Walking in Love - Part 13: Be Careful What You Flex | 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: Hello everyone, Welcome to this edition of the Fuel for the Soul with John gift of podcast. And as you would have seen that, we're doing a series on how to practically walk in unconditional Love. I really challenge you to check out each of these segments because there's so much of truth that you and I need to get dive into. And maybe there are things that you already know, but we just need to revisit and make sure that we are walking in this truth so that we are actually walking in the love, walking in the kind of life that God has in store for us as well.

1:13 Speaker 2: And we've been talking about various aspects that our Bible is talking about with regard to the Loud chapter first Goud Intean Stebrad thirteen. And today I'm going to talk about another important aspect from this. If you look at verse four, which we have already talked about love being patient, love is kind, love does not envy. Today we're going to talk about how love does not boast and love is not proud. Now, I want you to understand something very important here that I know for a fact that most of us say, oh, I don't want to be proud.

1:44 Speaker 2: I am who I am what by the grace of God. But sometimes we need to check ourselves, like maybe in a subtle way, we tend to boast. Not I mean the apostle Paul said, you know, I boast only in the Lord. We are supposed to boast in the Lord, like I am who I am by the grace of God. If not for God's grace, I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing. That's true. But at the same time, sometimes just sometimes we just tend to think more about ourselves or boast in our own capabilities. And I've noticed this in my life where I realize sometimes we tend to think like, oh I am able to do this.

2:17 Speaker 2: I am, you know, like indispensable. I need to be there, you know, like we have that subtle things, and sometimes even in a conversation sometimes that sense of boastfulness just comes in, like oh, you know what, I've done this, or I've been here, I travel so much, or I have accomplished this, I have done that. See, whenever I share, I'm always very cautious, like God, keep me sharing things that needs to be shared from the right heart. You know, when I share a lot of times that the podcast is stop ranking, or the book is a bestseller, my books were bestsellers, or certain accomplishments like the world recort that I've set and all of that, I am very cautious because I want to use it only to give in a sense of credibility.

3:03 Speaker 2: But not from a place of look who I am, look where I am, or look what I have done. It's never from that place. It's always from a place of look what the Lot has done with my life, Look what the Lord can do with your life. If he did it for me, he will do it for you. And only from that so always introspect your heart and say, am I boastful? Am I always saying like, look I am this, I am that. You know. Sometimes we see people who allow to boast about them maybe accomplishments or their education. Oh you know what I'm in, you know.

3:36 Speaker 2: For me, for example, I'm an aerospace engineer. Like I've seen people if they were in a similar place, they would be like I am an irosp engineer, you know, like in a very boastful manner. Or for example, sometimes I've seen people post on socials. I'm very, very careful when I post on socials. I post when the Lord leads and how sometimes you know, you used it to tell people certain things and convey things. But I'm very cash careful, Like for example, one of the things that I try my best to avoid is, you know, like even family photos.

4:10 Speaker 2: I'm very careful when I post because I've seen sometimes it might be innocent in one way, but it can also be hurting to somebody else, because somebody else who's not having that, you know, like the gift of being able to travel with their family, or the gift of being able to do certain things. I don't want them to feel envious or them to feel like, oh my gosh, you know what this guy is enjoying and look at me. You know, like, even if that's not my intention, sometimes I'm very careful on those things and I really challenge you, like like I've seen sometimes people they just want to post and post you know what this is, this many at the place or where I'm going, and see it's all with a grain of salt.

4:59 Speaker 2: You need to take it right, like there is a place where you can share as a testimony, but it should be careful that it's coming from a heart of testimony. The tone of a testimony to say, look what a lot is done in comparison to somebody just boasting and saying see what I have done? You see where I am now? No, no, no, no. Your tone matters when you post, even on social media. Is it coming from a heart of testimony or is it coming from a heart of boasting? Matters. If you're proud, it will be visible.

5:30 Speaker 2: I have seen it in people they want to boast like oh I'm doing this, I'm going here, I'm doing this. Great. I'm not denying that look what a lot is done. But if you're giving glory to God through that, great but if you're boasting just to boast, I'm sorry, you need to reevaliate. And it can be with regard to posting on social media. It can be with regard to you know, your conversations. You know some people they like in the past. I think I've I've been with people, uh you know, when I share about being best selling author or anything, I use it in a very you know, credible manner or something like that.

6:12 Speaker 2: Whereas I've seen people they have to say, oh, you know what, I am a best selling author, or I am you know, a commander in chief, or I am this, I am that they in the way they say, you know that they post or their their security or their identity is rooted in that accomplishment. I wanted to really check yourself. Are you posting even when you don't realize you're actually posting? Are you just being proud of your accomplishments to a fact that your identity is rooted in that? Be very careful. When the podcast was ranking up the charts, and even by God's grace, even I think even right now it's ranking in several countries.

6:59 Speaker 2: The thing is this, there was a moment I actually took a break from you know the podcast. You know why, because there came a point when I noticed that my podcast was taking up my identity, Like I was son as the podcast guy, the top ranking podcast, all of these things. It was taking up my identity and I had to pause, like, you know what, I don't care about the ranks. My rank should not be my identity. Sometimes our accomplishments end up becoming our identity. The blessing that God has given us end up becoming an identity, and we need to be careful that we don't go into that.

7:36 Speaker 2: The way we say, in the way we boast, in the way we portray sometimes it can be evidently seen that we're being postful and it's coming from a heart of pride instead of coming from a heart that wants to testify. So I really challenge you to introspect. You know, even as today is ashwaynes Day, we think about Jesus, you know, or that when he moved towards Jerusalem, we moved towards his ultimate calling. Jesus did not operate from a place of pride. He operated from a place of humility. He never boasted like there were so many chances where when people got hit he could have used that to trumpet himself and say, yeah, I got I hear this person.

8:26 Speaker 2: What did he do? He told him, don't mention about it, keep him mouth shut. Why he didn't want to boast. He operated in love, he didn't boast, and I challenge each one of us to learn to walk in that maturity where we are walking in love and not working in pride. Amen, God bless you.

8:55 Speaker 1: 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 Gifta 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.

9:29 Speaker 1: Make sure to leave a rating and review, and be sure to share it with your friends and loved ones. 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. Godjoongifted dot com. See you on the next episode of the Fuel for the Soul with John Gifta. God bless you. 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.

10:14 Speaker 1: Make sure to subscribe to the John Gifta 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. Make sure to leave a rating and review and be sure to share it with your friends and loved ones.

10:45 Speaker 1: 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. Godjohngifted dot com. See you on the next episode. Mhmm.