Renée Gotcher
Why Does This Suddenly Feel Like Sin?
By Renée Gotcher
Transforming Truth: “But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.” —Romans 6:22 (ESV) Our attentive server whisked over to our table with a small dish holding two brightly seasoned wedges of freshly baked focaccia bread.…
Read More When God’s Will Doesn’t Include Healing
By Renée Gotcher
Transforming Truth: “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he…
Read More Why Should I Meditate on Scripture?
By Renée Gotcher
Transforming Truth: “My eyes are awake through the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word.” — Psalm 119:148 The sliver of moonlight penetrating a thin gap between the slightly short blackout curtains on my bedroom window grew more intense as drawn-out minutes of sleeplessness turned into hours. I lay wide awake—yet again—trying to…
Read More Trusting God With Our Best-Laid Plans
By Renée Gotcher
Transforming Truth: “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” —Proverbs 19:21 ESV I was happy to see a familiar face behind the customer service counter as I hopped into line at our local Hobby Lobby. This sweet young lady had checked…
Read More Short Nature Walks Can Benefit Mental Health
By Renée Gotcher
Did you know research confirms that short nature walks benefit mental health? Recent studies also report that consistent walking—and specifically walking in nature—provides significant mental health benefits to those experiencing depression and anxiety symptoms. An article published in Medical News Today last summer reported that a short walk each day could reduce depression symptoms. Researchers…
Read More Can God Work Even This for Good?
By Renée Gotcher
I couldn’t tell you how many times I have prayed Paul’s words from the perspective-shifting promise found in Romans 8:28 while struggling to stay afloat in overwhelming storms. Believing that our sovereign God works all things (not just some) together (not separately) for His purposes provides the soul-steadying peace we need to sustain us until…
Read More How to Be Thankful for the Thorn of Anxiety
By Renée Gotcher
Have you been pleading with the Lord to remove a “thorn” from your life? Are you wrestling with unanswered prayers, struggling to understand why God won’t remove the thorn when you could be so much more productive and effective without this affliction holding you back? In my post “How to Be Thankful for the Thorn…
Read More Book Review: Jesus, Calm My Heart
By Renée Gotcher
I have enjoyed the inspiring prayers and personal application of Ruth Schwenk’s prayer prompts journal, “Jesus, Calm My Heart: 365 Prayers to Give You Peace at the Close of Every Day.” Having followed Ruth on social media, I’m familiar with her prayer prompts, and on many occasions, I’ve been one of the women she talks…
Read More When God Says His Grace is Enough
By Renée Gotcher
In 2 Corinthians 12:8, the persevering apostle Paul made a very reasonable request to the Lord: “Concerning this thing [a thorn in the flesh], I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.” It seemed like the obvious solution. Yet the Lord had a different answer for Paul—removing the “thorn” was…
Read More Why Meditating on God’s Word Matters
By Renée Gotcher
A few weeks ago, I shared about the “key verses” note I started on my phone last fall, during a resurfacing struggle with physical anxiety symptoms. At that time, I couldn’t control how my body felt from day to day, sometimes minute to minute, but I knew I could control where I put my mind’s…
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