"Our Greatest Defense" by Nancy Dufresne

There are times when the enemy will oppose us, but no matter what opposition, tests, or trials come our way, our greatest defense is a submitted body and a renewed mind. When we keep our bodies under control and think in line with the Word, we are able to keep the door closed to the devil, and he can’t get in.

     Romans 12:1 & 2 reads, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

     We are threefold beings: we are a spirit, we have a soul (made up of the mind, will, and emotions), and we live in a body. When we got born again, God did something with our spirits – He gave us a new spirit (Ezekiel 36:26). Even though God did something with our spirits at the new birth, we still have the same mind and same flesh. We are the ones who have to do something with the mind and the flesh – not God. Romans 12:1 & 2 tells us what to do with them – present, or submit, our bodies to God and renew our minds with the Word of God. 

Submitted Bodies

     Romans 12:1 tells us to present our bodies to God. We are no longer to present our bodies unto sin and do wrong, but we are to present, or yield, our bodies to righteousness and do right things with our bodies. We must yield our bodies to only do what is right instead of yielding to sin. 

     Romans 6:13 & 14 instructs us, “Neither YIELD ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but YIELD yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.” 

     The grace of God is the divine ability we now have to say “no” to sin, and it enables us to live a righteous lifestyle. Sin is no longer lord over us. As believers, the power that’s in us is greater. But to break sinful habits of the flesh, we have to tell them, “No, you have no more authority over me to dominate me. I yield myself to God and to do right, and I no longer yield to sin and wrong doing.” Answer bad habits of the flesh! 

     If we don’t do something with our bodies, our bodies can ruin our lives. If our body is permitted to lead us, it will lead us into ruin. 

     First Corinthians 9:27 records that Paul said, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway (set aside as unusable).” Paul, this great apostle, still had a body that wanted to do wrong if it got its way. But Paul said that he kept his body under. Under what? Under the dominion of his spirit. He didn’t let his body dominate and lead him – he yielded to his spirit and allowed it to dominate and lead him.

Renewed Minds

     In addition to submitting our bodies to God, Romans 12:2 instructs us that we are to renew our minds – which means to take on God’s way of thinking. God’s Word is the thoughts of God. When our own thoughts are different than His thoughts, then we are to lay aside our thinking and take on His thinking. 

     When our mind is being renewed with the Word, it will show up in our actions. Our mind isn’t being renewed until it affects our behavior and our lifestyle. If we are renewing our mind, we are also a DOER of the Word, for the mind is only renewed as we DO the Word. 

     Dad Hagin stated, “The mind doesn’t stay renewed any more than the hair stays combed.” Just as we are to put our hair back in place every day – we must daily renew our minds to keep the mind in place; it is a lifelong process.  As we renew our mind with the Word, our life will be transformed.

     Someone can get saved, but if they never renew their mind with the Word, their lifestyle won’t change much. They will still have the same behavior and the same way of thinking they did before they were born again. The new birth does something with the spirit, but not the mind – that’s why we must renew it with the Word.

     God wants submitted bodies and transformed minds. God knows that submitting our bodies to Him and renewing our minds with His Word is our greatest defense against the devil.

     The mind is Satan’s chief battleground. If we are going to reign in life, we have to renew our minds with the Word of God so that we can keep the door closed to the enemy. For those believers who don’t do the right thing with their mind and body, the devil will have open access to their life.

     Many think the devil is their problem, when the real problem is that they haven’t done what they ought to with their minds and bodies. Many are waiting for God to intervene and change their situations. God did intervene – He empowered us and told us what to do – yield our body to God, not to sin, AND renew our mind.

     The reason some believers have ongoing struggles and crisis day after day is because they aren’t doing the right thing with their bodies or because they aren’t renewing their minds with the Word of God. It’s a waste of time to try to cast the devil off someone whose real problem is an unrenewed mind.

     Yes, the devil will oppose and attack those who are doing something for God, but when our minds are renewed, those attacks can’t get in. 

     The renewing of the mind takes place through the Word. As we feed on, think on, and act on the Word, the mind is renewed. The more we feed on and do the Word, the quicker that process takes place. The less we feed on the Word, the longer that process takes. The sooner we give ourselves to the renewing of our minds, the sooner we will be able to enjoy the benefits Jesus provided for us.

     Joshua 1:8 spells out how to renew our minds. “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”

     Victory belongs to us because we are born again, but that victory won’t be experienced in our lives until we do something with our bodies and our minds.  LET’S DO OUR HOMEWORK!

"The Power of God" by Nancy Dufresne

On one occasion, Jesus appeared to Kenneth E. Hagin and said, “When I was on the earth, I was the power of God. If people needed power, they had to get to Me – that’s why the people thronged to touch Me. But now that the Holy Ghost is on the earth, He is the power of God, and He is present everywhere. That’s why power is present everywhere.”

     Power is present in your home, your car, your workplace, and everywhere right now. You can get healed anywhere – you don’t have to wait to come to church. Anyone can get saved, healed, and delivered anywhere because God’s power is present everywhere. 

     The Holy Ghost was not always on the earth – God’s power has not always been present everywhere. But on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to the earth and is now present everywhere. On the Day of Pentecost, the Church and the earth got wired with power. When you were born again, you got wired with power because the Holy Ghost is in you. 

     Jesus went on to say to Brother Hagin, “There’s enough power in every sick room and in every hospital room to raise up that sick one if they only knew it was present and would give it action.”

     So Jesus said two things that are required for that power to work: 

1) We have to know it’s present. 

2) We have to give it action.

     How do we give it action? Just because the power is present doesn’t mean it’s in manifestation or flowing. That power that is within you is just waiting for you to flip the switch – then it will come into manifestation and begin to flow. How do we give it action or bring it into manifestation? By speaking words of faith. 

     The best way to illustrate this is like a piñata at a child’s birthday party. It’s full of candy and treats, but until someone hits it with a stick and opens it up, nothing in it flows. Once it’s struck just right, everything inside flows out and everyone can gather up the goodies. 

     Likewise, the power of God that’s present must be released so that it can flow. When that power is flowing and is in manifestation, then people can gather up what they need – they can receive their healing, their miracle, and the help they need. Words of faith are the stick that strikes the power. Faith brings it into manifestation. Don’t wait for God to bring it into manifestation – you’re authorized to bring it into manifestation through speaking words of faith. That power flows when faith words strike it. 

     Years ago, our family was with us when we were preaching at a church in Maui. A storm came and the power went out on our side of the island for days. The things that usually worked didn’t work any longer without power – kitchen appliances, hairdryers, irons, cell phones, computers, etc. The church was on the other side of the island, and that side still had power. When people went to church, you could tell what side of the island they lived on. Those without power looked different – their clothes were more wrinkled and the ladies’ hair didn’t look like it usually did. 

     Since God’s power is available to us, we need to access that power with our faith. We don’t want our lives to look like we haven’t been accessing the power that is available to us.  

     Power makes life better! Just naturally speaking, electrical power makes life better and easier. Likewise, it’s also true spiritually. When the power of God is flowing and manifesting in our lives, it makes life better and easier.

     If there’s an arena of your life that is lacking, don’t just wait for God to do something – turn on the power!

     I have been using a hairdryer every day for years. Every day I have to flip the switch to turn on the hairdryer because that power doesn’t flow automatically. I’ve never wondered why the hairdryer didn’t come on automatically just because I need it every day – I know I have to flip the switch.

     Likewise, the power of God is present, but just because we have a need, power doesn’t flow automatically – we have to flip the switch. Speaking words of faith flips the switch. We should give the same faithfulness to flip the switch of God’s power as we do to flip on the hairdryer.

     It doesn’t matter whether or not you can feel the power of God – it’s always present. Power can be unseen and unfelt. 

     At the dentist, when they do x-rays, they will put a protective apron on the patient and leave the room to flip the switch on the machine. The radiation is unseen and unfelt, but it’s still flowing – that’s why they leave the room when they flip the switch.

     Every day, remember that the power of God is present, whether you feel it or not – believe that and give it action by speaking words of faith. 

     If you find yourself or a loved one in a sick room or a hospital room, remember that there is enough power in that room to raise up that sick one. Speak words of faith and give action to that power and it will flow.

     Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 2:4 & 5, “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but IN THE POWER OF GOD.” 

     Learn to declare in the face of every need, “I believe in the power of God that is present, and I believe it flows right now to meet my need!”

"The Prescription for Success" by Nancy Dufresne

A few months ago, I wrote about how on one particular occasion, I had been talking to God, repenting about some things — not things I had done wrong, but things I had failed to do — things I could have done better. Afterwards, I began to study, and while studying, I had the sense to get on my knees. When I did, Jesus stood in front of me. I didn’t see Him, but by the word of knowledge, I knew He was there. Jesus said to me, “You have failed many, many times, but I NEVER have. So, I share My success with you.”

     As new creatures in Christ, the life of God, the power of God, and the ability of God are in us. But also, the success of God is in us. We share in His success because we are made in His image, and God has never failed at anything!

     The success of God is in us, so we don’t have to try to achieve success on our own with our natural ability, but we can draw on the divine success that is within us. 

     The Word instructs us how to draw on that success and put it to work for us. “This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success” (Joshua 1:8, AMP). 

     This verse gives us the three-step prescription for success:

1. This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth. We must have a lifestyle of speaking the Word, no matter what the circumstances look like.

2. Meditate on the Word day and night. Meditating on the Word deals with our thought lives and what we are holding our attention on every day. Meditation is also how we drive the Word down into our spirits, and it’s when the Word flows from our spirits that it becomes effective.

3. We are to DO according to the Word — act on the Word. We are not to endeavor to act on the Word until we have taken time to do steps 1 & 2 — that’s when we will get results.

     One of the best ways to illustrate these three steps that we are to take is by looking at how an old-time musket rifle works. To make one of those rifles work, the first step is to pour gun powder down the barrel, load it with a bullet, and then put in a wad of paper. The second step to take is to pack it all down with a long rod. By packing it down, you improve the musket’s accuracy. The third step is to fire the musket.

     When we speak the Word, that’s like loading the rifle with gunpowder, the bullet, and the paper wad. To meditate on the Word day and night is like packing it all down, which ensures accuracy. To act on the Word is like firing the rifle. It won’t do any good to pull the trigger until it’s been loaded and packed down. 

     It won’t do any good to try to act on the Word without taking the time to speak the Word and meditate on it — that would be like pulling the trigger on a rifle that hasn’t been loaded. This is where many misunderstand faith. They think if they take actions of faith that it will work, but actions of faith must be backed up by words of faith and thoughts of faith. That’s how we arrive at success. 

     Success belongs to us, but it won’t automatically show up — we have to take the steps prescribed in the Word. That’s what will activate the success of God in us.