Podcast Summary: Dufresne Ministries Podcast
Episode: The Power Is in the Finish | Nancy Dufresne | World Harvest Bible Training Center Commencement Message
Date: May 20, 2019

Episode Overview

In this stirring commencement address at World Harvest Bible Training Center, Pastor Nancy Dufresne delivers a powerful, faith-filled message on the importance of not only starting well, but finishing the course God has set for each life. The central thesis: “The power is in the finish,” explores how a life of faith is defined by steadfastness, divine purpose, and living with the end in mind. Drawing from the example of Jesus, the Apostle Paul, and other biblical figures, Nancy Dufresne challenges listeners to pursue and complete God’s plan, rejecting distraction, quitting, and self-centered ambition.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Divine Importance of Finishing

• Starting Isn’t Enough: Jesus, though born with a divine purpose, still had to walk out God’s plan and finish His assignment on the cross. Likewise, having a divine call is only the beginning; it is in the faithful completion that the true power lies.

  • “A divine start does not ensure a divine finish. … You have to take divinely led steps to reach a divine finish.” (Nancy Dufresne, 02:30)

• Scriptural Foundation (John 4:34): Jesus declares, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.”

  • Pastor Nancy emphasizes: “If God's not pleased, your life will not be pleasing. ... Nothing will satisfy or please you if there's the absence of God's pleasure over our lives.” (04:25)

• It’s About Pleasing God: Life’s fulfillment is inseparable from God’s pleasure and plan. Pursuing your own ambitions, no matter how successful in the world’s eyes, leads to dissatisfaction.

Living (and Finishing) With the End in Mind

• Jesus’ Example (“It is finished”): Jesus fulfilled ancient prophecies, completed His assignment, and ensured the redemption of mankind—because He finished.

  • “Everything rested on his finish. If Jesus hadn’t finished … our life would be different today.” (06:45)

• Our Choices Impact Others: The way you pursue and finish your course doesn’t affect you alone, but your children, future generations, and anyone connected to you.

Paul’s Model of Readiness and Perseverance

• 2 Timothy 4:6-7: Paul’s declaration—“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”

  • Nancy expands: “He lived ready. He didn’t just get ready at the end. He lived ready for every season.” (10:15)

• Acts 20:22-24: Paul insists “None of these things move me…”—exemplifying pre-decided commitment.

  • “It's not what comes against you, it's what you choose in the face of what comes against you.” (12:45)
  • “He was interested in one thing and that was the finish.” (15:10)

• Live Every Day for the Finish: Making choices in the moment (by feeling, pride, or ambition) detours us from God’s plan. Instead, live today determined to finish well.

Stories of Endurance and the Influence of Faithful Voices

• Ed Dufresne’s Testimony: Ed’s life, from challenged beginnings, was rewritten by choices made with the finish in mind—affecting both his life and future generations.

  • “He rewrote the story of his life ... because he decided, I don’t want the end of my life to look like what I’m seeing around my life.” (18:10)

• The Importance of Correcting Voices:

  • Nancy recalls Dr. Lester Sumrall’s message to Ed Dufresne: “I did not quit.”
  • “You better recognize who those voices are. … If you get offended with those people, your finish is uncertain.” (22:00)
  • Finishing well requires faces, mentors, and pastors who’ll challenge and correct us—those invested in our “finish.”

Dangers of Veering Off God’s Plan

• Quitting is Choosing Self Over God:

  • “To veer from the plan of God in our lives is to quit. To choose your plan is the choice of a quitter. ... You cannot reach the end choosing your own plan.” (26:45)
  • “It's not over. It's not too late. You can make a new choice.” (27:45)

• The Crowd vs. the Finish—John 6:66:

  • Many followers left Jesus when He spoke about their “finish”; they were offended when they didn’t get what they wanted in the short term.
  • “They dismissed themselves from hearing how to finish.” (29:45)
  • “‘If we ever leave his plan, the old life that he delivered us from is the only thing left available to us.’” (31:45)

The Cost and Reward of God’s Plan

• Love, Fight, Prepare, and Fund the Plan:

  • “Find out God's plan for your life. It's your privilege to do that. … Love it. You only fulfill what you love.” (34:10)
  • You must be prepared to make sacrifices—financial and otherwise—for the plan you love.

• Don’t Settle Out of Impatience:

  • Requires patience to see God’s plan develop—otherwise you risk settling for second best, as with jobs and relationships.
  • “Those who think about what they want today end up marrying wrong. … Taking jobs for more money… because they’re not thinking about the finish.” (37:10)

Quotes on the Will of God (Notable Segment: 39:00–41:15)

• Dr. Ed Dufresne: “You following God’s plan for your life will affect your whole family.”
• Dad Hagin: “When a test and trial comes, God can undertake for those who are in the perfect will of God.”
• Brother Copeland: “The plan of God is your wealthy place.”
• Norvel Hayes: “If you don't do what God wants you to do, you won't ever amount to anything. … What amounts is your finish.”
• Keith Moore: “One of the most fatiguing things you'll ever do is something you're not supposed to. It'll wear out your finances, your marriage, your love walk, your faith.”
  “Unwilling people won’t hear God’s plan for their life. A hearing ear is a willing heart.”
• Richard Roberts: “If you're not dead, God must not be finished with you. … One right choice will undo all the wrong choices.”

Final Challenges and Commission

• Bob Moorhead’s Declaration:

  • “I am a part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Ghost power. … My face is set, my gate is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my companions are few, my guide reliable, and my mission is clear. … I will not give up, shut up, let up until… the cause of Christ.” (41:20)

• Summary Call to Action:

  • “Live your life from the back to the beginning. … Choose what your end will look like. And then all your days must come in line with the end you chose.” (41:45)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “The power is in the finish.”

  • Nancy Dufresne, 07:50

• “If God's not pleased, your life will not be pleasing…Nothing will satisfy or please you if there's the absence of God's pleasure over our lives.”

  • 04:25

• “He lived ready. ... He lived ready for every season. The reason he could be ready at the end is because he lived ready all the time.”

  • 10:15

• “It's not what comes against you, it's what you choose in the face of what comes against you.”

  • 12:45

• “To choose your plan is the choice of a quitter. ... The only thing that will cause a man's life to be great is the plan of God, not our own plan.”

  • 26:50

• “They dismissed themselves from hearing how to finish.”

  • 29:45

• “If you decide that your plan is more important than his, your children will suffer for it.”

  • 36:20

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [00:17–06:45] — Jesus’ example and the power in finishing.
• [06:45–13:15] — Paul’s testimony and daily readiness.
• [13:15–18:10] — The necessity of pre-deciding to finish and withstand opposition.
• [18:10–22:00] — Ed Dufresne’s story and the impact of finishing for future generations.
• [22:00–27:45] — The influence of voices that keep you from quitting.
• [27:45–34:10] — Veering from God’s plan, the danger of quitting, the example of the multitudes.
• [34:10–37:10] — Themes of loving, fighting for, and preparing for God’s plan.
• [37:10–39:00] — The necessity of patience and the perils of settling.
• [39:00–41:15] — Wisdom and faith quotes from ministry leaders.
• [41:15–end] — Declaration, final charge, and commissioning prayer.

Concluding Message

Pastor Nancy finishes with a prayer and a recommitment:
“We choose the end you authored for us. … We'll pay whatever it costs to fulfill the fullness of your plan. … We will live today with our end in mind.”

Summary:
This episode delivers a clarion call to resist the temptation to quit, to live every day with the finish in mind, and to let every present decision be shaped by God’s calling and pleasure. Rather than being another “start strong” message, Nancy Dufresne centers her charge on the faithful, daily, sometimes hard choices required to finish the work—and the life—God set before us. Whether you’re beginning ministry, in a new season, or simply striving for faithfulness, this is a message of enduring obedience, legacy, and living for eternity’s reward.