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Fullness & Fervency | Nancy Dufresne | Jesus the Healer Broadcast
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Hi, I'm Nancy Dufresne. Welcome to our podcast channel. We know you'll be blessed by today's message.
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Now, if you would. We've been talking and ministering along the lines of boldness the last several services, but God began also dealing with me about something else that is so important with this thing of boldness. Because boldness, as we've said, is not a personality characteristic. It's boldness is not just someone with an assertive personality. Boldness is not just someone who's very aggressive in how they address people and address situations. Boldness is a divine force that comes out of the fullness. When someone is full of the Word and the Spirit and then they speak, that word comes out with a boldness. There's a sound to it and there's a flow to it. There's a degree of it, a great degree of the Word, a great degree of the anointing that comes out when someone who's full of the Word speaks. And it comes out in boldness. And as we've said that the anointing meets boldness. The bolder you are, the stronger the anointing will be. And not only that is that to express boldness is to show that you've run fear out. Because any vessel that's full of the Word and full of the Spirit has no room for fear. They have filled that vessel to the full with the Word and the Spirit, and there has been made no regard or. Or no place for fear. So when you see someone who's bold, you see someone who has put their foot to the neck of fear and said, not in my life. Now there's another companion to this flow of boldness that we're going to have to have if we're going to have last day healings and miracles to the degree that God wants them for us. Mark 12:30. And I'm going to read out of the King James translation, and Jesus was speaking, and he made this statement, but thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first commandment. So Jesus is making it very clear to us that there's nothing of our being that's to be withheld or reserved from God. If we're going to be the vessel God wants us to be, we can't hold back part of us. We have to be all in. I mean, just all in. You know, many times you can hear testimonials about sports athletes. Sometimes I've heard them discuss Commentators will discuss how talented a certain athlete is. But then sometimes they'll just talk about how hardworking one athlete is. I mean, that he is so bold and aggressive. I mean, he may not be the most talented, but he'll be the first one there. And I want you to know that just being wholehearted, even in natural things, will take the place of the lack of talent. That when somebody is wholehearted, they will achieve and make strides just in the natural, just because of their wholeheartedness. Then when you have somebody who has great talent, but they're half hearted, no coach wants them, no matter how much talent. When they don't put. When they don't hustle, they got no hustle in them. They don't reach up to get that rebound. They don't reach up to try to do a pass interference. They don't. They don't. They just kind of. They got the talent, but they don't assert it. No coach wants them. Well, it's not about how much talent or divine ability we have. It's how wholehearted are we, how wholehearted are we? And no, I don't care what your IQ is, I don't care what your education may or may not be. You can be wholehearted. And this is what Jesus is saying that belongs. It's the first commandment that toward God, we're to be wholehearted. We're all out. We have put everything of us into this thing, that we serve God wholehearted, that we give. Wholehearted. We're not giving with part of us wishing we could keep it. We're not serving, wishing we were back at home. We're not. Not doing something in our local church, wishing that it weren't our turn. Wholehearted. And this is what Jesus said is the first commandment, not suggestion, commandment. And I'll say this. God doesn't give his people suggestions. He gives them commands. If you've ever heard when Brother Copeland has come here and ministered at the church, I hope that you've heard and paid attention to this statement, because he says it quite often. He says, father, I am yours to command. These are commandments. These are not options for us. This is anything God says to us is not optional. And when you're wholehearted, that's the way you treat things. That this is not optional. And Jesus said we are to love God with our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole mind. Look at this. And all of our strength. And it's so important, because you know why? When we have a need, we want God to be wholeheartedly. Involved, not half heartedly involved. We want all his strength. We don't just want him to say, well, I don't know. I don't know if I'm interested today in helping you much. No, we don't want God's approach to be that way. Then we don't want to be sowing that. Because what we sow, we reap. If we don't reap wholehearted. If we don't sow wholeheartedness, do we reap wholeheartedness? Probably not. Because you only reap what you sow. And that goes for employment, doesn't it? Wholehearted towards your employer. That means that in the moment, you're all there, you're not working for one man, wishing you had your own company. That means you're not taking a man's paycheck, just biding time until you can get your own business started. That's not faithful, that's unfaithful. And wholeheartedness is so important. If we're gonna have miracles. We can't just be half interested in getting a miracle. We can't just be half interested in receiving a healing. We have to be wholehearted. And wholeheartedness is so important. Now, that's really not my sermon, but I wanted to point to it because this is all part of the mindset that we're gonna have to have to receive from God. Now, 2 Timothy in chapter two says this. Second Timothy, chapter two. And we're going to read in verse three. And this is the King James translation. And Paul was telling Timothy, who was younger in ministry, he said, thou, therefore, look at this. Endure hardness. So notice hardness is going to come. Endure hardness. Don't quit. Endure it. Don't complain your way through it. Endure it. Endure hardness. As a good soldier of Jesus Christ. So if we don't endure, we can't call ourselves good at our job. If we're good at our job, we reach the end. We don't go halfway and quit. We're not complaining. Difficult circumstances are gonna come. That's what he's saying. Difficult circumstances are gonna come. Now, when that difficulty comes, you get in the face of that thing. And if you're wholehearted about this, it won't be difficult for you to finish. Just because difficult circumstances come doesn't mean it has to be difficult on you. When you're full, nothing is difficult because you just flow out and gush on everything. You just consume everything around you. So hard circumstances does not mean hard life. Hard circumstances call for fullness, and fullness makes everything Easy fullness will cause you to where you don't even acknowledge. You are so occupied with fullness and what you're full of that when something comes that's hard against you, it doesn't get your attention because you're so occupied with being full. When my husband went home to be with the Lord, I was not occupied with trying to keep grief and sorrow out. What I was occupied with was staying full through praising and worshiping God. And the fullness kept the sorrow and the grief out. You understand? And this is what Jesus said. If we'll be wholehearted with our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole mind, our whole strength, fullness, then when hardness comes, we'll be able to endure it. Because we're not living a hard life. We're living a full life and giving God all and facing every situation with awe. It puts us over on the top so easily. Have you ever seen. What do they call those people? Maybe y' all can help me in the Olympics. And they had the pole. They jump. Say it again. Pole vaulting. Is it pole vaulting that they call it that? They plant that pole, and when that pole is planted right, it just looks like they just sail up so elegantly and beautiful. They go over the highest point. If that pole's not planted right, they're going to do a face plant is what they're going to do on the asphalt, right, or on the grass around it. But when that pole is planted right, they just sail up. That's what fullness does. It's you planting your life right. And so when circumstances come, you just sail up and over that hardness. That life isn't hard for you. The circumstances are hard. Listen, you and I could walk out to that city obstacle course that that pole vaulter looks at. We could see that pole, and I don't know how high they put those. Anybody know how? I mean, they'll put them way above way. I mean, like way above your head. And we could walk up there and go, oh, my gosh, that is so hard. That would be so hard to get over. But the guy who walks up with the pole says, this is easy to get over. It depends on what he knows. It depends on his skill with that pole. When he has that skill with that pole, he plants that thing just right. And they have a little, if I could say this, an indented area, a cup area where that pole sits. And when they plant that just right and they get the right momentum going, they just sail over that. Because skill made hard things easy. If something is hard Become more skillful in the word, because the word, when you're full of it, makes hard things easy. And so this is what Paul told Timothy. Endure hardness. Don't walk up to the hardness and go, oh, my gosh, this is so high. Just like we would do if we were standing there without a pole, looking at this height that this athlete must climb over, get over. We would look at it and go, oh, my goodness, I'll never get over that if you look at it in the flesh. But if you just go up there full, you go, oh, now I got all the equipment I need to get myself over this obstacle. Endure hardness. Don't be impressed by it. Don't be awed by it. Don't be frightened by it. Endure it. Get on the other side of it. So Paul told Timothy, endure hardness as a good soldier. So a good. Listen, a good soldier's not a complaining soldier. A good soldier is not a griping soldier. A good soldier doesn't leave, doesn't bring the rest of the regiment down in motivation. Isn't that right? I mean, they want someone. The people who rise to become. They get promoted to officer positions are the people who help bring the rest of the rank up. They aren't the people who sat and complained about the food's no good around here. The sergeant talked mean to me today. You know, wah, wah, all of that stuff. That's not a good soldier. That guy will stay on the bottom of the ranking. A good soldier is someone who rises to the top because he responds differently to circumstances and hardness than others do. You're gonna face hard circumstances, but they don't have to be hard for you. You know, I say this to people, and I don't want people to misunderstand it because people that don't think right can misunderstand what you say. When my husband went home to be with the Lord, that was the greatest tragedy my life. That was not the hardest thing of my life. The hardest thing of my life was when I faced tests and didn't know the word. That was the hardest part. When I was younger, in my Christian walk, and I did not know my authority, I did not know how to cast down imaginations. I didn't know how to bring every thought into captivity. Those were hard days while I was learning the word. So when I had had some skill and gained some skill and came out of babyhood stage, so to speak, spiritually, it was not the hardest thing that I faced. When my husband went home to be with the Lord, you want to know why it wasn't the hardest because I knew the answer. I knew the answer. What is the answer? Don't look at the wrong thing. Hold my attention on the right thing. The Word anchors me. I knew this, that the plan of God did not leave my life when my husband exited in my life. So that did not make my life hard. Of course it was a tragedy. Sure I wanted him to stay here. Sure I didn't plan on being alone in the rest of my race of this. But the thing is, is that fullness and knowledge of the Word made hard places easier. So life, anytime, any you come up to something in your life and it's hard for you. It's pointing to where you lack skill. It's pointing to where you lack knowledge. Renew the mind and get full of the Word and get full of the Spirit. Because even if you don't have knowledge, you can have fullness. We're still growing in knowledge. We don't have all knowledge, but we can still have all fullness every day. We can take time to fill up. And it's not about maintaining yesterday's fullness. Every day needs a fresh infilling. And so even though as we're growing cause we're all at different stages of spiritual growth, as we're growing, we can all be filling up every single day and live full every single day. Even though we don't have quite full knowledge yet. But fullness will help turn hard things easy. And this is what Paul told Timothy. Endure hardness as a good soldier. A good soldier delights to put his weaponry to use. A good soldier is gaining skill. A good soldier knows his responsibilities and his duties in that military position. He's not trying to get out of his duties. A good soldier has the right answer in the face of his opponent. A good soldier answers his superior officer correctly. He's got the right answer in his mouth. A good soldier has no complaint, no griping. He's not out in strife with the other, with those of his regiment. He's not fussing and fighting. So endure hardness as a good soldier. And so I want to talk to you and this is what one of the things that God began stirring in me this week to go with this word boldness that he's been having us to emphasize. But I want you to go with me, if you would, to Psalm chapter 18. And I want you to see something that is so important. How do we endure? We endure hardness of circumstances. What is one of the things that we're going to have to be skillful with so that we can Endure hardness as a good soldier, not as a failing soldier, but as a good soldier. Psalms 18:1. Now the amplified says this. I love you. Now he's talking to God. I love you fervently and devotedly. O Lord, my strength. Notice this. I love you fervently. Now go with me, if you would. Song of Solomon, chapter 2 and verse 15. Song of Solomon. And we're going to go through several scripture passages, so you may just want to write these down so you can refer to them later, or you have a device that you can get to them quickly. That's good. But especially take note of them. Song of Solomon, chapter 2, verse 15. The amplified translation says, my heart was touched, and I fervently sang to him, my desire. Not half heartedly. Remember what we talked about. Jesus said, the first command is that God gets it all your soul, all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, all your strength. That means if we're gonna sing to him and worship him, we don't do it half heartedly, we do it fervently. Fervency is the expression of wholeheartedness. When someone is wholehearted, there's a fervency about them. Now, I want to read to you. You can go to Acts, chapter 12 and verse 5, and I'm going to read out of the King James translation first and then out of the amplified Acts, chapter 12 and verse 5. The King James says this, Peter, therefore, was kept in prison. Now, right before this, James was put in prison and they killed him. And then when they saw that it pleased the Jews, then they proceeded to take Peter also. So it looked like Peter was headed toward the same fate, an early death. But it says here Peter was in prison. It says, Peter, therefore was kept in prison. But prayer, thank God for these words, but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. What was the difference around James life that we didn't see, that is, around Peter's, we don't see anything that anybody was praying for James. But when they lost a leader, then they started paying attention and they got wholeheartedly and they started praying. And that was what was an open door for God to rescue Peter. He wanted to rescue James, but people were not wholehearted about it. And so Peter, of course, was kept in prison, but he was brought out. Now, the amplified of verse 5 says this. So Peter was kept in prison, but fervent prayer for him was persistently made to God by the church. So notice this. It's not just prayer, it's fervent prayer. What is fervent prayer? It's wholehearted. It is a prayer that will not quit till it sees the answer. It's gonna persevere. There's a fervency meaning. This matters to me. This is important to me. Can I ask you this? If you're a business owner, do you want to hire people as your staff that your company's not important to them? Them. You want people that treat your business as importantly as you treat it. Well, so does God. He wants people to handle his business as importantly as he handles it. And this is where this thing of fervency comes in. Because it shows that it's an honor for the work that we're engaged in. We are wholehearted. We are giving all of our strength to it. We're not withholding ourselves because we've got our interest on something else. We're just doing this as a courtesy. No employer wants a courtesy employee. They want a wholehearted employee. Well, so does God. Well, this is what made the difference with Peter's rescue. Because fervent prayer was made. Not just prayer. Fervent prayer, meaning we don't give up till this thing changes. Now, if we go Psalms 119, 48 and 49. Psalms 100, 19, 48, 49. And I've got several more scriptures, so you'll want to stay with me. And we'll move along these quickly because I don't have as much time left. Psalms 100, 19, 48 and 49, the amplified 7. My hands also will I lift up in fervent supplication to your commandments, which I love. And I will meditate on your statutes. Remember fervently the word and promise to your servant in which you have caused me to hope. Now, notice this. The man says, I will lift up my hands in fervent supplication. Then he's saying to God, but remember fervently your word. So can we say this? He was wanting God to be fervent, so he gave fervency. It matters that if we're only half hearted, how do we get fervency from God? If we want fervency from God, we have to sow fervency toward what he's doing in the earth. Now, James, chapter 5 and verse 16. The King James says, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. So when someone is fervent in their prayer life, that means they're not going to give up until they see the result. They don't quit religion will pray once, but fervency goes to the end. Fervency doesn't come off of that prayer request until it sees its desired result. Then Colossians 4:12, the King James translation says, epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you. He's always laboring fervently for you in prayers that you would stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. So notice this. What kind of prayers gets results? Fervent prayer prayers, a wholeheartedness, a not quitting until the desired result is received. Then first Peter, chapter one, verse 22 and 23, and this is the amplified, it says, since by your obedience to the truth through the Holy Spirit, you have purified your hearts for the sincere affection of the brethren, see that you love one another fervently from a pure heart. Notice, not just praying fervently, love fervently. What's love fervently means? It means that you don't give up on people. It means that you don't withdraw love just because they act unlovely. Then it goes on. In verse 23, you have been regenerated, born again, not from a mortal seed, but from one that is immortal by the ever living and lasting Word of God. So he's saying this, you're going to have a fervent love, not because you feel good about somebody, but because there's divine life in you. And he starts pointing to, you've been born again, so now you are equipped to be fervent in your love toward people. Now first Peter 4, 8, it says this. Above all things, have fervent charity or love among yourselves, for love will cover the multitude of sins. When it says love will cover. If someone has the authority over someone that's sinful, they'll, you know, living in sin, they will help them. But he's saying a fervent love covers it. What's that mean? It doesn't go about repeating. It hides it, it cloaks it. It doesn't broadcast it. Now mark 10, verse 16, it says, and Jesus took them. This is the amplified. Jesus took them, the children up one by one in his arms and fervently invoked a blessing, placing his hands on them. Notice fervency. He didn't just do a little pat on the head, but fervently. Then I want to go in Romans 12, verse 10 and 11, Romans 12, 10 and 11 says, Be kindly affectionated, affectioned, one to another, with brotherly love in honor, preferring one another not slothful in business, but fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Ah, this is key. How does God want to be served? With fervency. That means you're all in. You're interested now let me read to you some other translations of this passage. In Romans 12 and. Excuse me. Yeah. Romans 12:11, where it says, be fervent in spirit. The amplified says, never lag in zeal or in earnest endeavor. Be aglow and burning with the spirit. The Lexham English says this, Be enthusiastic in spirit. Another translation says this, use all your energy to serve the Lord. Not half hearted, is it? Another translation says this, don't be lazy in showing your devotion. Use all your energy. A full heart of devotion. Another one. I like this. Be on fire in the spirit. That's what fervency is. That gets you to the other side. Amen. Another says this, keep your spiritual fervor serving the Lord. Another says this, never let the fire in your heart go out. Keep it alive. Serve the Lord. Fervency is so important to keep you going so you don't quit. And one says, maintain zeal to the boiling point. How important that we're boiling over with our love for God. We're boiling over with our serving. Those are the ones he can manifest through. And this is what he desires for us. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
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