Challenge Builds Strength!

Friday, April 24, 2026:

Luke 4:14-15 NLT: “Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.”

After being tested in the desert by Satan, Jesus returned to the region around the Sea of Galilee. The Devil had been tempting Jesus, who consistently rejected Satan’s offers. In this ongoing battle of good vs evil, Jesus was the clear victor. And when you battle the evil one and win, you emerge stronger. In other words, Jesus was in his prime as he began teaching in Synagogues. He was praised, honored and glorified by all.

The same principle applies to us. Satan will continue tempting us throughout our lives. But if we reject the evil one, we will emerge stronger for overcoming this challenge, just like Jesus!

At this point, Jesus’ ministry efforts were focused on teaching. Listening to him speak must have been like having a complete Bible commentary to explain Torah in a way that everyone could understand. Nowhere does it say that Jesus attended a school, a seminary or studied with a particular Rabbi. Being the Son of God, he just knew what the Father would want him to do, preach truth! At this time, there was no organized opposition to Jesus

Lead us not into temptation. But if we find ourselves there, let us grow from the challenge. Let us emerge stronger!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

The Father’s House

Truth and 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

All Hallows' Eve!

For Friday, October 31, 2025:

Deuteronomy 18:10b-11 NLT, Instructions for people living in the Promised Land: “Do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead.”

Q: Should Christians celebrate Halloween? A: Only in an innocent and fun way!

All Hallows’ Eve is the night before All Saints’ Day. Pagan Celts erroneously believed that graves would open, and the dead would walk among the living. That’s why we see cemeteries, tombstones and skeletons as Halloween decorations. Witches with their black cats and brooms filled out the dark side of Halloween, practices Christians should avoid at all costs. But Halloween doesn’t have to be like that!

There’s nothing wrong with kids dressing in fun costumes and seeking free candy. My church held a “Trunk of Treat” event. We ate popcorn, drank hot cider, and signed people up for the New Members’ class. The kids played simple games in which everybody won free candy. We signed some of them up for Sunday School! I brought my grandson, dressed as Spiderman. He had a ball! I saw four Spidermen at the event!

We did not have witches, ghosts or ghouls. No “spirits,” evil or otherwise, walked among us. We kept the good, fun parts of Halloween, while discarding the evil.

I want to close by reminding everyone that Satan is real, and he’s always looking to get his foot in our doors. Halloween presents a perfect opportunity for the Devil’s evil plans. His demon helpers are still problematic today. Jesus spent a fair amount of time casting out demons. There’s a lot of evil in our world, and Satan is fueling most of it, so we need to stay alert. Avoid the Evil One at all costs, while loving the children who enjoy a fall party and free candy!

Happy Halloween!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Focus!

For Tuesday, August 5, 2025:

Mark 13:13b NLT, Jesus teaching about the end times: “The one who endures to the end will be saved.”

First, we learn about Jesus and how he can forgive our sins, setting us up for eternal life in God’s Kingdom. The future looks rosy. But don’t get too comfortable. Satan isn’t on holiday, and his demons don’t have the day off!

Newcomers to Christianity are especially vulnerable. They’re like babies still on a milk diet. We have to look after babies so that they survive. And we have to look after baby Christians so they too can survive. The devil and his minions have thousands of distractions and temptations intended to get us off track. Jesus says we need to reject all of Hell’s enticements. Those who are faithful to the end are the ones who will be saved!

We’re better off with Religious Tunnel Vision. Keep your eyes focused on the prize, on Jesus and the Kingdom, and don’t be distracted by the circus going on all around you! (May God help those with ADHD!)

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

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

Man of Lawlessness

For Thursday, December 19, 2024:

2 Thessalonians 2:4 NLT: “The man of lawlessness will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.”

The evil one is known as the great deceiver, the great liar. He could be sitting right in the temple or in your church, and you could ask, “Are you the One?”

And he would answer, “Yes,” because only untruths come from his mouth.

As we draw closer to the end times each day, false prophets will deceive many. Don’t be one of them! People you once trusted may be led astray. That’s why we’re told to not blindly trust a religious teacher, but rather to test them. Compare what they say to what the Bible says, to what Jesus taught. See that their behavior conforms with the Bible’s instructions.

Those who test what they are told will not be easily fooled!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Winning Team!

For Thursday, August 29, 2024:

Revelation 2:10a NLT: “Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer.”

Life has its ups and downs, and a lot of the downs are a direct result of the devil. Do not be afraid; do not worry. It’s only a temporary problem. In the end, the devil never wins the battle.

We are blessed to have Bibles wherein every word is God-inspired truth. We can flip to the back of the book and see who ultimately wins. Remember, God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) is the creator of everyone and everything, and Satan is one of His created beings. In the end, the Creator always wins.

"If you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.” After all, as believers we’re now sons and daughters of the Most High!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Closer to God!

For Friday, July 19, 2024:

1 Peter 5:8 NLT: “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

In the Bible, we read about Satan and his minions. Two thousand years have passed since Jesus walked alongside mankind, and in that time, we seem to have forgotten about the devil and his evil spirits. Listen to this: They did not quit; they did not give up; they are still a huge threat nowadays. Every word in the Bible is true. Therefore the Bible wouldn’t warn us of these beasts if they weren’t still a danger!

We are told to guard against something we can’t see. At times that’s difficult, but still quite necessary. More problems in the world than you’d guess are rooted in evil spirits.

There are two solutions: #1 Cast out the demons. That’s what Jesus did with people who didn’t yet know him as Lord. #2 Since you’re reading this, you’re probably already a believer, and believers know Jesus as Lord. You can pray more Jesus into your hearts, and you can pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Since good and evil cannot coexist, more God means less room for Satan.

The Apostle John says believers become children of God, members of the Holy Family. So c’mon brothers and sisters! Let’s crawl right up onto Dad’s lap. You won’t find any evil there! (Remember: Closer to God...)

Think of the Holy Spirit like the gas tank in your car. Every once in a while it’s a good idea to top off your Holy Spirit tank!

You don’t want to run empty!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Protection!

For Saturday, June 10, 2023:

2 Thessalonians 3:2 NLT: “Pray, too, that followers of Jesus will be rescued from wicked and evil people, for not everyone is a believer.”

Life isn’t always easy being the hands and feet of God on earth. Never underestimate the number of people working against you! Never underestimate the power of Satan. The Devil is real, and his pesky demons are akin to throwing sand in the gears.

The Evil One already has considerable influence over what we call “the world.” So now we find him at work in our churches, spreading lies, gossip and false theology. We must be vigilant in adhering to the Bible and doing exactly what Jesus said to do!

Pray that God would place a cloud of protection around his believers. Pray that Satan would be ineffective in our churches. Pray that only the truth of the bible would be taught in our houses of worship!

Pray that the light of Jesus would shine on all believers today!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Righteous vs Devil!

For Saturday, April 29, 2023:

1 John 3:7 NLT: “Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.”

Believers tend to be kind, compassionate and forgiving. They (We) stand ready to be helpful. Our lives tend to reflect the life of Jesus.

The Bible goes on to say that those who go on sinning belong to the devil, who was sinning since before mankind’s creation. Serpent Satan was right there to tempt Eve and then Adam with the false promise that they could be like God.

God allows us to choose our friends, and to choose our forever group. Which group have you chosen? There are only two groups. Jesus said that those who are not with him are against him!

Get ready to do the next right thing!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Healing!

For Thursday, February 23, 2023:

Matthew 8:16 NLT: “That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick.”

When reading your Bible, notice that when Jesus first healed people much was written about it. “He said these exact words… He did these specific things...” But word about Jesus soon spread, and his healing of the sick became somewhat commonplace. Everyone knew. So now the Bible simply says, “He healed all the sick,” or “He healed all who needed healing.”

In this scenario, Jesus and his ministry team arrived at Peter’s house and found his mother-in-law sick with a fever. Jesus healed her, they all had dinner, and then when the sun set ending the Sabbath, people lined up awaiting their turn with the Son of God. As you might expect, Jesus cast out demons and healed the sick well into the night.

Sickness and tragedy are in the world because Satan is in the world. With the fall of mankind, sin and evil were introduced to our world. Don’t underestimate how much illness occurs because the Evil One is at work. While I don’t always know which is simply sickness and which is the work of the Devil, the solution is always the same: “Closer to God.” God and evil cannot co-exist, and there is no sickness or suffering in heaven. So instead of fighting off evil on your own, I advise getting closer to God. Crawl right up onto your Father’s lap. It’s safe there!

The prophet Isaiah wrote, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.”

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship