Podcast Summary: The Greater Knowledge of God, Part Three

Podcast: Dufresne Ministries Podcast
Speaker: Morgan Dufresne
Date: November 23, 2020
Venue: World Harvest Church, Murrieta, CA

Episode Overview

This episode, part three of "The Greater Knowledge of God" series, features Morgan Dufresne exploring how Christians can develop a deeper, practical understanding of God. The message highlights the danger of living by emotions rather than the knowledge of God’s Word, illustrating through Scripture and personal stories how a mature faith is marked by steadfastness, especially when external confirmation or “feelings” are absent. The central theme: True victory and unshakable peace come from knowing and acting on God’s Word, not from fleeting emotions, external validation, or supernatural experiences.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Living on the Spectrum: Emotion vs. Knowledge (00:00–09:00)

• Scale of Decision Making:
  Morgan opens by describing a mental "chart" where on one side are anxiety, fear, and worry, and on the other is peace rooted in God’s knowledge.
  • “On one side of this scale is anxiety, fear, worry... What the starting place is, is that we’ve acted out of our emotions, acted out of our feelings... We don’t have knowledge of God’s will and God’s Word.” (01:13)
• Devil’s Tactics:
  She reminds that Satan operates in the realm of feelings and thoughts, seeking to influence Christians where they lack knowledge.

2. Knowing God by His Word, Not by Feelings (06:30–10:05)

• Key Principle:
  “We don’t know God by our feelings. We know God by His Word.” (07:11)
• Revelation over Emotion:
  Real revelation comes from knowledge of God’s Word. Feelings are not reliable; obedience based on revelation produces miracles—illustrated by the centurion’s faith in Jesus (Matt. 8:8).
• The Power of Words:
  • “God’s highest flow is through words. That’s how this world was created, is through words.” (08:25)

3. Case Study: Paul in Acts 27–28 (10:05–26:05)

• The Storm and the Angel’s Message (Acts 27):
  Paul faces a shipwreck and receives divine assurance via an angel. Despite the continuing storm, Paul clings to the knowledge and instruction given by God, maintaining hope and guiding others.
• After the Shipwreck (Acts 28):
  When bitten by a viper, Paul suffers no harm. Morgan stresses that Paul’s calm comes not from continuous supernatural confirmation but from the deep, practical knowledge of God’s promise:
  • “He had knowledge of God’s word... Paul didn’t reach out and go, God, You didn’t tell me.” (18:48)
• Application:
  Even without “a word” in the moment, believers can act securely when rooted in God’s already-revealed Word.

4. The Role of Testing and Obedience (26:05–36:45)

• Example: King Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 32:31):
  There are moments where God “withdraws felt presence” to test whether we’ll stand on His Word alone.
  • “He left Hezekiah... to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart.” (Second Chronicles 32:31)
• Feeling vs. Knowing:
  • “God is expecting us in that moment to not look to Him for a feeling...There are times that God will expect us, He's testing us, to see if we will act on simply the knowledge of who He is through His Word.” (28:20)
• True Fellowship:
  Genuine fellowship with God—and with others—is built on knowledge, not merely good feelings.

5. Practical Applications: Relationships, Choices, and Thought Life (36:45–55:00)

• Human Relationships Parallel Spiritual Walk:
  • “If you’re waiting, husbands and wives, for a feeling, to do something for one another...then you don’t have a good relationship. That’s a false relationship. True relationships, true godly marriages...you don’t have to wait for a feeling.” (44:10)
• Illustrative Stories:
  • Jam Selection Analogy: Just as we choose jam based on known preference, we should make spiritual/life decisions based on the knowledge of God, not merely popular opinion or emotional impulse. (49:00)
  • iPhone Cardboard Example: Her husband’s deliberate, measured decision-making process is likened to the way believers should test and measure choices against God’s Word, not hype or peer pressure. (56:45)

6. Renewing the Mind: Guarding Thought Life from Enemy Influence (55:00–01:05:00)

• Enemy’s Territory:
  The devil seeks opportunity through unguarded minds—especially at bedtime.
  • “If you go to bed thinking destructive, bitter...thoughts, the devil...will fuel the dreams you have.” (59:10)
• Daily Discipline:
  • “This is why it’s so important that the last thing you meditate on is the Word of God. The last thing you hear is God’s words...” (01:00:33)
• Spirit over Emotion:
  • “He wants my emotions today so he can have my relationships tomorrow...He wants my feelings today so he can have my will for tomorrow.” (01:01:10)

7. True Obedience and Maturity (01:05:00–end)

• Obedience Without Feeling:
  • “Obedience when it feels good is not true obedience. And God still can’t trust us.” (01:08:26)
• Quote from Book on Raising Children:
  • “He will test us to see how we respond to His will when inspiration is gone...Such moments are difficult but vital as they determine how much of the glory we are able to carry.” (01:09:03)
  • “By giving Him thanksgiving and praise when things are difficult, we develop the faith muscle that enables us to live and see beyond our immediate emotional state.” (01:09:55)
• Final Challenge:
  Examining ourselves: What are we meditating on? Are our decisions and relationships being dictated by emotion or the knowledge of God’s Word?
• Renewed Mind = Undevourable Life:
  • “He can only devour carnal minds. He cannot devour transformed and renewed minds. Simple as that.” (01:14:00)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the nature of revelation:
  “We don’t know God by our feelings. We know God by His Word.” — Morgan Dufresne, (07:11)
• During Paul’s shipwreck:
  “God has a plan in the midst of the storm. And Paul decides to agree and lay hold of that plan and not let go, even when the storm continues.” (15:55)
• On relationships:
  “If you’re waiting…for a feeling to do something for one another…then you don’t have a good relationship. True relationships…you don’t have to wait for a feeling.” (44:10)
• On renewing the mind:
  “The devil…can only devour carnal minds. He cannot devour transformed and renewed minds. Simple as that.” (01:14:00)

Key Timestamps

• [00:00–09:00] — Scale of emotion vs. knowledge; introduction
• [10:05–26:05] — Paul in Acts, shipwreck, viper, and divine protection
• [26:05–36:45] — Hezekiah’s test and knowing God without “felt” presence
• [36:45–55:00] — Practical applications: relationships and decision-making
• [55:00–01:05:00] — Enemy’s strategy in the thought life; bedtime discipline
• [01:05:00–end] — True obedience, discipline, and summary challenge

Conclusion: Final Takeaway

Morgan Dufresne challenges believers to graduate from a faith based on emotional experience to one grounded in the deliberate knowledge of God’s Word. This renewed mind—steadied by daily meditation on Scripture—creates a life that cannot be devoured by the enemy. True obedience is measured not in emotional highs, but in steadfast, faithful response to God’s revealed will, regardless of circumstances or feelings.

“Every day is a choice…We know Him not by feeling; we know Him by what He has already said to us.” (01:18:00)