"Faith Works When We Hear From God, Part 1" by Nancy Dufresne

In I Thessalonians 3:10, Paul writes, “Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might PERFECT that which is LACKING in your faith?”

     If our faith is lacking, our life will be lacking. It’s by faith that we conduct business with Heaven, and if our faith is lacking, we won’t be able to conduct business with Heaven as we ought – we won’t be able to receive all that Heaven has made ours. If our faith is imperfect, our results will be imperfect, and God intends that we receive every time.

     Romans 10:17 tells us, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Faith comes by hearing – hearing from God – hearing what He is saying to you about your specific need.

     The Word is God’s general instructions to all of His people, but the Spirit gives us specific instructions for our lives. God’s Word tells us that He will supply our every need, but it’s the Spirit who tells us which home, which job, which pastor, which spouse – the Spirit gives us the specifics we need in life. That’s why we must be people of the Word AND people of the Spirit – we must know the Word, but we must also know how to follow the Spirit.

     The Spirit is that divine Genius in us that will lead us through the inward witness; He will lead us in the specifics of God’s plan for our life, and He will lead us into success – but we must be good followers. Those who follow best finish best.

     If we don’t recognize how the Spirit is leading us, our faith is not going to work right – it will be imperfect and lacking. Faith works right when people know what God is saying to them about their specific need. If we are needing specifics, we can’t just “throw more faith confessions” at our need when we lack hearing what He’s saying to us about our situation. We must take time to hear from God if our faith is going to work right. If we are going to get results with our faith every time, then we must hear from Him. Faith requires revelation to work – we have to know what He is saying to us.

     When I have a need, I don’t just randomly select a Bible verse to confess. I look to my spirit to know which verse the Spirit will quicken to me. When a verse is quickened to me by the Spirit, it comes alive to me and my faith is quickened. 

“I don’t just form a plan, but I need to hear His plan.”

— Nancy Dufresne

     If we “lack hearing,” we will become weary in exercising faith by just throwing random confessions at our need, and we will get little results. If you’re feeding on the Word and confessing the Word, but nothing is changing, you need to hear. Presumption in faith is trying to exercise faith without knowing what God is saying to you.

     As a minister, I endeavor to take time to hear from God. I don’t just form a plan, but I need to hear His plan. I move slowly, because my success is in my hearing – for when I hear right, my faith will work right. I don’t just duplicate what others are doing in ministry; I purpose to do what God tells me to do in ministry. I purpose to seek Him and hear what He says.

     Take time to hear from God. Feed on the Word, but also listen to what God would say to you by His Spirit. When facing a test of any kind, don’t just start throwing confessions at it – take time to hear how the Spirit would lead you to address that test.

     We must learn to recognize His leadings. We become more sensitive to the Spirit as we take time to speak in tongues. Praying in the Spirit doesn’t earn the leading of the Spirit for your life, but it does make you more sensitive to the Spirit of God so that it’s easier for you to recognize His leading.

     When we know how the Spirit is leading us, then we can exercise faith accurately and skillfully. 

"Our Authority in Christ, Part 2" by Nancy Dufresne

Romans 5:17 reads, “For if by one man's (Adam’s) offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.”

     We are to reign in this life by reigning over the circumstances that come against our life – WE are to have the last word. Circumstances may show up, but WE are the ones who determine the effect they will have on us. We are to REIGN in life – just as a king reigns. In his domain, HIS word is final!

     We are authorized to live as though we have no enemy – for Jesus has made us MASTER over the devil. When our spirit grasps the truth that Satan is a defeated foe, and we walk in our authority, the devil is done pushing us around!

     We will have everything we “put up with.”

     As a parent, you have parental authority to hold order in your home. If you don’t exercise your authority as a parent, your children will try to run and control the home. You will have everything in your home that you “put up with.” But if you decide that you are done putting up with children disobeying, disrespecting, and dishonoring you and the home, you are authorized to walk in your parental authority.

     If you don’t exercise your authority in the home, the kids will try to take that place and role. It’s the same with the devil – when you don’t exercise your authority over him, he will rise up and work against your life – simply because you didn’t exercise your authority.

     If a parent hasn’t been exercising their authority and the kids have been running the home, the kids will try to rebel when the parent starts exercising their authority over them – they want to be in charge. But if the parent will PERSIST and not back down, order can be restored.

     The devil is the same way – if he’s been used to getting his way in your life, he will REBEL and cause great commotion when you start exercising your God-given authority. The devil wants to make you think your authority doesn’t work for you – but it does!

     If you take your authority against symptoms in your body and forbid them to stay, they may seem to increase – the devil wants you to think your authority doesn’t work for you and try to get you to back down from using your authority. But your authority will work for you! Just continue in the use of your authority – don’t back down. He will challenge you, but just stand your ground!

     First Peter 5:8 & 9 instructs us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith….” (AMPC — Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined).....”

     James 4:7 tells us, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” In this verse, we see two instructions given. First, submit to God, and secondly, resist the devil (exercise your authority over him). The result of doing both of those things is that the devil will flee.

     What does it mean to “submit to God”? Obey God – do what is He dealing with you about. Authority won’t work right if we aren’t obeying the One who delegated us the authority. We can’t live disobedient to the Word and to the Spirit of God and think that our authority will work right. We must first be SUBMITTED to God – THEN resist the devil, and he will flee!

     If the devil isn’t fleeing – if the situation isn’t changing over time – check and see if you are first submitted to God and obeying Him. Disobedience will interrupt the flow of power.

     People may wonder – “Well, if Satan is defeated, why do I have to deal with him?” He has been defeated, but he hasn’t yet been IMPRISONED. One day, he will be imprisoned and we won’t have to deal with him – but until that day, we are the “police officers” of our lives – exercising our authority.

     Police officers don’t make laws – they just enforce them. They are authorized to enforce laws they didn’t make. A police officer operates under DELEGATED AUTHORITY – it’s the authority of the city – it’s not authority he won for himself – it was delegated to him.

     A police officer’s authority will work for him, regardless of how he FEELS that day. He may feel physically ill and weak, but his authority still works. It doesn’t matter whether or not you FEEL like you’re in authority – authority is yours because of the POSITION you occupy – not because of how you FEEL.

     There are 3 hindrances to us exercising our dominion:

1. Ignorance – what a person doesn’t know, he won’t take possession of or walk in.

2. Unbelief – the Hebrews that God delivered out of Egypt didn’t enter into all that belonged to them because of unbelief. They are a warning to us. When a person doesn’t trust God – the One our dominion stems from – it is impossible to operate in true dominion. How do you say to someone, “I love you, but I don’t believe a word you say”?

3. Sin – this is the greatest element that destroys man’s effective use of his authority and dominion. To exercise dominion, we must be made clean and remain clean by the Blood. Being clean includes being obedient to God.

     Thank God for the authority we have in Christ. We are to exercise ourselves in authority every day – that is, actively resist anything that isn’t from God. Resist symptoms, wrong thoughts, fear, unbelief, sin, and everything else that God has delivered us from.

     Jesus paid a great price for us to have the inheritance that we have in Christ. Our authority is an important part of that inheritance, so let’s not neglect it, but become skillful in exercising it. As we daily walk in our authority, God’s power backs us up and life is made sweeter.

"Our Authority In Christ, Part 1" by Nancy Dufresne

  Psalm 8:4-6 reads, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels (Heb. Elohim – God ), and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have DOMINION over the works of thy hands; thou hast put ALL things under his feet.”

     Being created in God’s image, we were created to have dominion and rule. God made “him to have dominion.” We must be true to what we were “made” for. Dominion fits us, for we were “made” for it.

     Ephesians 1:19-23 tells us, “...according to the working of his mighty power, 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.”

     Jesus’ headship is exercised through the Church – the Body of Christ.

     Jesus was raised FAR above all principality, powers, might, and dominion – all these opposed Him being raised from the dead – but they were no match for God’s power that raised Him.

     Ephesians 2:4-6 tells us, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

     Jesus occupies the seat of authority at the right hand of God. We too have been raised up together with Christ and made to sit together with Him in heavenly places. We have a SHARED seat of authority with Christ – our authority stems from that seat.

     Jesus is the Head – we are the Body. The Head isn’t in one seat and the Body in another. The Head exercises His authority through the Body. 

     Your own head may decide to go to the next room, but it needs the body to carry out what the head directs. The head directs the “doing” of the body. Likewise, Jesus (who is the Head) carries out God’s plan through the Church (the Body). The Head directs the Body.

     Being raised and seated with Christ, we occupy a supreme position with Christ. Our authority stems from that exalted seat we occupy with Christ – our authority is of HIM. Adam lost the dominion through sin, but Jesus restored it back to us.

     The devil doesn’t want Christians to know that they have complete authority over him. He seeks to hinder light on this truth because he knows that when believers learn this truth, he’s done pushing them around – we will dominate him and enjoy the authority that is rightfully ours.

     Since we have authority over the devil, why are so many Christians living in bondage to the wrong thing? Because they don’t know or exercise the truth of their authority. John 8:32 reads, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge….” Believers aren’t destroyed because of the devil – but  because they are ignorant of what God has provided for them and made theirs. Being ignorant, the devil takes advantage of them, and they allow the wrong things to happen.

     Matthew 18:18 reads, “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind (forbid) on earth shall be bound (forbid) in (by) heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose (permit) on earth shall be loosed (permitted) in (by) heaven.” 

     Notice, regarding the exercise of authority, something is done on earth before anything is done in Heaven. When we on earth exercise our authority, Heaven will back us up! But we must take action first. If authority isn’t exercised on earth, then Heaven has nothing to back up. 

     Jesus defeated Satan, then turned around and handed us the authority – WE are the ones who have to exercise that authority. Wrong things persist because WE permit it. But when we forbid wrong things, Heaven’s power will back up our authority we are exercising.

     People will say, “Why did God allow or permit that to happen?” When He would say to us, “Why did YOU allow or permit that to happen?” God forbids what we forbid. God permits what we permit.

     Every encounter with the devil always needs to be with the consciousness that we have complete and total authority over him because he is a defeated foe. Colossians 2:15 tells us, “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.”

     Jesus utterly defeated and stripped principalities and powers of their authority. Jesus defeated Satan and then handed that victory to us. We don’t have to defeat Satan again – we are to ENFORCE the defeat over the devil that Jesus accomplished on our behalf.