VOTE AS A RIGHTEOUS ACT OF RESISTANCE

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. EPHESISANS 6 : 10-13 My beloved brothers and sisters. We are just a few days away from the final day of Voting. November 3rd is the last day to go to the polls and cast your ballot for your candidate of choice at both the Federal, State, and local level. Remember Your Vote is Your Voice and Your Choice . As believers in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it is imperative that we fully participate in the electoral process of selecting our leaders at all levels of government. And if ever there was a season for us to do all we can to withstand the evil of the day - it is now. I believe in the power of prayer. I believe that prayer changes things and indeed changes us in the thing. And we have been through many things this year of our Lord 2020. There is the ongoing Pandemic- and how it is being handled or not being handled depending on your point of view. Our schools have been closed and if opened they closed again. This raises the continuous challenge of the education or the miseducation of our children whether in person or virtual. There is the school to prison pipeline. There are health care disparities amongst poor, brown, black and indigenous people. There have been so many men and women who have been killed due to no fault of their own. There are the macro-aggressions against people of color- jogging in the park, sleeping in their own bed, playing video games with their nephew, minding their business only to end up dead. The list goes on and on. The scripture challenges us in Ephesians 6:10-13. First, to be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. We are imbued with the power of God to be empowered to take a stand and raises our voices. Part of our power is the power of the vote, the power of the ballot. We should not abdicate our position of power by being silent. As Pastor Rev. Dr. Beverly D. Frazier says : Vote- Silence is Consent. Let us not be silent in the face of all the atrocities going on in our neighborhoods and across our nation. We are to put on the whole armor of God. The armor includes- the belt of truth! There is the truth of the wickedness that is seeking to run rampant today and trample our Civil Rights, our Voting Rights, and our Constitutional Rights. Vote to protect our rights. The armor includes the breastplate of righteous. As believers we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Our righteous is as filthy rags. But the righteousness of Christ- shines bright within us. We must let our light shine. Isaiah 9:6 tells us “For unto us a child is born to us a son is given and the government shall be on his shoulders.” As ambassadors for Christ it is our Christian duty to exercise the right to vote as an act of righteous of Christ to indeed shine upon the government. Voting is an act of Righteous Resistance. We must resist the plans and actions of the enemy of our soul. Part of our armor is that our feet must be fitted from the gospel of peace. We must take feet and walk into the polling site and vote. Our Vote is our voice to speak peace into this nation and this land. Part of our armor is to take up the shield of faith to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. We take up our shield of faith and march to polls to vote to extinguish the evil seeking to be in control of our nation, our land, our schools, our health, and our very lives. Our armor includes the helmet of salvation. Our salvation is in Jesus Christ. And with Christ as the head of our life, we are called to be faithful ,thinking people. Think about your vote. Think about the impact of your vote. And vote. Our armor includes the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Word up- we are created in the image of God and after His likeness. “ male and female he created them. God Blessed them and said to them be fruitful and multiply and have dominion over all the earth” With Christ as our Savior, we are called to take the necessary action steps to have a representative government that governs for all the people not some of the people. We are called to have the dominion of grace, to have the heart of God toward all children, to feed those who are hungry, in other words to live out loud the Beatitudes of Christ. My brothers and my sisters my challenge to you is to indeed Vote as a Righteous Act of Resistance. For you see we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. These are the times we are living in. These are the times that are calling you and calling me to Vote. The scriptures says to Resist the Devil and he will flee. It is time for our Righteous Act of Resistance in voting so that the devil that has been on the necks of our people shall flee. Now my friends, Plan Your Vote! Here is a check list for your convenience: o Know where your polling site is located. Know who is on your ballot for city, state, and federal elections. o If you need a ride to the polling site, make arrangements now. o If you know you need to have a snack or lite meal- pack your meal on Monday. o Bring water so you are properly hydrated. o If you know you can’t stand for a long time, bring a folding chair. o Make sure you have a Mask. o If you like music, make your playlist on your phone for your listening pleasure. o If you like to read, bring a book. o Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. o While you are standing in line- be friendly. o While you are standing in line- Pray And after you done all you can-and you have voted. Go home in peace and Stand. Stand firm on the word of the Lord! Grace, Peace, Love, & Light; Rev. Dr. Kathy Smallwood, Esq.