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Dufresne Ministries Podcast
Faith: Fact Or Theory? | Debra Simons | Ladies & Men‘s Conference 2021 | Murrieta, CA
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Hi, I'm Nancy Dufresne. Welcome to our podcast channel. We know you'll be blessed by today's message. Well, there's no new thing under the sun. What did Popeye say? I stanz it till I can't stands it no more. And so, you know, you're like, alright, God, I'm open to, you know, do whatever you want me to do. I want to stay in the flow. And then I get to a place where I just open up my Bible to second Kings and I find out that that's where the flow is for me. So, you know, we're gonna go there today. But you know, one thing that is in my heart always, and I want you to hear this because this is why God really has assigned me to continue to preach a message on honor. And honor goes into all areas. But one thing that is in my heart is to help the man or woman that has a vision. You know, generally speaking, that's the pastor and to help the one that's got the vision, you gotta help the assistants be the best that they could be. You gotta help ministry of helps see how important their position is to, to the vision and help them be the best that they can be. Because this is what God dealt with me when I got born again and got into a Word and Spirit church, God began to talk to me about being an assistant to the vision through by being an assistant to the man of God, my pastor. And he began to talk to me every time I opened up the Word. That's what he began to talk to me. So I want to train sheep how to be good sheep, how to understand that, you know, there is an anointing for where you're at and for what you're called to do. And as the vision begins to unfold, it's important that you develop with it so that you don't find yourself, you know, kicking against what God's doing. How many of you can recognize that we're in another season and things are excelling? And you know, really we saw that last year when there was such an attack that came not really even on, you know, globally or our nation, but really there's an attack that came on the church. The church had to, in times of pressure, the church had to respond and people had to find out what was in them. And so we can see that, you know, hardship. When you look in the scriptures, you'll always see hardship before the glory. Now that doesn't mean that we have to be under something because of course the Bible says pastor And I said it last night, you know, the Bible says when it gets darker the world, the church gets brighter. When it's darker in the world, it's brighter in the church. So we understand when things begin to be more uncomfortable outside, we have to understand it's our day to shine brighter. And so that's why whatever I minister, I am trying to. Trying to impart to those that are going to assist those in what they're called to do, because it's so important that we assist correctly and properly so that the will of God is accomplished. Amen. And so that's why, you know, I just stay in my lane. Amen. And so let's go ahead and go to Second Kings, chapter four. And let me ask you something. Are we word and Spirit, in theory only, We got to make a decision that we're just not holding on to a concept of ideas with an outcome without putting it into practice and actually seeing the results. And we have to make a decision that, you know, I am a word and spirit person, not just in theory, but in action. This is the way that I live. I follow the word, I put it into action, and I see the results. And that's what we gotta understand. Cause, you know, I noticed that last year there were, you know, people that, they say that they're word people, but then when struggle came, they didn't stay on the word like they should have. They didn't put more pressure on the word like they should have. And what does that mean? They need to be reminded. You need to be reminded what to do and how to do it. Amen. So I'm going to read this out of the Amplified Translation, Second Kings, Chapter 4, starting in verse, verse 8. It said, One day, Elisha went on to Shunem, where a rich and influential woman lived, who insisted on his eating a meal. Notice this woman here, she insisted on him eating a meal. She was the one that initiated it. He goes by, she says, no, you come in here and you have a meal with me. Afterwards, whenever he passed by, he stopped there for a meal. And she said to her husband, behold, I perceive that this is a holy man of God. Do you understand that? In every season you better be perceiving the right thing. Every time there's a transition and we're moving into something else, we've got to recognize some things. We got to perceive the right things thing so that we can cooperate correctly. And I appreciate this. Where it said, she perceived he was a holy man of God. And then she said to her husband, behold, I perceive that this is a holy man of God who passes by continually. Let us make a small chamber. Now, however she perceived moved into action, when God begins to move, it's important that you perceive it correctly so that you can do the right thing. And anytime God's going to move, people need to understand that will be the most vulnerable time for people that have not given themselves to the word properly, because it will be a time where the enemy can come in and try to offer you something else than to stay with what God has for you. I can't tell you how many times in a pivotal time people begin to be bombarded with, I could be doing something better over here. Or they begin to be frustrated, thinking that there's no movement, and they choose to do something else. And they don't realize that if they would have stayed with it, the next step would have put them in a different place by just sticking with what God had them to do, by honoring the place that God had put them. So it's huge here that this woman, I perceive he's a holy man. God, let's do something. We've got to recognize the season that we are in. Last night, Pastor Nancy was talking to us about God is offering us the flow of heaven on earth. It's every. The choice that we make every day, whether we're going to live in it or we're not going to live in it. Think about that. He's offering us something. Over the years, God has offered us a lot of things, and I've noticed not everyone has taken what he's offered. Why? Because they didn't recognize, they didn't perceive correctly, and it caused them to have missteps, and it caused them to miss what God had for them. And especially in supportive ministry, when the devil tries to tell you that what you're doing is so unimportant or you're really not making a difference in the kingdom, or the devil begins to tell you what you could be doing someplace else that sounds greater, looks greater, feels greater, tastes greater. You have to resist that sense of the mundane. Well, I'm just doing that. I'm opening up the church. Every week I'm here, I'm the first one here. I'm the last one to leave. You got to resist those thoughts because what you're doing is important. You mean just unlocking the church early for people to show up? Yeah, it's important. Somebody's counting on you to do that. And let me just tell you something else. God is counting on you to do it. Whatever God has assigned you to do. He's counting on you to do it. It's not unimportant to God. But isn't it funny that people fail to recognize that the devil is the father of lies? And so whatever he's telling you, people fail to realize that the opposite is true? Well, you know what? Nobody even realizes what you do. You're here all the time. You're with the kids in the back. Nobody sees you. Nobody appreciates you. Nobody knows what you're doing. And isn't that a lie? Because your father sees you and your father rewards you according to how you obey him. He sees what you're doing. He sees what you're doing when you're duplicating CDs. He sees what you're doing when you're cleaning the bathroom. He sees what you're doing when you're mopping the foyer. He sees what you're doing when you're vacuuming the rug and throwing out the trash. He sees that. And if that's what he assigned you to do, then you should be joyful in doing that. People fail to find joy in what God called them to do. And you understand you're going to be rewarded according to your obedience in what God's called you to do. And you know it's relative. If I am called to clean the bathroom, I will receive the reward for being in the place that I'm in. If someone's called to go to the nations, they will receive a reward because they're doing what God called them to do. It's that simple. It's that simple. I'm gonna get what God has ordained for me because I'm in my place and I'm doing what I'm called to do. To do. Amen. And so it's important to recognize. And so she said, you know, you know we're going to do something. Boy, I recognize this man has the anointing on him. And you know really what she was doing, she was hooking up with him. When she recognized this was a man of God, she was hooking up with him. And you know, there are times when God brings you into a place and you know, this is where I need to hook up. And then when you do that, things begin to happen for you. But what people fail to understand is that if that's where God called you to hook up and you saw it, because in the beginning, you begin to see the fruit of increase. Listen, it's never a time to unhook. If God hadn't told you To. And I'll tell you what, there are times when God will direct you out, but those are so. The percentage of those are so much less than the percentage of those that let themselves take a walk. Yeah. So I'm not saying that, you know. You know, Dr. Frayne, he would tell us, you know, he was in a church. He was, you know, ministry of helps. He started cleaning the toilets. You know, he began to flourish there. But then when he got more revelation of really of what God was called to do, and they wouldn't accept that revelation, then it was time for him to leave. Most people think that they're there when they're not. That's just a little tip. Most people think he wasn't looking for a way out. That's what people fail to understand sometimes. When God calls you to move, you're not looking for a way out. You're looking just to stay where you're at. And God's saying, no, I got more. No, you got. And God's more pushing you. But he doesn't tell you to leave for more finances. He doesn't tell you to leave because of natural things. Amen. And that's what people don't understand. So this woman, she's hooking up right here. And so she's offering an offering. Let's go to verse 11. It said, One day he came and turned into the chamber and lay there. This was the prophet of God. And he said to Gehazi, his servant, call the Shunammite. When he had called her, she stood before him. And he said to Gehazi, say now to her, and I love this part. You have been most painstakingly and reverently considerate, concerned for us. What is to be done for you. Now notice in the amplified. You have been most painstakingly and reverently concerned for us. Now he's talking about the way she did what she did. He recognized. You have been most painstakingly and reverent. You have been reverently concerned for us. This is your attitude. How do you do what you're doing? Are you doing it with reverence? Are you doing it in a way, painstakingly? You want it done right. You want to do what you're doing. You want to get it done right, and you want to excel in it. And because of that attitude, she's about to get a reward. Because now he says, what can be done for you? And he offers her some things. And she said, none of these things do I need. What does that mean? Her motive. She wasn't doing to get. And this is the thing you need to remember. You're not doing to get. Not from people. God will reward. But what we do, we're not doing it to get from people. And so he said, what can be done for you? And then of course, he goes through and they recognize she doesn't have a child now it's going to be her heart desire. And he said, by this time next year, you're going to have a son. And she did. She got a reward. But do you know that even when you're in the place that you're in, there's going to be tests and trials, there's going to be attacks of the enemy. And this is where people fail to realize that when you get under attack, it's not the time to leave. When you get under attack, it's not the time to believe something different. You know, as I can only use this as an example with Pastor Nancy, as Pastor Nancy is stepping into another place and people in her room are stepping with her. People need to understand that the devil doesn't like you there. He doesn't want you there. Sometimes we recognize a minister being attacked more than we recognize helps being attacked. But they get under attacks. Why? So that they will not assist in the plan of God being accomplished. And we got to recognize if I'm serving and the enemy is trying to get me to get out of my place, it's because I am of value. I'm doing something that's important. And so many times people do not connect the dots. And especially right now, we need to connect the dots because we're all. And this company is stepping over into something else. And this is where the enemy would try to get people frustrated, try to get them in unbelief, try to get them offended. And this is not the time to get into any of that. This is the time to press in and recognize we're going somewhere. What God has said is unfolding. And I'll tell you what, I want to make sure that I'm right where I'm supposed to be. As we step into a wider place of this season that we are in. And that's why I'm talking to the ministry of helps so that you can recognize. Now is not the time to put it in neutral. Now is not the time to slow it down a gear. Now is the time to step it up. We're in a season right now where we're going to have to step up and everything we're doing. Pastor Nancy has been ministering to us how long about becoming proficient, becoming skillful. Why? Because when things begin to speed up, accelerate, we're going to have to know what to do and how to do it without thinking about it. This is the time that you don't want to be doing less. I don't care if you've been doing the same thing for 30 years. This is not the time to feel like, you know what? I need a break now. I've been doing this for 25 years. Well, hey, get in line. I have been part of our church's building fun since about 1983. Do the math. And we're on the verge of stepping over and acquiring land. Now, you understand, we were not, my husband and I, we were not pastors there. That's when we got to the church. And when people get tired of doing the same thing, I go, oh, listen, I have no sympathy for that, because you don't know how many years I've waited to see the plan of God unfold. And now I'm still here. Because I'm gonna see it. I don't care how long it takes. I'm gonna make sure I'm here so that I can see what God promised. You know, in Hebrews 11, it said some of them died in faith, not seen. Well, I'll tell you what. I'd rather be classified as one of them. Stay in my place. Even if, like, the next generation got it, then to unhook before God gets done what he needs to get done. Well, it didn't happen in a year, and it didn't happen in two years, and it didn't happen in five years. So what? So what? Does anybody realize that God is eternal now? You know, I didn't go to college. I mean, you know, a secular college. I went to Bible college. But I mean, eternal, that means something, right? To the life of faith. Doesn't that word mean something? Eternal. We just keep on going. Well, I believed and I didn't see it come to pass. So you changed. This is not the time to change what you believe. This is the time to, you know. Yeah. There used to be a song in the. I don't know if it was the 60s, late 60s, early 70s, you know, get your motor running. Yeah. I knew you that. If you're looking for. In whatever comes your way, baby, you're looking for the will of God. Get your motor running. Get out on the highway of the flow of God. And, honey, God will give you the best adventure you have ever had. Is adventurous. The life of faith, the manifestation of the will of God is a big adventure. I think that's about all the words we could use, huh? I learned that from Reverend Joel. I could bring some things over now. I was pretty impressed with him at the Fredonia Miracle Crusades. I was just surprised that this man listened to the same kind of music that I did, especially because of his ethnic persuasion. That's just a nice way of saying he was a white boy. How come he was listening to funkadelic music? What's that white boy doing listening to funkadelic music? I realized they might have to edit that out. I went, my God, I told him, I said, I'm just getting more impressed with you. You got some soul, baby. I think that helps. Her attitude. Don't change your attitude, especially now we've stepped into something else. Don't change your attitude. Keep the right, reverential, honorable attitude in what you're doing. Because you know when the anointing increases on the leader, it's going to increase on you. The thing you got to be careful of that. It's the anointing to assist. Sometimes people make a mistake and they think it's the anointing to do their own thing. I know. I know who I'm talking to. And so he said, you know, you have, you know, cared for us with all this care. And then she got her heart's desire. But you know what? She got attacked. And whatever God gives us, the enemy's gonna try to take away. And so let me take you down to verse 27, for time's sake. When her son. And you know the scripture, her son was attacked, and she went to go find the man of God. It's like when you get under attack, run to church. You know what I mean? Well, let me put it. Let me back it up. Let me say it more correctly. You run to the Word, but you get more effective in church. You know, the Word is always our go to, but the Word will tell us to keep doing what we're doing. So we just press in more in what we're doing. We press into the truth more. And so, you know, here she goes, and she goes to meet him. And in verse 27, when she came to the mountain to the man of God, I love this right here. She clung to his feet. When something happened. Now her faith is in action. I'm going to the source of where I received my reward. I received my promise. I'm to going point to the source of it. And what she did was she clung to his feet. You cling to the Word. You cling to the truth and you cling to the place where God had performed it. You don't unhook, you don't go somewhere else. You don't go somewhere where it's all watered down and it meets your emotional needs, which is never going to produce the power of God. Why would anyone want to leave the ministry now? You know, Dr. Friend used to tell us all the time, ministry of Helps is not a five fold ministry office, but it is a ministry office and it's a dignified office. It's a dignified office. Why would you want to leave that? Why would you want to leave that and still be deceived in thinking? I want the plan of God. Amen. It said, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came to thrust her away. But the man of God said, let her alone, for her soul is bitter and vexed within her. And the Lord has hid it from me and has not told me. Then she said, did I desire a son of my Lord? Did I not say, do not deceive me? Now you know she's pleading her case. But she said, as the Lord lives, I'm not leaving you. She clung to him and she said, no, you're going to come back. You know what she's doing? She's initiating a miracle. She is initiating a miracle. I will not be denied. And so the prophet who was going to send, and I'm just kind of fast forwarding here because I got some other verses. The prophet who was going to send the servant, she said, no, no, I'm not leaving without you. You gonna go? And so he went. But what was she doing? Her faith is initiating a miracle. She's initiating all of this. He even said, her soul is vexed and God hasn't shown me what it is. You know, the minister of helps, we can initiate some miracles, we can initiate some things in our life if we just know what to do. We don't veer from the truth we cling to, to what God has revealed to us. And we make a demand that the word work for us. She was making a demand here. I love this bold woman. She would not be denied. She told her husband, all is well. I'm going to come back. All is well. Everything is well. Why? Because she was holding on to the word of God. And in this season, as we are moving, we got to hold on to the truth that was revealed to us and go on with it. Amen. Now let me take you to Joshua 3. The children of Israel are getting ready to move and God's talking To Joshua here. And here's something that we need to understand, that as we move on into an accelerated season and a season of a large place and a season of increase, we've got to follow instructions. It is so important to follow instructions. Joshua 3, 1. In the king James translation, it says, and Joshua rose early in the morning and they removed from Siddim and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel and lodged there before they passed over. They get ready to pass over. And it came to pass after three days that the officers went through the host and they commanded the people, saying, when you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests and the Levites bearing it, then you shall remove from your place and go after it. What he's saying is, when you see the anointing on the leadership and you see them move on into the next thing that God has, that's the time for you to get up and follow them. Follow them. Follow them into it. Well, how do I follow them? What's. What are the messages they're preaching? What are they telling you to center up on? That's how we follow. Dr. Efrain, the last two years that he was on the earth, there were several things that he kept saying over and over and over. But one of the things that I made a mental note of is he said, he goes, let me tell you something, preachers, and I'm paraphrasing it. As you're moving forward, you better have everything bolted down, because really, the more that the anointing increase, the more the enemy will try to attack. And if he can't get to you, he's going to try to attack anything that's around you. So have it. And he was telling us, even. Even you know us as ministers and couples, like, stay on the word. Don't back up from the Word. Both of you stay on the word, because it will be crucial at these times. And so what was our instructions? He gave us instructions so that for our longevity. Dr. Frayne always talked to us about longevity, and I just. I thank God for that. But that's how you follow. When the anointing and revelation is being increased on the person that you are following, they are going to. They are going to tell you what to do so that you will stay safe in the plan and the will of God. Follow instructions. So here he's giving him instructions. He said, yet there shall be a space between you and it, about 2,000 cubits by measure. Come not near unto it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before. You know we're going into another season that we have not passed that way before. But God is saying, keep a certain amount of distance so you can follow the lead safely. Follow the lead. Position yourself so that you can safely and accurately follow the lead. Remember, I said it's all about obedience. And in this season that we have stepped into, and you can tell it's a season of God because the enemy is trying to play havoc all over the place. But Pastor Nancy was telling us last night, you can't be distracted by that. Don't be distracted by anything that he can manipulate in the natural. Don't be distracted if he starts to manipulate in your money. Don't be distracted if he tries to manipulate in your hell. Don't be distracted when he tries to manipulate in your family or in your congregation. Don't be distracted when the devil tries to manipulate in some places, because he's going to try to manipulate, but don't be distracted by that. Listen, don't be distracted by. He's trying to manipulate. In our nation, Brother Hagin said it's imperative that the right people be in office. But you know what our part is? Our part is to get into that place of authority and say, no, you don't. You're out, you're in. We're not waiting for the world to tell us the church should be dictating as we step into our authority and say, it'll not be that way. We know what the enemy's trying to do, but it'll not be that way. We're gonna stand our ground so that the wrong people are dismissed and the right people are put in office. But we do that by the spirit. I mean, really. I love the story of the. Is it Rachel Tiefatiller that they ask, what is she doing? She goes, I'm in the Oval Office throwing out the trash. That's what we should aspire to. I'm gonna get some things done in the spirit realm, because when I get them done in the spirit realm, everybody's gonna see it. In the natural realm, it's about the dog wagging the tail, not the tail wagging the dog. And I'm not saying that as a believer, we should not be involved in the sense of using our authority. That's the highest way that we assist, and we need to understand that. But we can't be distracted by what's going on. Amen. So don't let anything distract you. Stay at a safe distance so that you can see the maneuvers. Have you ever tried to go somewhere in a big group? And, you know, we're kind of like more single file than we are. I mean, we're all kind of like spread out more than single file. It's harder to tell which way we're supposed to go. There's always got to be somebody at the point so that we can all see, oh, they're making a turn, let's make a turn. They're going straight. Let's go straight. I've been someplace where we're all somewhere, all in a shop somewhere, you know, and you oh, where'd everybody go? It's easy to know when they go, when you just stay in line. And he's telling us, we're getting ready to go over. We're getting ready to go into deeper things in the realm of the spirit. We're getting over to receive some things. So let's follow instructions. And he said that you must go, for you have not passed this way hitherto before. We have not passed this way before. We're going into some wonderful things, and we have never passed this way before. How exciting is that? But notice what the next instruction is. And Joshua said unto the people, sanctify yourselves. You know, examine yourself. Make sure you're at the right attitude. It says, sanctify yourself. The right attitude, the right motive. Sanctify means to consecrate, dedicate. Prepare yourself. Prepare yourself for where you're going. Isn't that what the spirit of God has been telling us for a few years now? Prepare ourselves, become more skillful. How about the double portion anointing? God was saying, prepare yourself for where you're going. Be sober about what's coming up, and prepare yourself for it so that you can walk accurately in it. He said, sanctify yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you. Think about this. Prepare yourself for the wonders he's going to do. And isn't that what he's been doing with the word that's been ministered to us? He's been saying to us, prepare yourself for what I'm about to do, but don't look to the right, don't look to the left. Get yourself ready for what God's doing. I love looking in the Old Testament here where you can see how God physically moved them and what he said to them. And we can glean from that now, you know what, Listen, we know what the New Testament says. Don't be a hearer, only be a doer of the word, not a Hearer only what? Deceiving yourselves. That's why we're not word and spirit in theory only. No, we're in that. In action. We believe it, but we have action that we. Because if not, we'll deceive ourselves. If we are not confessing the Word over situations to where we want to end up, then it's not reality to you. If we are not making confessions of faith about where God said we're to be or to have, then it's only just something in our mind. But we're not putting any legs under it. You got to do what the Word says. James tells us faith without works is dead. It matters what we do, it matters what we believe, but it matters what we do with what we believe. So he said, prepare yourself, consecrate yourself, dedicate yourself for the wonders that I'm about to do. Get yourself ready. And isn't that what God's saying to us? Get yourself ready for what I'm going to do. Make a decisive dedication to the plan of God, to the will of God. I'm going on with this. I'm not going to get veered off and I'm not going to get distracted. I'm going to keep step with what God wants me to do. And of course, you know, we all do that by the grace of God. You know, I mean, I say, you know, Father, I thank you that by your grace, I'm going to keep step with what you have for us. And as I see that this thing. There's another step. We've gotten into another place. There's another place of enlargement. I'm going to do my best to keep step so that I can watch what they're doing and I can imitate what they're doing so that I can get in. That's what he's saying to us. He was telling them, fortify yourselves. Then he goes on to verse seven. And the Lord said unto Joshua, this day I will begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel. That they may know that as I was with Moses, and so I will be with thee. You know, we're getting to a place where God is going to magnify the word that we have been standing on and the word we've been ministering. So that just as he was with the other revivals, they're going to see that God is with us, just as he was with those other revivals that were based on God's revelation, they're going to see that God is with us. This is what we're getting ready for. But you have to remind yourself this is not the time to put on cruise control. This is the time to rev up your engine and say God is doing something and I am going to be a part of it. Dr. Sumrall used to say, I have been in so many moves of God and I'm going to be in every move of God. I'm going to follow the spirit. God said if you'll follow the spirit within, you'll have the spirit upon you know we know what the spirit upon is that that tangible anointing. He said if you follow the spirit within, you'll have the spirit upon. And that's what God's saying. Follow the spirit. Recognize the hour that we're in. Don't get casual about anything you've been doing. Listen, Dr. Dufresne started cleaning the toilets. If he can magnify that place, what's your problem? He testified it all the time that the first thing that the Spirit unctioned him to do was to help clean the church. If that was dignified enough for him. What is our problem? Why can't we vacuum the rug with painstakingly care doing it the best that we can do? Amen. We trust you've enjoyed this message. Visit us at dufresneministries.org to learn of our upcoming meetings. Share your testimony, become a partner or visit our online store. This program has been made possible by the friends and partners of Dufresne Ministries.