TAKING A STAND.

[bluesanctum66 (deleted)]

Written by: S. R. Williams, Jr.

I stand for holiness, justice and righteousness. I stand for living according to Yahweh’s Word and his commandments, taking a stand against sin in all its varied forms. Standing for the things that you know are right isn’t a very popular thing to do nowadays but if you dare to stand—if you dare to believe in the Creator—then standing for what you know to be right and standing for the truth of Yahweh and His Word shall have been worth it. You may have to stand alone but there’s solace in the fact that those who love and obey the Creator shall never be alone.
For 18 years I’ve been in the faith and at times it has often been a long and arduous road that’s been very bittersweet for me. I’ve had some moments that have literally rocked me to my core and if I hadn’t been anchored in Yahweh Elohim or held on to the promises of his Word, I would’ve surely been a guest at a psychiatric ward. But I praise the Creator for keeping my mind stayed on Him. He has truly kept me all of these years because there was a desire from me to be kept. No, it hasn’t always been easy and making the decision to walk this way hasn’t been without its disappointments, but I stand. No, this hasn’t been written in an attempt to place me upon a pedestal or to make anyone think that I’m all of that but more or less to testify of the goodness of the Creator that I serve.
Yes, for everything that I’ve had to endure one would think that that would have been enough to make me throw in the proverbial towel or wave the white flag or to simply just give up. But when I think about the sacrifice that the Messiah made for me, something happens within me; something akin to the feeling of joy—a joy that can’t be contained nor measured or classified or easily referenced and I’m glad about that.
I stand for Him and I’ll die for Him! Nothing has never ring more true to me than that statement because when all else fails—and, trust me, it shall, just as surely as the sun rises—He won’t. He can’t! He’s never lost a battle! He has always been faithful to those who love and obey Him.
There have been times when I haven’t been as faithful to Him as I know that I ought to have been (I find no shame admitting that). When we have the ability to be truthful and transparent—not only with one another but, more importantly, with ourselves, no matter how ugly it might be—it is then and only then, that any real progress can be made. I believe that it was the great orator, Frederick Douglass, who once said, “Without struggle there can be no progress.†So if I were to look at my life as it is right now, there have been moments of great struggle but the Almighty has seen me through each and every one of them. He is yet still doing it and I have no complaints.
I testify to the goodness of the Creator and all that he’s done for me. When father and mother forsake you then Yahweh’s there to be a father and a mother to you. When “so-called†friends turn their back on you--who have called on the name of the Most High, claiming to have a relationship with Him--Yahweh’s there to take up the slack. He promised in His Word that he’d never leave me nor forsake me and I believe that. He’ll do just what He said He’d do. I’m here as living proof that He honors His Word and covenant with me. There have been times when I felt all alone but He has never left my side and I bless Him for that and it is to Him that I give the honor, glory and the praise!
Honestly, I don’t know how I would ever make it if it weren’t for the Creator. The Bible tells me not to place any confidence in the flesh and I don’t. I must admit that that was a hard lesson to learn at first but one worthy of being learned. Why? Because the flesh shall always fail; people—who mean well and have your best intentions at heart—shall fail; people who you once trusted and even looked up to, admiring, shall fail; but there’s just only one who won’t fail—Yahweh! He never fails!
I’m glad to know that I have someone in my life—albeit, in the universe--who can never fail. Yes, that’s right. I make my boast in Yahweh and I am proud to do so. I know who I am and whose I am. It’s funny, though, how you have to go through some things in your life just to know who Yahweh truly is but it’s needful because in the end, He will have made you into who He wants you to be—and not what people think you ought to be.
I’m encouraged daily because I have such a great and powerful Savior who cares about me; who cares about my well-being; who cares about what I’m going through; who cares about what I think and how I feel. I serve a risen Savior who has sustained me through 3 ½ years of unemployment (As of August 8th, it’s 4 years) and who doesn’t put me down because of it; who has never stabbed me in the back or talked about me or has never lied to me; who has never betrayed my trust—not once. (See, the flesh will betray you especially when something as hurtful as deception works in its favor, especially when it listens to “other voices†and the “other voices†influence its decisions). I’d like to think that all of this has a purpose, but at this point I won’t even begin to know the mind of Yahweh as to what is happening to me. All I know for sure is that He’s keeping me and that’s good enough for me. It has to be.
He’s never told or made me to feel that I was a burden or said that He was “tired†because of my not having a job or of “footing the bill†or of even having to sacrifice; He’s never used profanity against me; He’s never told me that I couldn’t accomplish anything; He’s never referred to me as being lazy and or ignorant. He’s never called me crazy; He’s never put me down for “another†or He’s never given me “an easy outâ€Â…But what he has done for me…is loved me. He has simply loved me and it’s been a love that’s unconditional and without any equivocations. He’s loved me when I didn’t even love myself. He’s loved me when I was a wreck and a miserable screw-up. He’s loved me even when all others have in some form or fashion, rejected me and have said cruel and hurtful things behind my back like: “He’ll never amount to anything. He’s a lost cause. He’s a joke. I don’t need you to be strong for me. You have rhetoric coming out of your mouth.†Even in this, I had to learn the power of forgiveness and it was not without any difficulty, trust me. Eventually forgiveness gave way to knowing His love and His love is perfect. For the Bible declares that Elohim is love.
The love that He has me for surpasses anything that the world will ever have to offer. Sometimes, I stand in awe of the love that He’s shown to me, trying to fathom the very depths of it, and just when I think that I’ve got it all figured out—I haven’t even scratched the surface. Just when I think that I know what His plan is—I don’t.
I’ve enjoyed this wonderful relationship because it has allowed me to live…Truly live. I enjoy the gift of Salvation and His Blood. I enjoy the process of sanctification. The Word has taught me how to look at myself, as if staring into a mirror, to discover who I really am. The Holy Spirit has given me true power and with it the responsibility to use it wisely and to live holy. To subscribe to live holy in this present age isn’t a hard thing to do but, in fact, has been a way of life for me. I’m not perfect but I’m striving everyday to reach His level of perfection.
That’s why I stand for Him. And when I really think about it there isn’t anyone else that I’d rather stand for--or with--than Him. That’s why I stand…That’s why I…stand. It’s what gives me the drive and the focus that I need day to day to survive in a hostile world of which I’m just a stranger passing through.
There aren’t really a lot of people who truly want to take the time to understand me and that’s okay. I have a Creator who understands just who I am and what I’m all about, and for me, that’s just fine. Knowing Him and the purpose for which I was created gives me a sense of awe; something my finite mind—after all of these years—is still trying to grasp.
I move, breathe and have my being because of the Creator and His love for me…