Before I get into what is on my heart to share with you today, I want to say THANK YOU for your faithfulness to the Lord and for being among the best partners in the whole world. Denise and I are thankful to the Lord for you — and for our entire partner family. We are particularly grateful for your special generosity over the summer months. You are helping us to take the life-changing teaching of God’s Word to the ends of the earth. We are having a record response from people who are reaching out to us for prayer and spiritual support. Please pray for our whole team as they diligently respond to all these needs.

I also want to tell you that my new book The Rapture, the Antichrist, and the Tribulation — an End-Times Countdown and What Happens Next has been released! If you haven’t ordered your copy, I want to encourage you to get yours by calling 1-800-742-5593 or by going online to renner.org/rapture. I was able to send some pre-release copies to Christian leaders across the nation, and many of them have responded with such encouraging comments, stating that it is a book that is really on time for believers — it will clear up a lot of confusion and fear that people have on this important subject. I wanted you to be aware that it is finally available!

Today I want to talk to you about HEALING.

Each year, our ministry is blessed to receive countless prayer requests, many of which come from individuals seeking healing for themselves or for loved ones and friends. It is a deep honor to unite our faith with theirs and steadfastly trust in the manifestation of God’s healing promises in their lives. In response to our faith-filled prayers, people regularly reach out again to let us know that they (or those they know and love) received healing or grew progressively better after we prayed with them. Oh, how we love to hear those praise reports!

But there are also others with whom we agreed in prayer for healing who are still waiting for the answer to come. In some cases, those individuals have waited so long that it seems to them as if the answer has been endlessly delayed. Some have waited so long that hope appears to wear thin, and questions loom large: Why does my healing remain unseen? Why does healing elude me despite my steadfast faith? Or, Am I doing something wrong that prevents my healing from taking place? These instances leave people grappling with profound — and often unanswered — questions.

Today and over the next few months, I want to encourage your faith by focusing on healing. Let’s begin by focusing our attention on First John 5:14-15, which says, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”

This passage assures us that we can possess unwavering conviction that when we petition for anything aligned with God’s will, He both listens and responds affirmatively. The word “confidence” in this verse is interpreted from the Greek word parresia, signifying a manner of expressing oneself boldly, candidly, and with straightforwardness. This bold kind of speech is often translated in the New Testament as the word “confidence.” Indeed, it depicts a confident kind of speaking — a daring to speak exactly what one believes or thinks with no hesitation or intimidation. Within this context, it means if we know our prayers are in harmony with God’s will, we have the liberty to approach God with boldness, honesty, and directness as we present our petitions to Him.

In fact, verse 14 goes on to say that “…if we ask anything according to His will, he heareth us….” The word “ask” is from a form of the Greek word aiteo, which conveys a sense of demanding or insisting. This term paints a picture of someone who approaches prayer with authority, unafraid to voice his needs and fully expecting to receive what he seeks. The confidence of such a person stems from the fact that he or she is asking “according to His [God’s] will.” This means that individual is not just randomly asking for anything he or she wishes, but is praying “according to His will.” When you pray with what aligns with God’s Scriptures, there is no need to be timid. Instead, you can stand firm, assert your faith, and expect God to respond!

First John 5:14 continues to say that if we pray according to His will — or according to what God has revealed in His Word — “He heareth us.” God’s ear is attuned to His own promises spoken back to Him, and that is what prompts Him to take action. While our emotions and needs matter deeply to Him, it is ultimately the confident, heartfelt recitation of His promises that stirs Him to respond. Therefore, understanding what God has revealed as His will, particularly concerning healing, is of utmost importance. Indeed, First John 5:14 states that God is moved to action when He hears a believer boldly praying the promises of His Word.

As mentioned before, God responds to prayers when they are aligned with the teachings and truths found in His Word. This is why it is crucial to align your prayers with His will. Knowing the will of God — and praying according to the will of God — is absolutely essential if you want to see your prayers answered. And it is absolutely God’s will for you to be healed and to live in health. You will see as this teaching unfolds that these blessings are included in Christ’s work of redemption on the Cross.

God’s Explicit Will for Your Life

In Third John, verse 2, the apostle John expressed the will of God when he wrote, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospereth.”

This verse is an unequivocal declaration of God’s explicit will for your life, and, hence, it is key for you to understand this verse. Having this verse cemented into your heart and mind will put you on a foundation so strong you can confidently release your faith for divine healing.

The word “wish” in this verse is a translation of the Greek word euchomai, which means to express one’s strongest desire or will. John was writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, which means this was not only John’s strongest desire and will, but also God’s strongest desire for His people.

Since the explicit will of God for every believer is stated in this verse, we need to really examine it to discover exactly what is God’s will for each of us. John wrote, “…I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospereth.”

First, the words “above all things” are an interpretation of the Greek words peri panton. The word peri means a circumference and that which surrounds, and the word panton is all-inclusive and means everything. As a phrase, it pictures absolutely everything that encompasses you, surrounds you, and concerns you — and that means absolutely everything.

Then John added that it was his desire (and because he was writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he was actually expressing God’s will) that God’s people would “prosper.” The word “prosper” is interpreted from a form of the Greek word euodoo, which is a compound of the words eu and hodos. The word eu means good and pictures what is enjoyable, delightful, and pleasurable, and the word hodos is the Greek word for a road. As the compounded word euodoo that John used, it means to have a joyful, enjoyable, delightful, and pleasurable experience on every road of life you take.

In the ancient world, prosperity was frequently measured by the size of one’s home or the quantity of other possessions, as well as having enough finances to travel abroad and take vacations. For example, in Acts 19:25 when Paul was ministering with such great results in Ephesus that the idol-makers feared their “wealth” would be affected, the word “wealth” is translated from the Greek word euporia. This word is similar to euodoo in Third John 2 because it also means prosperity, wealth, and abundance. To have euporia meant to have the ability to travel and have an enjoyable traveling experience.

The idol-workers in Ephesus measured their prosperity and wealth by whether they had enough financial resources to travel and vacation abroad. Whether they were traveling to faraway places on expeditions to enhance their trade or their studies as explorers and hobbyists, or they were traveling and enjoying leisurely time away in a foreign land — travel was an indicator of a person’s wealth and status. These idol-workers feared that Paul’s preaching and the infiltration of the Gospel would cause people to stop buying the idols they made, thus affecting their income to the point that they would no longer be able to travel abroad and take vacations.

The way the word euodoo was used in history tells us that it was John’s (and God’s) will that believers “prosper,” meaning that God wants His people to have not only enough money to pay their basic bills, but also enough extra to enjoy life to the point they can travel and enjoy themselves.

In the First Century, traveling was an outward sign of prosperity and wealth. The same might be true today in the way some measure prosperity, but, largely, people measure wealth differently in modern society — for example, by the size of people’s homes or the quantity of their possessions or other resources. But the ability to travel was a pronounced mark of prosperity in the ancient world. Maybe traveling is not your dream, but according to the verses we’ve seen previously, the word “prosper” (euodoo) pictures having more than enough to pay your basic bills and sufficient resources to enjoy any road of life that you will ever take. In other words, it is not God’s will for you to struggle and barely make it in life, but to have enough financially to enjoy yourself along the way.

But notice John then added that it was his strongest desire (and God’s) that the people of God “be in health.” The word “health” is interpreted from a form of hugiaino, a word that depicts being physically healthy, in good working order, and in sound condition, and it includes mental soundness. The reason it is translated as the word “whole” is that it carries the idea of wholeness or of one who is complete and sound in every part of his being.

In John 5, we discover that a form of the word hugiaino is used four times concerning the lame man at the pool of Bethesda.

• In John 5:6, Jesus asked the lame man, “Wilt thou be made whole?” The word “whole” is from a form of hugiaino, which signifies Jesus was asking if he wanted to be healthy, in good working order, and sound physically and mentally.
• In John 5:9, we read that after Jesus told the man to pick up his bed and walk, he was “made whole.” The word “whole” is again translated from a form of hugiaino, which means he was immediately made healthy, restored to good working order, and made sound physically and mentally.
• In John 5:11, after the religious leaders asked who healed him, the healed man answered that it was Jesus who had made him “whole.” The word “whole” is again translated from a form of hugiaino, which means he testified that it was Jesus who’d made him healthy, in good working order, and sound physically and mentally.
• In John 5:14, after Jesus found the man, He told him, “Behold, thou art made whole.” The word “whole” is again translated from a form of hugiaino, which means Jesus jubilantly acknowledged that the man was now healthy, in good working order, and sound physically and mentally.

So when John wrote that it was his (and God’s) strongest desire and will that God’s people be in “health,” it meant that God wants His people to be healthy, physically in good working order, and sound physically and mentally.

In Third John 2, John wrote, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health…,” and we have covered the words “wish,” “above all things,” “prosper,” and “health.” But then John added “as thy soul prospereth.” The word “soul” refers to the emotions, mind, and will. Herein we find that God not only wants us to be in good physical health, but He wants His Word to transform our souls to the point that every thought — or every road the mind finds itself traveling — will be filled with the abundance of God’s grace. Overall, we find that it is God’s explicit will for His people to be healthy, in good physical working order, sound physically, and abundantly blessed with good mental health.

The RIV (Renner Interpretive Version) of Third John 2 says:

My dearly loved brothers, it is my strongest desire that you prosper in every way that concerns you — that you not only have enough money to pay your basic bills but enough extra so you can really enjoy yourselves on every road of life that you take — and that you be healthy, in good, physical working order, sound physically in every way, and that you are blessed with good mental health.

Today I want you to see that the Bible clearly states it is God’s unequivocal will for you to prosper on every road you take in life and to continuously enjoy the benefits of good physical and mental health — and that if you pray with faith according to God’s will, He hears you, and He will do what you requested!

When we come back next month, I want to pick up here and continue. Healing is needed by everyone at some time, so my heartfelt prayer is that the Holy Spirit will use this series of letters to enlighten your understanding and provide long sought-after answers that will lead you into the healing and health Jesus purchased at the Cross for you.

Thanks so much for letting me minister to you today. Please remember that we are here to pray for you, and if we can agree with you in prayer about anything on your heart or that you are facing, we are waiting to join our faith with yours for God to do what needs to be done. Just call 1-800-742-5593 or write to us at prayer@renner.org. And be praying for us, too, as we do what Jesus has called us to do. Thank you again for being such a faithful friend and partner!

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

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

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