September

"Consider Not" by Nancy Dufresne

"Consider Not" by Nancy Dufresne

When Jesus ministered to the sick, He said, “According to your faith be it unto you” (Matt. 9:29). Faith is simply believing what God says in His Word and acting like it’s true. Faith means acting on the Word!

     Even if circumstances and situations around us tell us something different than what God says, we choose to still believe what God says about it. If our body and what we feel tell us something different than what God’s Word says, we still choose to believe what God says. If thoughts bombard our mind against what God says, we still choose to believe what He says.

"His Great Supply" by Nancy Dufresne

God’s plan for us is as great as He is because it came out of Him – it carries His greatness! But the plan that comes out of Him also calls for His supply – that’s why He gives us a divine supply! (Philippians 4:19)

     What we could earn on our own isn’t enough to fund what comes out of Him – it isn’t great enough for God’s great plan and the greatness of what He’s doing. He is the Source and the Provider of His great plan. 

     We are not to see ourselves as a SPONSOR of what He’s doing. (A sponsor is responsible to pay for something.) God just allows us to participate and hook up to the greatness of His plan through our giving, but we certainly could not financially sponsor all that He is doing. 

     God involves us, but He’s not limited to us and our resources. The more that people get involved financially, the more they are blessed by the greatness of the plan they are participating in. 

     We have to think right. We are not to think that God is limited to what we can do ourselves financially, for we have God’s supply. He knows how to bring the needed resources into our hands.

     Anytime God tells us to do something, He also gives us the grace to accomplish it. Contained in that grace are the wisdom, the ability, and all the resources we will need to accomplish it. That’s why we can start with “nothing” when God tells us to do something – because the supply is not of us, but it’s of the grace that comes with the greatness of that plan. God will tell us to do things we ourselves don’t have the money for because He is the Provider and our great Source – He intends to fund it! 

     Everything God has told my husband or me to do, we never had the money ourselves to do it – we always started with nothing. God didn’t ask us to PAY for it – He just wanted us to BELIEVE for it!

     God has wonderful and great things for your local church to accomplish, but you’re not sponsoring it. God only invites you to give so that you can financially attach yourself to the greatness of the plan He has for the church, then that greatness will bless your life.

     We have to think right about money so that we don’t rob from ourselves by thinking that if we don’t have the money for it we can’t have it. Anything God has told you to do is too great for your own resources. That’s why the Word says that “My God shall supply...” – not your resources. Don’t dismiss yourself from the greatness of God just because you looked at your resources. God is not looking for your sponsorship – He is looking for your faith and your obedience to His plan.

     It’s so good to know what God has for our lives isn’t limited to our wallets. Our giving brings blessing to our lives because it involves us financially in what God is doing – but the greatness of His plan isn’t limited to our wallet. His plan is formed independent of our resources.

     Our own natural resources are not glorious enough to fund the greatness of His plan, but when we hook up to His plan with the resources we do have, the greatness of His glory spills over onto us and draws us into the flow of His glory, the flow of His resources and supply. 

     The greatness of His plan calls for His greatness, so let’s put a demand on His greatness to supply and fulfill His great plan.

"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.