Conviction Before Favor | John Giftah | Christian Sermon

0:01 Speaker 1: Do you ever look around and think, Wow, the world is a crazy place and it just seems to get crazier and crazier. Ease your mind and take a break. This is Fuel for the Soul with John GIFTA. We're a hub for inspirational Christian sermons, practical keys for Christian living, in Christian discussions and interviews. You'll be inspired to live the life that you were created for. Your host is a top ranking podcaster, best selling author, world record holder, aerospace engineer, life coach, evangelist and founder of John Gifta International.

0:41 Speaker 1: Welcome to Fuel for the Soul with John GIFTA.

0:46 Speaker 2: Hey, God, beschere. It's such a joy for me to be with all of you today on this segment of the Fuel for the Soul with John GIFTA podcast. As you would have listened for the first couple of episodes the last couple of days this week, we've been talking and learning things that we can in cult in our life from the Life of Daniel, especially from Daniel Chapter one. And I want to talk to you today on something very very important that you can take away as you are in your life where you're making decisions and you're standing firm on your convictions.

1:14 Speaker 2: Now, look at verse eight. This is what it says. But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. And verse nine, now God at cost the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel. Look at this, Daniel decides and he says, you know what, I'm not going to defil myself. Now, some of you may take this in a literal sense and say, oh, Daniel denied having royal food or having delicious meat and wine, right And then people say, you know, that's why you're not supposed to eat non vegetarian food for example.

1:56 Speaker 2: You know what I mean, That's not what it's referring to, right, Like it's about Daniel's conviction about plutony or the kind of food that was being served. And he stood his ground and said, you know what, I'm not going to say yes to this. I'm not going to allow my body to be filled with the filt or filled with things that can affect me. You know what, I don't want this to be my idol. I don't want this to you know, go in the wrong balance in my diet or whatever, you know what I mean. So some people use this to say that, you know what, God wants us to be vegans, or God wants us to be people who should not eat non vegetarian food.

2:37 Speaker 2: That's not what it is. This is about Daniel's conviction at this point and today in your life. Right now, you have to understand the culture right back in the day or even now. If you see, for instance, the food that's served in the Middle East is predominantly non vegetarian diet. Right for example, when most for the most part, you know what I mean, compared to the food that you see in India, for the most part, you will see carbohydrates because rices is to staple food in India. So you have to understand the culture, right, you have to understand and you can't just draw in, you know, statements, or make statements or draw in conclusions about what you should eat or what you should indeed, just because of the decision Daniel made at this particular point of time.

3:27 Speaker 2: So what's my point here. He chose to not defil himself. He stood up to his convictions. And what happened when he stood up to his conviction. The Bible says that God caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel. You see, sometimes you will not be able to experience favor. You will not be able to experience compassion. You will not be able to see the fullness of what God wants to do in and through your life if you do not make that result to stand firm on your conviction, to stand firm on not to defile yourself, to stand firm that you will not compromise, to stand firm that you will not go in the wrong direction, to stand firm and do what God has called you to do.

4:14 Speaker 2: Are you getting what I'm saying? It is a lot of times you are like, oh, I'm not able to see God's favor, I'm not experiencing the favor. I'm a compassion I'm not able to see the power of God. You will not be able to see that manifest in your life if you're not taking that risk step to stay resolve, or to avoid defiance, or to stand firm on your convictions. So today, my challenge is the first thing that comes is saying, you know what, I'm not going to allow this to stop me. I'm not going to allow this system to make me compromise or go in the wrong direction.

4:48 Speaker 2: You stand firm, and then the Lord will cause the right people or the right person to show favor, compassion and everything that you need to fulfill your purpose. I'm going to close with this example. In my life, right there was a season where I was waiting on a lot to give me a new job because I lost my previous job in a mass layoff. And there was so much a pressure saying, choose some job. Don't be choosy, you know, get down from your standards and expectations, get some job, get going with your life.

5:22 Speaker 2: You know. There was tremendous pressure. And I have worked in organizations where I've literally worked fourteen hours a day or even, to be honest, even eighteen hours a day. Especially the culture in a lot of organizations in India, the work balance is really out of the window. And I worked in organizations like that, and along with that, I was trying to run the ministry and there were instances where I organized programs. I did all of this in the midst of all of that, you know what I mean, Like in the midst of a hectic six day week where working eighteen hours a day, I conducted the ministry, the services, and all of these things in the ministry.

6:03 Speaker 2: And now in the last couple of years, the ministry has tremendously grown compared to where it was many years ago. And I knew that if I took up a job that compromised on the work life balance that you know, expected me to be available from for eighteen hours a day or something like that, I knew that it would choke my calling. So I stood my ground. I stood firm on my conviction. People were laughing, people were mocking. People said, you're expecting too much in a season where people are losing their jobs.

6:36 Speaker 2: Get some job right now, get going with your life. This is how I was being told. But you know what happened. I stood my ground against our odds in the midst of everything, in the midst of uncertainty, in the midst of everything. The Lord was saying, you know what, you stand firm on your conviction. The Lord was speaking to me, leading me. I had to wait longer than most people. But you know what, when the Lord opened the right door for me, whatever I was praying in accordance to God's will, I said, God, I don't want a job that will choke my calling.

7:09 Speaker 2: I don't want a job that will suck the blood out of me where I don't have time to do the ministry. You know, I need a job that's flexible. I need a job that has work li balance. I need a job that supports this lifestyle for me to travel and minister, for me to be able to continue the podcast, the YouTube channel and all of these things. And guess what, the Lord honored. It took time for the Lord made the right door to open, and I'm like, wow, it was worth the wait. It was worth the wait. See, that's what I want you to understand.

7:43 Speaker 2: The same way Daniel stood firm on his conviction, the same way I stood firm on my conviction. I did not allow the pressure from outside, pressure from society or looking at the system and fear to stop me. I stood firm on my conviction. Like Daniel took that resolve. The Lord shoot dot favor. The Lord showed up, and the Lord who showed up in Daniel's life and in my life will show up in your life.

8:06 Speaker 1: Amen, you've been listening to Fuel for the Soul with John Gifta. We hope you were blessed and inspired to live the life that God has for you. Make sure to subscribe to the John gifted YouTube channel for regular uploads of sermons, skits, interviews, and more. Follow John Gifta on Instagram for regular inspirational posts, and don't forget to check out the best selling books written by John Gifta, Who Am I which will help you understand your identity and the latest number one best seller Unveil your Purpose, helping you discover your purpose and to start walking in it.

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