Podcast Summary: The Seven Companions of Faith, Part Six | Nancy Dufresne | Jesus the Healer Broadcast

Podcast: Dufresne Ministries Podcast
Host: Nancy Dufresne
Date: April 2, 2020

Main Theme & Purpose

In this episode, Pastor Nancy Dufresne continues teaching from 2 Peter 1:5-7, focusing on the concept of “temperance” (self-control) as a crucial companion to faith. She explains how temperance must be deliberately added to our faith for it to operate effectively. Nancy discusses practical ways to apply temperance to different areas of life—including our bodies, mouths, and minds—and highlights the spiritual and everyday impact of living a balanced, controlled life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Foundational Text: 2 Peter 1:5-7 (00:19–01:00)

• Nancy recaps the “companions of faith” listed by Peter: virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity.
• Emphasizes:

  “Faith is no substitute for moral excellence.” (00:38)
  “We have to add temperance. Temperance means we stay balanced, we stay in the middle of the road.” (01:00)

2. Understanding Temperance (Self-Control & Balance) (01:10–07:00)

• Everyone has natural tendencies and weaknesses that must be kept in check by the Word and the Spirit.

• Illustrative story: Deneen’s enthusiasm pulls others out of “the ditch” of disinterest, but personal balance must be restored.

• Analogy from childhood: Getting stuck in ditches on the farm required action from the opposite “ditch” to restore balance. Sometimes, God puts extra enthusiasm in one person to compensate for another’s lack—this, too, is balance.

  “You can’t live in the ditch all the time. You’re going to have to bring your life to the middle of the road.” (06:55)

3. Application of Temperance to the Body (07:10–13:12)

• Referencing Paul:

  “I keep under my body… Lest after I have preached to others, I myself should be set aside as unusable.” (08:20)

• Just because you can “preach faith” or “know faith” doesn’t mean you’re living it—restraint and discipline are ongoing, regardless of spiritual status.

• Faith cannot substitute for a lack of self-control.

• Parents help children control their bodies, but adults must take personal responsibility—with the help of the Holy Spirit and the Word.

  “If you let your body run off with your life, it will ruin your life.” (09:50) “You don’t do it by willpower. You do it by the Word… You have the help of the Holy Ghost.” (10:48)

• Paul kept his body “under the dominion of his spirit.”

• Romans 8:13: Mortify the deeds of the body “through the Spirit,” i.e., with divine help and not just willpower.

4. Power of Praying in the Spirit (11:20–13:12)

• Praying in tongues fortifies the spirit so it can rule over the body.

• Story: Ed Dufresne’s co-worker prayed in tongues to keep from reacting harshly.

  “When your body wants to do wrong, take off praying in the Holy Ghost.” (12:48) “Don’t try to break bad habits just by willpower. Pray in the Spirit every day.” (13:01)

5. Temperance in Speech—the “Mouth” (13:13–22:55)

• “Your mouth is part of your body, but let’s treat it as separate.”

• Our faith is undermined by careless words, not just faithless prayers.

• Jesus at Lazarus’s tomb: God hears what we say privately and publicly, not only in faith prayers.

  “God doesn’t just hear you when you’re praying; He hears you when you’re talking to others… Your faith heard it too.” (16:41)

• Illustration: Before entering into strife, “Do you have enough money to fund that fight?”—strife is costly.

• Holy Spirit will “scratch you” inside when about to say something wrong, but you must yield to His restraint.

• Powerful testimony: Kenneth Hagin’s prophetic warning about men dying prematurely because of how they treated their wives—demonstrates the tangible spiritual consequences of unrestrained speech.

  “When we have no restraint on our mouths, it puts us on the devil’s territory.” (22:45) “The more you want faith that pleases God, the more you watch what comes out of your mouth.” (22:52)

• Proverbs 13:3: “He that keeps his mouth keeps his life… He that opens wide his lips shall have destruction.”

• Proverbs 30:32 (Amplified): If you’ve thought evil, “lay your hand upon your mouth.”

  “Words are a force… There’s a penalty with speaking words.” (21:50)

6. Temperance in the Mind—Disciplining Thought Life (22:56–32:00)

• You are responsible for controlling your thought life,

  “God is not going to discipline your thought life for you. He gives you the Word so that you can.” (23:10)

• Example: A church member’s fear of a break-in becomes reality not because of warning, but from feeding wrong thoughts—fear opened the door for the enemy.

  “What you feared came on you because you wouldn’t control it… All the devil needs is wrong words. Your wrong words give him permission.” (27:00)

• Worry, offense, bitterness, and unforgiveness are signs of uncontrolled thought life.

• Feelings follow thoughts—not vice versa. You must “take charge of your feelings.”

  “Forgiveness is a renewed mind. Unforgiveness is an unrenewed, uncontrolled thought life.” (29:58)

7. Maturity & Character: James 3:2 (Amplified) (30:05–30:55)

• “If anyone does not offend in speech, never says the wrong thing, he is a mature man—able to control his whole body and curb his entire nature.” (30:50)

• Control thoughts → control speech → control actions.

8. Temperance, Faith, and the Body: Caring for Health (32:01–34:56)

• Treating the body wrongly (lack of rest, poor stewardship) can prevent faith from working.

• Ed Dufresne’s healing from cancer only came after he corrected disobedience and lack of rest—the answer was not “more faith,” but temperance and obedience.

  “Faith for healing won’t work when you refuse to correct what you’re doing wrong… You have to be tempered in that for your faith to work.” (34:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Temperance means we stay balanced, we stay in the middle of the road.” (01:00)
• “If you let your body run off with your life, it will ruin your life.” (09:50)
• “Don’t try to break bad habits just by willpower. Pray in the Spirit every day.” (13:01)
• “The more you want faith that pleases God, the more you watch what comes out of your mouth.” (22:52)
• “Words are a force… There’s a penalty with speaking words that isn’t with just a thought.” (21:50)
• “God is not going to discipline your thought life for you. He gives you the Word so that you can.” (23:10)
• “Forgiveness is a renewed mind. Unforgiveness is an unrenewed, uncontrolled thought life.” (29:58)
• “Faith for healing won’t work when you refuse to correct what you’re doing wrong.” (34:20)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:19–01:00 — Foundational text: Review of Seven Companions of Faith
• 01:10–07:00 — Understanding and illustrating temperance
• 07:10–13:12 — Temperance applied to the body; discipline; praying in the Spirit
• 13:13–22:55 — Speech and faith; importance of self-control with words
• 22:56–32:00 — Temperance in thoughts; controlling the mind and emotions
• 32:01–34:56 — Temperance and physical health; story about Ed Dufresne’s healing
• 34:56–End — Wrap-up; call to action

Conclusion

Nancy Dufresne’s teaching reveals that temperance—balanced, Spirit-empowered self-control—is essential for faith’s effectiveness. True temperance is lived out in all spheres: our bodies, our mouths, and our minds. Far beyond mere willpower, a victorious Christian life “adds” temperance to faith through daily yielding to the Holy Spirit, aligning thoughts and words with God’s Word, and responsibly stewarding the physical body. Without temperance, faith is undermined; with it, God’s promises can operate fully in every area of a believer’s life.