Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Dufresne Ministries Podcast
Episode Title: Separated By The Word | LIVE w/Nancy Dufresne
Date: February 10, 2022
Speaker: Pastor Nancy Dufresne

In this episode, Pastor Nancy Dufresne dives deeply into the biblical concept of the renewing of the mind, emphasizing its centrality to victorious Christian living. Drawing insights from Paul, James, John, and David, she illustrates how the Word of God separates believers from worldly patterns, leading to transformed thinking, prosperous living, and healthy relationships.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why the Mind Matters (00:09)

• The mind is essential because, as Pastor Nancy humorously notes, “every one of us got one.”
• She highlights that with inheritances in Christ—like healing, prosperity, joy, peace, and victory—a “sound mind” should not be overlooked.
• Cites 2 Timothy 1:7, emphasizing a sound mind as one of power, love, self-control, and balance:

  “The Amplified says that a sound mind is a calm mind, a well balanced mind, a disciplined mind, and a self-controlled mind.” (00:28)

2. God’s Author vs. Counterfeit Mindsets (00:46)

• God authored the sound mind—not a mind of fear, depression, or worry.
• Believers must, by faith, “lay hold of the kind of mind that he authored for us.”

3. Paths to a Renewed Mind: Insights from the Apostles (01:08)

• Paul – Renewing the Mind (Romans 12:2):

• Transformation comes by “the renewing of your mind.”
• Not just confessing the word but living it out—being “doers of the word.”

• “It’s in the doing, it’s in living those things out in our day-to-day life, where the action of renewing the mind takes place.” (01:55)

• James – Saving of the Soul (James 1:21):

• Addressed to Christians, not nonbelievers, affirming that their souls needed saving (renewal of the mind).
• Soul = mind, will, emotions; thus, soul “saving” or renewing is an ongoing process for the believer.

• John – Prospering of the Soul (3 John 1:2):

• Prosperity and health are connected to the “prospering of your soul.”

• “We could say it this way: to the measure that our soul is prospering, that’s the measure we’ll enjoy prosperity and health many times.” (03:27)

• David – Restoring the Soul (Psalm 23:3):

• God “restores my soul” but this requires partnership:

• “God restores our soul as we feed on the Word, as we take the thoughts of the Word and make them our thoughts.” (04:05)

4. Practical Application: How to Renew the Mind (05:10)

• Not automatic; requires cooperation by feeding on the Word and letting it govern your thought life.
• Prosperity and health are outcomes of a prospering soul—not merely focuses to strive after.

  • “The work we need to do is to prosper the soul. What’s that mean? Renew the mind.” (05:35)

• Many focus solely on health or finances, but the priority should be mind renewal.

5. Engrafting the Word (06:23)

• Cites James 1:21—it's the “engrafted Word” that saves the soul.
• Engraftment means the Word is rooted, joined to spirit and thought life, and evident in daily living.
• Confession is vital but must be accompanied by action:

  • “The Word can’t stop with our confession. It has to go on and show up in our actions.” (07:03)

6. Responding to Life’s Circumstances (07:20)

• Quoting Kenneth Hagin:

  “When the circumstances of life show up, the first thing to do is ask yourself, what does the Word say about this?” (07:35)

• Let the Word dominate and direct responses.

7. Receiving from God: Aligning Thoughts with the Word (08:01)

• Feeding on the Word equips believers to cooperate with God and receive what He’s already provided.

• “Feeding on the Word does not make the blessings of God more ours. It just helps us to know how to cooperate with what He has already made ours.” (08:27)

8. Real-Life Application: Marriage Example (08:37)

• Shares a personal story about marriage:
  • Nancy never “worked on the marriage,” but focused on mind renewal, which transformed all relationships.

  • “When you renew your mind, that’s already going to help you address the marriage. When you think right, you’ll not just think right about your marriage.” (09:14)

• Renewing the mind impacts every area: marriage, work, relationships.

9. Focus on Yourself, Not Others (10:21)

• Advice: Don’t focus on your spouse’s shortcomings. Focus on your own mind renewal—it will naturally influence the relationship.

10. Scripture-wide Emphasis: Mind Renewal (10:52)

• This instruction is repeated by Paul, James, John, and David.
• Don’t let your mind wander; discipline it according to God’s Word.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “A sound mind belongs to us because it says in 2 Timothy... God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.” – Nancy Dufresne (00:16)
• “The renewing of the mind basically is this: that we take on God’s way of thinking, that we let God’s Word dominate and direct us and lead us in our thought life.” (01:30)
• "Feeding on the Word does not make the blessings of God more ours. It just helps us to know how to cooperate with what He has already made ours." (08:27)
• “When you renew your mind... it won’t just affect your marriage, it’ll affect how you handle your work, it’ll affect how you handle your boss, it’ll affect every relationship… Every responsibility you have.” (09:30)
• “Just work on renewing your mind and it will affect every single arena.” (10:04)
• “We cannot leave the mind and just let it do anything it wants… We have to discipline our mind to come in line with the Word of God.” (10:56)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:09 – Introduction to the importance of the mind
• 01:08 – Comparing the teachings of Paul, James, and John on the mind
• 04:05 – David’s perspective: “restoring my soul”
• 05:35 – The connection between a prospering soul, prosperity, and health
• 06:23 – The necessity of receiving the “engrafted Word”
• 07:35 – Practical response to circumstances: “What does the Word say?”
• 08:27 – Feeding on the Word and receiving from God
• 08:37 – Marriage enrichment via mind renewal
• 10:21 – Focusing on self-renewal, not others
• 10:56 – The scriptural mandate for disciplining the mind

Conclusion

Pastor Nancy Dufresne’s message centers on the priority of renewing the mind through engagement with God’s Word. Drawing on multiple biblical perspectives, she makes the compelling case that prosperity, health, and flourishing relationships are all linked to how much believers allow God’s Word to transform their thinking. The call is clear: focus on feeding your mind the Word, let it govern your thoughts and actions, and trust that every area of life will be positively affected.