Who Am I in God’s Eyes?

February 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,

It’s so good to write to you and share with you what is on my heart. I don’t know what this new year is bringing you — maybe you’ve started a new job or career. Maybe you’re dealing with some residual hurt from last year. Maybe you’re free from debt — or sunk deeper in it than you’ve ever been before. God wants you to know that in Him and by His strength, you are adequate for any task, assignment, challenge, or journey of faith!

As we are already in the second month of 2026 and the days just keep on going, I want to talk to you about the assignment God has given you. Perhaps you’re feeling overwhelmed by how fast everything seems to be moving, and you’re feeling like you don’t have the time, the energy, or the skills to get everything done. Maybe you’re asking God, “Lord, are You sure I’m going to make it through this? Could it be that You’ve chosen the wrong girl for this job?”

I believe many of us have felt these feelings of inadequacy — feelings of not measuring up to the assignment at hand. I know I have! But we can take heart in the fact that we aren’t the only ones.

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

If you study the account in Exodus 3 where God gave Moses the assignment of leading Israel out of slavery, you’ll see that even Moses replied to God, “…Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11).

The fact is that God sees more in us than we see in ourselves. Moses asked God, “Who am I?” because he just saw himself as a shepherd, husband, father, and son-in-law. But God saw him as more — a deliverer, a great prophet, and a friend.

Friend, perhaps God is asking you to do something or be something for Him, and all you can see is what you are not. You just think, “I’m not highly educated. I’m not the prettiest or the strongest. I’m too afraid.” Maybe you ask God, “How can You expect me to do that? Who am I that I could start a business, teach that class, or form a Bible study?”

Even so, God looks at you and says, “You’re the one for the job! I’ve been preparing you, and you are ready.”

I remember when we were living in Tulsa years ago, I received a calling from God that I didn’t feel able to do. Rick was ministering on the road most of the time, but I had returned home to give our boys the stable home life they needed, and it was during that time that God started speaking to me about starting a Bible study for women at our church.

You see, I never went to Bible school, and I was never trained to be a Bible teacher. I knew God was putting this Bible study in my heart and asking me to lead it, and I loved our pastor and his wife, but honestly, I felt that if I tried to talk to him to get his blessing, I would start stuttering and have absolutely no idea what to say! I imagined that as I approached him, he would instantly see I was just stupid — that’s really how I saw myself at the time!

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 speak to them.

Finally I did gather the courage to ask them, and they accepted. With all the nerve I could muster, I sat at that dinner and shared what was on my heart, and to my surprise, after I shared, the pastor simply said, “Oh, sure, 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 following two years. Today I have my own television program that reaches a potential viewing audience of 100 million, but I wonder what I’d be doing today if I had said “No” to that Bible study years ago?

Friend, when God asks you to face a new “pharaoh,” you may say, “Who am I?” But God says back to you, just as He said to Moses, “I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12). God isn’t putting any confidence in your flesh — He’s looking at the deposit of Himself in you to do the job!

When thoughts of inadequacy and inferiority come to your mind, you have to realize that they are from the devil, and he is a liar! Jesus Christ paid the price so you and I could grow in whatever way we need to. He was beaten until His friends wouldn’t have been able to recognize Him, and He hung naked and bleeding on that cruel cross for us. He didn’t do all that so that we would stay bound up with fear that we aren’t good enough — He was setting us free!

Friend, I pray that when God says to you, “This is your next assignment,” you won’t despair and ask, “Who am I to do this?” Instead you’ll declare with confidence, “Yes, Lord, I’m the girl for the job. Use me however You will!” If you’ll pour out your heart to God and take just one step toward the goal He has put in your heart, you’ll be on your way to making this one of your greatest years yet!

Before I close, I want to invite you to come watch my weekly program, TIME with Denise Renner. I’m currently doing a series with Rhonda Garver all about your identity and role in God’s plan as a woman, and if you need help seeing yourself the way He sees you, I really believe this series will encourage you. You can watch Monday at 7 AM CT on both Facebook and YouTube, or on just Facebook Wednesdays at 12 PM CT. You can also find my teachings any time by visiting renner.org or my YouTube channel.

Another way we would love to encourage you is by praying with you for the faith and confidence you need to obey God’s calling. Our team is available weekdays, 8 AM to 5 PM CT, by phone (1.844.473.6637) or email (denisesocial@renner.org), and we would love to stand with you through anything that’s happening in your life.

Never forget that you are a capable woman of God, created to make a difference in this lost and hurting world!

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

Let God Use You To Heal the Sick

February Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

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,

Greetings in the all-powerful name of Jesus!

In my letter this month, I want to continue sharing ways to appropriate the healing and health that Jesus purchased for you on the Cross. This is actually the longest series of letters I’ve ever written, but I have really felt impressed by the Holy Spirit to minister to you on this subject. I’m so grateful to everyone who has commented to let me know that this teaching has been helpful!

Before we get started, I want to say THANK YOU for your financial gifts to our ministry. If we attempt to do everything we are called to do but have no financial fuel in the tank, we won’t be able to fulfill what Jesus has asked us to accomplish. But you, as a partner, regularly put financial fuel into this ministry’s tank, and the result is that we are literally taking God’s Word to the ends of the earth and lives are being dramatically impacted. Thank you so much for being in our precious partner family!

I also want to remind you about my new book EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HEALING. It is the most comprehensive book I’ve ever seen on healing, and it will be officially released on February 3! You can order it by going online to renner.org/store or by calling our office at 1-800-742-5593 (international shipping rates apply for international orders).

As we return to the subject of healing today, I want to add more insight into how you can receive the healing and health that belongs to you in Christ. Specifically, I want to talk to you about the doctrine of laying hands on the sick for the manifestation of healing and health (see Hebrews 6:2).

Laying Hands on the Sick

In the past several months of letters, we’ve seen that to appropriate the healing and health Jesus purchased in His work of redemption on the Cross, you must be dedicated to renewing your mind to the truth, aligning your heart and mouth, holding fast to your confession, letting patience do its work in you, asking God for clarification, and staying in unwavering faith.

But now, I want you to consider the role that laying hands on the sick holds in your own healing and health, and to see that God can even use you to lay hands on others for their healing and health. I want you to see that the Bible makes it clear that one way God delivers healing and health to you is through the laying on of hands.

As I was growing up in a denominational environment throughout my childhood and adolescence, I never once witnessed the laying on of hands. I am not speaking negatively about my church where I grew up, as they taught me so many wonderful truths from God’s Word. But our church didn’t practice the laying on of hands. In fact, I did not even hear about it until years later when I was filled with the Holy Spirit in my mid-teens and then introduced to various Charismatic groups. Those environments were where I first experienced seeing the laying on of hands demonstrated before me.

It’s well established in Scripture that God designed human hands to be His instruments through which blessings are transferred to another person. But we can also see throughout the Word that this same principle is true concerning God’s hands. In the Old Testament, we often read about “the hand of the Lord” coming upon someone. That Old Testament phrase was used to denote a moment when God supernaturally imparted something to a person or a group of people. As you are about to see, this practice of transferring blessings was also very prominent in the ministry of Jesus and throughout the New Testament.

The Laying On of Hands in Jesus’ Ministry

At times in Jesus’ earthly ministry, Jesus employed a variety of methods to bring healing to those in need. Sometimes He spoke a mere word and healing followed (see Matthew 8:5-13 and 15:21-28). However, Jesus recognized the unique significance of physical touch in His ministry. He realized that laying His hands upon the afflicted was a powerful means by which divine power, spiritual gifts, authority, and healing flowed from Him to humanity. His hands, indeed, served as vital instruments through which the miraculous was made manifest.

Luke 4:40 says, “Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.” In this verse, we see that Jesus wanted to lay His hands on the people who were sick or diseased — because through His hands a transfer of power would take place that would heal their bodies. Imagine the hours it took as He patiently and willingly moved through the throngs of people and reached out to lay his hands on each individual in need. But Jesus was willing to do whatever was necessary to be able to lay His hands on the sick and infirm so they could receive the power of God that would make them whole.

In Mark 6:5, we learn that when Jesus went to His own village, “…He could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them.” Once again, we see Jesus using His hands as conduits of healing and deliverance. But the people in Jesus’ hometown were full of doubt and unbelief. They had difficulty receiving His ministry because they had known Jesus all His life, and their familiarity with Him and His family made it difficult for them to see who He really was. And although many didn’t believe, Mark 6:5 says there was a small category of people in Nazareth whom Jesus laid His hands on to impart healing power.

The laying on of hands occurred repeatedly in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus understood the way God had designed power to flow, and He knew it came through His hands. The following are just a few examples from the gospels of Matthew and Mark that illustrate how this principle was powerfully demonstrated throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry:

In Matthew 8:15, Jesus laid His hands on Peter’s mother-in-law and healed her.
In Matthew 20:34, Jesus laid His hands on blind people — and as healing power passed through His hands into them, they were healed.
In Mark 1:41, as Jesus laid His hands on a leper, power passed through His hands, and the leper was cleansed.
In Mark 8:23, Jesus again laid His hands on a blind man. Healing power passed through His hands, and the blind man was healed.

As stated in this list, the examples of Jesus placing His hands upon individuals are taken exclusively from the books of Matthew and Mark. We could still go through Luke and John and add many more examples. The gospels are simply filled with these accounts.

Moving on to the book of Acts, we find that the laying on of hands continued to be used in the Early Church. Early believers understood that whenever the laying on of hands occurred, some kind of transmission took place. These individuals had grown up learning about this principle from the Old Testament, they saw it taking place in the ministry of Jesus, and they continued following His pattern as they walked out those first, early days of the Church. So from the beginning to the end of Scripture, we find the importance of this doctrine of the laying on of hands.

All Believers Are To Lay Hands on the Sick

Before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He told the disciples that particular signs would follow those who believe. Among those signs was the laying on of hands for the healing of the sick. In Mark 16:18, Christ gave a command to all believers, saying, “…They [believers] shall lay hands on the sick, and they [the sick] shall recover.”

These words of Jesus in Mark 16:18 mean that God wants to use your hands. Through your hands, He stands ready to impart His blessing, power, healing, and deliverance to others. You simply must yield by faith and obey His command to lay hands on those who need His touch as His Spirit leads you. When you yield your hands for God to use them as His instruments, you will be amazed at the opportunities that come your way to transfer His blessings to others.

Take a good look at your hands and realize with fresh understanding that they are more than just hands — they are instruments that God wants to use to impart His blessings to others. And as you lay hands on others by the leading of the Holy Spirit, you will begin to regularly see supernatural evidence of God’s power and blessing manifested in people’s lives because of your obedience.

You Can Lay Hands on Others Who Need Healing
and Others Can Lay Hands on You To Be Healed

Not only does God want to use your hands to bring blessings or deliverance and healing to others, God may use someone else’s hands to release the healing and health you are believing for to be manifested in your life. If you have done everything else you’ve read so far in this letter, but you’ve never asked anyone to lay hands on you, ask someone who believes in healing to lay his or her hands on you and to pray in faith. It may be that your own healing and health will be supplied by the laying on of hands.

All that is required for a person to be used in this way are three basic criteria: have a desire for God to heal through you; have hands and lay them on sick people; and release your faith, believing that God’s power will be transmitted through your hands to heal and impart blessings of all kinds.

Healing the sick is part of your responsibility as a believer, and the Holy Spirit is present to impart His power when you lay hands on others in Jesus’ name. So rather than look at sick people and only feel pity for them, pull your hands out of your pockets and lay them on sick people by faith just as Jesus did when He was ministering on the earth.

Not All Healing Is Instantaneous

It is also important to note that Mark 16:18 says believers will “lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

The words “they shall” are a futuristic form of the Greek word echo, which means to have, to hold, or to possess. The tense used here doesn’t picture something that is instantaneous but refers to something that occurs progressively or over a period of time. This brings us to the word “recover,” which is a translation of the Greek word kalos, meaning to be in good shape, to be healthy, or to be well. When we take the meaning of the words “they shall recover” together as one complete phrase, they picture those who progressively feel themselves improving, until, finally, they are well and healthy. This lets us know that all healings do not occur instantly; some of them take place over time.

But Jesus’ promise is that if we will lay our hands on the sick, God’s power will be released into the bodies of the afflicted. If we will allow others to lay hands on us and engage our faith and believe for God’s healing power to flow, it will be deposited into our bodies. And just as medicine gradually works to reverse a medical condition, the power of God that is deposited in us with the laying on of hands — or deposited in another person once we lay our hands on him or her — will begin to attack the work of the devil and progressively restore us to a state of health and well-being again. This is Jesus’ promise!

If YOU need healing — or would like prayer for ANYTHING that is on your heart right now — we want to pray for you. Jesus’ ears are open to faith-filled scriptural prayers, and we would love to pray with you and believe for Him to act mightily and do what needs to be done. Simply call 1-800-742-5593 or write to us at prayer@renner.org. The moment we hear from you, we will release our faith, and God will move in your life! We believe it and that is why we want to pray with you.

And please pray for us too. Prayer goes two ways, and we cherish your prayers for us as well. Denise and I, our family, and our whole team are giving every ounce of our lives to obey the call of God, and we would really appreciate your prayers of support for us. Again, I thank you for your giving that puts fuel into the tank and helps us take the Word of God across the planet!

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 entire ministry team

P.S. Click here to download the Ministry Update printable pdf flyer.

The Sound of Faith

January Teaching Letter from Denise Renner

Dear Friends,

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,

Happy New Year!

It is a joy to write to you again, and I’m so thankful that I have this opportunity to share some things that God is putting on my heart. I really believe that the things the Lord is sharing with me and dealing with me about are things that are important for all of us to grasp and hold dear as deep truths in our lives.

This month, I want to ask you a question: What kind of sound are you making? Every day, we are each given the choice as to the kind of attitude we are going to embrace. Whether things are going well or everything feels like it’s falling apart, we still have the choice to be negative and speak words of doubt or to be positive and speak words filled with faith and God’s power.

The Bible is filled with examples of people who chose to make a joyful sound, even through their challenges, but today the story that I want to encourage you with is that of the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4.

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

Whenever the prophet Elisha passed through the land of Shunem, he could always be sure that he would have a place to stay, because there was a childless couple there who was faithful to host him every time. They had even set up an upstairs room specifically for him to stay in. Due to their generosity and hospitality, God eventually used Elisha’s ministry to reward them with a son.

The part of the story I want to share with you happens a few years later. The boy was out in the fields with his father one day when he suddenly fell ill, so he was sent back to the house to rest. Then something unthinkable happened — As he was resting on his mother’s lap, that young boy died (2 Kings 4:20)!

What I find so amazing is that nowhere in this passage does the Bible say anything about how upset his mother was. All it says is that right after the child died, she took him and laid him on the bed where Elisha slept when he was in town. Then she called for a donkey to travel to see Elisha. When her husband asked her why she was going, all she said was, “It is well” (2 Kings 4:23). That was the only sound she made.

When she was nearing Mount Carmel, Elisha saw her, and he told his servant. “Please run now to meet her, and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’” (2 Kings 4:26).

Once again, this amazing woman of God answered, “It is well” (2 Kings 4:26).

Her son, her precious gift from God, was dead, but she refused to let go of her faith, and it poured out of her mouth in three simple words: “It is well!” Friend, she had her eye on Someone bigger than her problem. We know from verse 27 that she was in great distress, and her whole world must have seemed like it was crumbling, but because of her faith, she was able to remain calm and go get the man of God, who the Lord used to raise her precious child back to life.

Friend, ask yourself this question: What is the sound you are making? What words are coming out of your mouth? What attitudes and behaviors are you exhibiting? Are you constantly complaining and bemoaning your situation — or even pouting and withdrawing from life because you feel helpless, hopeless, and forgotten?

If that sounds like you, then I want to tell you that it is time to start being more like the Shunammite woman. As we go into 2026, we will all experience different struggles, but we don’t have to go through them like people without hope.

In troubled times, you and I can throw our shoulders back, put a smile on our face, sing a song of victory, and say, “It is well.” That is a declaration to angels, to demons, to those around us, and to ourselves that we are not settling for the current situation or for what we see right now. By faith in God and His Word, we are looking to those things we can’t see! We’re expecting the fulfillment of heavenly promises yet unseen!

If you think that is too difficult, I want you to think back to the Shunammite woman. She didn’t have the Word of God available to her as we do today. She didn’t have Christian television or a library filled with Christian books to encourage her. She didn’t even have the Holy Spirit on the inside of her. What she did have was her service to God — which was to provide a place for Elisha — and her experience with God — that He saw her service and blessed her and her old husband with a child.

Friend, God does not forget what you’ve done for Him. He has not forgotten your offerings and service to Him and to others. He remembers your faith and trust over the years. He knows that you’ve endeavored to do the right thing, even if you’ve failed at times. When challenges arise, you can encourage yourself by remembering that He knows all these things, and He will repay your faithfulness.

If you’ve already experienced the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness, then let those memories encourage you as well. Remember when 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. Remind yourself of all the times when you thought there was no way out, and then God made a way!

When you have a mindset that remembers your service to God and your experiences with Him, you can look difficulty in the eye, and you can boldly say to it, “I know that God remembers me, and I know that He has been faithful to me in the past — it is well!”

The challenging circumstances that confront every one of us give us the opportunity to not only receive victory, but also to impact everyone within our realm of influence. If you need support unlocking this powerful faith in your life, I encourage you to call at 1.844.473.6637 or email denisesocial@renner.org. Our team can’t wait to pray with and support you so that you can stand in faith and usher joy into the atmosphere in places of negativity and gloom.

Before I close, I also want to invite you to my program, TIME with Denise Renner. It is live every week on Facebook and YouTube at 7 AM CT, or on Wednesdays at 12 PM CT. I am always so honored to be able to encourage you with the messages that God has put on my heart, so I pray that you will join me and be blessed by the truth of His Word.

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

Draw Near to God and Receive Wisdom for Your Healing

January Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

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,

Greetings in the name of Jesus — and welcome to 2026!

Before I start this teaching letter, Denise and I want to say a big THANK YOU from the depths of our heart for your financial and prayer support in helping us fulfill our God-given vision to spread the message and teaching of “the Gospel both to our nearby world and to the ends of the earth” (see Colossians 1:28). What you’re doing for the Kingdom of God is no small thing — in fact, your giving to RENNER Ministries is the very “fuel in the tank” that keeps this ministry moving, and we are so grateful.

In my letter last month, I wrote to you about how to appropriate the healing and health that Jesus purchased for you on the Cross, and today I am going to continue teaching along those lines.

We have already covered the need to renew our mind to the truth, align our heart and mouth, hold fast to our confession, and let patience do its work. In today’s letter, I want to talk to you about asking God for clarification if you’ve done everything you know to do — and you still have not received the manifestation of healing and health you have been praying to receive. I also want to talk to you about staying in unwavering faith.

In my new book Everything the Bible Says About Healing, I go into detail about the Greek words used in the verses we will study in this letter. But for now, we will focus only on key words that will help you understand just how deeply God desires to give you the wisdom you need for your faith journey to supernatural health and divine healing. So let’s start with the first point.

Asking God for Clarification

As I said last month, anyone who has been waiting a long time for answers to prayer may say something like, “I’ve meticulously followed every suggestion in these letters. Why, then, have I still not received the manifestation of healing and health that I’ve been believing for, confessing, and awaiting?”

For anyone who does not know why his or her faith is not working — and does not seem to be able to find anyone who can help find the answer — James 1:5 gives the best possible advice: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

The word “lack” is rooted in the Greek word leipo, and it pictures one who is in need, one who lacks, or one who has an insufficiency of some type. My friend Keith Trump, an American Bible Society scholar, says the word leipo was used by ancient writers to depict a scenario wherein a traveler finds himself on a journey but then realizes something crucial for the trip was left behind. This missing item is essential to the journey, and its absence could mean the difference between reaching the destination or not.

In the context of James 1:5, the use of the word leipo is meant to picture a believer on a faith journey who discovers that he is in “lack” of the wisdom he needs to complete the trip — the traveler has unintentionally left it behind. However, by turning to God, he can easily obtain the wisdom needed — for God bestows to every person the answers needed to enable each one to advance confidently on the journey of faith.

The word “wisdom” in this verse is derived from the Greek word sophia, and it denotes insight or understanding. In James 1:5, it essentially means, “If any of you lack answers and insight about why these principles are not working for you….”

Those in search of answers are told in James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God….” The word “ask” is rooted in the Greek word aiteo, which means to petition or to request — always with the expectation to receive what is being sought. This means God desires His children to approach Him believing that if they seek His guidance, He will provide what they need.

But James 1:5 says God has one requirement: His children must ask “of God.” The word “of” is translated from the Greek word para, which means alongside. It pictures one drawing alongside the heart of God to find the answers he needs. Once in that position alongside God’s heart, he is told to make his heart-felt request.

Next, James 1:5 says that God “giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not….” The original text unmistakably presents God as the giving God who is pleased to answer any question from those who draw near to His side. And the word “upbraideth” is rooted in the Greek word oneididzo, which means to berate, to chastise, to criticize harshly, or to nitpick. This tells us God is not offended by our honest asking, and He will not be harsh with those who seek Him for answers — He will lavishly supply clarity for whatever we need to know.

Then James 1:5 concludes with the promise: “…And it shall be given him.”

So if you are among those who ask, “Why haven’t I received the manifestation of healing and health (or any other blessings) that I’ve been believing for, confessing, and awaiting?” then accept God’s invitation to draw near so He can provide the answers you need.

The RIV (Renner Interpretive Version) of James 1:5 says:

But if — as I’m sure is actually the case — there is anyone among you who lacks insight about why these principles aren’t already working, my advice is that you draw near to the side of the giving God to ask your questions with the full expectation of an answer from the One who always generously responds with an open hand to every person who comes to Him. And when you come to Him with your questions, He will not berate, reprimand, or scold you for asking the questions you put before Him — for answers are always generously given to the person who draws near to God to find them.

Staying in Unwavering Faith

Next, we need to understand what James wrote in the very next verse, James 1:6, which says, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

The word “ask” is the same Greek word we saw in James 1:5, and it depicts a firm and full expectation that God will answer. But according to James 1:6, we must ask “in faith.” The word “faith” is interpreted from a derivative of the Greek word peitho, a word that pictures one who possesses a rock-solid belief, an absolute confidence, an unmovable conviction, or an unwavering confidence. Thus, real faith is not back and forth, up one day and down the next, or indecisive, but it is a rock-solid, unwavering force.

In light of this, I want to ask: How consistent are you in what you are asking and believing God to do in regard to your health?

James 1:6 continues, “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering….”

The word “wavering” is a translation of diakrinomenos, a Greek word that depicts habitual vacillation. It pictures one who is back and forth, habitually changing his mind about what he believes, what he confesses, and how he prays. On the contrary, real faith stands still — it knows what it wants, and it doesn’t budge or flinch from its rock-solid position.

James 1:6 goes on to say that real faith does not behave “like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” The words “wave of the sea” are interpreted from the plural form of the Greek word kludon, a word that pictures one wave after another or a succession of rising and falling waves.

James was describing how a person may appear to start in faith, but if he habitually changes his mind and rethinks what he’s asking or believing, he is, in reality, like a wave of the sea — caught in a cycle of doubt and vacillation. He rises to ask, to believe, and to confess, but then, almost as soon as it seems he’s gaining strength, he changes his mind, retracts what he has asked, believed, and confessed — and tumbles back into a state of indecision. This behavior is completely contrary to real faith.

James 1:6 adds, “…He that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.”

The words “driven with the wind” are derived from a form of anemos, a Greek word that depicts fierce winds or turbulence that has the potential to wreak havoc and destruction. The word “tossed” is translated from a form of the Greek word rhipidzo, which pictures raging currents of the sea, but it also pictures a dangerous undercurrent.

By using these words and imagery, James was telling us that those who are easily moved by what they hear and see — and who habitually vacillate in what they believe or say — suffer the threat of being dragged into a state of spiritual bedlam that has the potential to “drown” their faith and make it ineffectual.

The RIV (Renner Interpretive Version) of James 1:6 says:

But this next point is important, so pay close attention. Whoever is asking must do it with an expectation that God will actually answer him. In other words, he must ask, being rooted in faith (with unwavering confidence). The one who doesn’t stick with it, but who habitually changes his mind — who is up one day and down the next, flip-flopping and going back and forth “all over the place” in what he asks or believes — is a lot like the waves of the sea. Just as waves rise, fall, and tumble back into the sea over and over, a doubting person is one who keeps changing his mind again and again. He appears to be making progress, but then, suddenly, he changes his mind again and tumbles back into indecision. He is up and down, back and forth, indecisive, and unstable. And as the waves of the sea are endlessly tossed by ferocious winds, one who doubts is thrown here, there, and all around. A person who can’t make up his mind about what he asks and believes doesn’t realize the dangerous predicament he’s in — for like a dangerous riptide, his doubt and wavering can pull him perpetually into a sea of indecision.

Furthermore, the next verse goes on to say that those who habitually change their minds about what they ask, believe, and confess are unable to receive anything from the Lord. James 1:7 says, “For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”

The word “think” is from a form of the Greek word oimai, which means to assume, to imagine, to presume, or to suppose. In this case, it means to wrongly imagine, to wrongly presume, or to wrongly suppose. It pictures fictional thinking. Though this person lives in a state of indecision, he has somehow convinced himself that he will receive what he asks of the Lord. But what he asks is not clear because this person can’t make up his mind. To believe he will receive an answer when he is indecisive in his faith is misguided thinking.

God wants you to have everything you need to think properly about your health and to stand firm in His promises. James 1:6-7 holds important instructions for anyone who needs to receive anything from the Lord — and that includes the healing and health that Jesus obtained in His redemptive work on the Cross. My prayer is that what you have read today will help you know that God will answer your questions, and that it will undergird you to be unwavering until you have finally received what you have requested of the Lord!

If you have further questions about your faith — or just wish you had someone to pray with you — please remember that we are here for you, and we are waiting for your phone call, letter, or email so that we can release our faith with yours for the answer you need! Just call us at 1-800-742-5593 or email us at prayer@renner.org. I assure you that you will really be prayed for with ferocious faith, and we will ask the Lord to do exactly what needs to be done to turn your situation around!

And please pray for us too. Denise and I, our family, and our whole team are committed to do what Jesus has commissioned us to do, but we cherish your prayers for us. Both your financial gifts and prayers are needed, and we thank you in advance for praying and giving as the best partners in the whole world.

Next month, I’m going to pick up right here and continue talking to you about how to appropriate the healing and health that Jesus purchased for you and that He wants you to possess in your life!

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 entire ministry team

P.S. Click here to view the new interactive Ministry Update page or click here to download the printable pdf flyer.

Strongholds of Worry

December Teaching Letter from Denise Renner

Dear Friends,

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,

Happy December! I hope that this holiday season is a time of blessing and thanksgiving for you. These can be such happy times as we get to celebrate what we have and who we are with, but sometimes the devil can sneak in and try to steal that joy. He might remind us about the things that we don’t have, the people we’ve lost, and the needs that we can’t provide for. That’s why I want to encourage you to seek God this month and let Him fill you with peace and joy in this upcoming season.

Today we’re going to talk about habitual worry. This isn’t the kind of worry that pops up every now and then when you have difficult things going on in your life — this is the kind of worry that keeps on coming even when there is no reason for it. When your thoughts or the conversation you’re in turns to a certain subject, it’s like someone has flipped a switch in your brain, and the worry just starts spilling in. When that particular subject touches your life, a whole string of thoughts and mental processes just tangles up your mind. Maybe for you, this subject is money or work. Maybe it’s your child’s future or your friend’s salvation. Whatever it is, it turns your worry on every time, and that makes it a habit.

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

Proverbs 23 talks about the habit of drunkenness, and even though it’s a different habit than we’re talking about, I think it provides such a powerful image of what other bad habits like worry can do to us:

Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly; At the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things. Yes, you will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea, or like one who lies at the top of the mast, saying: “They have struck me, but I was not hurt; They have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?”

—Proverbs 23:31-35

The writer talks about how appealing wine looks, how beautiful and tempting, and we don’t always think about it, but that’s how our flesh sees worry. Our spirit is filled with peace, but our flesh is fallen, and it wants to take any little excuse to make the habit of worry. If we give in, this verse tells us that it won’t be a one-time thing — we will fall asleep in that worry and wake up thirsty for more!

That is a bleak picture, friend, but we don’t have to live like that. 1 Peter 5:8 commands us to be sober and vigilant, and God does not command us to do things that He hasn’t equipped us for. In fact, 2 Corinthians gives us some very clear instructions about taking down those strongholds that the enemy has built up in our minds.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

—2 Corinthians 10:4-6

This verse says that you’re the one with the power here. You’re the one who’s going to bring down that stronghold. You’re the one who’s going to cast that thought down and bring it into captivity. When a thought of worry comes, you have to seize it and say, “No. I’m not going to receive that.”

The Bible tells us, “…Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). That’s all. You and I have resisting power. We have casting-down power against those thoughts of worry. If our worry is habitual, then we just need to be habitual in resisting it and casting it down, and one of the most practical tools God gives us to do all that is His Word. When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, He didn’t argue with him or try to reason with him. All He did was quote the Word of God, and that put the devil on the run. Friend, if simply quoting the Scriptures is good enough for Jesus, then it is good enough for you and me.

If you don’t know where to find the right verse for your worry, just start with the verse I gave you today. Just say, “God, I see now that this worry is not Your will. I know I don’t have to be a worrier just because I’ve been stuck in it for so long. My weapons are mighty in You, and I can overcome, just like it says in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5. I can cast down those thoughts and bring them into obedience to You.”

You might not be feeling like you agree with that verse right now, but the first step is to just declare it to yourself and agree with God, no matter what you are feeling. When you agree with God, you’ll start to have the thoughts of God, and that’s when your feelings will change and agree with your spirit. If you will just take that first step of declaring the truth over yourself, then you will open up your heart and mind for the Holy Spirit to come in and cause your brain to start working in a new way so that you have a whole new habit.

Friend, if this is a struggle for you, we want to pray with you. Prayer is so important for us as Christians, and if worry is interrupting your ability to talk to your heavenly Father, then you need to get rid of that, and we want to help you. You can contact our prayer team by calling 1.844.473.6637 or emailing denisesocial@renner.org. We want to stand with you against whatever is trying to steal your peace, so we hope that you will reach out to us today.

I also want to invite you to join me for my weekly program, TIME with Denise Renner. This month, I am talking all about saying goodbye to worry through God’s blessings, and I am sure that He wants to encourage some of you with these teachings. You can watch live every Monday at 7 AM CT on Facebook and YouTube or every Wednesday at 12 PM CT on just Facebook. My programs are also available for you to watch anytime at renner.org. I hope that you will join me, and I pray that these teachings will help you cast down worry and fear in your life!

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

Don’t Back Down From What You’re Believing God For

December Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

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,

Merry Christmas and greetings in the name of Jesus, who came to us from the Father as Immanuel — GOD WITH US — and as the Savior of the world!

This month, people all over the world are celebrating the birth of Jesus with their friends, family, or church. Christmas is a wonderful time for us all to especially thank Him for coming to give His life for us. At this season when people are giving gifts to friends and family, I’m also thinking of the financial gifts you have given this year to the work of God in our ministry. I want to say THANK YOU for everything you gave to help us fulfill our God-given assignment.

This ministry is reaching people all over the world who watch us on TV and contact us for prayer, support, and materials to help them grow spiritually. We can do this because of our partners, and we are full of thankfulness for everything you so faithfully do to help us get the trusted teaching of God’s Word to people around the world. In fact, we illustrate this beautifully each year in our full-color Annual Report. Click here to view and download a free copy of our 2025 Annual Report, or call our office at 1-800-742-5593 to request it, and we’ll send it to you postage paid! For U.S. mailing only.

I also want to remind you that until December 26, we are offering a 25-percent discount on every RENNER product in our website store. Also, the Renner Interpretive Version (RIV) of First and Second Peter is now available! It is loaded with insight and revelation that have the power to change your life. Right now, you can call 1-800-742-5593 or go online at renner.org/store to order all RENNER products at 25-percent off and place your order for the RIV of First and Second Peter. When you get your copy of this second volume of the RIV (the first volume was the RIV of James and Jude), I’d love to hear from you with your thoughts!

Last month, I began speaking to you about how to obtain the healing that Jesus purchased for you in redemption. We saw that we need to renew our mind to the truth and align both our heart and mouth with that truth. In today’s letter, I want to add the next two points: 1) hold fast to your confession and 2) let patience do its work.

Once you have renewed your mind concerning the healing Christ purchased for you, and once your heart and mouth are aligned with God’s promises, it’s time to dig your heels into the bedrock of your faith and decide to never budge from that position. Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised).” The words “hold fast” are derived from the Greek word katecho, which is a compound of the words kata and echo. The word kata carries the force of something that comes down so hard and so heavily that it is overpowering and dominating to the point of being subjugating. When this force arrives on the scene, it conquers, subdues, and immediately begins expressing its overwhelming, influencing power.

The second part of the word katecho is the word echo, which simply means to have and carries the notion of possession. When kata and echo are compounded into the word katecho, it portrays seizing something with all one’s might and keeping it firmly under one’s control to ensure it never escapes. It portrays someone who finds the object of his dreams and then holds it down — taking control of it, dominating it, and even “sitting on it” so it doesn’t slip away!

This is the attitude you must have if you want to see God’s promises come to pass in your life. Once you’ve deeply embedded them into your heart and renewed your mind to them, you must wrap your arms around them and determine to never relinquish them. You must “katecho” God’s promises for healing so they won’t be able to get away from you. Hebrews 10:23 could be interpreted, “And let us hold fast to our confession, tightly wrapping our arms around it and embracing it with all our might….”

The words “hold fast” imply there is always a fight to stay on track with God’s promises. When it comes to healing, you must cling to God’s promises with unwavering determination. Without a conscious effort to hold tightly to God’s promise of healing, experiences or negative voices will try to steal it from you.

Hebrews 10:23 goes on to say, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith….” The word “profession” is from the Greek word homologia, which is a compound of homo and logia. The word homo means one of the very same kind, and logia is the plural form of logos, which means words. When these two words are compounded, they form homologia, and it is translated here as the word “profession.”

Let me give you a clear illustration of the word homologia. I am a writer and have written many books. My words are my thoughts, convictions, and beliefs printed on paper. If you read my books and agree with what I have written, in essence, you are in agreement and are harmonizing with me. If you take my viewpoints and begin to hold it in your heart and soul as your own conviction, it won’t be long until you and I are fully aligned in our thinking and believing. Then if you share that information with others, you will not be just repeating, or parroting, what you read in my books. You will be speaking from your own heart about what you believe. At that juncture, our ideas are not just parallel — they are united, and we are fluently speaking the same language of conviction!

Similarly, when a believer “confesses” or “professes” God’s Word from a heart of conviction, his words are not hollow or superficial; rather, they emerge from a profound well of conviction within his soul. After a period of renewing his mind, he finally begins to see things the way God sees them. From that place of heartfelt conviction, he then begins to declare his faith. Because he internalizes God’s Word so profoundly that it harmonizes with his own innermost being, the person’s words transcend the mere repeating or parroting of familiar phrases. Instead, he boldly articulates his faith from a place of authentic belief!

Many people make the mistake of merely repeating what they have heard someone else say without ever developing any depth of faith or understanding of their own. They say the right things, but because these words come only out of their mouths and not out of their hearts, their confession produces no results. It’s essential that your faith infuses your speech. For your confession to be impactful, it must resonate inside the depths of your heart as it comes out of your mouth.

So how do you avoid making mechanical, mindless confessions concerning God’s will to heal?

First, choose to believe what God says about healing. Commit your heart to believing His Word, no matter how crazy it may sound to your natural mind.
Second, ask God to make His Word real to you — so real, in fact, that if anyone even implies that what God says isn’t true, you’ll think that person is out of his mind!
Third, pick up your Bible and do some serious study and meditation. Sow the Word into your heart until you and God are aligned on the issue.
Fourth, once that alignment comes into being, open your mouth and start declaring the Word of God over your body!

Often people let go of their confession of faith for healing because the devil or other people tell them, “This thing you’re believing for isn’t ever going to happen. Surely it would’ve materialized already if it was meant to be. You’re wasting your time — you need to forget it, let it go, and move on with your life.”

Instead of surrendering or backing down, or giving in and giving up, you need to dig in your heels, drive down your stake, and tell the devil that you are not going to move from your position of faith. It may take a while for that promise to come into manifestation, but if you fill your heart and mind with the truth of God’s Word about healing and health, renew your mind to it, and hold fast to your confession of faith, God assures us that perseverance will lead to tangible outcomes.

James 1:3 says, “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” The word “patience” in James 1:3 describes the heavenly force that God releases inside you in such a moment when your faith is being tried. This word originates in the Greek word hupomone, a compound of the words hupo and meno. The word hupo means under and here it depicts one under a heavy load. The word meno depicts the resolve to stay put, abide, and not move. When these words are compounded to form the word hupomone, the word “patience” would be better translated as endurance.

The word hupomone carries the idea of abiding; defiantly sticking it out regardless of the pressure mounted against one; keeping a position; remaining in one’s spot; or staying put. It also signifies “staying” power; “hang-in-there” power; or the attitude that holds out, holds on, outlasts, perseveres, and hangs in there, never giving up, refusing to surrender to obstacles, and turning down every opportunity to quit.

The word hupomone pictures one who is under a heavy load but refuses to bend, break, or surrender because he is convinced that the territory, promise, or principle under assault rightfully belongs to him. Thus, James 1:3 declares that a supernatural power is released in you the moment you choose to push back against the enemy’s assault. Rather than face the fight on your own, you can be sure God will join Himself to the one who chooses to push back against the enemy’s attack. The Lord will fill that person with the supernatural ability to stay put, remain in his spot, keep his position, and maintain the territory he has gained as he outlasts any assault.

Let’s take this into your own story. If you are believing for healing, when you make a bold proclamation of faith — whether it be for healing and health or for any other blessing — the devil is listening and will likely devise a “test” to see if he can put you under enough pressure to make you back off from what you have confessed. But if you make the choice to push back against the attack, saying, “Devil, if you doubt my resolve, just watch as I cling fiercely to the promises God has made to me,” God will respond by filling you with so much hupomone that you will be able to stay put, not budge, hang in there, never give up, refuse to surrender to every obstacle, and turn down every opportunity to quit. That’s the message of James 1:3!

Indeed, when the devil sees God has filled you with hupomone — that is, an unshakeable resilience that never backs off — he’ll retreat. It’s often after such a retreat that the manifestation of your confession swiftly follows. I cannot tell you how long this process will take, but I can tell you that God responds to your decision to push back by filling you with hupomone, which endows you with all that is needed to stay steadfast until the fight is finished and you are standing healed and healthy. If you exercise this kind of endurance, you have the key to receiving healing, deliverance, prosperity, protection, peace, joy, healthy relationships, and countless other blessings.

The RIV (Renner Interpretive Version) of James 1:3 says:

You need to know — really know, and never forget — that difficult situations come to see if you are serious about your stance of faith and if your faith is really all it claims to be or if it will break under pressure. But finally…when those tests let up, and your faith is still standing strong, it will have proven your faith to be real. When you push back to resist the tests that have been sent to break you — that pushback triggers a release of divine endurance that fills you from the top of your head clear to the bottom of your feet! It’s a supernatural endurance that will enable you to bear up under any heavy load, and it will give you the ability to stay put, to keep your position, and to never surrender. I’m talking about a power that will enable you to hold on; hold out; never give up; neither bend nor break; outlast; persevere; and stick it out. This power will strengthen you to hold on to whatever promise or territory is under assault.

For anyone who doesn’t know why his faith is not working — and he doesn’t seem to be able to find anyone who can help find the answer — James 1:5 gives the best possible advice: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” God is more than willing to answer this question for anyone who is really willing to hear the answer. This verse promises YOU that if you ask God the reason for a delay to prayer, He will give you the answer you need. So today, in addition to holding fast to your confession and letting patience do its work, draw near to the heart of God, ask Him your questions, and be willing to hear the answers. Anything He tells you is for your good and is intended to speed up the process of receiving healing or whatever else you’ve been praying for!

I’ve covered a lot in this letter, but next month I have more to share about what else must be done to obtain the blessing of healing. I am pouring out to you what I believe the Holy Spirit wants me to share to help you, and my prayer is that it is helping you move forward into the manifestation of healing and health that Jesus purchased for you on the Cross.

Please be sure to let us know how we can pray for you. As a matter of fact, we are waiting to hear from you right now. Just call us at 1-800-742-5593 on any weekday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. CT or write to us at prayer@renner.org. We are already praying for you, but when we hear specifically how to pray, it helps us to pray more effectively.

We love you and thank God for you — Denise and I bless you and pray you’ll enjoy a wonderful Christmas season with loved ones this year!

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 entire ministry team

P.S. Click here to view the new interactive Ministry Update page or click here to download the printable pdf flyer.

Unstoppable Faith

November Teaching Letter from Denise Renner

Dear Friends,

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,

I hope you are having a blessed autumn so far. What a wonderful world our God has created that gives us all these beautiful and incredible changes in season! His power is truly amazing, friend.

With the year winding to a close and the holiday months looming before us, you may be entering a stressful time in your life. Maybe you’re already in one. You might need healing for yourself or for someone you love. You might be facing financial or relational hardship. You might have emotions that are just ruling your behavior and you can’t figure out why. I want to encourage you that you are not helpless to these storms of life, because God does not leave us alone without any tools against the difficulties we face.

That’s why I want to talk to you today about faith. Faith is more than just believing that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead. That’s our first step in faith, but we are called to go deeper than the first step. We are called to not just believe in God and His sacrifice but to act on it, to live lives that are rooted in faith, and this lifestyle becomes so important when we find ourselves in difficult situations.

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

The best place to look for stories of faith is in the Bible, so I want to share some biblical examples with you. Oh, friend, these are some of my favorite stories. In every single one, we can see a faith that Jesus Himself was so proud of, and that’s why I picked these stories to show you what qualities you need to have unstoppable faith!

Faith is Persistent

The first thing we need to understand is that faith does not give up no matter what, and for this, I always love to talk about the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15.

Verse 22 tells us that she heard about Jesus, and she came running for His help, crying out to Him, “Oh, Lord, Son of David, my daughter is severely demon possessed.”

What you have to understand about this story is that in the past, the Canaanites were arch-enemies with Israel, so this woman probably didn’t have a great reputation with the Jews. With her background, they were probably judging her and trying to silence her, but she didn’t care. She kept crying out, screaming for His mercy and help, but the Bible says that He answered her not a word, and soon His disciples were saying, “She keeps calling after us. She’s a nuisance. Just send her away, Jesus.”

What a blow to this woman’s hope! Not only was Jesus ignoring her, but the disciples were saying to send her away. This was not what she was hoping for at all, yet she stayed there; she kept asking. How much faith must she have had, faith that overcame the cultural barriers between Jews and Canaanites, that overcame rejection from the disciples and seeming indifference from Jesus?

In verse 24, Jesus finally answered her:

But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Jesus is saying, “I’m not trying to ignore you, but I was not sent to you. This is not my place. My instructions from the Father say that I was sent to the lost sheep of Israel, not to you.”

She must have been absolutely devastated, but like I told you, this woman had persistent faith. Instead of going away dejected, she had the most incredible response:

Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” —Matthew 15:25

After all this rejection, her response was to worship Jesus and ask Him once more. She humbled herself before Him and recognized who He was and what her place was beneath Him. After she worshiped, she prayed one short prayer. It wasn’t long or religious — it was just a very powerful three-word prayer: “Lord, help me.”

In verse 26, Jesus responded to her beautiful prayer with what looks like another rejection, but this faith-filled woman had just the right answer:

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.” —Matthew 15:26-27

She recognized, “Yes, Lord, I’m a Canaanite woman, and according to the Jews, I am like a dog, but I know that you have the power to help me too if you choose. If you call healing ‘bread,’ then I know that crumbs are in bread, and if you call me ‘dog,’ then I know that the dogs are under the table, and they get crumbs. So Lord, I’m claiming those crumbs. I don’t need the whole loaf of bread. Just give me a little tiny crumb, and that crumb will have all the delivering power that my daughter needs.”

It didn’t look good for this woman and her daughter. It looked like Jesus was ignoring her and refusing to give her her miracle, but her faith was so strong, so persistent, that she kept calling on Him even when it seemed like He wasn’t listening. In the end, she got what she was looking for. The Bible tells us in verse 28:

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.

It’s so beautiful. Jesus was so attentive to this woman, and He saw her faith. He was not sent for the Canaanites, but He saw her faith, and it moved the Father’s heart to give her that miracle. If your faith is persistent in every obstacle, friend, it will carry you through the storm to your miracle just like that.

Faith is Focused

The second thing we need to remember is that our faith needs to have a goal, and we need to be laser-focused on that goal. We saw this already with the Canaanite woman. She had a goal, and that was to get healing for her daughter, and she never swayed from it. She wasn’t distracted by the obstacles in her way. She wasn’t trying to get more than she needed from Jesus. She was just focused on getting healing for her daughter, and we find another woman with that kind of focused faith in Mark 5 — the woman with the issue of blood.

This woman had a flow of blood for 12 years. Can you imagine how exhausted she was? It must have been so draining to live like that, and that wasn’t even the worst of her problem. In that time and culture, she would have been considered unclean, and if anybody sat where she sat or laid where she laid or even just touched her, they would have become unclean too. If she had a husband or children or even parents and siblings, none of them would have been able to touch her for 12 years!

So not only was she exhausted and sick, but she was a social outcast, and verse 26 tells us that she had spent all her money on all these different treatments and doctors, but she had only gotten worse. Can you imagine how discouraged she was?

Then one day, Jesus passed by, and this woman had an opportunity for healing, and she seized it with her laser-focused faith. She had only one goal in mind: touching the hem of Jesus’ garment.

There was a large crowd on the street around Jesus, and if anyone had seen this woman or noticed that she had touched them, they would have started screaming, “Unclean! Unclean!” so it was a step of faith just for her to leave her house, and some scholars say that she may have even been crawling on the ground to stay hidden among all the long robes. So there she was, dragging her sick, weak body that had been bleeding for 12 years across the ground, through the crowd, to get her miracle, the whole time saying, “If I can touch His garment, I’ll be healed.” She pulled herself a little further — “If I could just touch it.” She pulled herself through more legs and feet — “If I could just touch it.”

Now notice, she wasn’t saying, “If I could grab hold of Him. If I could stand in front of Him. If I could stop Him and explain the problem.” She was not thinking about how to explain herself or how the miracle would work — she was only focused on getting close enough to brush His garment with her fingertips. She was exhausted, but it didn’t matter. All these people were wondering what was at their feet, but it didn’t matter. She had her eyes on Jesus.

Finally, she saw the hem of His garment, and she kept crawling closer and closer until she touched it, and the Bible says that 12 years of blood flowing from her body were immediately and absolutely gone!

Jesus noticed that some power had left Him, so He started looking all around in the crowd for who had touched Him. This woman wasn’t expecting to be called out. She wasn’t expecting to be noticed. She was so focused on getting the miracle that she didn’t think about what would happen after, but she finally stood up in fear and trembling, and the Bible says she told Him everything, the whole story, and at the end, He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction” (Mark 5:34). Her faith — that laser-focused faith that didn’t even think about what she was going to do after she got healed — brought about her miracle. That’s what Jesus said.

Faith Has No Backup Plan

The last thing I want to tell you about faith is that it only has one option. We’ve seen this in the two women we just talked about. Both of them knew who her answer was. They weren’t trying to hold onto their problems or come up with a backup plan in case Jesus was too busy — they were trying to give their problems away to the only one who could fix it. When you’re acting in faith, you don’t have the room in your heart to start planning for the worst, to start wondering, “What if God doesn’t do this?” When you’re acting in faith, in accordance with His perfect and holy will, your only option is Him, just like we see in one of my favorite Bible stories in Mark 10.

“Now they came to Jericho. As He [Jesus] went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.” —Mark 10:46

Blind Bartimaeus probably started this day just like he did every other day. He got dressed in special clothes — clothes that gave him the right to beg for food — and he went from wherever it was that he stayed the night and made his way to his special corner to beg, just like he always did — blind, just like he always was. As he was sitting there, having a normal day, wearing his beggar’s clothes, Jesus walked by, and suddenly, Blind Bartemaeus knew that this was going to be like no other day in his life, and he cried out for the change that he wanted to see:

And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” —Mark 10:47

Just like the Canaanite woman, this blind man cried out for Jesus’ help and mercy, and the crowd started trying to quiet him down, but he just kept crying out. When Jesus heard him, He stopped and asked the crowd to call him over. They were so fickle, first trying to shut Blind Bartemeus up and then celebrating for him when Jesus called him, but that didn’t matter to Blind Bartimaeus. All he heard was that Jesus called him over.

Now, verse 50 is such an important part of this story:

And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.

This garment, the one that identified him as a beggar, was so essential, because without it, Blind Bartimaeus didn’t have the right to beg for his livelihood. Why would he throw that aside? This was the most important thing he had, the thing that allowed him to sit there and receive money the only way he could!

But Blind Bartimaeus heard Jesus calling him, and he knew he wasn’t going to need that garment anymore. He’d been blind and had to beg for his food for so long, but starting right that moment, he knew his life was not going to be like that anymore, so he threw that backup plan away and came to Jesus.

When Jesus asked Blind Bartemeaus what he wanted, he did not hesitate. He said, “I want my sight. And the Bible tells us, “Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road” (Mark 10:52).

Blind Bartimaeus acted in a faith that had no backup plan, no alternative. He had only one answer, and that was Jesus. He wasn’t going to even give himself the possibility of picking up that begging garment again, so he threw it away. Sometimes, friend, we’ve got to throw away the idea that we have other options and get rid of the illusion that anyone can help us but Jesus. We aren’t saved by good planning or financial security or even by other godly people who love us. God can use all those things to help us, but we can’t act like they are the things that will save us — only He can do that.

Your Faith has Healed You

Before I close this letter, I want to point out to you that in every single one of these stories, Jesus praised these people for their wonderful faith:

“O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.”
(in Matthew 15:28)

“Daughter, your faith has made you well.”
(in Mark 5:34)

“Go your way; your faith has made you well.”
(in Mark 10:52)

Do you see what Jesus isn’t saying? He’s not saying, “Oh, I’m giving you this miracle in My great mercy. My power will heal you or your child.” Instead He says, “Your faith.” Your faith is so precious to Him, friend. When you act with faith that is unstoppable — faith in Him alone that has one goal and will push through every obstacle to get to Him — you will open up the door to your miracle. God loves to heal us and carry us through the storms in our lives, but we have to put our full faith in Him if we want to see His full deliverance.

If you are in a difficult time of your life and you are struggling to act in unstoppable faith, I want you to contact our prayer team. You can call at 1.844.473.6637 or email denisesocial@renner.org, and a member of our team will be ready to pray with you through whatever is going on in your life.

I also want to invite you to my weekly program, TIME with Denise Renner, where I will be going into more depth on all these wonderful stories of faith that I got to tell you today. This program is live every Monday at 7 AM CT on both Facebook and YouTube, or on just Facebook Wednesdays at 12 PM CT. You can also find my teachings any time by visiting renner.org. I hope that you will join me this month as we dive deeper into the wonderful power of faith!

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

Align Your Mind and Mouth for Healing

November Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

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,

I greet you today in the all-powerful name of Jesus!

Before I get into my subject today, I want to say THANK YOU for all your prayers and for the gifts you give to our ministry to help us fulfill our God-given assignment. With the Thanksgiving season drawing near, we are especially full of thankfulness for everything you so faithfully do to help us get the trusted teaching of God’s Word to people around the world.

I’m also excited to tell you that the Renner Interpretive Version (RIV) of First and Second Peter is being released on November 4! Many decades ago, the Holy Spirit instructed me to write and said He would bless what I wrote. Ever since then, I’ve been writing, and He has faithfully blessed my books and materials to get into the hands of many thousands of people in various languages. Right now, you can call 1-800-742-5593 or go online at renner.org to place your order for the RIV of First and Second Peter. I believe you will be amazed at the wealth of insight and revelation on every page. I pray it will cause these two epistles to come more alive to you than ever before.

I also want to tell you that from November 1 to December 31, we are offering a 25-percent discount on every Renner product in our website store! We simply want to make everything available for you at this season of the year when you are thinking of what to give others at Christmastime.

In my letter today, I want to speak to you about how to appropriate the healing that Jesus purchased for you in His redemptive work on the Cross. Regardless of why a person is struggling with physical or mental illness, disease, or sickness, the fact is that Christ paid the price for him or her to be healed and to live in health. However, even though healing and health were secured by Christ’s sacrifice, there are many people who still grapple with physical and mental issues for a multitude of reasons. But regardless of why people get sick, God, in His great mercy has provided everything necessary to be healed. In today’s letter, I want to talk to you about two main points: 1) renewing your mind to the truth and 2) aligning your heart and mouth (what you believe and speak) so that you can receive the healing Jesus paid the price for you to possess.

As I just noted, many believers find themselves grappling with illness, despite Christ’s having already purchased their healing and health at the Cross. It is often the case that seeds of doubt and bad teaching have taken root in their hearts, causing them to doubt and even dismiss the idea that it is God’s will for them to be healed. The devil knows that if those seeds begin to sprout, he can wreak havoc in your life. He well understands that whoever or whatever controls your mind also controls your overall life, and that includes your physical and mental health. Consequently, the devil is relentless in his pursuit to infiltrate your mind with skepticism, doubt, and unbelief. If he succeeds, it will open the door for him to wage war on every facet of your being.

To protect yourself from wrong thinking and seeds of doubt, it is imperative that you understand everything that belongs to you because of Christ’s redemptive work on the Cross, so:

Spend time studying what the Bible has to say about healing. Read and reread the truths in Scripture that declare it is God’s will to heal, and then keep reading and meditating on these truths until they are deeply rooted in your mind and heart.
Spend time contemplating what “redemption” means and grasp its beneficial consequences in your life.

You must take an active role to make sure your comprehension of salvation and all that it encompasses is ingrained in your thinking — to the extent that it is a part of you and you are convinced beyond any doubt about what Jesus’ death and resurrection purchased for you. When you do, it will disarm the enemy from attacking your mind with doubt as he has done in the past. If he has no say-so in your mind, it will make it harder for him to have a say-so in your body — in your physical and mental health.

However, if you have any dangling or loose ends of doubt that the devil can latch onto or take hold of, he’ll use them to entangle you and hinder you from claiming the healing God intends for you to enjoy. But once those loose ends are removed and what God’s Word says about what Christ purchased for you has been embedded in your heart, you can take the next important step — and that is to bring your heart and your mouth into alignment. This is what I call the heart-mouth connection.

In Mark 11:23, Jesus said, “For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.” In this verse, Jesus taught that the heart-mouth connection is so powerful that it can bring to pass whatsoever you believe in your heart and declare with your mouth.

Notice Jesus said if a person will “say” something and “not doubt in his heart” — in other words, if he really believes what he is saying with his mouth and has no doubt about it in his heart — he will possess exactly what he says. In the context of Mark 11:23, Jesus meant that when an individual’s heart harmonizes with his or her spoken words, it invariably sets things in motion!

The word “doubt” is translated from a form of the Greek word diakrinomai, which means to differ, doubt, or waver. The Greek word diakrinomai, which is translated “doubt” in Mark 11:23, creates a picture of a person who does not differ in what he inwardly believes and verbally confesses. His heart and his mouth beat in unison and harmonize together. The verse could be rendered, “…Whoever shall say…and not differ in his heart….” If you say one thing with your mouth, but your heart doesn’t believe it or says something else, your heart and mouth are differing from each other, and you are making an empty confession that will not produce what you are saying. Your heart and mouth must be in alignment.

This principle of “believing in the heart and confessing with the mouth” applies to every sphere of life. In the context of healing for your body and mind, if you really believe in your heart that Christ purchased your healing on the Cross, and if you put your heartfelt faith together with the confession of your mouth, that combination will detonate divine power that brings healing and health into manifestation in your body and mind. Creative power is released when the heart and mouth get into agreement! This is why you must be careful about what you believe in your heart and say with your mouth. When your heart and mouth get “in sync” with each other, it can make things come to pass!

It is simply a fact that this connection between your heart and your speech can produce both constructive and destructive power. For example, the devil is well aware that if he can seed your heart and mind with doubt and unbelief and then coax you into speaking those lies with your mouth, your confession of them can eventually cause those evil things to come to pass in your life. That is why the enemy wants to fill your mind with doubt and unbelief. He knows that by enticing you to accept and internalize these doubts — and then vocalize them — it’s only a matter of time before they manifest as your lived experience.

In Matthew 12:34, Jesus said, “…Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.” According to Jesus, whatever is in your heart will eventually come out of your mouth. Imagine your heart as a fountain, where whatever it holds will inevitably bubble up through your words. No force, not even gravity, is strong enough to keep what is in your heart from eventually coming out of your mouth.

Mark 11:23 says that when beliefs deeply rooted within your heart and mind are transformed into spoken words, they unleash extraordinary power that is capable of shaping reality. Because Mark 11:23 says great power is released when your heart and mouth start working together, it becomes paramount to nurture faith within your heart and to speak words of faith with your mouth. This heart-mouth combination will ultimately sculpt your world around you.

An example of a good, or positive, heart-mouth combination would be a person who is struggling with some form of sickness, and to overcome it, he decides to ingrain into his heart and mind the truth that healing belongs to him by virtue of Christ’s redemptive work on the Cross. He habitually meditates on those truths until they come alive inside his heart — and once he is filled with them, as Jesus said in Matthew 12:34, those truths begin to show up in his mouth. And when his heart and mouth get into alignment, according to Mark 11:23, it creates a conduit through which the healing of Christ will flow into his life and become a reality. This means that a person whose heart is filled with faith in God’s Word concerning healing — and whose mouth speaks in agreement— will experience improvement in his health.

But on the flipside, as a negative example, let’s say another person is also struggling with some form of sickness. But rather than fill himself with the truth of God’s Word about healing, he tunes in to voices that say it isn’t always God’s will to heal. This results in his being filled with doubt and unbelief, and he finds himself being inundated with grim forecasts about his condition that he eventually begins to speak about. According to Matthew 12:34, we know that what fills one’s heart is soon reflected in his words. Therefore, when one’s heart and mouth are filled with negativity, that individual can summon the very health issues he fears.

I’m not suggesting you ignore a medical report, but I am suggesting you fill yourself with God’s promises of health and healing so that you can face even the toughest medical diagnosis with confidence. When you fill your heart with biblical promises about healing — and align your words with them — fear loses its grip. Your heart-mouth combination will result in your condition being improved or removed. Seek wisdom and adhere to your doctor’s guidance. However, it’s equally important to saturate your heart with God’s Word regarding healing and health and let your words echo His promises. As highlighted in Mark 11:23, when your heart and words are in harmony, they have the power to manifest the healing you are seeking.

Thank you for letting me minister to you today through this letter. I have so much more to say on this subject of healing, so we’ll pick up next month right where we left off. Please never forget that we are here to pray for you! Just call 1-800-742-5593 on any weekday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. CT or write to us anytime at prayer@renner.org, and we will pray according to Jeremiah 33:3 to ask God to move on your behalf mightily and do exactly what needs to be done.

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 Renner and our entire ministry team

P.S. Click here to view the new interactive Ministry Update page or click here to download the printable pdf flyer.

The God Who Heals Completely

October Teaching Letter from Denise Renner

</ifra|Dear Friend,

I am so glad to be able to write to you today! It is incredible that no matter how far apart we are, we can still touch each other with the teachings of Jesus through letters, just like the apostles wrote to encourage and teach the Early Church. I hope that, just like those letters, this one touches your life and encourages you in whatever way you need today.

I want to encourage you that if you are suffering from feelings of shame, humiliation, and rejection right now or if you have been suffering from them for years, there is hope of recovery. For many long years, I was held captive in a prison of shame without even realizing it. I want to share with you how God delivered me from the invisible prison that I suffered in for so much of my life. I believe that our testimony is one of the most important tools we have to reveal God’s nature and power and give Him glory, so I hope that the Holy Spirit can reach through my story today and touch anyone who needs healing, freedom, or hope.

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

I grew up in a Christian home in Miami, Oklahoma, going to church every Sunday and Wednesday. At first, I lived what you might call a pretty normal life, but when I was about twelve years old, I developed a serious case of cystic acne on my face and neck. Now, cystic acne is not some normal case of teenage acne with a blemish here or there but a very painful condition that penetrates through all three layers of the skin, with sores so deep and big that, when pressed upon, they bruise.

I would suffer from this terrible skin condition for the next thirteen years. In school, my peers accepted me for my singing voice and my personality but not my looks, and I was made fun of a lot. As I grew older, I was even turned down for jobs that I wanted because of how my face looked.

I studied at the University of Oklahoma to obtain a Music Education degree, and in 1977, when I was 24 years old, I moved from Norman, Oklahoma, to Houston, Texas. There, I began to sing with the Houston Opera, working in the day and singing at night. As I drove to and from work, I would listen to radio preachers, and that’s how I heard a teaching that would change my life: on separate occasions, I heard both Kenneth E. Hagin and Kenneth Copeland teach on 1 Peter 2:24:

“…by whose [Jesus’] stripes, you were healed.”

Although I had been filled with the Holy Spirit since I was in college, I had never heard this teaching before — and it came just in time. After being sick for so long, my mind had begun to adjust to the sickness. Something in my personality had changed, causing me to believe that I wasn’t as good as other people. Instead of renewing my mind with what the Word of God said about my skin condition and my right to healing, I had begun to think that the condition was simply a part of life that I was meant to live with. The invisible curtain of shame had begun to bring its dominating presence over my soul.

After hearing this message, I decided to take hold of this wonderful truth about divine healing, and that truth began the process of setting me free.

Physical Deliverance

My journey to healing started with my own confession of faith. Out of my mouth, out loud, morning, noon, and night, I’d confess that by the stripes of Jesus, I was healed. I’d look in the mirror at my face and boldly declare, “By His stripes, I am healed!” over and over. I’d even sing it. Those words of faith were on my lips all the time!

After confessing the Word of God multiple times a day for about a month, I still couldn’t see any change in my condition. Nevertheless, although I could not see it, God’s hand was moving on my behalf. One day, I was driving my car and listening to a radio preacher when suddenly it was as if the Holy Ghost spoke right through her to me with a very simple question:

“Do you really want to be healed?”

I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Holy Ghost was asking me that question through this radio preacher. As I quietly sat there in my car, thinking about that question, the Holy Spirit brought out His powerful searchlight and began exposing the hidden things in my heart that were holding me back from healing.

You see, throughout all those years, I had gone from doctor to doctor and tried so many antibiotics and treatments without seeing any change. I had often felt like the woman with the issue of blood in Luke 8:43, who had spent “…all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any.” After a while, I began to feel sorry for myself, poor Denise who just couldn’t get healing. More than that, those car rides and doctor’s appointments when I was young had been times when I got to spend time with my mother, and I had started to enjoy the attention I got from her.

As I sat there in my car, the Holy Spirit showed me that my own self-pity and want for attention had been keeping me in bondage to this disease. I didn’t know it then, but I know it now: You cannot enjoy your self-pity and believe for your healing at the same time. You must give that “poor me” attitude to God and repent of it, turn from it, and resist it with all your strength. Only then will you be able to receive power and anointing to stand strong in your faith and believe God for your healing.

I had been living with a “poor me” attitude for a very long time without even knowing what it was doing to me, but at that moment, I repented. I asked God to forgive me and cleanse me of such selfishness, and I told Him that I definitely wanted to be healed.

Soon after that experience, I moved from Houston back to Oklahoma, still standing in faith for the manifestation of my healing. At this time, I was dating my future husband, Rick. It was wonderful to have such a loving boyfriend who accepted me just as I was, and although I didn’t know it, my fight of faith against cystic acne was almost over. After thirteen years of pain, embarrassment, and one doctor after another, I was about to be free forever from this horrible condition.

I went to bed one night, confessing once again that by Jesus’ stripes, I was healed, just as blemished as I had been for the past thirteen years. It seemed like a normal night, but it was anything but that; this was to be the night of my miracle.

I don’t know if Jesus took two seconds, two minutes, four hours, or the entire night to perform my miracle. I just know that when I went to bed, I had cystic acne on my face and neck as had been the case for thirteen years, and when I awoke the next morning and looked in the mirror, my face and neck were completely clear!

I slapped my blemish-free face in utter amazement and joy. I called my mother on the phone and exclaimed, “Mom, the Lord healed me! Jesus totally healed me and delivered me during the night!”

From that moment on, I never suffered from that terrible skin condition. I cursed that sickness and commanded it to never come near my future children, and now I have three sons who, I can tell you with certainty, will never suffer from that condition!

The Devil Strikes Again

Now, your testimony doesn’t just stop at your first dramatic healing from God. It is a story that stretches across your whole life, and I still had a lot of life to live and a lot of healing to receive. You see, the day that God healed me, I didn’t know about believing for scars to be removed. I was just grateful the condition was gone, so I didn’t even think about it! As a result, the scars on my face from thirteen years of cystic acne remained — scars that went through all layers of the skin.

As the years passed and I reached my 40s, I noticed that my face was beginning to fall years before most women deal with such problems. For years, I’d been forced to pull on my face as I treated those terrible blemishes, and that had stolen the youth from my face.

Then, in 2002, my husband Rick said to me, “Denise, let’s just see what surgery can do to help eliminate the scars.” We looked into the matter and discovered that lifting my face would help make my scars less visible. As Rick and I discussed the possibility of going further, he said, “Honey, let’s allow the surgeon to do all he can to help you look your best.” So in the summer of 2002, I took the big leap and underwent facial surgery that included both a laser peel and a facelift.

My recovery afterward was going great. My face was red and swollen, and I had to keep a greasy ointment on my face at all times to aid in the healing process, but in my mind’s eye, I could see a more beautiful me on the other side of my recovery!

I was feeling so happy and hopeful, and that’s when I experienced a setback. One day, soon after the surgery, bumps began to break out all over my face. After being without blemishes on my face for twenty-five years, I suddenly had a red, swollen, greasy face that was covered with bumps! It was as if the devil had slapped me. After taking this big step toward trying to do something about my scars, I looked worse than ever.

Trust in God’s Process

Before I go further, let me back up to explain what had been happening spiritually in the year before my facial surgery: Jesus had been opening my eyes to what was in my soul.

The Lord took me back to a day when I was an eleven-year-old girl living in Oklahoma. I was walking around the house with my head held high and my voice booming through every room, singing as if I owned the whole world!

Over the years, I have watched the way my husband and my sons carry themselves as they walk up to the platform to speak. It’s as if they are taking the whole stage as their territory for Jesus! At the time, seeing their freedom served to expose my own bondage. I would think to myself, If only I could be as free as Rick, Paul, Phillip, and Joel!

When the Lord brought back that memory of me as a young girl, singing with such complete abandon, I realized something: Back then, I’d possessed the same kind of boldness that I saw in Rick and the boys! Through my years of suffering with that horrific skin condition, all the ridicule I’d endured and all the feelings of being less than other people had muted it. The enemy had stolen my boldness from me, but now I knew there was a time when I had been truly free, and I wanted that freedom back.

One day, the Lord gave me further revelation about myself.

Someone had given me some tapes by Derek Prince, and I began listening to them. Brother Prince had a wonderful teaching that said when Jesus died on the Cross, He took our shame and gave us His glory. As I listened, I thought to myself, There is a lot of difference between shame and glory. I want to experience that glory.

Suddenly, I remembered that I always covered my face when I prayed. I would often think to myself, Why do I always do that? Why do I always cover my face? Now I wondered, Could the reason be that I carry a hidden sense of shame that I didn’t even realize was there?

I realize now that God was setting me up for a miracle, leading me toward freedom from a type of bondage that I hadn’t even known was hindering me! Sometimes, when Jesus is delivering us from something deep in our souls, He does it step by step. His work in me was like that. First, He healed me. Second, He gave me a loving husband who wanted the best for me. Third, He revealed to me what I didn’t know about myself — that there had been a time when I was free. Fourth, He continued to give me more revelation from His Word.

Psalm 119:105 says:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

That light was beginning to shine brighter and brighter in my heart, and God was setting the stage for another miracle.

Spiritual Restoration

Now let’s go back to several days after the operation when I was looking at all those bumps on my face and the devil was laughing at me because he thought he had won the victory.

Before the surgery, I had taken Communion twice a day for two weeks and prayed that God would heal me exceedingly and abundantly, beyond all I could ask or think. Although I looked worse than ever, I knew that my faith had not been in vain, but I still couldn’t help but feel shame at how awful I looked.

In the middle of this spiritual battle, I was invited to dinner at the house of a couple who are dear friends of mine. Now, usually, a person does not go out in public looking the way I did, but I put aside my reluctance to step outside my door and accepted the invitation. Although I was ashamed of how I looked, I just apologized to my friends for my appearance and came anyway.

That evening, I enjoyed a wonderful meal and fellowship with my hosts, and after dinner, I asked that couple to pray for me. I desperately wanted those bumps to go away so I could get past the ordeal. Besides, I was scheduled to sing for the Joyce Meyer women’s conference in two weeks, and I definitely did not want to be on stage looking like this!

When the husband laid hands on me and prayed, I fell to the floor under the power of the Holy Spirit. I had heard of this happening to others, but this was the first time it had happened to me. The anointing was so strong that I couldn’t get up for a solid hour! During that hour, Jesus took me back in my mind to the years before I’d ever had blemishes on my face. He let me see myself as if I had never had a skin problem, all the way through middle school, high school, and college. I saw myself live through those years with a clear, unblemished face, my head held high with confidence that I was just as good as those around me. During that hour, Jesus completely delivered me from shame.

I want to say to you, friend, doctors can change your face, but they cannot change your soul! Only Jesus can go down into someone’s soul and take out the poisonous root of a problem that the person doesn’t even know is there! It was as if He came up to the prison of shame that had held my soul for so long, put His key of love and power in the keyhole, opened the door, and said, “Denise, come out from there — you are free!”

As I lay on that floor, engulfed in the presence of the Holy Spirit, Jesus told me, “I am restoring you. I am reestablishing you. I am replenishing you.” When I got up, I was a new person — healed, delivered, and free to walk in boldness that had been a stranger to me for more than three decades. Not only that, but from that moment on, the bumps on my face began to disappear. By the time the two weeks had passed for the Joyce Meyer conference, my face was clear, but what God did on the inside of me was the real transformation. His Spirit came over me in such a way that I was changed forever on the inside.

Friend, I am happy with the results of my surgery, but I want you to understand that no human doctor could have done what God did for me. Jesus bore our shame so He could give us His glory; therefore, no one except Him can touch and deliver us to this degree. Only He has the authority and power to bring about this kind of change, and it is only the Holy Spirit who can take what Jesus did on the Cross and cause His deliverance to become a manifested reality in our lives!

I hope that this testimony will touch each and every one of your lives today. If you need healing, deliverance, or transformation, I want to encourage you to contact our prayer team by calling 1.844.473.6637 or emailing denisesocial@renner.org. I believe so strongly in the power of prayer, friend, and I want you to experience God’s power today, so please contact us for anything that you are going through right now.

I also hope that you will join me for my program, TIME with Denise Renner. This month, we are running my series with Heather Z, and I hope that listening to her testimony can bless you just like I hope mine has today. You can watch on Facebook or YouTube every Monday at 7:00 AM CT or tune in on Wednesday at 12:00 PM CT on Facebook. This series is also airing Mondays on Victory channel at 2 PM CT and on Wednesdays on Daystar at 8 AM CT. All my programs are also available at Renner.org. I can’t wait to see how God moves in your life through this program!

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

With His Stripes We Are Healed

October Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

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,

Greetings in the powerful name of Jesus!

I want to begin my letter today by telling you that we are receiving calls, letters, and emails from all over the world. People are really tuning in on different media platforms because they are looking for teaching they can trust. Providing that kind of material is our prayer — and we are thankful to God for using us to touch so many lives. And…we are thankful to YOU for being a partner and friend who is helping us to carry out this important mission that God has given us. Denise and I, our family, and our team are willing to do the work — and we are working hard — but we can only do it because of God’s grace and the faithful giving of our partners. I often say that our partners are the ones who put gas in the tank so we can take God’s Word to people — and I want to say THANK YOU for the financial fuel you put into the tank so we can fulfill God’s call on our lives!

I’m so glad that many have ordered my new book The Rapture, the Antichrist, and the Tribulation — An End-Times Countdown and What Happens Next — and now it’s time for me to let you know that the Renner Interpretive Version — A Conceptual Interpretation of the Greek New Testament, First and Second Peter will be released in one month! This second volume of the RIV is amazing, even to me. When I finally saw it all typeset and ready to be printed, I was nearly speechless at the vast amount of revelation on these pages. I wanted you to know that it still is available at a special presale discount right now. To order it, simply call 1-800-742-5593 or go online at renner.org. I’m excited for you to get your copy!

In my letter today, I want to continue sharing with you about how to receive the healing that Jesus purchased for you in His work on the Cross. A study of the Scriptures shows that healing and health are an inseparable part of what Jesus provided through His redemptive work on the Cross. As a matter of fact, healing and health belong to you just as much as God’s forgiveness, freedom from guilt and shame, peace of mind, and everything else that belongs to you in Christ. What Christ endured in His scourging and death on the Cross was literally a deathblow to sin, disease, illness, and sickness, and through faith in His work on the Cross, we can enter into wholeness in every part of our beings.

Today, I want to show you what Isaiah wrote about the price Jesus paid to obtain healing and health for us. I really want you to see that healing and health are an inseparable part of what Jesus provided through His atonement. We can be assured that healing and health are safely held in the spiritual bank of Heaven, and they await every child of God to lay claim to them. Yet many Christians find themselves beset by illness, and many are unaware that healing and health have been provided at the Cross. But you are about to see that healing is your rightful inheritance, and it is God’s fervent desire for you to embrace a life of wellness.

A Deeper Look at Isaiah 53:3-5

Nearly 700 years before Christ, the prophet Isaiah prophesied about the suffering that Christ would endure and the purpose for it. In Isaiah 53:3-5, Isaiah wrote, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

Throughout the Old Testament, no prophecy about Christ’s suffering and eventual glorification is as clear as what Isaiah presented in these verses. Because these words of Isaiah are so pivotal in this discussion, we will begin with Isaiah 53:3, where Isaiah began by vividly writing that Christ would be “despised” by men.

The word “despised” originates from a Hebrew word frequently encountered in the Old Testament that paints a picture of disdain and scorn. The gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John vividly illustrate how Jesus was subjected to extreme derision by religious authorities, guards, soldiers, and political figures alike. Various translations of the word “despised” include despise, disdain, disesteem, hold in contempt, or scorn.

In the span of His three-year public ministry, Jesus was “despised” and treated with non-stop “contempt” by the religious leaders of His day. Their verbal onslaughts and relentless attempts to undermine Him were unyielding. But their contempt of Him reached its zenith on the night He was betrayed by Judas Iscariot. Upon His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was taken to the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest. It was there that He faced the brutal hostility of Israel’s most revered religious figures. Behind closed doors, these leaders descended upon Him like a brood of vipers, unleashing their fury with words of venom, spitting in contempt, and inflicting physical blows upon Him.

Following His interrogation by Pilate and Herod Antipas, Jesus then endured unspeakable cruelty at the hands of Roman soldiers. They mocked and cursed Him, striking His face with a reed plucked from Pilate’s courtyard fountain. In their brutality, they yanked the beard from His chin and crafted a painful crown from razor-sharp vines and forced it onto His head. As if this torment were not enough, He was led to a whipping post, where two merciless scourgers used their savage instruments to rend His body with each vicious lash.

Ultimately, Jesus’ hands and feet were pierced with nails that secured Him to the cross they used to crucify Him. These acts of brutality were the bitter fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy in Isaiah 53:3 that He would be “despised” and shunned by the very people He came to save.

Isaiah 53:3 also prophesied that Christ would be “rejected” of men. The word “rejected” might also be translated abandoned or forsaken. It captures the image of one isolated, shunned by society, and avoided by those around him. Despite moments when Jesus drew crowds, His loyal followers were consistently just a “little flock” (see Luke 12:32). Of that little flock, we are told in John 6:66 that “many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” There were others who believed on Him, but would only come to Him by night, as was the case with Nicodemus in John 3:2. John 7:48 implies that other rulers and great men may have believed on Him, yet stood aloof from him, and according to Matthew 26:56, eventually even His own disciples “forsook him, and fled.” Thus, we see the complete accuracy of Isaiah’s prophecy.

In Isaiah 53:3, the prophet continued to say that Jesus would be “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” The word “sorrows” is very important for us to understand. It is translated from a Hebrew word that is rich with meanings of physical torment, deep anguish, acute pain, and profound suffering. It is derived from a root that means to grieve or to be in pain. It is similar to the Greek word that depicts a scourge that was used by Roman soldiers to torturously rip open the human body and shred it to pieces. Furthermore, the word “sorrows” that Isaiah used in this verse also encompasses both emotional and physical torment. Here, Isaiah prophesied the violent nature with which Christ would be treated.

Isaiah went on to describe Christ as being intimately “acquainted with grief.” The Hebrew word that is translated “acquainted” means to be acquainted or to know by intimate personal experience and personal knowledge. The Hebrew word that is translated “grief” undeniably refers to physical and mental afflictions of the body and mind — diseases, illnesses, and sicknesses. While some might attempt to spiritualize this into a metaphorical spiritual illness, the Hebrew word incontestably points to tangible physical and mental suffering. The use of this word “grief” underscores that Christ personally experienced and tasted physical and mental disease, illness, and sickness in His redemptive work on the Cross.

Then in Isaiah 53:3, Isaiah added that “we hid as it were our faces from him.” The word “hid” depicts such a deep aversion to something that one cannot bear to look upon it. What Christ endured was so ghastly that when these events occurred, those who were close enough to see them turned their heads to conceal from their sight the horrible rending and tearing of Christ’s flesh at His scourging and crucifixion. It was too much for human sight to bear. Isaiah’s prophecy thus was fulfilled.

Forgive me for commenting on a movie, but Mel Gibson’s magnificent 2004 film called The Passion of the Christ is one of the most profound portrayals of Christ’s suffering ever produced. As I sat in the movie theater to see it, during the scene when the Roman soldiers unleashed their brutal scourge upon Jesus, I noticed that I — along with nearly everyone else in the theater — instinctively turned away. In that moment, I inwardly heard Isaiah’s words “we hid as it were our faces from him.” If a cinematic portrayal affected the audience so profoundly, one can scarcely fathom the unimaginable reality of Christ’s suffering witnessed firsthand. In each screening in cinemas worldwide, viewers recoiled from the ghastly spectacle, and every time they “hid their faces,” it served as a testament to Isaiah’s prophecy that witnesses of Christ’s torment would avert their gazes, unwilling or unable to bear the sight of such profound anguish.

For a moment, I must dive into Isaiah 52:14, where Isaiah prophesied just how torn Christ’s body would be in His redemptive work for us. In that verse, Isaiah said, “As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men.”

The word “visage” in Hebrew describes Christ’s visible appearance as a result of the harrowing ordeals He endured. The Hebrew word translated “marred” means that as a result of His scourging and crucifixion, Christ’s human body was in a state of complete disfigurement. The words “more than any man” lets us know that His condition was unparalleled, surpassing any suffering endured by another human throughout history.

Isaiah 53:3 continues to say that “he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” Here, the word “despised” again emphasizes that, despite the fact that He endured such profound anguish for our sake, humanity as a collective scorned His sacrifice and looked upon it with disdain. Even though He endured all this for each of us, humankind looked upon His sacrifice with contempt and despised it.

In fact, Isaiah says that we “esteemed him not.” The word “esteemed” in Hebrew means to appreciate, consider, esteem, or value. The phrase “esteemed him not” conveys a complete lack of recognition. The word “not” in Hebrew is emphatic, which means that, as a whole, we emphatically did not esteem what He was doing on the Cross. This prophecy foresaw that the gravity of Christ’s sacrifice would be lost on those who bore witness.

In essence, this prophecy foretold that at the time of Christ’s sacrificial death, those who witnessed it would not appreciate it, consider what it really meant, esteem what He was doing, or value what was happening. It brings to mind the soldiers who callously watched Him die on the Cross while they cast lots for his garments, or the religious leaders who looked upon Him and spoke blasphemous words against Him — or the thief who verbally abused Him even as Christ was paying the price for him and all the others to be redeemed. Those present during Christ’s sufferings failed to grasp the monumental act unfolding before them, neither appreciating, considering, nor valuing the priceless gift of salvation.

To summarize, Isaiah 53:3 declares that in His sacrifice for us, Christ:

Was despised and treated with contempt.
Was wholesale abandoned and rejected of men.
Endured physical torment, deep anguish, acute pain, and profound suffering.
Personally tasted physical and mental illness, disease, and sickness.
Was shunned by humankind, who turned their faces to avoid looking upon His suffering.
Did it all for each of us — even though He was despised for it.
Was not appreciated, esteemed, or valued for what He was enduring for each of us.

But then Isaiah 53:4 adds, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.”

In Hebrew, the word “surely” is imbued with a profound sense of certainty, and it could be rendered categorically, definitely, emphatically, indeed, truly, or verily. This is an emphatic word, and it means Isaiah was making an ardent declaration. He was elevating his tone to hammer home an unquestionable statement. The word “surely” means that “categorically, definitely, emphatically, indeed, truly, or verily…He has borne our griefs.” By choosing this potent word, Isaiah speaks of what is absolutely certain, indisputably and undeniably true, and completely unquestionable.

Then Isaiah adds that Christ “hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.” In Hebrew, the word “borne” evokes an image of one who lifts a weight from another’s shoulders and chooses to bear it upon himself. In context, what Jesus lifted from us and took upon Himself is explained by the words “our griefs.” This word “griefs” in the original Hebrew specifically denotes physical and mental afflictions of the body and mind — physical and mental diseases, illness, and sicknesses.

Though some may argue for a metaphorical interpretation and suggest these terms refer to spiritual weaknesses, the original Hebrew text does not support such a reading. An honest analysis of the text reveals that Christ, in addition to purchasing forgiveness of sin, freedom from guilt and shame, and peace of mind, also lifted physical and mental disease, illness, and sickness from us, and He took them upon Himself on the Cross.

If we stopped here, the original Hebrew text has already gloriously told us, “It is absolutely certain, indisputably, undeniably true, and unquestionable that He has personally lifted all physical and mental diseases, illnesses, and sicknesses from us and taken them upon Himself….”

And then Isaiah eloquently reveals that Jesus “carried” or shouldered the immense load of our “sorrows.” The Hebrew word translated “carried” could be rendered as shouldered, and it implies an act of bearing something tremendously heavy or lifting a significant burden. The burden Christ “carried” and “shouldered” for us was our “sorrows.” The word “sorrows” is interpreted from a Hebrew word that depicts physical and mental anguish and pains. The precise choice of these words powerfully underscores that through His redemptive act, Christ lifted from us and absorbed into Himself our physical and mental diseases, illnesses, and sicknesses. He lifted them from us and took them upon Himself at the Cross on our behalf.

Pausing here to reflect on what all this means, the text could be rendered, “It is absolutely certain, indisputably, undeniably true, and unquestionable that He has personally lifted all physical and mental diseases, illnesses, and sicknesses from us, and He has taken upon Himself absolutely all physical and mental anguish and pain….”

Isaiah 53:4 continues to say that “we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.” In Hebrew, the word “stricken” conveys the notion of having someone or something subjected to a brutal, harsh, and forceful hand. In the Old Testament, this word is often used to describe a moment when a person (or people) is visited with severity — and very frequently the visited severity manifests as physical disease, illness, or sickness. Meanwhile, its counterpart, “smitten,” portrays the actions of someone who physically lays his hands on someone or something to afflict or severely beat or strike it with the intention to destroy. Notably, this same word is also used militarily to describe a ferocious attack on an adversary during warfare with utter obliteration as the goal. Then on top of all these already intense words, Isaiah adds that Christ will be “afflicted,” which in Hebrew means to be utterly crushed.

Adding all of these meanings to this verse, we find that Isaiah 53:4 could read as follows: “It is absolutely certain, indisputably, undeniably true, and unquestionable that He has personally lifted all physical and mental diseases, illnesses, and sicknesses from us, and He has taken upon Himself absolutely all physical and mental anguish and pain, as God’s forceful hand of judgment came upon Him. God struck the enemy with the intention to completely destroy him, and God did it with such force that it was completely and utterly crushed.”

When all this occurred, God was unleashing a mighty blow against the sin and physical and mental disease, illness, and sickness that Christ had willingly absorbed into His being. God was waging a war against everything Christ took upon Himself — sin, guilt, shame, lack of peace, and every ailment, disease, illness, sickness, and torment — both physical and mental. These were age-old enemies that had been unleashed upon the world from the moment of Adam’s transgression and that had haunted humanity ever since. Yet at the Cross, God launched an attack that was aimed at eradicating them, and He delivered a decisive and fatal strike against them.

Isaiah 53:5 summarizes, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” In the original Hebrew, the word “wounded” conveys a sense of being pierced or deeply wounded, foreshadowing with remarkable clarity the future piercing of Jesus’ hands, feet, side, and brow. Remarkably, Isaiah captured this vision of Christ’s suffering with prophetic precision, seven centuries before the event unfolded.

The Hebrew concept of “transgressions” refers to violations of God’s commandments and God’s nature, including sin, rebellion, and turning against God — all of which are a reflection of humanity’s flawed nature that was inherited from Adam’s initial transgression. Isaiah foretold that Christ would be physically pierced and would bear physical wounds, shedding His blood to pay the ultimate price for our sins and acts of rebellion. That payment of blood was required for Christ to redeem us from Satan’s slave market and to restore us to God’s original intent for our lives.

Then Isaiah says, “…He [Jesus] was bruised for our iniquities…” (Isaiah 53:5). The words “was bruised” are a translation of a Hebrew word meaning to beat to pieces, to crush, or to destroy. This highlights the profound suffering Christ endured on behalf of others and emphasizes themes of substitutionary atonement and redemption. Meanwhile, the word “iniquities” stems from a Hebrew word that encompasses a range of human failings including guilt, moral lapses, depravity, perversity, and shame.

This passage reveals that Christ’s sacrifice went beyond just covering our sins; He obliterated our iniquities. This includes not just our moral failures, but also the guilt and shame attached to them. Through His redemptive act on the Cross, Christ obliterated these burdens entirely, offering freedom from guilt, moral failings, all forms of perversity, and the heavy cloak of shame that once ensnared us. Thus, Christ’s redemptive work on the Cross includes the complete removal of all of these, and He intends for you to be freed from all associated shame that once hounded you because of past iniquities in your life.

Isaiah 53:5 states “the chastisement of our peace was upon him.” The word “chastisement” is from a Hebrew word that pictures punishment for past activities. This illustrates the profound truth that at the Cross, Christ bore the penalty we deserved and paved the way for us to attain “peace.” This “peace” is deeply rooted in the Hebrew concept of shalom, a word that signifies not just tranquility, but an all-encompassing state of wholeness and completeness in every part of a person’s life. This term encompasses happiness, health, prosperity, safety, security, and soundness of mind. It paints a vivid picture of a life that is abundantly blessed and that is flourishing in every dimension. Thus, when Jesus paid the price for us on the Cross, He was not only bearing our burdens but also securing our holistic well-being and ensuring that we could experience a profound peace of mind and that we would thrive in every aspect of our lives.

Then Isaiah 53:5 adds, “…And with his stripes we are healed.” The word “stripes” finds its origins in a Hebrew word that pictures bruises, welts, and the dark-blue marks left by a severe whipping. Of course, this is a reference to the scourging that Christ endured to obtain our freedom from all forms of physical and mental disease, illness, and sickness.

By understanding the meaning of the Hebrew word rapha, which is rendered “healed” in this verse, it’s clear that Christ’s redemptive act brought about not only the forgiveness of sins, liberation from shame, and mental peace, but also physical and mental healing from all manners of ailments. Christ’s work on the Cross provided for the comprehensive restoration of every facet of our existence — spiritual, physical, and mental.

Combining all these Hebrew word meanings in this verse, Isaiah 53:5 carries the meaning:

But he was pierced and deeply wounded for our transgressions — that is, our violations of God’s commandments and God’s nature, including sin, rebellion, and turning against God. He was beaten, crushed, and destroyed for the removal of our iniquities — that is, our guilt, moral lapses, depravity, perversity, and shame. The punishment we deserved for our past activities was laid on him, and we have been given peace in its place — not just tranquility, but an all-encompassing state of wholeness and completeness in every part of our lives so that we can peacefully thrive. And due to the massive, full body bruises, welts, and stripes that were laid on him by a severe lashing of the whip, we are healed from all manner of physical and mental disease, illness, and sickness.

Do you see how vital it is that we understand Isaiah 53:3-5? Having unraveled its profound messages, we are now poised to embark on next month’s letter where I want to talk to you about how to appropriate healing and health for your body and mind.

I realize this letter is a little longer than usual, but I really want you to see what is stated in Isaiah 53:3-5 about what Jesus purchased in His work on the Cross. Jesus paid the ultimate price so you could be set free in all these areas. If you are struggling in any of these areas that Jesus died to free you from, we want to pray with you. We are waiting to join our faith with yours for God to do what needs to be done. Just call 1-800-742-5593 any weekday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT or write to us anytime at prayer@renner.org. And as I always request, please be praying for us as well as we press ahead by faith to do what Jesus has asked us to do in our ministry. As a partner, you are a big part of what we do, and we thank you again for being such a faithful friend and partner!

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

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

P.S. Click here to view the new interactive Ministry Update page or click here to download the printable pdf flyer.

Who Am I in God’s Eyes?

Let God Use You To Heal the Sick

Laying Hands on the Sick

The Laying On of Hands in Jesus’ Ministry

All Believers Are To Lay Hands on the Sick

You Can Lay Hands on Others Who Need Healing and Others Can Lay Hands on You To Be Healed

Not All Healing Is Instantaneous

The Sound of Faith

Draw Near to God and Receive Wisdom for Your Healing

Strongholds of Worry

Don’t Back Down From What You’re Believing God For

Unstoppable Faith

Faith is Persistent

Faith is Focused

Faith Has No Backup Plan

Your Faith has Healed You

Align Your Mind and Mouth for Healing

The God Who Heals Completely

Physical Deliverance

The Devil Strikes Again

Trust in God’s Process

Spiritual Restoration

With His Stripes We Are Healed

You Can Lay Hands on Others Who Need Healing
and Others Can Lay Hands on You To Be Healed