Podcast Summary: "The Spirit Of Faith, Part One"

Podcast: Dufresne Ministries Podcast
Host: Pastor Nancy Dufresne
Episode Date: May 24, 2019

Overview of Episode Main Theme

This episode, featuring Pastor Nancy Dufresne, explores the importance of developing a "spirit of faith" and understanding the vital relationship between faith and the believer's results in life. Emphasizing the ministry of the local church and the unique role of a pastor, Nancy breaks down how personal involvement in a faith community directly impacts spiritual growth. Using scripture, personal stories, and practical analogies, she urges listeners to purify their faith practices for greater results and transformation.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Division of Divine Responsibility (00:16)

• Faith is our part; power is God’s part.
  Believers are not to focus on "making things happen" (healing, money, victory), but are instead called to release their faith and allow God’s power to do the work.

  “Our part is faith. God's part is power. When our faith is in place and operating as it should, it will always be met by power. Always.” (02:14)

2. The Role of the Local Pastor and Church (03:32)

• The irreplaceable value of face-to-face pastoral ministry.
  As Paul pointed out to the church in Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 3:10), direct contact with the pastoral office is necessary to perfect the faith of believers—something that cannot be fully supplied by letters, TV, or remote resources.

  “Thank God for television… But that will never take the place of you being where a man of God knows you can see your face.” (04:44)

• Importance of being part of a local church family:
  Growth and faith development depend on active participation in a local church and relationship with the specific pastor God has assigned to each person.

  “It's risky for you to try to be a Christian without a pastor. You're going to get into error if you're self-taught.” (06:30)

3. Offense, Maturity, and Staying Planted (08:22)

• Dealing with offense in church life:
  Believers must “grow up” and overlook minor offenses to remain planted where God can perfect their faith.

  “Never become offended with the man of God. Well, he said something that offended me. Well, grow up. Quit being touchy.” (08:31)

4. The Pastor’s Unique Equipment (13:05)

• Pastoral discernment:
  God often prompts pastors supernaturally about the needs in their people’s lives when he sees them 'face to face.'
• Stories illustrate:
  Nancy shares real experiences where God spoke to her about congregants’ needs, but only because they were present (14:08, 16:53).

5. Faith Connects to Where You Place Yourself (18:34)

• Faith increases where you attend:
  Where you show up physically determines your ability to grow in faith.

  "Your faith is connected to where your face goes, your faith. Whether or not if your face is never seen in the local church, you're going to have faith problems because your faith can't get any better than where your face is at.” (19:20)

• Temporal priorities:
  The episode challenges those who “find time for the movie theater” but not church, warning of faith stagnancy in the absence of community.

6. Imperfect Faith in Crisis (21:18)

• Danger of unprepared, undeveloped faith:
  Emergencies will come, and only developed faith will produce results in critical times.

  “Smith Wigglesworth made a statement… many times people wait until it's too late to try to get faith. ... it's like trying to take a swimming lesson while you're drowning.” (22:08)

7. Faith as a Law and Combination to a Safe (24:29)

• Analogy of the safe:
  Faith works by spiritual "laws" and requires the right “combination” to unlock God’s blessings—mixing in doubt, offense, or fear will prevent 'the door' from opening.

  “There are combinations to faith... There are steps and ingredients…” (25:47)

• Personal story:
  Nancy humorously recounts her husband forgetting the safe’s code, paralleling believers who fail to learn the 'laws' of faith (26:12).
• You can’t “fake” faith:
  Pretending to know the right spiritual principles doesn't make them effective.

8. Listening and Retaining the Word (28:30)

• Intentional listening required:
  Without listening to the Word "with the intent of remembering," believers may attend church but still miss spiritual benefit.

  “Be careful what you're hearing...the measure of thought and study you give to the Word...is the measure that will come back to you.” (29:49)

9. What Mixtures Pollute Faith? (31:44)

• Examples of wrong 'inputs':
  Mixing worry, offense, fear, complaining, or emotional living with faith disrupts effectiveness.

  “You can't mix worry with faith and get a faith result. You can't mix fear with faith and get a faith result.” (33:17)

• Consequences of mixture:
  Faulty spiritual outcomes lead some to mistakenly blame God's Word or faith itself.

  “Don’t accuse the safe… The word is the safe, full of all the wealth of Christ that belongs to us.” (36:39)

• Who you associate with matters:
  Surround yourself with people equally hungry for God and faith; association with the carnal or offended will only dilute your faith. (38:00)

10. Invitation to Reset and Walk by Faith (40:37)

• Yearly challenge:
  Nancy invites listeners to "reset" and stop inputting fear or offense into their daily walk.

  “You can reset a keypad if you forget the combination… Some people need to reset, get that fear out they’ve been pushing in all their life.” (41:48)

• Faith declaration:
  Listeners are invited to declare: “I’m growing in faith.” (45:02)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Our job is not power. …Our job is to release our faith and God's power will make the symptoms leave, cause the money to come, and bring victory into manifestation.” (02:30 — Nancy Dufresne)
• “You need a man. …for your development, you need something more than Jesus who is not in front of you physically talking to you.” (05:50 — Nancy Dufresne)
• "Never become offended with the man of God. …Grow up. Quit being touchy.” (08:33 — Nancy Dufresne)
• “If your faith stays at a stage of imperfection, you're not going to get the results that your faith could get if it were developed right.” (23:32 — Nancy Dufresne)
• “There are combinations to faith… There are laws of faith that we have to learn so that when we touch the right combination, the door always opens.” (25:56 — Nancy Dufresne)
• “Faith, faith, worry. …It won’t open.” (34:58 — Nancy Dufresne)
• “You can’t pretend you have it. You can’t pretend you know how to believe God. You need to be sober about it and say, ‘Teach me.’” (27:28 — Nancy Dufresne)
• “For faith to work, faith must be mixed with faith.” (39:45 — Nancy Dufresne)
• “How about this? I’m growing in faith. Say this with me. I’m growing in faith.” (45:02 — Nancy Dufresne)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:16] — Introduction to faith and responsibility
• [03:32] — Importance of pastoral ministry and being connected to a local pastor
• [08:22] — Handling offense in church life
• [13:05] — Examples of spiritual insight in the pastoral office
• [18:34] — Link between physical attendance and faith growth
• [24:29] — The "combination safe" analogy for faith
• [31:44] — What pollutes faith and why results become imperfect
• [40:37] — Challenge to reset and walk by faith, closing encouragement and declaration

Conclusion

Pastor Nancy delivers a clear exhortation: faith is a spiritual law that requires diligence, purity, and right association for best results. The episode powerfully urges listeners to be present, stay planted, mature, and continually examine what they’re mixing into their faith life—offense, doubt, or faith itself. The message balances practical spiritual principles and personal stories, creating both inspiration and tools for forward faith living.