Seven Levels of Oppression

August Teaching Letter from Rick 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|Dear Friends,

Greetings in Jesus’ wonderful name and in the victory that is ours because of Him! I’m excited to continue sharing with you today about how to be set free from oppression!

But before I dive into my teaching, I want to express my thanks to God and to you for all you have done and continue to do to play such a vital role in our ministry. Because your support of us through your prayers and your finances is so crucial to our effectiveness in the Kingdom of God, I want to let you know of something monumental that is occurring at RENNER Ministries! In June of 2021, we took over a Russian-speaking Christian satellite network and renamed it the Good News Channel (GNC). We knew it was the leading of the Lord and moved forward with confidence that He would help us financially fulfill this commitment of broadcasting trusted Christian programming in the Russian language, 24/7, all over the world.

We are now ready to launch a full line of programming, and I wanted you to be one of the first to know because, as with any Kingdom endeavor, although one man or woman — or one ministry — receives a Heavenly assignment, it takes the work of many to execute that assignment and bring it forth to God’s glory. It takes staff in our offices both in the U.S. and Russia to facilitate this programming, and it also takes partners who will really pray for us and contribute financially toward making this outreach effective in the lives of millions of Russian-speaking souls.

When Denise and I call someone a partner, we do so intentionally and with heartfelt meaning. Those who partner with us really are partners in this work of God and all our outreaches. As each person we reach is touched and lives are changed, it is not only being credited to our ministry’s account in Heaven, but also to the account of every person who helped make it happen. Friend, that means YOU!

The Good News Channel will be an ongoing outreach, so please ask the Lord if He would have you join our giving team in reaching all these hungry Russian-speaking people with trusted Bible teaching. You can go to renner.org or call 800-742-5593 to give toward this ever-growing, vast new channel. Thank you so much for being a friend and a partner!

As I continue my teaching today from last month, I want to share with you my own testimony of how the devil tried to assault me mentally and emotionally when I was a young man. I am only sharing this because I want to demonstrate how the devil targets people. This way, you’ll understand how the process works when the devil is attempting to oppress you or someone you love and care about!

When I was young, most of my friends at our church were involved in sports, and the mindset was that to be a real man, you had to be a sports man. Sports were highly valued, and our church friends either bowled or played basketball, softball, or baseball. In fact, they participated in anything involving a ball! But young Ricky Renner was not gifted in any kind of sports involving a ball. I actually detested every kind of ball sport, and to this day, I don’t like any sports that have to do with a ball because it always symbolized failure to me.

When I was just a young man, a voice began to speak to me, saying, There’s something wrong with you. There’s something really wrong. You can’t compete with the other guys. You cannot do what the other guys can do. Those thoughts just kept striking, striking, and striking my mind. When I went to school, I tried to be involved in sports with all the other guys. But, still, I was such a failure when it came to sports. Every day, I would have feelings of failure reinforced by voices speaking failure to me over and over again. This was an early devilish assault on my mind, and because I didn’t understand what was happening, I couldn’t articulate it or verbalize it, much less stand against it.

In place of liking sports like all the other guys, I was drawn to art, music, museums, and things of a creative nature. I was just wired differently. But on top of all that, the same voice that told me I was a failure for not being good at sports also repeatedly sneered, You’re a freak to like the things you like. That voice constantly lambasted me day in and day out. I can still remember looking into the mirror as a young boy and thinking, What is wrong with you? There’s something really wrong with you. It was an outside, oppressive force trying to penetrate my mind and take me hostage.

Then when I was in the seventh grade, I became ill and missed half the school year. During my absence, a new level of math was introduced. When I finally returned to school, I had missed half a year of instruction, so I did not understand what was being taught. Not only was I struggling in math, but I wasn’t doing well in writing because I had missed so much about seventh-grade English and grammar. I struggled every day, and as I sat at my desk, I would hear that same voice speaking to my mind, There’s something wrong with you. You are inferior. You’re a failure. You’re stupid. You can’t understand because you’re stupid! I constantly heard voices accusing me, You’re a failure because you are not athletic, and you are stupid. You’re a freak because you are so different from other people.

Even though I failed in mathematics, my teacher liked me, so she graduated me to the next level in school. But if I didn’t understand math in the seventh grade, how was I going to understand math in the eighth grade? For the entire eighth-grade school year, I struggled in mathematics, with that same dark, relentless voice speaking to me, There’s something wrong with you. You’re just stupid! But that year, my eighth-grade teacher also liked me, so she passed me into the ninth grade.

When I entered ninth grade, it was time to study algebra! My algebra teacher was so old that she had also been my father’s algebra teacher and, unfortunately, when my father was in her class, she did not like him because he had done something mischievous in her classroom.

During my first day in her class, as this teacher was taking roll, she came to my name and said, “Ricky Renner.”

I responded, “Here.” She asked, “Is your father Ronald Renner?” I answered, “Yes, that’s my father.” I remember her face as she pulled her glasses down to the end of her nose. She peered at me behind those thick lenses. Then she pushed her glasses back up onto her face and said matter-of-factly, “Stupid. In this class, your name is Stupid. Any child of Ronald Renner is stupid, stupid, stupid — and that is your name in this class.”

Do you see what was happening? The devil was telling me I was a stupid failure and a freak, and then brought in reinforcements through this woman to daily lambast me to confirm that I was indeed stupid. He was able to use an authority figure, with influence, to reinforce the lies he was already telling me.

When the other students heard what the teacher called me, they thought it was hysterical, and they all began to call me “Stupid.” When I walked through the hallway at school, I would hear, “Hey, Stupid!” or, “Hey, Stupid, where are you going?” Every day when that teacher called the roll in class, she would call everyone else by his or her actual name, but as soon as she came to my name, she would call out, “Stupid Renner.” And every time, I would compliantly answer, “Here.” If I raised my hand to ask a question, she would respond, “Yes, Stupid? Can somebody please help Stupid?”

The devil was striking and striking me with his merciless blows to penetrate my mind so I would believe the lie that I was stupid, a failure, a freak, and there was something really wrong with me. The devil was trying to subdue, conquer, and dominate my young life in order to convince me to believe the lie. The devil knew if I began to believe what he was telling me, that lie would become my reality — a stronghold in my thinking — and that without deliverance, I would fail in life.

Even though the devil was in pursuit of my destruction through his persistent lies, when I was 14 years old, I gloriously received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and those attacks ceased. When I received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the power of God came on me, that power drove that darkness out of my life, all those attacks stopped, and the devil’s mission concerning me was aborted.

I’ve shared this testimony to show you that the devil wants to tell us what to think and what to believe; his goal is to feed us lie after lie trying to get us to take the bait and believe him. Then with that false mindset, we begin acting accordingly, and our view of life and of ourselves changes radically for the worse.

But let me take this a step further and identify seven levels of oppression. I am sharing these so you can identify them in your own life or in someone else’s life. Then in next month’s letter, I’m going to show you how to walk free of the devil’s lies in your mind.

Level Number One: A Personal Attack

The first level of oppression is a personal attack against the mind and emotions. Remember, the devil is diabolos — the one striking, striking, and striking the mind. I vividly recall that when the devil repeatedly spoke to my mind and said, You’re a failure. You’re a freak. You’re stupid. Something is wrong with you, he was striking my mind ruthlessly and continuously. From a very young age, I was targeted. The devil’s intention was to penetrate my mind in order to gain access to and control over my thoughts, emotions, and belief system so he could ultimately destroy me and God’s purpose for my life.

Level Number Two: Reinforcements

During the second level of oppression, the devil sends reinforcements to fortify his mental and emotional attacks. In other words, the devil will use people who will yield to him to corroborate the lies he is speaking to you. In my case, I believed that I was a failure at sports and that there was something wrong with me. One way the devil tried to reinforce that thinking in my young mind was through a baseball coach who mocked me publicly, telling me I was stupid and a failure — which only confirmed to me what I was already feeling and being harassed with. The devil brings in reinforcements through people to support what you are already hearing from him. Of course, my high-school teacher was another such reinforcement, further confirming the barrage of thoughts that continually assaulted my mind. And all my fellow classmates who called me Stupid throughout my ninth-grade year were reinforcements on an even larger scale!

Level Number Three: Life Experiences and Disappointments

In stage three of oppression, the devil uses negative life experiences and disappointments to fortify his deceptive lies. In my own life, experience after experience of failure in sports and in school convinced me that what I was believing and what I was hearing was the truth. I was not doing well in math; I was not doing well in English, which is amazing because today I’ve authored many books. It was as if the enemy knew certain things about my future and was attempting to sabotage me early on and abort my calling.

Level Number Four: Influential Voices

In stage four of oppression, influential voices bolster the intensity of the devil’s attack. As I told you, when I entered ninth grade, I had a teacher who disliked my dad. On my first day of class, I innocently showed up and the bombardment began.

Because an influential voice was now speaking to me, repeating exactly the same lie the devil had been speaking, I was victimized by an intensifying of that attack.

The ninth-grade students had also taken job-placement tests that year. After taking mine, I was called in for an interview by the test administrators — more voices of authority — to tell me how I should plan my future education and vocation. Two different counselors told me, “Ricky, you have no future. Mentally, you don’t have what is needed to go to college or pursue higher levels of education. We would encourage you to think about digging ditches or maybe helping to build roads — doing something manual because mentally, you will never be able to handle anything higher.”

There’s nothing wrong with building roads and infrastructures — those jobs are desperately needed in any civilized society! But I wasn’t called to do those types of jobs. I was called to study the Greek language and to teach the Word of God around the world through books, TV, and other platforms! The devil was trying to bolster the intensity of the attack on my life and ministry calling through influential voices — “experts.” The enemy had brought the teacher, a baseball coach, and, finally, two job-placement counselors to reinforce his lies. On top of that, the devil was still speaking lies to me personally, striking my mind repeatedly.

Level Number Five: Negative Faith

In the fifth level of oppression, negative faith in the lie is released by the one whose mind and emotions are being attacked. Jesus clearly taught that whatever we believe is what we receive. The devil’s purpose is to inundate our minds with a lie until we hear it so many times, the lie begins to become “truth” to us. In other words, we begin to believe we’re stupid or a failure, etc. We begin to believe that there is something wrong with us, and what we believe about ourselves is empowered by our faith to become a reality.

What you believe is so important. If you believe a lie, your believing will empower that lie, and it will become your reality. Conversely, if you believe the truth, the truth will become your reality. Whatever you believe becomes your reality. If you release negative faith in a lie, you will empower that lie, which leads us to level number six.

Level Number Six: What Is Believed Becomes a Living Reality

When lies are believed and embraced, they leave the mental realm and enter the physical realm — then whatever you have believed becomes your reality. If you believe the lie long enough that you are stupid, you will become stupid. If you believe you are a failure, you will eventually become a failure. If you believe you are a freak, you become a freak. When we believe the lie, our faith in that lie is released. When we accept the lie, it leaves the mental and emotional realm and enters the physical realm.

Level Number Seven: Domination for a Lifetime

The ultimate aim of the enemy is to take us hostage so he can dominate us for the rest of our lives. That did not happen to me because I received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and it set me free. (If you have never received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, call RENNER Ministries, and we will pray with you to receive this powerful experience!)

You Can Pull Down the Devil’s Lies in Your Mind

But even if a person becomes subjugated to the devil’s tyranny and control, he or she can become free once again. In Second Corinthians 10:4, the apostle Paul wrote about calling down the lies that the devil is trying to plant in your mind and emotions. The verse begins, “Casting down imaginations….”

The words “casting down” are a translation of a Greek word that means to take it down and to disassemble, if needed, bit by bit. The use of this word means a lie can be demolished, destroyed, dismantled, thrown down, knocked down, broken up, broken apart, and pulled to pieces until nothing is left of it.

Paul specifically says we can cast down “imaginations.” In Greek, the word “imagination” is logismos, and it is where we get the idea of what the mind is thinking. The devil knows that the mind is the central control center of your life, and whoever controls your mind controls you. If the devil can control your mind, he can control what you think and what you believe. If he can control your mind, he can control your self-image. Your self-image will begin to affect the way you relate to others and how others perceive you.

Whoever has your mind has you. That is why God wants your mind! That’s the reason we need to renew our mind with the Word of God (see Romans 12:2). God wants your mind because when God has your mind, He has you.

But the Bible says that if you have a wrong mental stronghold — or if the devil is trying to suppress you in your mind or emotions — you can take that imagination apart, dismantle it, and disassemble it bit by bit until nothing is left of it and you are finally free.

And not only can we cast down imaginations, but Paul says we can cast down every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. The words “high thing” are from a Greek word that describes any kind of presumptuous thought that “exalts itself” against the knowledge of God. So what does that mean? Let me give you a few examples.

• God says you are healed, but your flesh or mind says you are not healed and that you will never be healed.
• God also says you are made perfect in Christ, but your flesh will say you are a failure and that you’re never going to change or be anything in life.
• God declares you are His very own righteousness in Christ and that there is no condemnation for you as you seek to walk with Him — but the enemy will assault your mind with thoughts that you are a guilty sinner!

The enemy wants to exalt his lie over your life — and it is always a lying voice that opposes whatever God has declared about you. You see, God speaks the truth, but the devil says the opposite. The enemy has waged an all-out war to try to convince you to disbelieve whatever God has declared about you!

That is why Paul goes on to say we must bring “every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (see 2 Corinthians 10:5).

The word “obedience” is the Greek word hupakoe, which is a compound of the word hupo and akoe. The word hupo carries the idea of being in a subservient position, while the word akoe means I hear. When the two words are compounded, it depicts one who is submitted; one who listens willingly or by force; one who obeys what he hears, either willingly or by compulsion, duress, or pressure.

This means that to destroy a mental or emotional stronghold, we must speak to our mind and emotions and make them submit to what God’s Word says about us. The word hupo depicts you submitting yourself to the Word of God, and the word akoe pictures you bending your ear to what God has to say and then obeying it. You must submit your mind and your emotions to God and His Word — and you must force yourself to listen to and put into practice everything God says about you. In the process of making your mind and emotions submit to Christ and His Word rather than to the lies you’ve been hearing, you will begin disassembling those lies bit by bit and completely demolishing the rule of oppression in your life.

The fact is, we must choose which voice we hear. We can keep listening to the lie or choose to hear the truth. Whichever voice we choose to listen to is the one we will believe, and the voice we believe is the one that will become our reality.

So if you want to be free, you must choose to listen to the liberating voice of God. You must bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ and the knowledge of God — you must bring your mind captive to what God says about you. You must make the choice to hear the truth and believe it so that truth becomes your reality and obliterates the lie. If you’ll bend your brain to hear God’s Word and shut your ears to the enemy’s voice, you — and those you love — can walk free of every oppressive thought as you cast down vain imaginations.

I know that I’ve gone a little longer than I usually do in my monthly teaching letter, but I didn’t want to miss one important point in what I’ve shared with you today. My heart’s desire is to see people set free from the oppressive work of the enemy. And even more, Acts 10:38 says Jesus is anointed to set people free from oppression, so that means a part of our God-given assignment is also to see people set free!

If you need specific prayer about anything I’ve touched on today, please contact us by calling, writing, or emailing us. I promise that we’ll keep your prayer request confidential and we’ll pray forcefully for God to move on your behalf. Denise and I and my team are always praying for you anyway, but if you let us know how to specifically pray, it will enable us to do it even more effectively!

Please pray for Denise and me, our family, and our team, as we continue doing what Jesus has asked us to do. Like you, we are also doing our part to drive back the work of the enemy and to bring the healing, delivering power of Jesus into people’s lives. Thank you again for your partnership with our ministry. Your prayers and support are such an important part of our ability to do what Jesus has called our ministry to do — I cannot stress that enough!

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

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