Great victories and great temptations - May 2023

by Pastor Pete Panitzke on May 24, 2023

"Your sins are forgiven... Go in peace." This is one of four mosaics at the back of the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

A Great Victory Led to Great Temptation

In our Old Testament lesson (2 Samuel 9-11), King David defeats his enemies, but he falls to the enemy within. Did the victories he received from the LORD fill him with pride? Did he think he was above temptation? Do we?

A Great Temptation Led to a Great Victory

In Luke 7:36-8:8, a woman had fallen into great temptation, but she humbly came to Jesus and received the ultimate victory. "Your sins are forgiven... Go in peace."

No matter how the devil has defeated us... no matter how many times,... Jesus welcomes sinners like us.

Great victories can lead to great temptations. Great temptations can lead to great victories. Come Holy Spirit, give us victory in Christ! Amen.

About the Author

Pastor Pete Panitzke

Pastor Pete serves as our Ministerial Team Leader. He works closely with our Church Administrator Randy Fink and our School Administrator Seth Fitzsimmons to keep our staff and congregation focused on our mission:By every possible means we bring every person within our area of influence closer to Christ. He serves as the primary teaching pastor and leads our efforts to grow in mission involvement, generosity, and small group ministry. A statement that came from a study of Strength Finders describes him well: “I am built to see patterns in the past and present that lead to new ideas for the future of God’s family.” He is a person who enjoys thinking out loud, so you will often find him talking about new ministry opportunities for St. Paul’s.

Pastor Pete is married to Joni. They have four children and ten grandchildren. They enjoy traveling, seeing God’s creation and understanding God’s people throughout our country and the world.