Be Ready to Stand Against Everyone
Staying true to your principles isn't easy...
One of the things I have learned in my since my conversion to become a Latter-day Saint over four decades ago, is that you have to learn to stand alone sometimes. Sometimes you have to stand on principle and take all the “slings and arrows” the opposition can cast at you. If you believe you are correct, then don’t back off.
This doesn’t make you popular. It makes you a target. The Adversary of souls will influence anyone who is the least bit under his control to turn into something akin to an “Agent Smith” from The Matrix." It doesn’t happen to Latter-day Saints only. It happens to any principled person who stands for his truth. There are certain grand principles that can be summed up in what we call the Ten Commandments. If you look at the Bible, there isn’t something that is titled “The Ten Commandments.” People who studied the Bible just called them that, but they could have been called “The Ten Principles,” just as easily.
What are those principles? Put God first and don’t let other things take his place. Honor his name. Don’t let objects, possessions, titles, money, relationships, or anything else become more important than God. Don’t bow down to anything except God. Plan a day of rest one day out of seven to honor God as the Creator. Respect your parents. Don’t lie, cheat, steal, or harm anyone. Honor the marriage covenant. Honor life. Don’t envy other people’s stuff or their relationships.
God is forgiving. When we sincerely ask him to forgive our sins and mistakes, he promises to forgive us. We keep the commandments as practice to live in his presence because, in the heavenly kingdom he inhabits, that’s the way heavenly being live. They don’t lust after worldly stuff or indulge in fleshly appetites. Their hearts are pure. How do we prepare to live in a kingdom where, very likely, every other person can discern your desires? We purify our hearts by practicing living the laws of heaven now.
We get accused of trying to “work our way to heaven,” but that’s not how it works. The “currency of heaven” is the blood of Jesus Christ. It paid the price of our ticket to get in the door. However, we would feel uncomfortable there if our hearts are still filled with sinful desires and everyone there could see or sense it. I think we would really prefer to be somewhere else in that case. If we are humble and repentant, God’s mercy covers us and cleanses us so we can shed those desires. I think that’s a lot easier to do once we are out of this world where Satan has access to tempt us 24/7.
When you know the truth of anything, you can expect opposition to arise. People who you esteemed as friends may turn on you. Co-workers, acquaintances, even complete strangers will get led to you. They don’t know they’re being led. Another kind of spirit drives them. Situations will arise that will put you into potential conflicts over your values. When you were in school, maybe someone asked you to give them answers on a test. You knew cheating was wrong. You had to decide whether to stand on principle or cave to social pressure. Maybe you’re a car mechanic and you saw the opportunity to overcharge a customer and make more money and you had to decide which choice to make. Maybe you work for a company and your boss asks you to falsify some accounting information to cover up a deficit or to reduce a potential tax liability. All of these situations challenge your integrity to do what is right.
Right now, you are watching the entire world gang up on Russia. Among the people who support Ukraine are individuals whom you know to be corrupt, dishonest, maybe even Satanic child molesters. George Soros, Klaus Schwab, the Clintons, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi, Mitt Romney, even that witch Maria Abromovich all have come out publicly in support of Ukraine. Celebrities galore have backed Ukraine. The MSM has transmitted a nonstop pro-Ukraine narrative for days. You may find co-workers and online acquaintances have changed their profile pictures to show the Ukraine flag. Meanwhile you are one of the few that knows and understands that Ukraine was overthrown in 2014 by Obama’s CIA and that it has been a hub for money laundering and child trafficking since that time. You know that these people are evil and corrupt, but good friends find themselves repeating the media mantra: “Ukraine good, Russia bad.” They make Putin out to be the villain when, in all likelihood, he is standing against Satan’s new world order.
In that case, you have to grasp ahold of what you know in your heart to be true. You will probably be ridiculed, unfriended, maybe even censored or banned on social media. You may get called a traitor or a Nazi by people who are really traitors and Nazis. It doesn’t matter. If you cave and accept what isn’t true as reality, you can lose your soul. You are choosing to walk in darkness when you have seen the daylight. It is a conscious choice. God holds you accountable.
Truly, life’s testing only happens when the test is real, when you really have someting to lose: friends, your reputation, etc. When the moment comes, you have to stand up for it. It doesn’t matter your faith. If you have to stand up against the Adversary, I’m going to stand with you. I hope you’ll stand with me. We can agree on principles, if nothing else. Everyone else may stand against you, but I will do my best to guard your back. The time for interdenominational squabbles is past. The devil is coming and he’s going to come after everyone who seeks to live in a godly way, no matter what your faith is. He doesn’t care about labels. He cares that your good example exposes others’ disobedience and makes them question their choices. He can’t have his new world order unless you bow the knee to him. Your faith and obedience he considers defiance. He doesn’t tolerate that well. In that moment, keeping true to your principles is the most important thing you can do. Do your part and seek your place of refuge in God’s holy city. He will guide you there if you are true and stick to your principles.