Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: Dufresne Ministries Podcast

Episode Title: Knowing The Holy Spirit | Pat Harrison | Murrieta, CA | Wednesday PM | Ladies Conference 2022
Date: October 10, 2022
Host: Dufresne Ministries
Speaker: Pat Harrison
Guest Appearances: Pastor Nancy Dufresne
Theme: Deepening personal knowledge and fellowship with the Holy Spirit — practical teaching and wisdom for living a Spirit-led life.

Episode Overview

This episode centers on getting to know the Holy Spirit—not as a passive idea, but as an active partner in everyday life. Pat Harrison shares her personal journey, practical lessons, and foundational truths about the Holy Spirit. She encourages listeners to move beyond a one-time experience into ongoing, conscious fellowship, stressing the balance of strong doctrine, daily relationship, and yielding to the Spirit’s guidance. Her teaching is interspersed with sincere, relatable stories, gentle humor, and moments of spontaneous worship, creating an atmosphere much like “sitting in the living room” for a conversation on spiritual things.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Love the Holy Spirit? (00:18–03:00)

• Pat Harrison opens with her deep affection for the Holy Spirit, stating, “He’s everything to me that Jesus said He would be. If He’s not everything to you...it’s because you’re not allowing Him to be.”
• The only barrier is personal willingness and choice; we must make room for the Spirit in daily life.

2. Keeping It Simple: The Practical Nature of God (03:01–06:11)

• God is not complicated; humans make things hard by overthinking and reasoning out spiritual matters.
• Quote: “God’s word is not something you can’t understand...I made it very simple. You guys make it hard because of your mind.”

3. Living in the Spirit after Loss (06:12–09:00)

• When her husband passed away, Pat shares how supernatural peace from the Holy Spirit “came upon me and I’ve never let it go”—emphasizing peace as a daily choice and discipline.
• Daily love for the Holy Spirit is built through intentional gratitude and recognition: “In the morning when I get up, the first thing I say is, ‘Father God, I thank you for this day that you are with me.’”

4. Preserving Teachings about the Holy Spirit (09:01–12:30)

• Pat relates her father’s warning: if the Church doesn’t keep teaching about the Holy Spirit, “it is almost lost to the next generation,” but “there’s a remnant that’s rising up” to reclaim this truth.
• Emphasizes the importance of teaching the foundational, practical truths—not just “receiving” the Holy Spirit as a one-off event.

5. Spirit-Filled Living: A Way of Life (12:31–20:14)

• The Holy Spirit isn’t just an addition; living in fellowship with Him is meant to be normal Christian life—like faith, it’s a lifestyle.
• Many churches have neglected ongoing teaching about the Spirit, which stunts spiritual growth. Speaking in tongues and the prayer language is emphasized as ongoing, not outdated.
• “When somebody tries to tell me [tongues] has passed away, I say, ‘Too late. I’ve experienced it and I live in it.’” (14:05)

6. Foundational Principles from 1 Corinthians 12 (20:15–25:00)

• Paul’s teaching to the Corinthians comes from their misunderstanding—treating the manifestations of the Spirit like pagan rituals, being controlled and losing conscious control.
• Pat clarifies: “The Holy Spirit does not control you...He empowers. He does not overpower.” (30:00)

7. Spiritual Maturity & True Evidence of Growth (21:38–31:00)

• Yielding to the Spirit and operating in gifts is not a sign of maturity.
• Real maturity is demonstrated by developing Christlike character—especially love and the fruit of the Spirit.
• “Learning God’s character and allowing it to be manifested in you...not because you yielded to the Spirit.”
• The importance of leaders teaching and giving practical room for people to learn about spiritual gifts safely (explanation of microphones for testimonies and gifts in services).

8. Misunderstandings and Responsibility (31:00–36:00)

• The Holy Spirit does not cause chaos, fear, or confusion in services. When someone causes disruption and claims it’s the Spirit, it’s often self-centeredness or confusion, not God.
• Story: Example of a disruptive woman in Detroit who insisted she “couldn’t help it, it’s the Holy Spirit!” but, as Pat reveals, Holy Spirit never interrupts Himself or draws attention to the individual.

9. Conscious Control and Free Will (36:00–45:00)

• Contrasts Holy Spirit to pagan worship where spirits control the individual.
• “There is conscious control...when you hear somebody say, ‘I couldn’t control myself,’ Yes, you can. God gave us a sound mind.” (44:35)
• You choose to yield or not.

10. Manifestations Always Glorify Jesus (45:01–52:00)

• The Holy Spirit exalts Jesus only, never Himself or an individual.
• Quote (paraphrased from John 15 & 16): “He will testify of Me...He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority...”
• Any manifestation that does not glorify Christ is not of the Spirit.

11. Doctrine (“Creedal Faith”) Guards Against Deception (52:01–57:53)

• “Creedal faith” refers to core, non-negotiable truths—without which, heresy and deception creep in.
• “The Holy Spirit only speaks the truth of the Word of God...if it doesn’t match up with the Word, it’s not the Holy Ghost.”

12. Practical Examples & Testimonies (68:38–79:01)

• Pat shares her own healing testimony: when diagnosed with tongue cancer, she stood on Isaiah 53—“Jesus carried our pains and our sicknesses”—and refused fear or prognosis. After surgery, there was “no cancer in your body.”
• The importance of consistency, resisting fear and doubt, and following God’s direction daily.

13. Letting Go of the Past, Embracing the Now (57:53–65:00)

• Your spirit can always agree with God—issues are with the unrenewed mind.
• “Everything in life is a choice. If you’re living in the past, it’s your choice. But you don’t have to.”
• God never gives excuses and doesn’t accept them; take charge of renewing your own mind.

14. Living in Ongoing Fellowship (79:01–86:00)

• “To walk in Him and in all He has promised, it all comes from first, loving...because that’s who God is.”
• Fellowship with the Holy Spirit is a daily walk.
• You never “arrive;” spiritual maturity is a continual process.

15. Fellowship Over Striving (87:09–88:18)

• Pastor Nancy Dufresne gives a prophetic exhortation: “So many have entered into a place of struggle when all you had to do was enter into a place of fellowship...break the pattern of what you thought was spiritual and enter into the place of fellowship...”

16. Spontaneous Worship & Reflections (88:49–101:04)

• The service flows into song and worship, inviting intimacy with God:
  • “And He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own...”
• Emphasizing the delight and ease of walking in the Spirit’s presence each day.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “He’s everything to me that Jesus said He would be...and if He’s not everything to you, it’s because you’re not allowing Him to be.” — Pat Harrison (00:18)
• “God’s word is not something you can’t understand...I made it very simple. You guys make it hard because of your mind.” — Pat Harrison (03:01)
• “The Holy Spirit empowers. He does not overpower.” — Pat Harrison (30:00)
• “Yielding to the Spirit and being used is not evidence of maturity; spiritual maturity is the fruit of the Spirit, God’s character manifesting in you.” — Pat Harrison (21:39)
• “Any manifestation of the Holy Spirit is going to glorify Christ. It always expounds truth about the Lord Jesus Christ.” — Pat Harrison (49:00)
• Story of persistent peace after her husband’s passing — peace is a choice, not a feeling; you hold onto it daily. (06:11–08:30)
• Account of confrontation with “spiritual” disruptions: “Holy Spirit never interrupts Himself...He does not control you, He empowers” (32:39–36:00).

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:18: Opening: Love for the Holy Spirit and practical spiritual living
• 06:11–08:30: Living in supernatural peace after her husband’s passing
• 12:31–14:05: Tongues and contemporary Church — “Too late, I live in it.”
• 21:38–23:30: Maturity = Manifested Character, Not Gift Operation
• 29:58–32:39: Stories of learning spiritual gifts safely in church
• 36:00–44:35: Disruptions in the Spirit—Why Holy Spirit doesn’t overpower
• 45:01–49:00: The Holy Spirit always glorifies Jesus
• 52:01–57:53: Creedal faith and foundational truth guard against deception
• 68:38–79:01: Healing testimony — practical faith at work
• 87:09–88:18: Nancy Dufresne’s prophetic exhortation: “Enter into the place of fellowship”
• 88:49–101:04: Spontaneous worship—“And He walks with me...”

Takeaways & Action Points

• Build a daily relationship with the Holy Spirit—it’s not a one-time event, but a continual lifestyle.
• Understand and teach foundational truths about the Spirit; don’t treat manifestations as mere experiences.
• Spiritual gifts are important, but Christian maturity is about Christlike character, especially love.
• Yielding is a choice: God never overrides your free will; conscious control distinguishes the Holy Spirit’s leading from other influences.
• All manifestations must glorify Christ, not man or the gift.
• Stay rooted in creedal, biblical doctrine to avoid error and deception.
• Fellowship, not striving, brings spiritual fulfillment.

Final Reflections (104:47–106:21)

• Nancy Dufresne: “It does feel like we’re sitting in the living room of her life...so that you could have more, greater, further fellowship with Him.”
• The ultimate goal is greater fellowship with God—“leave this place saying we’re going to respond to the flow we saw demonstrated and that we heard taught about.”

In summary:
This episode is a heartfelt, practical guide to knowing and walking with the Holy Spirit, emphasizing daily relationship, foundational doctrine, and putting God’s character—especially love—at the forefront of spiritual life. Through stories, humor, clear teaching, and worship, it calls every listener to deeper, ongoing fellowship with God through His Spirit.