Podcast Summary

Dufresne Ministries Podcast:

"How To Receive Instruction From God"
Speaker: Morgan Dufresne
Location: World Harvest Church, Murrieta, CA
Date: February 11, 2020

Episode Overview

This episode, delivered by Morgan Dufresne, centers on how believers can receive both general and specific instruction from God, with practical teaching on cultivating spiritual sensitivity and obedience. Using Scripture, personal anecdotes, and even a cake-baking analogy, Morgan illustrates the crucial steps for hearing from God—especially through the Holy Spirit—and acting on spiritual directions in everyday life.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Receiving the Word: Not as Mere Men, But as God’s Voice [00:08–14:00]

• Theme: It's essential to receive God's word as truly His, not just words from people.
  • “You received the message of God…not as the word of mere men, but as it truly is, the word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe, exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it.” (First Thessalonians 2:13, paraphrased) [00:38]
  • Receiving God’s Word requires discipline to "shut your mind down" and focus on the divine origin of Scripture.
• Life Application: The depth of your personal choice to engage with God’s word directly affects your vitality and manifestation of God’s power in your life.
  • “To the degree that you decide the Word of God is your choice will be the degree that you'll see Him in manifestation in your life. Small degree of choice, small manifestation.” [04:30]
• Illustration: Buffet analogy—just as you choose what to eat, you choose how much of God's “bread of life” you partake of daily.

2. General vs. Specific Instruction [14:00–30:00]

• The Bible is God’s general instruction for all, but each life situation calls for specific instruction, which God desires to give.
• God ministers to individuals based on their unique personality and situation.
  • “There are things I’m facing that you may not be facing in the same way. We all have different paths…God knows how to get you an answer you understand.” [15:30]
• It's vital to first honor and act on the general instruction in the Word before expecting specific guidance from God.
  • “If you don’t believe what the scripture says…God cannot get you specific instruction because every specific instruction will always line up with the Word.” [19:10]
• Sometimes, believers must revisit Scripture to get more “light” or revelation before expecting specific direction.

3. The Holy Spirit: The Divine Teacher and Remembrancer [30:00–41:00]

• Scriptural Foundation: John 14:26—The Holy Spirit teaches ALL things and brings God’s word to remembrance.
  • “The Holy Ghost’s job is to teach you all things…give you specific instruction and bring to your remembrance what was taught.” [31:00]
• The Holy Spirit lives inside believers to lead, guide and provide comfort and instruction unique to each person.
  • “Help is living in me. Instead of being mindful of ‘questions are living with me every day,’ how about: ‘Help is living with me every day’?” [34:45]
• There’s a distinction between what you “hear” from the world and what you “choose to listen” to from the Holy Spirit.

4. Following Specific Instruction: Faith in Action [41:00–52:00]

• Scriptural Example: Luke 5 – Jesus instructs Peter to cast nets in deep water, against all his natural knowledge. Peter obeys, resulting in overflowing blessing.
  • “Nevertheless, on your word, I will lower the nets again.” [44:35]
• Insight: Specific instruction from God often doesn’t make sense to our reasoning or feel good to our flesh.
  • “Don’t look for God’s instruction to bear witness and feel good to your flesh.” [39:30]
• Past failures or toiling don't disqualify from receiving miracles when we act on fresh, specific direction today.

5. Dangers of Acting Without God’s Specific Instruction [52:00–56:00]

• Biblical Caution: Moses knew his calling but acted prematurely and out of his own plan, which led to 40 years in the wilderness.
  • “You may see a promise…have revelation that it’s true. But if you don’t get specific instruction…you’ll end up doing it your own way and causing more damage.” [53:30]
• We must not let need, desperation, or circumstance move us; only God’s word and instruction should guide our responses.

6. Practical Application: Four Steps to Receiving Specific Direction [56:00–59:00]

1. Consecrate yourself—Fully commit your heart to God’s plan.
   • “Presence of body doesn’t mean presence of heart…a consecrated heart means you agree on all fronts.” [56:45]
2. Ask for instruction—Inquire from God specifically about your situation, aligning with His Word.
3. Get full—Be continually filled with the Holy Spirit through prayer, worship, and the Word.
4. Obey—Act on God’s instruction without haste, letting God’s process work.
   • “With every promise comes a procedure. It's our job to find out the procedure.” [58:05]

7. Memorable Analogy: Baking a Cake as Receiving from God [59:00–1:10:00]

• Need = Cake mix; Water = Word; Oil = Holy Ghost; Eggs = Obedience; Oven = God's power working things out.
  • “Speaking the Word alone doesn’t cause you to rise if you don’t obey it.” [1:06:00]
• Don’t get “hasty” and pull out your miracle before it’s done; let God complete the work.
  • “If you leave it with God, you mix the Word, you mix the Holy Ghost, and you mix your faith and obedience…and you keep acting as if the Word is true…when God gets done with it, it will come out better than you put it in.” [1:08:05]
• With God, not only do you get results (the cake), but “icing on the cake”—the reward (His abundance).

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Choosing God's Word:
  “To the degree that you decide the Word of God is your choice will be the degree that you'll see Him in manifestation in your life.” —Morgan Dufresne [04:30]

• On the Holy Spirit’s Guidance:
  "Help is living in me. This morning, instead of being mindful of questions are living with me every day, how about: help is living with me every day." —Morgan Dufresne [34:50]

• On Obedience and Miracles:
  “Great miracles come from small instructions. You don’t need a great instruction to get a great miracle.” —Morgan Dufresne [20:55]

• On Haste:
  “God will let you sit in a certain position in life to get all the hasty out of you. Because when it comes to miracles, you can’t be hasty.” —Morgan Dufresne [58:40]

• On Baking Analogy:
  “Speaking the Word alone doesn’t cause you to rise if you don’t obey it…When God gets done with it, not only did you get the cake you were after, but you get the icing—God puts the icing on your obedience, your faith, the Word.” —Morgan Dufresne [1:06:00, 1:08:05]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:08] – Opening teaching on receiving the Word as God’s own instruction
• [14:00] – Differentiating general and specific instruction from God
• [19:10] – Importance of first receiving general instruction
• [31:00] – The Holy Ghost as teacher and reminder
• [41:00] – Luke 5: Peter obeys specific instruction and receives miracle
• [52:00] – Moses: the need for specific direction, not just general knowledge
• [56:00] – Four steps to receive specific direction
• [59:00] – Baking the cake: practical demonstration
• [1:06:00] – Applying the baking analogy to obedience and faith
• [1:08:05] – Summary: Leave it with God—He rewards faithfulness

Conclusion

Morgan Dufresne encourages believers to value both the general and specific instructions of God, embrace the guiding voice of the Holy Spirit, and practice daily obedience to see greater manifestations of God in their lives. The episode is rich in practical advice, Scriptural teaching, and memorable analogies—all focused on cultivating a heart and lifestyle sensitive to instruction from God.