"Properly Define Faith" by Nancy Dufresne

Romans 12:3 tells us, “…God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” So, every believer has a measure of the faith of God. Paul wrote, “Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is LACKING IN YOUR FAITH” (1 Thess. 3:10). The Common English Bible reads, “…to see all of you in person and to complete whatever you still need for your faith. The Complete Jewish Bible reads, “…that we will be able to see you face to face and supply whatever shortcomings there may be in your trust.”

     We are to have a faith that receives every time. If we aren’t receiving the answer, it’s not because we don’t have faith, but our faith may be lacking something.

     Matthew 8:1-3 reads, “When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

     This man had faith enough to come to Jesus and to worship Him, but he lacked correct knowledge. This man believed Jesus could heal him, but he didn’t know if it was Jesus’ will for him to have healing. Jesus corrected this man’s thinking when He said, “I will.”

     When Jesus answered this man, He answered for every man. Man no longer needs to ask, “Will God heal me?” Jesus answered every man when He answered this man.

     Jesus corrected the man’s thinking. Wrong thinking was keeping this man’s faith imperfect. He wouldn’t be able to receive healing until his wrong thinking was addressed. The man believed Jesus could, but until he also believed He would, he wasn’t healed.

     For our faith to work right, we must properly define faith. Until we properly define faith, we will be tripped up and not able to receive.

     Matthew 8:17 tells us, “…Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” Ephesians 1:3 also tells us that God has already, “…blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Healing and all the blessings of God have already been made ours – He already provided it for us! Faith believes this, for faith believes what God says.

     To believe that God is going to heal me sometime – that’s not faith. Faith is not believing that God can. This leper believed Jesus could, but that wasn’t the proper definition of faith. Faith is not defined as believing that God can heal me or is going to heal me. Faith believes: “God has already done it, and I receive it NOW!” I have it now regardless of what I see or feel – that’s faith! Faith believes what it doesn’t yet see, for faith is always dealing with the unseen.

     Mark 11:24 reads, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, WHEN YE PRAY, BELIEVE YE RECEIVE THEM, and ye shall have them.” We are to believe we receive at the time we pray, and we shall have it. That’s faith!

     Many misunderstand faith at this point. “…When ye pray, believe ye RECEIVE them, and ye shall have them.” Some think that God is asking people to believe it’s manifested before it’s manifested. That’s not what the Word is saying.

Receiving Vs. Manifestation

     Receiving and manifestation are 2 different things. “Receiving” is dealing with your spirit – “manifestation” is dealing with the natural realm. “Receiving” is something you do with your spirit, your heart. Before something from God manifests in the natural realm, it must FIRST be received with your spirit.

     God is a Spirit, and He deals with us through our spirit. When we receive something from God, we receive it with our spirit first – then it will manifest in the natural realm. That’s why we can know on the inside of us that we have something before there’s evidence of it in the natural realm.

     The truth of God’s Word must dawn on your spirit first; that’s when you believe it. Manifestation comes after you first receive it with your spirit. Your faith is in your spirit, and your hand of faith lays hold of it first.

     When you believe something, you are to then SPEAK and ACT what you believe – this is what transfers it from the “unseen realm” to the “seen realm.”

     Our answer exists in two forms: in its invisible form and in its visible form. Mark 11:24 is telling us to believe the answer is ours or belongs to us while it is in its invisible form, and when we do, God will cause it to come into its visible form. We could read Mark 11:24 as, “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe you receive it (while it’s in its invisible form), and you shall have it (in its visible form).”

Perform the Act of Receiving

     Before we receive what we need from God, we must “perform the act of receiving.” What is the act of receiving? Saying, “I believe I receive it now!” Many are waiting for God to drop their answer on them, and He is waiting for them to perform the act of receiving so He can cause it to manifest.

     Our part is to believe it with our hearts and confess it, then God’s part is to manifest it. We can’t manifest our answer, only God can do that. Our part is to believe that at the time we prayed He heard us and that our answer started moving toward us.

     If you start asking, “When is it going to come? How is God going to do it?” you are getting into God’s part. Get out of God’s part. Anything to do with the manifestation is God’s part. Don’t even touch His part (the manifestation) in your thought life. Our part is to believe we receive it. As we do our part, God will always do His part. Instead of asking, “When is it going to manifest? How is God going to do it?” just go back to doing your part, which is to say, “I believe I receive it.”

     When we believe, “God does it for me now,” that’s faith at work – that’s a faith that receives!

"It Is Given – I Receive It” by Nancy Dufresne

Hebrews 4:3 tells us, “…[His] works had been COMPLETED and PREPARED [and WAITING for all who would BELIEVE] from the foundation of the world” (AMPC).

     Everything we need to fulfill God’s will and to live the life He authored for us has already been completed and prepared – it’s just waiting for our faith to show up! He completed and prepared our answer long before our need ever showed up – it’s been waiting from the foundation of the world!

     How does our faith show up? Through our words and actions. When we declare what He said is ours and act on His Word, that’s our faith giving God permission to perform what He has already provided and said about our lives.

It Is Given!

     God told me that there is something that someone is going to give to the ministry – something I won’t have to purchase. So, for a period of time, I have been saying, “Someone’s going to give me a ________.”

     But recently, God corrected me in what I was saying. He said, “It is given – just receive what’s already been given!” So, I corrected myself, saying, “It is given – and I receive it!

     We receive based on what God has already given – not based on what someone else gives. By me saying what someone else is going to do, I’m focusing on someone else’s part – on what they are doing. Instead, I am to focus on and talk about what God has already given. By talking about what someone else is going to do, that’s focusing on the manifestation. Faith doesn’t focus on the manifestation, but on what God has already done. As I talk about what God has already done, then the manifestation will come.

     The Hebrews who were delivered out of Egypt failed to take possession of the land that God said was theirs because they focused on the giants. They didn’t focus on what God had already given them; He had already given them the land. They wouldn’t move with God based on what He said. They would only believe what they saw.

     Faith only deals with words – God’s words. Don’t believe anything more than you believe what God says!

Get or Got

     One of my favorite stories of Dad Hagin’s is about the time he had recurring heart symptoms. As a teenager, he had been healed and raised off his deathbed from a heart condition, but years later, alarming heart symptoms tried to return.

     When the symptoms came in the middle of the night, he just pulled the bed covers up over his head and started laughing. He didn’t feel like laughing, so he just “put on” a laugh – ha, ha, ha!

     After about 10 minutes, the devil asked, “What are you laughing at?”

     He replied, “I’m laughing at you because you said that this is one time I’m not going to get my healing.”

     “That’s right,” the devil threatened, “this is one time you’re not going to get your healing.”

     Dad Hagin kept laughing – ha, ha, ha!

     Again, the devil questioned, “What are you laughing at?”

     He replied, “I already told you. I’m laughing at you because you said that this is one time I’m not going to get my healing.”

     “That’s right,” the devil threatened, “this is one time you’re not going to get your healing.”

     “What do I want to get my healing for? Jesus already got it for me! Now, gather up all your symptoms and get out of here!” And he did – every symptom left.

     One letter makes all the difference between get or got. You don’t have to get anything – you just need to know what you have already got!

     No matter what you need, your answer is already completed, prepared, and given – it’s just waiting for you to receive what He has already given!

"Faith That Impresses Jesus" by Nancy Dufresne

There are two things that made Jesus marvel. Let’s see what they are.

     Mark 6:1-6 reads, “And he went out from thence, and came into his own country; and his disciples follow him. And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this which is given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him. But Jesus, said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he MARVELLED because of their unbelief. And he went round about the villages, teaching.”

     Jesus marvelled at their unbelief! But He gave them the opportunity to change their unbelief into faith, for verse 6 tells us, “And he went round about the villages, teaching.” Teaching is the cure for unbelief.

     Now, let’s see the second thing that made Jesus marvel.

     Matthew 8:5-10 reads, “And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he MARVELLED, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.” 

     Jesus marvelled at faith!

     Both unbelief and faith made Jesus marvel. We want Him to marvel at us the right way – for our faith!

     What qualified the centurion as having great faith? He just took Jesus at His word. Words were enough for him. When God’s Word is enough for you, that’s great faith!

The Choice Was Up to Me

     Several years ago, I had something I wanted to pay off, and when I talked to God about it, He told me that the money would come by the end of the month. A large sum of money did come about midway through the month that was just the amount I needed.

     But I also had it in my heart to bless someone financially with that same amount of money.

When praying about whether to pay off the debt or to give the money, it seemed to me that God was leaving it up to me.

     To pay off that debt and to sow to this person would call for two large amounts in the same month, and I had not ever received two amounts that large in one month.

     I asked God if it would affect me financially to give the money instead of paying off the debt, and I was reminded of Proverbs 11:25, “… he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”

     Also, the scripture about the centurion soldier opened up to me. I saw that Jesus said to him, “I will come to your house and minister to him.” But the soldier said that it wasn’t necessary for Jesus to come to his house; he told Him to just speak the word – Jesus’ word was enough for him! Jesus didn’t end up going to his house – He just spoke the word.

     I saw this – Jesus left it up to the soldier. Jesus had already agreed to come to his house, but the soldier said that He didn’t need to come, for Jesus’ word was enough.

     Jesus was impressed with that faith – He said that He hadn’t found such great faith in Israel.

     If you had someone on the verge of death in your home and Jesus said He would come to your house to raise them up, would you have faith to say, “No Jesus, you don’t need to come – just send Your word – that’s enough for me!” That’s exactly what this soldier did. He said that the Presence of Jesus (something tangible) wasn’t necessary as long as he had Jesus’ word.

     I saw that Jesus left it up to the soldier – Jesus would come to his house or just send His word – it was the soldier’s choice. The soldier chose Jesus’ word over Jesus’ Presence – and his choice impressed Jesus!

     For my financial situation, I saw that Jesus was leaving it up to me – I could either choose to keep the money or give it. I wanted to make the choice that would impress Jesus.

     I chose to give it. And before the end of the month, I received a second large sum that handled my own need. God can pay for more than one thing at a time!

     God leaves some decisions up to us – but one choice will impress Him more. We want to make certain that God is pleased and marvels at the faith in the choices we make.

     Every choice we make is a demonstration of our faith.