*By Julie Barrett, Founder, Conservative Ladies of Washington
We see it all the time – people are so afraid to take a stand for something for fear that they will lose friends, lose followers, receive push-back, maybe even hate. Instead of taking a stand, they waiver on what they believe or they change what they say they believe based on the audience in front of them.
It happens on social media, it happens in churches, it happens in politics. It happens everywhere. It’s one of the things I personally liked so much about President Trump. He took a stand and he did not waiver. No matter how much shade and hate came his way (and boy, did he take shade and hate like we have never seen before!!!) he didn’t waiver. He knew what he stood for and he knew why and he wasn’t going to let anybody bully him into submission to what they wanted him to believe.
That’s admirable and I think that’s why I was initially so taken with Trump. We don’t see it very often in our world today. People cave to “mob mentality” all the time. They don’t want to get “canceled” and experience the fall out of dealing with people who do not agree with their beliefs and ideologies. People don’t take a stand because of FEAR. This is a tactic the left (although not exclusive to the left) uses to advance their agendas and it has proven to be very effective.
I suppose that is how the leftist and socialist movement has grown so large. Their tactics work really well to bring people over into their “camp” and are designed to make those who do not conform to feel that they are (pick any) racist, intolerant, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, white supremacist, privileged, very bad super awful person. No one wants to be any of those, especially if you are trying to rise on the political scene or you’re a social media influencer or TikTok-er trying to go viral.
Our world makes it difficult for people to take a stand for their beliefs…if those beliefs are anything outside of those approved by the left. As a result, many of us who are somewhere in the middle or over on the right are willing to settle for the “gray area” of not taking a stand. Many are willing to give a little here and give a little there in an effort to appease people if they think it means they can keep or earn their approval. This is a setup. Knowing that you don’t take a solid stand for something, you have just let the other side know that you are “negotiable”. And they love that and they are in pounce position. You have fallen into their trap and they will use every tool in their box to slowly (or maybe quickly) move you over into their camp.
This is why so many people hate President Trump. He is immovable and everybody knows it and it drives the left crazy and the RINOs on the right too! Their fear tactics and cancel culture don’t work on him.
I don’t know what President Trump’s relationship with God is, but as I’ve watched over the years I can see that God is working through Him in a powerful way. Whether or not Trump prays and seeks wisdom and discernment from the Lord, I do not know…but I can see that God has a hand in what he is doing. I know that when our “stand” is based on the truth in God’s Word, we will always win. We may not win in this world, we may not win favor with man, but we win in the Kingdom. We may not win elections or awards. When we draw our “line in the sand” based on the Bible, we can stand, immovable, regardless of the tactics of fear and manipulation from people. It’s not easy and it’s definitely not popular. It can be lonely, for sure.
Out of fear, we have allowed people we don’t agree with to “take an inch.” That inch has now grown into many miles and we have our children are now being indoctrinated in our public schools, our police are being defunded and targeted, our churches are being threatened, we’re living under “mask mandates”…just to name a few. In moving our “line in the sand” we have shown the world that we can be controlled. This is what happens when we don’t take a stand. Look at the left, they take a stand and they do not waiver, they do not allow people on the other side to change their beliefs or their behavior. We need patriots to do the same. We need patriots to know what they stand for, know WHY they stand for it and to be prepared to defend their position.
Take a stand or you will fall for anything. It’s sad to look at how much we have fallen for because we weren’t willing to take a stand. It’s not too late…yet.