28-Day Journey — Denise Renner

Day 18: Experiencing the Holy Spirit’s Presence

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 139:4; Matthew 10:30; 1 John 2:27, 28

Do you want to experience more of the Holy Spirit’s presence? Most of us desire to experience a greater measure of His presence, yet we haven’t always reached our expectations.

Isn’t it true that the more we eat something we really enjoy eating, the more we want of that taste? The same is true of our hunger for God and His manifested presence in our lives. The more time we spend with Him, the more time we desire to spend in His presence.

Not long ago, I held a series of meetings while I was in the United States. The meetings were good, and I was grateful for God’s presence and the anointing to minister in those meetings. But something within me was just not completely satisfied.

I believe the dissatisfaction I felt was from the Holy Spirit. He wasn’t satisfied, either! My feelings caused me to have a new hunger to pursue a greater depth of fellowship in His presence. It also spurred me on to take more time to really hear His voice.

Have you ever felt that way?

As a result of my inner dissatisfaction, I began getting up earlier each day to seek God and just to sit in His presence. (I had to get up early because early mornings were the only time our house was quiet.) As I sought Him during those quiet times, I began to hear the Holy Spirit’s voice afresh and anew.

As I spent extra time waiting before the Lord, the first thing I learned was that our spirit, where the Holy Spirit lives, is filled with peace. I didn’t say our mind or emotions are always filled with peace ¾ but our recreated spirits are filled with God’s peace. It’s up to us to yield to the divine peace that abides in our heart. Subscribe to Denise’s 28-Day Journey Email Devotionals! When I first began to listen with renewed fervency to what the Holy Spirit was saying, the first thing I heard from Him was this simple statement: “I am not upset about anything — NOTHING upsets Me.” (If you were to get very quiet and push all the busyness of life aside, you would come to understand the same thing about the Holy Spirit.)

Just hearing those words alone can make your shoulders relax and bring a great sense of calmness and well-being to your life. After all, if God is not upset, why should you be? He completely understands everything about you. He knows what you’re going to say even before you say it! He also knows exactly how many hairs are on your head. So you can be one-hundred percent certain that He already knows about your financial situation, your marriage, your children, your body, and your every weakness and need.

The fact that God knows us so well and that He’s for us and not against us is a powerful reason for us to rejoice in hope!

Since the Holy Spirit already knows you perfectly and lives inside you as your Teacher, you don’t need to walk around depressed, fearful, and uninformed. He is right there with you to teach, guide, and comfort you. The Holy Spirit wants you and me not only to have our questions answered, but also to know Him! So let’s make the time to quiet our hearts and listen until we hear His voice in our hearts.

It’s a growing relationship with the Holy Spirit that we seek as we learn to listen for and hear His still, small voice. And we don’t just want to hear — we also desire sweet fellowship with the Holy Spirit that will bless and change us as we abide in His presence.

First John 2:28 says, “…Little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” Do you need confidence? Confidence comes from abiding in the presence of God.

I want to encourage you to make more time to fellowship with the Holy Spirit. If you have to get up earlier in the morning to do it, I promise you that whatever sleep you lose will be gained back in strength and joy throughout your day. You will never be sorry for spending time with God!

Thank you for spending this time with me. We’re praying with you for God’s plans and purposes to be manifested in your life so you can be an even bigger blessing to even more people! Please let us know your specific prayer requests, and we will faithfully pray for you!

In His great love,

Denise Renner

Denise Renner

28-Day Journey — Denise Renner

Day 17: Making Time Count

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 90:12; Hosea 10:12; John 9:4

I have so much expectation about what God will do this year! God is going to show Himself strong and mighty on behalf of those who will seek Him. It is so important that we set aside time to seek God more and more. Time is precious, and it is more important now than ever that we do not waste our precious time.

Have you ever heard the phrase “just killing time”? We need to come to a place of strong conviction where we would never want to just kill time. Our time is very valuable and precious. Our time is much more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you can never get more time. Once you spend your minutes, hours, and days, they are gone forever.

What value do you place on your time? Do you make good use of the allotted time you’re given in each brand-new day? For example, when you find yourself in situations in which you’re just waiting around, do you occupy yourself doing something productive, or are you idle? I encourage you in those circumstances not to just sit there and let your mind wander.

I have done that so many times. In the huge city of Moscow, you can spend hours in traffic just traveling across the city to a meeting. In the course of just a few miles of traveling, your eyes can scan hundreds of advertisements and thousands of cars! In a situation like that, it’s easy just to let your mind drift as you pass the time. Subscribe to Denise’s 28-Day Journey Email Devotionals! Several years ago, the Holy Spirit convicted me about wasting time. He showed me the importance of making my time count. Now when I’m traveling in busy traffic, I keep a book or audio teaching in my purse. If I forget one of those for some reason, I use my time to clean out my purse and to pray.

I’m sure we all can think of ways to better utilize our time — to use it in ways that are productive and that bring blessing and fullness to our own lives and the lives of others. For example, we can organize a closet or drawer, we can read an enriching book or magazine article, we can call a friend who has been on our heart — and, most importantly, we can pray and seek God and fellowship with Him around His Word.

Time is a precious commodity for each one of us, so why waste it? Time holds opportunities for us to grasp and make the most of. Time affords us opportunities to make something of ourselves and to serve others. There are only so many hours in a day. We must take hold of each one and not let it slip away.

Jesus said, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4). Praise God, it’s not “night” yet. But what are we doing with those “daylight” hours we still have left? We will waste them if we fail to value our time as precious.

We cannot let time just slip between our fingers. We will each stand before Jesus one day to answer Him when He asks, “What did you do with the time I gave you?” If we failed to use our time to know Him better and to love and serve others, we won’t be able to excuse ourselves, saying, “Lord, forgive me — I just didn’t have enough time.”

These are crucial times we live in. How we spend our time is a very serious matter. We need to make the most of every opportunity to learn more about God and His Word, to serve Him, and to make sure our hearts are right with others. We must forgive quickly, and also ask for forgiveness when we need to, because we don’t really know that we’ll ever have those opportunities again.

Time is passing, and we will never get this time back!

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Life is short.” Well, in comparison with eternity, our life on earth really is short! Psalm 90:12 (NLT) says, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” It’s wisdom to make the best use of our time while we’re here so we can be ready for God’s plan for our lives as it unfolds. It really is time to seek the Lord (see Hosea 10:12)!

If you have any prayer requests, please contact us so we can stand in faith with you about the answers you’re seeking.

In His great love,

Denise Renner

Denise Renner

28-Day Journey — Denise Renner

Day 16: An Attitude of Thanks

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 22:3; Psalm 91; 2 Peter 3:1

Lately I’ve been thinking more and more about thanksgiving — about having an attitude of thanks. We’ve heard a lot on this subject before, but it’s so important that it bears repeating. The apostle Peter sought to “stir up our pure minds by way of remembrance” (2 Peter 3:1). I, too, would like to stir up your pure mind today because I believe this devotional will really encourage you!

There is power in taking our eyes off everything that’s not right in our lives — things that aren’t exactly like we want them to be or that didn’t turn out the way we’d planned. There’s a certain inner strength that comes when we turn our focus from what we don’t have and actively focus on what we do have — for example, the bed we lie on to sleep, the house or apartment that protects us from the elements, the food we eat, our families, a mother or father who is still alive and well, etc.

When we think about it, there’s so much in life to be thankful for. And once we start thanking God and acknowledging Him for what we already have, we completely move into the arena of faith to receive even more from Him. We step out of that place of struggling and striving where we’re trying to figure out everything on our own. Instead, we find ourselves resting under the shadow of the Almighty where the devil cannot touch us (see Psalm 91:1,10) — all because we’re thankful to God! Subscribe to Denise’s 28-Day Journey Email Devotionals! The Bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people (see Psalm 22:3). God doesn’t inhabit worry or complaining, and He doesn’t inhabit criticism — whether it’s in the form of self-doubting or examining other people’s motives or actions! But when we praise and thank Him, His presence comes to change us and the atmosphere around us.

You have a weapon; it’s your own mouth. You can use that weapon for yourself — on your own behalf — or against yourself. I encourage you today to begin to use your mouth on purpose to bring praise to the Lord. Praise Him for who He is — for His holiness, His goodness, and His greatness — and for all He has done and will continue to do because He never changes.

I hope this short message encourages you today. Thank you for continuing on this 28-Day Journey with me. I would love to hear what God is doing in your life! And, as always, if you have a prayer request, our prayer team and I want to agree with you in prayer that our Father in Heaven will meet every need and fulfill every desire that He has planted in your heart.

In His great love,

Denise Renner

Denise Renner

28-Day Journey — Denise Renner

Day 15: When You Don’t ‘Fit the Mold’

Daily Bible Reading: Acts 16:14-40; Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 4:18

In yesterday’s devotional, I wrote about how important it is that we see ourselves as God sees us. God has full confidence in Himself at work within us. He sees us differently than most of us see ourselves. One way we can help ourselves believe in the image that God has of us is by making it personal! In other words, as we step out to do something in our hearts that we can’t do in our own strength, the reality of what He has placed in us will begin to dawn on us as His grace carries us.

When you know that the only way you could be accomplishing something is through His ability in you, you will have a revelation of His abundant grace actively at work in your life.

So many times we’re just interested in the end result of what we have in our hearts — to see people saved, delivered, healed, encouraged, restored, etc. We’re not always aware of the great things that are happening inside us as we’re stepping out in faith, practicing obedience and faithfulness. But the Bible says that we are to look not just on the things that are seen, but on things that are unseen (2 Corinthians 4:18).

The Bible also says that what we do for the Lord is never in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). Yet so many times we think we’re not really serving the Lord if we’re not preaching, witnessing, visiting someone, or doing all the things that might fit the description of “religious duties.” Subscribe to Denise’s 28-Day Journey Email Devotionals! I want to remind you of a woman written about in the New Testament who made quite a difference, and she did it without fitting into a religious “mold” — without doing certain works or doing things the way others thought they should be done.

This woman’s name was Lydia. Most of us know very little about her, only calling to mind when we hear her name that she was a “seller of purple” (see Acts 16:14). But notice what we read about Lydia right after we learn of her job description. We discover that she was a woman “who worshiped God” and “whose heart the Lord opened” (v. 14). That verse goes on to say that she was very attentive and responsive to the apostle Paul’s message.

Later it says Lydia opened her home to Paul and Silas after they were released from prison, and it was there that Paul exhorted and encouraged the brethren before leaving the city (v. 40).

Here is what we can learn from Lydia’s story: God is watching every single thing we do, and the Bible says we will give an account of ourselves when we stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ (see Romans 14:10-12). Wouldn’t it be wise to make sure everything we do is for His glory instead of just the “big things” or what we might consider big ministry?

In Heaven, many will be rewarded whom few knew anything about during their lifetime. They will be men and women who worshiped God; walked by faith; served their families, churches, and communities; kept a thankful attitude in the midst of hardship and pain; and worked for their employers as unto the Lord. No, they didn’t have big ministries on the earth, but they opened their hearts to the Lord and served Him faithfully in their own spheres of influence.

You and I can be among that company of the faithful if we’ll just open our hearts to the Lord to love Him, serve Him, and do His bidding, whether it’s to perform a deed of kindness toward our spouse or children, to visit a neighbor or friend in need, or to pray for someone who’s hurting in our community or around the world! One of the greatest things we can do each morning is to pray before we begin our daily tasks. Our quiet time with God is truly a key time when He speaks to us, encouraging and empowering us to be instruments of His mercy to those who need a touch from Him.

If you have any prayer requests, please let us pray for you! Just contact our Tulsa office — we want our prayers to make a wonderful difference in your life too!

In His great love,

Denise Renner

Denise Renner

28-Day Journey — Denise Renner

Day 14: Who Am I?

Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 3; John 10:10

In Exodus 3 God told Moses that He wanted him to deliver the entire nation of Israel out of bondage and slavery. What an assignment! In verse 11, Moses replied to God, “…Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?”

It appears that God sees more in us than we see in ourselves. Moses asked God the question, “Who am I?” Moses saw himself as a shepherd, husband, father, and son-in-law. God saw him as that and more: a deliverer, a prophet, and a friend.

Do you have a revelation of the way God sees you? How do you see yourself? Perhaps God is asking you to do something or be something for Him, and all you can see is what you are not. You may be thinking to yourself, I’m not greatly educated; I’m not the best-looking person; I’m not very strong; I’m too fat; I’m too old; or, I’m too afraid. You may be asking God, “How can You expect me to do that? Who am I that I could start a business (or teach a class, or form a Bible study, etc.)?”

God looks at you and says, “You’re the one for the job! I’ve been preparing you. You’re ready!” God isn’t putting confidence in your flesh; instead, He’s looking at the deposit of Himself in you to do the job.

When God asks you to face a new “pharaoh,” you may say, “Who am I?” But God says to you, just as He said to Moses, “I will certainly be with you”(see Exodus 3:12). It doesn’t take faith to do what you know you can do. But it takes a lot of faith, determination, and perseverance to do what you know you can’t do!

More than 25 years ago when we lived in Tulsa, Rick and I were on the road most of the time, traveling with our children as we ministered full time across the United States. Finally, there came a time when I had to return to our home with our boys and give them the stable home environment they needed. We didn’t want our sons growing up in hotels and traveling countless hours between meetings year-round. Subscribe to Denise’s 28-Day Journey Email Devotionals! Rick continued ministering on the road and returned home every week or two while I stayed home with the boys. It was during that time that God asked me to stretch myself beyond what I thought was possible — beyond my skills or abilities at the time. You see, I never went to Bible school. I was never trained to be a Bible teacher. Yet God was speaking to me about starting a Bible study for the women in our church!

At the time, there was no women’s ministry in the church. Of course, in order to start the Bible study, I would have to talk to the pastor about it and get his blessing first. I loved the pastor and his wife, but, honestly, I felt that if I had to talk to them on the phone or in person, I would start stuttering and have absolutely no idea what to say!

I knew God was putting the Bible study on my heart and asking me to lead it. I talked to Rick about it, and he suggested that I take the pastor and his wife out to dinner after church — by myself, without my husband by my side — to talk about it. I was so scared that it took me two weeks to get up the nerve to even approach the pastor about it.

You have to understand how difficult it was for me to take this one step of obedience. In my mind, I imagined that as I approached the pastor, he would see me as stupid — and that I would be completely embarrassed. That’s really how I saw myself at the time!

Finally, I did gather the courage to ask the pastor and his wife to dinner, and they accepted. With all the nerve I could muster, I sat there at dinner with them and shared what was on my heart about the Bible study. To my great surprise, after I shared, the pastor said very kindly, “Oh, Denise — that sounds great! Could you pass me the butter?”

I had been seeing myself all wrong! I had seen myself as weak, stupid, inadequate, and far from confident. But God saw me as a capable, strong leader of those women! And that is what He demonstrated in and through my life as I led a very successful Bible study for the next two years. Many women’s lives were powerfully touched and changed. I even held an overnight conference at a hotel, and 220 women attended!

Later I had my own television program in the former Soviet Union that reached a potential viewing audience of millions. But I wonder if I could have done that if I’d said no to that Bible study years before?

Jesus paid the greatest price that could ever be paid to set us free from all the limitations we try to put on ourselves. He was beaten to the point that His friends wouldn’t have been able to recognize Him. Then He hung naked on that cruel cross, bleeding profusely in front of His mother, some of His disciples, and some of His worst enemies, including the religious leaders. Jesus didn’t do all this so that we would stay bound up with fear, powerless to move out and obey what He has put in our heart to do for Him. When our Lord was dying on the Cross, He was actually setting us free to live — to live “life more abundantly” for Him (see John 10:10)!

So when negative thoughts, such as thoughts of inadequacy and inferiority, come to your mind, don’t listen to the devil, who will always be there to suggest these thoughts to you and then agree with you when you receive them. He’ll whisper to your mind, Poor you, no one understands. This situation is just too hard. And it’s never going to change. YOU’RE never going to change.

But all those thoughts are lies! Jesus Christ paid the price so you and Icould change in whatever way we need to. I promise you this: If you’ll pour out your heart to God and then take just one step toward what He has put in your heart to do, you’ll be on your way to making 2015 one of your greatest years yet!

Please let us know what’s on your heart that we can pray with you about. Our prayer team stands ready to add our faith with yours and to expect the miraculous on your behalf.

In His great love,

Denise Renner

Denise Renner

28-Day Journey — Denise Renner

Day 13: God’s Mercies Are New Every Morning

Daily Bible Reading: Lamentations 3:23; Matthew 16:25; Ephesians 2:10

The Bible says that God’s mercies are “new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23). Right now I proclaim these mercies over you! Won’t you take a few seconds to by faith receive them? Just say, “Lord, I receive Your mercies — brand-new ones — right now!”

In the same way you are receiving these new mercies, I am receiving them too. Praise the Lord, we can receive new mercies each day, because His Word says that His mercy endures forever! We must believe the Word of God in humility and trust, just as a little child believes his loving parent. When we do, we can experience the benefits of the Word, because the same verse that declares His daily mercies also says, “…Great is thy faithfulness”!

It’s important to glean everything from the Word we can and to grow in grace and in our personal knowledge of God. It’s equally important to realize that our growth is not just for ourselves, but for others.

Perhaps you feel stuck in life or stagnant in your usefulness to others. This often happens when we’ve fallen prey to the “if-only” mentality that thinks:

If you’ve been caught in this “if-only” trap, I urge you to stop this kind of thinking in its tracks in your mind, lest it become a stronghold that remains with you and holds you in bondage. You can take control of your thoughts!

May I let you in on a little secret? One way to take back your thoughts and free your mind from the plague of “if onlys” is by thinking about someone else’s needs instead of just your own. Subscribe to Denise’s 28-Day Journey Email Devotionals! It’s true. Thinking about how we can bless others — how we can pray for them or minister to them in some way — will set us free from the false circular reasoning that fills our heart and life with regret, doubt, unbelief, and hopelessness. Yet how often do we think only about ourselves?
It’s sad, but we’ve actually been trained to think this way about ourselves — about how we feel, what we need, what we desire, and so forth. Yet this pervasive attitude is so deceiving, because true joy and happiness lie in thinking of others.

Jesus said that whoever wants to preserve his life must give it away (seeMatthew 16:25). And I can tell you through personal experience that we really can escape thoughts of self-absorption by focusing our mind on the Lord and on others.

Maybe you’ve never succumbed to embracing a “me” mentality. You daily receive God’s “new mercies” and you refuse thoughts of “if only” concerning mistakes and regrets of the past. That’s good, but every one of us is challenged by a “me” mindset from time to time. We must make a choice to deal with it God’s way and in so doing experience the joy and freedom of trusting Him and serving others.

Perhaps as you’re reading this, you realize that over time, you’ve given place to a self-focused type of attitude. If so, I encourage you to think for a moment about the opportunities you have each day to practice giving your life away instead of sinking further into the despair that self-focus brings. No matter how difficult things may seem in your life right now, I promise you that there is a world out there with greater needs than your needs or mine. You can find the joy that comes through serving — whether through praying for others, sharing an encouraging word, or giving of your time or material resources.

Can we pray for you today? Is there some situation you need to share with someone else instead of standing in faith about it alone? God has a “new mercy” for you and a plan for your life that involves making a difference in the lives of others. Please contact us — we want to be your prayer partner!

In His great love,

Denise Renner

Denise Renner

28-Day Journey — Denise Renner

Day 12: Obedience Begins With a Choice

Daily Bible Reading: Isaiah 1:19; Matthew 5:16; Ephesians 4:32; Philippians 4:4-6

Recently I was particularly struck by the verse, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). In reality, we “let” our light shine as an act of our will. It is our choice to obey God and His Word and to let our light shine.

What does it mean to choose to let our light shine? It is our decision, for example, whether we will smile at people and be kind or whether we will scowl at them and be unkind.

We have seven precious grandchildren at the time of this writing. I love watching each of them grow and mature. Their parents — our three sons and their wives — are doing a great job teaching them to obey and correcting them when necessary. Young children will naturally choose to do what they want to do. But as they’re consistently trained and disciplined, they learn to listen better to their parents and to obey more and more consistently.

A child’s training is a process. And in the same way, our spiritual training as believers is an ongoing process. Daily we choose whether or not we will obey the commands of God in His Word, such as:

Subscribe to Denise’s 28-Day Journey Email Devotionals! These are not suggestions to be considered — they are commands to obey! Just as I might tell my grandchildren, “Don’t take food outside of the kitchen or dining room,” and I expect them to obey me, so it is when God speaks to us. My grandchildren make good choices and are growing up to be wonderful young men and women of God — and God expects the same kind of good choices from us.

When my Heavenly Father gives a command, such as, “Rejoice,“ I want Him to say about me, “Denise is obeying Me more and more, and she is growing.” But in order to obey God, I first have to make a choice. If I make the right choice, the rewards for my wise decision will be many! Isaiah 1:19 (NKJV) says, “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.”

If you have any prayer needs today, please let us know. Philippians 4:6 (NLT) says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” It is an honor to be able to add our faith to yours as we pray to the Father on your behalf.

In His great love,

Denise Renner

Denise Renner

28-Day Journey — Denise Renner

Day 11: Blessed To Be Alive Today!

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 139; Matthew 10:29-31; Romans 8:37; Galatians 6:9; Ephesians 1:4

On Valentine’s Day today, I’m thinking about how blessed we are to be alive at this time. It is not a mistake; it didn’t just happen. God chose you and me to live at this time in human history. He didn’t make a mistake about when we were born! And there isn’t one detail of our lives that is not seen or known by God.

Our God is so in control that His name is Alpha and Omega. He’s the beginning and the end. He is the Author and the Finisher of your faith. God knows that you were born at the perfect time, and He is so specific about you that He even knows how many hairs are on your head (see Matthew 10:30)! God knows when a little sparrow falls to the ground — and He declares how much more important you are than many sparrows (vv. 29-31). God is very vividly aware of you!

We must not allow what is happening in the world around us to negatively affect us and our view of God. So many problems seem to plague our society today:

Subscribe to Denise’s 28-Day Journey Email Devotionals! None of these things should keep us from seeing that God is greater! Even though it seems the world’s level of living is spiraling downward and so many hearts and lives lie broken under the heavy weight of sin, the things of the world do not dictate the future of the Church! Certainly, hearing such statistics and reports on the news can bring fear to our hearts if we’re not careful. The Bible says that in the last days, men’s hearts will fail them because of fear (see Luke 21:26). Today there are more people (including children) on mood-altering drugs to control anxiety than ever before. The things that are happening in our society definitely provide a temptation for us to be anxious and afraid.

But my encouragement to you today is this: God, who knows your thoughts “afar off” and your words before you even speak them (Psalm 139:2-4), is completely able to cause you to be victorious in this hour — and in whatever circumstance you’re personally facing. Now is not the time to bow down to fear, but rather to rise up and let the love of God shine into your heart and then through you to a broken, hurting world.

The truth is, the state of our modern society does not intimidate God at all! His power in you is greater than any power that might come against you in this world. So take courage because you have all you need to be a conqueror in life. In fact, He has made you more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37) — so go ahead and rejoice and act like it’s true, because it is true!

I encourage you today to square your shoulders and hold your head high because you are a carrier of God’s Spirit. You have God’s power within you! You are anointed. You didn’t choose Him — He chose you. He chose you to live at this exact time, in this precise age. Therefore, you can look at every new day as your opportunity to produce fruit on this earth for the Kingdom of God and His glory.

Don’t let go of the promises you’ve received from God. And don’t let go of your conviction to do what’s right, even if others around you do not follow the same path. Continue to make sure you’re doing what God has told youto do. February may be called a season of love, but you’re going to reap a wonderful harvest in your own due season if you will not faint (see Galatians 6:9)!

Friend, I believe you are here on earth to do something that will count for all eternity. How can I and my team be praying for you today? Please contact us by replying directly to this email, and we will add our faith to yours concerning your deepest God-given desires and dreams.

In His great love,

Denise Renner

Denise Renner

28-Day Journey — Denise Renner

Day 10: What Kind of Sound Are You Making?

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 4:8-37

As we saw in yesterday’s devotional, each one of us has a choice every day regarding the kind of attitude we’re going to embrace. It doesn’t matter if things are going well in our lives or things are not going well — we still have to make a choice: Will we be negative and speak words of doubt? Or will we be positive and speak words of faith and God’s power?

We can find example after example in the Word of God — from Abraham to the apostle Paul — of men and women who had upon their lips the sound of praise, whether they were going through challenges or enjoying times of peace and prosperity.

Right now I’m thinking about the Shunammite woman, whom the Bible calls a “great woman” (2 Kings 4:8). She and her husband, who were childless, had built a place in their home for Elisha, the man of God, so he could stay there when he was passing through Shunem. Later God promised this couple a son through the prophetic ministry of Elisha. God delivered on that promise, and this woman gave birth to a son.

One day during a harvest season, the couple’s son fell sick in the fields where his father was working. The father sent the young man to his mother by one of the servants, and later that day, the son died! The woman laid her son on the bed where the prophet Elisha slept when he was in their village. Then she arose to go to Elisha on behalf of her dead son. When her husband questioned her, the only sound she made was, “It shall be well” (2 Kings 4:23). Subscribe to Denise’s 28-Day Journey Email Devotionals![/callout][/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]I want you to grasp the magnitude of this woman’s statement! Her son was dead, but this mother declared, “It shall be well”!

When the Shunammite woman reached Mount Carmel, Elisha saw her coming and instructed his servant, “Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well” (2 Kings 4:26).

Although her son was dead, this woman of God said, “It is well!” She had her eye on something — on Someone — bigger than her problem. And she refused to let go of her faith, which was so powerfully echoed by three simple words from her mouth: “It is well!”

Today we can ask ourselves, “What kind of sound am I making? What are the words coming out of my mouth?”

And what about the “sound” coming from us in the form of attitudes, even in our body language? Are we constantly complaining about our situation — or even pouting and withdrawing from life because we feel helpless, hopeless, and forgotten?

Let me encourage you to look to the Shunammite woman’s example as you deal with challenging situations you might be facing. Think back to your past experiences with God. For example, remember the times He healed your body, took care of you financially, saved your life from danger, healed your sick child, delivered your mind from fear and depression, or saved your marriage.

You’ve had experiences with God! Remember those events as precious! Remind yourself of all the times you thought there was no way out of your difficult situation, but then God made a way. As you recall those experiences, you can look at your present difficulties that seem to be staring you down, and you can boldly say: “I remember what God has already done for me. I know He’s faithful. And it is  well!”

As always, we love hearing from you about the things that are on your heart. Please let us know how we can be praying for you so we can add our faith to yours to see the answers you seek come to pass.

In His great love,

Denise Renner

Denise Renner

28-Day Journey — Denise Renner

Day 9: Go Ahead — Rejoice in the Lord!

Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 118:24; Romans 8:11; Philippians 4:4

“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24 NKJV)! This is your day, and it’s the most important day you have. Yesterday is gone and you can’t get it back — and tomorrow has not yet arrived. So today is the day to rejoice and embrace all the wonderful things God has placed in you because of Christ Jesus!

Don’t you think it’s interesting that this verse in Psalms was written thousands of years before any of the hundreds of self-help books on the market today became available? These types of books are purchased by people who want to learn how to improve and enjoy their lives. Many of these people don’t even know how to have a good day!

Yet the Holy Spirit inspired David to write these powerful and instructive words for our encouragement. We can apply their wisdom even in our day. We can rejoice and be glad today!

Let me ask you a question about today. Are you enjoying this day, or are you just enduring it? Are you thinking to yourself, This is another boring day that I’ll just endure until bedtime. There’s nothing exciting about it — it’s just “more of the same.” I serve people, and I do my job. It’s just another day.

Subscribe to Denise’s 28-Day Journey Email Devotionals! Think about it. It’s our choice whether or not we will rejoice in and enjoy “this day.” These words in Psalm 118:24 reflect an attitude, and it is important to remember that our attitude is our choice. So how about making this attitude your choice: Praise the Lord — God has given me another day to serve Him! I am alive, and I’m going to rejoice and be glad in this day. After all, this day will only come once. So I choose to square my shoulders, hold my head high, and embrace the next 24 hours with all the enthusiasm I can muster. I’m going to smile and enjoy the Lord as well as the people I meet and come into contact with today.

We don’t have to let present circumstances dictate whether or not we will rejoice. At the time the apostle Paul wrote his epistle to the Philippian church — exhorting them to rejoice (see Philippians 4:4) — he was living in deplorable conditions, locked up in prison. Yet he told his readers to rejoice! And he said it ten times in one letter!

There is a saying that time waits for no one. This means that what we choose to do with our time is very important, because the clock will continue to tick no matter what! In other words, time will not stop and wait for us to make the right decisions to obey God and His Word. So let’s  just choosetoday — right now — to rejoice as the apostle Paul urged us to do.

I want to encourage you with this thought: No matter what circumstances we may be facing, we of all people can choose to rejoice because of Jesus and His resurrection power within us. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you and me as believers (Romans 8:11). That gives us plenty of cause for rejoicing!

Your flesh may not want to rejoice for one reason or another. But your spirit is filled with Jesus’ resurrection power and His joy, and your spirit wants to express that joy with much rejoicing. So take hold of the real you on the inside and just rejoice! I promise you, your outlook will change and your attitude will be contagious!

Please let us know how we can pray for you. Your requests are always kept in the greatest confidence. We are honored to stand in faith with you and partner with you in prayer.

In His great love,

Denise Renner

Denise Renner