Dear Friend,

Thank you in advance for reading this letter and spending this time with me today. It is such an honor and a privilege to be able to share my heart with you. Proverbs 3:5 and 6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct your paths.” How important it is for us to read and hear this passage again and again and to really “see” it. But the power is in the doing, and that is what I want to talk to you about today.

Recently, I was praying with someone for her healing, and every word she said indicated she really believed God. Then she said, “I really believe God, so why am I still sick?”

Have you ever asked that question? I think many of us have asked that question from time to time.

As I talked to this woman a little longer, I understood that there was something in her soul that did not want to let go of that sickness. You may be thinking, But how can anyone not want to let go of sickness!

This woman had been abused by various people growing up, and in her adulthood, she was mistreated by an abusive husband. There was so much pain and hurt attached to this woman’s precious heart. Through all this abuse, she tried to be strong and to save herself, and it had become ingrained in her as a lifestyle to try to save herself — actually, to fix herself and everyone else around her. There was so much pain deep in her soul, and to feel better about herself inside and to erase her shame, she was habitually trying to work more than she should work and to try to rid those around her of their pain. She desperately wanted to be free, yet as much as she tried to heal her own soul, the sickness in her body would not move.

God didn’t send Jesus through His horrifying death for us to heal ourselves — He did it for us to trust in Him to heal us. And in the case of this precious woman, whether she realized it or not, she was saying inside, Lord, I believe what You did for me, but it is not enough — I have to pay some of this debt.

That is where the problem is. Jesus paid the whole sum for our debt, and anything we try to do does not and cannot release us from the debt. Instead, our aggressive activity to heal ourselves actually plugs up and hinders His merciful redeeming power from manifesting in our lives. Only His blood and sacrifice and resurrection can provide our freedom — that was this woman’s only freedom. In our flesh, we might try to pay, but it doesn’t work. There is only One who paid the whole debt. He was the only One who could pay it — and He did it! Jesus paid it all!

Jesus said a house divided against itself cannot stand (see Mark 3:25). There is no agreement where there is such “division.” For example, if we say, “Yes, Jesus paid my debt, but in this tiny area of my life, I’m trying to work it out on my own,” then we are divided. If we’re trying to work on ourselves in our own strength, we are leaning on our own power. But our total power and freedom are in what Jesus did, not in what we can do. And if we want to see the victory, we have to wholeheartedly believe and agree with what He did for us and then receive His power.

Friend, it is so important that you see that as a believer, you did not start this salvation that is flowing through your spirit — and you are not the one who is going to finish it. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith….” So, you see, He started it, and He, by His power, will be the One to finish it.

When we, somewhere in our thoughts, think, I’ve got this, and I know how I can fix this problem, we are leaning on our own strength and understanding and not His. And we are going to miss something very needed along the way, because whether it is our intention or not, we are showing that we are not in agreement with what Jesus did — all that He accomplished in His horrific death and His powerful, mighty resurrection.

In closing, this is what I want to say to you: This month marks the beginning of spring, and in many parts of the world, new life is beginning to come forth. So let’s think deeply and gratefully about what Jesus did — and is doing — more than about what we can do for ourselves. He wants the answers to our prayers to spring forth and bear fruit like a tree in spring!

In the Gospels, Jesus often said we have to be like a little child to enter and to receive and experience the Kingdom of God. Is there anyone more trusting than a little child? No, because children simply trust. That’s why I started this letter with Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” It is in the trusting — with complete faith and trust like that of a little child — that we experience His love, peace, direction, healing, and freedom.

I pray the message in this letter encourages you to trust Him more deeply and to not lean on your own power or understanding. I believe more than ever that God is waiting for us to completely trust Him so that He can show His mighty power to us in every area of our lives, especially in these very unsettling times.

Thank you again for spending this time with me. If you have any prayer needs, please let us know. Our prayer team is so willing to join with you in faith and prayer. And if God has done something special for you, please let us know — we love to hear these testimonies!

Also, I hope you are enjoying my new program Time With Denise Renner on YouTube, Facebook, and Renner.org. I have already heard from so many viewers, and I appreciate those responses so very much.

Let’s keep trusting in Him with all our heart. Call or write to our team at 1-800-742-5593 or email us at prayer@renner.org.

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner