Keep Your Intentions Clear | John Giftah | Christian Sermon #Throwback

0:01 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, and 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.

0:44 Welcome to Fuel for the Soul with John Gifta Today, I want to talk to you an im an important aspect about keeping your intentions clear, Keeping your intentions clear, Be clear on your intentions. See, there is an aspect where you need to remember that, yes, you need to be polished, or you need to be refined in the way you speak, in the way you convey things. All that is true, but at the same time, you should also understand that you should be bold on your actions. You should be bold on your intentions.

1:24 You should be in a place where you're saying you know what, you let your yes b yes, and you know b No, if you stand for something, you should show it. You should be able to you know, maybe with regard to your actions, with regard to your words. Somewhere down the line, when there is a place where you need to stand firm on it, when you need to show that this is what you believe, it should be visibly seen. Okay, you can't beat around the bush all the time. You can't play it safe all the time. You need to understand there are places where you need to make your intentions clearly known.

1:59 And one of the best examples I want to share quickly with you in today's episode is one of the brothers of Joseph, and his name is Ruben. When you look at the old story of Joseph, the Bible talks about how when Joseph shared about his dreams, all his brothers hated him. Which he doesn't say that only some of the brothers hated him. It's very clear he says his brothers hated him more. His brothers were against him. They did not want to stand by. They were always like in a place like, oh my goodness, what is happening.

2:32 What is this Joseph thinking of himself? You know, both incidents, both the times he got dreams his brothers. The Bible is constantly saying. If you look at thirty seventh chapter of Genesis, it says that the brothers hated him. Okay, they were jealous of Joseph, but you see, there was a time when Joseph goes to give food to his brothers to take care of them, and the brothers were plotting to kill Joseph. But here's the things twenty one says that Rubin, the eldest son of Joseph's dad, Jacob, he says, when he heard about these schemes, he came to Joseph's rescue.

3:14 He says, let's not kill him. Why should we shared in us and blood. Let's throw him into the empty cistern in the wilderness. Let him die without us playing our hands on it. But the verse goes on to say he was secretly planning to rescue Joseph and return him to his father. So he had good intentions. He wanted to rescue Joseph, even though you see, initially all the brothers hated him, which means even he could have harbored some hatred, but he still had that love towards his brother. He wanted to care for him.

3:47 He didn't want to harm him. But I was just wondering, why wasn't he bold enough to say, hey, listen, I don't want you to play your hand upon him. Why wasn't he clear on his intentions? Why wasn't he tell them this is what it was. But you know, and on top of that, when you know that their brothers are not in a good mood or in a good frame of thinking, you should be careful. Right. It says that he left that place and he was not there, and that is when the brothers immediately sold Joseph off as a slave.

4:21 Okay, what I wanted to understand this, if you see, I'm just going going to the point quickly that when he comes back in Westonia, and it says sometime later Ruben returned to take Joseph out of the cistern, and then he realized that they had already sold him as a slave. He Joseph was no longer there. Like, when you know that your brothers are like this, why would you leave Joseph? You know there? And where would you go? Why would you leave like that and go And it's not like just going to the washroom and coming like it's not like a few minutes thing, because this would have involved some time.

4:57 Why would you leave your brother? Is somebody else's mercy? I mean, you're when you know what they're capable of. Well, when you look at all these questions, you realize that he had good intentions, but he was not bold enough to walk according to those intentions. He had good things in mind. He wanted to do this to rescue his brother, but he was not bold enough to step up and do it, step up and speak against his brothers and say, okay, I'm not I don't want you to do this and rescue his brother in front of them.

5:30 He didn't want Maybe he wanted their favor. He wanted to be in their good books. You see, you had to be clear that just because you want to be in the good books of the bad gang, don't miss out on something good for your life. Right. If Rubin had rescued Joseph, he could have been the hero of the story. But he didn't. He was not bold enough to do that. And even later, when you see how when they were all in trouble, Ruben naturally says this happens in chapter forty two, when they're all in trouble Rubin says in verse twenty two, didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy?

6:08 Ruben asked, you wouldn't listen, which means he had the thing to speak to them and say, hell, don't do this too, but he didn't have any hold or it was beyond his control. Sometimes, you see, you can have that stand, but you're not you're not willing to go beyond it. See, sometimes you have to remember that Reuben was the eldest son, and as the eldest son, he could have taken the authority over his brother's and say no, I'm going to rescue Joseph. But he didn't do it. He maybe spoke, he said don't do anything against him, but he was not clear on his intentions.

6:44 And because of that you see even later Ruben ends up losing his firstborn blessing. Okay, he was the first one. He lost that blessing because you see, the Bible actually goes on to say, if you look at uh Genesis thirty five, verse twenty two, that he actually slept with his dad's spouse. Okay, you have to remember something here. In fact, even when the Jacob was giving out the blessing in the end, he actually told him that you lose your you know, firstborn blessing because you defile your dad's bed, you know, basically.

7:24 In other words, what you see about Ruben. What you can learn from Rubin is this that you know he was clear on certain things that okay, I want to do something good. But you see something here. His intention was right about some things, but his actions were always in the wrong, and that's why he messed up a lot of things. Today, I want to ask you this question. You may be in a place where your intention is right, but you're not bold enough to step up and do what is right. My challenge to you is, let your intentions be clearly seen, let it be clearly known, and let it bring forth something good in and through your life.

8:04 That's what I want to share with you, guys. This is a short lesson we can learn from the life of Rubin. Right. This is one of the characters. I always think about it and I'm like, oh my god, look at this Ruben. He actually had good intentions, but why he didn't even get any special favor of blessing because of good intentions? You see, good intentions alone will not help you unless you act and let your good intentions, bring forth some good results or bring good actions out of your life. 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.

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9:18 If you'd like to donate, you can find the PayPal link in the description, and if you'd like to invite John Gifta to speak at your event or to get more details, go to the website at www dot John Gifta dot com. See you on the next episode of the Fuel for the Soul with John Gifta. God bless you. If your heart stops beating now, do you know where you're going? If you came face to face with death, now do you know where you're going? And this is not a message of condemnation. This is a message of hope.

9:54 That is a God who loves you so much he she sent his only son, Jesus Christ to come down and pay a heavy price by shedding every drop of his blood on the cross. Thank you for dying for my sins. When you believe in him, you have free gift or salvation for you That as shows us that we will go to heaven when we die instead of suffering in hell forever. I just encourage you today to make the simple step of fate and say, Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross. Thank you for giving me this gift of eternal life.