I don’t know … perhaps it’s just me – but today’s world feels different than the one I grew up in. You too? I know … duh - it is! I’m sure that – our parents and grandparents – in the 60’s and 70’s said the same. I can still hear my Italian Grandfather who didn’t speak “the English” very well (but he tried) – tell me the Beatles – were of “the devil”. Perhaps Grand-Pa ... but I sure loved the “Let It Be” album when it came out and what in the world was wrong with “I Want To Hold Your Hand”? They don’t call them albums any longer (do they?). It just feels like the world is more chaotic and overwhelming than ever. I have these memories from childhood like - the excitement and energy the whole town buzzed with over the annual Memorial Day parade. – I grew up - small town Jersey - USA – where patriotism, love of country and God was a good thing. We all belonged - we all cared - and we were all blessed by God - whom we could trust ... that all seems missing nowadays.
We watch today’s news headlines, scroll past social posts, and observe all of these cultural shifts that trouble us, (If Grand-Pa - were here today – I wonder what he’d say?) I also wonder sometimes … what diff? What difference can I make? What difference can you make? I mean what difference can just one person possibly make? Yet, as Christians - we must always remember - that notion is a lie from the pit of hell. God says - what we do matters – what we do counts … and our greatest weapon isn't physical force, but spiritual authority exercised through prayer and faithful action. Jesus personified this – “Fighting the Right Battle” – as He stood in the garden before His arrest, Peter drew a sword and cut off another dude’s ear to defend Him. In that moment, Jesus spoke words that should echo through every believer’s heart: "Those who live by the sword will die by the sword." As Jesus “re-attached” the other mans ear - so he could “hear” (faith comes by hearing) - He reminded Peter (and His enemies perhaps) that He could call down over 12 legions of angels— (that’s some 72,000-84,000 angelic warriors)—He could have blown those guards away … but that wasn't the battle He came to fight. You see ... Jesus didn't come to overthrow the darkness of this world's governments or to win political victories through force. He came to overthrow the darkness in every “man’s” heart, one human soul at a time. This is the battle we're called to engage in today—not with weapons of flesh, but with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God and yes - prayer. We shouldn’t be “cutting any ears off” – but helping re-attach so that they might hear and recognize the Truth of The Gospel of Love, that – Jesus Christ is the answer that fills that deep, dark - empty spot in every human's heart!
The greatest revivals in history, including the day when 3,000 people believed in Jesus Christ at Pentecost, happened one hurting heart at a time. Our calling is to meet our personal Goliaths with faith, prayer, and the authority Christ has given us. We often underestimate the spiritual authority given to us as believers. When a daughter suffered from severe back pain—both physical and spiritual in nature—simple obedience to prayer, anointing with oil and her faith - resulted in complete healing. The power wasn't in the oil or the person praying, but simply - showing up - and releasing the situation to God. This is our calling: to show up physically when we can, where we can and however, we can - with love, and to pray persistently when we can't. God is no respecter of distance. Our prayers have the power to break chains and dismantle strongholds (those notions we carry, and lies we believe), whether we're standing next to someone or praying - from across the country.
We are called as Christians to understand the times – and while our ultimate allegiance is to Christ and His kingdom, we cannot abdicate our responsibility as citizens of this world. The prophet Jeremiah instructed the exiles in Babylon to "seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace" (Jeremiah 29:7). We live here. We work here. We grow up here. We're affected by what happens here. We have a responsibility to engage with wisdom and discernment - here! The challenge before us isn't primarily political—it's spiritual. When we examine ideologies that promise equality through government control, we must remember a fundamental truth: our rights come from God, not from any human institution. The Declaration of Independence recognizes that we are "endowed by our Creator (God) with certain unalienable rights." Genesis 1:26 establishes that God gave humanity dominion over the earth—not governments, but God Himself. God is the giver of Authority and Human rights – not Governmental Institutions or the people who run them. History demonstrates that when societies reject this truth and place ultimate authority in the state rather than in God, the results are devastating. Venezuela, once one of Latin America's wealthiest nations, in embracing socialism - now faces starvation and empty shelves. This pattern has repeated across nations and throughout history: when God is removed from the equation, social order breaks down.
The prophet Hosea wrote, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6). This isn't referring to intellectual knowledge—it's about spiritual knowledge, a rejection of God's law and will. Spiritual ignorance leads directly to social breakdown. When we removed prayer from schools and pushed God out of public life, we shouldn't be surprised that moral confusion followed. Right and wrong have become relative. Our answer? – (at least my own for many years) – was – well ?… “I didn’t know” – “I just didn’t know any better”. That was my answer – but then the Holy Spirit asked me a question … "Could you have?” … could you have known better? Ignorance isn't an excuse when information is available. We're responsible not just for what we know, but for what we could have known. The Lie That “Your Voice Doesn't Matter” – “Your Vote Won’t Count” is perhaps the greatest deception that keeps Christians from engaging in their community and government; it is this lie that makes us feel we're too powerless to effect change. Now - I heard this particular declaration ad nauseum even from Christians regarding the recent NYC election – “only a democrat can win in NY – no one else has a shot”. So what happens? No chance? No show! I looked and the numbers tell a different story. In New York City alone, there are 3.84 million Christians of voting age. In the recent mayoral election, only 2 million people voted out of over 5 million registered voters (out of a population of about 7 million 18+ people who could vote). Smells like - Voter Apathy to me! What if … all Christians had voted? What if every believer recognized that their participation really did matter? The reality is that many elections are decided by margins far smaller than the number of Christians who stayed home. We've been told our votes don't matter, (Grandpa was right - that is - of “the devil”) and we've believed it. This is a stronghold—a fortress of thinking that must be torn down. Torn down through prayer – civic awareness – engagement and rejecting passivity!
The Apostle Paul wrote, "Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God" (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Our response must be multifaceted:
We watch today’s news headlines, scroll past social posts, and observe all of these cultural shifts that trouble us, (If Grand-Pa - were here today – I wonder what he’d say?) I also wonder sometimes … what diff? What difference can I make? What difference can you make? I mean what difference can just one person possibly make? Yet, as Christians - we must always remember - that notion is a lie from the pit of hell. God says - what we do matters – what we do counts … and our greatest weapon isn't physical force, but spiritual authority exercised through prayer and faithful action. Jesus personified this – “Fighting the Right Battle” – as He stood in the garden before His arrest, Peter drew a sword and cut off another dude’s ear to defend Him. In that moment, Jesus spoke words that should echo through every believer’s heart: "Those who live by the sword will die by the sword." As Jesus “re-attached” the other mans ear - so he could “hear” (faith comes by hearing) - He reminded Peter (and His enemies perhaps) that He could call down over 12 legions of angels— (that’s some 72,000-84,000 angelic warriors)—He could have blown those guards away … but that wasn't the battle He came to fight. You see ... Jesus didn't come to overthrow the darkness of this world's governments or to win political victories through force. He came to overthrow the darkness in every “man’s” heart, one human soul at a time. This is the battle we're called to engage in today—not with weapons of flesh, but with the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God and yes - prayer. We shouldn’t be “cutting any ears off” – but helping re-attach so that they might hear and recognize the Truth of The Gospel of Love, that – Jesus Christ is the answer that fills that deep, dark - empty spot in every human's heart!
The greatest revivals in history, including the day when 3,000 people believed in Jesus Christ at Pentecost, happened one hurting heart at a time. Our calling is to meet our personal Goliaths with faith, prayer, and the authority Christ has given us. We often underestimate the spiritual authority given to us as believers. When a daughter suffered from severe back pain—both physical and spiritual in nature—simple obedience to prayer, anointing with oil and her faith - resulted in complete healing. The power wasn't in the oil or the person praying, but simply - showing up - and releasing the situation to God. This is our calling: to show up physically when we can, where we can and however, we can - with love, and to pray persistently when we can't. God is no respecter of distance. Our prayers have the power to break chains and dismantle strongholds (those notions we carry, and lies we believe), whether we're standing next to someone or praying - from across the country.
We are called as Christians to understand the times – and while our ultimate allegiance is to Christ and His kingdom, we cannot abdicate our responsibility as citizens of this world. The prophet Jeremiah instructed the exiles in Babylon to "seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace" (Jeremiah 29:7). We live here. We work here. We grow up here. We're affected by what happens here. We have a responsibility to engage with wisdom and discernment - here! The challenge before us isn't primarily political—it's spiritual. When we examine ideologies that promise equality through government control, we must remember a fundamental truth: our rights come from God, not from any human institution. The Declaration of Independence recognizes that we are "endowed by our Creator (God) with certain unalienable rights." Genesis 1:26 establishes that God gave humanity dominion over the earth—not governments, but God Himself. God is the giver of Authority and Human rights – not Governmental Institutions or the people who run them. History demonstrates that when societies reject this truth and place ultimate authority in the state rather than in God, the results are devastating. Venezuela, once one of Latin America's wealthiest nations, in embracing socialism - now faces starvation and empty shelves. This pattern has repeated across nations and throughout history: when God is removed from the equation, social order breaks down.
The prophet Hosea wrote, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6). This isn't referring to intellectual knowledge—it's about spiritual knowledge, a rejection of God's law and will. Spiritual ignorance leads directly to social breakdown. When we removed prayer from schools and pushed God out of public life, we shouldn't be surprised that moral confusion followed. Right and wrong have become relative. Our answer? – (at least my own for many years) – was – well ?… “I didn’t know” – “I just didn’t know any better”. That was my answer – but then the Holy Spirit asked me a question … "Could you have?” … could you have known better? Ignorance isn't an excuse when information is available. We're responsible not just for what we know, but for what we could have known. The Lie That “Your Voice Doesn't Matter” – “Your Vote Won’t Count” is perhaps the greatest deception that keeps Christians from engaging in their community and government; it is this lie that makes us feel we're too powerless to effect change. Now - I heard this particular declaration ad nauseum even from Christians regarding the recent NYC election – “only a democrat can win in NY – no one else has a shot”. So what happens? No chance? No show! I looked and the numbers tell a different story. In New York City alone, there are 3.84 million Christians of voting age. In the recent mayoral election, only 2 million people voted out of over 5 million registered voters (out of a population of about 7 million 18+ people who could vote). Smells like - Voter Apathy to me! What if … all Christians had voted? What if every believer recognized that their participation really did matter? The reality is that many elections are decided by margins far smaller than the number of Christians who stayed home. We've been told our votes don't matter, (Grandpa was right - that is - of “the devil”) and we've believed it. This is a stronghold—a fortress of thinking that must be torn down. Torn down through prayer – civic awareness – engagement and rejecting passivity!
The Apostle Paul wrote, "Though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God" (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Our response must be multifaceted:
- First - Pray. We pray for our leaders, even those we didn't vote for and don't agree with. We pray that God's light would shine and that hearts would be transformed.
- Second - Stay informed. We need to filter everything through Scripture and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Not every opinion is fact. Not every headline is truth. We must be discerning.
- Third - Vote. We must vote in every election—not just presidential races, but school board elections, library trustees, local races, state and national positions. These matter tremendously. When we vote - we vote according to biblical values, not personality or party loyalty.
- Fourth - Engage. We attend town halls, write letters to elected officials, and make our voices heard. The squeaky wheel gets oiled—this principle applies to civic engagement as well.
- Fifth - We must always speak the truth with love. We don't burn bridges; we build them. We engage with kindness while standing firm in truth. Your voice is valuable
The situation isn't hopeless. In fact, when we recognize the spiritual authority we possess and the practical power of engaged citizenship, the outlook is remarkably hopeful. We serve a God who specializes in impossible situations. We follow a Savior who transforms hearts. We're empowered by Holy Spirit who tears down strongholds and renews minds. Our calling is clear: Reject Passivity. Take Authority ... Show up. Be Informed. Pray without ceasing. Vote with conviction. Speak the truth with love and always remember that while we're citizens of this world temporarily, we're citizens of God's kingdom eternally. The battle is real, but so is the victory. We fight not with swords of steel, but with the sword of the Spirit. And that makes all the difference in this world. Amen.
Blessings – Pastor Bob
HOPE Blog ... Pastor Bob DeFelice
Sometimes random - sometimes not - some things I think - measured against scripture.
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
~ 2 Timothy 2:15
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
~ 2 Timothy 2:15
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