The Power of the Anointing

April 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,

I want to ask you a question. Has fear been trying to knock at the door of your heart or your mind or your emotions? In this world that we’re living in today, we could be afraid of anything. We can be afraid of this disease or that problem or these relational difficulties or those things going on in this country or that country, and that fear is just mounting up like a river that’s about to swell over its banks.

I want to say right now, if you are struggling with fear, there’s no condemnation in Christ Jesus. Hebrews 4:15 says that He was tempted in all ways as we are. Of course, He did not sin, but He understands and empathizes and sympathizes with us when we are tempted to fear. Fear comes to all of us, so we need to have some tools to deal with that fear. We can’t just let fear have its way and push us backward; we have to recognize the faith that God puts in us when we are born again and use that faith against fear.

Today, I want to talk to you about a great overcomer, and that is David. The Bible says that through the blood of Jesus, through the resurrection, through the word of God, we are more than conquerors, and if fear comes knocking at our door, we have power to overcome, just like David overcame the giant.

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

David’s Anointing

Now, we’re going to talk about how David defeated Goliath, but I’ve got to start with something very important, and that is when David was anointed.

In First Samuel, starting at the beginning of chapter 16, we see all these clues about how important this anointing is that Samuel comes with:

Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided for Myself a king among his sons.”

And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.”

—1 Samuel 16:1-2

That’s how important this was, that Samuel could have died for the anointing he was carrying for David!

We get another clue when he arrives in Bethlehem. The Bible says that the elders of the town “trembled at his coming.” It is such a big deal that Samuel is coming to their little, tiny town of Bethlehem. Samuel’s presence, his influence, his reputation are all scary. It’s so powerful, and the men are terrified. They even ask about his coming:

“Do you come peaceably?”

And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.

—1 Samuel 16:4-5

So, when Jesse brings forward his sons, Samuel looks at Eliab, and he thinks that surely the Lord’s anointed is before him right now. Surely, it’s Eliab. But the Lord says to Samuel:

“Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

—1 Samuel 16:7

Then Jesse brings one more of his sons, Abinadab. He brings him forward, but the Lord says, “Nope, that’s not the one.” Jesse then brings forward Shammah, and the Lord says, “Nope, that’s not the one.” Jesse brings seven of his sons before Samuel, but none of them are the one that God has chosen. Finally, Samuel has to ask him, “Is this all you have?”

Now, I want you to pay close attention here, because it seems to me this is a huge thing that has happened for this family. The prophet Samuel came, and everybody was consecrated to do this sacrifice, and they’re all there except for one. David. Jesse could have called David for that special experience, but he didn’t. But that didn’t matter, because God called David.

Maybe fear has tried to say to you, “Well, you’re not so and so,” or “You don’t look like so and so,” or “You can’t do what other people do,” or “You’re not wealthy,” or all these other terrible things that our minds think sometimes to put us down. But God chose him. God chose David, and God chose you. It doesn’t matter what other people are thinking or saying. God chose you to carry His power and His name. He chose you to make a difference in your family, at your job, or at your school.

God’s anointing is on you, just like we see it was on David. Verse 12 tells us that when David comes, the Lord says, “This is the one.” The one who wasn’t called by his father or his brothers is exactly the one who is called by God, because it doesn’t matter what people think compared to God’s calling on your life. And then verse 13 says:

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.

—1 Samuel 16:13

Walking in the Anointing

Now what happens after that? Well, in chapter 17, we hear about this war that’s happening between the Israelites and the Philistines. There’s a valley between the two armies, the Israelites on one side and the Philistines on the other. The Philistines bring forth, it says, a great man of war, Goliath, a giant. And for 40 days, that giant does his very best to intimidate the children of Israel.

Well, Jesse sends David down to the camp with cheeses and bread to feed his brothers who are fighting in this battle. When David arrives, of course, he hears Goliath yelling and intimidating and defying the armies of Israel, and he sees that these men are dreadfully afraid. And David says:

“What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

—1 Samuel 17:26

Now, this is where we can begin to see the effect of that anointing. Being anointed was not just some small thing. A few weeks or maybe just a few days ago, David was just a shepherd boy, but now, he’s been anointed by Samuel, by the Lord, and an anointing carries power. It is a big deal. So, when David goes to that battle, he’s had a change in his life, and he is bold in the face of fear.

But just like before, when David wasn’t even called to his own anointing, he has to overcome so much in the Israelite camp. He overcomes Eliab saying to him, “You are just prideful and insolent. You just want to be here and see the battle.” He puts David down so bad. Then David goes before Saul, the king, and Saul even says, “You’re not able to do this.” He tries to discourage David and put armor on him that he can’t wear, but David says to Saul:

“Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

—1 Samuel 17:36-37

And why is David so bold? Maybe a few weeks ago, maybe even a few days ago, he was just a shepherd boy. Now, everyone tells him he can’t defeat this giant, but When David comes to that battle, he has been anointed King. He is moving in something that he didn’t have before.

When Fear Comes Knocking

David finally faces the giant, and when Goliath sees him, the Bible says, “he disdained him for he was only a youth.” He doesn’t know about the anointing on David. So, the Philistine says to David,

“Am I a dog, that you’ve come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.”

—1 Samuel 17:43-44

Has fear ever tried to breathe down your neck and say, “I’ll tell you what you’re going to do. I’ll tell you what you’re not going to do”? Well, that is what this Philistine is telling David.

So many times, God gives us an assignment or tells us to do something, and we are ready to do it, and we start moving forward, but then something happens—the enemy starts speaking to us, or somebody else voices a hurtful opinion, or maybe we get offended. Something happens and then fear starts to have a voice. Fear will stop us in our assignment. Before, we saw so clearly, “Yes! Let’s do it! Let’s go forward!” But then fear begins to speak, and now we say, “I need to rethink that. I need to back up from that. I know God said that, but maybe that’s for somebody else to do. Maybe I’m not as strong as I think I am. If I do that, I’m going to fail, and what will happen to me after that?”

But look at what David says in verses 45 and 46:

“Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day, the Lord will give you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beast of the earth that the earth may know that there is a God in Israel”

We can say that to fear. We can say, “Fear, you just shut up right now. You’re not even allowed to speak another word to me. This day, fear, you will bow!”

This is what David is saying, and you know what he does next? He doesn’t bow to fear. In fact, the Bible says he runs toward the giant. Faith does not hesitate. Fear hesitates and pulls back, but faith charges forward. David pulls that sling, a weapon that he was familiar with, and that rock goes right into that giant’s temple, and that giant falls right to the ground. Then, just like he said, David runs to the giant, takes the giant’s sword, and cuts off his head.

Anointing in your life

You may be saying, “Well, I’m not like David. I’m not bold. I’m not a king or even a future king. I couldn’t be like that.”

Friend, if I ask you, “Do you think that David was mightily anointed?” you would probably say, “Of course he was. I mean, Samuel poured that oil over him. The Bible says he was anointed.” But let me tell you something important right now: we are anointed too.

As I was studying this, I thought about how the Lord says in His word that we have the spirit of Christ in us because if we are without Christ, we’re none of His (See Romans 8:9). But we are with Christ, and the word “Christ” means the anointed one and His anointing. The Anointed One has come in to live on the inside of you, to even empower you and be with you every single moment of every single day. We are anointed and empowered just like David.

Before you come to Christ, you are just a person who is in the world doing your own sinful thing. The Bible even says that we were servants to the enemy of this world. Our hearts were against God. But when you get born again, you are anointed. I’m saying to you, friend, we’re not just some mere little Christians walking around in this world without any power and without any authority. No! We’re anointed.

It says in 1 Corinthians 6:19,

“Don’t you know that the Holy Spirit lives on the inside of you and that you are his temple?”

You are not just some little person down here on Earth while God gets to be great and big up there in Heaven. You are one with the Lord. Yes, God is almighty and amazing and magnificent. We cannot even come up with enough adjectives to describe Him. But He says in His word that He is one with you. You are anointed.

Like David, we do not have to bow to the enemy of fear. We do not have to bow to the enemy of sickness. We do not have to bow to the enemy of strife and confusion and hate. We’re anointed to say, “No, fear. You will not dominate me. You will not manipulate me. You will not stop me because the greater one is in me than he that’s in this world. I am anointed by God to stand up against you.” Isn’t this fantastic? You’re not just some little Christian struggling around in this world. If Christ lives inside of you, you are anointed. You’re anointed to take down and overcome the spirit of fear.

Friend, we’ve got to recognize that when God speaks to us, He wants us to do what He said, and He gives us the power to do it. When you come to your battle or your giant, when you come to that place where fear is trying to overcome you, you are anointed to overcome it. You’re equipped to face the enemy. You’re equipped to face the giant. You’re equipped to say “No” to fear. You’re equipped to shut up the lies of the enemy.

Before, David was just a shepherd boy. He wasn’t special beyond you and me. But after he was anointed king, he went into that battle with that giant with something that he didn’t have before, and he came out a conqueror. And that power that he had is the same power that’s inside of you.

Closing

Before I close my letter to you, I just want to invite you to join me every Wednesday on TIME with Denise Renner. Every Wednesday at 12:00 PM CT, I get the privilege of opening up God’s word and sharing what’s on my heart for you. You can watch on my Facebook page, YouTube channel, or by visiting Renner.org. I hope you’ll join me!

I hope you were encouraged by this letter. It is so encouraging that God gives us this anointing so freely, but fear still tries to sneak in, and sometimes the enemy manages to whisper in your ear. If you’re struggling with fear or anxiety in your life right now, I want to tell you that we’re here for you. Prayer is such an important aspect of our lives as believers, and I want you to know that we take each and every one of your prayer requests seriously. To connect with our prayer team, call 1.844.473.6637 or send an email to prayer@deniserenner.org. We hope to hear from you soon!

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

Obedience is the Way
to Victory

April 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 precious and wonderful name of Jesus!

I am so thrilled that this month on RENNER TV, I will teach a brand-new series called The Sin of Achan, and I believe it holds many answers for why people are not experiencing victory in their lives. Please…try to watch this series and ask the Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes so you can discover if there are specific reasons you are not experiencing the victory God wants you to have in your life.

In today’s letter, I will write to you a little about the sin of Achan, but first, I want to express my heartfelt thanks for your precious partnership with our ministry as we take the trusted teaching of the Bible to the ends of the earth. This is a huge assignment that requires every ounce of our faith to accomplish, and we couldn’t do it without you. The part you play — that is, your prayer support and the finances you sow into this ministry — is vital to our being able to fulfill what God has asked us to do. When I woke up today, my heart was filled with gratefulness to the Lord for you and for everyone who has come alongside us in partnership. We need you; we cherish you; and we are so thankful to God for you. Thank you for all you do for RENNER Ministries!

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

And now, because I desire to see you receive answers to your prayers and bear much fruit to the glory of God, I want to ask you:

• Is it possible you are forfeiting victory in an area of your life because of a secret sin or issue you are holding on to?

• Is there a habit or pattern of thinking and behaving that you know isn’t right, but you don’t want to stop or remove it because it provides a measure of pleasure or comfort?

In the book of Joshua, we read that there was a man named Achan who was hiding something that proved to be catastrophic for him and his family. Earlier, God had told Israel not to take the spoils from the enemy in Jericho, but Achan saw some of the spoils, took them, anyway, and hid them beneath his tent. His decision to deliberately disobey God opened the door for the devil to bring trouble and defeat into his own family as well as into the lives of all the Israelites.

Joshua, who was the leader of Israel at that time, had led a battle against the city of Jericho, and Jericho was successfully defeated. But something secretly took place in the city that later caused Israel to suffer defeat in their next battle against the city of Ai.

Joshua 7:1 says, “But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel.”

We read in Joshua 7 that Achan, one of the warriors of Israel, secretly took an expensive Babylonian robe along with silver and gold from among the spoils of the people of Jericho — even though God had forbidden the Israelites from taking any of Jericho’s plunder. When Achan saw these items, he wanted them, so he stole the items and hid them in the ground beneath his tent, thinking he could secretly get away with it.

Such items were associated with the occult and the demonic worship and practices of the Canaanites. And what seemed like a minor issue of disobedience to Achan actually opened a door that gave Satan a foothold to cause Israel’s enemies to prevail against them.

In Deuteronomy 7:25 and 26, God warned His people, “The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God. Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.”

When the children of Israel marched against Jericho, Joshua reminded them about not taking any occultic things before going up against the city. He told them, “And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it” (Joshua 6:18). Along with everyone else, Achan had heard this warning; nevertheless, he decided to violate it and take some of the treasure he saw, thinking no one would notice what he did. Eventually, his trespass brought defeat to Israel.

This is a vivid lesson to believers about how secret disobedience can open doors that bring defeat into our lives. When we deliberately allow wrong things into our lives — even in secret — we trouble our own lives and open the door for defeat to enter.

We can quote scriptures like First John 4:4 all day long and say, “Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world” — but if we’re hiding secret disobedience in our life, our disobedience has the potential to open the door to the devil and allow him to bring us into a state of defeat.

Once Israel had successfully defeated Jericho, the people of Israel continued their invasion into the Promised Land by attacking Ai — the next city in Canaan that needed to be conquered. The Bible says, “And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few. So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai” (Joshua 7:2-4).

Ai was a much smaller city and only a few thousand men would be needed to defeat them, so Joshua dispatched 3,000 men, but they were quickly thwarted and pursued by the men of Ai. Scripture says, “And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water” (Joshua 7:5).

The people of Israel should have easily defeated the people of Ai because God was with them, but because of Achan’s disobedience, a door had been opened that allowed the enemy to bring defeat. This shows the powerful effect that disobedience can bring to a situation. This defeat at Ai was a devastating loss to the Israelites.

Joshua 7:5 says that the men of Ai chased the Israelites “even unto Shebarim.” One scholar states that, in the Hebrew language, this phrase speaks of breaches or broken places. In this case, it describes the condition of the Israelites who were crushed by this experience. Their breach of God’s commandment brought them into a place of brokenness. The words “wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water” shows that the Israelites were panic-stricken and fled in confusion. The Bible goes on to say, “And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads” (Joshua 7:6).

Joshua began to cry out to the Lord and say, “…Alas, O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan” (Joshua 7:7).

Joshua knew something was wrong because they should have easily won the battle against Ai. But as Joshua finished his deep lament, the Lord responded and told him the reason Israel had been defeated by the people of Ai. He said, “…Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff” (Joshua 7:10,11).

When God said, “Israel hath sinned,” He was making it clear that He had not failed them, but that disobedience had opened a door to defeat. When we hit a hard time in life, it is vital that the first thing we do is take personal inventory before the Lord of what is going on in our mind, heart, and actions to see if we have done something that has opened the door for the devil to come in and wreak havoc in our lives. Like David, we need to pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23,24).

If the Holy Spirit shows you something that shouldn’t be there, repent, ask for God’s forgiveness, and make things right. Once you know that your thoughts and motives are right before God, you can begin to take authority over the works of the devil and put him in his place. You see, when we humble ourselves before God to deal with any wrong that is in our heart, He welcomes us and gives us the grace we need to make things right. James 4:6 says, “…God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”

The word “resisteth” in the original Greek text means that God strategically aligns Himself against the proud. And the word “proud” refers to a person who knows something is not right inside him, but he refuses to repent. The one who resists the correction of God — even if he is a believer — is resisted by God, and God’s grace is withheld from him. That is why the Bible goes on to say in the next two verses, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (James 4:7,8).

The Renner Interpretive Version (RIV) of James 4:7 and 8 says:

It is imperative that you make the decision to properly align yourselves under the authority of God — in a submitted position that actually provides you with protection. Being submitted to His authority gives you the ability to defy, oppose, stand steadfastly against, and withstand the accusing, slanderous, trap-setting behavior of the devil. In fact, he’ll be so terrified of you that he’ll move his feet as fast as he can to get away from you. Not only will he flee from you, he’ll run like a criminal terrified of prosecution — so scared that he’ll want to do all he can to put as much space between him and you as possible. Come extremely close to the presence of God, and he will respond by coming extremely close to you. And to those of you who are blowing it in so many ways — I mean, you are sinning and really missing the mark of what God approves and wants for your lives — it’s time for you to come clean! You need to make a decision to do whatever is necessary to cleanse your hands — and by hands, I mean your entire lives. Oh, you double-minded — those of you who can’t seem to make up your mind to live single-mindedly for God alone and free from the world: It’s time for you to make a final decision to purposefully cleanse and sanctify yourselves — and I mean all the way to the very deepest parts of your inner beings.

When we draw near to God in repentance from disobedience, God immediately comes with His powerful presence and cleanses us, instantly giving us the ability to resist the devil and put him on the run!

We have learned that Achan’s willful decision to disobey God brought the stain of sin into the camp of Israel, and the only way to regain the blessing of the Lord and move forward in victory was to deal with the disobedience. Keep in mind that when God spoke to Joshua, He said, “Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant…” (Joshua 7:11). Achan knew he was not to take anything from among the spoils, but he knowingly disobeyed, and Israel was suffering the consequences. The Lord continued, “…For they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.”

God explained the reason for defeat by saying, “Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you” (Joshua 7:12). These words show the debilitating power of disobedience among God’s people. It had pulled the plug on Israel’s power, and as a result, Israel couldn’t stand and defeat their enemy. Similarly, when we intentionally allow disobedience in our lives, it opens the door for the enemy to enter our situations and bring us into a place of defeat instead of victory.

God certainly wanted Israel to have victory, so He told Joshua, “Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you” (Joshua 7:13).

The word “up” in verse 13 means, “Get moving! Quit wasting time — it’s time to take action!” The Israelites’ groveling about their defeat wasn’t going to fix anything, so to move forward and regain a position of victory, Joshua and the people of Israel needed to take inventory to discover the real root of their problem. God gave Joshua detailed directions on what to do to discover the entry point of their defeat when He said, “In the morning therefore ye shall be brought according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the Lord taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family which the Lord shall take shall come by households; and the household which the Lord shall take shall come man by man. And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel” (Joshua 7:14,15).

Once God communicated this instruction, Joshua wasted no time in carrying out what God told him to do. The Bible says, “So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken: And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man; and Zabdi was taken: And he brought his household man by man; and Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken” (Joshua 7:16,18).

Achan already knew he was guilty — and he could have admitted his crime earlier and gotten rid of the stolen goods. Instead, he held on to the accursed things and remained silent, hoping he could somehow get away with what he had done. Joshua gave him the opportunity to confess, and Joshua 7:19-21 says that he told Achan, “…My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me…” Achan answered Joshua, “…Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it.”

But Achan didn’t come clean on his own; his confession was a forced confession. The items he took were so valuable that they had the power to make his family rich, so he hid the stolen items in the dirt. But instead of being a blessing to Achan and his family, those items brought a curse to them and folly to all of Israel. Finally, Achan gave a forced confession of his disobedience. The Bible says, “So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord” (Joshua 7:22,23).

The team of investigators found everything exactly where Achan said it was, and they brought the stolen items and laid them out before the children of Israel and the Lord. The Bible tells us, “And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor” (Joshua 7:24).

In Hebrew, the name “Achor” means disaster or trouble. Hence, this was the valley of disaster or the valley of trouble. And as Achan and his family stood with all their possessions surrounding them, Joshua asked him, “…Why hast thou troubled us? the Lord shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day” (Joshua 7:25,26).

Once disobedience was removed, Israel regained victory!

Achan’s experience is a clear example of the law of sowing and reaping (see Galatians 6:7). Sin always opens the door to trouble in our lives, which is what Achan’s disobedience did in his life, in the lives of his family members, and in all of Israel. We must understand that when we walk in disobedience, it will not only affect each of us personally, but it has the power to also affect our family, our church, and the Body of Christ as a whole.

Thankfully, today we are not stoned and burned to death for disobedience; nevertheless, we are called to be honest with ourselves and come clean before God in His presence, confessing our disobedience and laying it before the Lord. Rather than engage in sin and allow trouble to come to us and the relationships around us, we need to be honest with God and say:

Lord, I’m sorry for [name any specific action or behavior He is convicting you of]. Please forgive me and wash me clean with the precious blood of Jesus. Thank You for Your mercy, Your patience, and Your forgiveness — and for hearing and answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

After that kind of prayer, God will restore you to your position of victory in Him, and the open door that brought trouble and defeat to you, your family, your church, and the Body of Christ will be closed. That is how much power is released when a person repents for disobedience. It shuts the door to catastrophe and re-opens the door for blessings and victory to begin flowing again!

My friend, this is what the Lord put on my heart to share with you today. I believe it is a good reminder for each of us. We must never forget that both obedience and disobedience have powerful results. Obedience opens the door to success and victory, and disobedience opens the door to defeat and failure. Since this is so important, we must choose to walk in obedience. And in addition to taking authority over the devil when we experience a loss of victory, we must always make time for taking personal inventory to make sure there is no area of disobedience in our life that has opened the door to what the enemy is trying to do to us!

Thank you for letting me share this with you today. I believe it is so important. If you have any special prayer needs, please never forget that we are here to pray for you — and we really want to pray with you. I know you can pray alone, but if you need someone to agree with you, we are here for you and waiting to pray right now. Just call us at 1-800-742-5593 or write to us at prayer@renner.org. I promise that when we hear from you, we will fervently pray and ask God to do exactly what needs to be done on your behalf.

Thank you so much for allowing me to minister to you in this letter today.

We love you and thank God for you!

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.

How Heaven Answers When We Worship

March 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,

As I sit down to write to you this March, my heart is overflowing with excitement to share the word the Lord has placed deeply within me. It is truly a privilege to witness His faithfulness, and I believe He is stirring something powerful within His people during this season.

I want to thank you for your unwavering support and for walking this journey of faith with me. May you be blessed as you read and receive His word today!

Have you ever found yourself in a place where you didn’t know what to do, so you simply began to worship God? In that moment, didn’t the peace of God begin to flood your heart, calm your mind, and did you start to receive answers?

That’s exactly what I want to share with you today.

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

A year ago, my husband and I, along with a group of people and a film crew, traveled to Turkey to see Noah’s Ark. It was an incredible experience, but something special happened there that I will never forget. Historians believe that there is a particular place where Noah built an altar and made a sacrifice to the Lord after they came off the Ark.

When I saw this altar, a rock that had been manmade and chiseled so that the blood of sacrifices could flow down, I was overcome with emotion. This was the first place of sacrifice unto the Lord after everything had been destroyed. After all had been lost, this was the first place where worship was offered to God.

In that moment, I began to reflect on the power of worship. When we truly worship God, when we open our hearts and surrender to Him, He begins to speak to us. Sometimes he gives us answers; sometimes He simply reminds us of His love. There is nothing like it. God loves it when we worship. In fact, Jesus said that the Father seeks worship. His eyes go to and fro across the earth, looking for those who will worship Him.

In Genesis 8:20-21, it says:
“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a soothing aroma. Then the Lord said in His heart, ‘I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.'”

When Noah made that sacrifice, when he worshiped and surrendered to the Lord, God spoke.

The first thing God did was accept Noah’s offering, and that’s what happens when we worship. We bring our hearts before God as a sacrifice, and in a mystical way, He receives it.

Romans 12:1 tells us that we ourselves are that sacrifice. It says:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

In 2 Corinthians 2:15 says:
“For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.”

Even when you don’t feel special, when life feels difficult, know this: you are a fragrance to God. Just as Noah’s sacrifice was a soothing aroma to the Lord, so are you. Because Jesus lives in you, you are a pleasing fragrance to Him.

God is so interested in you, friend. When we come before Him, offering all that we have in worship—whether it’s our words, our hearts, or our surrender—God speaks.

That’s exactly what happened with Noah. When he worshiped, God spoke and made a promise: “I will never again curse the earth.” And He has kept that promise. The Bible tells us that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His promises are yes and amen, and we can trust that He will keep His word.

What has God promised you? What in His Word have you claimed, saying, “God, I trust in Your promise”?

In Genesis 9, we see God bless Noah and his sons, giving them clear instructions:
“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs.”

What was God saying here? He was telling Noah, “You no longer need to fear the animals. You have the power to rule over them.” Even though lions, bears, and tigers were still the same wild creatures, God protected Noah and his family from their danger.

Not only did God offer protection, but He also made provision, saying, “You can eat any living thing.” How amazing is that? When we worship God, He opens doors to provision and protection. He gives us the resources we need to thrive.

God’s instruction in verse 7 is powerful:
“Be fruitful and multiply.”

At first, I thought this meant just having children, but as I studied, I realized it’s about more than that. It’s about what God has given you—your talents, your mind, your gifts. He’s telling you to be fruitful and multiply in all areas of life.

If you have a talent, multiply it. If you’re a manager, learn to be a better one. If you have resources, find ways to grow them and give them away. Be fruitful with what you have and multiply it.

I heard about a world-renowned violinist who, in his 70s and 80s, continued to practice every day, even after he had quit performing. Someone asked him, “Why do you still practice?” He replied, “So I can get better.” Even though no one was listening to him anymore, he was multiplying his gift.

Friend, don’t quit. If you’re in school, don’t get discouraged—study harder and multiply what God has given you. A woman once told me that she didn’t feel she had any talents. She said to the Lord, “God, what can I do? I have no talent!” The Lord replied, “Do you have hands? Do you have feet? Do you have a mouth? Use what you have.”

Right now, you can choose to use your smile, your kindness, and your willingness to serve. When you give these things away, they multiply. And all of this, friend, comes out of worship. When we worship God, we are positioned to hear from Him and receive guidance.

God finally promised Noah that He would never again destroy the earth with water. Can you imagine how terrified Noah and his family would have been the first time it rained after the flood? But in Genesis 9:16, God says:
“The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

They could have been terrified, but God comforted them, saying, “I will not destroy the earth with water again,” and He gave them the rainbow as a sign of His promise.

When I visited Noah’s Ark, I saw a double rainbow—what a powerful reminder that God keeps His promises!

Take a moment to quiet your heart and worship the Lord. Recognize that you are an aroma to Him. He loves us deeply, my friend, and when we worship, He opens heaven to answer us.

If you need prayer, please let us know how we can pray for you. Our prayer team is ready to support you. Call 1.844.473.6637 or email us at prayer@deniserenner.org.

I also want to invite you to join me for my weekly program, TIME with Denise Renner. It’s a special time set aside for encouragement, inspiration, and spiritual growth. This month, I’m diving deeper into the message I’ve shared with you here in a series called How Heaven Answers when We Worship. You can watch every Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. on Facebook or YouTube. The Lord is speaking powerfully, and I’m so excited to share this time with you!

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I pray it encourages you to lean in and surrender to the Lord in worship. May God continue to move mightily in your life, and may our worship always reflect His glory.

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

You Are the Salt
of the Earth

March 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 Jesus’ wonderful name!

Denise and I just returned from a fabulous trip to the United States where we ministered in many states and multiple churches, and we are so thrilled that we were able to see so many of our friends and partners in those meetings! When we see you, it just elates us, because our friends and partners are so important to us!

In my letter today, I am going to talk to you about why Jesus said we are to be the salt of the earth. I believe this letter will encourage you — but first, I want to say THANK YOU for all you have done, are doing, and will do, as we all march forward by faith to reach the world with the trusted teaching of the Word of God. Denise and I, our sons, our family, and our team are on the frontlines to do the work, but you are working alongside us to enable us with your gifts and prayers on our behalf. We are so thankful for you, and we genuinely value your much-needed partnership so we can keep doing what Jesus has commissioned us to do.

If there is any special way we can be praying for you, please reach out to us by calling 1-800-742-5593, or send us an email at prayer@renner.org. As soon as we hear from you, I promise that we will call out to God in faith, according to Jeremiah 33:3, which says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee….” And we know that God will respond and do precisely what needs to be done! So please — let us know how we can pray for you!

But today, I want to speak to you from Matthew 5:13, where Jesus said, “Ye are the salt of the earth….” This is a very powerful statement, and today I want to explore it with you!

Considering the various uses of salt in the ancient world and how important salt was at that time, this statement carried great weight. When Jesus likened His followers to salt, all kinds of images flashed through their minds, and they understood the many connotations that salt carried with it.

By using this illustration of salt, Jesus was teaching about the influence that we are supposed to have upon the world in which we live. The word “salt” in Greek is the word halas, and it describes the same type of salt we use in our homes and kitchens today. In our current day, salt is so common that it can easily be purchased in any grocery store.

However, in early New Testament times, salt was an expensive and treasured commodity that was crucial and necessary in many spheres of life, but high-quality salt could only be found in a few places in Israel. One location was known at the time as the Hill of Salt, a several-mile stretch located on the southwest coast of the Dead Sea. Salt could also be collected from the marshes situated along the embankment there, or it could be gathered from salt pits nearby.

In each of these locations, the gathering of salt was an expensive process, which made salt a very costly commodity — so rare that it was seldom wasted, sparingly used, and highly valued.

Let’s explore the various ways salt was used in the ancient world.

#1: Salt was used as a preservative.

In biblical times, meat would quickly rot, spoil, and decay, especially in the warm temperatures of Israel. But when salt was added, it acted as a preservative. Because of this, salt was very important in the preservation of meats and other kinds of perishable foods.

Those who heard Jesus’ teaching that we are to be “the salt of the earth” therefore understood what He meant — that through our influence, we should be a preserving force in a world that is filled with rot, spoil, and decay.

When God’s Word is working in our lives, it causes us to be like salt, in that our very presence helps preserve the truth and abate the corruption that is eating away at the world.

#2: Salt was used as a flavor enhancer.

Salt is one of the most profound flavor enhancers that exist in the culinary world. A person quickly becomes aware of how powerful this additive is when he eats food that contains no salt. Unsalted food is often monotonous, bland, and uninteresting, but when salt is added, the flavor is ignited.

Just like today, salt was used in the ancient world to give food a stronger and richer flavor. It was considered essential for the long-term preservation of food and for the enhancement of taste. Therefore, it was vital in every kitchen.

This tells us that not only should our presence decrease the evil in the world, but our presence should also change the flavor of society as we bring the savor of Christ to our surroundings wherever we go (see 2 Corinthians 2:14).

In light of this, let me ask you: In what ways does your personal presence make a difference in your world? Are you doing your job as “the salt of the earth?”

#3: Salt was used as an antiseptic.

In the ancient world where dirt and disease were common enemies to health, salt was used as an antiseptic. It was believed that salt would work like a disinfectant — especially in areas considered unclean, tainted, or contaminated — areas so filthy that it could potentially become hazardous to one’s health. The effects of properly applied salt in heavy doses to those areas would make a location sanitized, hygienic, and relatively germ-free.

The application of salt in such circumstances was considered to be enormously advantageous because people believed such an application of salt sterilized non-sterile environments. If a rapidly spreading disease was known to exist in a village, the sick people were removed and relocated, and salt was immediately spread to disinfect the contaminated area and prevent further spread of the disease.

Salt was such a powerful cleansing force that the ancient world believed it would assist in freeing an environment of infection. As an antiseptic, salt was used in the fodder, or animal feed, of barns and barnyards — places where sickness and disease could swiftly spread among animals. A small dose of salt scattered on the fodder in a barn or barnyard served as a deterrent to the proliferation of sickness and disease among animals.

Thus, when Jesus said we are to be “the salt of the earth,” those who heard Him understood that through our influence, we are called to be a kind of spiritual antiseptic to a world that is diseased with sin. Even a small dose of the spiritual salt we carry within ourselves is such a powerful disinfecting agent that if scattered in society, it will help deter the spread of sin and moral decay.

You see friend, if you are doing your job as “the salt of the earth,” your very presence can hinder the proliferation of sin and its effects. When you look at your life and the things that surround you, do you see any evidence that your personal presence is making a difference and that you are helping to promote a more spiritually sanitized environment? Are you doing your job as the salt of the earth?

#4: Salt was used as a medicinal and healing agent.

Salt was also a very important ingredient as a healing agent, used by physicians and those employed in the field of medicine. For instance, if a person was severely wounded, salt was poured into their wound to sanitize it from germs, to stop the bleeding and the spread of infection, and to speed up the healing process.

It is a fact that salt has healing properties that cause wounds to heal more readily. That is why in the ancient world where medications were rare, salt was an indispensable product in every doctor’s medical bag, and it was especially valuable in incidents where there was an open wound. In every home, business, and public place, salt was kept close at hand in case it was needed for the treatment of a laceration and was always kept nearby for emergency situations.

When Jesus said that His people were to be “the salt of the earth,” those who heard Him understood that through our influence, we should be carriers of physical healing to a world that is suffering with all manner of sickness and ailments.

Through the preaching of God’s Word and personal ministry to those who are ill, we are supposed to be “the salt of the earth” that brings healing to those who are physically suffering. The fact is, the power of the Holy Spirit that we carry within ourselves is fully sufficient to administer healing to those afflicted with sickness and disease — always, of course, in the authority given to us in the name of Jesus!

As “the salt of the earth,” you are a vehicle God has chosen to carry healing power to those who are struggling. When you look around you, is there evidence to show that you are carrying this power to those who are ailing or physically challenged in some way, just as Jesus has asked you to do? Are you doing your job as the salt of the earth?

#5: Salt was used to give protection from and to drive away evil spirits.

In the ancient world, salt was also a very important ingredient used in pagan religious rituals to give protection from and to drive away evil spirits. At the time Jesus said we are to be “the salt of the earth,” Israel was under Roman rule, and because of this, they regularly witnessed the pagan practices of Roman religions.

One practice of those pagan religions of the time was rubbing salt all over a newborn baby to protect that child from evil spirits or to drive evil spirits away from that child. It was commonly believed in many pagan nations that salt contained magical powers for this to be accomplished.

The pagans believed so wholeheartedly in the magical, protective powers of salt that they regularly administered heavy quantities of it to the doorway of their homes and businesses, believing it would create a strong barrier that evil spirits could not cross. They also spread salt on their windowsills, believing that salt could keep evil spirits from entering their homes or places of business through the windows.

So those who heard Jesus say that Christians were to be “the salt of the earth” understood that through our influence, we are to be a source of spiritual protection, deliverance, safety, and freedom to people who have been assaulted by demonic powers. By spreading God’s Word and using the name of Jesus, we can create spiritual barriers so strong that Satan is unable to successfully attack those standing on God’s promises. We are to be carriers of protection, safety, and deliverance!

When you look at the people who are closely connected to you, do you see that they are spiritually protected — experiencing deliverance, safety, and freedom from the attacks of the enemy? Are their lives different, safer, and better because of your influence?

#6: Salt was used as a fertilizer.

Salt was also a very important ingredient used by farmers to enrich and fertilize their soil to produce larger crops of a higher quality. Even a small amount of salt scattered sparingly on the ground could improve the quality of the soil and result in bigger harvests and healthier crops. Therefore, it was viewed as an essential ingredient in the farming industry. The best salt nourished and stimulated the earth to produce better crops.

When Jesus said we were to be “the salt of the earth,” it could actually be translated “the salt of the soil.” The implication is that through our influence, we should affect the world in which we live. In other words, our very presence should enhance life and make this world a better place to live. The world we touch should become productive and the presence of God in our lives should positively impact the quality of life for those around us. That is how much power we have as believers!

As the salt of the earth, each of us are to enrich the atmosphere through our influence wherever we go, simply because we carry the life of God within us. As carriers of His presence, we have the ability to make life better for those around us. When we walk into a situation, the environment surrounding us should be filled with more peace, joy, and hope than it was before we arrived! As the salt of the earth, we have the power to make a difference everywhere we are scattered.

In Colossians 4:6, the apostle Paul also used the word “salt” to tell us that our conversation should be “seasoned with salt.” In light of what you have read today, this means that instead of speaking complaining, critical, negative words along with the rest of the world, you can exert a spiritually positive influence on your environment.

When you’re seasoned with salt, you will speak:

Words that bring preservation.
Words that flavor life and make it “taste” better.
Words that “disinfect” and free those who once were contaminated.
Words that bring healing to the sick.
Words that are filled with protection, safety, and deliverance.
Words that are so faith-filled, they create a blessed environment around us.

Jesus plainly taught that we are meant to be the salt of the earth! If you are doing your job as “the salt of the earth,” there should be fruit all around you to show that God’s “salt” in you is working in your surroundings. As you examine your life, can you see visible proof of your “salty” influence?

I am teaching on this subject in my TV program this month, so I wanted to share it with you. Why not take a few minutes to reflect on your life to see if you are having the kind of influence in your world that Jesus wants you to have? The Holy Spirit will help you honestly assess your fruit so you can see if you are doing your job as “the salt of the earth” the way God has called and equipped you to!

I realize this was a little longer than my usual letter, but I wanted to share all of it with you today. Thanks for taking time to read along with me — I pray that it has been a blessing to you.

Again, if there is any special way we can be praying for you, please let us know. Just call us at 1-800-742-5593 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT every weekday or send us an email at prayer@renner.org. God will move mightily in response to faith-filled prayer, so please never hesitate to let us know how to pray with you. And please keep praying for us as well. We are so thankful for your faithful partnership. Together, we are impacting a lot of lives around the world!

We love you and thank God for you!

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.

The Value of Time

February 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,

As we step into the second month of 2025, I am filled with hope and determination to make this year a strong and successful one. February is a time to reflect on the goals we’ve set and take intentional steps to stay on track. It’s also a time to seek God more fervently, trusting Him to guide us and empower us to accomplish everything He’s placed in our hearts. Together, we can make the most of the opportunities this year holds and continue growing in His purpose for our lives.

Have you ever heard anyone say, “Well, I just have to kill some time”? You and I need to come to a place of strong conviction that we would never want to “kill some time.” Our time is precious and very valuable. None of us knows how much time we really have left. Our time is much more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you can never get more time. Once you spend your days, hours, and minutes, they are gone forever.

What value do you place on your time? Do you make good use of your allotment of time each day? If you find yourself in a situation where you are just waiting around, I want to encourage you not to just sit there and let your mind wander. I have done that so many times. In Moscow, you can spend one and a half to two hours just traveling across the city to a meeting. This is such a huge city with a population of 16 million, and in the course of traveling three to four miles, your eyes would probably have scanned 200 advertisements and about 6,000 cars.

Do you see how easy it is for my mind to just be filled with all that is around me? Just think of it—two hours pass by riding in the car, and my mind could be filled with all those advertisements and just wandering in no particular direction—just wandering. How wasteful that is on my part to throw away two precious hours of my day.

Just recently, the Holy Spirit convicted me to not let my mind wander and waste time. I need to make time count. So now I have a book in my purse or I am listening to a teaching tape. The other day I didn’t have a book or a tape, so I cleaned out my purse and spent time praying.

Why waste precious time? Time is passing, and you and I cannot get it back. We need to make the most of our time. Time holds opportunities for us. Time allows us the opportunity to make something of ourselves or serve someone else. There are just so many minutes in the day that we must take hold of and not let them slip away.

Use your time wisely. We can clean out our purse, clean the kitchen, read a book, call a friend, pray and seek God, read our Bible, or memorize a scripture verse. Maybe we should exercise or just spend time thinking about all the blessings in our lives. We must do something that will bring more blessings and richness into our lives and the lives of others. Time is passing, and we will never get it back.

Jesus said, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4). Praise God it is not night yet. But what are we doing with the days we have left? I am trying to say to you that the Holy Spirit is convicting me about how I spend my precious time and how I value it.

We cannot let time just slip between our fingers and then stand before Jesus and hear Him say, “What did you do with the time I gave you? What did you do with the time you had to know Me better and to help other people?” We will not be able to say to the Lord, “Oh Lord, please forgive me, I just didn’t have enough time.”

We need to hear the word of the Lord. Time is passing, and we must be wise with how we spend our time. Proverbs 1:5 says, “A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels.”

I also want to share with you about my current TV series airing this month. This series focuses on the transformative power of forgiveness and the importance of aligning with God’s promises rather than seeking approval from others. Through personal reflections and biblical examples, I emphasize how unforgiveness can hinder personal growth and supply, while forgiveness opens the door to healing and freedom. This series will inspire you to move forward with confidence, letting go of rejection and self-doubt, and embracing the fullness of God’s purpose for your life. I invite you to join me on YouTube or Facebook every Wednesday at 12 PM CT.

I want to thank you for being my partner. Please be praying for us as we go after all God has for us in 2025. I specifically want to ask you to pray for our women’s ministry in this part of the world. Through my TV programs, School of Cinderella, and in-person meetings, we see lives changed and impacted for the kingdom every day.

Rick and I will be continuing our meetings in various churches across the United States this month. You can find our meeting schedule for February here. Of course, if you can come to any of these meetings, we would love to see you face-to-face. I love you, I am praying for you, and I thank God for you.

We pray for you every day; we love and appreciate you so much. If you have any prayer requests, please let us know. You can call us at 1.844.473.6637 or email us at prayer@deniserenner.org to pray with a member of our prayer team. You are making a difference and together we are serving Him!

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

The Dominating
Peace of God

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 wonderful name of Jesus!

At this time of the year, Denise and I are traveling in the United States to speak in churches, and what a joy it is to see friends and partners in our meetings! If you haven’t been able to attend any of the services, please visit our website at renner.org/speaking-schedule to see if we will be ministering anywhere near your area. This winter season is our only trip to the United States to do meetings this year, so if you can join us, we’d love to see you in person at any meeting you can attend this month!

Today I want to speak to you about the peace of God, but first, I want to express my heartfelt thanks for your friendship and partnership with our ministry. Denise and I and our team are called by God to take trusted teaching to people around the world — but it takes many people doing their part so this can be accomplished. Your part in this ministry is so very significant in God’s plan of fulfilling the Great Commission.

I always say that our friends and partners put financial fuel in the tank of the ministry, and it empowers us to take the message far and wide across the world. I am so thankful for everything you have done, are doing, and will do in the future. We are a ministry that really needs you — and we are so thankful for you. To the best of our ability, we are giving our best to fulfill what Jesus has asked us to do, and your role is so important in this wonderful assignment God has given us. Thank you so much!

In this month’s letter, I want you to keep in mind that the peace of God is an amazing gift that has been given to each of us. Although there are many people who are born again and love the Lord, some are still so inwardly disturbed by circumstances and situations in life that they are distressed and not living in the supernatural, inward peace that God wants to dominate them.

Maybe you are going through something right now that is disturbing your peace. I understand, but today I want to talk to you about the dominating peace of God that can rule your heart and emotions regardless of what you are facing. God wants you to be dominated by His divine peace. So let’s see what the Word of God says about how this occurs!

There is no doubt that we are living in the very end of the last days. We are a generation chosen for such a time as this — and we will observe events that no other generation has ever seen. If you are going to keep your heart free from fear so you can live in continual peace, you must make a firm commitment to let God’s Word rule in your heart! If you will do this, His Word will reign over your mind and prohibit fear from inching its way into your emotions and turning you into an emotional mess.

When I use this word “rule,” I’m talking about allowing God’s supernatural peace to dominate and govern every emotion and situation that confronts you. If you don’t make this decision — and follow through with it — worry, fear, insecurity, doubt, and a whole host of other emotions will assuredly try to take control and “rule.” And there is no worse roller-coaster ride to endure than being knocked all over the place by emotions that are out of control!

Instead, remember the words of the apostle Paul, which he wrote in Colossians 3:15, “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts….”

I especially want you to notice the word “rule” in this verse. It is from the Greek word brabeuo, which in ancient times was used to describe the umpires or referees who moderated and judged the athletic competitions that were so popular in the ancient world. Paul used this word to tell us that the peace of God can work like an umpire or referee in our hearts, minds, and emotions, calling each emotion that rises up in our heart or against our mind as safe or out.

When disturbing emotions attempt to exert control over us or try to throw us into an emotional frenzy, we can stop those emotions from taking over by making the choice to let God’s peace rise up from deep inside us like an umpire or referee to guide those emotions and declaring any negative ones to be “Out!” As we do this, we will be kept under the control of that divine peace as it rules in our hearts. When this divine umpire of supernatural peace steps into the game, it suddenly begins to call the shots and make all the decisions instead of allowing fretfulness, anxiety, and worry to do so.

Colossians 3:15 could be thusly interpreted:

“Let the peace of God call the shots in your life….”

“Let the peace of God be the umpire in your life and actions….”

“Let the peace of God act as referee in your emotions and your decisions….”

When you feel overwhelmed by problems or emotions that are coming toward you from every direction, just stop for a moment and deliberately set your heart and mind on Jesus and the Word of God. As you do this, the wonderful, conquering, dominating, supernatural peace of God will rise up from inside your spirit and take control!

But Colossians 3:16 goes on to say, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly….”

When the Word of God dwells richly in our lives, it produces peace — so much supernatural peace that it actually rules our hearts! You see, when God’s Word is dwelling richly in your heart, suddenly the peace of God makes all the big decisions, calls all the shots, and umpires your emotions. Rather than being led by the circumstances of the day, whether positive or negative, or by what you read or see in the news, you will be ruled by the wonderful peace of God!

But to receive this benefit of God’s Word, you must let it dwell in you richly. This word “richly” is the Greek word plousios, and it can be translated lavishly. This presents the picture of you giving the Word of God a magnificent reception as you roll out the red carpet so you can richly and lavishly welcome the Word into your heart. When you let God’s Word have this place of honor inside your heart, mind, and emotions, it releases its power to stabilize you and keep you in peace, even in the most difficult times.

With this in mind, Colossians 3:16 conveys the following idea:

“Let the Word of God dwell in you richly! Throw open the doors, roll out the red carpet, and give it a grand reception! If you’ll let the Word dwell in you in this way, it will produce an amazing amount of spiritual wealth in your life.…”

Part of the wealth this rich indwelling of the Word will produce is PEACE beyond understanding (see Philippians 4:7)! It is a fact that when the Word of God really becomes a part of you, dwelling lavishly inside your heart and finding its home there, it gives you a peace that rules your heart and emotions. There is no doubt that by using the word “richly” in this verse, Paul gave us a picture of what the Word of God will produce if you allow it to take up residency in you and become a vital part of your life.

So if you’re tired of “peaceless” days — if you’re tired of feeling spiritually weak and worn out so that you have no energy to give to anyone or anything — stop right where you are today. Don’t take another step without making the decision to let God’s Word play a more important role in your life. When the Word of God dwells richly in our lives, it produces peace — so much supernatural peace that it actually rules our hearts!

Over our decades of life together, Denise and I have faced many things that could have stolen our peace and our joy. But we have learned that if the Word of God is dwelling richly in us, we can live in an ongoing state of dominating peace in spite of what is going on around us. This peace is so powerful that today it was on my heart to share with you about it in this month’s letter!

Thank you for letting me share this with you today!

If you have any special prayer needs, please remember that we are here to pray with you and for you. Just reach out to us by calling 1-800-742-5593 or send us your prayer need at prayer@renner.org. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” If you’ll let us know how to pray, we’ll call out to God — with you, in faith — and God will hear, He will answer, and He will do exactly what needs to be done! So please…let us know how we can pray with you!

As I close this month’s letter, I want to remind you to visit our website at renner.org/speaking-schedule to see if we are scheduled to minister anywhere near your area so you can join us in one of our meetings this month in the United States. We would love to see you there!

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.

Turning Away From Negative Opinions

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, friend! 2024 has been an amazing year, and I have seen the Lord do some truly incredible things in many people’s lives. When we don’t limit Him, He is capable of doing extraordinary works in our lives. It’s so important to keep our expectations high as we begin this new year. As you get your footing and begin navigating the ins and outs of starting a brand-new year, I want this to remind you to have high expectations from the Lord in 2025! Just as the Bible says in Ephesians 3:20, “Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”

Another issue that seems to impact our ability to start the year strong is letting the negative opinions of others get to us. Negative opinions from other people — and ourselves — can influence us. But the good news is that we don’t have to let those opinions drag us down! God has a purpose for you, and you have a supply inside to give! We have to be unstoppable and confident in the truth of the Word and what it says about us. Today I want to discuss how Jesus was unstoppable in the face of other people’s negative opinions, and that we can adopt the same unstoppable attitude!

The enemy hates you and wants to see you fail. He resents the presence of God inside you. He stands against the inherent goodness in you and wants to hinder your journey. The devil will use offense, fear of man, and societal opinions to cause you to falter, become stuck, or quit altogether. Today I want to discuss how you can navigate through the negative opinions of others through examining our one true, perfect example — Jesus Christ.

If you’ve read the New Testament, you probably know that negative opinions had no effect on Jesus. During His life on the earth, many people hurled many opinions at Jesus, and today we’re going to study how He continued moving forward in spite of that negativity.

Studying these verses has been profoundly encouraging to me. Despite the barrage of opinions directed at Him, Jesus continued to move forward — a true example for us. You will inevitably face opinions and opposition, including disapproval concerning your beliefs as Christians and even your personal traits. There will always be those who challenge the Gospel, but Jesus showed how you can keep moving forward regardless of this negativity. As you read my letter to you today and study the Scriptures, I want you to look at Jesus as your perfect example of how to not let the opinions of others get in your way and to be unstoppable!

John 7:1-5 reads:

After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. Now the Jews’ Feast of Tabernacles was at hand. His brothers therefore said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.” For even His brothers did not believe in Him.

Do you have a family member who doesn’t believe in you or a relative who dismisses your beliefs by saying you’re narrow-minded and need to catch up with the times? It’s frustrating, isn’t it? As you just read, even Jesus faced criticism and skepticism from His own family. They put Him down with their words, but He didn’t argue or get upset. Jesus simply moved forward with what God placed inside Him. This is a powerful example for us: others may have their thoughts and opinions, but it’s most important that we follow what God has said to us and about us. Opinions may swirl around like a storm, but they didn’t faze Jesus, and they don’t have to faze us!

This is such an amazing example for us today. Other people may have their thoughts and feelings about you or what you’re doing, but they’re not important. What’s important is that we move with the gifts and callings God has given us. When you focus on what God has said to and about you, the other opinions don’t mean a thing!

In this chapter, Jesus was judged by his own family and brothers, the Pharisees, the Jews, the chief priests, the authorities, and even the crowd at the Feast of Tabernacles (see John 7:1-52). You can imagine all the negative opinions Jesus dealt with during this feast. All those negative comments whirling around Him, yet Jesus didn’t fold. I want to highlight that Jesus faced temptation just like we do. Even though He didn’t sin, He understands the pressure we face when we’re tempted.

Because Jesus understands the temptation to listen to negative thoughts and opinions and give in to the pressure, you can receive His unstoppable power when you’re faced with the temptation to react to negative opinions. When you’re trying with all your heart to do the right thing and push through negative opinions, remember that Jesus understands this struggle. Just look at the opinions that surrounded Jesus in John 7:

Verse 12: Some said, “He is good”; others said, “No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.”
Verse 15: And the Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?”
Verse 20: The people answered and said, “You have a demon. Who is seeking to kill You?”
Verse 31: And many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”
Verse 41: Others said, “This is the Christ.”
Verse 46: Then the officers came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why have you not brought Him?” The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!”

You can see that Jesus faced both approval and harsh criticism, yet He remained focused on His mission. But just like Jesus, if you want to move forward in life, you have to learn to ignore the many opinions coming your way. You can’t make progress just because people like you, give you their approval, or because social media says you can. To move forward, you need to rely on what God says about you and hold tight to it, giving you the unstoppable attitude to overcome and continue carrying out His plan for your life!

To fulfill the unique plan the Lord has given you, you can’t wait for the approval or praise of others. You must move forward because of the conviction you hold in your heart — not depending on an external blessing but on the blessing inside of you!

You can’t wait for approval or praise from others. You must move forward with the conviction in your heart, not because someone praises or approves of you, but because of what you believe inside. You shouldn’t pay attention to negative opinions or be ruled by what others think. If you let other’s opinions define you, you lose your own identity and become what they want you to be. Not only that, but you become limited by their opinion. Instead, be guided by your convictions and not others’ beliefs — whether they think highly of you or not — affect your actions.

Friend, I don’t want to be ruled by others’ opinions, and I hope you don’t either. Ultimately, we will stand before Jesus, not before those people hurling their opinions at us!

The last verse in John 7 says, “And everyone went to his own house” (John 7:53). So after all these people subjected Jesus to their own gossip and ridicule, they took their negative opinions home with them. But what happens next in chapter 8 is phenomenal. It says:

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Now early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people came to Him; and He sat down and taught them. Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?”

— John 8:1-5

I actually looked up what the commentators meant when they said to Jesus, “But what do You say?” When the onlookers said this, they were taunting, ridiculing, and trying to put Him down. Verse 6 continues:

This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear.

— John 8:6

Note where it says, “…as though He did not hear.” The people were constantly taunting Jesus and jeering Him on, but what did He do? He ignored their ridicule and negative remarks and calmly wrote something on the ground before them. No one knows exactly what Jesus wrote that day, but the passage goes on to say:

So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

— John 8:7-9

Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, ignoring their taunts. Although we don’t know what He wrote, we know what Jesus said. “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (John 8:7). Jesus did something amazing by silencing them with His words. He was in a difficult situation because Roman law said that a woman caught committing adultery was worthy of capital punishment, and so did Jewish law. So Jesus was going to break the law either way. But Jesus wasn’t seeking the opinion of the law!

Whose opinion was Jesus seeking? After facing harsh criticism in chapter seven, He went to seek the Father and pray in the mountains. I’m not saying it’s easy to ignore negative opinions and pressure from others who ridicule our faith. They might call us outdated or hateful, just as they did to Jesus. But Jesus sought strength in prayer. Facing the pressure of both Roman and Jewish law, He stood up to the accusers.

The story continues in verse 10:

When Jesus raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

— John 8:10,11

I want to point out that Jesus could have just ignored this woman. He knew what she had been accused of — what she had done. Despite knowing her guilt, Jesus had the Father’s opinion, which was to show compassion and not judgment. He didn’t stone her, ignore her, or condemn her. Instead, He showed compassion and spoke to her.

She stood rightfully accused, but Jesus didn’t listen to the opinions of others. He had the heart of His Father. His opinion mattered over the negative opinion of the commentators and Pharisees. The Father’s opinion was one of compassion and grace — not to judge her, not to stone her Himself, not to ignore her, but to have compassion on her and speak to her. And just like He didn’t ignore the adulterous woman, Jesus doesn’t ignore us when we’re in a difficult situation. Isn’t that wonderful?!

When Jesus lifted His head from writing on the ground and asked the adulterous woman where her accusers were, you can imagine how she must have felt. Her face may have been streaked with tears, dirt, or maybe even blood because we don’t know how her accusers treated her. She looked around and said, “No one, Lord” (see John 8:11). That’s a powerful statement. And what did Jesus say to her? He said, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (see John 8:11).

The woman didn’t argue with Jesus — she didn’t say, “Oh, but I am guilty! I deserve it. Your compassion is great, but I really deserve to be stoned. And the people hate me anyway.” The Bible tells us that she received what Jesus said to her. You see, Jesus’ opinion is the opinion that matters. Not the opinions of your accusers, commentators, rivals, or enemies.

It’s so important that we receive what Jesus says about us — to hold His opinion of us higher than any other opinion man can give. What other people say about us and their negative opinions pale in comparison to the opinion of our Almighty God. Sometimes people’s opinions are good, but sometimes they aren’t so good. And if it’s coming against what has been placed on the inside of you — the truth you know about yourself — you must hold on to that truth. When you hold that truth dear and receive Jesus’ opinion about you, you will develop an unstoppable attitude that no one’s negative opinion can derail!

Friend, there will be times when you may be tempted to ignore someone in trouble. But remember, you have the power of God within you. Instead of walking away, seek the Lord in prayer, and He will show you His compassion, His plan, and His wisdom about whatever situation you may encounter.

If you’re facing a situation where you could ignore the problem, I encourage you to seek the Lord’s wisdom and plan. The God of this world, the creator of everything, lives within you. He knows everything and can give you the answers, boldness, and courage you need to address the situation and bring His heart and righteousness into it.

The adulterous woman’s decision to accept Jesus’ opinion is crucial. We must all come to the place where we govern our lives by God’s opinion of who we are, His will, His plan, and His purpose for us. God had a plan for us before the foundation of the world, including our personalities and the gifts He placed inside us. We cannot let others’ opinions stop us from discovering or sharing the supply inside!

It’s so important for us to receive what Jesus says about us, not what others say. While some opinions might be helpful, we must hold onto the truth within us. We need to accept Jesus’ opinion about us over any negative views others may have.

Before I close my letter to you, I want to share my weekly program, TIME With Denise Renner, with you. Each Wednesday, I get the incredible opportunity to open the truth of the Bible and share what the Lord has put on my heart. If you haven’t joined me yet, you can watch TIME With Denise Renner on my Facebook page, YouTube channel, or by visiting Renner.org. I hope to see you there!

Friend, I pray you’re encouraged by this teaching today. It’s always such an amazing privilege to share the Word of God with you — to open these truths in John 7 and 8. I encourage you to study these chapters and see how Jesus pushed past every negative opinion, and how that woman chose to receive the only opinion that was truly important — the opinion of Jesus Christ! Take this attitude into the new year and watch as you become truly unstoppable!

Prayer is such an important aspect of our lives as believers, and we want to let you know that we take each and every one of your prayer requests seriously. To connect with our prayer team today, call 1.844.473.6637 or send an email to prayer@deniserenner.org. We are believing for you to experience the fullness of God’s blessings in your life and hope to hear from you soon!

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

Our Faith Overcomes
the World

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,

Welcome to the year 2025…a year that is filled with God’s promises for those who lay claim to them!

Today I want to write to you about staying in faith for this year and to remind you of the prophetic word from the Lord, which I shared with you in my November letter. Paul told Timothy to remember “the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare” (see 1 Timothy 1:18). A word is certainly not the same as Scripture, but according to what Paul wrote to Timothy, when God does give a prophetic word, He intends for us to remember it, lay hold of it, and wage a good warfare by it. So this month, I want to remind you of that and encourage you that God has given you everything you need to walk in victory in 2025.

But first, as always, I want to begin by saying how much we thank God for you! Paul rightly told the Philippians, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now” (Philippians 1:3-5). Just as the apostle Paul thanked God for the Philippians who were partners with his ministry, we truly thank God for your partnership with us in the work of the Gospel. Having more partners would enable us to do so much more, but we are so THANKFUL for you and every partner that is with us right now. We are thankful for all you have done, for what you do, and for what you will do in years to come as we all work together and do our parts to obey the Great Commission in this hour of history!

So again, as we start this new year, I want to remind you of a prophetic word I received concerning the year 2025. I asked God if there was anything special He wanted me to communicate to our friends and partners about the upcoming year, and, as I did, I heard the following words arise from within my spirit as the Holy Spirit began speaking to me.

This is what I heard Him say…

A Storm Is Coming — Spiritual War!
Batten Down the Hatches!

We are headed into a season of intense warfare on many fronts — economic, political, and spiritual. But the Lord is a Man of War, and He knows exactly how to strategize against and overcome every assault against His people and against His Truth.

But just as one should batten down the hatches in a time of storms, God’s people must be mentally and spiritually prepared for a stormy season that lies directly ahead. However, with the grace of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, the promises of God’s Word, and the weaponry He has given, we can move forward step by step with the strategic guidance of the Holy Spirit. And God will triumphantly lead His people forward and carry out His plans for this end-time age.

This is not a time to fear, moan, or cry, but a time to rejoice, for God is strategically at work even in ways you do not see. Although it may seem the enemy and those he is influencing are attempting to derail God’s purposes, remember that the One who sits in the heavens laughs at their plans, and He will ultimately have them in derision (see Psalm 2:4). God is a Man of War, and in the end, His purposes shall surely prevail!

In today’s letter, I want to look at this word piece by piece and then end with a scripture that God has put on my heart for you. But first of all, notice the word from the Lord begins by saying:

We are headed into a season of intense warfare on many fronts
— economic, political, and spiritual.

I fully believe the days ahead are going to be filled with intense battles on many sides. Some of them may be really intense, and they will be experienced in three realms.

First, economic battles.

A time is coming when an economic shaking will come to different parts of the world. This is why it is so important that we keep sowing our financial seed right now before difficult times come.

Ecclesiastes 11:6 says, “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.”

This verse means, “Sow your seed right now and do not stop! You do not know precisely what the future holds economically, but if you keep sowing your seed, it means you’ll be in good shape regardless of what happens in the economy!”

So I want to encourage you to keep sowing your seed and do not stop! Sowing seed now guarantees that you’ll be provided for even in hard times. Seed eventually grows, and it will come back to you as a harvest in the future if you have been sowing regularly in good times.

Second, political battles.

We are living in a time when incivility rages in politics. None of this is news to those of us who have been watching ugly politics on our TV screens, computers, or mobile devices. The public behavior of politicians and political parties has departed from the days of respectful disagreement into an ugly mess of intolerance and mudslinging. Add to that a widespread weaponizing of the media to perpetuate this indecent assault, and you have a modern picture of “kingdom rising against kingdom” (see Matthew 24:7).

Third, spiritual battles.

Just as there are political battles going on, there is a division happening in much of the Western Church. A large number of people are going “woke” and embracing lunacy, and we are seeing a departure from the faith that Paul prophesied about (see 1 Timothy 4:1) which seems to be snowballing with the passing of time. At first, this departure was a slow drift, but the trajectory has become more pronounced in recent years, accelerated over the past several decades by influential parts of the historical Church Body choosing to abandon the clearly stated, foundational truths of the Bible.

But at the same time, there is a large number of those who are spiritually waking up and declaring the truth and who refuse to budge from the age-old, unchanging truths of the Bible. The result, however, is an intense conflict between light and darkness within the Body of Christ. Unless a major revival occurs, this rift will only grow deeper and wider. If repentance doesn’t melt the hearts of people throughout the Church world, it will eventually seem like there are three churches in existence on the earth instead of one Body:

A Church that holds fast to the truth and faces the brunt of opposition because it refuses to bend to the spirit of the age, but also experiences the amazing power of the Holy Spirit.
A Church in the middle trying to “ride the fence” through accommodation or compromise in order to avoid persecution and societal rejection (see Revelation 2:12-17).
A lukewarm “Laodicean-like” Church that has allowed compromise to run its full course, stripping it completely of the power of God and leaving Jesus standing on the outside (see Revelation 3:14-22).

It is not too late for the Body of Christ to make a full recovery, but for the Church to receive the divine power it needs for correction, change, and restoration, it must undergo a transformation from the highest to lowest levels — from the pulpit to the laity. The Holy Spirit is prophetically warning His people that the only way they can thwart this impending dark spiritual season is to return to their “first love” (see Revelation 2:4,5) and to Christ as the Head of the Church in reverential awe.

Taking up our own cross and surrendering every area of our lives to Him is always the correct path for believers who have chosen to walk with Jesus. We must be willing to face our cross as He did and believe for resurrection power to flow through us — even if it means suffering the brunt of a changing society that has no tolerance for people who hold to an exclusionary faith or to fixed moral absolutes.

If the Church has no fixed, non-negotiable biblical truths to stand on, it will simply become a spiritually weak humanitarian organization with a “Christian” philosophy that lacks the power of God. But I am convinced that there is a breed of believers who have chosen to take a stand for the Word of God — to stick with truth and the power of the Holy Spirit! For them, the future is filled with a visitation of God’s glory!

Again, the first part of the word I received from the Lord said, “We are headed into a season of intense warfare on many fronts — economic, political, and spiritual.”

Next in the prophetic word, I heard:

But the Lord is a Man of War, and He knows exactly how to
strategize against and overcome every assault against His people
and against His truth.

We must never forget that Jesus is Lord and that the Scripture declares Him to be “a man of war” (see Exodus 15:3). That means He knows exactly how to maneuver in all of these realms — He is one step ahead of every event, and He is strategically at war to undo the enemy’s plans!

Then I heard the Spirit say:

But just as one should batten down the hatches in a time of storms,
God’s people must be mentally and spiritually prepared
for a stormy season that lies directly ahead.

Being mentally and spiritually prepared for events in the future is vital, but we are not alone…and that is why the Holy Spirit said next:

With the grace of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, the promises of God’s Word,
and the weaponry He has given, we can move forward step by step
with the strategic guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The fact is that God’s empowering grace is upon us! The power of the Holy Spirit is in us and works through us! The promises of God’s Word are ours to claim and to declare! God has given us spiritual weapons to use when needed and we have the direction of the Holy Spirit.

(In response to this prophetic word, I have dedicated every TV program throughout most of the month of January to a new series called WEAPONS! To the best of my ability, I want to help our friends and partners wage a good warfare according to the word the Holy Spirit has spoken.)

And then, I gloriously heard:

God will triumphantly lead His people forward
and carry out His plans for this end-time age.

We must never forget that God is working! He is the master chess player who knows what move to make to win the game, and He is moving pieces around the board in nations and in ways that we may not see or understand. But one thing is sure: God will lead His people forward victoriously and accomplish His purposes in these last days!

In conjunction with that, I heard the Spirit say:

This is not a time to fear, moan, or cry, but a time to rejoice,
for God is strategically at work even in ways you do not see.

Rather than complain about what we see or what is happening, we must rejoice that God is in charge. Although it’s not always in obvious ways, Jesus really is at work to fulfill the plan of the ages. Jesus truly is Lord over all!

Finally, I heard:

Although it may seem the enemy and those he is influencing
are attempting to derail God’s purposes, remember that the One
who sits in the heavens laughs at their plans, and He will ultimately
have them in derision. God is a Man of War, and in the end,
His purposes shall surely prevail!

This brought Psalm 2:1,2 and verse 4 to my memory. These verses declare:

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed…. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

The kings of the earth, that is, world leaders, have their own plans — and may be trying to work a hidden agenda to accomplish what they wish — but God is seated on His throne, undeterred, and is laughing at their future plans. In the end, God declares that He will have them in derision!

Therefore, rather than be moved by what you hear or see happening all around you, this is a time for us to put our eyes on Jesus and our trust in the One who is seated on His throne in the heavens — who is working a divine plan that will outdo and undo all the evil works of men. In this hour, we must remember this and rejoice that God really is in control!

So as we come to the end of this letter, I want to leave you with First John 5:4, which says, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

The words “whatsoever is born of God” include YOU because you are born again and therefore a child of God. This verse gloriously declares that whoever is born of God — meaning YOU — they are the ones who overcome the world.

The word “overcometh” is from a Greek word that means to conquer, master, prevail, subdue, or be victorious. The word “world” is from the word kosmos, which pictures all world systems. It would include all human institutions and all the political aspirations, plans, power-plays of man, but also everything in the natural realm. As a phrase, the words “overcometh the world” means that as a child of God you have within you everything needed to conquer, prevail, subdue, master, and be victorious over everything — including all the political aspirations, plans, power-plays of man, and anything else in the world!

Then this scripture triumphantly adds, “…This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” This plainly means that our faith gives us the supernatural ability to override whatever is happening in the world. Even if the world around us is tossed like objects in a storm, we can rise above it all and override it. I think of Noah, who, with his family safe inside the Ark, floated on the same waters that destroyed the rest of the world around them. By the way, I encourage you to read my book Last Days Survival Guide, as it will really help equip you to sail through these times in victory and peace!

So if we exercise our faith and apply everything we’ve been learning over the years about how to use that faith toward whatever circumstances or situations come our way — it doesn’t really matter what the devil tries to do, for God has imparted to us the supernatural ability to override it all! We are truly overcomers!

I realize this letter has been a little long, but I felt the need to encourage you with the word the Holy Spirit gave me for 2025. Wage a good warfare by it! Don’t let the enemy discourage you. And remember — you have a faith that overcomes and overrides anything in the world around you!

Before I close, I really want to petition you to please let us know how to pray for you if you are facing a need right now. Just reach out to us by calling 1-800-742-5593 or send us your prayer need at prayer@renner.org. Of course you can pray alone, but why pray alone when our prayer team is standing by to pray with you? There is power in agreement, and in Matthew 18:19 Jesus promised that “…if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.”

So again, please remember that we are here to pray for you, and we really want to join you in prayer for God to move on your behalf to meet whatever need is on your heart. We will get into scriptural agreement with you, and Jesus will do His part to do exactly what needs to be done! We really do believe in the power of prayer!

Thank you for letting me minister to you today!

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.

Choosing To Walk in the Love of God

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,

Before I begin my letter this month, I wish you the warmest greetings this Christmas season. I’m sure your calendar is filled with parties, errands, and holiday plans right now, and it’s easy to feel like you can’t check everything off your to-do list. But you can always find comfort in this thought: You only have to live one day at a time, and what you do today will prepare you for tomorrow. Even though this time of year is notoriously busy, take it one day at a time and have a very Merry Christmas!

I also want to encourage you this Christmas season to be aware that the One you call Lord and Savior is also the Prince of Peace. As you navigate this holiday season, you may find yourself standing in line, waiting to pay for wrapping paper or a Christmas present when you notice the person in front of you can’t find their credit card and is causing a delay. Or maybe you notice someone get frustrated and speak rudely to the clerk serving them. Or perhaps the store clerk will be rude to you or doesn’t move as quickly as you’d like him to.

When those little annoyances happen, just remember who lives inside you — the Spirit of the One who is Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, Great I Am, First and Last, and the Greater One. He is residing within you, so you are equipped with everything you need to be kind, gentle, loving, and forgiving in any situation that may arise.

In this month’s letter, I want to focus on the characteristics of God’s unchanging, unending, ever-present love. The Bible talks a lot about God’s love, something many have grown up hearing all about. But when life gets busy, we can sometimes forget just how great His love is for us, and what it gives us the ability to do in our daily lives!

The Lord’s unconditional love for us is so amazing. It was out of this great love that He sent His only Son Jesus to the earth and laid down His life on the Cross to pay for our sins. Not only this, but He sent the Holy Spirit to live within us. That is a powerful love! As we continue to study God’s love, the curtain will be drawn further and further apart, opening up to us this amazing revelation of His love personally.

Jesus went so far as to die for us, to take our punishments, and to take our sins! He even went a step further and gave us the Holy Spirit — our personal Counselor, Comforter, Helper, and Guide — to live inside us!

Paul details the magnitude of this love in First Corinthians 6:19, which says:

Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

If you are born again — meaning you believe in your heart and have confessed with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and Savior — you have within you the Holy Spirit, who is just like Jesus.

The Bible tells us that at the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit enters your spirit, bringing with Him the very love of God.

…The love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
— Romans 5:5

How amazing is that?! When you accepted Jesus into your heart and the Holy Spirit came to dwell within you, He put God’s eternal, unchanging love in your heart. And when you open your heart and acknowledge Him, you can receive even more of this great love of God.

Even if we don’t say, think, or do the right thing, instead of leaving or abandoning us, God’s unconditional love is always there! It doesn’t change. It doesn’t move. It’s constantly there for us to open our hearts and freely receive that magnificent love and forgiveness over and over again!

The Lover Inside Us

Romans 8:38 and 39 says:

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When you became born again, the indwelling power and presence of the Holy Spirit came to live within you. The Bible teaches that He is greater than anything or anyone in this world. It even refers to Him as the Greater One inside us in First John 4:4, which states:

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

As born-again believers, we can look to the Holy Spirit for guidance and rest assured that He will help us live as overcomers. There is absolutely no circumstance or situation that is too big or difficult for His mighty power to change.

The power of the Holy Spirit can be expressed in many ways. One of the most valuable benefits of having the Holy Spirit living within you is the ability to love others with the precious love of Christ. By acknowledging His presence and respecting His role as the Greater One on the inside, you can tap into the power of the Holy Spirit every single day. And as you begin to allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life and operate in the love of God, you will see the fruit of it in every aspect of your life.

The love of God is on a magnitude that nothing in or of this world could come even close to recreating. The world doesn’t have this kind of love because it is a direct result of the Holy Spirit’s inward working in your heart. As it says in Romans 5:5, “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” The characteristics of God’s great love have been planted in your heart through the Lover inside you, and as you give place to it, this love can impact everyone you come into contact with.

The love of God is so powerful that once it has been imparted to us through the Holy Spirit, it has the power to change our lives including our attitudes, actions, behaviors, and our words. It even transforms the way we think about others and causes us to pursue peace in our relationships!

God’s love can also cause us to let go of selfish attitudes. John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” While we may never physically lay down our life for another, we can be selfless in our interactions with friends, family members, acquaintances, or those we come into contact with during the course of our daily lives.

When God’s love is living within you, it causes you to let go of the selfish nature of your flesh and be considerate of those around you. Whenever you become tempted to act ugly or unkind toward another person, you can remember that the Greater One living within you is there to help you overcome the weaknesses of your flesh. If you find yourself wanting to be unkind or even react to someone being unkind to you, draw from the power deep within your spirit and release the supernatural love of God instead!

We are all tempted by our flesh to react with bitterness, selfishness, or unforgiveness. But as we truly grasp the enormity of what Jesus did when He suffered and died to pay for our sins, it motivates us to shove the desires of our flesh aside and love as He loves and forgive as He forgives.

If you have confessed with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, then you are forgiven and loved, meaning you are full of the love of God and can show that very same love and forgiveness to those around you.

It isn’t always easy to walk in love toward others, but that’s why we have the Holy Spirit — the Lover — and the Word of God to guide us! Life can throw some sensitive and complicated situations our way, making expressing God’s love correctly difficult at times. But by holding onto what God says in His Word and calling upon the Holy Spirit within us, we can deal with even the hardest situations in a way that displays the same love Jesus showed us when He died on the Cross.

A High-Level Kind of Love

Even when we were far removed from God and living in sin, His great love forgave us. And now that we have been born again and have His love alive in our hearts, He calls on us to love and forgive others just as He did — even our enemies.

Without the Holy Spirit’s help and guidance, this would not be possible, but because of His unfailing living in us, we can tap into the love deep within us to love others as He loves us. The Bible tells us that:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
— Matthew 5:43-46

God wants us to love those who are good, those who are bad, those who are just, and those who are unjust (see Matthew 5:43-45). The Bible has a lot to say about why we should love others the way God loves us, and it reveals that because the Holy Spirit is living inside us, it equips us to love like He loves. This includes our enemies, those who persecute us, those who despitefully use us, and those who hurt or do wrong by us. We are called to love them. God commands us to love everyone no matter what. This is the kind of high-level love Jesus taught and continues to teach us to this very day.

What Kind of Fruit Are You Producing?

The Holy Spirit’s presence in the life of a believer is evident through the fruit of the Spirit they’re producing. You’re probably familiar with the fruit of the Spirit as detailed in Galatians 5:22 and 23. It says:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control….

This fruit is instilled in your heart atthe moment of salvation, and as you learn to release this precious fruit, you will become equipped to overcome any circumstance this life can throw at you!

The fruitfulness of the Christian life isn’t just for personal benefit, but it also shows the character of the heart of God, drawing others nearer to Christ.

The Holy Spirit — the Greater One — living inside you produces beautiful fruit, all of which are valuable in their own ways. But as you’ve been reading about, one of the most wonderful attributes of the Holy Spirit is the love of God. Again Romans 5:5 says, “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

As you know, when you became born again, the Holy Spirit began pouring the love of God into your heart — but not the natural, emotion-driven love — the highest quality of love to ever exist! The God kind of love is a high-level kind of love, and it will enable you to do some amazing things that your flesh could never do on its own.

The love of God inside you allows you to love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for your persecutors (see Matthew 5:32-46). These actions are things that just aren’t possible with natural, human love because God’s love far surpasses what human love can accomplish. His love is supernatural and resides in you by the presence of the Holy Spirit!

Forgiveness is another attribute of the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives. Although we have all experienced hurt and pain from another in the past, we can forgive and release those who hurt us by the power of God living inside us. It is because God forgave us that we can forgive others. All we need to do is access God’s supernatural love placed in our hearts when we were born again!

Sometimes forgiving someone can seem difficult or even impossible but God’s love activated by the Holy Spirit can release forgiveness to anyone, regardless of the pain that person may have caused.

Love and forgiveness are just a few examples of the fruit of the Spirit that you can exhibit through the Greater One living inside you, but releasing them is a choice for which we are all responsible. We can decide to live lives full of bitterness or allow the fruit of love to dominate every aspect of our lives.

When you choose to release the fruit of the Holy Spirit, it frees you to run and finish the race set before you in complete victory! His fruit is already stored within your spirit — it’s up to you to acknowledge His presence and produce it every day, showing the heart of the Father to everyone you cross paths with. By giving the Holy Spirit room to express Himself in you through the fruit of the Spirit, there is absolutely nothing in this life you can’t overcome!

The Love of God Never Fails

Walking in love all day, every day isn’t something we can accomplish on our own. One of the best places to learn about love is “the love chapter,” or First Corinthians 13. First Corinthians 13:4-8 reads:

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails….

If you’re unsure what God’s love would do in a given situation, just return to His Word. It will show you what love looks like and how it operates. And the great news is that God’s love is already inside you! It is immediately available to operate through you and to empower you. All you need to do is acknowledge its power and release it by faith!

According to Galatians 5:22 and 23, the Bible says there is no law against the love of God. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law.” In other words, nothing — especially that is in or of this world — can stand against this kind of love. It can never fail.

The Bible is full of examples of the great love God has for mankind. Because of the vastness of this love, we now have healing, deliverance, and forgiveness — and we can freely share these precious gifts with others through the great love that is shed abroad in our hearts (see Romans 5:5). As His beloved children, we are called to do likewise through forgiving and loving others.

We can learn so much from the display of God’s love demonstrated for all mankind. Anyone can say, “I love you,” but it is their actions that show beyond a shadow of a doubt that they love us. God displayed His perfect, unchanging, unconditional, undefinable love for us when he sent Jesus to die for us. He chose us. We can rest assured that we are so incredibly important to God because His actions revealed — and continue to reveal — the gravity of His love. The Bible says in Romans 5:8:

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God came to the earth to rescue His people but they didn’t receive Him (see John 1:1). Instead, they rejected Him. He knew they would not be receptive to Jesus, yet He came and laid down His life for them anyway. That is the love of God being expressed through Jesus Christ.

John 1:4 and 5 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” Read that again — there is no darkness so dark that God’s light can’t overcome!

The love of God can be likened to a garden tiller that pulls out all the weeds and makes the ground soft and ready to receive seed. Love can go into the ground of any heart and remove hate, criticism, jealousy, bitterness, unforgiveness, offense, or fear because it’s the most powerful thing on this earth. God’s love can triumph over anything standing in its way!

Friend, you can’t escape the love of God when you’re born again. His love is in you all the time. God’s presence will never leave you, and the Lord will continue to uphold you with His righteous right hand (see Isaiah 41:10). It is truly amazing how great of a love God displayed to us. Every morning we should wake up and say, “God, help me to know how much You love me, and help me love others with the love that You’ve placed inside me.” The supernatural impartation of the love of God happened the moment you made Jesus your Lord and Savior. When you became born again, the love of God came inside you to dwell in your heart. It’s not here for just a certain moment, week, month, or year. This supernatural love always resides within you! It’s available for you to draw from at any moment for the rest of your life.

The end of the year is drawing closer every day! I encourage you to be intentional about walking in love in your thoughts, words, and actions. Endeavor to make every interaction one that reflects the very love and heart of the Father. As you tap into the love of God that was placed inside you at the moment of your salvation, you will see your circumstances, relationships, and spirit change for the better.

I also want to personally invite you to watch my weekly program, TIME With Denise Renner. Each Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. CT, join me as I bring encouragement from the Word that will strengthen and uplift your spirit! You can watch TIME on my Facebook page, YouTube channel, or visit Renner.org for more information. I look forward to sharing the truth of the Gospel and fellowshipping with you!

Before I close my letter to you this month, I want to let you know that if you are going through a difficult season in life, need healing in your body, want to lift up a loved one, or simply need someone to be in agreement with you, our prayer team is waiting for your call! Prayer is such an important aspect of our lives as believers, and we want to let you know that we take each and every one of your prayer requests seriously. To connect with our prayer team today, call 1.844.473.6637 or send an email to prayer@deniserenner.org. We are believing for you to experience the fullness of God’s blessings in your life and hope to hear from you soon!

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

The Restorative Power of Jesus

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,

Greetings in Jesus’ powerful and wonderful name!

This month, believers all over the world will be celebrating Christmas! But right now, the world is in deep trouble in many respects, and that is why it is important to remember that Jesus came to seek, to save, to redeem, and to restore. If we ever needed a saving, redeeming, restorative message, it is right now. And that, my friend, is really the reason why Jesus appeared as a baby in a manger in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago!

But before I go any further, I want to say THANK YOU to our partners for all you do as a friend and partner with our ministry. I never used the word “partner” lightly, as I believe this word is specially reserved for people who really take “part” in this work of God. Because of those who come alongside and partner with us — and because of the anointing of the Spirit and grace of God — we are able to take the trusted teaching of God’s Word to the ends of the earth! People’s lives are being changed, saved, and strengthened because of what we are doing together, and Denise and I, our family, and our ministry team are so thankful for your vital role in what God has called us to accomplish.

In my teaching letter last month, I shared with you the prophetic word God gave me for 2025 and the last part of 2024. Keep that word in your heart and mind as we sail through the rough waters of this end-time age. God has given us everything we need to be victorious in Christ regardless of what is happening in the storm-tossed society around us. Let’s do all we can to rescue the perishing and to care for those who are in need of strengthening! (You can access my November teaching letter by going to renner.org.)

Let me also remind you that right now we are offering my book Christmas — The Rest of the Story at renner.org. You may have already ordered a copy in the past, but if not, this is a book that will really make this Christmas season more meaningful to you!

As we ponder the meaning of Christmas this month, I want to focus on the saving, redeeming, and restoring power of Jesus Christ. Let me begin by telling you a true story. Maybe you’ve heard it before, but it is worth repeating because it paints such a profound picture of the good things Jesus wants to do in your life and mine.

Many decades ago, Denise and I found an old apartment in a building constructed in 1898 that was perfect for our family (back when we lived in Riga, Latvia, before we moved to Moscow). This apartment was located in a once-elegant building in Riga’s most prestigious neighborhood — that is, a building that was elegant before the Bolshevik Revolution. But in the earlier Soviet years, apartments like this one were confiscated and converted into communal flats. In the case of our apartment, this once majestic space had been divided into eight tiny apartments for eight families that shared one kitchen and one toilet!

The people who lived there over a period of nearly 55 years had no respect whatsoever for this architectural treasure. Their total lack of care was most obvious in the bathroom. As men used the bathroom over the years, they had missed the toilet so many thousands of times that the acidic effect of the urine had literally burned a hole through the heavy flooring big enough to see straight through it into the apartment below! It was shameful to see what had happened to this once-luxurious apartment where an elite class of people had formerly lived.

As I walked through that deteriorated apartment, I could see hints of old beauty that somehow still remained. I could see that under years of botched paint jobs, each room was adorned with massive moldings that went all the way around the ceilings. Several of the rooms contained formerly spectacular ceramic fireplaces, but the condition of these fireplaces left me aghast. This once-grandiose residence now only boasted of collapsed ceilings, crumbling plaster, and mold that had spread over large sections of the walls. To top it off, hooligans had painted derogatory words and nasty phrases all over the walls throughout the apartment.

Because the apartment was so trashed, no one else wanted it, but we knew this was our apartment, so we purchased it and went to work restoring it. Dirt, grime, filth, and trash was heaped in huge piles in every room, but we knew that this place was restorable if we would be willing to do what was necessary to bring it back to its former glory. Many times, when I looked at the work required to restore that apartment, it made me reflect on the words of John 10:10, where Jesus told us that Satan always attempts to take what is good and ruin it. But whatever Satan has tried to spoil, Jesus has the power to reverse!

Finally, after almost one year of nonstop work, that dilapidated apartment was amazingly restored to its original glory. The process was long and painful, but the results were breathtaking, and Denise and I were thrilled that we had invested the time and energy to undertake this project. It was almost impossible to believe that this formerly neglected, run-down, decrepit, decayed apartment had become our lovely home — a home we would live in for years before we finally moved to Moscow. But because we were willing to accept the challenge of the task and painstakingly undertake the process of restoring this property, we were rewarded with something very glorious and magnificent that eventually emerged from a ravaged, wasted, and devastated state.

The restoration work on that apartment made me think of Luke 19:10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” That word “lost” is derived from the Greek word appolumi, and it conveys the idea of something ruined, wasted, trashed, devastated, or destroyed. It’s the same word used for the Destroyer — one of the New Testament names to describe Satan’s demented nature.

The words “to seek” are a translation of the Greek word zeteo, which depicts a search so intense that it could be likened to an investigation for something. It tells us that Jesus has put forth and is putting forth His best efforts to actively seeking to save and restore whatever Satan has tried to steal, kill, or destroy.

The word “save” is translated from the Greek word sodzo, which mainly implies rescue, such as a rescue from a raging sea, rescue from an illness, rescue from immediate danger, and so forth. Inherent in this type of “rescue” is one’s return to safety and soundness. Day after day as we worked on that apartment, I thought, “Just as we took on the task to restore this apartment, rescue it from destruction, and return it to a state of normalcy, Jesus wants to rescue and return us to a state of normalcy, safety, and recovery!” But what Jesus did for us — and continues to do in us — isn’t just a salvage operation. It’s a full-scale rescue that results in a redemptive and fully restorative operation.

Someone might say, “Even if Jesus works mightily in my life, it seems that some things will probably never be like they were before the effects of sin and disobedience made a mess of things.”

But I want you to know that when Jesus’ restorative work is complete, it does not leave you a second-rate, dumbed-down version of something that used to be better! You may be different than you used to be, but your memories of the past are not always realistic. Those memories are usually tainted to look better than they really were. In Christ, you are filled with the potential of the Holy Spirit inside you, and the truth is that you are not a weaker, substandard version of what you were before. You’re stronger, better, and greatly improved because of what Jesus has done to rescue, to redeem, and to restore your heart and life to a state of wholeness in Him!

Although we never saw in all its glory the original apartment that was built in 1898, as I compared what we had restored to what we first found when we were considering it as a place to live, I never felt or thought that the original was better. The new version was simply stunning! It’s amazing that a horrible place with a “urine hole” that went right through the floor could once again be beautiful. But to accomplish that task required faith, imagination, hard work, and a lot of prayer. It didn’t happen overnight. It was a daily effort over a year’s time. But with all our efforts, faith, prayer, and the help of others, the results were breathtaking!

I’m sure that if the original owners in 1898 had seen what we restored from such a decrepit, fallen state, they wouldn’t have thought it was a second-rate version. It may have been different, but what came out of that restoration process was still a home of great beauty and value, as was the home that had been exquisitely created in the beginning.

And right now, Jesus is seeking to perform a rescue operation in every area of your life where Satan has attempted to bring devastation and ruin. That is actually the message of Christmas! He came to seek and save that which was lost! And it doesn’t matter how the destruction occurred — whether it was due to your own neglect, to the actions of others, to circumstances, or to an attack of Satan himself — Jesus is still pursuing you for your rescue, your safety, and your recovery! And if you will participate with Jesus, it will speed up the restoration process.

If we participate with Jesus in what He is trying to restore in our lives, the process will speed up, and He will restore each of us to the wholeness He originally intended for our lives.

And this doesn’t apply just to us! Jesus is also seeking to rescue those around us who desperately need rescuing. Don’t give up on them, because rescue operations are Jesus’ specialty!

Jesus appeared as a baby in a manger in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago, but His purpose in coming to seek and to save that which was lost is still ongoing today — and that means He wants to release His fullest power to save and restore whatever the enemy has tried to take from you or from those you love. His power was, is, and will always be active for those who release their faith in Him to put His restorative power to work!

I am so thankful for all that Jesus has done in my life — and I know that you are thankful for what He has done for you. This month would be a great time to use the Christmas season — and the message of Jesus coming to the earth to save and restore us — to share with family and friends in need of the Lord. This month is a God-given opportunity to reach them, so don’t miss the opportunity!

Before I close, I want to remind you that if you need prayer, we are here for you. Just reach out to us by calling 1-800-742-5593 or send us your prayer need at prayer@renner.org. I promise that as soon as we hear from you, we will fervently pray on your behalf. First John 5:14 says that if we pray according to God’s will, He will hear us, and as a result, you’ll have the requests you made of Him. So we’ll pray with you according to the promises of God’s Word, and we’ll believe with you for Jesus to do exactly what needs to be done! So please let us know how we can pray for you!

One last word: Please pray for us as well. God has put many responsibilities on our plate to reach people with the Gospel and with the trusted teaching of the Bible. We are giving it our all, but it requires every ounce of our faith and a lot of finances to get it all done. God is faithful, and He has given us the most faithful partners who are so vital and important to us. But we ask you to pray with us for increase, as there are so many people waiting to be reached with the message God has given us!

Denise and I pray you have a wonderful Christmas season!

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.

The Power of the Anointing

Obedience is the Way to Victory

How Heaven Answers When We Worship

You Are the Salt of the Earth

The Value of Time

The Dominating Peace of God

Turning Away From Negative Opinions

Our Faith Overcomes the World

Choosing To Walk in the Love of God

The Restorative Power of Jesus

Obedience is the Way
to Victory

You Are the Salt
of the Earth

The Dominating
Peace of God

Our Faith Overcomes
the World