Nancy Dufresne (0:00)

Thank you to Kenneth Copeland Ministries for sowing the airtime for this broadcast.

Kenneth Copeland (0:10)

There's enough power in every sick room and in every hospital room to raise up that sick one that may be describing you. You may be in a sick room, you may be in a hospital room. And I want to remind you, power is present. That power is there to do a work, believe in what's not. Try to get something, but notice that he's already made it yours. It's present right where you're at. Say, I receive that power. I receive that power. I receive it right now. I receive it right now from the top of my head. From the top of my head. The soles of my feet. The soles of my feet. We're so glad to have you with us today for Jesus the healer. And I believe God for answers for you. I believe God for clarity for you. Revelation in light of the Word. I tell you what, the Word takes a man's life and sets it on course. Now, the closer we walk to the Word, the closer the more we stay on course with his plan for our life. And so I'm believing for answers for your life. And the Word says this, that it's not just the hearer that's blessed, but it's the doer of the Word. What's that mean? That means that we have given the Word its place in our everyday life. That we're not content just to read the Bible and say, yeah, I read that, but we want to live it in our everyday life. Amen. We've been talking about the mind because we have to be skillful with how we handle and conduct our thought life. And the more skill we have at it, the more we practice guarding every thought. I tell you what, it makes life sweeter and sweeter. And we come into that soundness of mind that belongs to us in Christ. We've talked about it in the past episodes that Jesus provided so much for us. Healing, prosperity, victory, joy, peace. But don't leave out what he also provided for us is a sound mind. Amen. I mean, we see that he was tempted in all ways, like we are. His mind was tempted to go the wrong direction, but he showed us how to hold to the right words. How do we do that? You answer with the Word of God. Remember when he was in the wilderness of temptation and when the enemy would threaten him or suggest something to him, he would answer. It is written. So if Jesus needed to answer wrong thoughts with the Word, we need to answer wrong thoughts with the Word. He was our example. And showed us how to do that. So we have to know the Word. And so it's a joy for us to sit and share and teach the Word to you. And it helps put answers in our mouth. Amen. We can know what the answer is, but we have to speak that answer in the face of the need, in the face of the problem. Have you ever noticed this about tests and trials? That when you're in church or when you're watching a broadcast like this or and you hear the Word preached and you say, that's right, I believe it just that way. But when a test comes, all of a sudden it feels a little different than it did when you were sitting in the church service. Why? Because with a test comes pressure and you can sense that pressure come against you. But I tell you what, just direct that pressure to the Word. The Word can handle all of that. Don't take any pressure onto your. No, just turn toward the Word and let the Word deal with that. Amen then. Our jumping off point, our primary scripture that we've been starting with in these episodes is second Timothy, chapter one. And I want to read out of verse seven, it reads, for God's not given us the spirit of fear, but he has given us something. And I tell you what he has given us will deal with that spirit of fear. And what he's given us is power. Or we could say this, our authority, power, love and a sound mind. And so we have to realize that God planned for us for our thought life, that it be a sound mind. I love what the amplified classic said of what it says about a sound mind. It says of a calm and well balanced mind and discipline and self control. Listen, if you're not experiencing that, that means good news, you can, you've got further to go. Amen. That now we know to apply the Word so that we are living with a calm mind. I mean that we're living with a well balanced mind, not a mind that's racing off from one thing to the next. And God's provided the means whereby we have a sound mind. And by faith you have to lay hold of that sound mind. You have to talk to your mind. Did you know that there have been times when my mind would want to keep cycling through the wrong direction? And I know there have been times. I know, I know I'm thinking wrong about this. I know I am. And my mind just keeps cycling through. You know what I do? I talk to my mind. I say, you stop peace in Jesus name. I mean, you have to learn to talk to Your mind and you're in charge. And listen. He gave us that authority and he expects us to use it. Use it on your own thought life. Amen. I want to. When I talk about this phrase, the renewed mind is. What is the renewed mind? It means thinking like God thinks, taking on his way of thinking. Think about this, that we are no longer sentenced or limited to all that we can think up. But God offers us his thoughts, and that's what His Word is. It's his thoughts. Wouldn't we be foolish not to take them and make them part of our daily life? When I talk about a renewed mind, a mind is not renewed in until those thoughts find its way into our everyday life. Just knowing what the Word says is not a renewed mind. Just confessing what the Word says is not a renewed mind. A renewed mind is when you're putting it in place. That way of thinking, the thinking of the Word, the behavior of the Word, the actions of the Word, you're putting it into the everyday life. So what do we do? Whenever something shows up that challenges our faith, that challenges that sound mind, the first thing we say is, what does the Word say about this? Run everything through the Word. That means you're going to have to pay attention to your thought life. That's exactly what that means. I mean, we cannot just let our mind. We can't be mindless toward the thoughts that we entertain. We have to pay attention. You know, I have two sons. My husband and I raised two sons. And they're grown now. But in teaching as a pastor, because I pastored for 25 years, and in teaching our congregation and instructing them about things that pertain to the family, one of the things I said, the reason we didn't have the difficulty with our children that a lot had, is number one, I kept them in the local church. They were raised with a love for the local church. Why? Because that's where God's Word is offered. You can't go to any other location in the earth and find the Word offered to you. You're not going to find it at the mall. The theaters aren't offering the Word, but the local church, one that teaches the Word is offering the thoughts of God to you. But even so, just having those thoughts offered to you doesn't mean your mind is being renewed. You've got to accept those thoughts, take them, put them in place in your everyday life. So that's one of the things with our children. We raised them in the local church because we raised them where the anointing could Always reach them. The anointing of the pastor, the anointing that's on that local church where it could always reach them. But another thing that I would say is I paid attention. As a parent, I paid attention. Where were my kids at? Who were they with? What were they saying? What were they doing? And because of paying attention, as my children were being raised, when they got old, I didn't have all the issues that others had. Why? Because I paid attention. Now bring that over into the thought life. Why do people have problems with their mind? Why do they not have peace? Many times they haven't paid attention. Well, you might can say, Pastor Nancy, I didn't really realize I was to pay attention that way. Well, that's why we're learning. I said, that's why we're learning. And so now we know we can pay attention to our thought life. And as we do, we can practice right thoughts instead of practicing wrong thoughts. Amen. Amen. And so we have to realize that we must take God's word and discipline our thought lives. We must. A renewed mind is a disciplined mind. Amen. When you have undisciplined thoughts, that's because the mind needs to be further renewed. Amen. Many think that the devil is their problem when the real problem lies with an undisciplined thought life. And I'm talking to the believer, the Christian for the Christian. We know this. We have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness, translated into the kingdom of God's dear son. We no longer belong to the kingdom of death. We no longer belong to the kingdom of bondage and defeat. Satan has no dominion over our life now. Just because he brings thoughts, he brings challenges, he brings wrong thinking to sway us. Just because it comes, we don't have to yield to it. And we tell it, I'm not part of your kingdom. You have no dominion over me. You remember growing up as a kid? I remember. You know, it's always kind of the same, generation after generation with kids. You're not the boss of me. Remember on the playground, a kid tell you, come over here or do this. You go, you're not the boss of me. And kids learn real quick. They don't like being bossed by someone who's not their boss. And they start challenging that. I want you to know Satan's no longer your boss. Before you were born again, he was bossing year round. But that Boston day is over. You have been delivered from the kingdom of God. Darkness, translated in the kingdom of God's dear son. Amen. And You've got to. When something shows up that's not of the flow of the word, you better say, you're not the boss of me. You're dumb boss. Those days of harassing my mind, those days of worried thoughts, those days of harassed, troubled, depressed thoughts, they're over with. That's what you need to say, even when it doesn't feel like it. Why? Because we enter into these things by faith. These things that belong to us, we enter into them by faith. And many are thinking, if the devil could. If the devil would just leave me alone as a pastor, I would find this, that people would want me to pray for them because they were having troubling thoughts and stuff. And I was always willing to pray for them. But the best thing I can do is teach them. And I would say, you're wanting me to get the devil to leave you alone. I can't do that. But what I am equipped to do and anointed to do is to teach you what to do when the enemy suggests something, when he throws a wrong thought at your mind, that's where the real help is. And so we have to realize that many think the devil's the problem. When really, if we think right, that is going to be our safeguard against what the enemy throws against us. I love what it says in Romans, chapter 12 and verse 2. It says, don't be conformed to this world, but be ye transformed. I like that word, transformed. That means you're not living the life you used to live. You're not living the way you used to live. You're not thinking the way you used to think. Your mind's not doing what it used to do. Running off and racing off. But be transformed by what? By the renewing of your mind. And I was saying this in previous episodes, and it bears repeating, because many times people want someone to pray for them. Praying for someone is scriptural, and it's right. And it's a privilege to do. Praying for someone or having someone pray for you will bless you, but it won't transform you. That's right. That's right. Having someone to lay hands on you, which I believe in, which is perfectly scriptural, it still won't transform you. It'll bless you, but it won't transform you. Getting the word into your thoughts, into your mouth, into your actions, into your everyday life, that's what transforms. Amen. So let's not stop short of a transformed life. Let's go all the way to a transformed life. Amen. And it says, let me read to you. Romans, chapter 12, verse 1 and 2. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Or as another translation says, which is your spiritual worship. So he's saying in verse one, do something with your body. Don't let your body take off with your life. Keep your body under the dominion of your spirit, under the control of your spirit. And so God did something with our spirits at the new birth. He gave us a new spirit that was instantaneous. But doing something with the body is something we do every day. Every day we keep our body under the control and the dominion of our born again spirit. And then verse two says, be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of the mind. So notice this. God tells us in his word, do something with the body. Do something with the mind. Why? Because he knows that's our greatest defense against any attack, any test is that if we do right with our body. What do you mean by do right? Don't yield it to sin. Don't yield it to wrong things, wrong places, wrong behavior. Yield it to God instead, yield it to that which God directs. God needs our bodies in the earth because that's how he manifests. To bless other people is through us. And so we submit or yield our bodies to God. But we also have to submit and yield our bodies to God. How? By renewing the mind. Amen. Because that's our greatest defense against the enemy. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. Any Christian that is being held in bondage by something, an addiction, a bad habit, harassment, they're being held in bondage. They're not in bondage to the devil. They're in bondage to an unrenewed mind. Once that mind gets renewed, what you find out is you're done letting the devil push you around. When you think right, you're done with him just pushing you around, doing anything. Listen, the devil can't do. Sister Gloria Copeland made this statement years ago. I loved it. I've never forgotten it. She said, the devil cannot do to you anything he wants anytime he wants. If he could, why would he have to deceive you? First, he's got to deceive you into thinking wrong or believing wrong. So that you will cooperate with what's wrong. That's right. But when you think right and you believe right, what's right? Thinking the thought's in line with the word. Amen. When you think right and you believe right, you believe in Line with the Word. You speak in line with the Word, then it doesn't matter what the devil threatens you with. He's got no entrance. Amen. Hallelujah. Listen, Jesus defeated the enemy, but it's up to us to enforce that defeat. We won't float into this victory that belongs to us. We get there by cooperating with God, by cooperating with His Word. Amen. And many times, like I said earlier, many times, people are just wanting the devil to leave them alone. He's not going to leave you alone. But when he says something, when he does something, you know exactly what to say, exactly what to do. And the outcome is as you decide, not as he decides. Amen. Hallelujah. I want you, if you. If you have your Bible there, look at Hosea, chapter four and verse six. Hosea, chapter four and verse six. And it says this statement. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Listen to that. My people are destroyed. What? Not because of the devil. For lack of knowledge. They don't know the right things. This word destroyed means cut off my people. And we could read it this way. My people are cut off from the blessings that are theirs when they don't know it. When they don't know what's theirs, they're cut off. So as we gain knowledge of what's ours, we start demanding our rights. Not demanding it of God, but demanding it of the devil. You take your hands off my family. You take your hands off my body. You take your hands off my children. You take your hands off my business. Why? Because I know what my rights are, what Jesus provided for me and what belongs to me in Christ. But when you don't know what Jesus made yours, then the devil is able to cut you off. And the Bible says that my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Notice this. The devil's not even mentioned in this verse. What's mentioned is lack of knowledge. To enjoy what Jesus made ours, we have to know some things. We can't just think we're going to float into, oh, he's made ours. We have to know some things that he's made ours. Amen. Hallelujah. Now here, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. We know this Satan thrives on ignorance. Now don't misunderstand me. Ignorance does not. It's not the same thing as, you know, growing up, kids would call each other stupid. I'm not talking about that. Ignorance is lack of knowing, lack of knowledge. That's ignorance. And anybody can be ignorant. We're all ignorant about some arena. I mean, you know, I'm not real. I don't have lots of knowledge about computers and stuff. Show me where the power button is and show me what to do, what I want to do. But there's a lot I'm ignorant of that that computer is capable of, so. But what we cannot afford to be ignorant about is. Is what Jesus made ours. We cannot, because if we are, we'll be cut off from enjoying that because we'll be deceived by the enemy and we won't enjoy what he's made ours. Satan thrives on ignorance. That's what feeds his plan. You understand that? Our ignorance is what swings the door wide open to the deceits and the strategies and the devices of the enemy is ignorance. He, the enemy is counting on our ignorance so he can work his plan, but he cannot work his plan against someone who knows and operates in that knowledge. It's not enough to know. We have to be doers of what we know. Amen. Satan works through ignorance, but not God. I tell you, God has no fellowship with ignorance. Why? He's all wisdom. For him to move, he has to have knowledge cooperating with him. He has to have wisdom cooperating with him. Why? Because he is all wisdom. He has all knowledge. He doesn't work with ignorance. So if ignorance is there, he's closed out. Yeah. Amen. That's what invites the enemy, because he works in ignorance. That's his path, is the path of ignorance. And the devil gets on that path if we're ignorant. So the best thing we can do is get out of the seat of ignorance. How do we do that? We sit under the teaching of the Word, and then we become doers of it. How do we do that? Well, in our own devotional study time, but also, I tell you, you need a pastor. I said you need a pastor. You need a pastor. You need a pastor. Why do we need a pastor? Well, Hebrews 10, and I believe it's verse 25, says, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. Why, there is an empowerment, there is a strengthening that comes in our fellowship with those who love what we love. They love the Word that we love. And I tell you, we're fortified in that. Not only that, when we come together, God has given us gifts, and one of those gifts is a pastor. Now, Hebrews 10, verse 25, the amplified classic says this. Something to the effect of forsake, not the assembling of ourselves together, which is the habit of some people. Mm. I'm so grateful that in our household we went. I was raised in a denominational church. We weren't taught the things that I'm sharing with you today, but we were raised with a good habit of church attendance. And because of that, whenever we got born again, God could easily direct us. When my two brothers and my sister and I, as we grew up and left home, he could easily direct us to a church that brought us into greater knowledge. Because we had the habit of, of loving the local church and honoring and giving the local church its place in our life. And so find a local church. And I will say this. The Holy Spirit will direct you. Don't just go to the one that's most convenient. Go where he leads you to go. Because you need to be taught the Word. And you say, pastor Nancy, there is no local church in our region. We, well, thank God there is some avenue through programs like this that you are fed the Word. But I tell you what the Word says. In Matthew, chapter 9, verse 36, and starting verse 35, 36, it says that the multitudes came to Jesus and He healed the sick. So notice the condition of the multitudes. They were sick and he had. He was moved with compassion and he healed them. Verse 36 says that he was moved with compassion on they were as sheep without a shepherd. What was it they were. And it says they were fainting and they were scattered. That's why you need a pastor. There is an anointing on a pastor that keeps your life from being scattered, that keeps you from fainting. In this race, this divine race we're running, and what happens is under, through that anointing of a pastor, that the Word is given to bring you out of ignorance and into knowledge, that's one of the greatest things that happens. Thank God and like I said, for those who live maybe in a region of the world that there is not a Word, a church that teaches you the Word, then you make someone like this, you treat it like this is my local church. I'm going to listen, I'm going to submit, I'm going to respond. I'm going to be a doer of what I hear. Because when we hear the Word taught, it runs ignorance out. And when we run ignorance out, we close the door to the devil. Ignorance is an open door to the devil, but knowledge is a closed door to the devil. Amen. And so as we renew our minds, we gain knowledge. And when we gain knowledge, then God can work unhindered because we're not arguing with him, we're cooperating with that knowledge. Amen. You know there was the testimony of a woman that she was diagnosed with a terminal condition. And she went to a place where they had a healing school. And so every day they taught the Word on healing. And she moved there because that's how important the Word was to her. That's how important her receiving her help was. She picked up her life and she moved to where this healing school was and she sat under the Word every day. And one of the things that she said when she first arrived, that she said to those ministers who were ministering that healing school, she said, I decided that I was not going to die prematurely because I was ignorant. I tell you what ignorance robs from us, but knowledge of the Word. And that's what the renewing of the mind does. It's the process of gaining and walking in the knowledge of the Word. Amen. And it will change our life. It will rescue our life. There's no reason for us to go into any kind of failure in any arena if we will gain knowledge of the Word. I know you're like me. You love the Word. I know you're like me. You value the Word. You honor the Word. We we've been teaching in these episodes out of my book A Sound Disciplined Mind. It'll be a help to you. We invite you to get hold of a copy of it. You can contact us@DefrainMinistries.org or call the phone number that's on your screen. But we want you to get it in your hands because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Remember, Jesus is the healer. God bless you.