Resisting the Enemy

November Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas and greetings in Jesus’ precious name! Christ came into this world “in the fullness of time” to redeem mankind from sin and to reconcile us to the Heavenly Father (Galatians 4:4,5). And what a great salvation it was and is that God wrought for us in Christ (see Hebrews 2:3-18)! Denise and I and our family wish you a warm and wonderful Christmas season and the best new year of your life in 2022.

Today I want to talk to you about opportunities and adversaries, but first I want to say thank you for being such a faithful partner with our ministry. As I told you in my letter last month, our ministry is bursting at the seams, and I am so humbled that God would use Denise and me, our family, and our team to minister to the many people who are reaching out to us every day.

Every soul is precious, and it is our heartfelt desire to convey that truth to every person God brings to us — that they are precious to Him and to us. And your gifts are so vital to our ability to touch every one of these treasured souls! So today I want to say a special thank you for all you do with us to take the trusted teaching of the Word of God to people in Russia and all over the world. From the depths of our hearts, Denise and I THANK YOU!

This month is the last month of the year — and I know you are probably preparing for Christmas and many different kinds of gatherings. But in addition to Christmas, it’s also almost 2022. As we come to the end of this year and to the beginning of a brand-new year, the Holy Spirit keeps telling me to “stay on track” with the assignments He has given us. I hear Him saying that even if we hit bumps along the way, everything will be all right if we’ll just stay on track and maintain our God-assigned territory — the many opportunities and assignments He has given us to inspire, strengthen, and equip believers with the sound teaching of the Bible.

But I’ve learned over the years that opportunities and adversaries usually go together — and today I want to encourage you to undergird yourself so that you can stay on track with what God has asked you to do this month and in the coming year.

Over the course of our ministry, we’ve had many great, effectual doors open to us to do the work of the Gospel. I’ll never forget when I received an opportunity to minister on television in the former Soviet Union. It was as if a great door had suddenly swung open to an entire vast territory — a door that had never before been opened for anyone else — and I knew I was experiencing something miraculous. By faith, Denise and I stepped through that door and began to preach the Word of God on television in this spiritually starved corner of the world.

Given the former socialist-communist campaigns against the Gospel in this particular region, this opportunity was as miraculous as the Jordan River dividing for Joshua and the children of Israel. But with this great open door also came a slew of adversaries, specifically dispatched by Satan to instill fear and doubt into my heart. The devil desperately wanted to prevent me from touching the lives of spiritually oppressed people, so he positioned evil people with insidious plans to try to block my view of what God had in store for our ministry.

I’m telling you that it was like the children of Israel looking at the Promised Land from the far side of the Jordan River. From that perspective, they saw only the fruitful land of blessing that lay before them. But once they entered the Promised Land, they had to fight giants of every kind before they could possess that land and enjoy the blessing. In much the same way, if Denise and I had taken our eyes off the Lord during that tumultuous period — or if we had focused only on the problems and forgotten about the fruit we were pursuing for God’s Kingdom — I’m sure we would have backpedaled to get out of the situation!

But we knew this was a God-given opportunity and worth the fight, so we fixed our gaze squarely on the Lord. Girded with the armor of God and the power of the Spirit, we pushed through every obstacle and possessed the ground that God called us to take. As a result, millions of souls began to hear the Gospel for the first time. We knew that only God could have opened this door!

In First Corinthians 16:9, the apostle Paul wrote about the strategic doors of opportunity that open for the Gospel and the adversaries that usually accompany them. He said, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.” Notice that Paul used the words “great,” “door,” “effectual,” and “is opened” to describe the opportunity that had been set before him.

The word “great” in this verse is translated from the Greek word megale, which means gigantic. The word “door” is the Greek word thura, which typically refers to a door, but in this context, denotes a rare opportunity. The word “effectual” is the Greek word energes, and it depicts something that is powerful and ready to be set into motion. Finally, the phrase “is opened” is the Greek word anoigo, which describes something standing wide open. In other words, the door in question couldn’t be any more open! Thus, an alternate translation of Paul’s words in First Corinthians 16:9 could be rendered, “A gigantic, powerful opportunity is already set in motion and standing wide open….”

Paul continued by saying, “For a great door and effectual is opened unto me….” You see, Paul knew that the particular door he was referring to had never been opened to anyone else, and he stood in awe of the unprecedented opportunity. Walking through these kinds of doors is impossible without divine assistance, and Paul was fully aware of God’s role in the matter. That is why he specified that this door had been opened “unto me.”

Paul’s prayer request in First Corinthians 16:9 was not for a door to open because it had already opened. His prayer request was to receive God’s wisdom to deal with the numerous adversaries who were trying to come against him. Paul used the Greek word antikeimenoi to describe the vast number of “adversaries” that were sent to attack him. This Greek word describes something that was piled high and lying all around him. In other words, he was dealing with more than a few minor opponents. On the contrary, it felt like opposition was stacked high on every side!

I’ve learned that the enemy will try his best to keep you from stepping through the gigantic doors of opportunity God desires to open for you. Satan is afraid of what will happen when “his” territory is invaded by someone fully equipped with a full arsenal of spiritual weapons. So know this: God will open doors for you — but He needs you to make a determined decision that you will walk through them, no matter the opposition, with the help of His Spirit.

By opening the door, God has already done His part, which would have been impossible without His assistance. Now He beckons you to come, dressed in the whole armor of God and in the power of His Word — and proceed through that effectual door into new territory. It may look like enemies are everywhere, but it is simply a fact that the devil and his forces flee and collapse when they are subjected to a show of strong faith!

As I mentioned earlier, many great and effectual doors have been opened to us over the years to do the work of the Gospel. In each case, we knew these doors were unique to us and had never before been opened for anyone else. And just as Paul experienced opposition, there were plenty of enemies that came against us with each opportunity. But because we obeyed God, the devil was forced to move out of the way, and we walked right into the virgin territory that God had opened for our ministry.

Even if you think your situation looks threatening right now, I want to tell you that God is with you. He wants to supernaturally open new doors for you — doors that have never before been opened for you. He is not beckoning you to walk through these doors so you can fail. He is with you every step of the way, and He will empower you to defeat every foe and bring Him glory in that new territory that is yours to possess in Jesus’ name!

Your open door may be an opportunity to shine the light of God’s Word and God’s love to your family or friends during this holiday season. It may be a door that will open to you in the new year. Regardless of when it is or what it is, the same God who opens doors will empower you to walk through them — and then He’ll be right with you to give you the wisdom and strength needed to overcome any giant that tries to meet you on the other side.

I know this is not a typical December, “Christmas-style” letter, but this is what was on my heart to share with you today. I want you to always know that if we can join you in prayer, we would be delighted to do so. To be honest, we are praying for you anyway, but when we are alerted to know exactly “how” to pray, it increases our effectiveness as we pray for you. So if you have a special need, please either call or write to let us know how we can get in agreement with you for God to show Himself mighty to you according to Jeremiah 33:3, which says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

And please pray for us as we continue marching forward by faith to push back darkness, to shine the light of God’s Word, and to take territory for the Kingdom of God. Together — as partners — we can make a difference in the lives of throngs of people who are crying out to God for help. They are waiting for God to respond to their prayers, and God wants to use us — you and us together — to bring them the answers they desperately need.

But before I close, I want to say we are specifically asking God to do something special for you this month and before the end of the year. I don’t know what it is, but that is what we are praying. We are asking God to do something special that will bless your life! And please, please pray for us as we continue pushing ahead to build our studio in Moscow, to finalize the purchase of our new headquarters in Tulsa, and to continue to minister effectually to every precious soul Jesus brings to us!

Merry Christmas!

We love you and thank God for you!

We are your brother and sister, friends, and partners in Jesus Christ,

Rick and Denise Renner
along with Paul, Philip, and Joel and their families|Dear Friends,

Today I want to speak to you about resisting the enemy’s attacks in your life.

But first, I want to wish you a happy Thanksgiving and to THANK YOU for being such a faithful friend and partner with this ministry! Proverbs 10:21 says, “The lips of the righteous feed many….” That verse describes God’s call to our ministry to feed many people the Word of God. Denise and I and our family and team can each do our part, but our partners’ regular giving is what enables us to take this message to people everywhere. We are giving our all to obey God, and the part you do is so vital in His great plan. That is why I want to say thank you to you before anything else today! We all have so much to be grateful for, and there is no better time than now to express again how thankful Denise and I are for you.

I also want you to know that my new book Christmas — The Rest of the Story is now available for purchase in our online store! From cover to cover, you’ll find full-color, original hand-drawn illustrations decorating every page. Packed with biblical truth and history, this book tells the story of our Savior’s birth and His purpose for coming in a way you’ve probably never heard before! I believe that as you gather with your family or friends this year, you will want this book within arm’s reach so you can share all the treasures that are in it. To order your copy today, go to renner.org.

Now let me share what is on my heart with you today.

As you grow in your spiritual walk, you need to know that attacks on your life may begin to escalate. But the good news is that your new growth and your knowledge of God’s Word will help you come through each attack as the victor!

It is certain that the devil doesn’t want you to grow because spiritual growth in your life equals real trouble for him and his dark kingdom. He would much prefer that you remain infantile in your spiritual life so that you do him no serious damage. Satan is well-aware that your growth in the knowledge of God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit poses a grave threat to his domain. He will, therefore, attempt to make a preemptive strike against you to slow down your growth. Do not be surprised by such preemptive strikes in your life!

Paul said, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man…” (1 Corinthians 10:13). In regard to these attacks from the devil, Peter also said, “Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world” (1 Peter 5:9).

In the midst of a spiritual assault that you’re experiencing, the devil may try to coax your flesh and emotions into believing that no one has ever been attacked like you’re being attacked. He may whisper to your mind that no one else has ever gone through the difficulties that you are going through right now. But you need to realize that this is a trick to make you fix your eyes on the problem and to overmagnify it.

It is vital for you to know that as you grow and your understanding of God’s Word begins to increase, you will probably have many opportunities to use your faith and to resist the devil. I can’t begin to count the times someone has told me, “I didn’t have any health problems until I got the revelation that Jesus bore all my sicknesses! After I started believing and confessing that healing was in the Atonement, it seemed like I was hit with all kinds of sicknesses!”

Others have said, “I had no financial woes until I believed what the Word of God has to say about tithes and offerings. Everything was fine financially until I started acting on the Word of God. Then when I began to give tithes and offerings to the Lord, everything seemed to fall to pieces!”

These attacks are attempts of the devil to drive you back from your land of promise. You see, he doesn’t want you to obey God’s Word and experience God’s blessings. This is exactly why the writer of Hebrews told his readers, “But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions” (Hebrews 10:32).

You need to know that a fight nearly always follows illumination. When you have received revelation concerning some area of the Word of God, the enemy comes almost immediately to attack, trying to steal the Word you have just embraced. Satan wants to make you doubt that Word so that you’re unable to confidently stand on it by faith.

That’s why it’s so important for you to realize that:

This is simply how the enemy works.

Satan comes to challenge you when you are gaining new ground. He waits until growth has begun; then he strikes with unrelenting force to shove you back into spiritual despair. He wants you to retreat and back off from the frontlines of battle!

By knowing ahead of time how the enemy works, you will be mentally prepared to deal with such challenges. Your knowledge of how and when Satan attacks will equip you to deal with these assaults more intelligently.

In regard to these times of spiritual assault, James said, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations” (James 1:2). Notice that James doesn’t say to count it all joy if you fall into diverse temptations. He says when. The word “when” implies that these attacks will come. The Greek tense used here suggests that:

From time to time, everyone comes under some type of assault. Regardless of whether the enemy’s attack originates in the natural realm or the spirit realm, the important thing for you to know is how to respond when such an attack commences against you.

God doesn’t warn us of this in order to inspire fear in us. He forewarns us of this reality so that when attacks do come, we will not be shocked and taken off guard and, thus, thrown into a state of confusion and discouragement. We are to anticipate such attacks.  

The devil does not want you to make spiritual progress, and he will try to stop you dead in your tracks! If nothing else, the presence of these attacks prove that you are making headway in your spiritual life and are becoming a threat to the security of the kingdom of darkness. Otherwise, these unseen enemies would leave you alone.

But if you are mentally prepared and alert to the way the enemy operates and to the potential of an attack, you have already eliminated half the battle. Mental preparation is a major key for dealing with potential attacks. If we are mentally alert to this possibility, and if we understand that these attacks occur when we are becoming more illuminated concerning the Word and our place in Christ, we will be better positioned to guard against and overcome these assaults.

If you’re experiencing some kind of attack in any area of your life, it’s time for you to rejoice that the devil is threatened by the progress you are making — and it’s time for you to use your faith to drive him out of that area of your life. You have all the authority you need to push the devil out of the picture — so use that authority and start pushing in Jesus’ name! That is what I had on my heart to share with you today!

If you need someone to help you pray and push an attack out of your life, reach out to us by phone, by email, or by letter. I assure you that we know how to pray and how to use the authority of Jesus’ name, and we will agree in faith that God’s power will drive the enemy out of your territory! But please…let us know how we can be praying for you. And always remember, we are so thankful to God for your partnership with our ministry. Together, we are making a difference in the lives of many people around the world.

We are your brother and sister, friends, and partners in Jesus Christ,

Rick and Denise Renner
Along with Paul, Philip, and Joel Renner and our ministry team

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