Podcast Summary: "Consider Not, Part One"

Podcast: Dufresne Ministries Podcast
Host/Speaker: Nancy Dufresne
Date: March 16, 2022
Episode Theme: Building Strong Faith by "Considering Not" the Natural—Holding to God's Word as Final Authority

Episode Overview

In this episode, Pastor Nancy Dufresne teaches on the importance of focusing on God's promises—in particular, the concept of "considering not" circumstances that contradict God's Word. Drawing from Psalm 103 and Romans 4 (the story of Abraham), she unpacks how believers can strengthen their faith, practically ignore contradictory circumstances, and invite God's power into their lives through gratitude, right believing, and disciplined focus.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Importance of Gratitude and Remembering God’s Benefits

• Scripture Basis: Psalm 103:1-5
• Pastor Nancy urges listeners to become deeply familiar with Psalms 103, which outlines the “benefits package” provided by God.
  • Benefits listed: Forgiveness, healing, redemption from destruction, being crowned with loving-kindness and tender mercies, having one’s mouth satisfied with good things, and youth renewed like the eagle’s. ([00:30]–[04:50])
• Insight: Gratitude keeps believers "remembering"—an active process which safeguards against the enemy stealing what belongs to them.
  • Quote:

    "One way to keep from forgetting what belongs to you is to keep blessing Him and thanking Him for it." – Nancy Dufresne ([01:30])

2. Understanding How God’s Provisions Work: Faith Is Required

• God’s provisions (forgiveness, healing, etc.) are not automatically applied; they require personal faith and acceptance.

  • God is a “perfect gentleman”—He does not force blessings or breakthroughs on anyone; He waits for an invitation of faith.
    • Kenneth E. Hagin quote referenced:

      "God is a perfect gentleman...He won't violate your will." ([08:57])

  • Faith is “agreeing with God”—“Father, I see you’ve provided for that. I receive it.” ([09:40])

• Key Principle: Faith is your invitation for God to act.

  • Quote:

    "Your faith is your invitation for Him to work in your life." — Nancy Dufresne ([11:54])

3. The Function and Focus of Faith

• Definition: Faith is simply believing God’s Word and acting as if it’s true, regardless of feelings or visible circumstances. ([13:48])

  • God’s Word is unchangeable, unlike circumstances, which are subject to change.
  • Quote:

    "Faith is simply believing what God says in His Word and then acting like it’s true." ([14:20])

• The Result: Real faith delivers believers “to a place of rest.”

  • Even circumstances or the body “talk” to you, but the believer is authorized to “ignore them, dismiss them, turn your back on them.” ([16:48])

4. Case Study: Abraham’s Faith and “Consider Not” Principle

• Scriptural Focus: Romans 4:17-21
• Abraham is highlighted as the example:

  • At around 100 and his wife Sarah at 90, God promised them a child—naturally impossible.

  • The timing of God’s promise is such that only He could fulfill it, not Abraham’s effort.

  • Abraham “called those things which be not as though they were”—the essence of faith. ([22:40])

    • Quote:

      “When healing is not, you call yourself healed. When provision is not there, you call yourself provided for.” ([23:20])

  • Faith holds to God’s words against all other evidence. Abraham’s main skill: he “considered not” his own body or Sarah’s womb. He didn’t let natural facts dictate his belief.

  • Quote:

    “He did not consider that when he was about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb… he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” ([28:30])

  • “Strong faith gives glory to God”—praising God is the behavior of strong faith.

  • Abraham was fully persuaded—not partial. The answer shows up when fully persuaded, achieved by feeding on God’s word and giving Him glory.

5. Practical Application: The Skill of “Considering Not”

• To Consider Not:

  • Means to “not turn it over and over in the mental arena” ([39:30])
  • Not focusing on what you see, feel, or hear that contradicts God’s Word; instead only focus on what He has said.
  • The more you talk about the problem or symptoms, the more focus you give them—fuelling what you want to avoid.

• Quote:

  “What you talk about is what you're focused on, and what you’re focused on is what will get movement in your life.” ([44:50])

• The mind can’t figure out what only God can do. If the mind is not renewed by God’s Word, it will argue with the spirit’s faith at every turn.

  • “Our mind is to agree with the Word, but it’s not the mind that we believe with.” ([41:20])

• Before believing for something specific, find what the Holy Spirit is prompting you to focus on in God’s Word—don’t just randomly select a scripture. ([38:00])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the nature of faith:

  “Faith is simply believing what God says and acting like it's true.” ([14:20])

• On ignoring negative circumstances:

  “You're authorized to ignore them, you're authorized to dismiss them, you're authorized to turn your back on them and not put your attention there.” ([16:50])

• On being fully persuaded:

  “Partial persuasion cannot receive all that God’s provided. You have to be fully persuaded. How do you get fully persuaded? Feed on what—hold to what His Word says and give Him glory.” ([31:30])

• On practicing “consider not”:

  “You have to practice this. You have to practice not paying attention to what you can see, not paying attention to what you can feel, not paying attention to what you may hear in the natural.” ([36:10])

• On God bringing the promise to pass:

  “He does the doing, we do the believing.” ([32:08])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:30] – [04:50]: Exploring Psalm 103 and God’s benefits package
• [08:00] – [13:00]: Why receiving God’s gifts requires faith/“God is a perfect gentleman”
• [14:00] – [19:00]: Definition and process of faith—believing God over circumstances
• [22:00] – [33:00]: Abraham’s story as a demonstration of faith; “calling things not as though they were”
• [36:00] – [40:00]: The discipline of “considering not” and training your focus
• [44:00] – [48:00]: Practical cautions about focusing on problems and how it weakens faith

Conclusion

Main Takeaway:
Faith means latching onto what God has said—regardless of the evidence in the natural realm—and not allowing circumstances or mental calculations to shake that position. Like Abraham, believers are urged to “consider not” the contradictory facts but to keep attention exclusively on God’s promises and to express that faith through gratitude, right confession, and refusing to entertain doubt.

Final Exhortation:

“Hold to what God said. Because what God said about it is what’s going to bring you to the fulfillment of what He said.” – Nancy Dufresne ([47:30])