"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. 

"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!

"Worship - A Word from God" by Nancy Dufresne

Since Brother Norvel Hayes went home to be with the Lord, God has stirred me to go back through the message that Brother Norvel brought to the Body of Christ. Brother Norvel taught faith and divine healing, but he taught it from the place of worship.

     Years ago, God spoke to Norvel Hayes and stated, “My children basically love Me, but they live in poverty and sickness and defeat. They don’t live in Heaven’s blessings because they don’t worship Me enough. You’re teaching faith and confession, you’re praying for the sick, but you need to worship Me more, and you need to teach My people to worship Me more. I’m their God, and they’re My children. If you’ll teach My children to worship Me more, I’ll do great and mighty things for them.”

Praise Brings the Anointing

     This word from God changed Brother Norvel’s life and ministry. I want to look more closely at what God said to him. God stated that His people don’t live in Heaven’s blessings because they don’t worship Him ENOUGH. He didn’t say they don’t worship Him — they worship Him, but not enough. How long is long enough? 

     I’m reminded of something Kenneth Hagin, Sr. used to say to us, “Praise brings the anointing, and the anointing destroys the yoke.” Psalm 22:3 tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. How does God inhabit our praises? With His anointing. When we praise, His anointing indwells those praises. We understand that under the New Covenant God inhabits His people, but God also inhabits our praises. This helps us understand what God said to Brother Norvel. In light of what Dad Hagin taught us, we could accurately word what God said this way: “They don’t live in Heaven’s blessings because they don’t worship Me long enough for the anointing to come into manifestation and destroy the yoke.” The more time we spend worshipping God, the more time we are giving for the anointing to work on our behalf. We are the ones who determine how long the anointing will work on our behalf. Little worship, little anointing. More worship, more anointing. Much worship, much anointing.

There’s No Substitute for Worship

     In the word God spoke to Brother Norvel, He also stated, “You’re teaching faith and confession, you’re praying for the sick, but you need to worship Me more, and you need to teach My people to worship Me more.” God commended Brother Norvel because he was teaching faith, teaching confession, and praying for the sick. Those things are right to do, but God showed him that worship was being neglected. Teaching faith, teaching the confessing of God’s Word, and praying for the sick are right to do, but they are no substitute for worship. Each of these have their place, but one cannot substitute for the other.

Keep Worshipping

     God went on to say to Brother Norvel, “I’m their God, and they’re My children. If you’ll teach My children to worship Me more, I’ll do great and mighty things for them.” Notice, people have to be taught to worship God and how to worship God. They have to be taught how to keep worshipping, no matter what the circumstances are.

     Psalm 34:1 instructs us, “I will bless the Lord AT ALL TIMES: his praise shall CONTINUALLY be in my mouth.” We are to praise and worship God “at all times” — whether the times look favorable or unfavorable. We must learn how to keep worshipping God no matter what circumstances look like. If we will keep worshipping God when circumstances look unfavorable, it will change the outcome of those times. In this verse, God is giving us the instruction of what to do at “all times” — even times when we don’t know what to do next — praise Him. We are to practice the spiritual habit of having His praises “continually” be in our mouths. We are to practice a lifestyle of praising God.

Great & Mighty Things

     Look at the last phrase of what God said to Brother Norvel. “If you’ll teach My children to worship Me more, I’ll do great and mighty things for them.” Those who worship God will see great and mighty things done for them! This is what God longs to do for His people — great and mighty things! But notice the instruction — it’s when we worship God more that He is able to do great and mighty things for us. Worship brings the anointing, and it’s by the anointing that great and mighty things are worked. 

     But worship is also an act of faith, for faith is dealing with the unseen, and when we worship God, we are worshipping a God we don’t see; therefore, worship is an act of faith. When God finds people worshipping, He finds faith. And where He finds faith, He finds a place where He can do great and mighty things.