Episode Overview

Title: How To Measure Your Faith, Part Two
Host/Speaker: Pastor Nancy Dufresne, Dufresne Ministries
Date: January 7, 2022

In this episode of Jesus the Healer Broadcast, Pastor Nancy Dufresne continues teaching on the practicalities of faith, specifically focusing on “how to measure your faith.” Drawing from personal stories, scripture, and pastoral experience, Nancy explores why accurately measuring your faith is crucial for living in victory, making sound decisions, and avoiding unnecessary struggles or failures. The core message: Stay within your current measure of faith, let peace and joy be your guides, and grow your faith intentionally and skillfully.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Understanding the "Measure of Faith"

• Scripture Reference: Romans 12:3
  Nancy opens by emphasizing Paul's admonition not to "think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith."
• Practical Application:
  • Don’t overestimate your own level of faith.
  • Overreaching leads to failure, not heroism.
  • Most people misjudge their faith by aiming too high, not too low.
• Memorable Quote:
  • "Just because you want to believe God for your healing doesn’t mean you have faith to believe God for your healing." (Nancy, 03:13)

2. Staying Within Your Faith Capacity

• Story (Ed Dufresne & the Teenager):
  • A church youth wanted to believe for miraculous healing instead of medical help, but Ed confirmed he should have surgery, as that was in his measure of faith. Result: rapid recovery.
• Story (Church Building):
  • Ed led a thousand-member California church and intentionally put a new pastor into a smaller building, recognizing the pastor’s faith could not yet stretch to the larger one.

Guiding Principle:

"Just because you can believe God for something doesn’t mean someone else can." (Nancy, 08:10)

3. The Danger of Exceeding Your Measure

• The Enemy’s Tactic:
  • The devil tries to push you beyond your faith to cause failure.
• Led by the Spirit:
  • The Holy Ghost will never lead you past your current measure of faith but always to success (13:40).
  • Two people might get different instructions in the same situation, based on their individual faith.

Memorable Moment:

• "The Holy Spirit is going to lead you based on your measure of faith. Not where you want to be, but where you are today." (Nancy, 14:46)

4. How To Know Your Measure of Faith

• Scripture Reference: Romans 15:13
  • God fills with "all joy and peace in believing."
• Litmus Test:
  • If you lose joy and peace while believing, you are outside your measure of faith.
  • Backing up isn't failure; overshooting is.
• Real-life Analogy (Gym Equipment):
  • Nancy likens faith growth to physical strength: start at your current level and increase gradually to avoid injury (24:20).

Key Advice:

• "How do you know if you’re out beyond your measure of faith? Did you lose joy when you were trying to believe for that? Did you lose peace and start getting harassed? Back up a little bit." (Nancy, 19:00)

5. Practical Example: Financial Needs

• Scenario:
  • A surprise $5,000 bill and the "panic test."
  • If you can’t have inner peace about believing for $5,000, back up to a manageable amount.
• Important Distinction:
  • Peace is a witness in your spirit, not in your mind.
  • Even spiritual beginners can discern peace or lack thereof in their hearts (28:00).

6. Faith, Stretch, and Sound Process

• Growth Without Harm:
  • God wants you right on the edge of your measure—not behind, not recklessly ahead (32:40).
• Healthy Stretch:
  • Faith should push you but with joy and peace remaining.
• Family Example:
  • Buying a home: Disregarding inner peace led one couple into long-term struggle and eventual divorce (41:21).

Quote to Remember:

• "Don't put that kind of pressure on your family. Stay in peace and joy and encourage each other." (Nancy, 42:11)

7. Acting on Peace and Joy

• Decisiveness:

  • Nancy shares her own covenant to act without hesitation when she has spiritual peace, regardless of mental doubts (44:17).

• Significant Decisions:

  • She’s made multi-million dollar choices based solely on an inner peace, not logic.

• Joy & Faith:

  • "Faith is fun. If you’re not in fun, you’re out beyond your faith." (Nancy, 48:55)

8. The Safest Leading: Why Peace and Joy Matter

• Spiritual Safety:
  • Unlike voices, dreams, or visions (which can be counterfeited), only peace and joy are immune to enemy deception.
• Personal Story:
  • Nancy relates how, in desiring more "clarity" about a major life move, God told her that inner peace is the clarity (51:30).
• Application:
  • Always follow peace and joy—they are the most reliable indicators.

9. Misusing Your Faith & Skillfulness

• Faith Usefulness:
  • Jesus never rebuked people for their measure of faith; only for not using it.
  • Faith comes by hearing, but works by speaking and acting (56:50).

10. Continuous Growth

• Don’t Settle:
  • Don’t be content with your current level—contend and grow intentionally.
• Summary Advice:
  • Feed your faith, use it wisely, never let guilt or comparison push you ahead of your capacity.
  • “Stay with your peace and your joy level.” (Nancy, 01:03:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Overreaching:
  • "Every time you fail, when you get out beyond your measure of faith..." (Nancy, 13:29)
• On Mental vs. Spiritual Peace:
  • "...you're going by the peace in your spirit, not by the peace of your mind." (Nancy, 27:22)
• On Decision-Making:
  • "Once I have peace in my spirit, I’m jumping in both feet...and ignore everything that comes against this and you will grow in the skill of the operation of your faith." (Nancy, 45:25)
• On Dramatic vs. Safe Leading:
  • "...The devil can duplicate every outward leading, but one thing he cannot duplicate is peace and joy in your spirit. That is my safest leading." (Nancy, 52:25)

Important Timestamps

• 03:13 — Ed Dufresne's healing counsel to the teenager
• 08:10 — Why you can't counsel based on your own faith measure
• 13:29 — Dangers of being out beyond your faith
• 19:00 — How to know when you’re outside your measure of faith
• 24:20 — Gym analogy: Progressing your faith stepwise
• 28:00 — Distinguishing peace in the spirit vs. the mind
• 32:40 — God’s aim: Grow at your own pace, but on the edge
• 41:21 — Real-life result of ignoring inner peace (marriage story)
• 44:17 — Nancy’s new approach: Jumping in with peace
• 51:30 — The peace is the clarity
• 56:50 — Faith operates by saying and acting
• 01:03:30 — Final advice: Defend your peace and joy

Key Takeaways

• Stay within your current faith capacity; let joy and peace in your spirit be your main guides.
• Don’t compare or compete spiritually; others’ faith levels are not your standard.
• Stretch is good, but only if joy and peace are intact; pressure and anxiety mean you’re out ahead.
• Faith is fun, not torment; a lack of enjoyment signals you’re beyond your measure.
• Keep growing your measure of faith through consistent use and feeding on God’s Word.
• Skillful faith brings results every time.

To learn more or connect with Nancy Dufresne and Dufresne Ministries, visit dufresneministries.org.