A Woman of Canaan

May Teaching Letter from Denise 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 Friend,

This month I have been meditating a lot on personal encounters with Jesus — meeting with Him one on one — because the Bible says in First Corinthians 6:17 that “…He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” We are one with Him! And today I want to talk to you about a woman who had a very personal one-on-one encounter with Jesus — the Canaanite woman. We find her story in Matthew 15:22-28:

And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

The first thing we notice from this passage is she was “a woman of Canaan.” That means her relatives in the past had been enemies of Israel, who were God’s chosen people. The Canaanites were known for offering human sacrifices and worshipping idols. So this woman from a terrible background came to Jesus, and the Bible says she “cried out to Him.” She cried over and over again, yelling out to Jesus, “…Have mercy on me, Oh Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed” (v. 22).

As you can see, this woman had intense desire. As a Canaanite, she knew who she was and who her ancestors were, but she didn’t care because she wanted something from Jesus. She was desperate to receive this deliverance for her daughter. She went to Jesus and made a great effort to get Him to notice her. And then in her crying out — which wasn’t just once — Jesus still didn’t give her any attention. But that was not going to stop her. She was desperate to get help for her daughter, and she wasn’t about to give up.

When you and I come to a difficult situation — and it could be a life-or-death situation — our desire matters. Is our desire to just believe God for a little while, maybe asking for a week or two for God to move in our situation before becoming disappointed? Look at this Canaanite woman. She was crying out so much, and she kept on crying out. And verse 23 tells us that Jesus didn’t even answer her. It says, “But He answered her not a word.”

However, that didn’t stop her. This woman kept crying out until, finally, the disciples asked Jesus to send her away — but she would not be moved!

Then Jesus does answer her. In verse 24, He says, “…‘I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’” Does this stop the woman? No! Verse 25 continues, “Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’” Her desire had not changed. And she knew that Jesus was her only hope.

How many of us, when we need or want something from God and we know He is our only answer, give up just because we don’t get our answer fast enough? Maybe we are not desperate like this Canaanite woman, or maybe we aren’t focused on Him as intently as she was.

Do we cry out for Jesus and not care what others think or say about us? That’s what this woman did. She cried out to Jesus for the answer she needed, and she didn’t let anything stop her. Then she worshiped Jesus. What did her worship look like? Did she fall on her face? Did she put her face on the ground and weep and say, “Lord, You are Lord. Please help me!”?

We really don’t know how she worshiped, but we can learn from her example. When you’re faced with an impossible situation, you can worship Jesus and recognize Him as your only answer!

The Canaanite woman was not letting go of the possibility that her daughter would be free. No one else was crying out to Jesus for her daughter. It was just her and Jesus. And this was her opportunity — her one-on-one encounter with Him! She didn’t care about the disciples’ or anyone else’s opinion. She came to Jesus for one reason and one reason only — for the deliverance of her daughter.

Have you been in a situation like that? Where it was just you and Jesus and there was no one else there to encourage you? When at the midnight hour, it seemed so dark and lonely? Or when it was only you and Jesus, and you desperately needed Him to act?

I was at that place in my life once, and there was no other answer for me. My body was screaming at me with pain, and my mind was screaming at me. At that time, I was even having panic attacks because I was so filled with fear. In that moment, when I did not know how I was going to get out of that situation, I only knew that Jesus was my answer and He was my only answer. I remember taking hold of the sink one night while everyone else was sleeping and saying, “Lord, I don’t know what’s going on, but I am not letting go of You.” It was just a few weeks later that my deliverance, healing, and answer came. I can identify with the Canaanite woman because Jesus was her only answer and she determined not to let Him go.

Perhaps you have been in that place before, where you knew that Jesus was your only answer and you were not letting go until you got your answer. It is when we come to this deep place of worship and say in our heart, I do not know what I have to do or how long it is going to take to get my answer, but I am not letting go of You. You are my only hope.

There is something so holy about recognizing that Jesus is Lord of your life, and you can trust Him and Him alone. That is worship! And out of that deep place of worship from this woman came a very simple prayer: Lord, help me!

Friend, maybe you are at that place right now, where you know that Jesus is your only answer. Maybe you have become tired and you are tempted to give up. I want to encourage you that as you seek Him and worship Him, there is something that will happen inside you when you come to that place. You get a very simple answer. This is what happened to the Canaanite woman. She said three words to Jesus — Lord, help me!

Those three simple words drew that woman into a conversation with Jesus, where He said, “…It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs” (Matthew 15:26). That bread represented healing, and because she was a Canaanite woman, she, in the eyes of Jews, was considered a little dog. But that did not discourage this woman. She said to herself, Great. Crumbs fall from the table. I will take those crumbs. Then she said to Jesus, “…Even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table” (v. 27). When she said this, Jesus said, “Great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire…” (v. 28). And her little girl was delivered!

Dear friend, Jesus said that in this world, we would have tribulation — but to cheer up, for He has overcome the world (see John 16:33). The midnight hour will come to all of us at some time. So what are we going to do? What a great example we see in this woman who refused to give up and who pressed through her terrible background and difficult situation — first being ignored by Jesus, then being pushed away by the disciples, and, finally, being called a dog. But she continued to press through to get her answer.

Don’t let go of your desire, and don’t let go of the fact that Jesus is your only answer. Press through the obstacles and roadblocks that come because Jesus is with you, and He will see you to the other side of this trouble.

Thank you so much for spending this time with me. If God is doing something special in your life, please let us know. And if you have any prayer requests, we are here for you. We would love to lift your needs before the Lord and believe with you for your answer. Just call us at 1-800-742-5593 Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT, or you can send us your prayer request at prayer@renner.org.

And I am so grateful for all the comments I’ve received in response to my new TV program Time With Denise Renner. I read all of them! If you haven’t done so yet, I invite you to join us for the next program on YouTube, Facebook, or Telegram! And I also want to let you know that my new book Unstoppable will be officially released this month. Be sure to get your copy of this powerful and encouraging word that can help you overcome hindrances and push past obstacles to receive God’s supply and position yourself to fulfill your divine destiny!

Let’s keep pressing forward together,

Denise Renner

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