Podcast Summary

Dufresne Ministries Podcast

Episode: Fervency: Burning With The Spirit, Part One
Speaker: Pastor Nancy Dufresne
Date: November 19, 2020

Main Theme / Purpose

In this episode, Pastor Nancy Dufresne explores the concept of spiritual fervency, using the metaphor of body temperature to encourage listeners to maintain a “hot,” passionate, and engaged relationship with God. She draws parallels between physical health indicators and spiritual health, emphasizing that spiritual “temperature” is a clear sign of one's health and effectiveness in serving God. The episode challenges believers to self-examine and actively pursue continual spiritual fervor.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Body Temperature as a Spiritual Metaphor

• Physical health checks like temperature, weight, and blood pressure are discussed as indicators of health.
• Similarly, “spiritual temperature” indicates spiritual health.
  • Quote: “So much of spiritual truths can be paralleled by natural truths, isn’t that right?” (09:30)
• Cold: Never had heat applied; Hot: On fire for God; Lukewarm: Once were hot but cooled down.
  • Quote: “Warm is telling you you once were hot and you cooled down. Cold never had heat applied to it.” (09:24)
• Protecting body temperature to protect health is likened to protecting our spiritual fervor for spiritual well-being.

Biblical Foundations

• Revelation 3:15-16: Jesus’ warning to the church in Laodicea—neither hot nor cold is acceptable.
  • A congregation as a whole also has a “spiritual temperature.”
• Romans 12:10-11: The call to be “fervent in spirit, serving the Lord”—to be “boiling over” with spiritual zeal.
  • “This word fervent is a temperature because the word fervent, the definition of it, means to be hot and to boil.” (10:48)

Fervency in Serving God

• God desires to be served by hot, fervent people.
  • Quote: “When you’re hot, you are ready to serve the Lord... serving. Burning with the Spirit. Serving. Burning with the Spirit. Serving. Burning with the Spirit.” (12:22)
• Signs of spiritual fervency:
  • Active participation in church and community.
  • Obedience and excitement in serving beyond mere sense of duty.
  • Lack of apathy, half-heartedness, or distraction.
  • Quote: “When someone is full of the Word and the Spirit, they are not apathetic, they are not indifferent, they are not half-hearted.” (13:43)

Recognizing Spiritual Temperature

• Personal and community benefits:
  • “People can get around you and warm their lives off of the hotness that flows out of you.” (11:24)
• Warning signs:
  • Dread or reluctance for spiritual service signals poor “spiritual temperature.”
  • Distraction, such as “counting light fixtures” during church, shows lack of fervency. (13:58)

Offense and Spiritual Cooling

• Offense, unforgiveness, and resentment are major causes of losing spiritual heat.
  • Illustration: Story of two ministers—one became spiritually cold due to offense over another church in his town. (15:01)
  • Quote: “Offense, unforgiveness, resentment, ill will will lower your spiritual temperature. You won't bubble anymore.” (15:36)

Interest and Prosperity

• Fervency is linked to spiritual prosperity, healing, and fulfillment.
  • Quote: “Why we are not as prosperous as we should be. Why we're not as healed as we should be. Want to know why? Lack of interest. Because when you're interested, you're hot and you're bubbling over and you get absorbed with that truth.” (16:55)

Historical Example: Dorothea Trudel

• Dorothea Trudel, a Swiss healing minister, exemplified fervency in spiritual service.
  • Despite lack of support, her fervency kept her going and produced great fruit.
  • Quote: "Everyone noticed her great fervency for what she did for God. We must pay attention to our spiritual temperature.” (22:25)
• Fervency helped her overcome spiritual adversity and opposition.

Self-Responsibility for Spiritual Temperature

• Each believer is responsible for their own spiritual hotness.
  • Avoid “leaning” on others for spiritual strength—God may allow it for a time but not endorse lifelong dependency.
• Use fervency and spiritual interest to stir oneself, rather than depend on external motivation.
  • Quote: “If we're not fervent, then we know that we have some stoking to do. We have to stoke that fire on the inside of us. Amen.” (27:37)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Description | |-----------|---------|-------------------| | 09:24 | Nancy Dufresne | “Warm is telling you you once were hot and you cooled down. Cold never had heat applied to it. He's saying, I would rather you never had heat applied to you than you had heat and turned it off.” | | 10:48 | Nancy Dufresne | “This word fervent is a temperature because the word fervent, the definition of it, means to be hot and to boil.” | | 11:24 | Nancy Dufresne | “People can get around you and warm their lives off of the hotness that flows out of you.” | | 12:22 | Nancy Dufresne | “When you’re hot, you are ready to serve the Lord... serving. Burning with the Spirit. Serving. Burning with the Spirit. Serving. Burning with the Spirit.” | | 13:43 | Nancy Dufresne | “When someone is full of the Word and the Spirit, they are not apathetic, they are not indifferent, they are not Half hearted.” | | 15:36 | Nancy Dufresne | “Offense, unforgiveness, resentment, ill will will lower your spiritual temperature. You won't bubble anymore. It'll turn you lukewarm.” | | 16:55 | Nancy Dufresne | “Why we are not as prosperous as we should be. Why we're not as healed as we should be. Want to know why? Lack of interest. Because when you're interested, you're hot and you're bubbling over and you get absorbed with that truth.” | | 22:25 | Nancy Dufresne | “Everyone noticed her great fervency for what she did for God. We must pay attention to our spiritual temperature.” (about Dorothea Trudel) | | 27:37 | Nancy Dufresne | “If we're not fervent, then we know that we have some stoking to do. We have to stoke that fire on the inside of us.” |

Important Segments & Timestamps

• Physical-spiritual health analogy: 00:08–07:00
• Laodicean church and spiritual temperature: 09:00–11:00
• Romans 12 and “fervent in spirit”: 11:00–13:00
• Indicators of spiritual health & fervency: 13:00–16:00
• Story of ministers & consequences of offense: 15:00–17:00
• Hotness and interest linked to prosperity & healing: 16:55–18:00
• Dorothea Trudel example of fervency: 20:25–23:00
• Responsibility for one’s own spiritual temperature / warning against leaning: 25:30–27:45

Recap and Takeaways

• Spiritual fervency is as essential as physical health and is directly tied to our relationship, service, and effectiveness for God.
• Offense and lack of interest are main culprits for losing spiritual “heat.”
• Biblical teaching calls for believers to be aglow and burning with the Spirit—not half-hearted or lukewarm.
• Each believer is called to self-examination: Are you bubbling? Are you hot for God? If not, “stoke that fire” internally with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Action Points

• Examine your own spiritual temperature: Are you “hot,” “cold,” or “lukewarm”?
• Take active steps to rekindle spiritual fervor through the Word, worship, and service.
• Avoid offense, unforgiveness, and leaning on others; be proactive in your spiritual growth.
• Remember, “Hotness gets it all”—fullness of God’s benefits comes to those who are fervent. (26:55)