Temptation!

For Friday, April 17, 2026:

Luke 4:13 NLT: “When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came.”

Satan is like that. Jesus had passed the test, survived for 40 days in the desert, tempted at every turn. Jesus was offered food, position and territory, but he turned Satan down. He already had what he needed, the favor of God Almighty! “You shall not test the Lord your God!”

Jesus had clearly won the contest, but for Satan, it wasn’t the end. Even though defeated, Satan regroups to try again. There is no end to the misery he intends to inflict on believers. This battle will come up again and again. The devil will keep pecking away at believers until one of us fails. He’s persistent. I jokingly tell people, “Satan’s not on holiday!” He never takes a day off, and his army of little demons is constantly trying to divert our minds.

On a continuum where Jesus is at one end and evil on the other, picture yourself much closer to Jesus and his Father. As a child, play together. As an adult, play on the Jesus team. Stand up for what is fair, right and honest. Always take the high road. That’s the one Jesus will be on!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

Noah's Flood!

For Sunday, October 9, 2022:

Genesis 7:4 NLT, God speaking: “Seven days from now I will make the rains pour down on the earth. And it will rain for forty days and forty nights, until I have wiped from the earth all the living things I have created.”

The flood of Noah was a unique time on earth. The problem was that evil and corruption had taken over the earth, and God decided it was time for a cleansing. Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. I believe God was saddened by taking the life of every living thing he had created, except for those on the ark, and he promised to never do such a thing again. He hung a rainbow in the sky as a reminder of his promise.

While visiting friends in Arizona last year, I commented on the landscape of the desert, and was informed that in the past it was all under water. Noah’s flood! If you’ve ever wondered that the ocean floor looks like, visit a desert! I grew up in western South Dakota and we would visit an area known as the ‘Badlands.’ I was told that it was previously a sea. Noah’s flood! Fossils of sea creatures have been found in most deserts, proving the great flood. The springs on the earth opened and rain poured from heaven. There was no escaping Noah’s flood. The Bible says the earth flooded about 4,500 years ago.

The study of geology makes more sense when you know about Noah’s flood!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406