Podcast Summary: How To Measure Your Faith, Part One

Podcast: Dufresne Ministries Podcast
Host: Nancy Dufresne
Date: December 30, 2021

Episode Overview

In this foundational episode, Pastor Nancy Dufresne presents a practical teaching on understanding, growing, and measuring faith. She explores why faith sometimes doesn't seem to "work" for believers, clarifies the biblical way to build strong faith, and offers real-life examples about applying faith skillfully—not just wishfully—to see consistent results. The message aims to shift listeners from passivity to purposeful, skillful development of personal faith.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Faith Is Sound and Always Works—If You Stay on the Word

• [00:09] Nancy opens by stressing that the Word of God makes your faith sound and balanced.
  • "Anytime a Christian becomes unsound or unbalanced, they're off the Word, because the Word will make you sound, not unsound. It'll make you balanced, not unbalanced."
• Faith is intended to always get results:
  • "Faith on the Word... always works. Always. There's no such thing as a faith failure, because faith in the Word always works."

2. No Such Thing as a Faith Failure—The Problem Is Misapplied or Underdeveloped Faith

• If there is a "failure," Nancy notes, "someone veered from faith at some point."
• It's not enough to know the will of God—you must also know His ways of receiving it.
  • Knowing Jesus wants you healed isn't the same as knowing how to receive healing by faith.

3. The Measure of Faith: Every Believer Starts with the Same Portion

• [07:35] Citing Romans 12:3: "God has dealt to every man the measure of faith..."
• "It's the beginning measure. The Bible doesn't tell us what that measure is, but my guess, it's the measure of a seed—‘if you have faith the size of a mustard seed...’"
• Each person’s faith journey is determined by what they do with that initial measure.

4. Faith Must Be Fed and Used to Grow

• [09:58] "Faith doesn't come by praying. Faith doesn't come by believing for faith. I'm believing for more faith—no, that's not how it comes. It comes by feeding on the Word of God."
• Faith never remains neutral—it's either increasing or diminishing, depending on how you use it.

5. Faith Is Measurable & Specific Needs Require Specific Measures

• [11:04] Hebrews 11:1—faith is defined as a spiritual substance, and "every substance is measurable."
• She uses the analogy of following a recipe: "When a certain measure of faith is called for and you don't have it, you can't throw something else in as a substitute."
• Example: Sometimes, it’s not enough to "not want" to take medicine; you must have the faith measure required to receive healing without it.

6. Practical Example: Prescription Medication & Faith ([13:20])

• Nancy shares a personal testimony of being prescribed medication while wanting to stand in faith for healing:
  • Her husband encouraged, "Honey, it's not the withholding of medicine that pleases God. It's faith that pleases God."
• Nancy describes struggling in "the mental arena," trying to believe with her mind rather than her heart, feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.
• The Holy Spirit instructed her:
  • "Go on the medication. But the whole time you're on it, feed your faith. And when your faith is at the measure it needs to be, I'll tell you when to come off."
• She followed this for three months, then sensed God's timing to stop the medication, resulting in total healing and no return of symptoms.

7. Faith Can Be Borrowed Temporarily—But Not Long-Term ([16:55])

• Prayer of agreement lets you "borrow" someone else’s faith, but only briefly:
  • "You can only borrow it for a moment. Then you'd better keep feeding your faith and bring your faith up to what you borrowed to pay that off, or you'll get back into the same situation."

8. Skillfulness in Faith Means Matching Your Measure to Your Need

• Just as you can’t buy a $10,000 item with $2, faith must be “accumulated” to meet life’s bigger needs.
• Nazareth Example: Jesus could do no mighty works there due to their limited measure of faith (only enough for minor ailments).

9. Faith Needs Continual Replenishment—It’s Not Bottomless ([21:05])

• Like money in a wallet, if you use your faith and don’t replenish it, "it will run out."
• "That's how come we have to feed on the Word continually."

10. Don’t Spread Your Faith Too Thin ([22:30])

• Having your faith stretched over many things dilutes its impact.
• Real-life example: Her husband declined to stand in faith for a new house because all his faith was focused on other ministry needs.
  • "He knew, you cannot take the one measure you have and throw it to multiple things and have enough to accomplish sometimes the answer for one thing that's needed, sometimes you're spreading your faith too thin..."

11. Practical Tips: Focus & Sequential Faith Projects ([23:25])

• Instead of believing for several things at once, concentrate faith on one need, see it through, then move to the next.
• Stories from Kenneth Hagin underscore the importance of knowing the limits of your measure and using faith wisely for specific needs.

12. Memorable Closing Analogy: Measure Twice, Cut Once ([25:30])

• "Carpenters say, 'measure twice, cut once'... As faith people, measure twice, get your result every time."
• Emphasizes accuracy and intention in building and applying faith.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "Faith on the Word always works—always." (Nancy Dufresne, 00:32)
• "There's no faith in your mind. The thing your faith is built for is to get renewed and agree with the faith that's in your heart." (Nancy Dufresne, 06:33)
• "It's not the withholding of medicine that pleases God. It's faith that pleases God." (Nancy’s husband, 13:47)
• "Go on the medication. But the whole time you're on it, feed your faith. And when your faith is at the measure it needs to be, I'll tell you when to come off." (Holy Spirit to Nancy, 15:15)
• "You can borrow someone else’s faith only for a moment. Then you better keep feeding your faith and bring your faith up to what you borrowed to pay that off..." (Nancy Dufresne, 17:40)
• "Faith is not a bottomless pit... When you spend faith, faith won't magically reappear. You're going to have to go do something to replenish that faith." (Nancy Dufresne, 21:29)
• "He said, my faith is stretched as tight as a rubber band, and if you throw drapes on that, it's going to pop and everything's going to fall." (Story about Kenneth Hagin, 24:06)
• "Measure twice, cut once, and you got no waste because your measurement determined how accurate your cut was. I say to us, as faith people, measure twice, get your result every time." (Nancy Dufresne, 25:30)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:09-02:00 – The importance of staying on the Word for sound faith.
• 02:00-03:30 – There is no such thing as "faith failure."
• 05:32-07:40 – Enemies of faith: fear, doubt, wrong thinking, trying to believe with your mind.
• 07:40-10:59 – God has given every believer the measure of faith—what we do with it matters.
• 11:04-12:40 – Faith as a measurable substance; recipe analogy.
• 13:20-17:05 – Nancy’s medication story, practical steps for building faith.
• 17:05-18:30 – Borrowing faith through agreement; importance of developing personal faith.
• 20:00-22:00 – Accumulating faith for big needs; Nazareth example.
• 21:05-22:30 – Replenishing faith—faith as a limited resource.
• 22:30-25:00 – Don't spread faith too thin; examples from ministry and Kenneth Hagin.
• 25:30 – Memorable closing analogy: "Measure twice, cut once."

Style and Tone

Nancy Dufresne’s style is direct, encouraging, and loaded with practical spiritual insight. She uses personal anecdotes with humor and warmth while consistently referencing scripture. Her tone is nurturing but also firm, consistently challenging listeners to greater personal responsibility and skillfulness in their faith walk.

Summary Prepared for Listeners:
This episode provides a clear, scriptural framework for evaluating the state of your faith, growing it intentionally, and getting results—not through wishful thinking, but through deliberate, Word-focused action. The teaching is rich in real-life application, making “walking by faith” an attainable, skillful lifestyle rather than a mystery.