Strongholds of Worry

December Teaching Letter from Denise Renner

Dear Friends,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Merry Christmas!

We love you and thank God for you!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

—Proverbs 23:31-35

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

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

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

—2 Corinthians 10:4-6

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

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

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

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

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

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

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

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