Podcast Summary

Dufresne Ministries Podcast

Episode: What's Your Attention On? | Nancy Dufresne | Fresno, CA | JTH Crusades 2024 | Wednesday PM
Date: April 1, 2024
Speaker: Pastor Nancy Dufresne
Location: Fresno, CA

Episode Overview

In this powerful teaching, Pastor Nancy Dufresne focuses on the pivotal topic of "attention"—specifically, what believers choose to focus on in their daily lives and in moments of adversity. Drawing from personal stories, Scripture, and memorable illustrations, she teaches that shifting your attention from passing facts to enduring biblical truth is a core skill of faith. The episode is filled with practical advice for Christians on how to handle negative emotions, challenging circumstances, and the discipline required to walk consistently in victory.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Taking Hold of What God Offers

• Opening Tone: Pastor Nancy sets a hungry, expectant atmosphere, encouraging listeners to receive all God has for them.

  "I'm not gonna leave any of it on the table. I'm gonna take mine, and if you don't want yours, I'll just reach across." (00:18)

2. Faith: Acting on the Truth, Not Just the Facts

• Definition of Faith:

  "Faith is acting like the word is true." (01:22)

• Distinguishing Truth and Facts: Truth (the Word) is eternal and unchanging, while facts are temporary and changeable. Facing difficult circumstances (facts) is not a denial of reality, but our response must be shaped by truth.

  “Truth trumps facts. Truth changes facts.” (02:07)

3. Handling Negative Reports & Emotions

• The Example of Jesus: Pastor Nancy describes how Jesus addressed people as if the Word was already accomplished, even in the face of death.

  “He never treated a dead person like they were dead... He spoke to dead things as though they were living.” (04:29)

• Responding to Facts: Acknowledge facts, but always follow up with the truth. For instance, it’s not doubt to state facts; it only becomes doubt when facts dominate your attention and expectation.

  "It's not acting like there's not a problem. Faith calls those things which be not as though they were. It doesn't call those things that be as though they're not." (03:08)

4. Shifting and Training Your Attention

• Skill of Faith:

  "Little faith, much facts; much faith, little facts.” (10:07)

• Faithful people develop the skill of shifting their attention from natural circumstances (facts) to supernatural truth.

  “You’re always going to have facts show up against your life... but you can choose which gets your attention.” (11:50)

• Difficult events (like her husband’s early death) were facts, but she purposely gave them little attention compared to the truth.

  "Facts can put you somewhere, but truth has raised you somewhere." (12:57)

5. Discipline and Emotional Consistency

• Controlling Emotions: Using a personal childhood example, Nancy describes how she learned the importance of not letting emotions dictate her actions or attention.

  "My mother taught us that emotions are the wrong direction. She didn't like drama." (13:03)

• Consistency in character comes from anchoring attention to unchanging truth, not fluctuating circumstances.

  "Are circumstances steady? No. But we're above them... because our attention is anchored on truth, not facts." (14:39)

6. Applyingthe Word Before Engaging the Problem

• Go to the Word First:

  "Go first to the Word. Bring the truth to the fact. If you go first to the fact, you might have a long recovery road." (16:55)

• Delaying the Truth Delays Victory:

  "The delay of applying the truth is delay of victory. Because there's no victory until the truth is applied." (17:22)

7. Money, Health, and Life Concerns

• What You Dwell On Matters:

  "The less I think about money, the easier it comes. The less I think about facts, the easier truth flows." (18:09)

• Manifestation Follows Attention: What you fixate on most is what you empower in your life.

8. Acknowledgement Directs Your Life

• Proverbs 3:5 Reference:

  "What you're acknowledging will be your boss, because what you're acknowledging is what's directing you." (21:45)

• If you acknowledge God (and His Word), you invite Him into the facts you face. If you acknowledge only the facts, you invite their influence.

9. The Thought Life: Replacing, Not Just Erasing

• Replace Wrong Thoughts:

  “It's not my job to get rid of thoughts. It's my job to replace them.” (27:44)

• Pour in the Word—Scripture is the cleansing agent for harmful or negative thinking.

  "Pour in the Word and the Word cleans it out." (28:41)

• Talking Out Hurts Reinforces Them:

  "When people say, well, I've got to let it out, you're really letting it in... because whatever your attention is on is what's going in." (29:47)

10. Skillful Use of Attention in Everyday and Critical Moments

• Everyday Practice:

  "You better know exactly, exactly what to do with your attention." (44:30)

• Example of Taking Offense: Describes a personal situation where she took offense and God corrected her—she wasn't authorized to be offended, but rather expected to walk in love and not let people’s words grab her attention.

  "To get offended, you have to leave God's words and go to someone else's words." (43:39)

11. Abraham's Example (Romans 4)

• The miracle for Abraham came because he "considered not" the facts but kept his attention on God's promise.

  "His attention was on truth and not facts... Being not weak in faith, he considered not his body now dead." (52:40, referencing Romans 4:19)

12. Maintaining Truth Over Facts

• Daily Application:

  "You lay the truth on there and then you hold it there. Every day you reinforce where that truth is laying." (72:15)

13. Jesus' Example with Jairus’ Daughter

• Jesus never called the girl dead; he put his attention on her living, teaching us to consider how we label our circumstances.

  "When Jesus walked into that room, he did not—he said, 'She sleeps.' He wouldn’t call it dead." (66:45)

14. Stories to Illustrate the Principle

• Movie Analogy:

  "Everything the devil shows you—pretend. He's acting as though he's master. He's not." (68:47)

• Testimony of Healing: Phil and Fern Halverson refused to accept a devastating medical fact as truth and saw a miraculous recovery.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Faith:

  "Faith is acting like the word is true." — Nancy Dufresne (01:22)

• On Facts vs. Truth:

  "Facts can put you somewhere, but truth has raised you somewhere. So whichever one you choose to allow to be larger in your attention." (12:57)

• On Discipline:

  "You're in control of your mind... your mind is your mind. And if you've given it over to wrong thinking, take it back." (25:08)

• On Living Above Circumstances:

  “Are conditions steady? No. But we're above them. Why? Because our attention is anchored on truth, not facts.” (14:39)

• On Applying the Word:

  "Truth trumps facts every time. So it's not even worth putting your attention on something so changeable as facts." (25:40)

• Practical Action:

  "Whatever your attention is on is what you're holding to. You can't hold facts and truth at the same time." (27:15)

• On Worry/Prayer:

  "Well, I'm just praying about it. No, you're worrying about it. Don't try to lay religious terminology on your worry to pass it off as permissible." (58:10)

Important Timestamps

• Faith is acting like the Word is true: 01:22, 04:29, 52:40
• Difference between truth and facts: 01:44 – 03:08
• Skill of shifting attention: 10:07 – 12:57
• Dealing with emotions and discipline: 13:03 – 14:39, 43:39
• Applying the Word first: 16:55 – 17:22
• Pouring in the right thoughts (not just removing the wrong ones): 27:44 – 29:47
• Testimony—letting go of facts after personal loss: 25:40 – 27:15
• Romans 4 and Abraham’s Faith: 52:40 – 55:10
• Jesus and Jairus’ daughter (skilled attention): 66:39 – 67:50
• Movie analogy—facts as fiction, only God’s Word is truth: 68:47 – 70:20
• How to know if you’re laying truth on facts: 73:52 – 74:30
• Final practical encouragements and closing prayer: 58:10 onward

Action Steps & Practices

• Practice shifting your attention immediately to the Word when facts arise.
• Discipline your thought life; do not let emotions or negative words take root.
• Acknowledge God and His Word in every circumstance—make His truth your first and final word.
• Daily pour in the Word, replacing negative or intrusive thoughts.
• In prayer over difficult situations, thank God for Word-based answers instead of focusing on symptoms or circumstances.
• Stay skillful: This discipline becomes easier and more natural the more you practice it.

Episode Tone & Style

Nancy Dufresne teaches with warm authority, humor, and practical transparency. The atmosphere is faith-charged, personal stories are candid, and every encouragement is tied back to biblical principle. The tone is faith-filled, practical, and sometimes direct, always aiming to build skillful, victorious believers.

Conclusion

Nancy Dufresne’s message, “What’s Your Attention On?” delivers a scriptural, practical, and memorable call to discipline your attention—off the facts and onto the truth. She equips believers to live above circumstances, develop steady faith, and experience God’s best by mastering this essential spiritual skill.

Memorable Closing Quote:

"Aren't you glad it's that easy? It's just all about your attention. What you choose to be occupied with." (63:52)

For more messages and resources, visit Dufresne Ministries.