Dear Friends,

Today I want to speak to you about resisting the enemy’s attacks in your life.

But first, I want to wish you a happy Thanksgiving and to THANK YOU for being such a faithful friend and partner with this ministry! Proverbs 10:21 says, “The lips of the righteous feed many….” That verse describes God’s call to our ministry to feed many people the Word of God. Denise and I and our family and team can each do our part, but our partners’ regular giving is what enables us to take this message to people everywhere. We are giving our all to obey God, and the part you do is so vital in His great plan. That is why I want to say thank you to you before anything else today! We all have so much to be grateful for, and there is no better time than now to express again how thankful Denise and I are for you.

I also want you to know that my new book Christmas — The Rest of the Story is now available for purchase in our online store! From cover to cover, you’ll find full-color, original hand-drawn illustrations decorating every page. Packed with biblical truth and history, this book tells the story of our Savior’s birth and His purpose for coming in a way you’ve probably never heard before! I believe that as you gather with your family or friends this year, you will want this book within arm’s reach so you can share all the treasures that are in it. To order your copy today, go to renner.org.

Now let me share what is on my heart with you today.

As you grow in your spiritual walk, you need to know that attacks on your life may begin to escalate. But the good news is that your new growth and your knowledge of God’s Word will help you come through each attack as the victor!

It is certain that the devil doesn’t want you to grow because 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 do him no serious damage. Satan is well–aware that your growth in the knowledge of God’s Word and the power of the Holy Spirit poses a grave threat to his domain. He will, therefore, attempt to make a preemptive strike against you to slow down your growth. Do not be surprised by such preemptive strikes in your life!

Paul said, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man…” (1 Corinthians 10:13). In regard to these attacks from the devil, Peter also 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).

In the midst of a spiritual assault that you’re experiencing, the devil may try to coax your flesh and emotions into believing that no one has ever been attacked like you’re being attacked. He may whisper to your mind that no one else has ever gone through the difficulties that you are going through right now. But you need to realize that this is a trick to make you fix your eyes on the problem and to overmagnify it.

It is vital for you to know that as you grow and your understanding of God’s Word begins to increase, you will probably have many opportunities to use your faith and to resist the devil. I can’t begin to count the times someone has told me, “I didn’t have any health problems until I got the revelation that Jesus bore all my sicknesses! After I started believing and confessing that healing was in the Atonement, it seemed like I was hit with all kinds of sicknesses!”

Others have said, “I had no financial woes until I believed what the Word of God has to say about tithes and offerings. Everything was fine financially until I started acting on the Word of God. Then when I began to give tithes and offerings to the Lord, everything seemed to fall to pieces!”

These attacks are attempts of the devil to drive you back from your land of promise. You see, he doesn’t want you to obey God’s Word and experience God’s blessings. 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).

You need to know that a fight nearly always follows illumination. When you have received revelation concerning some area of the Word of God, the enemy comes almost immediately to attack, trying to steal the Word you have just embraced. Satan wants to make you doubt that Word so that you’re unable to confidently stand on it by faith.

That’s why it’s so important for you to realize that:

• 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.

This is simply how the enemy works.

Satan comes to challenge you when you are gaining new ground. He waits until growth has begun; then he strikes with unrelenting force to shove you back into spiritual despair. He wants you to retreat and back off from the frontlines of battle!

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.

In regard to these times of spiritual assault, James said, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations” (James 1:2). Notice that James doesn’t say to count it all joy if you fall into diverse temptations. He says when. The word “when” implies that these attacks will come. The Greek tense used here suggests that:

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

From time to time, everyone comes under some type of assault. Regardless of whether the enemy’s attack originates in the natural realm or the spirit realm, the important thing for you to know is how to respond when such an attack commences against you.

God doesn’t warn us of this in order to inspire fear in us. He forewarns us of this reality so that when attacks do come, we will not be shocked and taken off guard and, thus, thrown into a state of confusion and discouragement. We are to anticipate such attacks.  

The devil does not want you to make spiritual progress, and he will try to stop you dead in your tracks! If nothing else, the presence of these attacks prove that you are making headway in your spiritual life and are becoming a threat to the security of the kingdom of darkness. Otherwise, these unseen enemies would leave you alone.

But 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 is a major key for dealing with potential attacks. If we are mentally alert to this possibility, and if we understand that these attacks occur when we are becoming more illuminated concerning the Word and our place in Christ, we will be better positioned to guard against and overcome these assaults.

If you’re experiencing some kind of attack in any area of your life, it’s time for you to rejoice that the devil is threatened by the progress you are making — and it’s time for you to use your faith to drive him out of that area of your life. You have all the authority you need to push the devil out of the picture — so use that authority and start pushing in Jesus’ name! That is what I had on my heart to share with you today!

If you need someone to help you pray and push an attack out of your life, reach out to us by phone, by email, or by letter. I assure you that we know how to pray and how to use the authority of Jesus’ name, and we will agree in faith that God’s power will drive the enemy out of your territory! But please…let us know how we can be praying for you. And always remember, we are so thankful to God for your partnership with our ministry. Together, we are making a difference in the lives of many people around the world.

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