Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: Dufresne Ministries Podcast
Episode: Victory for the Mind & Body, Part One | Nancy Dufresne | Jesus the Healer Broadcast
Date: October 17, 2019
Host/Speaker: Pastor Nancy Dufresne

Main Theme:
This episode, led by Pastor Nancy Dufresne, centers on the biblical principles for achieving victory in both the mind and body. Drawing from Romans 12:1-2, she teaches about the need for believers to actively renew their minds and present their bodies as instruments of righteousness, emphasizing personal responsibility in walking out the Christian life of peace, health, and victory.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Threefold Nature of Humanity

• Humans are a spirit, possess a soul (mind, will, emotions), and live in a body.
• Our born-again spirit is the part most like God and is designed to lead our lives, not the mind or body.

  "We are a spirit. We have a soul. Our soul is made up of our mind, our will and our emotions. But we live in a body. We are not a body. We are a spirit that lives in a body and we possess a soul." (03:08)

2. The New Birth: What Changes?

• Upon salvation, God gives believers a brand new spirit (“a new heart/spirit” – Ezekiel 36:26) filled with His life.
• The mind and the body remain unchanged, thus the believer must take responsibility to align them with the new spirit.

3. The Mind as the Deciding Factor

• The mind acts as a variable: if renewed by the Word, it sides with the spirit; if not, it aligns with the body.
• The “two against one” principle: whichever side (spirit or body) the mind joins becomes dominant.

  "If the mind is renewed and sides in with the spirit, you got two against one, you win. If the mind sides in with the body, you got two against one. Your spirit loses." (20:40)

4. Responsibility of the Believer

• God changed your spirit; you must do something with your mind and body (Romans 12:1-2).
• Relying on God to change your body/mind for you is not biblical—each person must act on the Word.

5. Presenting Your Body to God

• Before salvation, people presented their bodies to sin and unrighteousness.
• Now, believers are to present their bodies "a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God."
• Your actions and what you allow your body to participate in defines your spiritual trajectory and physical wellbeing.

6. The Power of Habits and Yielding

• Both the mind and body are capable of forming habits—good or bad.
• You can break old habits and form new, righteous ones by conscious yielding and speaking to your flesh.

  “When the desire or the fleshly pull to do a bad habit comes, talk to it. Just like what I said. I’m not doing that anymore. Talk to it.” (33:45)

7. Authority Over Sin and the Body

• Believers are not under sin’s dominion anymore (Romans 6:13-14).
• Sin and righteousness both require your participation; nothing is forced.

  “Sin can't make you involve yourself. You have to yield to it. But righteousness can't make you involve yourself in righteousness. You have to yield to it. Your life is an expression of what you've yielded to.” (37:02)

8. Practical Application: Speaking to Your Body and Mind

• Confront temptations, habits, and negative impulses by declaring aloud your intent not to yield.
• Replace yielding to sin with actively yielding to God through worship, prayer, reading the Word, and spiritual practices.

9. Grace Empowers Righteous Living

• Grace is not a license to sin, but God’s empowerment to live righteously.
• Willpower alone is insufficient; grace enables you to overcome habits, sin, and wrong thinking.

10. Clean Living & Mental Peace

• An unclean lifestyle (not just overt sin but also bitterness, unforgiveness, offense) disrupts mental peace.
• True mental health and peace come from living righteously and responding to the Spirit.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the necessity of a renewed mind:

  "Notice he didn't say you're transformed by being born again. He said your life is transformed when your mind is renewed." (01:50)

• On the “two against one” principle:

  "If the mind is renewed and sides in with the spirit, you got two against one, you win. If the mind sides in with the body, you got two against one. Your spirit loses." (20:40)

• On personal responsibility:

  "Your pastor cannot do something with your body and your mind. All your pastor can do is teach you what to do with your body and your mind." (15:45)

• On breaking bad habits:

  "When the desire or the fleshly pull...comes, talk to it. Just like what I said. I'm not doing that anymore. Talk to it." (33:45)

• On yielding to righteousness vs. sin:

  "Sin can't make you involve yourself. You have to yield to it...Your life is an expression of what you've yielded to." (37:02)

• On grace and dominion:

  "You don't live right by willpower. You have the grace of God backing you up...It's to help you live right, not to give you permission to do anything you want." (43:10)

• On speaking to the body:

  "If you're going to walk free in your body, you have to talk to your body. You have to talk to things that try to affect your body." (48:25)

Key Timestamps

• 00:00-02:05 — Introduction and opening scripture (Romans 12:1-2)
• 03:08-07:45 — Human nature explained: spirit, soul, body; New birth
• 08:00-13:00 — God changes the spirit, but not body or mind; Our responsibility
• 13:10-20:40 — Detailed breakdown of Romans 12, the vital role of the renewed mind
• 20:40-24:50 — The “two against one” analogy; mind’s pivotal role
• 24:50-31:00 — Our responsibility: acting on God’s instructions for body and mind
• 31:00-37:02 — Forming habits; overcoming flesh by talking to it
• 37:02-43:10 — Romans 6:13-14; Yielding to righteousness vs. sin; role of grace
• 43:10-48:25 — Clean living, mental health, practical steps for walking in victory

Takeaways

• Victory in the Christian life involves active participation: renewing the mind and presenting the body to God.
• Believers are empowered by the new spirit and God’s grace, not left helpless to habits or sin.
• Spiritual success and peace are directly tied to how you yield—daily—to the spirit or the flesh, and this process starts with understanding, personal choice, and practical application.