"THE ANGER OF MAN DOES NOT PRODUCE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS GOD DESIRES." James 1:20 Try to keep anger out of your disagreements. It is possible to "BE ANGRY AND SIN NOT", but anger is often the catalyst that causes hurtful things to be said. Once that occurs we will have moved away from talking out issues and often end walking away offended. Anger is like a big dog that has to be walked on a leash. Ephesians 4 says it grieves the Spirit and gives the devil a foot hold. The Scriptur

"DAVID SAID, 'THE LORD WHO DELIVERED ME FROM... THE LION AND... THE BEAR WILL DELIVER ME FROM ...THIS PHILISTINE.'" 1 Samuel 17:37 God confidence. Oh what we could do if we were free from being gripped by what people say and think. Olympic gold medal skater Alysa Liu's carefree, joyful performance was a lesson that skill wedded with joy and confidence can kill intense pressure. Liu stated that compared to her competitors, she "probably cared the least" about winning. For Davi

"WHEN HE CAME TO HIS SENSES..." Luke 15:17 "Don't try to make people change", so says conventional wisdom. We don't learn that, however, from the prodigal son and his father. We should not assume that the prodigal's father stayed home wringing his hands in frustration because he believed people couldn't change. Could it be that he did believe God would change his son? Was he watching for his son because he had been praying fervently and knew God would cause him to come to his

"JESUS SAID TO ZACCHAEUS, 'SALVATION HAS COME TO THIS HOME TODAY'" Luke 19:9 God wants everyone to have their own spiritual resurrection, even targeting despised tax collector, Zacchaeus. Flabouyant gossip columnist Perez Hilton just said a 21 day life-threatening sepsis scare led to a life-changing encounter with God, prompting him to read the Bible and apologize. "He saved me that day, and...turned me into a seeker, not only of sobriety and truth but also of Him." "THE LORD

"LOOKING TO JESUS... WHO FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM ENDURED THE CROSS, DESPISING THE SHAME..." Hebrews 12:2 Joy is something I feel with family, at weddings, the birth of a child, or leading someone to Christ. Every mother knows that they had to look past the pain of childbirth to get the joy of the baby. Jesus had a joy inside Himself that would propel Him to endure the agony and the shame of the cross. "WHO FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM ENDURED THE CROSS..." The thought of red

"THE LIFE I NOW LIVE..., I LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD, WHO LOVED ME AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME." Galatians 2:20 Everyone wants to be loved and that's exactly what Holy Week says to us. God the Father so loved us "that He gave His only begotten son..." The Apostle Paul saw that Jesus "GAVE HIMSELF" to suffer and die on the cross as proof that He loved us. Personalize what Jesus did during Holy Week. In His suffering, crucifixion and resurrection declare, "He did all this for

"TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING; IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATH STRAIGHT." Proverbs 3:5,6 Recently I heard someone testify about how they had trusted God and received a wonderful marriage partner. Trusting Him required that they had to be expectant, looking for God's right person to come into their life.They trusted God with all their heart and had to "LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING". This meant t

"WILL NOT GOD GIVE JUSTICE TO HIS ELECT, WHO CRY OUT TO HIM DAY AND NIGHT?" Luke 18:7 Recently someone shared with me a glorious answer to prayer that they received. One catch: the blessing came only after they prayed quite some time for it. The Scriptures encourage us to persist in prayer. Our verse promises God will reward those who "CRY OUT TO HIM DAY AND NIGHT". James 5 states, "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." He then gives Elijah as an exampl

"IN THIS WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TRIBULATION; BUT BE OF GOOD CHEER, I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD." John 16:33 Jesus teaches a shocking truth: we will have very bad tribulations come into our lives. However, they may not be a punishment or our fault. They might just happen to us because we live in a fallen world surrounded by fallen people. The good news is that contrary to how we might feel, we are not going to die. Because Jesus overcame the worst that the world and the devil could

"OFFENSES WILL COME..." Luke 17:1 Offenses will come, says Jesus, but don't let the enemy trap you into pulling out of church or spiritual relationships. Being bitter is referred to as being caught "in the trap of the devil". Holding onto anger "gives the devil a foothold". The devil tries to cause offense because an offended person becomes unreachable, unteachable, and isolated. Humbly accept that offenses will come, but determine that you will forgive and not let them take

"...THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE." 1 Corinthians 13:13 To be loving and to be loved is the greatest thing to be and to have. As Pastor Rick Warren has concluded, no one on their deathbed calls for their trophies or degrees. They want to be "surrounded by family and friends." As we grow in wisdom and Christlikeness, our prayer should become, "Jesus, reduce me to love." Make God's goal for your life your goal. Let it not be fortune, fame or comfort. The greatest you can be is

"THEY OVERCAME HIM BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB..." Revelation 12:11 The blood of Jesus is supremely precious to us. We sing, "O precious is the flow, That makes me white as snow, No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus." Daily we plead the blood of Jesus in prayer to provide protection from the evil one, cleansing from wrongdoing, and victory in healing and trials. At Passover God spared His children from judgment saying, "The blood on your doorposts will serve as

“WHEN I KEPT SILENT… YOUR HAND WAS HEAVY UPON ME; THEN I CONFESSED MY SIN TO YOU AND DID NOT COVER UP MY INIQUITY.” Psalm 32:3-5 Have you ever felt anxious but you are not sure why? Anxiety and a lack of peace may be God’s way of highlighting a spiritual blockage. Get alone away from everything and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal if there’s anything wrong, any unconfessed sin. Wait, listen and confess any sins that He brings to mind and peace will be restored. -Rev. Scott A. Wa

"IF... YOU SEEK THE LORD YOUR GOD, YOU WILL FIND HIM IF YOU SEEK HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL. WHEN YOU ARE IN DISTRESS AND ALL THESE HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU, THEN IN LATER DAYS YOU WILL RETURN TO THE LORD YOUR GOD AND OBEY HIM." Deuteronomy 4:29-30 We are not passive but we are actively seeking the Lord "WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL." We need Him to fill us with His presence, His Spirit, His power. We need him to change our problems, but we also

“I AM SENDING YOU OUT LIKE SHEEP AMONG WOLVES. THEREFORE BE AS WISE AS SNAKES BUT HARMLESS AS DOVES.” Matthew 10:16 Jesus tells us that not every person we meet is nice, purely motivated, and from Him. Did He say we are sheep among wolves? Believers of all ages need this combination of being sharp, informed, discerning and shrewd while maintaining purity, integrity and niceness. It is especially important when dating to not ignore signs that someone is controlling. Be wary of

"THOSE WHO WORK THEIR LAND HAVE PLENTY OF BREAD, BUT THOSE WHO CHASE FANTASIES LACK SENSE." Proverbs 12:11 "Follow your dreams", people are told. Scripture: have a dream, but now is the time to work and study hard, not to play games. To "WORK THEIR LAND" sometimes means having 3 jobs, juggling college or trade school while working in fast food, sacrificing fun and sleep knowing someday you "WILL HAVE PLENTY OF FOOD". This builds character, work ethic, and appreciation of mone

“SHE GRABBED JOSEPH BY HIS ROBE SAYING, ‘LIE WITH ME!’ BUT LEAVING HIS ROBE IN HER HAND, HE RAN.” Genesis 39:2 In times of strong temptation, the wise, godly, humbling thing to do is to run. “Run from immoral sin”, and “Flee youthful lusts”, Paul commanded. Run because you fear the Lord and want to keep your integrity more than having pleasure. Joseph sums it up for us, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” -Rev. Scott A. Walsh Text VERSE to 732-355-3

“NOW TO HIM WHO IS ABLE TO DO FAR MORE ABUNDANTLY THAN ALL THAT WE ASK OR IMAGINE.” Ephesians 3:20 A wonderful thing about walking with the Lord is that we are not left on our own to figure things out or make things happen. When we are stuck and our backs are against the wall, look to God to intervene and bring a creative solution. “He can make a window where there is no door.” Cry out to Jesus! Be encouraged, He “IS ABLE TO DO FAR MORE ABUNDANTLY THAN ALL THAT WE ASK OR IMAG

"YEA, THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL: FOR THOU ARE WITH ME; THY ROD AND THY STAFF THEY COMFORT ME." Psalm 23:4 We have wonderful times of green pastures and still waters, but other times of dark, shadowy valleys. Because it is a fact that "THOU ARE WITH ME", we can walk confidently, not run in fear, going through the valleys, not stuck. We are never alone. THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD! -Rev. Scott A. Walsh Text VERSE to 732-355-3593 to

“BLESSED IS HE WHOSE SINS ARE FORGIVEN… WHEN I KEPT SILENT… I GROANED ALL DAY LONG… YOUR HAND WAS HEAVY… THEN I CONFESSED MY SIN TO YOU…” Psalm 32:1,3-5 Learn spiritual breathing: Exhale, confessing your sin directly to God; Inhale His word and His Spirit through worship. If we don’t admit our sin, He can cause us to lose peace and feel His heaviness. “Confession is good for the soul” because it restores our peace and joy. -Rev. Scott A. Walsh Text VERSE to 732-355-3593 to su