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Kenneth Copeland
Thank you to Kenneth Copeland Ministries for sowing the airtime for this broadcast.
Nancy Dufresne
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 are so glad you've joined us today for Jesus the healer. Welcome. We got a room full of people here to welcome you and to feed along on the Word with you. And we say, release your faith in what you hear today. Let it find its home in your heart. These words will change your life.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
The Word of God always will take our life and set it on course. We've been teaching on the mind, and we are so thankful what the Word tells us about the mind, because you never get away from yours. You take it with you everywhere you go, so you might as well have a good one. Well, he's given us a sound mind. Part of our inheritance in Christ is a sound mind. But we have to know how to cooperate with that flow. We have to know what sound thoughts are. We have to know what would threaten sound thinking. We have to resist things. We have to resist wrong thoughts that would challenge our soundness of mind.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
We've been taking as our golden text, 2nd Timothy, chapter 1 and verse 7, where Paul wrote to Timothy and he said, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind. That's what he's already given us. We're not trying to earn it, we're not trying to work for it. But because we have a sound mind. A sound mind needs a certain diet, and that's the food of the Word. And as we do, we renew our minds as we feed on His Word.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
That His Word brings us into the place where we enjoy the soundness of mind. He made ours, you know, just as he's made us the healed, he's made us the prosperous. But we have to cooperate with the Word to enjoy what he made ours. And it's the same thing with the sound mind. It's made ours but we have to be a doer of the word to enjoy the sound mind. He made ours. We've been looking also at what the amplified says about this word sound, this phrase, sound mind. The Amplified says in describing a sound mind that it's a calm mind, that it's a well balanced mind, meaning it's not gone to the extremes, it's well balanced, it's right in the middle of the road, that's the place of safety. And then it's a disciplined mind.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
That lets us know that we have a role to play in this. It's up to us to discipline the thought life. So many times people are waiting for God to do something about their mind and he's, we're the custodians of our minds and he's given us the Word, His Word, whereby we can take on his thoughts and his way of thinking. And then it's also, the Amplified says, it's a self control mind. So we have a part to play. Part of the flow of a sound mind is to protect that sound mind. You have to know how to answer what isn't sound. Unsoundness tries to come and tries to get in. Wrong thinking, Wrong thoughts try to get in. And if you listen to them, they can rob you. They'll rob from you. But if you learn to reject and close the door to wrong thinking, then you protect that soundness of mind that it's yours in Christ. Our usefulness to God grows as we learn how to keep wrong thinking out.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
How do you keep wrong thinking out? You have to answer it. When it shows up, you have to answer it.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
Talk back to it. You have to answer it with the Word. The measure that we answer wrong thoughts is the measure that we'll enjoy a sound mind.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
We cannot be silent in the face of opposition. What we don't resist has permission to stay. And I tell you what, we don't resist by physical effort. We resist by speaking words. God's words.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
So as we, as we learn and become skillful at answering every wrong thought, it's not just answering wrong thoughts. We know that's primarily what you have to do. But how about answering wrong symptoms? How about answering lack? How about answering wrong feelings? How about answering feelings of unforgiveness towards someone to where? Well, Pastor Nancy, what do you mean about feelings of unforgiveness? You know what I'm talking about. You see them and you start breathing hard. You know, you start. I remember what they did, you know well, answer that. Answer it. Don't cooperate with it. Answer it.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
So we have to answer in every arena of life, for every arena of life to enjoy soundness. Soundness in our finances, soundness in our health, soundness in our marriage. I tell you what, that's one thing the devil would love to pull you out of, soundness in. Because if he can get you thinking, accusing thoughts against your spouse, he breaks the. One of the greatest agreements available to you on the earth is in your covenant with your spouse. The devil wants to break down that covenant by getting you to think wrong about your spouse. So you have to guard your thought life about your spouse, because the devil will always try to point what they aren't, remind him of what they are.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
Focus on the positive, not the negative. Because every one of us are growing, every one of us are developing. Every one of us need to come up in some way. So it's not heroic or honorable to find what somebody's doing wrong, but we focus on what's the good and what's the right.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
So you have to learn how to answer. Answer wrong thoughts, answer the devil, and our usefulness to God will grow as we learn how to answer. When we don't know how to answer things right or we fail to answer rightly as we ought, then God can't use us the way he wants to. And he wants to use us all.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
In a way that blesses him and glorifies him. That's one of the things. Also, as a parent, you have to teach your children how to answer things. Yeah. Don't wait until your children are grown to start teaching them. Hey, you have to answer things for yourself. We have two sons, my husband and I, and we recognize that just because we are ministers did not mean they would automatically succeed. They would have to learn what we have had to learn. So we trained them as they were growing up. Mom and dad will help you, but we can't be your doers. We can't do things for you. So we would, you know, for as they were younger, God would allow our faith to work in their behalf. But as they got older, then they would have to learn how to answer for themselves. I remember, you know, when my children were young and they would start having nightmares and the enemy would try to really trouble them with all kinds of threats in the night like that. And I would get up and in the middle of the night, I'd have a teaching session and I'd start teaching them because I can't keep them from having a bad dream, but I can tell them how to handle it. I can tell them how to answer it. And my children were young, I mean, five and six years old, and we taught them how to answer things.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
And just because they were children of a minister and of a pastor did not mean that they were going to succeed if they didn't know how to answer things. Just having parents that preach does not mean you have automatic victory. You have to be a doer of the word just like everybody else. And so you need to teach your children.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
Demonstrate it. Be an example for them. Show them how to do it. Well, Jesus did that for us. He left us examples of how to answer things.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
He was opposed as he went throughout his earthly ministry. He was opposed every day and he was answering stuff every day.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
And we want to take. We haven't finished up. We've looked at the previous episodes. We've looked at this passage. Today we're gonna try to finish that up. We'll see about that. I'm not gonna make any promises, but Luke, chapter four, we're looking at that passage and I want us to retouch on some things and see what Jesus did. Luke, chapter four. We find Jesus right after he's been baptized in the River Jordan by John the Baptist. This is when the anointing came upon him. Now he could begin his public ministry. He didn't try to minister although he was a son of God. He didn't try to minister apart from the anointing. That's right.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
Although he was the Word made flesh, he did not try to minister apart from the anointing. Thank God for the anointing. Thank God for the Holy Ghost that comes upon.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
Verse 1, Luke, chapter 4, verse 1. It reads, and Jesus, look at this, being full of the Holy Ghost. If Jesus needed to be full of the Holy Ghost, you need to be full of the Holy Ghost. And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan. That's where he was baptized and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. I love the wording here in verse one. And we could read it this way. And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost was led by the Spirit. And Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, was led by the Spirit.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
It's easier to know the leading of the Spirit when you're full, when you're less than full. People struggle for direction. They struggle to know how God is leading them. Fullness is the place where it's safe.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
Always, always endeavor to live full of the Word and full of the Spirit. And so Jesus, being full of the Holy Ghost, returned from Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Verse 2. Being 40 days, tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing. And when they were ended, he afterward hungered. Look at verse three. And the devil said unto him, don't be impressed that the devil's talking to you. Don't be afraid. Talk to Jesus too.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
And not only that, that didn't mean that Jesus wasn't winning in this season of temptation just because he heard the devil. You. You're going to hear the devil. So what? So what? Don't be impressed. Just give an answer.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
Verse 3. And the devil said unto him, if thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. Well, the words he spoke right were son of God. The word he spoke wrong was, if. If the devil will try to whip you on technicalities, he will try to play word games with you. This is what he's doing with Jesus. Word games. If thou be the Son of God. He was trying to get him to doubt something that, of course, was true. If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus did what? He answered him, saying, it is written. This is how your answer begins. It is written. God says this. You answer the devil with the word. Notice this was Jesus policy of dealing with the devil. He answered him with, it is written. And then he quoted. Then he quoted the word that was in line with the temptation. And so verse 4, Jesus answered him, saying, it is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. So in the previous episode, we were saying this, and we want to restate it, because it's so important that Jesus gave a specific answer in line with a specific temptation. There was a specific temptation. Jesus didn't give a general answer. He gave a specific answer. When a threat comes, let's say if you were being tempted, I mean, you're being tempted to be sick. Symptoms are nothing but a temptation to be sick. That's all it is. And if that temptation comes, you can't just say, well, Jesus loves me. Well, that's true. But that's general. That's general. You can't just say, well, you know, I'm a Christian. I go to church. That's true. But that's not. That's general. Yes, that's right. When you have faith, you get more and more specific. General faith gets generally nothing Specific faith gets accelerated. Answers, yes. Amen. So Jesus answered in line with the threat, the devil tempted him specifically. Jesus answered him specifically. Don't give general answers to the devil. Give him specific ones that deal with what he tempted you on. So Jesus answered him, saying, it is written that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. So that's a specific answer to that threat about turning the stone into bread. Right, Verse five. And the devil, taking him up into a high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world. Look at this in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, all this power will I give thee. What's he offering him? Power, authority. All this power, authority. Who will he give it to? I'll give you the you, just you and the glory of them. To who? To you. To Jesus. So I'll give you power, authority. I'll give you the glory of these kingdoms. For you. To you. For you. Jesus didn't come for himself. He didn't come to get something for himself. So we said it in the previous episode that Satan was offering Jesus a crossless crown. He was offering him a bloodless glory. Yeah, that's right.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
He was offering him a shortcut to fleeting lordship. That for a time he could have these. Because, see why Satan only has them for a time. His authority. He is running out on this earth.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
And that's for a short time. So he's offering Jesus a limited reward. But Jesus didn't come for himself.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
He didn't come to get power for himself. He doesn't come to get glory for himself. He won it for all mankind. And it was going to cost blood. And Jesus. And Satan was offering Jesus a shortcut. And it's all for himself. Jesus answered it. I said, Jesus answered that it was a temptation. Jesus answered it. Verse 7. Satan is going on. And he said in verse 7, if thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. But he didn't say for a short time. See, he's leaving out stuff. Right. And Jesus did what? He answered. He answered. What was Satan doing? He was bidding high. He was throwing everything under his dominion at Jesus. I'll share it with you. I'll give it to you. He was bidding high. Why? Because he was afraid of the plan of God. He's trying to get him to take the bait of another plan, another route. Listen, the plan of God on your life is great. Why? Because God never made a plan that wasn't great. God never made. He didn't plan Anything less than great. The plan of God is great for your life. Don't take a bid. The devil would bid high for you. He'll bid high to get you in another job, a profession, to give you fame, to give you money, to give you something. Because he knows that there's greatness in that plan. And he's trying to offer you something that will abort the greatness of God's plan. Don't take it. And even if you say, Pastor Nancy, I can look back and say, I've taken compromises, I've taken shortcuts. It's not too late. I said, it's not too late. It's not too late.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
Come back into the plan of God. Come back into the will of God.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
So verse seven, he said, I'll give you this. If thou therefore will worship me all, all shall be thine. Verse 8. And Jesus answered and said unto him, get behind me. I'm not even gonna entertain this. Get behind me. I'm not gonna look that direction. I'm not gonna listen that direction. He turned his back to him. That's an answer. Turning your back to something. What's that mean? I'm not gonna sit and entertain this in my thought life. I'm not going to let this have any kind of entrance into my thought life, turning it over and over in my thought life.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
And then he answered him specifically. He said, get thee behind me, Satan, for it is written. Here we go again. Now he's getting specific. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou worship. So notice his specific answer to the specific temptation. Not a general answer. Specific answer, verse nine. Now, see, Jesus has answered right twice now. But the temptations keep coming. That doesn't mean you're losing. Just cause temptations keep coming. Does not mean faith isn't working. Doesn't mean the Bible's not working. Verse 9. And Satan brought Jesus to Jerusalem and set him on a pinnacle of the temple and said unto him, if thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence, for it is written, this is what you don't want. The word in the devil's mouth and thinking it's going to be right. For it is written, God shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Is it true? Is that written? Yes, but it's not for you tempting God.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
It's a misapplication. Verse 12 and Jesus what answering. Notice every time Jesus was tempted or tested with something, he answered it. That's how he got on the other side. That's how we get on the other side. How can we expect to get to the other side if we won't answer it? How can we expect to get on the other side if we entertain it instead of answering it? This is why people get troubled in their minds. They entertain what is threatened, what is suggested, what they're tempted with. They entertain it instead of answering it. We've all done that. We've all done it. But we catch ourselves. Right? And Jesus answering, said unto him, it is said, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him. Look at this. For a season. And Jesus returned. I like verse 14. Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit and into Galilee. And there went out a fame of him throughout all the region. Roundabout. People who saw him in his earthly ministry from this point on never knew what he went through before he faced that. They never knew about this season of temptation.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
When you see someone who God has promoted in ministry, you never know what all they've gone through to get there. But I guarantee you this, they have to learn how to answer. That's how you get to where God's taken you. You have to answer. But I like what verse 14 says. Look again at verse 14. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit. Look at that. This experience did not empty him out or weaken him. It fortified him. He went in full and he came out full. Tests are not to empty us out. Amen. They're not to weaken us.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
He went in full and he came out in power. Love that. Amen, Jesus. And listen, he was not being sent by the Spirit into the wilderness. Now see, the Spirit led him there. The Spirit didn't test him there. That was the devil that tested and tempted him. But it wasn't to see who would win. Jesus went in Victor, demonstrated himself. Master. And came out Victor. Anytime a test comes, it's not to see who's going to win. Don't ever think I'm going to see how I come out. No, Go in, Victor. Show yourself, Master. And come out Victor.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
This is not a thing of seeing. I'm going to see if my face you know, do it. No, no. You go in, Victor.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
When a test shows up, you face that as Victor. Don't face it as a victim.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
And how you answer is going to determine the Outcome of that thing. I tell you, your victory is one answer away. That's all it's calling for is your answer the temptation. Just answer. Just answer.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
Hallelujah. Answer, answer, answer. And thank God. Not just generally. You answer specifically. Now we have been made victorious. Jesus defeated, Satan handed us the victory. We are victorious over the flesh, over Satan, over the world. We have to exercise our victory over those three things. Over the flesh, over the world, over Satan.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
The flesh, the world, and the devil. We have authority over. Our authority works in all these arenas. Let's talk just for a quick moment, about the flesh. Bad habits. Bad habits of the flesh. Answer them. Answer them.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
Just answer. Things that trip you up in your flesh. You have authority. Answer. Answer them.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
Temptations of the flesh. Did your flesh get tempted to do wrong? Sure. Answer it. Talk to it.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
You don't have to live struggling to get rid. I've got to get out of this habit, this addiction, whether it's alcohol, drugs, smoking, pornography, any sexual perversion, whatever it is, you get out by answering it, not by trying to figure your way out. You answer it and you say, that's not me any longer. That's not me any longer. That's not me. That's the old man. That old man is dead. I'm a new man in Christ. Talk to it. Talk to it.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
Don't let something just harass your mind and trouble your mind and steal from you. Answer it. Answer it. Answer it. Every time that feeling tries to come up, that sensation of a longing toward a direction, of an addiction, answer it. Talk to your flesh. The way the enemy works is if we cooperate and put a bad habit in place, then the devil will energize that habit. But if we'll get rid of that habit, he's got nothing to energize. Amen. People might have just started drinking or smoking or something. They thought, well, it's under my control. But before long, the devil got in on it, and then he started energizing it. And it seems to get, so to speak, a claw in you. Doesn't have to be that way. Answer it. Answer it. Answer it.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
I want to pray with those of you who you say, Pastor Nancy, there are some things that temptations that I've been facing, and I've not made the progress that belongs to me. Well, I want to pray with you.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
Father, I thank you for victory that is ours in Christ. We take our place. We take our place in Christ. We thank you. For the authority that is ours. And I tell you, Satan, you take your hands off my brother. You take your hands off my sister. You take your hands off God's people. You take your hands off the children of God. How dare you. You take your hands off them in Jesus name. And I say you be free in your mind. You be free from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. And I speak for the peace of God that's on the inside of you to spring up the joy of God that's on the inside of you spring up in Jesus name.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
And you walk free and you walk peaceful.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
Hallelujah. And right where you're at, just raise your hand and say, thank God, I'm free. Thank God I'm free. I'm free. See, you have to answer. Answer. Give answer to that. Amen. You are not just trying to survive this life. You're a victor in this life.
Audience
Amen.
Nancy Dufresne
Well, these are some of the things that we've been teaching out of the book called Answer It. We want to get it into your hands. You can go to defrainministries.com and let us know that you want your copy and we'll get it right out to you. And until we see you next time, remember this. Jesus is the healer. God bless you.
Kenneth Copeland
To watch or listen to today's message and other messages by Nancy Dufresne, visit dufresneministries.org.
Nancy Dufresne
Nancy Dufresne teaches how to close the door to worry, fear and doubt in this book about the pain, peace of God. Order this book now@dufresneministries.org.
Kenneth Copeland
Please join us for our annual Holy Ghost Meetings in Marietta, California, January 6th through the 11th, 2023 with Nancy Dufresne. We are also excited to welcome Kenneth Copeland and Richard Roberts as our special guests. For more information, please visit our website@DefrainMinistries.org we trust you've enjoyed this message. Visit us@DefrainMinistries.org to learn of our upcoming meetings, share your testimony, submit a prayer request, or visit our online store. Thank you to the friends and partners of Dufresne Ministries for making this production possible.
Podcast Summary: "Jesus the Healer w/ Nancy Dufresne"
Episode 079 | "Answer Right"
Release Date: October 20, 2022
Introduction
In Episode 079 of "Jesus the Healer," hosted by Nancy Dufresne of Dufresne Ministries, the focus centers on the power of faith, healing, and the renewal of the mind through the Word of God. Titled "Answer Right," this episode delves into practical strategies for maintaining a sound mind and resisting negative thoughts and temptations. Nancy emphasizes the importance of responding to challenges with specific, faith-based answers to cultivate victory in various aspects of life.
The Power of a Sound Mind
Nancy begins by highlighting the significance of possessing a sound mind, a fundamental part of our inheritance in Christ. She references 2 Timothy 1:7, stating, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind" (02:00). Nancy explains that while God has bestowed this gift upon us, it requires active cooperation and intentionality to maintain its strength.
Key Points:
Notable Quote:
"We are the custodians of our minds and He’s given us the Word, His Word, whereby we can take on His thoughts and His way of thinking." – Nancy Dufresne (03:50)
Resisting Wrong Thoughts and Temptations
A central theme of the episode is the method of resisting negative thoughts and temptations by answering them with the Word of God. Nancy emphasizes that unaddressed negative thoughts grant them power over us, enabling the enemy to "rob" us spiritually.
Key Points:
Notable Quote:
"The measure that we answer wrong thoughts is the measure that we'll enjoy a sound mind." – Nancy Dufresne (04:43)
Teaching Children to Answer Thoughts
Nancy extends her teachings to parenting, stressing the importance of instructing children on how to confront and answer negative thoughts and temptations.
Key Points:
Notable Quote:
"Just having parents that preach does not mean you have automatic victory. You have to be a doer of the Word just like everybody else." – Nancy Dufresne (08:49)
Jesus' Temptations in the Wilderness
A substantial portion of the episode analyzes Luke Chapter 4, where Jesus faces temptations in the wilderness. Nancy uses this passage to illustrate how Jesus exemplified the practice of answering temptations with specific scriptural truths.
Key Points:
Notable Quotes:
"Don't give general answers to the devil. Give him specific ones that deal with what he tempted you on." – Nancy Dufresne (12:30)
"Your victory is one answer away." – Nancy Dufresne (23:08)
Applying Victory Over the Flesh, World, and Satan
Nancy outlines the authority believers have over three primary adversities: the flesh, the world, and Satan. She encourages proactive engagement by answering temptations and negative influences to maintain spiritual victory.
Key Points:
Notable Quote:
"You have authority over the flesh, the world, and the devil. Our authority works in all these arenas." – Nancy Dufresne (23:42)
Prayer and Encouragement
Towards the end of the episode, Nancy leads a prayer session, inviting listeners to seek divine assistance in overcoming persistent temptations and reclaiming their authority in Christ.
Key Points:
Notable Quote:
"You are not just trying to survive this life. You're a victor in this life." – Nancy Dufresne (27:01)
Conclusion
Nancy Dufresne encapsulates the episode's teachings by reiterating the importance of answering temptations and negative thoughts with specific, scripture-based responses. She assures listeners that victory is attainable through deliberate and faith-filled actions, echoing the victorious example set by Jesus.
Final Encouragement:
"Hallelujah. Answer, answer, answer." – Nancy Dufresne (23:09)
Listeners are invited to engage further by obtaining her book "Answer It" through Dufresne Ministries' website, reinforcing the practical application of the episode's teachings.
For More Information:
To explore more teachings by Nancy Dufresne or to access resources mentioned in this episode, visit dufresneMinistries.org.