The Power of the Anointing

April 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|Dear Friend,

I want to ask you a question. Has fear been trying to knock at the door of your heart or your mind or your emotions? In this world that we’re living in today, we could be afraid of anything. We can be afraid of this disease or that problem or these relational difficulties or those things going on in this country or that country, and that fear is just mounting up like a river that’s about to swell over its banks.

I want to say right now, if you are struggling with fear, there’s no condemnation in Christ Jesus. Hebrews 4:15 says that He was tempted in all ways as we are. Of course, He did not sin, but He understands and empathizes and sympathizes with us when we are tempted to fear. Fear comes to all of us, so we need to have some tools to deal with that fear. We can’t just let fear have its way and push us backward; we have to recognize the faith that God puts in us when we are born again and use that faith against fear.

Today, I want to talk to you about a great overcomer, and that is David. The Bible says that through the blood of Jesus, through the resurrection, through the word of God, we are more than conquerors, and if fear comes knocking at our door, we have power to overcome, just like David overcame the giant.

*[If you started reading this from your email, begin reading here.]

David’s Anointing

Now, we’re going to talk about how David defeated Goliath, but I’ve got to start with something very important, and that is when David was anointed.

In First Samuel, starting at the beginning of chapter 16, we see all these clues about how important this anointing is that Samuel comes with:

Now the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided for Myself a king among his sons.”

And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.”

—1 Samuel 16:1-2

That’s how important this was, that Samuel could have died for the anointing he was carrying for David!

We get another clue when he arrives in Bethlehem. The Bible says that the elders of the town “trembled at his coming.” It is such a big deal that Samuel is coming to their little, tiny town of Bethlehem. Samuel’s presence, his influence, his reputation are all scary. It’s so powerful, and the men are terrified. They even ask about his coming:

“Do you come peaceably?”

And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.

—1 Samuel 16:4-5

So, when Jesse brings forward his sons, Samuel looks at Eliab, and he thinks that surely the Lord’s anointed is before him right now. Surely, it’s Eliab. But the Lord says to Samuel:

“Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

—1 Samuel 16:7

Then Jesse brings one more of his sons, Abinadab. He brings him forward, but the Lord says, “Nope, that’s not the one.” Jesse then brings forward Shammah, and the Lord says, “Nope, that’s not the one.” Jesse brings seven of his sons before Samuel, but none of them are the one that God has chosen. Finally, Samuel has to ask him, “Is this all you have?”

Now, I want you to pay close attention here, because it seems to me this is a huge thing that has happened for this family. The prophet Samuel came, and everybody was consecrated to do this sacrifice, and they’re all there except for one. David. Jesse could have called David for that special experience, but he didn’t. But that didn’t matter, because God called David.

Maybe fear has tried to say to you, “Well, you’re not so and so,” or “You don’t look like so and so,” or “You can’t do what other people do,” or “You’re not wealthy,” or all these other terrible things that our minds think sometimes to put us down. But God chose him. God chose David, and God chose you. It doesn’t matter what other people are thinking or saying. God chose you to carry His power and His name. He chose you to make a difference in your family, at your job, or at your school.

God’s anointing is on you, just like we see it was on David. Verse 12 tells us that when David comes, the Lord says, “This is the one.” The one who wasn’t called by his father or his brothers is exactly the one who is called by God, because it doesn’t matter what people think compared to God’s calling on your life. And then verse 13 says:

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.

—1 Samuel 16:13

 

Walking in the Anointing

Now what happens after that? Well, in chapter 17, we hear about this war that’s happening between the Israelites and the Philistines. There’s a valley between the two armies, the Israelites on one side and the Philistines on the other. The Philistines bring forth, it says, a great man of war, Goliath, a giant. And for 40 days, that giant does his very best to intimidate the children of Israel.

Well, Jesse sends David down to the camp with cheeses and bread to feed his brothers who are fighting in this battle. When David arrives, of course, he hears Goliath yelling and intimidating and defying the armies of Israel, and he sees that these men are dreadfully afraid. And David says:

“What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

—1 Samuel 17:26

Now, this is where we can begin to see the effect of that anointing. Being anointed was not just some small thing. A few weeks or maybe just a few days ago, David was just a shepherd boy, but now, he’s been anointed by Samuel, by the Lord, and an anointing carries power. It is a big deal. So, when David goes to that battle, he’s had a change in his life, and he is bold in the face of fear.

But just like before, when David wasn’t even called to his own anointing, he has to overcome so much in the Israelite camp. He overcomes Eliab saying to him, “You are just prideful and insolent. You just want to be here and see the battle.” He puts David down so bad. Then David goes before Saul, the king, and Saul even says, “You’re not able to do this.” He tries to discourage David and put armor on him that he can’t wear, but David says to Saul:

“Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

—1 Samuel 17:36-37

And why is David so bold? Maybe a few weeks ago, maybe even a few days ago, he was just a shepherd boy. Now, everyone tells him he can’t defeat this giant, but When David comes to that battle, he has been anointed King. He is moving in something that he didn’t have before.

When Fear Comes Knocking

David finally faces the giant, and when Goliath sees him, the Bible says, “he disdained him for he was only a youth.” He doesn’t know about the anointing on David. So, the Philistine says to David,

“Am I a dog, that you’ve come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.”

—1 Samuel 17:43-44

Has fear ever tried to breathe down your neck and say, “I’ll tell you what you’re going to do. I’ll tell you what you’re not going to do”? Well, that is what this Philistine is telling David.

So many times, God gives us an assignment or tells us to do something, and we are ready to do it, and we start moving forward, but then something happens—the enemy starts speaking to us, or somebody else voices a hurtful opinion, or maybe we get offended. Something happens and then fear starts to have a voice. Fear will stop us in our assignment. Before, we saw so clearly, “Yes! Let’s do it! Let’s go forward!” But then fear begins to speak, and now we say, “I need to rethink that. I need to back up from that. I know God said that, but maybe that’s for somebody else to do. Maybe I’m not as strong as I think I am. If I do that, I’m going to fail, and what will happen to me after that?”

But look at what David says in verses 45 and 46:

“Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day, the Lord will give you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beast of the earth that the earth may know that there is a God in Israel”

We can say that to fear. We can say, “Fear, you just shut up right now. You’re not even allowed to speak another word to me. This day, fear, you will bow!”

This is what David is saying, and you know what he does next? He doesn’t bow to fear. In fact, the Bible says he runs toward the giant. Faith does not hesitate. Fear hesitates and pulls back, but faith charges forward. David pulls that sling, a weapon that he was familiar with, and that rock goes right into that giant’s temple, and that giant falls right to the ground. Then, just like he said, David runs to the giant, takes the giant’s sword, and cuts off his head.

Anointing in your life

You may be saying, “Well, I’m not like David. I’m not bold. I’m not a king or even a future king. I couldn’t be like that.”

Friend, if I ask you, “Do you think that David was mightily anointed?” you would probably say, “Of course he was. I mean, Samuel poured that oil over him. The Bible says he was anointed.” But let me tell you something important right now: we are anointed too.

As I was studying this, I thought about how the Lord says in His word that we have the spirit of Christ in us because if we are without Christ, we’re none of His (See Romans 8:9). But we are with Christ, and the word “Christ” means the anointed one and His anointing. The Anointed One has come in to live on the inside of you, to even empower you and be with you every single moment of every single day. We are anointed and empowered just like David.

Before you come to Christ, you are just a person who is in the world doing your own sinful thing. The Bible even says that we were servants to the enemy of this world. Our hearts were against God. But when you get born again, you are anointed. I’m saying to you, friend, we’re not just some mere little Christians walking around in this world without any power and without any authority. No! We’re anointed.

It says in 1 Corinthians 6:19,

“Don’t you know that the Holy Spirit lives on the inside of you and that you are his temple?”

You are not just some little person down here on Earth while God gets to be great and big up there in Heaven. You are one with the Lord. Yes, God is almighty and amazing and magnificent. We cannot even come up with enough adjectives to describe Him. But He says in His word that He is one with you. You are anointed.

Like David, we do not have to bow to the enemy of fear. We do not have to bow to the enemy of sickness. We do not have to bow to the enemy of strife and confusion and hate. We’re anointed to say, “No, fear. You will not dominate me. You will not manipulate me. You will not stop me because the greater one is in me than he that’s in this world. I am anointed by God to stand up against you.” Isn’t this fantastic? You’re not just some little Christian struggling around in this world. If Christ lives inside of you, you are anointed. You’re anointed to take down and overcome the spirit of fear.

Friend, we’ve got to recognize that when God speaks to us, He wants us to do what He said, and He gives us the power to do it. When you come to your battle or your giant, when you come to that place where fear is trying to overcome you, you are anointed to overcome it. You’re equipped to face the enemy. You’re equipped to face the giant. You’re equipped to say “No” to fear. You’re equipped to shut up the lies of the enemy.

Before, David was just a shepherd boy. He wasn’t special beyond you and me. But after he was anointed king, he went into that battle with that giant with something that he didn’t have before, and he came out a conqueror. And that power that he had is the same power that’s inside of you.

Closing

Before I close my letter to you, I just want to invite you to join me every Wednesday on TIME with Denise Renner. Every Wednesday at 12:00 PM CT, I get the privilege of opening up God’s word and sharing what’s on my heart for you. You can watch on my Facebook page, YouTube channel, or by visiting Renner.org. I hope you’ll join me!

I hope you were encouraged by this letter. It is so encouraging that God gives us this anointing so freely, but fear still tries to sneak in, and sometimes the enemy manages to whisper in your ear. If you’re struggling with fear or anxiety in your life right now, I want to tell you that we’re here for you. Prayer is such an important aspect of our lives as believers, and I want you to know that we take each and every one of your prayer requests seriously. To connect with our prayer team, call 1.844.473.6637 or send an email to prayer@deniserenner.org. We hope to hear from you soon!

We are moving forward together,

Denise Renner

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