Podcast Summary: "Give Time To Prayer, Part Five"

Podcast: Dufresne Ministries Podcast
Host/Speaker: Pastor Nancy Dufresne
Episode: Jesus the Healer Broadcast
Date: August 27, 2020

Episode Overview

In Part Five of "Give Time To Prayer," Pastor Nancy Dufresne delivers an encouraging and instructional teaching on the vital role of giving time to spiritual disciplines—especially prayer—and the dangers of distractions that keep believers from growing in Christ. By drawing from the story of the rich young ruler in Mark 10 and sharing personal anecdotes, Nancy emphasizes that spiritual skill and maturity require deliberate, unhurried investment in prayer, the Word, and obedience. She warns of the enemy’s tactics to rob believers of their time and challenges listeners to examine what might be distracting them from God’s best.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Importance of Time in Spiritual Growth

• Spiritual Development Requires Time
  • Just as athletes or artists must dedicate time to develop skill, so must Christians invest time in spiritual growth.
  • Quote:
    "You know, the Word says, work out your own salvation. We have to learn how to put our salvation to work for us. All the things that belong to us in our salvation, healing, deliverance, preservation, prosperity...we have to learn how to put those things to work in our lives. That takes time." (02:10)
• You can't rush spiritual growth: even with effort, maturity unfolds over a predictable span.

2. The Enemy’s Strategy: Robbing Us of Time through Distraction

• The devil aims to keep believers from God’s best by filling their lives with distractions.
• Nancy reads from E.W. Kenyon's "In His Presence":
  • Quote:
    "Some have said that prayer is the greatest opportunity ever afforded to a man in Christ...A church is as powerful as its prayer life." (05:20)
• The adversary targets the believer’s and the church’s prayer life.

3. Scriptural Illustration: The Rich Young Ruler (Mark 10:17-22)

• The rich young ruler was sincere, hungry for spiritual things, and observant of the Law, yet sensed something missing.
  • He approached Jesus with humility and honor (running and kneeling).
• Root Issue Exposed:
  • Jesus pinpoints the "one thing" lacking: the ruler’s attachment to his possessions, which had become an idol and a distraction.
• Quote:
  "It only takes one thing left unaddressed to rob us of the best that God has for us." (12:00)
• The ruler left grieved—not because Jesus opposed wealth, but because his wealth held first place in his life.

4. Heart Check: What (or Who) is Lord in Your Life?

• Anything given priority over God—possessions, business, even family—becomes an idol.
• Memorable moment:
  • Nancy distinguishes between Jesus as Savior (“gets us to heaven”) and Jesus as Lord (“is first in every aspect of our lives”).
  • Quote:
    "People who will change and come into agreement with what God tells them to do...don't walk away grieved, they walk away joyful." (20:50)

5. Personal Transparency and Change

• Nancy shares her own story about needing to let go of distracting relationships to grow spiritually.
  • Delay in obedience led to plateaued spiritual growth.
  • Quote:
    "Wherever we won't make a change, that's our stopping place. That's the place we don't grow past." (22:00)

6. Story from Dad Hagin: God Honors Obedience and Repentance

• Anecdote about a church service where a young, imperfect man was used by God, while an elder saint was not, due to her long-standing disobedience to God’s call.
• Teaches that refusing to make needed changes will limit one’s usefulness and spiritual development, no matter outward appearances of piety.

7. The Call to Change

• Jesus’ invitation to the young ruler was the same given to Peter and the other apostles—he declined, missing out on a closer walk.

• Quote:
  "Even though Jesus loved him, it did not change the fact that he still required changes in his life. God loves us, but he's still going to call for changes in our life." (25:10)

• Scriptural principle:
  "Whom the Lord loves, he chastens...God doesn't chasten us through difficulties, sickness, hardship. He chastens us through His Word and by his spirit." (25:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "You can't rush growth...The more time you give to spiritual things, the quicker you will develop, the quicker you will grow. But there’s still time involved that has to happen to grow up." (03:50)
• "Whatever you're serving, whatever you're putting first is your Lord." (17:00)
• "When Jesus is Lord, he’s going to want to have something to say about every aspect of our lives—where you go, what you do, who you hang out with, how you use your mouth, what kind of activities you participate in." (19:30)
• "If you will make the changes my Word shows you, and my Spirit speaks to you, you will come into more glory. More glory awaits us." (26:10)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment Topic | |----------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:08 | The urgency of giving time to spiritual disciplines | | 05:20 | E.W. Kenyon on prayer’s power and the enemy’s focus | | 09:40 | Reading and discussing Mark 10:17-22 (The Rich Young Ruler) | | 12:00 | The danger of “one thing” unaddressed—misplaced priorities | | 17:00 | Defining Lordship: What are you really serving? | | 19:30 | Difference between Jesus as Savior vs. Jesus as Lord | | 22:00 | Nancy’s personal story of spiritual obedience and growth | | 23:40 | Dad Hagin’s story: Obedience/Repentance vs. Appearance | | 25:10 | God loves us enough to require change for His glory | | 26:10 | How to come into “more glory”—by obeying and making changes |

Final Takeaway

Pastor Nancy’s message is a heartfelt, practical call to examine what distractions stand between us and God’s best. Growth in Christ comes through unhurried time in prayer and the Word, being willing to lay aside distractions—however precious—for the sake of deeper fellowship and greater usefulness in God’s Kingdom.

For more resources, visit dufresneministries.org