"HOLD FAST" by Nancy Dufresne

Faith has several actions – faith believes, faith stands its ground in the face of opposition (fights the good fight of faith), and faith receives the manifestations. But faith also holds fast to what it has received.

     Bible faith isn’t only interested in receiving, but it’s interested in every action of faith. Bible faith refuses to lose anything it has received from God! Everything you receive from God, the devil is going to try to steal from you.

     When something is received from God, but then seems to diminish or decline – if healing or increase is seemingly diminishing, where is the leak? What’s the remedy? HOLD FAST!

     Hebrews 1:1-3 reads, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

If we’re holding fast, we’re rejoicing.

- Nancy Dufresne

     All that God created still had to be upheld.

     First Thessalonians 5:21 instructs us to, “Prove all things; HOLD FAST that which is good.” “Hold fast” means to hold hard.

     Ongoing feeding on the Word is what enables us to HOLD FAST. Anytime we have backed up on standing our ground, we quit hearing as much as needed.

     Kenneth E. Hagin tells of his healing testimony. After he was raised up off his deathbed from an incurable heart condition, heart symptoms again began to return. He didn’t know where he was missing it. But then one day he saw it. He had received his healing, but then when he started feeling heart symptoms try to come back, he would talk about how his heart symptoms were coming back. He realized that this was where he was missing it – he wasn’t holding fast. He had two confessions; he was saying he was healed, but then talking about his heart symptoms. After he learned to only have ONE confession, instead of two opposing ones, all his heart symptoms again left.

     After he was raised up, the doctor still said that he would be dead in 90 days, for the doctor thought he was only up by willpower. Brother Hagin said, “I’m not up by willpower, but I’m up by faith – and MY FAITH WILL HOLD!” I like that – my faith will hold!

     Once the spirit of faith is in place and you are confident something is yours, don’t back up – hold fast to what is yours!

     Hebrews 3:5 & 6 reads, “And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.”

     If we’re holding fast, we’re rejoicing. Rejoicing helps us to hold fast.

     Revelation 2:25 instructs, “But that WHICH YE HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED HOLD FAST till I come.” We ALREADY HAVE healing, supply, victory, and all the things Jesus purchased for us. We don’t just hold fast to things that have manifested, but we also hold fast to all that He provided, whether or not it has manifested. Hold fast to what God says is yours!

     We are to master our confession – where only one confession is made. To master our confession also involves mastering our thought life.

     Faith can receive a miracle, but it’s a continuous, ongoing exercise of faith that maintains and holds fast to what has been received.

"Take Off the Limits!" by Nancy Dufresne

Joshua 1:8 instructs 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” (Amplified).

     The Word IN you is the fountain of your success. Our success is not by willpower and self-effort. Our effort and work is to get the all-conquering Word in us and dominating us – it’s then we experience the success the Word gives.

     This verse gives us three instructions: keep the Word in our mouths, meditate on the Word day and night, and do the Word.

     One way for us to keep the Word in our mouths is by meditating on it day and night. To meditate means to think deeply into and to mutter to ourselves. This is dealing with what we allow in our THOUGHT LIVES and what we have our ATTENTION on. Meditation is how you get the Word in you and how you get you in the Word. The only part of the Word that will work for you is the part you get IN you – in your spirit – not just in your mind.

     Meditating on the Word takes the limits off small thinking. Small thinking limits God and limits the degree of success we will have. We will have everything we are okay with – but if we will reach for more, God will back us up. Meditating on the Word is how we ENLARGE our spirits to lay hold of the greatness of His plan. We have to lay hold of things with our spirits first before we will ever see them come to pass. If you think, “I can’t have that,” you’re right, you can’t. Break off those limiting thoughts by meditating on the Word.

     First Kings 4:29-30 read, “And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and LARGENESS OF HEART, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. The Amplified translation reads, “And God gave Solomon exceptionally much wisdom and understanding, and BREADTH OF MIND like the sand of the seashore.”

     Solomon had no limits on the way he thought, and he had a large spirit that could accept and lay hold of the wealth God blessed him with. He had no limits on his thinking and his believing. This verse said his largeness of heart and breadth of mind was “like the sand of the seashore” – unlimited. Where did that largeness come from? God gave it to him.

     I appreciate that the Word listed his wealth for us, for in seeing it, it helps break small thinking off of us. 

     King Solomon ruled from 970 BC to 931 BC, and during this time he received 25 tons of gold for each of the 39 years of his reign. That’s 50,000 pounds of gold each year, which totals almost 2 million pounds of gold over the 39 years. In today’s calculations, King Solomon’s net worth was $2.2 trillion. His wealth didn’t bother God – He was the one who blessed him with it.

     Second Chronicles 9:13-29 lists his wealth. “Every year King Solomon received over twenty-five tons of gold, in addition to the taxes paid by the traders and merchants. The kings of Arabia and the governors of the Israelite districts also brought him silver and gold. Solomon made two hundred large shields, each of which was covered with about fifteen pounds of beaten gold, and three hundred smaller shields, each covered with about eight pounds of beaten gold. …The king also had a large throne made. Part of it was covered with ivory and the rest of it was covered with pure gold. Six steps led up to the throne, and there was a footstool attached to it, covered with gold. There were arms on each side of the throne, and the figure of a lion stood at each side. Twelve figures of lions were on the steps, one at either end of each step. No throne like this had ever existed in any other kingdom. All of King Solomon's drinking cups were made of gold, and all the utensils…were of pure gold. Silver was not considered valuable in Solomon's day. He had a fleet of ocean-going ships. …Every three years his fleet would return, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys. King Solomon was richer and wiser than any other king in the world. They all consulted him, to hear the wisdom that God had given him. Each of them brought Solomon gifts—articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. This continued year after year. King Solomon also had four thousand stalls for his chariots and horses, and had twelve thousand cavalry horses. …He was supreme ruler of all the kings in the territory from the Euphrates River to Philistia and the Egyptian border. During his reign silver was as common in Jerusalem as stone, and cedar was as plentiful as ordinary sycamore in the foothills of Judah. Solomon imported horses from…every other country” (Good News Translation).

     I’m not saying that everyone will amass the wealth of King Solomon, but I am saying that we are settling for far too less of what God has made ours! Since God’s blessing on Solomon enabled him to amass such a great natural wealth that is fleeting, just think of the wealth of the true riches that belong to us! How do we access that? We must allow the Word to enlarge our spirits and minds and break off small thinking and limited believing. We must engage in extravagant asking and extravagant receiving. 

     Meditating on the Word plays a big role in helping enlarge our spirits and minds and removing those limits that hinder us from receiving all God offers us. We have an end-time harvest to fund, so let’s take off the limits!

"The Jackpot of Life, Part 1" by Nancy Dufresne

Matt. 6:31-34 instructs us, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But SEEK ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be ADDED unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow....”

The Amplified translation of verse 33 reads, “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (HIS WAY OF DOING and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.”

“When we seek first God’s Kingdom and His way of operating, everything we need in this life shall be added to us.”

— Nancy Dufresne

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things that others are dying to get will be ADDED to you. This is the “jackpot” of life. It’s a key scripture that tells us that when we seek God first, then all these things this scripture contains will be added to us.

Seeking first His Kingdom and His way of operating will put us in command of all other things that others are dying to get. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and its diverse interests, and all these things shall be added to you.

“Seek” — this is not a casual approach to God and His Kingdom, but a “whole-hearted” approach that calls for your whole attention. This verse shows us that we are to have a God-centeredness in all we do. God-centeredness is loving God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. God-centeredness puts us on top of all other issues of life. This verse shows us that God-centeredness will put us in command of all other issues of life.

No Fear of What We’re Far Above

For the one who is God-centered in his thoughts and in his attention, he is done with fear and worry and doubt. To engage in “His way of doing” (vs. 33, Amp) gives you the mastery over all opposition. When you get the revelation of this verse, you will be free from struggling for anything. You can be assured that this truth sets you free from every form of struggle.

God-centeredness is the mystery behind our dominion on the earth. God-centeredness helps us see ourselves and walk in the position He has raised us to — FAR above all powers.

Ephesians 1:20-23 reads, “Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, FAR ABOVE all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” And Ephesians 2:5 & 6 tells us, “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ...And hath RAISED US UP together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

When you get the revelation that you are seated FAR ABOVE all opposing powers, it is like a divine coronation, and you begin to exercise the dominion that is yours. You live on top instead of beneath. God-centeredness brings you into a mindfulness of your exalted position in Christ. It sets you free from fear when you see that you are FAR ABOVE all opposition. You can never be afraid of what you are FAR above. When someone is afraid, it is because they have forgotten that they are FAR ABOVE it. No more fear of being alone, fear of flying, fear of failure, no fear of the future, no fear that so many others’ lives are dominated by.

Utmost Excitement About His Kingdom

When we seek first God’s Kingdom and His way of operating, everything we need in this life shall be added to us. To seek first the Kingdom of God and His way of doing things is to love God unreservedly — going after Kingdom issues with utmost excitement — treating it as the highlight of your life.

First Corinthians 2:9 reads, “...What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, [all that] God has prepared (made and keeps ready) for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, promptly obeying Him and gratefully recognizing the benefits He has bestowed]” (Amplified).

The more interested I become with Him and His business, the more I lose interest in the unimportant, and the more absorbed I am with God’s interests. I’m not going to let the unimportant rob me of the glorious future God planned for me on this earth. I’m not going to let distractions and the natural rob me of laying hold of “His riches in glory.”

Serving God and having your interest in His Kingdom is absolutely for your benefit. Exodus 23:25 & 26 tells us, “You shall serve the Lord your God; He shall bless your bread and water, and I will take sickness from your midst...I will fulfill the number of your days” (Amplified). He will bless your daily resources, and He will protect the health of the one serving Him and extend his life. The blessing flows with the “serving” of His Kingdom.

You won’t have to pray for His blessing when your interest is in His Kingdom, for the abundance of that Kingdom will water and overflow every arena of your life. Giving God the first place in our lives is absolutely to our benefit. When we put the Kingdom of God first, then that Kingdom will dominate our lives.

In God’s Kingdom is unending supply — there’s never a shortage there. Stay in the interests of the Kingdom, and you will stay out of shortage.

Part 2 Coming Next Month...