Spiritual Healing!

July 6, 2026, Monday Message:

Luke 5:31-32 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

Yesterday, we looked at physical illness and Jesus’ part in physical healing. Today, spiritual healing is our focus.

Friends, Satan isn’t on vacation. His mission is to disrupt our lives, to instigate turmoil, and he’s good at it. His little demons are constantly putting sand in the gears of our lives. Our ‘machine’ may still run, but not nearly as well!

Spiritual neglect oftentimes results in physical illness, so it can be confusing. In such a case, Doctor Jesus is the only answer. When Jesus would heal people, he’d also cast out the demons at the root of their problem. Demons recognize Jesus as the Son of God, hence their fear of him. Jesus authorized believers to use his name when dealing with such a problem, so we should do that.

With the Son of God on our side, Satan doesn’t stand a chance!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

Is the Doctor In?

For Sunday, July 5, 2026: 

Luke 5:31-32 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

 Nowadays, even healthy people need a doctor. They call it ‘preventive medicine.’ Doctors want to spot little problems before they become big ones. I take prescriptions daily, not because I’m experiencing any problem, but because my numbers are just a little off. As a result, life expectancy is much higher now than it was when Jesus walked the earth! Preventive medicine works!

 2K years ago, people would only call on a physician if they were really sick or severely injured. When people had exhausted all their personal healing options, it was time to summon a professional. Hence Jesus’ analogy, comparing physical healing with spiritual healing.

 The physically sick are eager to find a solution. They welcome the opinion of a trained medical professional. But those who are spiritually ill oftentimes are embarrassed by their situation and reluctant to seek help. For example, one symptom of addiction is vehemently denying the problem.

 When sinners are ready to repent, ready to seek help, Jesus stands ready to forgive, forget and absolve. ‘Repent’ in the Hebrew language literally means to get closer to God. Someone sinning is said to be far from God. Someone reversing the course of their lives, repenting and returning, is said to be closer to God.

 That’s the best place for us all to be, closer to God. We should have Jesus looking out for us, forgiving our sins, and clearing the way for believers to live closer to God. You’ll find that Jesus has prepared a place for you in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom! If you repent and return, there’ll be a room with your name on the door!

Pastor Norton Lawellin
The Father’s House
Jesus In the City Fellowship
Truth & Freedom Church

Freedom & Truth!

For Saturday, July 4, 2026:

John 8:32 NLT, Jesus speaking: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Today we celebrate Independence Day in the US, the day the 13 United States decided to no longer answer to British monarchy. A foreign government could no longer influence our decisions. It involved a war, but we emerged victorious. That bought us some earthly freedom, but what about spiritual freedom?

Almost 1,800 years earlier, Jesus brought us truth. We remember the healings and miracles, and the knowledgeable preaching. An even bigger gift was Jesus, on the cross, taking the sins of the world upon himself, and taking those sins to the place of the dead, leaving mankind forgiven simply by declaring faith in the Son. But let’s not forget that every word spoken by Jesus was true. That truth is the foundation of our religion.

How spiritual leaders can get so far off track is a mystery to me. To many leaders, ceremony overtakes substance. The ritual itself becomes more important than our reason for celebrating. And tradition overcomes truth. “We’ve always done it that way” carries more weight than the reason for the action. Pharisees thought they had memorized God’s Laws, but they skipped the part about compassion, about loving their neighbor. Their actions didn’t line up with Jesus’ teaching.

There is really only one church – the church of Jesus Christ. So why do we have so many denominations? – over 45,000 worldwide, each claiming their way is the only way. Something’s off.

My advice would be to check your Bible and see what Jesus did. Then do that. Read Jesus’ advice. Then follow those instructions. Don’t adopt any new-agie whims. Stick with the basics. The main things are the plain things.

I treat “truth” as a noun, a desirable commodity we should all seek. (Spell-checker may disagree with me…) Jesus hasn’t rehearsed speaking “the truth.” In fact, he can do no other! If Jesus opens his mouth, truth comes out! There are no alternative narratives within him.

Jesus says that all true believers will know the truth, which is the origin of our spiritual freedom. Happy Freedom Day!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church