Podcast Summary: "Staying Ahead" | Joel & Amy Siegel | Fredonia, NY – Miracle Crusade 2022 (Thursday AM)
Date: August 23, 2022
Speakers: Joel & Amy Siegel
Host: Dufresne Ministries
Theme: Living Spiritually Ahead: Prayer, Preparation, & Confidence in God’s Guidance
Episode Overview
This episode, part of the Miracle Crusade 2022, features Joel and Amy Siegel as they delve into the spiritual principle of “staying ahead” through prayer, preparation, and partnership with God. With a focus on breaking free from fear of the future, they illustrate how believers can cultivate a lifestyle of readiness and confidence, citing scriptural examples, personal testimonies, and practical teachings. The episode’s tone is lively, humorous, and full of faith, offering encouragement for navigating unknowns and transitions by walking closely with God.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Call to Live Full, Not Empty ([00:09])
- Joel opens by challenging listeners not to show up to church (or life) spiritually empty but to remain perpetually full—"Come to church full, leave more full, then live full."
- Flesh (human nature) acts up when believers are spiritually empty, but can be kept 'under' by immersing oneself in the things of God (Galatians reference: "walk in the Spirit and you won’t fulfill the lust of the flesh").
Quote – Joel ([01:17]):
“The best way to keep the flesh under is to drown it. Just keep so much of the river of God in you, keep it underwater. If it can’t breathe, it can’t speak.”
2. Miracles: Be, Don’t Just See ([02:38])
- Miracles aren't just to be observed; God desires believers themselves to be miracles and walk in the supernatural as a normal lifestyle.
- Importance of recording testimonies as “landmarks” of God’s faithfulness; believers should maintain a journal or “book” of personal miracles ([04:45]).
3. Main Message: Staying Ahead Through Prayer ([06:40])
- Joel pivots from previous teachings on the Word “speeding ahead” to focus on the necessity for believers to personally "stay ahead" by praying out their futures rather than reacting to crises.
- Anchoring Scripture: Proverbs 31:25
- Multiple translations are read, emphasizing “She laughs without fear of the future” and “her position is strong and secure” ([08:42]).
- Biblical context: Perilous times are promised for the “last days,” but the believer can have confidence and joy because God sees the end from the beginning.
Quote – Amy ([09:01]):
“She laughs without fear of the future… rejoices over the future, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it.”
4. God Is Not Limited by Time ([11:22])
- God operates outside human time; He’s omnipresent—already in the future.
- Through fellowship and yielding to Him, believers can "get to the future before it gets to them."
- Biblical illustrations: Paul foresaw dangers ahead of his journey (Acts 27); modern believers can experience similar spiritual foresight.
Quote – Joel ([12:03]):
“If we’ll learn to walk with Him… we can get to our future before our future gets to us.”
5. Prayer: Laying Track for Your Life ([15:28])
- Amy uses the analogy of running on a clear track vs. through tangled woods. Prayer “cuts the branches away” and “makes the way clear and open.”
- “Praying out” the path prepares believers, so even unforeseen challenges become easy to pass through ([17:45]).
6. Staying Ahead: Practical Application ([18:10], [21:30])
- Referencing Proverbs 4:10–12: If you follow wisdom, “your path will be clear and open, and when you run, you’ll not stumble.”
- The importance of praying in tongues ([23:10]), citing 1 Corinthians 14 as releasing “divine mysteries and sacred secrets" that prepare you for future unknowns.
- Staying ahead means being proactive in prayer—not just emergency prayers.
Quote – Joel ([22:08]):
“Prayer for most people is an act of last resort... what a wonder if you would start with that?”
7. Living in Continual Communion ([25:44])
- Living “in Him we live and move and have our being.” Christianity is not compartmentalized—it’s full-life fellowship, not Sunday visitation.
- As you sow to the Spirit (Galatians 6), you will reap a flow of life; if you pursue God’s realm, His realm enters your daily experience.
Quote – Joel ([27:15]):
“God’s not a part of our life. God is our life…We live—come on now—in Him we live and move and have our being.”
8. Spiritual “Ultrasound”: Seeing & Praying Into the Future ([28:40])
- Amy likens praying in the Spirit to an ultrasound—seeing spiritual realities before they manifest.
- The mind can’t always grasp what the spirit discerns; don’t “grab a slice” and force the future but “pray it out and walk it out” ([30:28]).
9. Personal Testimonies of Guidance ([31:55], [37:33], [40:12])
a. Big Moves & Ministry Decisions
- Joel and Amy share how, through much prayer, they navigated a major geographic move (to Buffalo) and ministry shifts, emphasizing not rushing God’s timing.
- Guidance came unexpectedly—a sudden love for the Buffalo Bills football team served as confirmation (see [41:18]).
b. Don’t Crowdsource Guidance
- They refrained from discussing decisions even with close friends and sometimes each other until they were both sure they’d heard from God ([39:13]).
- Only after both independently received confirmation did they move forward.
c. Staying Ahead for Others
- Amy shares an instance of spiritually “picking up” on a minister friend's child facing a medical crisis, praying it through days before the emergency occurred ([44:26]).
- The ability to say, “I’ve already got this. This has already been taken care of. The future has been prayed out.”
Quote – Amy ([48:20]):
“How precious is that to be able to… say, ‘I’ve already got this.’”
10. Historic Testimony: John G. Lake ([49:19])
- Lake prayed so much before his mission work in Africa that he would arrive in towns knowing exactly what to expect—economy, language, even the look of the city—having “seen it in prayer.”
11. Modern Example: Health Insurance & Healing ([50:33])
- Subtle spiritual promptings: Amy repeatedly sensed the need to purchase health insurance.
- A routine physical (which wouldn’t have happened without the prompting) revealed a potentially deadly, otherwise invisible cancer in Joel.
- Their response combined faith, peace, medical wisdom, and patient obedience, resulting in complete healing and protection from tragedy ([53:53]).
Quote – Joel ([54:44]):
“Ain’t nothing that this doctor is going to tell me going to change what your word says.”
12. Lessons on Obedience, Flexibility, and Confidence ([61:44])
- Following God’s plan may contradict your preferences, but it guarantees success and peace.
- The principle is not exclusive to ministers; every believer is entitled to Spirit-led living and planning.
Quote – Amy ([61:44]):
“This is for all of us. It is the benefit of being a believer, being in covenant with your Father…it is a benefit of being filled with the Spirit of God. You can pray out your future."
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- "She laughs without fear of the future.” (Multiple references: [08:42], [09:01])
- "You can get to your future before your future gets to you." ([12:03])
- "Pray it out and walk it out. Don’t force it—flow." ([30:39])
- “If you’ll go to God’s realm, His realm will come into your realm.” ([27:36])
- “I've already got this…the future has been prayed out.” ([47:40])
- "God's not a part of our life; God IS our life." ([27:15])
- "We want to be led, not just healed." ([55:56])
- "You can touch your future before you get there... and walk through life without fear." ([61:44])
Important Timestamps for Segments
- 00:09–04:45: Spiritual fullness vs. emptiness, testimonies, miracle living
- 06:40–09:29: Proverbs 31, "laughing without fear," introduction of staying ahead theme
- 11:22–15:28: God beyond time, scriptural and modern examples of foreknowledge
- 15:28–23:10: Prayer as clear path; running analogy; practical impact of “praying it out”
- 23:10–28:40: Importance of praying in tongues, sowing to the Spirit, and full-life communion
- 28:40–32:00: Spiritual 'ultrasound,' sensing and preparing for the future in prayer
- 32:00–39:07: Stories of ministry moves, personal guidance, consecration, waiting for God’s clarity
- 44:26–48:20: Praying ahead for others, not missing promptings, supernatural peace
- 50:33–60:52: The health insurance testimony, following Spirit-led promptings for practical protection
- 61:44–62:27: Application for all believers, assurance in God’s guidance, exhortation to live fearlessly
Conclusion & Final Exhortations
- Believers are called not to fear what lies ahead but to embrace a life of preparation, confidence, and fullness by staying connected with God through prayer and sensitivity to the Spirit.
- This lifestyle is available to everyone in covenant with God, not just “the fivefold ministry.”
- Listeners are encouraged to pray out their futures, to make room for miracles and timely guidance, and to experience “laughing without fear of the future.”
Final Call – Joel ([62:27]):
“You ought to know that you’re in the will of God… God will help keep you and I ahead. You can pray ahead of things!”