Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: Dufresne Ministries Podcast
Episode: The Work Of Believing | Nancy Dufresne | Ladies Conference '19 | World Harvest Church | Murrieta, CA
Date: October 4, 2019
Speaker: Pastor Nancy Dufresne, with Ed and Debbie Dufresne
Main Theme: Understanding and practicing the “work of believing” as the key to experiencing God’s miraculous power in everyday life.

Overview

This episode, recorded during the 2019 Ladies Conference at World Harvest Church, centers on what Pastor Nancy Dufresne calls “the work of believing”—the biblical principle that the manifestation of miracles is deeply connected to faith, personal cooperation, and spiritual skillfulness. Pastor Nancy, with Ed and Debbie Dufresne, unpacks scriptural examples (from Moses to Blind Bartimaeus to Jesus’ miracles) illustrating that God’s miracles follow those who actively engage in faith, right believing, and right speaking rather than passive waiting.

Key topics include:

• God’s readiness to perform miracles and the believer’s responsibility to “turn aside and see,” like Moses.
• The distinction between mental assent and genuine, heart-based faith.
• The practice of meditating on the Word, right confession, and Spirit-led action as the “work” that brings miracles.
• The importance of learning spiritual skill, responding to God’s leading, and expecting the supernatural.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Miracles: Always Available, But Not Automatic

• God is always ready to work miracles. However, believers must actively “turn aside” from the ordinary—as Moses did at the burning bush—to engage with God and recognize His movements.

  • Quote: “Every day, miracles are coming to you or going past you. What determines whether they stop with you or go past you? Whether or not you turn aside to see.” (Debbie Dufresne, 06:25)

• Faith draws in the miraculous. Using examples like Blind Bartimaeus, the speakers stress that “God goes where faith puts Him.” (Ed Dufresne, 08:28) Bartimaeus’ persistent calling brought Jesus (and the miracle) to a stop.

2. The “Work” of Believing—What Does it Mean?

• Jesus identified believing as a work. Referencing John 6:28-29, Jesus was asked, “What must we do to do the works of God?” and replied, “This is the work of God, that you believe.” Believing is active, not passive.

  • Quote: “He calls it a work, not play. It is work.” (Debbie Dufresne, 21:43)
  • Insight: In a corporate anointing, believing feels easy; in personal battles, holding to that believing is “the work.”

• But it's not hard work—unless we’re empty.

  • Quote: “It’s not hard unless you’re empty.” (Debbie Dufresne, 28:08)

3. The Practical Process of Believing: Joshua 1:8 Blueprint

• The process has three main elements:
  1. The Word in your mouth (confession): Constantly speak what God says.
     • “The work of believing begins in your mouth… People will say, you’re talking about works. You’re exactly right—I am.” (Debbie Dufresne, 31:32)
  2. The Word in your thoughts (meditation): Meditate on Scripture day and night. Meditation anchors your mind, moving truth from head-knowledge to heart-faith and ensuring consistency.
     • “Meditation does for you what speaking won’t do for you. Meditation is going to deal with your thought life.” (Ed Dufresne, 36:02)
  3. Spirit-led action (doing): Only then act on the Word or prompting of the Spirit—not randomly, but as directed.
     • “You don’t fire [the musket] until it’s loaded and packed. The word in your mouth is loading the gun. The rod is the meditation… Now, when the spirit says ‘now’... then you fire.” (Debbie Dufresne, 49:07)

4. Heart Over Routine: Importance of Attitude and Attention

• How you approach God matters as much as that you approach Him. A spiritual, hungry attitude draws the supernatural.
  • “It matters how we attend—how we come. Hungry, believing, reaching—not bored, disinterested, or thinking of something else.” (Debbie Dufresne, 15:09)

5. The Miracle of Skillfulness: Gaining Spiritual Proficiency

• Miracles flow in proportion to our skill in working with God.

  • Example: Story of Richard Sigmund’s vision of angels with body parts, waiting for believers to respond in faith (12:56-13:54).

• Corporate Skill: Practicing faith personally prepares the body to flow powerfully together corporately.

  • “God gives you your personal life to practice on so that when we come together, we are already in the habit of saying the right thing, thinking the right thing, and acting in line with the right thing.” (Debbie Dufresne, 48:27)

6. “Power Meets Movement”—The Testimony of God’s Provision

• Personal story: Ed and Debbie’s testimony of received property: God told them a house was theirs when all circumstances looked impossible, but they responded by acting, meeting the owner, and saw God’s supernatural orchestration unfold.
  • “Power meets movement. If we would have sat and waited for money to show up…” (Ed Dufresne, 103:51)
  • “Just because you can’t see it on the front side doesn’t mean the supply isn’t complete on the backside.” (Ed Dufresne, 104:52)

7. The Prophetic and the Supernatural: Visions and Utterances

• Vision of creative miracles: Pastor Nancy recounts a dream where she saw a man’s amputated legs growing back, highlighting that we need to “see” in the spirit before it manifests.

  • “You don’t have faith to move with something until you see it in your spirit. …God will show us things no man can show us, that maybe we haven’t seen.” (Debbie Dufresne, 59:59)

• Call to spiritual seeing: The church is urged to make time for spiritual vision—“It’s time to see in the spirit realm… because they must be seen before people will believe for God to work them.” (Ed Dufresne, 61:34)

• Prophetic encouragement: Mark this night! “Tonight marks a turning point… a marked time… when new things came to life in me.” (Guest Speaker, 94:34)

8. Encouragement to Ministers and Intercessory Prayer

• Personal words of encouragement, prayer, and impartation for ministers and leaders—emphasizing that prayer and the “work of believing” bring new levels of anointing, skill, and creative miracles into manifestation.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• The importance of faith positioning
  “God goes where faith puts Him.” (Ed Dufresne, 03:33 and 08:28)

• On miracles passing by
  “Every day miracles are coming to you or going past you… what determines whether they stop with you or go past you? Whether or not you turn aside to see.” (Debbie Dufresne, 06:25)

• On skill in the miraculous
  “It will flow to the degree of our skill.” (Ed Dufresne, 79:14)

• On personal responsibility
  “We determine the outcome. Circumstances can come, but the outcome of those circumstances rests with us.” (Ed Dufresne, 26:32)

• Faith is not drama
  “Faith people have no room for drama. No room.” (Ed Dufresne, 26:13)

• The “workday” illustration
  “There’s an order to the work... when you know what’s expected, it’s a joy to work. This is the work of believing: we know what’s expected of us.” (Debbie Dufresne, 41:08)

• On moving with the Spirit
  “Don’t just keep doing things like they have been done, but be open to what the Spirit says, how He directs.” (Debbie Dufresne, 72:28)

• On marking transformational moments
  “Tonight marks a turning point. …Today’s the day. This is the hour. Oh, a marked time. …Be sure, be certain and do not forget.” (Guest Speaker, 94:34)

• On God’s provision
  “Power meets movement… what God says to us is never a money issue. It’s always a faith issue.” (Debbie Dufresne, 105:17)

Important Timestamps

• On “time for miracles” and faith’s role – 03:39–06:30
• Blind Bartimaeus: Faith arrests the miracle – 07:04–08:47
• Miracles as supernatural, not always spectacular – 09:11–09:36
• Joshua 1:8—Blueprint of believing – 28:33–49:07
• The “musket” illustration (confession/meditation/doing) – 48:53–50:26
• Vision: Legs growing out (creative miracle) – 54:47–59:32
• Prophetic encouragements and impartations to ministers – 63:14–81:25
• “Power meets movement” property testimony – 101:26–105:49
• Closing charge to the congregation: “Mark this night as a turning point” – 94:34–110:19

Flow and Tone

The tone throughout is passionate, practical, and deeply encouraging. Pastor Nancy and Ed Dufresne engage with the audience in warm, direct, and personal language, continuously returning to the central truth: Faith is not just a belief but a lifestyle, an active, disciplined, and Spirit-led stance that positions believers to experience God’s miracle-working power.

Summary

“The Work of Believing” episode is a profound call to believers to stop passively waiting for miracles and to start skillfully cooperating with God: through devotion to His Word (speaking and meditating), persistent faith, spiritual hunger, Spirit-led action, and being ready to “see” in the spirit before the natural manifestation. Miracles are available every day, but they come to those who recognize, respond, and move with God.

Memorable takeaway:

“Power meets movement. …What God says to us is never a money issue. It’s always, always a faith issue. It’s always an acting issue.” (Debbie Dufresne, 105:17)

Listener Application:
Keep God’s word in your mouth; meditate on it constantly; be Spirit-led in your actions—and be ready to see and move, for it’s time for miracles.