Prepare For Your Purpose

Speaker: Pastor Nancy Dufresne
Podcast: Dufresne Ministries Podcast
Location: World Harvest Church, Murrieta, CA
Date: July 19, 2021

Episode Overview

This episode, led by Pastor Nancy Dufresne, centers on the critical theme of preparation for one's God-given purpose. Building on recent messages and campmeeting highlights, Pastor Nancy exhorts listeners to value preparation time as essential groundwork for fulfilling God's plan. She emphasizes that the true "good life" derives not from ambition or profession, but from intentionally walking the path God has laid out, embracing correction, valuing wherever God has planted us, and developing faithfulness and skill in the unseen, "ordinary" places of service.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Importance of Preparation

• Preparation is Essential (00:02 - 05:45):

  • Pastor Nancy draws from Ephesians 2:10 to emphasize that God has prearranged paths for us, but it’s our responsibility to walk in them.
  • Quote:

    “Part of order is preparing for what’s ahead… Lack of preparation will disqualify us. He didn’t say sin, just not being prepared.” (03:52)

  • Daily preparation—beyond just dealing with what arises—is what positions us for God’s best and enables us to finish our race well.

• Preparation vs. Ambition (01:01:14):

  • Ambition is described as a self-promoting, worldly attitude, contrasted by the godly desire to align with God’s plan—even if it means forgoing what seems immediately rewarding.
  • Quote:

    “Ambition is not a scriptural word. It is a self-promoting word. Your desires should be toward the plan of God, not ambition towards something in this earth.” (01:01:33)

2. Valuing ‘Ordinary’ Places and Tasks as Preparation

• Attitude in Preparation (00:30:00 – 00:52:00):

  • Pastor Nancy recounts her own discipline as a pianist:

    “I played for about 3 minutes and 50 seconds. But I spent 14 years practicing for 3 minutes and 50 seconds… There are some things God can’t ask of you if you don’t practice.” (00:34:00)

  • The story of a friend who lost the honor of their ministry helps role, and how this attitude spread to other areas of their life, eventually leading them out of the will of God.

• No Task is Beneath Us (00:48:42):

  • Using practical examples (her husband cleaning toilets in church), Nancy illustrates how humility and faithfulness in small places are often the real training ground for greater things.
  • Quote:

    “Anything connected with God is great. Nothing of small value flows from a great Father. No work is beneath the one who loves God…” (00:48:42)

3. The Role of Correction and Plantedness in Preparation

• Learning from Hard Places (00:40:40):

  • Preparation often means dealing with correction, sometimes directly and sharply, just as Jesus did with Peter.
  • Story: Nancy shares about her son "Bubby" witnessing a restaurant owner correcting his employees, and the life lesson she draws from it about taking correction as an essential part of growth and preparation. (00:40:40 – 00:44:45)

• Honor Your Place (00:55:34):

  • Leaving a place of preparation lightly creates a vacancy, not just for a person, but for the larger body.
  • Cites Psalm 84:10 as David preferred even doorkeeping in God’s house over a comfortable life elsewhere.

4. Recognizing God-Assigned Places and People

• Right Place, Right People (00:23:23):
  • God puts specific trainers and leaders in your life, intentionally aligning you for what you’re being prepared for.
  • Quote:

    “God knows who you need to be trained by because he knows where the plan for your life is taking you.” (00:23:23)

  • Not all teaching or environments are equal for every individual—discern your God-assigned place.

5. Faithfulness and Longevity in Preparation

• Longevity ≠ Maturity (01:21:08):
  • Time in church, or years saved, do not automatically equate to spiritual maturity or readiness for promotion.
  • Quote:

    “Ten years is not the finish. … The time you showed up at church is not grounds for promotion. It’s preparation that’s grounds for promotion.” (01:21:08)

6. Learning to Discern God’s Voice

• Preparation for Leading of the Spirit (01:17:02):

  • Attending church doesn’t make you skillful at following the Holy Spirit; time and praying in the Spirit is critical to become sensitive and discerning.

• Decisions and Discernment (01:18:48):

  • Don’t confuse good ideas or offers (even those that seem “spiritual”) for God’s direction unless it aligns with your place of preparation.
  • If you haven’t invested serious prayer in the Spirit, you may be following your own mind, not God’s leading.

7. Our Choices Impact More Than Us

• Corporate Responsibility (01:13:16):
  • Abandoning your post or leaving your place of preparation affects more than you; it impacts your family, church, and generations.
  • Quote:

    “Whether or not you fulfill the plan of God doesn't just affect your life. It affects the health of your children. It affects the peace of your marriage. … it affects this local church.” (01:13:16)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On preparation and reward:

  “There is no jackpot without preparation. … Preparation time is never lost time.” — Nancy Dufresne (00:30:54)

• On correction and training:

  “Training is not being mean when you care enough about somebody to train them.” (00:44:04)

• On the purpose-driven life:

  “Your highest purpose in this earth is not to make house payments. … You were put on this earth for one thing, for his plan.” (01:13:42)

• On “following the crowd”:

  “You can't just follow people. You have to follow the plan. You can't follow a profession. You have to follow the plan.” (00:24:47)

• On skill and faithfulness:

  “He’s not talking about just being sweet now. Be good. He’s talking about: be trained, be prepared. Well done, thou skilled and faithful servant.” (01:22:56)

• On preparation in "hard places":

  “It’s not great places that train you for great things. It’s hard places that train you…” (01:00:05)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |:---------:|-------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:02 | Introduction – Theme of preparation and campmeeting recap | | 03:52 | Paraphrase from Pastor Chris Cody on finishing well | | 00:30:00 | Value and necessity of preparation—personal stories | | 00:40:40 | Life lesson: Correction at a restaurant—embracing training | | 00:55:34 | The danger of treating ministry roles lightly | | 01:01:14 | Ambition vs. God's plan | | 01:13:16 | Impact of leaving your place—legacy and responsibility | | 01:17:02 | Skillfulness in following the Spirit, not just attendance | | 01:22:56 | “Well done, good and faithful servant”—on skill and faith |

Actionable Takeaways & Summary

• Daily, intentional preparation is non-negotiable for walking in God's purpose, regardless of how small or mundane your current assignment may seem.
• Value correction and embrace training—God uses challenging people and environments to prepare you for your destiny.
• Be planted and honor your assigned place; don’t lightly abandon it for greener pastures, comfort, or ambition.
• Distinguish between “good offers” and God’s direction; preparation includes learning to discern His voice through time spent with Him, especially in prayer.
• Understand the impact of your faithfulness and decisions extends beyond you to family, community, and the broader body of Christ.
• Measure opportunities in light of your race—ask if something furthers the divine plan or merely your ambition or comfort.

Closing Prayer and Dedication (01:28:00)

Pastor Nancy leads a congregational prayer of consecration, reaffirming commitment to God’s paths and preparation, resisting distractions, and embracing unity in pursuing God’s plan together.

“Make every decision with the plan of God in your mind. … Don’t leave your place of preparation lightly. Your finish depends on it.” — Nancy Dufresne (01:23:25)