The election may be over, but the lesson is just beginning.
There's something refreshing about watching people recognize that their voices matter.
Regardless of where someone stood politically, we witnessed people exercise a freedom they were given. They showed up, made their choices, and used their votes to help influence the direction of their communities and country.
It reminded me of something: Having a voice and knowing how to use it are two different things.
And that lesson reaches much further than politics.
We see people tearing others down to secure positions in professional environments. We see it in religious spaces, where people sometimes use titles, traditions, and spiritual superiority to make others feel less worthy. Unfortunately, we even see it within families.
It's as though somebody else's elevation somehow threatens our own.
But why?
Why do we spend so much energy trying to make ourselves look better by making somebody else look smaller?
The Competition We Were Never Invited Into
I started thinking about how this same mentality can creep into our relationship with Yah.
Some people have been made to feel that they need a certain title, religious affiliation, level of knowledge, or somebody else's approval to have meaningful access to God.
They've been taught to look at other believers as though some are closer to the Father than others simply because they appear more religious.
But what does Scripture say?
Romans 2:11 (KJV) says:
"For there is no respect of persons with God."
And Ephesians 2:18 (KJV) tells us:
"For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father."
Think about that!
Our access comes through Yeshua. Not our popularity. Not our position in an organization. Not how well we can quote Scripture or how many people recognize our name.
We don't have to discredit another believer to validate our relationship with Yah.
We don't have to compete for a position in His heart.
The Father isn't running a popularity contest.
Use the Access You've Been Given
Now, let's bring this back to that voice we were so willing to use during election season.
We understood that our participation mattered. We understood that exercising our rights could help influence change.
So why do we sometimes sit quietly when it comes to the liberties we've been given through Christ?
Hebrews 4:16 (KJV) says:
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."
Come boldly!
Not arrogantly. Not demanding that Yah bend to our every desire. But confidently, knowing that through Yeshua we have access to the Father.
We can pray. We can seek wisdom. We can ask for help. We can stand on His promises. We can grow in understanding and walk in the freedom He has given us.
And let's not forget Galatians 5:1 (KJV):
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."
Freedom is something we should learn to live in, not simply something we talk about.
That doesn't mean life will always be easy or that we get everything we ask for. It means we don't have to live spiritually intimidated, constantly trying to prove that we're worthy of approaching the One who has invited us near.
A Different Kind of Influence
What if we used our voices to encourage instead of tear down?
What if we stopped treating somebody else's progress as a threat to our own?
What if we could celebrate another person's relationship with Yah without questioning whether they deserve it?
Romans 12:10 (KJV) says:
"Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another."
That's a different kind of influence.
We don't have to silence people to be heard. We don't have to diminish people to be significant. And we certainly don't have to position ourselves above others to be seen by the Father.
Our assignment is to grow, learn, love, and walk in the truth we've been given.
My Focus From Now Until January 1st
The election season has ended, but I'm taking the lesson with me.
I want to be more intentional about using my voice, exercising my spiritual liberties, and living with a greater understanding of my identity in Christ.
I want to stop overlooking the access I've been given while spending energy worrying about what somebody else has.
I want my voice to contribute something meaningful. I want my influence to encourage rather than diminish. And I want to experience the abundant life Yeshua spoke about in John 10:10—not just quote it.
Because freedom isn't much good if we never learn to walk in it.
And inheritance means little if we never take the time to understand what we've received.
So here's something to think about:
Are you using your voice to exercise the freedom you've been given, or have you allowed somebody else's opinion, position, or approval to make you forget that you have access to the Father too?
You don't need to take somebody else's place to appreciate your own.
Use your voice. Know your access. Walk in your freedom.
The door is open. Stop living like you need somebody else's permission to approach your Father.
Love, Yada
