LINDSAY ROBERTS:. We have a doubleheader today because we’ve got both Rick and Denise Renner from Moscow.

RICK RENNER: We’re so glad to be with you. You’re just one of our favorites. It’s such an honor to be with you guys.

LINDSAY: You are such a delight. Denise, you are a beautiful, beautiful opera singer. You’re beautiful to look at. But what most people may not know is she’s one of the most beautiful human souls that ever walked on the planet.

      Rick, you said something interesting…Unto us, a child is born. I was really jumping on that phrase because we have to recognize the opportunity that we have because of the birth of Jesus. Then the Lord spoke something to you about the upcoming year. Do you want to let us know what you’re going through right now?

RICK: I wrote this book because when I was growing up every year I heard the same story year after year after year. And I thought, is there not more to the story than we hear every year? So I really took a deep dive into history. And Lindsay, I even studied a lot of the early church fathers, what they wrote about Mary, Jesus, and His family. What I found was riveting. And it was so wonderful that I felt like it really needed to be properly packaged. So that’s why it’s a fully illustrated book. And I think the illustrations in this book are amazing. I want people to fall in love with the Bible. There’s nothing more wonderful than the Bible. So this is about Jesus’ first coming.

     In July, Denise and I went to Rodney Howard Brown’s meeting in London. It was wonderful. On the way back home, I was on the plane and I said, Lord, what do you want to say to me about 2025 for our partners and for our TV friends? And I heard the Lord say these words, “This is war. Batten down the hatches.” And the word began to flow. Well, that was a word that I received the first week of August. Alot has happened since the first week of August. The Spirit of God is really alerting me that we’re headed into intense spiritual warfare. But we can do it. God chose us for this time. We’re anointed for this, and we can do this. But we need to be mentally and spiritually prepared. It just goes with the territory of living in the last days.

LINDSAY:  And you know, with the birth of Jesus, we sit back and we think how glorious that is. And Rick, it is glorious and it will carry with us till we see him in heaven. But as we’re here on the earth, the birth of Jesus didn’t mean the end of Satan coming to steal, to kill and to destroy (John10:10). That scripture is still in the book. And we need to recognize this is spiritual warfare. But we have Jesus… so we have an answer to whatever it is that Satan has come to steal, to kill and to destroy.

RICK: Well, God has not given us the spirit of fear, and He’s given us spiritual weaponry. We’ve got the power of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, the blood of Jesus. We’ve got everything we need to be a super overcoming victor. We can really do it, and we’re anointed for it. Hey, God knew we were going to be born into this period, right? And He gave us everything we need to get through this season in victory.

DENISE: I was thinking this morning about what’s going on right now all around us, and in the United States, and all over the world. And I just was thinking, You chose me to live right now. And it’s not a mistake. You knew when I was going to be born. You knew what kind of character I was going to have. You knew everything, and you still made the choice for me to live right now. And I was thinking about His course, His mind. Who can understand the mind of the Lord? But in His perfection, He chose exactly the ones who would live right now.

RICK: And you know, when Jesus was born, it was also at a time when things were very intense. So doesn’t that make sense that as Jesus comes back the next time, it’s going to be a very similar season?

LINDSAY:  Now you’re over in Russia. Why would God call you to Russia where you’re leaving certain comforts of home in the United States? But I think it’s about being obedient, not looking at the calendar. Denise, what were your thoughts when all of a sudden, you’re moving to Russia with kids, with babies?

DENISE: Well, when Rick called me about it…it was in June at that moment, and he said, “We’re moving to…Latvia, Soviet Union, in January.” And I was like, okay, well, I’m, not excited right now, but I will be when it comes closer to January. When I married Rick, I married to follow him. As long as he’s following God, I’m following him. That was deep inside of my heart. Of course, that commitment has cost a lot through the years, and the rewards are so much greater than the price.

RICK: And, you know, you and Richard have made many difficult commitments over the years. But when you say “Yes,” God’s grace comes. And I say that obedience works like a magnet, just like a magnet attracts metal. When you say yes to the presence of God, resources and protection come. I’m telling you, just saying yes brings you everything you need to do the job.

     When we moved to this part of the world, it really was at the worst possible moment. But there was such a grace on us that we just had a blast. Every day was a scavenger hunt just to see if we could find toilet paper or cucumbers! There was a deficit of everything and we decided to turn it into a game. And our kids did not miss one mall, one movie. They grew up having a blast. They saw the sick healed. They saw the dead raised. They have lived in the book of Acts. You just never do wrong when you obey the Lord.

LINDSAY:  Okay, in Christmas, The Rest of the Story, you were talking about what Joseph must have felt, maybe what some of us feel like when we are required to change course.

MELISSA LEE: Joseph had to trust God implicitly. Right? Why did God choose Joseph? Because we always hear about the angel visiting Mary. But then we think, poor Joseph, his reputation was at stake. Why did God choose Joseph?

RICK: Well, you know, people have this idea that God just puts all these names in a sack like a lottery, shakes it up, reaches in and pulls out a name and says, I’ll use this one. That is not the way God does anything. God is very predictable, and God always watches people to see if they’re ready for an assignment. If you want more, you’ve got to be faithful with what you have.

     The Bible tells us Joseph was a carpenter. That is such a bad translation. That word carpenter is the Greek word tekton and it describes one with highly technological skills. And probably, he was a building supervisor. He was a very well-paid person and he was very successful with what he already had. And God had watched him and God knew. Wow, if a young man is this good with what I’ve already given him, this is a young man I can trust with a bigger assignment.

     And you know, God knew He needed a young man that would be obedient. He wanted a young man who later would take his family into Egypt. God knew that Joseph was a man that He could trust. I say, if you want God to tap you on a shoulder for a bigger assignment, you got to be faithful with the one that you have. You’ve got to pass the test now, and that qualifies you for what’s coming next.

LINDSAY:   If you’re looking at what Rick said, Batten down the hatches. Don’t you think what Mary must have felt like? Don’t you think what Denise felt like? Batten down the hatches? You know, in a sense, we may think that we’ve never seen this before in our lifetime, but nothing is new in the earth. God is not nervous.

DENISE: I was thinking about Mary, and for her to say “yes.” She knew that for her whole life she would be tagged as a woman who had a child out of wedlock. I can’t even imagine.

RICK: She was a young teenager… very young. I mean, she was probably between 12 and 14 years old.

MELISSA: Well her devotion to the Lord in His plan was why He chose her.

DENISE: And obviously there was a surrender there. A really serious surrender of not thinking about herself, but thinking about what was going to happen through her. And then the whole life of God was born out of her. I mean, thank God for Mary.

RICK: When they said yes, the ball was set in motion for God to bring provision. Everything good came. Their economic status changed. Everything changed. And that’s what happens when you say yes. God made sure the bills would be paid.

LINDSAY:  Let’s look at the grandure of the Magi. As I saw that, I think of people who get upset when somebody says that God’s going to provide or the “prosperity gospel.” Well, from the moment Jesus was born, they literally engulfed him with provision. And when we think about prospering, it’s provision. God created the heavens and earth in six days and then finally had to rest. But He didn’t put Adam in until every known provision was put in there.

     The Magi knew exactly where to go to be sure God’s people were provided for. And I believe it’s exactly the same today. As we obey God and follow His will for our lives, I believe He is still more than able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we have need of. He promised to supply our needs according to His riches in glory (Phil. 4:19) and I believe that promise still stands. So, I want to pray for you.

     Lord, I pray for whoever is reading this and willing to say no to the devil’s plan, and yes to God’s plan. I pray for God’s highest and best for your life, in every area of your life. I pray 3 John 2 for you to prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers, in Jesus’ name. Amen.