Staying in a Place of Faith

January Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Merry Christmas!

We love you and thank God for you!

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

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

Welcome to the year 2024! I declare that right from the outset of the year, JESUS IS LORD over every moment and every event — all the way to the end of 2024!

As we begin this new year, I want to start by saying THANK YOU for being a partner and friend with our ministry. Just minutes ago, Denise and I prayed for you — and for all our partners and friends — as we do every day, often multiple times per day. Today I am going to be sharing more deeply about what the Holy Spirit has told me about 2024, but first, I simply want to express my thanksgiving to God for you!

After multiple occasions of the Philippian believers sending financial offerings to help Paul with his ministry, he told them, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Many Christians today claim and confess this verse over their lives, but it is important to understand that Paul wrote it as part of a letter to his partners — it actually applies to those who are ministry partners.

Therefore, Philippians 4:19 applies to you, too, because of your partnership with RENNER Ministries! And just as Paul said to his partners, I am saying to you that based on this verse — and because of what you do to help take the Gospel and the trusted teaching of the Bible to people all over the world — I know my God shall supply all YOUR need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

The Renner Interpretive Version (RIV) of Philippians 4:19 says, “But my God will supply your needs so completely that He will eliminate all your deficiencies. He will meet all your physical and tangible needs until you are so full that you have no more capacity to hold anything else. He will supply all your needs until you are totally filled, packed full, and overflowing to the point of bursting at the seams and spilling over!”

Wow! It is amazing to see what God does when we make getting the Word of God to people a priority! I encourage you to reach out by faith and declare Philippians 4:19 for yourself and your household in 2024. Denise and I want you to know that we are praying for mighty blessings to be released in every realm of your life, and I want to say again how thankful we are for everything you do to join hands with us in fulfilling our God-given assignment!

In last month’s letter, I wrote to you about the word the Holy Spirit gave to me for our partners for the year 2024. Here it is again.

The year 2024 will be visited with turbulent episodes across the entire globe, especially in the realms of finances and politics and in the nations. These episodes will be of a sort that they will potentially cause those who are not rooted in God’s Word to be deeply disturbed. But for those who stay in faith…stay in peace…stay in love…stay in fellowship…and keep sowing seed for the sake of eternity — they will experience a supernatural power that will cause them to be unmoved, unshaken, well provided for, and to walk in a much-needed divine assurance, divine peace, divine power, and divine and supernatural victory. Yes, those who stay in faith, in peace, in love, in fellowship, and keep sowing seed for the sake of eternity will be blessed, empowered, joy-filled, and sustained, and they will miraculously thrive even if the world around them is tossed with a tempest.

In this month’s letter, I want to elaborate on this word from the Lord so we’ll know how to embrace it, cooperate with it, and enjoy the fullness of His provision for us despite what’s going on around us.

The Holy Spirit specifically said that those who:

Stay in faith…
Stay in peace…
Stay in love…
Stay in fellowship…
Keep sowing seed for the sake of eternity…

Will experience a supernatural power that will cause them to be:

Unmoved…
Unshaken…
Well provided for…

And they will have a much-needed:

Divine assurance…
Divine peace…
Divine power…
Divine and supernatural victory.

One of the purposes of prophecy is to wage a good warfare using the sure words of God that you receive from Him. Paul told Timothy, “This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare” (1 Timothy 1:18). So as Paul told Timothy, we need to pay attention to what the Holy Spirit has prophetically spoken to us and wage a good warfare with it.

In this month’s teaching letter and in upcoming letters, I want to expound from Scripture about what it means to stay in faith…stay in peace…stay in love…stay in fellowship…and keep sowing seed for the sake of eternity. But today we will begin with what it means to stay in faith.
What It Means To Stay in Faith
The King James Version of Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

To be honest, for years this verse seemed very abstract to me and hard to understand. So I dived into the Greek New Testament to search for a more accurate rendering of it, and this is where I want to begin sharing with you today. We will look at four key words found in Hebrews 11:1 that give a better understanding of what this verse really says.

First, the word “faith” in Hebrews 11:1 is translated from the Greek word pistis, a well-known word that comes from a root that means to persuade, to trust, or to believe. It also pictures a “divine spark” given by God that enables you to believe. In ancient times, the word pistis referred to a guarantee or warranty of something that was sure.

Importantly, the Greek word pistis also depicts something moving forward, like a force that is propelled forward and is moving toward a goal. Faith is like a bullet shot from a gun — once it has been released, it moves forward and never stops until it reaches its goal. To be clear, that means real faith is never in retreat. So if you are in retreat, you are not moving in faith!

Second, let’s look at the word “substance” in Hebrews 11:1 — a word that is derived from the Greek word hupostasis, a compound of hupo and histimi. The word hupo means by, and the word histimi means to stand. Literally, it means to stand by something. It refers to the attitude and actions of one who has determined to stand by something promised and refuses to budge from it. It pictures a fixed decision that one has made to be unmoving and to stay or stand by the promise that he is believing will come to pass.
You might say the meaning of the word “substance” is a lot like a bulldog that has found the bone of its dreams and has locked its jaws around it, refusing to let go. It doesn’t matter how hard anyone pulls on the bone or tries to retrieve it, that dog is not going to let it loose. In the same way, when you’re in faith, you relentlessly stand by what God has said in His Word, and like a bulldog clutching its bone, you continue to tenaciously hold on to His promises until they become a reality in your life.
As an example, let’s say you have been standing by God’s promises for healing and have chosen you’ll never let go until your healing is manifested. Or let’s say you’ve been standing by God’s promise for financial provision or the restoration of your relationships. And just like a bulldog who refused to let go of his bone, you are holding on to and standing by God’s promise! In other words, you have decided that you will NEVER let go of that promise until it is manifested in your life! THAT, my friend, is an example of what the word “substance” means in Hebrews 11:1.

Third, let’s look at the words “hoped for” in Hebrews 11:1. These words are translated from a form of the Greek word elpidzo, which DOES NOT picture a “hope-so” kind of hope, but rather pictures a confident expectation of something. In other words, it does not mean, “I hope this will happen,” but, instead, it means, “I confidently expect this to happen!” Although it has not happened yet, there is an active expectation that it will take place. The tense of the word elpidzo here is continuous. Hence, it is something continuously being hoped for, even if the manifestation has not come yet.

Fourth, let’s look at the word “evidence,” which is translated from a form of the Greek word elegchos, a term regularly used in a court of law. When used in a positive sense, it means to convince someone of something. Thus, when you are in faith, you have a very strong conviction that what God has promised is undoubtedly going to happen.

If you consider all four of these Greek words in Hebrews 11:1, it tells us that:

FAITH is a “divine spark” from God to believe.
FAITH is a force that propels us forward toward a goal and it is never in retreat.
FAITH stands by and never lets go of what it is believing God for.
FAITH is a strong conviction that what God has promised is going to happen.

If you put all this together, it means Hebrews 11:1 carries this idea: “Faith belligerently stands by what it is believing for; it continuously confidently expects it to come to pass; and it is convinced what it is believing will happen!”

Then Hebrews 11:6 goes on to say, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Most people think the words “without faith” describe an absence of faith, but the word “without” is translated from the Greek word choris, and it means without, as being outside of a specific place. For example, you can be inside your house or outside your house, or you can be in the city or out of the city — but you can’t be in both places at the same time. This word choris — translated here as “without” — describes faith as a location that you can be in or out of. That means faith is a place, and you can be in faith or out of faith.

So what does it mean for you to be in faith or to “stay in a place of faith?” It means to continuously stand by and stay with the calling or promise that God made to you. That calling or promise is your assignment — it is the location where you need to be. You can stay in it, or you can move out of it, but to “stay in faith” means you have made the decision to be unmoving and that you will not budge from the calling or promise God made. It means you are going to belligerently stand by it until you see its manifestation!

To be “without faith” means to be outside of faith — to move out of or to leave your assignment or promise — and Hebrews 11:6 says when one abandons the assignment or promise of God, it is impossible for him or her to please Him in that place.

To stay in faith means to stick with the assignment, calling, or promise God gave you — it is your place of faith! If you want to bring pleasure to God, you have to stay in that place. That means you have to stay in alignment with what God has called you to do or stick with what He has promised you. You must be determined to stay there until you have received or fulfilled what God has said. And Hebrews 11:6 says that when you stay in faith in this way, you please God!

But then Hebrews 11:6 goes on to say that God is a “rewarder” of them that diligently seek Him. The word “rewarder” is the Greek word misthapodotes, a word that describes money, salary, or a payment that is due. It can also describe a recompense, reimbursement, settlement, or reparation. It depicts being reimbursed for an expense a person has paid out of his own pocket in order to get his job done; a full and complete recompense. In this verse, it denotes the one who pays, rewards, or gives what one has coming to him or a paymaster.

This lets us know that when you get into agreement with the promise God has given you, and you choose to “stay in faith” — which includes staying in the place He has assigned you to be or sticking with the promise God made to you — a moment will finally come when God, the Great Paymaster, will richly reward you with His rewards. And He will fully recompense and richly reimburse you for everything you have invested along the way — as you stayed in your place of faith!

Wow! The full message of Hebrews 11:1 and 6 is the following:

You must believe what God has said…
You must stand by it, stick with it, and never budge from it…
You must know that a payday is coming when God will reward you for staying in faith!

What is the assignment or calling that God has given you? What is the promise of God’s Word that you have been standing on? If you will “stay in faith” and refuse to move away from what God has told you or promised you, His power and promise will be released! In spite of anything going on around you, this will cause you to be unmoved, unshaken, and well provided for. And this kind of bulldogged faith will produce divine assurance, divine peace, divine power, and divine and supernatural victory!

Today I’ve written to you about what it means to stay in faith, and next month, I’m going to write about what it means to stay in peace. It’s going to be encouraging so be sure to watch for my teaching letter next month!

If you say, “Rick, staying in faith can be hard,” I promise that I understand. Denise and I, our sons, and our whole ministry team have given our all to stay in faith for many years as we have done the will of God. And just as God has promised, we have experienced His rewards for sticking with the assignment, calling, and promises He has given us. I assure you that even if it feels difficult at the moment, when payday comes, you’ll be so thankful you never surrendered and moved out of faith!

We understand exactly what it means and what it takes to stay in faith, so if you need someone to pray with you who truly understands, we would be honored to pray with you! When you reach out to let us know how to pray for whatever it is you are believing for — or about whatever you are facing — we will stand in faith and believe with you for God to move mightily in your life. Never forget that we are here for you and that you can call us any weekday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT at 1-800-742-5593 or send us your prayer need at prayer@renner.org.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my letter today! I pray it has encouraged you. Please remember to pray for RENNER Ministries as we press forward to stay in faith with what God has asked us to do too!

We love you and thank God for you!

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

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

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

The Power To Control Our Emotions

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|Editor’s Note: In this month’s Teaching Letter, we’re presenting an adapted excerpt from Denise’s newest book Jesus Is Your Healer, which will be released next month. This book will illuminate you concerning Jesus’ great willingness and ability to heal you and make you whole — and this excerpt will encourage you to take hold of that divine ability today and let Jesus love you!

Hello, Friend!

Happy New Year! I pray you had a wonderful time celebrating the birth of our Savior and are looking forward to 2024 with a sense of renewed hope and expectancy. In my last few letters, I wrote to you about divine healing, and I would like to continue teaching along this line. This subject is so close to my heart that I wrote a book called Jesus Is Your Healer, and I am excited to share with you another excerpt from it.

Our emotions play an important role in our health and wellness, and emotions also play an important role in being able to receive the healing that is ours. If you need healing in your body (or know someone who does), I pray this letter is a word in due season.

Things are happening in our world that tell us the time is near for Jesus’ return. Never has it been more important for us to keep our spirit man strong and in control of our emotions.

You have probably seen someone in your life who absolutely lost control of his or her emotions. Maybe that person yelled, screamed, or even cursed at someone you loved, and you said to yourself, I don’t ever want to be like that. Or maybe you were that person who got in a situation where you lost control of your emotions and then felt terrible about it later.

Emotions are a gift from God and a blessing, but it has never been His will that we would be controlled by our emotions. God has provided wisdom for us to learn how to control our emotions, which is a vital part of what we need to do to receive our healing and live in divine health.

We Can Control Our Emotions

The Bible says that we were created in God’s image (see Genesis 1:26,27). God has emotions, and so do we. Emotions in themselves are not bad; it’s what we do with them that makes them good or bad.

Many people have a false picture of God painted in their minds. They assume that He is often angry and out to destroy us. For instance, society has a term for natural disasters, such as tornadoes or hurricanes, that can wreak havoc on the earth: They are often called “acts of God.” But that’s a lie of the devil, because those weather events are not initiated by God.

God does have emotion. Zephaniah 3:17 shows us that He experiences joy.

The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will
save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet
you with His love….

God has so much gladness and joy that this word “rejoice” in the Hebrew includes the meaning of spinning. God doesn’t just rejoice over you; He dances in delight over you! That’s how much He loves you. He feels great joy and compassion when He thinks of you.

So we know from God’s Word that there is nothing wrong with our emotions; however, we don’t want to be controlled by them. The Bible says be angry, but to sin not (see Ephesians 4:26). So anger in itself is not a sin; it’s what we do with that anger. If we yell and scream and curse at someone because we are angry, then we have allowed this emotion to move us into fleshly action. Emotion has great power, and it can move us to do the wrong thing.

Anger is normal, but we need to control it because controlling our emotions is vital to our physical health.

You might be saying to yourself, I can’t control my emotions. I listened to my mother scream for so many years of my life. I heard my father’s angry cursing throughout my years growing up. Now I’m just doing what my parents did. I can’t help it.

If you’re saying that, I want to tell you that it’s not true. You can help it. When God says, “Be angry and sin not,” He’s telling us what to do. He would never tell us to do something that He didn’t equip us to do, because He is just and completely fair. God has given us the equipment we need to control our emotions.

How To Keep Your Spirit Man in Control of Your Emotions

So when our emotions are knocking at the door, how can we answer the door in a way that brings light and help to us? How do we ensure that our spirit man stays in control of our emotions?

Let’s consider what we can do when we’re angry. We can either speak to ourselves, or we can listen to that emotion and allow it to move us to an emotional state that isn’t good. We might start yelling and screaming at someone, or we might block our heart from that person, telling ourselves, I’ll never forgive him (or her) for this. If that’s the choice we make and we allow that powerful emotion of anger to move us and cause us to sin, I guarantee you that this kind of reaction will have a detrimental effect on our bodies.

But there’s an answer for those of us who are Christians. We’re not supposed to be led around by our emotions or to allow our emotions to control us. We shouldn’t be screaming and yelling at people. We are not at liberty to give people a piece of our carnal mind or to threaten people with negative consequences for not pleasing us!

So what is our answer? We are to take the time to ask the Holy Spirit who dwells within us for wisdom.

The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, but the
mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
Proverbs 15:28

Do you see the two choices in this verse? We either study how to answer, or we pour forth out of our mouths what is evil. The Holy Spirit is so personal, and when we fall into these kinds of emotionally upsetting situations, He is there to give us the help we need if we will take the time to ask Him for that help.

Overcomers Even in Tribulation

We won’t have perfect lives while living on this earth. We will face obstacles that we will need to overcome by faith, and at times those obstacles may include physical sickness or infirmities. But in the midst of it all, Jesus gave us these powerful words of encouragement to sustain and to strengthen us:

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may
have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of
good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

Now, that is a powerful promise. In this world, we are going to have tribulation, but in Jesus, we have peace that surpasses natural understanding (see Philippians 4:6,7). As we face situations that seem impossible, it might take us a little while until we experience His peace. Things that we simply wish weren’t happening can press on our minds and hearts. But what can we do? Jesus told us in that verse. He said, “In Me, you can have peace.”

My life is not a perfect life, and, yes, at times I’ve had to deal with physical and emotional challenges. But one thing I know — it is in Jesus that I find my peace.

After Jesus promised us His peace, He went on to promise something else: “…In the world you will have tribulation…” (John 16:33). Why is Jesus promising us this? Because He knows something about this world. He knows something about people. But even though Jesus says that we will have tribulation in this world, He also says, “…Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

As we serve Jesus faithfully even through a time of experiencing tribulation, we’re showing the strength of our faith. When everything is going great, it seems like we don’t even have to use our faith. It’s when we’re in those hard places and we might be tempted to give up that the real test comes.

We have to let our spirit man rise up and take control of our emotions in those times. We have to look to Heaven and say, “Jesus, I’m not giving up. This trial isn’t easy to go through, but I know this: You are good, and You are faithful. And no matter what I’m going through, I’m trusting You to bring me out on the other side!”

Always remember these words of Jesus, because you’re going to need them in this life. Jesus said that tribulation comes to everyone, which means you and I are not exempt. But He also said that in Him, you will find strength in His abiding peace. And then He said, “Cheer up — because here is the bottom line: I have overcome the world, and that overcoming power is in you!”

That overcoming power comes in the Person of the Holy Spirit, who promises to do exceedingly abundantly above all you could ever ask or think. He works in you with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead (see Romans 8:11; Ephesians 1:19,20; 3:20). That means you are well able to take control of your emotions so that they work for you and not against you. Wholeness in every area of your life — spirit, soul, and body — that is the will of God for you!

My friend, I count it a great privilege that you decided to spend this time with me, and I hope you’ve found hope and healing in these words! Together, we’ve sat at the feet of Jesus with our eyes and ears fixed on His Word. Psalm 119:103 says, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” And Proverbs 16:24 reminds us, “Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.”

If you would like more sweetness for your soul and health to your bones, I invite you to join me for my program TIME With Denise Renner on Wednesdays at 12:00 p.m. CT on YouTube and Facebook. You can also find me on the following:

• GospelTruth.TV — Saturdays at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. CT

• PTL — Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. CT

• Spotify, Apple, and Google — Mondays at 5:00 a.m. CT (new audio podcasts)

Do you need healing or have a special prayer request? We have a team of Spirit-filled prayer partners who are just a phone call or email away. Call 1.844.473.6637 or send us an email at prayer@deniserenner.org to connect with the power of agreement. Healing is available to you, and we would be honored to be a part of the miraculous work that God wants to do in you.

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

Receiving the Bread of Heaven

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|Hello Friend,

Thank you for choosing to spend this time with me! In my last two letters, I wrote to you about divine healing, and I would like to continue teaching along this line. This subject is very close to my heart — so much so that I wrote a book called Jesus Is Your Healer, and I am so excited to share with you an excerpt from my book today! I pray you will be encouraged and strengthened by these words. Jesus is the Healer — and He’s your Healer!

Rick and I pray for our partners and friends every single day, and this month, we’re praying that you’ll have a peaceful Christmas filled with the comfort of the Holy Spirit and the confident hope that God gives to those who trust and look to Him. Merry Christmas! And may your new year be one of steadfastness, growth, strength, and fruitfulness for you and those you love!

Here is the excerpt from my book, which will be released in February. I believe this book — and this passage — will illuminate you concerning Jesus’ great willingness and ability to heal you and make you whole. Be encouraged to take hold of that divine ability as you read and let Jesus love you!

I want to show you a powerful example of God’s mercy and compassion in action. When a Gentile woman came to Jesus with a desperate plea for help, she had the faith that wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a word.

And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. Matthew 15:21-28

Partaking of the Bread Provided for Us — the Whole Loaf!

This woman was seeking Jesus for deliverance for her daughter. After Jesus seemingly rejected this desperate woman for the third time, saying, “…‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs’” (v. 26), this woman’s response revealed what she believed about Him. It was a response of faith which He is always listening for. She said, “…‘Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table’” (v. 27).

To this, Jesus replied, “…O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire…” (v. 28). And the girl was healed and delivered that very hour as a result of her mother’s faith.

Isn’t that amazing? One word from Jesus was all the woman needed and all she desired to hear. But she didn’t hear that word immediately. She asked and asked again; and she was seemingly rejected several times. But she just kept asking until she received that one word from Jesus that she was desperate to hear: “Let it be to you as you desire.”

That’s the word we want to hear from Jesus as well: “Let it be as you desire.” But sometimes we give up too quickly. We think, Well, I’ve been asking for two weeks for my healing, and I’m not healed yet. I’ve been asking God for the finances I need for two months, but the money hasn’t come. And then we stop pushing through to our miracle.

But not this woman. She was “rejected” over and over again, but she kept pressing in. She was saying, in effect, “I know that I might be seen as a dog in this culture, but even the dogs are given the crumbs. Please, Lord, help me. You can give the whole loaf to Your children. Just give me a crumb, and it will be enough to heal and deliver my daughter.”

The woman’s simple faith touched Jesus so much that He said, “Your faith is great! You can have what you desire.” And her daughter was healed in that same hour.

I love the moment when the person who so desperately needs a miracle suddenly receives that miracle. That’s what happened to me the night I went to bed still in my seemingly unhealed condition, having suffered 13 years from a skin disease, and I woke up the next morning with no disease.

That’s what happens when someone who, having received a diagnosis of cancer, hears the doctor’s dire prognosis but decides to trust God. And then a day comes when the doctor says, “I don’t know where the cancer went — there is no trace of cancer in you!” A believer who experiences that moment didn’t just receive a crumb — he received the whole loaf that is provided for His children!

Oh, that we would take hold of all that God has given us! Jesus said that He is the Bread of Heaven (see John 6:51). Jesus is God, who came to earth in the flesh, and He said, in essence, “Take of Me. I fed My children manna in the wilderness, but now I’m feeding you with Living Bread that is never going to pass away, because it represents My very self.”

In that divine loaf is your financial provision, your healing, and your deliverance from oppression, from depression, from drug addiction, from family turmoil — from any and every bondage that comes from the kingdom of darkness. God has laid out His life through the Person of Jesus Christ, and He offers to you and me the whole loaf!

The Bible says Jesus didn’t come to condemn but to save (see John 3:17). He came to earth so that He could give Himself to you. He is freely offering Himself — His great healing power and His mercy and compassion — to you right now. You simply have to receive it by faith.

My prayer is that you would take these words to heart and continue to “hold fast to the confession of your hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful!” (see Hebrews 10:23). He is always looking for our response of faith!

Again, I am so glad you decided to spend this time with me. If you would like more encouragement from the Word, I invite you to join me for my program TIME With Denise Renner on Wednesdays at 12:00 p.m. CT on YouTube and Facebook. You can also find me on the following:

• GospelTruth.TV — Saturdays at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. CT
• PTL — Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. CT
• Spotify, Apple, and Google — Mondays at 5:00 a.m. (new audio podcasts)

We’re believing for you to experience the fullness of God’s blessings in your life — including the healing power that is available to you today

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

Blessed, Empowered, Joy-Filled, and Sustained

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!

Whew! It’s already December! The year has passed so fast — and now we are getting ready for 2024.

Usually in this month’s letter, I would write something related to Christmas, but I have received a word from the Lord for our friends and partners for the year 2024, and I sense this is what the Holy Spirit wants me to share with you in my letter today.

But first, if you have not ordered my book Christmas — The Rest of the Story, I do want to encourage you to go online at renner.org/store to order yours today. It is available right now at a wonderful 25-percent discount. I know you and your family will be so blessed by this book, not only through the holiday season but throughout the year! At just the right time, God sent His Son Jesus to the earth as a Babe in a manger — what a miracle in itself! But God performed so many miracles to preserve Jesus’ life until it was also just the right time for Christ to give up His life for you and me. From the bottom of our hearts, Denise and I and our family and team wish you a very wonderful, meaningful Christmas and an amazing new year — and I’ll get to that subject in just a moment!

I also want to say THANK YOU for your amazing support this year. We are reaching more people than ever before, and the year 2023 has been the best year in the history of RENNER Ministries. God has graciously empowered us to do what He has called us to do. And God used YOU and our other friends and partners to help us advance! As a result, we are reaching people all around the world who are crying out for the trusted teaching of God’s Word. Here’s an example:

I recently received an email from a man in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, who wrote to me to express how thankful he is that our program reaches him in Manila every day. And we’re not just reaching people in Manila but people all over the world. The list of nations of the people who write to us every week is simply astounding. It reminds me of the verse God gave to Denise and me in the earliest beginnings of our ministry: “…Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world” (Romans 10:18).

When the Holy Spirit gave Denise and me that verse many years ago, we had barely traveled beyond the borders of Oklahoma. But today, this ministry is literally touching people all around the world. And because we now own our own Russian-speaking satellite network, we are reaching Russian-speakers across the globe 24/7. That is truly miraculous!

It is because you are a huge part of this ministry that I want to make sure you know how deeply grateful Denise and I, our family, and our team are for everything you have done and for all you will do in 2024. And when I tell you that we are praying for you, I sincerely mean we are praying for you. You are important to us, and we want to see you experience the fullness and goodness of God on every level! And when I tell you that we want to know how we can specifically pray for you, I really mean it!

But in my letter today, I felt the Holy Spirit wanted me to tell you about an experience I recently had while traveling. As Denise and I were flying on an airplane to a certain destination, I was praying to see if the Holy Spirit had a specific word He wanted me to communicate to our friends and partners for the year 2024. Immediately, I heard the pilot announce, “We have been informed that we will encounter heavy turbulence on this flight, so please remain in your seats and keep your seat belts fastened. We will arrive safely, but we request because of the turbulence that you stay seated with your seat belts fastened.” It was then that I suddenly heard the Holy Spirit speak to my heart and say:

From what the Holy Spirit said to me, I see that the year 2024 will see a tempest on many fronts around the world — especially in the financial, political, and national realms. Those who are not rooted in God’s Word could possibly be deeply disturbed by these events, and this is another reason why we must keep teaching the stabilizing, strengthening Word of God to as many people as possible. Again, I thank you for being a partner who is helping us do this!
But from the word I received, I understood that the world will likely be “bumpy” in 2024, so we need to buckle our seat belts and stay in faith, stay in peace, stay in love, stay in fellowship, and keep sowing seed for the sake of eternity.
When I received this word, I thought of what Jesus said in Matthew 24 and 25.

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

According to Jesus, if a person builds his life on God’s Word, it means he is solidly built on a rock, and his life is built so firmly that he can withstand rain, floods, and turbulence of all kinds. This is why we must do all we can to help people get established firmly on the foundation of God’s Word — and this is why you must stay grounded in God’s Word!
But the prophetic word I received also made me reflect on Jesus’ words in John 16:33: “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

The words “ye might have” are from a Greek word that means to have, hold, or possess. It means Jesus wants YOU to have, hold, and possess supernatural peace even in troubled times!

But wait — let’s look at that word “peace”! The word “peace” is from a Greek word that pictures a cessation of conflict and a time of rebuilding and prosperity, distractions removed, and a rule of order in the midst of potential chaos. It speaks of a calm, inner stability that results in the ability to conduct oneself peacefully even in the midst of circumstances that would normally be traumatic or upsetting. This word is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word shalom, which expresses the idea of wholeness, completeness, or tranquility in the soul that is unaffected by outward circumstances or pressures.

By using this word, Jesus promised that we can be in peace regardless of what is going on in our personal lives or the world around us. That means even in turbulent seasons, we can supernaturally remain peaceful, tranquil, and unaffected by outward circumstances or events! Regardless of what kind of turbulence the world experiences, we can move forward in peace! Jesus promised it, so it’s yours to claim!

But in John 16:33, Jesus referred to “tribulation.” This is from a Greek word that depicts pressures. Jesus stated that as long as we are in the world, there may be moments when we feel pressures, but He went on to say that we should “be of good cheer.” The words “be of good cheer” actually mean be bold and take courage! The reason we can be bold and take courage is, Jesus has “overcome the world”!

The word “overcome” means to completely conquer, and the word “world” depicts all the systems and events that are occurring in the world around us. We are living in crazy times, but regardless of what is going on, Jesus has completely overcome every bit of it. That is why we can be bold and take courage in every season of life! Again, this promise is yours to claim — so reach out and take it!

But the Holy Spirit specifically told me that in 2024, those who:

Stay in faith…
Stay in peace…
Stay in love…
Stay in fellowship…
Keep sowing seed for the sake of eternity…

They will be:

Unmoved…
Unshaken…
Well provided for…

And they will possess a much-needed:

Divine assurance…
Divine peace…
Divine power…
Divine and supernatural victory!

In the first months of 2024, I will specifically write about what it means to stay in faith, stay in peace, stay in love, and stay in fellowship, and keep sowing seed for the sake of eternity. Starting in January 2024, I will be writing to you about these important points!

But in response to what the Holy Spirit said to me about 2024,
I have been faithfully declaring:

I declare by faith that in 2024, I will stay in faith, stay in peace, stay in love, stay in fellowship, and keep sowing seed for eternity. I expect the Holy Spirit’s power to cause me to be unmoved, unshaken, and well provided for in every realm of my life. I proclaim that I walk in divine assurance, peace, power, and supernatural victory. Regardless of any tempest, God’s Spirit will cause me to be blessed, empowered, joy-filled, sustained, and to miraculously thrive in 2024.

Today I encourage you to grab hold of the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit and to make this your faith declaration as well. We are called to be here in this season, and we are anointed for it. God wants to use each of us to help others, so let’s take hold of what Jesus has promised and march forward by faith this month and in the coming year to help those around us!

This is the Christmas season, and you’ll be seeing a lot of people — so this is your opportunity to share Jesus with them and to speak a faith-filled encouraging word to those you encounter. Let’s make the most of every opportunity and not lose a single moment to be a voice of hope and strength to others this month!

I told you this letter would be a little different for December, but I want to let you know that in 2024 — in just a few days — we are anointed for whatever we need to confront in the new year. We are not victims; we are victors through Jesus! And He has promised us that we can overcome the world — and He has told us to be bold and courageous — so let’s do it!

As I close, I want to say that if you have a prayer need of any kind, we would be delighted to pray with you. If you’ll let us know how to pray, Denise and I, along with our team, will take that need before the Lord and He will hear and answer us according to Jeremiah 33:3. Again, I want to say how thankful I am for your partnership with our ministry this year and in the coming year. Together, as a team, we are making a difference in the lives of people all over the world!

Denise and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a blessed new year!

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

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

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

Keeping Our Words in Agreement With God

November Teaching Letter from Denise Renner

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas!

We love you and thank God for you!

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

Rick and Denise Renner
along with Paul, Philip, and Joel and their families|Hello Friend,

I have had the topics of thankfulness and praise on my heart lately, and because it’s November, that is what I would like to write to you about today. But first, I’d like to say how thankful I am for the responses and comments I’ve received from many who are watching my programs and reading my emails. I read every comment and I want you to know how much it means to me to read how God is touching lives through the truth of His Word. I give thanks and praise to God for each one of my dear friends.

An Attitude of Thankfulness and Praise Shows Our Agreement With God

Adopting an attitude of thankfulness and praise is so very important — not only because it helps us maintain a posture of faith and positions us to receive from God, but because He deserves our praise! When the storms of life come, we can have confidence that we will be kept in perfect peace as long as our minds are stayed on Him (see Isaiah 26:3) — and the way we keep our minds stayed on Him is by using the words of our mouth to agree with God.The principle of keeping our words in agreement with God is key to our living a victorious life in Him. It is essentially what the writer of Hebrews meant when he wrote, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). To receive from God, we must keep our words in agreement with God without wavering.

For instance, let’s say that the flu season comes and you start saying, “Well, flu season is here. I’m probably going to get sick.” Or perhaps you say, “My husband [or wife] has the flu, so I’m likely going to get the flu, too — and then my children will probably get the flu.”

There is a big problem with that kind of speech! The words we say carry within them our expectation and faith, so when you use your mouth to say such things, you’re exercising your faith in the wrong direction! You’re actually saying, “I’m using my faith right now to believe that I and my children will get sick. I expect to get sick!”

Now, I know that’s not really what you want, but the principle of God’s Word is still true. You might say, “Oh, I’m just speaking the facts. The flu is contagious!” But, friend, I encourage you — don’t underestimate the effect your words have on the world around you. The Bible is full of scriptures telling us that our words have authority. Think about this — how did God create the world? He spoke. You were made in the image of God and that same power lives in you (see Genesis 1:26). How did you get saved? You confessed Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Your mouth has so much authority and power; that’s why you do not want to use your mouth to confess things that actually bring destruction on yourself or others.

What we do want to confess is what God has said in His Word about the matter! We must get in agreement with Him and speak words of life over our situation: “By the stripes of Jesus, I am healed. I take authority over this virus in the name of Jesus! I hold the blood of Jesus over myself and over my family. Lord, I confess before You that You are our Shield!”

You see, that is using your mouth to bring God’s will on the scene. That is employing the authority of your confession of faith! Solomon warned us in Proverbs 18:21 that “death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” When we live with a positive confession of faith, the truth of God’s words in our heart and our mouth begins to work in our favor rather than for our destruction.

What You Say Is What You Get!

I want to tell you a short story about confession. Many years ago, Rick and I were living in the U.S., and we were out of God’s will. We had started a church that He hadn’t told us to start, and we were “eating the fruit” of doing things our way. We were so poor. We had very little heat in our house — absolutely no heat in the kitchen — and our refrigerator was empty.During this difficult and very lean season of our lives, I came across a book entitled, What You Say Is What You Get by Don Gossett. So I started reading this book about the power of my words.

I particularly took note of one story that the author related. It was about a man who was having a very hard time financially. He wasn’t able to adequately provide for his family, and his refrigerator was empty. So he decided that every time he passed by that refrigerator, he was going to do something different than he had been doing. Instead of saying or thinking, Oh God, what are we going to do?, this man decided he would look at his empty refrigerator and shout, “Praise God! Hallelujah!”

So from that moment on, every time the man passed by the refrigerator, he faithfully shouted, “Praise God! Hallelujah!” — and within a week, someone had blessed him and his family with groceries, filling up that refrigerator with food!

Well, as I said, our refrigerator was empty too. So when I read about that man’s testimony, I thought, I’m going to do that! From that moment on whenever I passed our refrigerator, instead of thinking or saying, “Oh, what are we going to do? Our refrigerator is empty!” — I just started praising the Lord! I’d say, “Hallelujah! Hallelujah!” and just keep on walking!

Well, the Bible says He inhabits the praises of His people (see Psalm 22:3). When we give praise and thanksgiving to God, we also give Him the opportunity to work in our lives.

A week after I started using my mouth to praise God and thank Him for His goodness to us, one of our church members called us out of the blue and said, “You know, God has put it on my heart to buy groceries for your family.” Then this person went out and bought so many groceries that our refrigerator and our cabinets were full!

Why did that happen? Because within my confession of praise was expectation and faith! Rather than use my expectation and faith to reinforce what I saw in my circumstances, I took God at His Word and agreed with Him. I got my words in line with His. And because I chose to point my faith in the right direction, my family and I experienced the promise of the Lord’s provision and saw His goodness performed in our lives.

The good news is that mine was not a “special case.” God wants to prove Himself faithful and perform His goodness in your life as well! He has given us “exceedingly great and precious promises” for every circumstance in life, and He wants us to be partakers of His divine nature (see 2 Peter 1:4). I encourage you, dear friend, to search God’s Word for those promises and determine in your heart and mind to agree with Him. The choice has been set before us all (see Deuteronomy 30:19), so rather than speak death, let’s speak life by keeping God’s Word — and thanksgiving and praise — in our mouths!

Thank you so much again for spending this time with me. I pray it has been a blessing and encouragement to you! If you would like more encouragement from the Word, I invite you to join me for my program TIME With Denise Renner on Wednesdays at 12:00 p.m. CT on YouTube and Facebook. You can also find me on the following:

• GospelTruth.TV — Saturdays at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. CT
• PTL — Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. CT
• Spotify, Apple, and Google — Mondays at 5:00 a.m. (new audio podcasts)

Will you let us know how we can pray for you? If you need healing or you have a special prayer request, one of our prayer partners is just a phone call or email away. Call 1.844.473.6637 or send us an email at prayer@deniserenner.org. We are believing for you to experience the fullness of God’s blessings in your life — including the healing power that is available to you today!

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

Developing Thankfulness

November Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas!

We love you and thank God for you!

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

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

GREETINGS in the precious name of Jesus!

Right now, people are getting ready to celebrate THANKSGIVING — so this month, I want to encourage you from God’s Word about how to develop thankfulness every day of your life.

But before I dive into this powerful theme, I want to express my own thankfulness to God for you and all you do as a partner with this ministry. When I call people partners, I mean this very sincerely — what we do is completely connected to what you do. Together, as we obey the Great Commission, we are working to take the liberating truths of God’s Word to people all over the planet.

I often remind you, along with all our partners, that there are scores of people who do not have available to them what you have available to you. They live where there are no good churches to attend, and they are famished for the sound teaching of God’s Word. When we send them the Word through this ministry, it is an answer to the cry of their hearts!

Proverbs 10:21 says, “The lips of the righteous feed many….” This verse tells me we have a God-given responsibility to feed others God’s Word. That is what we have dedicated our lives and our ministry to fulfill. And we are thankful that God sent you to help us! We are doing it with you! Denise and I want you to know how thankful and grateful we are to God, and to you as well, that you are a part of our partner family!

Years ago, I made a personal decision to develop thankfulness in my life and to practice being grateful to God in everything (see 1 Thessalonians 5:18). When people ask me, “Rick, how are you?” I nearly always answer by saying, “I am grateful!”

You see, there is always something we can be grateful and thankful about, but we must choose to develop a grateful and thankful attitude.

In Second Timothy 3:2, Paul said that in the last days, “…Men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful….” Since we know that being unthankful will be a temptation people will be prone to fall into in the last days, we must determine in our hearts to instead run in the other direction and be known for being thankful and grateful!

Let’s look at what the word “thankful” means in the original Greek language of the New Testament. The Greek word translated “thankful” that is most often used in the New Testament is charistos. The word charistos is a derivative of the word charis, which is the word for “grace.” However, when the word charis is transformed into charistos, it more fully expresses the idea of one whose heart is thankful, grateful, or appreciative for various reasons.

The Greek word charistos depicts an inward awareness of having been fortunate or well-treated. Thus, the word “thankful” — translated from charistos — projects the deep inward feeling of one who is thankful, grateful, or appreciative for what he has received or how he has been treated.

But let’s look at those three words “thankful,” “grateful,” and “appreciative” for a moment. The word “thankful” is concerned with a person’s attitude toward his good fortune rather than his feelings toward anyone responsible for it. It suggests that someone is relieved or pleased about a situation or turn of events.

But someone who is grateful realizes that someone else has helped him or treated him kindly, and he has warm feelings toward that person. Thus, the word “grateful” suggests more of an impulse to thank someone than the word “thankful” does.

Last, the word “appreciative” shows that a person recognizes the merits or appeal of something and expresses his or her recognition of it.

All these words — “thankful,” “grateful,” and “appreciative” — are included in the word “thankful, translated from the Greek word charistos, and are the expressions of a person who is thankful that he has experienced blessings in some form; is grateful toward the person or people who treated him kindly; and wants to express how appreciative he is for the kindness that was shown.

Now let’s look at what the Holy Spirit is referring to in Second Timothy 3:2 when He says society at large will become unthankful in the last days. The word “unthankful” is the Greek word acharistos, which is charistos with an a affixed to the front of it. In Greek, that little prefix a has a canceling effect. Thus, acharistos describes a person who was once thankful, but something occurred, and his thankfulness has been canceled. That person who was thankful has become unthankful.

The meaning of charistos — the Greek word translated “thankful” — is radically altered when that little a is attached to the front of it. It literally changes the meaning from thankful to unthankful.

Again, the word acharistos signals that although a person’s thankful attitude previously prevailed in his life, somehow the same person has lost his thankful, grateful, and appreciative attitude and is now unthankful. Thoughts of unthankfulness, ingratitude, and unappreciativeness now fill his heart and mind. This person is not thankful for the good he has experienced or for the blessings he has received. He is not grateful toward the person or people who have treated him kindly. He has become unthankful, filled with ingratitude, and unappreciative of what others have done for him.

Put simply, the Greek word acharistos pictures an ingrate.

Although we’re talking about developing an attitude of thankfulness, gratitude, and appreciation in our lives, the word “unthankful” is profoundly important. It is imperative that we understand what Paul was prophesying concerning a last-days age in which people will become so unthankful, ungrateful, and unappreciative that they feel entitled to everything.

When a person feels entitled to everything, he loses his thankfulness for nearly everything. Why would a person be thankful when he feels he’s entitled to everything he has? This sense of entitlement is destructive to individuals, and it leads society as a whole into a state of unthankfulness — exactly what the Holy Spirit prophesied would emerge at the end of the age.

Many people today are seeking their own rights and ways, and it is leaving them dissatisfied, empty, and disillusioned. Although those who fit this description are on an endless quest to please self, they have found true, lasting pleasure to be ever just beyond their grasp. As many things as these people own — and as many benefits as are heaped on them that they didn’t have to labor for — they don’t feel thankful, because they feel entitled to it all. They have never learned the spiritual law that happiness is only obtainable where there is a thankful heart.

Unthankfulness is so wicked that in Luke 6:35, Jesus connected it with evil. He said, “…Love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” Jesus’ words position the characteristic of being “unthankful” in the same category as being “evil,” which tells us that an unthankful attitude is evil in God’s sight. The way God sees it, it is, in truth, spiritually criminal not to be thankful for what we have in life, even if it seems like we have little compared to someone else’s blessings.

Even if we believe we’ve worked hard and earned what we have, we still should be profoundly thankful that all we have was given to us by God. Our jobs and opportunities could have been given to someone else, but they were graciously given to us.

Others who need a job and a salary would be thankful to have your position and your income. There are people all over the world who do not have shelter, warmth, or clean water, but you likely have access to these blessings every day. When you remember that, it will help you to be thankful for what you have and for every blessing that comes your way.

The Bible commands us to “be ye thankful” and to “in every thing, give thanks” (see Colossians 3:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:18). Even if things seem to be going wrong all around us, we can stop to count our blessings! We may feel besieged by need at the present moment, but the fact is, we each have many reasons to be thankful. This is why I have chosen to be grateful and thankful every day of my life!

Perhaps you have already adopted this mindset in your own life. But to help you in your desire to be even more thankful and grateful, I want to give you several Bible verses concerning “thankfulness” that you can meditate on.

Colossians 3:17
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name
of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

This verse encourages you to give thanks to God in whatever you do or are asked to do for Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:18
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus concerning you.

This verse says you are to give thanks to God in everything — not for everything.

Psalm 26:7
That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving,
and tell of all thy wondrous works.

This verse says that we are to “publish” with the voice of thanksgiving. Maybe you don’t publish books, articles, or blogs — but when you make your posts on social media, make sure you publish posts that show you have a thankful heart to God and to others!

Psalm 34:1
I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise
shall continually be in my mouth.

Would others say your mouth is continually filled with praise and thankfulness? Make it your aim to be known as a thankful and grateful person!

Psalm 89:1
I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth
will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

Do you express a thankful attitude to God before your children and grandchildren as this verse instructs you to do? What do your children and grandchildren predominantly hear you say about your blessings and your attitude toward God who gives those blessings?

Psalm 92:1,2
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises
unto thy name, O Most High: To shew forth thy lovingkindness
in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.

Do you start your day by expressing your thankfulness to God for His lovingkindness? Do you end your day by expressing your thankfulness for His faithfulness?

Psalm 100:4
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

This verse indicates we’re to maintain a lifestyle of thanksgiving. Does God see you as a person who is continually thankful and grateful — or as someone who is always griping and complaining about something?

Psalm 103:1
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits….

Do you take time to remember all the good things God has done for you and to let Him know how thankful you are for all of it?

Psalm 105:1
O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his name: make known
his deeds among the people.

Do you give thanks to the Lord by telling others about all the wonderful deeds He has done in your life? According to this verse, God longs for you to make known His deeds to others!

I understand this letter is a little longer than usual, but since people are going to be gathering soon for Thanksgiving Day, I wanted to encourage you this month to make a decision to be more thankful — and to give you some Bible verses to help you cultivate these characteristics of thankfulness and gratefulness in your life!

As our own family gathers around the table for Thanksgiving this year, we will each take a moment to express what we are thankful and grateful for — and it will include thanking God for connecting us with you! WE ARE SO GRATEFUL TO GOD FOR YOU!

Before I sign my name to this letter, let me say that if there is anything we can be praying with you about, please let us know. Just call us at 1.800.742.5593 or email us at prayer@renner.org. The moment we hear from you, we’ll release our faith for God to move mightily on your behalf!

We love you and thank God for you!

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

Healing Excerpt

October 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|Hello Friend,

I’m so glad you’ve chosen to spend this time with me! As you read this letter, I pray you receive all that the Lord has for you and allow Him to minister to you.

I have it on my heart to share with you about divine healing and my own experience with the power of God to heal and restore you. But first, let’s look at why some are not healed, because I believe it will help you see some things more clearly than you’ve seen them before.

In last month’s teaching, we looked at the goodness of God and His heart toward all His children. As the father of the prodigal son said to the older brother, “’…Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours’” (Luke 15:31), all that God our Father has is ours through Jesus Christ, and we can be sure of His will to heal all who receive that blessing by faith.

We can study God’s Word and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is the will of the Father that we walk in divine health. With that settled, how do we process the question, “Why is it that some very good Christians end up going into eternity without being healed?” Or, “Why do some believers live their whole lives with debilitating or troublesome physical conditions and fail to receive healing?” How are we to understand this?

First, it’s simply true that there are a lot of factors that we don’t understand in particular situations. It’s not because God didn’t do His part; He isn’t holding back or holding out on anyone’s healing. Psalm 145:9 says, “The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works”!

But I do know that people may have ways of thinking or dealing with situations in life that hinder them from receiving their healing.

We don’t know what is in the hearts and minds of the people who need to receive a touch from God. The Bible says it’s even difficult to know our own hearts (see Jeremiah 17:9). I came to realize this about myself during my journey that led to my first experience of receiving a miraculous healing.

I suffered for 13 years from a terrible skin condition on my face and neck from the time I was 12 years old. (I tell my full testimony in my book Redeemed From Shame.) The sores produced by the disease went clear through several layers of my skin. It was painful and terribly embarrassing. As a young woman, I was turned down from jobs and from singing opportunities because of the appearance of my face.

Even after I received the revelation years later that Jesus is my Healer, my healing didn’t just instantly manifest. But as I kept confessing God’s Word over a period of time, there came a powerful moment when the Holy Spirit showed me that there was something in my heart that was hindering my healing. Up until that time, I didn’t know what was in my heart or that there even was a roadblock that could keep my healing from manifesting. I was simply standing in faith, and the Lord was faithful to show me the hindrance!

All through my teens, I had to go to the doctor on a regular basis because of this skin condition. My mom spent a great deal of money on doctors to try to help me. I took a great amount of medicine over the years, but the medicines and treatments didn’t work for me; I just got worse.

These continual visits to the doctor gave me time to spend with my mother, and I enjoyed her attention. Even as horrible as the treatments were — having to endure the side effects of pain, blistering, and scaling — I still enjoyed those times of being with my mom and all the attention I received from her.

“Well, that’s normal,” some might say.

But fast forward years later to when I was 25 years old. Up until then, I just thought it was my lot in life to suffer with this chronic skin condition and that it was up to me to find a way to adapt and make the best of it. I had no hope for anything better. I had even resorted to buying very expensive, thick makeup to camouflage the disease.

Like many people who have a disease, the overwhelming reality of what I was experiencing — the pain, the embarrassment, the cost of treatment — canceled out the entrance of the Word about healing into my heart. So I hadn’t yet come to the revelation that Jesus bore my sicknesses on the Cross. I didn’t know He was my Healer.

For me, that revelation came one day as I just “happened” to come across a radio preacher teaching on healing. And as I listened, there was a moment when hope came alive in my heart as I heard him say, “By the stripes of Jesus, you are healed!” (See Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24.)

I said to the Lord, “You mean that I can actually be healed after suffering 13 years from this condition?”

It was that moment when hope entered my heart that my journey started. It wasn’t the kind of hope that says, “Well, I sure hope I’ll get healed.” It was the kind of hope that is based on the Word and is full of expectation that the manifestation of my healing was surely in my future!

At that time, I knew very, very little about the principle of confessing the Word. I just did it because the radio preacher I was listening to said it was important to do it.

When we start speaking God’s Word out loud, something starts happening inside us. I knew so little at the time that I didn’t realize that as I confessed the Word, my mind was being changed on the subject of divine healing. Nevertheless, from the moment hope entered my heart, I started to faithfully confess God’s promises in His Word and believe Him for my healing, and the power of His Word was doing a work in me.

Weeks passed, and I didn’t see any difference in my outward appearance or feel any different. Nevertheless, as I focused in and confessed what the Word says about Jesus being my Healer, something was surely changing in me. I was changing from the inside out.

The Holy Spirit Is the Revealer of Our Hearts

But then one day, as I was sitting in my car, listening to a woman radio preacher teach on healing, she asked a question that was a key. It unlocked a door to my heart and allowed me to see what was inside.

The radio preacher asked, “Do you really want to be healed?” When she said that, the Holy Spirit made it personal and asked me that question. And as He did, He revealed what was in my heart. He showed me that I had enjoyed the attention I had gotten from my mom because of the sickness, and I was unaware that I had, in a sense, “nurtured” that sickness instead of resisting it.

As I mentioned earlier, Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that in ourselves, we can’t truly know what is in our own hearts. But the Holy Spirit is a Revealer. He reveals the secret things that are binding us so we can be free! (See Daniel 2:22.)

The desire for my mother’s attention had been binding me to the skin disease that had afflicted me for so long, but until that moment, I had no idea. I could only have discovered that by the Holy Spirit. And when He spoke those words into my heart through that radio preacher, there also came the knowledge of what I had to do for deliverance. I immediately repented.

I prayed right then and there, “Lord, I don’t want any more attention because of this condition. I want to be healed!”

As I sat in the car that day, there was just something about the delivering voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to my spirit through this radio preacher. I didn’t have to wonder if the preacher’s words applied to me. I knew.

Suddenly I knew something about myself I hadn’t known before that moment. That is the revealing power of the Holy Spirit in action! And in that moment of revelation, I immediately dealt with the hindrance to my healing that the Holy Spirit had shown me.

Keep Believing — Stay in Faith!

Still, for the next several weeks after that experience, I didn’t see any change in the skin disease. In fact, two months had gone by since the revelation of Isaiah 53:5 first dropped in my heart. Judging from what it looked like, I wasn’t getting any better. Nevertheless, I believed that God was working, and I just stayed in faith and kept doing what I knew to do — confessing what the Word said about my healing.

Then one night I went to bed with that disease, just as I had every other night for 13 years, but when I woke up the next morning, I had received a complete miracle. My forehead, my cheeks, and my neck were clear — the disease was completely gone!

Why did that happen? What freed me from that disease? That happened because of the scourging of our Savior! Jesus didn’t take that scourging — those healing stripes — in vain. He took those stripes so we would believe on what He did for us and receive our healing. But we have to believe it.

That’s what happened in my situation. First, I believed God’s Word. And when the Holy Spirit’s delivering voice through that woman radio preacher revealed to me a key hindrance to my healing, I immediately responded and He dealt with it. Then in the weeks that followed, somehow as I saw His words with my eyes, spoke His words with my mouth, and heard His words with my ears, the power of those words made their way into my heart. And at some moment when my heart and soul agreed, I was healed.

Why would Jesus willingly subject Himself to such horrible treatment? Because it was His Father’s will to free you from suffering and torment. And it was also Jesus’ will. His will and the Father’s will are 100-percent the same — same in purpose, same in plan, same in power. So you can boldly proclaim: Jesus is my Healer! God is faithful, and His promises are true!

Thank you so much again for spending this time with me. If you would like more encouragement from the Word, I invite you to join me for my program TIME With Denise Renner on Wednesdays at 12:00 p.m. CT on YouTube and Facebook. You can also find me on the following:

GospelTruth.TV — Saturdays at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. CT
PTL — Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. CT
Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google — Mondays at 5:00 a.m. (new audio podcasts)

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

As It Was in the Days of Noah

October Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas!

We love you and thank God for you!

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

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

It is such a joy to greet you in Jesus’ precious name!

For three weeks in October on my TV programs, I am focusing on the events that occurred before the Flood and how Jesus prophesied that many of those same events will be replicated again just before His coming at the end of the age. The introductions to these programs were filmed on-site at the ruins of Noah’s Ark in the lower mountains of Ararat in eastern Turkey. Please do all you can to watch these in-depth programs, as I believe you’ll really learn something new from the Word of God. If you would like to purchase the entire 15-part series, just call us or go to renner.org after October 1 to order.

Before I get into what I want to share with you this month, I first want to say thank you for being a faithful partner in helping us do this amazing work of God. You know that many all over the world are crying out for answers to difficult dilemmas. The world is more confused than ever, and people desperately need solid answers from God’s Word to strengthen them, heal them, and give them the direction they need for their lives. Because of what you do as our partner, we can get the Word of God to people all over the world!

Proverbs 10:21 says, “The lips of the righteous feed many….” I love this verse because it describes so well the heart of our ministry, which is to feed the wonderful Word of God to as many people as possible. Denise and I, my family, and my team, are enabled to do this ministry because of: 1) the call of God and anointing of the Holy Spirit and 2) the faithful partners who give financially and pray for us to enable us to do it. I realize the Lord is the Source for everything, but the fact is, He uses partners. So I want to say THANK YOU for being a partner that God is using to make a difference in the lives of so many people!

But today I want to share with you some fascinating truths about the Flood and its significance to us in our day. In Matthew 24:37, Jesus says, “But as the days of Noe [Noah] were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

According to our Lord Jesus, we can expect much of what happened in the time frame just before the Flood to be replicated before the end of this age. In fact, the words “but as” in this verse mean just exactly as or precisely as, and the words “so shall also” mean it accordingly will be, thus it will be, or it will be keeping in line with. This means that just exactly as it was before the Flood, it accordingly will be just before the Lord comes again!

In this pivotal verse, Jesus declares that He will be “coming” again. In Greek, this word “coming” is a technical expression to describe the visit of a king or emperor who alone can deal with a situation. This means when Jesus finally comes again, He will show up with the authority needed to right every wrong in the world. That’s good news! By the time the Rapture occurs, there will be a lot of wrongs that will need to be corrected. Jesus emphatically said that the conditions in the world at the end of the age — just before His coming — will indeed be very similar to the conditions that existed in the world before the Flood.

But what exactly were the conditions that existed in the world before the Flood?

I dive deep into detail about these conditions in the 15-part series I will be teaching on TV from October 2-20, but I would summarize them as follows:

Genesis 6:1 — A Time of an Exploding Population
Today there is a population boom like never before — just as it occurred in the days before the Flood.

Genesis 6:2 — A Time of Sexual Perversion
Today there is widespread sexual perversion on a scale beyond anything we have known — very much like what occurred in the days before the Flood.

Genesis 6:2 — A Time of Dark Spiritual Activity
Today there is enormously dark spiritual activity occurring, especially in Western civilization — very similar to what occurred in the days before the Flood.
Genesis 6:4 — A Time When Transhumanism Occurred
Today scientists are tampering with “gender and genetics,” and it’s creating monstrous things — very much like what happened when monsters appeared in the world before the Flood.
Genesis 6:5 — A Time When Evil Was Continually in the Heart of Man
Today we are seeing inventions of evil unlike anything our generation has ever witnessed — and it is absolutely similar to what was happening in the days before the Flood.

Genesis 6:11 — A Time of Widespread Violence
Today we are seeing anarchy, rebellion, and violence spreading its tentacles across the earth — a replication of events that occurred in the earth in the days before the Flood.

Oh, how I wish I had time to really delve deep into each of these points in this letter, but it would take an entire book to document it all (which I might eventually write). Nevertheless, Jesus said all of these things would be duplicated again in the last of the last days.

Then in Matthew 24:38, Jesus continues, “For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe [Noah] entered into the ark.”

In Greek, the words “for as” at the beginning of that verse, mean accordingly and in the same identical manner, and it unmistakably pictures a duplicate event. The phrase “in the days that were” literally means as they were in the very exact days, and the word “before” is a translation of a Greek word that means right before or directly preceding. By using this combination of words, Jesus let us know that He was describing regular life in the very exact days directly before the unleashing of the Flood.

The word “flood” in this verse is a form of the Greek word kataklusmos, which means to inundate, to flood, to overwhelm, to submerge with water, or to completely deluge, and it is where we get the word “cataclysm” or “cataclysmic.” The use of this word tells us that the Flood was truly a cataclysmic event that turned the entire world upside down. Some researchers try to say it was a localized flood, but the Bible clearly teaches in Genesis that it was a worldwide cataclysmic event that affected the entire planet.

Noah is called a “preacher of righteousness” in Second Peter 2:5. He preached and warned people that judgment was coming. He called them to repent, but they didn’t take him seriously and even ignored his prophetic warnings. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:38 that right up to the last moment preceding this cataclysmic event, the pre-Flood world was “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage.”

In Greek, all these words — “eating,” “drinking,” “marrying,” and “giving in marriage” — are in a continuous form, meaning they were eating and eating, which implies overeating and a lack of moderation; and they were drinking and drinking, which implies continuous drinking of alcohol and a lack of moderation; and they were marrying and marrying and were “given in marriage,” which paints a picture of a casual attitude toward marriage and remarriage, and a lack of sanctity in marriage.

Thus, we find that even though Noah warned them that judgment was coming, people shrugged it off and continued on as usual right up to the very end when judgment finally came. Matthew 24:38 says this uninhibited lifestyle continued “…until the day that Noe [Noah] entered into the ark.” Amazingly, the word “until” means right up until, picturing a time right up until the final moment before the Flood began.

Matthew 24:39 says, “And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” The words “knew not” in Greek mean they did not realize, or they did not have a clue. It wasn’t that they hadn’t been informed, because Noah had warned them. But they shrugged it off and lived like they were clueless that they were living on the precipice of judgment. Noah had told them of the impending cataclysmic “flood” — kataklusmos — a word that well depicts the total destruction that came on the earth in those days.

Jesus goes on in Matthew 24:39 to say the Flood “took them all away.” The words “took…away” are translated from several words that when put together mean to remove or to prune. Thus, we discover the purpose of the Flood was not to destroy, but to be a pruning operation to remove all the evil and wickedness from the earth. Matthew 24:39 then says, “…So shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Those words “so shall also” mean it accordingly will be also, or thus it will also be.

Jesus’ words of warning continue in Matthew 24:40 and 41. He says, “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.”

The word “taken” in both instances means to personally snatch or to take to one’s side. In context, it means that when the Rapture of the Church occurs at the end of the age — just before the Great Tribulation begins — Jesus will personally snatch and take to His side those who are ready. But those who ignored what they heard and were unprepared will be “left.” The word “left” in both instances means to be left behind, and it pictures a sense of loss. Thus, those who are “left” will suffer great loss and experience the judgment of that terrible time.

Of course, the example that Jesus is using is of Noah compared to the lost world that lived all around him. Because Noah and his family were listening and were prepared, they were “snatched” from the waters of the Flood, but those who shrugged off Noah’s prophetic warnings were regrettably “left behind” and suffered the consequences of judgment.

In Matthew 24:42, Jesus concluded with wise instruction saying, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”

Here Jesus pleads with us to be attentive and watchful — unlike the people before the Flood who disregarded the warnings and suffered as a result. In fact, the word “watch” means to be attentive, on your guard, and watchful. It denotes one who is on the lookout and on high alert. It pictures one who is determined not to be taken off guard.

And in this same verse, Jesus clearly states why we need to be watchful: “…For ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”

This means no one is able to predict the exact day and exact time when Jesus will come for His Church before the judgment of the Great Tribulation is unleashed. However, this doesn’t mean we can’t have a prophetic sense of timing, for if we pay attention to the signs that Jesus gave us in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 — and to the list of signs the apostle Paul gave us in Second Timothy 3 — we can gauge how close we are even if we cannot predict the exact day or moment of His coming. (I urge you to get my books Signs You’ll See Just Before Jesus Comes and Last-Days Survival Guide to help you know these signs of the end times!)

Then the Lord urgently said in Matthew 24:44, “Therefore be ye also ready….”

The words “be ye… ready” mean to be constantly prepared and ready for action. It means we need to be paying attention to what the Word of God says — to the signs that are given to us in Scripture — and to the voice of the Holy Spirit. And it means we must live every day as if it is THE DAY that Jesus is coming. If we live like this, we’ll be constantly prepared for the coming of the Lord!

Oh, there is so much more I wish I could share, but I am out of space for this month’s letter. But let’s take the words of Jesus to heart and do the following:

Live like He could come at any moment!
Take every opportunity to warn those we love of the need to repent!
To invest as much as possible for the Gospel to reach the ends of the earth!

We are living in a very serious hour. The events that occurred before the Flood are happening again — right now — just as Jesus said they would before His coming. The signs are everywhere to alert us to the fact that we are approaching the very end of this present age when some will be “taken” and others will be “left” behind. We must do all we can — just as Noah did in his time before the Flood — to love people enough to warn them!

If you have friends or relatives who are unsaved and not walking with God, we would love to pray with you about them. Please call 1.800.742.5593 or email us, and we’ll get into prayerful agreement with you for God to reach out and touch them! It would be our honor to pray with you concerning your loved ones, or any other prayer request you may have. And, as always, we promise that whatever you tell us will be held in the strictest confidence!

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter today. And thank you for being such a precious partner to what we are doing as we obey the call of Jesus to take the Word of God to the ends of the earth. If we had to do it alone, it would be so much harder, but together, we can do much more and make a huge difference in the lives of people all over the world!

And never forget — JESUS IS COMING SOON!

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

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

Authority Over the Enemy

September Teaching Letter from Rick Renner

Dear Friends,

Merry Christmas!

We love you and thank God for you!

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

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

Greetings in the all-powerful name of Jesus! How I love to ponder on the power that is available to us in that name!

Today I will continue from what I shared in last month’s teaching letter. But first, I want to express my thankfulness to God for the way He sent you to our ministry. I am so very grateful for the opportunity to minister to you, and for your being a friend and partner with our ministry. As I always tell you, Denise and I, our sons, and our team can do our God-given parts, but to carry out the whole ministry takes a family of partners — and YOU are a significant part of that family. For that, I want you to know how truly thankful I am to God for you!

Two monthly letters ago, I shared that there is a difference between depression and oppression. We saw that depression can be both physical and emotional. It can be caused by a disappointment, fatigue, stress, a wrong diet, or a chemical imbalance, and often depression can be remedied by making certain adjustments in our lives or even by medication.

But oppression is different from depression; it is not physical, but spiritual. Oppression originates from an outside spiritual source. In fact, the word “oppression” indicates the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust way. It means to press upon; to press against; to overburden; to weigh down; to overwhelm; and to overpower. It also means to burden, to be cruel or unjust toward, to exercise uncontrollable restraints upon, to treat with severity, to oppress, to afflict, to crush, to put down, to smother, to subdue, or to torment.

Oppression is an exterior spiritual force that tries to quell, smother, and control you. The devil tries to suppress our lives so that we will not become what God desires us to be.

Other synonyms for oppression include: abuse, brutality, coercion, compulsion, control, cruelty, despotism, dictatorship, domination, force, harshness, harassment, hardness, injustice, ruling with an iron hand, maltreatment, overthrowing, repression, suffering, severity, subjugation, torment, and tyranny. These words vividly describe what oppression does in a person’s life.

Then in last month’s letter, I shared the seven levels of oppression. We saw that we can demolish oppression and dismantle it — if need be, piece by piece, to walk free of it. But today, I want you to see the power of God that is available not only to help you personally to walk free of oppression, but, additionally, to minister freedom to others who are experiencing oppression.

Let’s begin in Luke 10:17 where we read the account of Jesus sending the 70 disciples out to minister: “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils [spirits] are subject unto us through thy name.”

Jesus had sent the 70 out with authority to heal the sick and to cast out demons. They were so excited when they returned, and exclaimed, “…Lord, even the spirits, the devils are subject unto us through thy name.” The word “devils” is the Greek word daimonia. This word describes evil spirits, demons, or devils. The ancient world believed demons populated the lower regions of the air and were the primary cause of disasters and suffering — and they were correct. In the New Testament, this word daimonia, or “devils,” also depicts mental illness, oppression, or physical infirmities that are inflicted by evil spirits. The Greek word describes oppression as spirit-inflicted issues in a person’s mind or body.

The Bible says when the 70 returned, they said, “Lord, the demons, these evil spirits (the source of disaster, mental illness, and mental struggling) are subject unto us through Your name.”

The word “subject” is from a form of the Greek word hupotasso, which is a military term. It portrays a soldier who falls in line when a commander gives an order; one who is submitted to authority. These disciples said, “Lord, when we speak, they recognize our voices as the voices of commanders, and they fall in line when we use Your name!”

In the same way, you have the name of Jesus and the authority designated to you by Jesus. When you speak, demon spirits — every foul, evil force — will hear the voice of a commander and fall in line when you use Jesus’ name.

In Luke 10:18 Jesus said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from Heaven.” The word “beheld” is from a form of the Greek word theoreo, which means to gaze at or to look upon. It is the root word from which we get the word “theater.” Jesus was literally saying, “Guys, I know you’re impressed by what you’ve just experienced, because demons respond to you when you speak, but let me tell you about My experience. I remember when Satan fell from Heaven like lightning.” Jesus used the word “beheld,” which means Jesus said, in effect, “I watched it like I was in a theater. I watched the first act, the second act, and the third act. I saw the entire show; I watched the whole event.”

Portions of that event are recorded in Isaiah 14:12 and Ezekiel 28:16. Isaiah 14:12 says, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” Ezekiel 28:16 says that God told Lucifer, “…Therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God.”

Lucifer was cut to the ground, fell from the heavens, and was cast out as profane. He fell so rapidly that Jesus said he fell like lightning — which means he was gone in a flash! But immediately after describing Lucifer’s fall, Jesus says in Luke 10:19, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy….”

In Greek, the word “behold” is idou, which contains the idea of bewilderment, shock, amazement, and wonder. Jesus was so excited about what He was about to say that He began with the Greek word idou, which means behold. In essence, Jesus was saying, “Hey guys, this is amazing! What I’m about to tell you is phenomenal! Behold, I give you power [authority] to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy….”

The word for “power” is from a form of the Greek word exousia and it describes one who has received delegated authority and power. Jesus said, “I’m giving you authority; I’m delegating this authority to you to tread….” The word “tread” is from a form of the Greek word pateo, meaning to walk on, to trample, to crush, or to advance by setting the foot upon. Jesus said, “I’m giving you power to advance, and along the way, if necessary, you can trample serpents and scorpions.” The word “serpents” is from a form of the Greek word ophis, meaning snake. This word is used in the Scripture to describe Satan when he strikes to kill.

Jesus said, “You have no need to be afraid of the devil or any attack he may wage against you because I have given you authority to move your feet. Just start walking forward. If the devil gets in your way, trample him with no fear of an attack or of him striking you.”

The word “scorpion” is from the Greek word skorpios, which describes a scorpion or a creature with a poisonous sting. Jesus said, “You don’t need to worry about being hurt or being stung because I’ve given you authority to make an advancement. Move your feet and just start marching forward, and if the devil or any stinging situation gets in your way — if anything comes to strike you or sting you — don’t worry. Just move your feet, because I have given you authority to advance and to trample those serpents and scorpions along the way.”

Jesus went on to say, “I’ve given you authority…over all the power of the enemy.” The word “over” is the Greek word epi, which denotes a position of advantage and superiority. Because Jesus has given us authority, we have a position of advantage. We have a position of superiority over all the power of the enemy! Wow!

In this instance, the word “power” depicts an advancing army. The enemy tries to advance on us. It may appear as though Satan’s troops are coming against us, but don’t allow yourself to worry because you have authority, a position of advantage, and superiority over the advancing power of the enemy.

The word “enemy” used in Luke 10:19 is from the Greek word echthros, which describes someone who is openly hostile, one with deep-seated animosity and hatred, an irreconcilable hostility, or one who is bent on inflicting harm. Jesus said, “Don’t worry about him. I’ve given you authority over anything he can ever wage against you.” That is why Jesus began by saying “Behold…” in Luke 10:19. Jesus was saying, “Wow! The authority I’ve given you is amazing!”

And that, my friend, means you have been given authority over ALL the works of the enemy!

But in Acts 10:38, we also read, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power….” The word “power” is from a form of the Greek word dunamis. It describes explosive, superhuman power that comes with extraordinary, unparalleled results. It’s the same Greek word that describes the full might of an advancing army.

When Jesus was anointed, He had amazing, supernatural power with unparalleled results. When that power worked in Jesus, it was like the heavenly armies were unleashed. The power of God was moving forward to drive back the forces of evil, and that is why He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.

We saw in an earlier teaching letter that the word “oppressed” is from a compound of two Greek words kata and dunamis. In this particular case, the word kata caries the idea of domination. The word dunamis depicts a domineering tyrant. It is a picture of the oppressive power of a wicked tyrant, one who rules cruelly and tyrannizes his subjects — one who is a cruel bully, dictator, or oppressive tyrant.

The word “devil,” as mentioned previously, is from the Greek word diabolos, describing one who repetitiously strikes until successfully penetrating an object to ruin it, affect it, or take it captive. It also means to slander, to accuse, to defame, to penetrate by continuous assault, or to ensnare with a net.

Here, we see a picture of how the devil wants to dominate your life, how he wants to control your mind and your emotions. He begins repeatedly striking the mind and the emotions until he finally moves in like a wicked tyrant and begins to tyrannize and rule over you like a wicked king. But Jesus came with an anointing and with power to set at liberty all who are being tyrannized by the devil.

If you know others who are subject to the cruel, oppressive treatment of the devil in their mind and emotions, pray for them, lay hands on them, and release the power of God because according to Luke 10:19, He gave us power over all the works of the enemy. You have a position of advantage and superiority, and if you will use your voice of authority and release the power of God through your hands, God will use you to bring freedom to those who are bound and oppressed of the devil.

According to Acts 10:38, Jesus was anointed, and when the anointing came upon Him, the power of God began to work through Him to set people free. But speaking of believers — that’s you and me — we read in First John 2:20, “But ye have an unction [anointing] from the Holy One….”

That word “unction” is from the Greek word chrisma, which means anointing. If YOU are in Christ, the same anointing belongs to you; you are covered from head to toe with the same anointing that was upon Jesus! That means you have the same dynamic power, and just as Jesus “set at liberty them that were bruised,” you can also deliver those who are oppressed by the devil. Yes, it means YOU can be used by God to speak a word of deliverance to people who are bound.

I want you to understand that God wants to use YOU to help dismantle those strongholds and vain imaginations in their minds. God has given you a voice and hands to release power just like Jesus. First John 2:20 says you have received an unction, or chrisma. You are anointed from top to bottom, from head to toe, with the very anointing that will bring freedom to anyone who is oppressed of the devil.

If you are oppressed, you can be set free.
If you know someone who is subject to the tyrannizing voice of the enemy, it is time for that person to be set free.
Jesus may want to use you to minister liberty to that person, and you can do it because you have an unction from the Holy One.
The same anointing that was on Jesus is on you!
You can do it!

Wow…that makes me want to shout!

As I come to the close of this letter today, I want to remind you that we are here to pray for YOU and we would cherish the opportunity to pray with you for whatever is on your heart or for anything you are facing right now. If this letter has touched you in a special way, we’d love to pray with you about that as well. Simply call us at 1-800-742-5593 or email us at prayer@renner.com, and we promise to put our faith to work for Jesus to do something magnificent — and God promises that He will hear us and do it!

Thank you for being among the best partners on the planet!

We love you and thank God for you,

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

The Goodness of Our God

September 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|Hello Friend,

I’m so glad you’ve chosen to spend this time with me! As you read this letter, I pray you receive all that the Lord has for you and allow Him to minister to you. He is drawing near to you as you draw near to Him. I’ve shared with you before about the goodness of God, and how through the sacrifice of His precious Son, He wants to freely give to us. Romans 8:32 says:

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

We can see from this scripture that God wants to give us all things. But God also does not want us to miss out on receiving what He has for us.

In Luke, we read about two brothers who took two very different roads to receive what their father had for them. They were both his sons — they belonged to their father, they were loved by their father, and they each had an inheritance. But both sons made choices, and those choices were very costly. Like these two sons, you and I have been richly graced and lavished with the love of our Father, but it is still our choice how we come to know our Father more intimately and receive all He has for us.

Let’s begin in Luke 15:11 and 12.

Then He [Jesus] said: “A certain man had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood.”

Some biblical commentators have said that for this younger son to ask for his share of the inheritance was very disrespectful and dishonoring to his father. In the language used in this young man’s request, there is even a tone of urgency. The request of the son that he be given his inheritance while the father was still alive and in good health was an insult to his father. It was as if the son said, “Father, I cannot wait for you to die! Give me what is mine now!”

This son, who already had everything his father wanted to give him, was so selfish and impatient that he basically said, “I want my money now! I am not waiting for it.” And the loving father freely gave his son all he asked for. The next verse says,

“And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.”

— Luke 15:13,14

This young man thought he now had everything he ever wanted and didn’t need his father anymore. He had asked for and received all his money, but this wayward son didn’t know there was going to be a severe famine in the land. Having spent everything he had, he was not prepared, and the Bible says “he began to be in want” (v. 14). Now poor and hungry, the prodigal son had no one to turn to. The story continues in verse 15:

“Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.”

By this time, the young man had so little favor on him that the person he befriended sent him out to feed the swine rather than take him in to care for him. Feeding the pigs was considered to be the very lowest job that one could have because it was often offered to those you wanted to get rid of. Most would refuse this type of employment, but the prodigal son was desperate, so he took the job. Verse 16 says:

“And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.”

The young man was essentially a slave, and as a slave, any food taken from the swine would have been considered stealing, and he would have been beaten and punished for stealing from his master. He was destitute, and he was close to death.

One commentator stated that the prodigal son would have been so malnourished from lack of food and care that his condition would have been life-threatening. Another biblical commentator compared his life to that of a candle with only a flicker left. It was in this desperate situation that he made a wise choice. Luke 15:17-20 says:

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.”

Notice, friend, it wasn’t the son who was looking for the father, and it was not the son who ran out to meet the father. It was the father who was searching for his son. It was the father who was filled with compassion, fell on his son’s neck, and kissed him. And look at what happened next:

“And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry.’”

— Luke 15:21-23

Amazingly, the father did not even respond to the son’s remorse or guilt but, instead, was ready to receive him just as he was. The elated father called for the servants to bring out his best robe and put it on his son, to put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet, and to bring the fatted calf to eat and be merry. The reason for the father’s joy is expressed in verse 24:

“‘For this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.”

In these verses, we see the loving and compassionate actions of this father in welcoming home his prodigal son. We see that the father was out looking for his son because the Bible said “he was still a great way off” when the father saw him and ran to him. The son was not met with condemnation or harsh words of correction. The son was met with love and compassion from a father who had been waiting for his son’s return.

This son must have been filthy and smelled horrible. His clothes were probably torn and tattered. But it didn’t stop the father from kissing him and falling on his neck. It didn’t stop the father from giving this dirty, rejected-by-society son his very best robe! The father’s compassion put a ring on his son’s hand, put sandals on his son’s feet, commanded the fatted calf be killed, and ensured the rejoicing began!

You may be thinking, Why would a son leave a father like this? Could it be that this son didn’t take the time to get to know his father? Was he too busy and prideful about his own life? Sadly, this son took for granted the blessings that he had and didn’t take the time to get to know the one from which all the blessings came.

Friend, could it be that we have some of these characteristics of the younger son — enjoying the blessings of our Father but not spending time to get to know the One who is blessing us? Instead of being grateful, are we tempted to complain? And instead of recognizing what He has done for us, are we questioning why He hasn’t done more? Could this kind of deception have knocked on our doors at different times to seduce us away from the beauty and intimacy of our Father? Before you answer those questions, let’s turn our attention to the actions and attitudes of the older son who remained with the father while his younger brother squandered the family fortune.

“Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’

“But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’”

— Luke 15:25-30

We see in these verses that the older son made some wrong choices of his own. Yes, he had been obedient and worked hard, but he did not know the heart of the father. He was so unacquainted with his father that he questioned his father’s love for his brother. This son had been given the opportunity to not just work for his father but to serve and really get to know his father. But he still did not know him. He knew his father so little that he didn’t understand why his father would want to bless his brother after what he had done.

The story continues with the father pleading with his older son to come in and celebrate. And then in verse 31, we come to a very sad part of this story. The older son got upset with the father and then the father said to him:

“‘…Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.’”

When I read that verse, I think of Romans 8:32, which again says, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” God did not spare Jesus but gave Him up for us. He wants to give us everything — just like the father of these two young men did.

Let’s not make the mistake of being like the younger son — enjoying the blessings of his father but with a thankless heart. And let’s not be like the older son who was obedient and worked very hard but never took the time to really get to know his father. Neither son really knew the blessing of what they already had and all that the father wanted to freely give them.

In this hour, when it is getting closer and closer to the time of Jesus’ coming, God is pouring out His Spirit. Let’s make whatever changes we need to make to spend more time with our Father, whether it’s by reading His Word, praying, or meditating in His Word. It is never wasted time. The Bible even says that if we meditate in the Word of God, we will have good success (see Joshua 1:8). God has freely given us everything we need to come through victorious in whatever battle we find ourselves in.

Thank you so much for spending this time with me. If you would like more encouragement from the Word, I invite you to join me for my program, TIME With Denise Renner, on Wednesdays at 12:00 p.m. CT on YouTube and Facebook. You can also find me Saturdays at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. CT on GospelTruth.TV and Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. CT on PTL. And you can access my audio podcast on Spotify, Apple, and Google with new episodes every Monday at 5:00 a.m.

Will you let us know how we can pray for you? If you have a special prayer request, one of our prayer partners is just a phone call or email away. Call 1.800.742.5593 or send us an email at prayer@deniserenner.org. We are believing for you to experience the fullness of God’s blessings in your life and the depth of His great love for you!

We are receiving our healing together,

Denise Renner