👑 The King is coming soon – Hope beyond the end
📅 February 1 – The Origin of Evil
Monthly theme: The Great Controversy – The Conflict Between Good and Evil
Year theme 2026: “Soon the King Is Coming – Hope Beyond the End”
📖 Central Bible Text of the Day
“How you have fallen from heaven,
O morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
You said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God …
I will make myself like the Most High.’”
— Isaiah 14:12–14
🌅 Devotion of the Day
Many ask: If God is love, why does evil exist?
The answer is not found in a dark corner of the earth,
but in heaven itself.
There, where perfection reigned,
the tragedy of rebellion began.
Lucifer, the brightest among the angels,
abused the freedom God had given out of love.
He desired not only more honor,
but the throne of God itself.
“Your heart became proud because of your beauty,
and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.”
— Ezekiel 28:17
Thus began the great controversy —
not over power, but over the character of God.
Lucifer portrayed God’s love as arbitrariness,
His law as coercion,
His justice as harshness.
Ellen G. White wrote:
“Sin originated in selfishness.
Lucifer, the most honored of all the angels,
sought greatness and honor for himself.
He desired the homage that belongs to God alone.”
(The Great Controversy, p. 493)
Thus the fundamental conflict of the universe was born:
selfishness versus love, rebellion versus obedience, self versus God.
✨ God’s Answer: Love and Freedom
Instead of destroying Lucifer immediately,
God allowed his principles to be revealed.
Force would have produced fear,
but love awakens trust.
“God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”
— 1 John 4:16
God wanted the entire universe to see
that only His love gives true life.
The plan of redemption was not devised after Adam’s fall,
but before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4).
Ellen White wrote:
“God foresaw the evil that would result from the departure from His law,
and He had the plan of redemption ready,
to give humanity a second probation.”
(The Great Controversy, p. 493)
In Christ, God revealed the opposite of Lucifer’s spirit:
where Satan took, Christ gave;
where Satan exalted himself, Christ humbled Himself;
where Satan destroyed, Christ healed.
🌿 The Great Controversy in Our Lives
This conflict rages not only in eternity,
but in the heart of every human being.
“For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit,
and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.”
— Galatians 5:17
Every thought, every motive reveals
which kingdom we belong to:
the kingdom of light or of darkness.
Ellen White explains:
“Every heart is a battlefield between Christ and Satan.
Upon this choice hangs the destiny of every soul.”
(Steps to Christ, p. 43)
Christ calls us to give Him the place
that Lucifer once claimed —
not as lord over God,
but as humble children of the Father.
🕊️ The Victory of Christ – Our Hope
“The reason the Son of God appeared
was to destroy the works of the devil.”
— 1 John 3:8
At the cross, the character of both powers was fully revealed:
Satan — selfishness that kills;
Christ — love that gives itself.
The cross is the proof
that love is stronger than hatred
and life triumphs over death.
Ellen White wrote:
“The cross of Christ will forever convince the universe
that the way of love is the only way that endures.”
(The Great Controversy, p. 670)
Whoever joins Christ
enters into this victory —
not as a spectator, but as an overcomer.
“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony.”
— Revelation 12:11
🙏 Prayer
Heavenly Father,
thank You that You are love,
even in the midst of the conflict.
Give me Your light,
so that I may recognize evil and resist it.
Let me live today as a child of peace
and as a witness of Your character.
Renew my heart,
so that Your victory may be seen in me.
Amen.
💭 Thought for the Day
“Every sin has its origin in the desire to be independent from God.
Every virtue begins with the humble confession:
‘Your will be done.’”
— Ellen G. White, Maranatha, p. 232
💡 Personal Application
-
Read Isaiah 14:12–15 and Revelation 12:7–12.
Reflect on how the conflict began in heaven and continues today in your heart. -
Pray: “Lord, reign in me.”
-
Practical step:
Practice an act of selfless love today —
this is victory over the spirit of Lucifer.
🌺 Closing Verse
“Do not be overcome by evil,
but overcome evil with good.”
— Romans 12:21
