Podcast Summary: "Faith Is An Act, Part One" | Nancy Dufresne | Jesus the Healer Broadcast (Dufresne Ministries Podcast, Nov 5, 2020)

Main Theme

Pastor Nancy Dufresne delivers an energizing message centered on the practical outworking of faith. Drawing primarily from James 2:17 and related passages, she emphasizes that faith is not passive or static but demands corresponding action. The episode challenges listeners to frequently pivot from merely “having faith” or “hearing the Word” to demonstrating faith through tangible daily actions. Her tone is warm, direct, and filled with anecdotes and memorable analogies, particularly focused on the day-to-day application of faith.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Faith Must Have Corresponding Actions

• Scriptural Foundation: James 2:17 – "faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."
  • Clarification: "He's not talking about works that earn something. He's talking about works that demonstrate faith." (01:00)
• Multiple Translations Noted:
  • Weymouth: “Faith without corresponding actions.”
  • NIV: “…faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
  • Other: “If it doesn't cause us to do something, it's dead.” (03:20)

"So many times people think they have faith issues when they really have doing issues. They lack doing. They don't lack faith." (04:20)

2. Faith Always Produces Movement

• If your faith is idle—without visible action—it won’t produce results or changes in your life.
• Action flows in:
  • Words you speak
  • Steps you take
  • Choices you make

3. Faith Comes by Hearing but Functions by Acting

• Key Distinction:
  • “Faith comes by hearing. Faith does not operate by hearing. Faith comes by hearing the Word, but it does not function by hearing. It's released by acting.” (13:54)
  • Faith’s Purpose: You "hear for the purpose of acting." (17:52)

"It won't do you any good to have faith that is not released." (15:38)

• Analogy: Eating food without exercising (using what you consume) parallels continually receiving the Word without acting on it. (16:51)

4. Receiving Faith and Healing

• Faith must be received and acted upon:
  • “Faith comes, but you have to allow it entrance…it just came and they just left it outside their heart.” (09:12)
• Receiving involves the spirit, not just the intellect or emotions.
• Dad Hagin's Method for ‘Schooling Yourself Into Faith’:
  • Repeatedly saying what you are believing for (e.g., “The next time Brother Hagin lays hands on me, the healing anointing will go into my body and I shall be whole.”) (23:55)
  • Even if your mind protests, your spirit can receive and believe through the repetition of speaking the Word.

"Saying is one form of acting, but it’s not the only form." (27:18)

5. Acting Yourself Into Believing

• Motivational Quote from John G. Lake:
  • “I can act myself into believing faster than I can believe myself into acting.” (44:52)
• Explanation:
  • Many wait to feel “full of faith” before acting, but often, faith actually grows as you step out in action—even if it’s small.
  • It’s less about waiting for emotional readiness and more about initiating obedience.

"Just take little actions every day. Little actions are better than big actions hardly taken. Little actions taken every day are far better than big actions taken once a year." (51:07)

6. Don't Try to Act Beyond Your Faith Level

• Acting isn’t about proving something or mimicking someone else’s faith.
• Examples of misapplied action:
  • Throwing away needed medication prematurely
  • Making large financial commitments without genuine faith
  • “It’s not withholding medicine that pleases God…It’s you releasing the faith you have that pleases God.” (36:11)
• God never rebukes for the size of faith but for not using the faith you have. (38:28)

7. Spend Your Faith Daily

• Analogy: Faith is like manna—“it’s going to rot by the end of the day if you don’t spend it.” (41:38)
• Faith has a short shelf life; use all you have today to build greater capacity for tomorrow.

8. Faith is an Act, Not a Possession

“Faith is not just something you have. Faith is something you do.” (33:41)
“To believe is to act. To have faith is to act. For faith is an act.” (34:04)

• Faith, like a car, won’t take you anywhere just by possessing it—you have to turn it on and drive it (act on it) to get results. (54:05)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Faith’s Activity:

  "Faith means you're moving. Faith means you're acting. Faith means you're making motion." (04:55)

• On Letting Faith In:

  "Somebody can come to your front door, but that doesn't mean they get in. Faith comes by hearing…but you have to open up and receive it." (09:15)

• On ‘Schooling Yourself Into Faith’:

  "Between now and next Friday, school yourself into faith. Every day, all throughout the day, say, ‘The next time Brother Hagin lays hands on me, the healing anointing will go into my body and I shall be whole.’" (24:41)

• On Dead Faith:

  "Just because your faith is dead doesn't mean it's not present. It's present, still present. Quicken that stuff. Quicken that faith. How do you quicken it? Give it movement. You act." (32:22)

• On Spending Faith:

  "Treat your faith like manna that it's going to rot by the end of the day if you don't spend it." (41:38)

• On the Car Analogy:

  "Trying to believe God without acting is like trying to steer a car that's parked." (52:34)
  "It's like having a car you never turn on. Consider your faith not started until something turns it on. You're the one that turns it on by action." (54:11)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:00–03:50] – Introduction and establishing the theme from James 2
• [03:50–07:00] – Distinction between faith issues and doing issues
• [09:00–12:00] – Faith as movement; faith must be let in, not just heard
• [13:54–18:50] – Faith comes by hearing but only works by acting
• [23:55–29:15] – Dad Hagin’s practice of schooling yourself into faith
• [32:00–34:30] – Quickening dead faith: faith is something you do
• [36:10–41:38] – Don't act beyond current faith; importance of daily action
• [44:52–52:34] – John G. Lake quote; acting yourself into believing
• [54:05–End] – Car analogy; wrap-up on making faith mobile through action

Summary Table: Faith—Process & Practice

| Step | Description | Action Required | |-----------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------| | Hearing the Word | Faith enters by listening | Open your heart to receive | | Letting Faith In | Faith accepted, not just heard | Welcome it internally | | Acting on Faith | Faith produces movement/results | Speak, do, decide daily | | Schooling Faith | Grow faith by repeated action | Say, confess, step out | | Staying in Your Measure | Don’t overextend your current faith | Act within honest belief | | Daily Application | Faith must be spent each day | Make small daily steps |

Conclusion

Nancy Dufresne’s message is both a challenge and an encouragement: faith is effective only when alive and active. Hearing the Word is the starting block, but every believer is called to step forward—no matter how small the step. “Faith is an act”—not just something possessed, but something demonstrated, spoken, and lived daily.