In a week marked by tragedy and anxiety, we’re reminded that while we can’t control the whole world, we can control how we respond—choosing good over despair. In Luke 10:17–20, when the seventy return celebrating their victories, Jesus affirms their mission but tells them not to rejoice in power over evil, but in the deeper truth that their names are written in heaven. Our identity isn’t rooted in accomplishments, victories, or circumstances, but in belonging to Christ as beloved children of God. Every act of goodness—big or small—pushes back evil, but our true joy and stability come from knowing who we are in him.

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Good morning, it’s good to be with you on this Friday. I hope you’re doing well and that your week has gone as well as it can. I know it’s been a hard week, with tragedy in the news all across our nation. It’s unsettling. A few people have reached out to me asking, “What do we do in the midst of all this? How do we process everything that’s happening?”

It is hard. Sometimes it feels like the world is spinning faster and faster, and people are losing their minds. Honestly, one of the best things we can do is step away from social media. Doom scrolling only makes us more anxious and discouraged. We need to remember there are things in this world we can’t control. If we focus only on those things, our anxiety will skyrocket.

But there are things we can control. I can’t control the whole world. I can’t even control everything in my own life. But I can control how I respond. I can decide whether I respond with my worst impulses or with my best. I can choose whether my actions will be life-giving or not.

That’s what Paul was getting at when he said, Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is good—think on these things. Do I fill my mind with what is good or with what is bad? Do I live out what is good, or do I live out what is bad? That’s where our focus needs to be.

So what can you do today, right where you are? How can you make your little corner of the world—a sandbox, as I like to call it—a better place? That’s the challenge in front of us.

And that leads right into today’s passage. In Luke 10:17–20, we see the seventy returning after Jesus sent them out on mission:

“The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’”

This is the famous passage where Jesus says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning.” John Wesley explained it beautifully: when the seventy went out and obeyed Jesus—preaching, healing, serving—the kingdom of Satan began to fall. Their faithfulness pushed back evil.

That’s a reminder to us that evil will not win. In God’s time, it will be defeated. Every time we do the good Jesus calls us to do, the kingdom of Satan loses ground. Your actions really do matter in the struggle between good and evil.

And doing good doesn’t always look dramatic. We like to imagine spiritual warfare as a cosmic wrestling match. But sometimes fighting evil looks like loving your children well. Modeling faith for them. Loving your neighbor. Picking up trash. Being kind to the cashier at Walmart. Treating your server at a restaurant with dignity. Those simple acts matter. When we live out the gospel like that, Satan falls.

But notice what Jesus tells them. He doesn’t say, “Rejoice that the demons submitted to you.” Instead, he says, “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

That’s where identity comes in. What defines you? Is it your victories, your accomplishments, your family, your job, your degrees, your children’s success? Those can all be good things. Jesus wasn’t dismissing the seventy’s victories—he even celebrated them. But he pointed them to something deeper: don’t let your victories define you. Let your identity be rooted in the fact that your name is written in heaven.

Because victories fade. Jobs can be lost. Bank accounts can shrink. Children grow up. Life changes. If our identity is built on shifting things, then when those things are shaken, we are shaken too.

But when our identity is rooted in Christ—when our greatest joy is knowing that we are children of God—everything else falls into place. Then our victories become praise to him. Then our successes point back to him. When Jesus is our foundation, everything else stays in its right order.

You’ve heard the old phrase: we’re human beings, not human doings. It’s not ultimately about what we accomplish. It’s about who we are. And in Christ, we are beloved children of God. That identity never changes.

So today, remember who you are. Remember where your true home is. Remember that your name is written in heaven. That is what defines you.

Thanks for being with me today. I hope you have a wonderful weekend, wherever you are, and I can’t wait to be back with you Monday morning as we continue in Luke together.