footed when things are trying to move you, boldness makes you untroubled. When you boldly speak, knowing what God has made clear to you, that the outcome of this situation, the Word makes it clear, or the Spirit speaks specifically to you to make it clear to you, you go in there boldly. And yes, people will not agree. I mean, when I first went in there, those kind of. Those bankers did not agree with me. But that did not unsettle me because I was settled in boldness. I knew what God said, and I was just going to keep saying it and keep saying it till they understood what it is that God had said to me. And so boldness keeps you, makes you immovable. Boldness will keep you from backing up when it's time to move forward. And so many of the time, so much of the time, people back up. They have faith in them, but they back up because circumstances are pushing on them, because people are saying something that is maybe frightening them or intimidating them. But notice when you say, the Lord is my helper, you're unintimidated. You have no fear. You're not terrified by anything. And what can man, why? Because the faith that's in me, it causes me to know what God is doing. And in boldness, I speak what God has said to me. And so it does matter that when God says something to you, it matters how you say it. You have to say it in boldness to get results. So I want you to turn with me, if you would, to Joshua, Chapter one. Joshua, Chapter one. And we see this setting. Moses has just died. Joshua has been promoted by God to be now the new leader of the Hebrews that had been wandering for 40 years in the wilderness. Moses led them out of Egypt and they wandered for 40, 40 years. And they would not follow Moses into the promised land. So for 40 years, all they practiced is disobedience. All they have practiced is not believing what God told them. For 40 years, they have practiced that. Now you can imagine somebody may say, oh, it would be great to be the head of the. Because it would be a congregation of several million. It'd be great to be the head of several million. Yeah, several million who haven't believed God. Several million who haven't obeyed God. And you want to be the head of that. Nobody volunteers wisely with that. That's something that God has to anoint and appoint. And that's what he did with. That's what he did with Joshua. He anointed him and appointed him, prepared him and trained him to be the Leader of a multiple million congregation who had practiced for 40 years disobedience and doubt. So this is not a coveted position. That's what I'm trying to say. This is not a coveted position that men should be fighting for. But God puts Joshua there. And In Joshua, chapter 1, verse 7, God speaks to Joshua. And he said only. Now, this is. I believe this is the King James. Only be thou strong and very courageous. Well, can I just tell you this? One definition of boldness is courage. So anytime you see the word courageous, you're also seeing the word boldness, because courage is a definition of boldness. So God says to Joshua, only be thou strong and very courageous. Now, notice God had told him, I'm going to be with you. I'll go with you. You're not doing this alone, as I was with Moses. I will be with you. So God said this to him. But it doesn't matter that God says it if Joshua won't move forward in it. Boldness gets you moving forward in what God said to you. And so God spoke to Joshua and said, only be thou strong and very courageous. Now, just if having. If we could say this, God's going to do it for me. Well, God's going to make it come to pass. And so people will sit back and just wait. Then why is God telling Joshua to be strong and courageous if God was just going to do it all? Because courage is man's part. And it's not a human natural courage. It's a courage that comes from knowing God. It's a courage and a boldness that comes because you know what God said, and you know what God assigned you. And you know that God is with you. Therefore, you draw on what you know and you move forward boldly. So it's not just. It's not just Joshua sitting back and just knocking all the enemies out of the way. They had to make steps to move forward. And steps forward call for courage and boldness. So God said to Joshua, only be thou strong and very courageous. That thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses, my servant, commanded thee. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. So, notice this. He's saying, to keep from turning away from what Moses said, you have to be courageous. You have to be strong. To keep from turning away what? To keep from turning away from what God put in your heart. It's gonna take boldness. Let me ask you this, some of you. God has Spoken to about starting businesses and the setting. When God will speak to you about starting a business. Most of the time you don't have a year of capital up front. Most of the time you just got barely. You don't even have enough to really have a full month to function on. You just got enough to realize, I can't do this. That's about how much you got. You got enough that testifies to you you can't make this happen. So God delights at stepping in, in those times and giving large instructions, large commands. And he will tell you to start a business. What about this? He'll tell you to buy a home when it looks like, oh, my goodness, where am I going to get the resources to fund a home? It doesn't matter what the resources say. It matters what God says. And it takes boldness to step out and start a business when you know you don't have enough money to fund it. But God said, takes boldness to step out and buy that home or make that step that you know in your own self you can't make this happen. But you know in you that God has directed you. As long as you have his direction, you have ground to be bold. Now, you don't want to try to step out without his direction because then you don't have any ground underneath you to be bold on. But when he speaks to you and tells you to do something, you have to step out in boldness. Because it takes boldness to, if you're going to start a business, to go find a building and talk to the landlord and say, hey, I want to lease this building for my business. And he goes, well, what kind of equity do you have? Me, I'm at. You know, all I can tell you is what God said. It takes boldness to go with no resources and lay hold of the next thing God has for you. Because the resources come when you act on what he says. And we would all love to have a year's capital in the bank. We would love to have all that we need at our fingertips before we move forward. But faith doesn't need all circumstances to be as you wish them to be. Faith just needs what did God say? And when you know what God said, you can boldly go. We could say this where no man has gone before. I remember when God spoke to my husband and showed him the home that was the next home for our family. And my husband had the boldness to contact the owners and say, this is my home. God spoke to me and said that this is my home. Now, see, he didn't say that trying to put pressure on the owner because that's not the owner's job to believe what God said to you, but he was bold to say and act on what God said to him. And when they said, you know, when Ed met with them, Ed said, but I don't have any money to put down toward the house. And God worked a plan and they came back and the owner had actually been healed in one of my husband's meetings 15 years prior. Well, my husband didn't know that, but God knew that. All God needed was Ed to act on boldness, boldly on, excuse me, the word that he said to him. I tell you what, your future is waiting for your boldness to arrive. Be there with your boldness. Amen. Hallelujah. We trust you've enjoyed this message. Visit us@DefrainMinistries.org to learn of our upcoming meetings. Share your testimony, become a partner or or visit our online store. This program has been made possible by the friends and partners of Dufresne Ministries.