Receiving the Bread of Heaven

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|Hello Friend,

Thank you for choosing to spend this time with me! In my last two letters, I wrote to you about divine healing, and I would like to continue teaching along this line. This subject is very close to my heart — so much so that I wrote a book called Jesus Is Your Healer, and I am so excited to share with you an excerpt from my book today! I pray you will be encouraged and strengthened by these words. Jesus is the Healer — and He’s your Healer!

Rick and I pray for our partners and friends every single day, and this month, we’re praying that you’ll have a peaceful Christmas filled with the comfort of the Holy Spirit and the confident hope that God gives to those who trust and look to Him. Merry Christmas! And may your new year be one of steadfastness, growth, strength, and fruitfulness for you and those you love!

Here is the excerpt from my book, which will be released in February. I believe this book — and this passage — will illuminate you concerning Jesus’ great willingness and ability to heal you and make you whole. Be encouraged to take hold of that divine ability as you read and let Jesus love you!

I want to show you a powerful example of God’s mercy and compassion in action. When a Gentile woman came to Jesus with a desperate plea for help, she had the faith that wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a word.

And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.”

Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.  Matthew 15:21-28

Partaking of the Bread Provided for Us — the Whole Loaf!

This woman was seeking Jesus for deliverance for her daughter. After Jesus seemingly rejected this desperate woman for the third time, saying, “…‘It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs’” (v. 26), this woman’s response revealed what she believed about Him. It was a response of faith which He is always listening for. She said, “…‘Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table’” (v. 27).

To this, Jesus replied, “…O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire…” (v. 28). And the girl was healed and delivered that very hour as a result of her mother’s faith.

Isn’t that amazing? One word from Jesus was all the woman needed and all she desired to hear. But she didn’t hear that word immediately. She asked and asked again; and she was seemingly rejected several times. But she just kept asking until she received that one word from Jesus that she was desperate to hear: “Let it be to you as you desire.”

That’s the word we want to hear from Jesus as well: “Let it be as you desire.” But sometimes we give up too quickly. We think, Well, I’ve been asking for two weeks for my healing, and I’m not healed yet. I’ve been asking God for the finances I need for two months, but the money hasn’t come. And then we stop pushing through to our miracle.

But not this woman. She was “rejected” over and over again, but she kept pressing in. She was saying, in effect, “I know that I might be seen as a dog in this culture, but even the dogs are given the crumbs. Please, Lord, help me. You can give the whole loaf to Your children. Just give me a crumb, and it will be enough to heal and deliver my daughter.”

The woman’s simple faith touched Jesus so much that He said, “Your faith is great! You can have what you desire.” And her daughter was healed in that same hour.

I love the moment when the person who so desperately needs a miracle suddenly receives that miracle. That’s what happened to me the night I went to bed still in my seemingly unhealed condition, having suffered 13 years from a skin disease, and I woke up the next morning with no disease.

That’s what happens when someone who, having received a diagnosis of cancer, hears the doctor’s dire prognosis but decides to trust God. And then a day comes when the doctor says, “I don’t know where the cancer went — there is no trace of cancer in you!” A believer who experiences that moment didn’t just receive a crumb — he received the whole loaf that is provided for His children!

Oh, that we would take hold of all that God has given us! Jesus said that He is the Bread of Heaven (see John 6:51). Jesus is God, who came to earth in the flesh, and He said, in essence, “Take of Me. I fed My children manna in the wilderness, but now I’m feeding you with Living Bread that is never going to pass away, because it represents My very self.”

In that divine loaf is your financial provision, your healing, and your deliverance from oppression, from depression, from drug addiction, from family turmoil — from any and every bondage that comes from the kingdom of darkness. God has laid out His life through the Person of Jesus Christ, and He offers to you and me the whole loaf!

The Bible says Jesus didn’t come to condemn but to save (see John 3:17). He came to earth so that He could give Himself to you. He is freely offering Himself — His great healing power and His mercy and compassion — to you right now. You simply have to receive it by faith.

My prayer is that you would take these words to heart and continue to “hold fast to the confession of your hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful!” (see Hebrews 10:23). He is always looking for our response of faith!

Again, I am so glad you decided to spend this time with me. If you would like more encouragement from the Word, I invite you to join me for my program TIME With Denise Renner on Wednesdays at 12:00 p.m. CT on YouTube and Facebook. You can also find me on the following:

• GospelTruth.TV — Saturdays at 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. CT
• PTL — Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. CT
• Spotify, Apple, and Google — Mondays at 5:00 a.m. (new audio podcasts)

Will you let us know how we can pray for you? If you need healing or you have a special prayer request, one of our prayer partners is just a phone call or email away. Call 1.844.473.6637 or send us an email at prayer@deniserenner.org.

We’re believing for you to experience the fullness of God’s blessings in your life — including the healing power that is available to you today

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

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