Good vs Evil!

For Thursday, May 7, 2026:

Colossians 1:13-14 NLT: “For the Father has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom (with his blood) and forgave our sins.”

The Father rescued us through the Son’s actions, and the Spirit keeps us on the Holy path! We hear about “God’s vast eternal plan,” and this is part of it. The rescue of mankind was no accident. It was well planned out by God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It’s perhaps easier for us to think of them as three separate entities, but they are of one mind. Mankind was living in the darkness of Satan’s world, but Jesus showed us light. The story of Jesus’ actions is called the Gospel or Good News.

Here’s how the story develops: Humans were floundering like fish without enough water. Our lives had no goal, no purpose. Not surprisingly, very few ever made it to heaven. But the Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory. All! How’d that happen? I can picture God saying, “What went wrong? What happened here?”

Let me explain. There is good in this world, and there is evil. God is good, and Satan and his demons are evil. Those who have bonded with Jesus belong to God. The rest are subject to constant tempting by Satan. In fact, we’re all subject to the devil’s temptations, and the result is always pain and misery. But Christians have a higher standard, something to live up to. If Christ is our model, we have his reward in our sights, which is eternal life in the Father’s Kingdom. Eternity is a long time!

Paul advised us to focus our eyes on the prize!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

The Father’s House

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Truth & Freedom Church

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

Temptations!

For Wednesday, April 15, 2026:

Luke 4:1b-2a NLT: “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days.”

This was a major event in Jesus’ life. He must have talked about it, retold the story many times. He had not yet called the 12, and yet they write about it.

It’s the classic battle between good and evil. Satan’s goal is to derail anything God is for. Truth and honesty are prime targets. Lust and greed are high on Satan’s list. He offers authority and influence, worthless because Jesus already has those traits. In the end, Jesus refuses each of Satan’s offers, countering with scripture: “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”

Satan should have just given up. Was God’s Son ever going to oppose his Father? I think not! And yet Satan has to try. It’s in his job description! Jesus refuses Satan’s offers, and that fits his job description. Our job as Christians is to do what Jesus did. Be nice, be kind, love our neighbors, and most of all love the Lord and all that he stands for!

Many temptations will confront us in this life, and our job is to reject Satan and side with Jesus. He was heaven-sent to deal with mankind’s sin issues. He carried away our sins, leaving believers unblemished, spotless in God’s eyes, and eligible for residence in God’s eternal heavenly Kingdom!

Keep your eyes on the prize!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and Freedom Church

A House Divided...

For Sunday, May 18, 2025:

Luke 11:17 NLT: “Jesus knew their thoughts, so he said, ‘Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A family splintered by feuding will fall apart.’”

A house divided will not stand. When someone has reached the top, there always seems to be a challenger attempting to knock them off the pedestal. If that opponent is an enemy, they can be dealt with. We expect attacks from our enemies. A much bigger problem is division within, subversion and betrayal by our own teammates, people wearing our uniforms.

Unbelievers claimed Jesus received power from Satan. They were wrong. Jesus was clearly preaching in favor of God and God’s Kingdom. Jesus would put Satan down and separate good from evil, the sheep from the goats. He would preach repent and return, telling people that the Kingdom was at hand. Jesus was saying, “Get ready to meet the Lord!”

Satan tried tempting Jesus in the desert. He tried offering Jesus things that were already his. Jesus used the Bible as his defense. “Scripture says...” answered his battles with the Devil.

A created being can never win a battle against its creator! So let’s all join up with our Creator. Play for the winning team!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship