I am so excited about what I’m about to share with you in my letter today. This is going to be really helpful to you — it’s filled with common sense about what you need to do to keep the attacks of the enemy OUT of your life!

But first, let me ask you how Denise and I can be praying for you this month. This is not a cliché statement. We genuinely want to know how we can pray better for you! Every day — every morning and every night — I spend time praying for our friends and partners. Every day when I wake up and when I go to bed at night, the Lord hears me talking to Him about you and my requests for Him to move mightily in your life. That’s why if you have a specific prayer need, it would be great to know it. It will help Denise and me and our team pray specific and focused prayers for you!

And THANK YOU again for your continued prayers and the purposeful seed you have sown into the Ministry Expansion Project. Your heartfelt, fervent prayers and incredible generosity are propelling our endeavor to acquire a larger building for our Tulsa office and to get the Moscow studio closer to the goal line. The progress is so exciting! You are always welcome to take a look at the “progress thermometer” at renner.org/expansion. And if you feel led to give toward this step of faith we’re taking, please do what the Holy Spirit is asking you to do and join our giving team! We are so thankful for everything our friends and partners are doing to help us reach this goal.

But today I want to minister to you about being on guard against spiritual attacks because as you grow in your spiritual walk, attacks on your life may begin to escalate. The adversary doesn’t want you to grow. Spiritual growth in your life equals real trouble for him and his dark kingdom. He would much prefer that you remain infantile in your spiritual life so that you can inflict on him no serious damage.

Satan is well aware that your growth in God’s Word and in the power of the Holy Spirit poses a grave threat to his domain. So he may attempt to make a preemptive strike against you to slow down your growth. Do not be surprised by such strikes!

In regard to these kinds of attacks from the devil, the apostle Peter said, “Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world” (1 Peter 5:9).

These attacks are attempts of the adversary to drive you back from your land of promise. He doesn’t want you to obey God’s Word and experience blessing. This is exactly why the writer of Hebrews told his readers, “But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions” (Hebrews 10:32).

I want you to understand that a fight nearly always follows illumination — revelation knowledge of God’s Word and His will. That’s why it’s so important for you to realize:

• An attack against your finances is not unique.
• An assault against your body is not unusual.
• A strike against your church is not an oddity.

Satan comes to challenge you when you are gaining new ground. He strikes with an unrelenting force to shove you back into spiritual despair. He wants you to retreat and back off from the frontlines of battle! But by knowing ahead of time how the enemy works, you will be mentally prepared to deal with such challenges. Your knowledge of how and when Satan attacks will equip you to deal with these assaults more intelligently. So it’s also important for you to realize:

• These attacks normally come when you least expect them.
• They usually come from a direction you would have never dreamed of in a million years.
• They are specifically designed to catch you off guard and to take you by surprise.

If you are mentally prepared and alert to the way the enemy operates and to the potential of an attack, you have already eliminated half the battle. Mental preparation removes the element of surprise. This will always give you the upper hand against the enemy.