Say Yes to Conviction!

Scripture: John 6:16-36

Warren Buffett once said, “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything.” That quote stayed with me for a long while. It stirred something deep inside—especially because it’s easy to admire these men from a distance and to be fascinated by their life, influence and success… but it’s much harder to live the principle behind that statement. 

“Saying No”. That’s the part not many want to do. 

This aspect of saying Yes or No is a huge deal, it is especially hard for us Indians to say YES or NO and keep that word because of our cultural upbringing – this explains Indian Stretchable Time; most people play ping pong with their yes and no until the last minute and they all want to rush because they just decided something, that also explains why everyone on our roads is honking! 

Let me tell you why I think this matters. A LOT! Especially again, for us as Christians brought up in the Indian subcontinent – a place of diverse culture and infusion. 

These days, if you’re between 15 and 35, most of your decisions are under surveillance— maybe also by the government, but most definitely by your people. Family, society, friends, Instagram followers, neighbours, colleagues, cultural aunties, and religious uncles. They’ll watch your every move and comment on your every plan. And many of us have started living in fear of that gaze. We’re not actually deciding anymore—we’re just reacting like a sailboat, trying to sail along with the expectations of the people around us mostly because we find it difficult to do otherwise and deal with all the pressure that comes from saying NO! Pressure from the people we love and like to be around; 

It’s much easier to ignore the people that hate you. 

Than to disagree with the people you love. 

See, if you’ve ever felt like: 

Your simple commitments are not honoured. (Ignoring your conviction, your diet, schedule)
Your only option is to say yes when sudden plans come up because they can use guilt as a means to pressure you.
Your financial choices are shaped more by family expectations than personal conviction from your faith.
Your career is being influenced by comparisons and suggestions instead of calling.
Your life’s timeline is being set by relatives (about marriage, big purchases etc)
Your mental peace is cluttered with trying to please relatives rather than pursuing your purpose.
You’re afraid to say “I don’t know” when people from church or relatives ask about your future.
Moving to the US or Canada—because your cousin’s life looks better.

Then this message is for you. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you should be a selfish, self-centred rebel. NO! That’s not what I’m trying to say… I am saying that when we become adults we have to behave like adults. Something what separates adults from children is that adults are capable of their own decisions… now, whether that decision is good or bad is not for me to talk about in this booklet. However, if you love Jesus, believe in him, have learnt of Wisdom and are making decisions that are based in good character., then, in all things praise the Lord for this is the will of God! (1 Thessalonians 5:18) 

So often we still behave like kids in the bodies of 35-year-olds and let the elderly people in our family make our decisions – which most times comes not from a conviction of faith but from the pressure they also feel from church folk, relatives, friends etc., What my booklet is talking about is to say no to the pressure, saying no to the things that are decided not by conviction and faith… I would love to see a church that is so driven by faith that even the fear of failure is not there because they believe that the Lord will lift them up… basically to own up to their faith and behave like adults! 

Did you also know? You could honour your family and parents and still set boundaries with them. HAHA! Yes, you can! 

This booklet is adapted from a sermon I preached—but it’s more than a sermon. I want it to be a shift in your lifestyle so that you will say NO to the things/people that are not immediately important so that your YES (conviction) will become much stronger. A shift for you to start drawing a line. A shift from passive living to powerful believing. 

Here is what my coach tells me alllll the tiimee!!
He says, “What you tolerate, you train!” That’s very true! 

I hope that by reading this very small booklet you can stop tolerating things that do not support your YES – Starting with a thin line, which will automatically become a bigger much more noticeable boundary which the people around you will eventually honor. But, being in the culture of India, I’m sure, there will still be quite a few family and church folk that will cross the boundaries you set but that’d be more of a crazy story than an annoyance! Like a hair in a nice lamb lasagna! Crazy! 

So what I’m trying to say is we have to identify that we live in a culture where our families say yes for us, our friends say yes for us, and our boss says yes for us—and by the time we realize it, we’ve said yes to everything except the one thing that mattered: our personal conviction (faith). 

Here I am to tell you, that your faith begins with a NO. 

To me – That’s powerful!

Scripture: John 6:37-57

Let’s revisit Warren Buffett. When asked, “What separates successful people from really successful people?” he answered, “Really successful people say no to almost everything.” 

That’s not just financial advice—it’s spiritual too. 

Successful people know what to say yes to because they’ve mastered the art of saying no to the rest. But what does this have to do with God and your faith and your growth and personal conviction? I think, absolutely everything. 

Let’s say your doctor tells you that you need to change your diet because your health is at risk of some kind of heart disease or some diabetic effects. Now every time someone offers you oily biryani, butter chicken, sugar-loaded cake—you’re probably and hopefully going to say ‘no’. Why? Not because you hate food, but because you love life. That no is a yes to your health. 

Now there are definitely people who will try to dishonour your no to oily food and other sugar-loaded sweets by forcing you to eat because they think that they are showing you “love” They’re not aware that this oily and sugary love would probably kill you! Haha! Here’s where you would need to do some standing up and some explaining and most sensible people will see why you said no! 

Saying No to people is not rebellion—it’s a revelation. As I said earlier, you can still set boundaries with people especially family around you and still be honourable to them! 

You’re saying yes to your calling. Yes to clarity. Yes to God’s voice over cultural pressure. And It’s absolutely fine if people don’t understand it – even if it’s your own family! You cannot let your faith be limited by some fear your family has. I am very sure that this fear is very well-meaning, however, it can become the very thing that has made you limited to the same life and circles that they were a part of. YOU HAVE TO BREAK THAT CYCLE!! YOU HAVE TO BREAK THROUGH THE GLASS CEILING! 

And do you know that there are quite a lot of people from the Bible who had to say no to family first? 

Abraham – had to leave his father’s house!
David – he had to tell his wife that he would continue to follow his faith and conviction.
Jesus – He states, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple”. This is not meant to be literal hatred, but rather a prioritization of his following of faith, and conviction over familial obligations. 

I know this sounds like a little too much! But apparently, that’s what it takes! They won’t understand it at first, however, when you see the fruit of your faith they will rejoice with you louder than you! They will be proud of you, but first, you’ll have to start with setting that boundary and that expectation… First, you’ll have to say that NO! 

No, I cannot come!
No, I cannot help you today!
No, I can’t pick them up, but I can book them a cab!
No, I am saving my money for something else!
No, I understand what you’re saying, but I want you to understand me too!

I want you to think about 5 things that you have said yes to because of pressure around you – that if you were given a chance you wouldn’t do it.

Scripture: John 6:58-70

Now that we have the context set, let’s talk about faith and conviction! Faith is not passive. It doesn’t just happen. We have to make it happen! 

Peter had to step out of the boat!
Peter had to stretch out his hand and help that lame man walk in Acts 3.
The Israelites had to march around Jericho before it fell! 

BONUS: My very good friend took things quite literally and marched around the girl’s house who he wanted to marry. They have a son now! Haha!!

My point is, faith needs some work… Faith is a verb. 
Jesus said, “This is the work of God—that you believe.” (John 6:29) 

To me, in this verse, it looks like believing is a verb. 

I’m telling you – Faith is labour. It’s hard! It demands action. It’s exhausting sometimes. You’ll sweat like Jesus did in Gethsemane when your faith is asking you to take a step that doesn’t make sense. You may have to spend and lose money, you may have to fast and pray, you may have to do something that is not at all easy! Faith is work! Believing is work! It costs you something! It takes something from you! And that’s exactly what separates the few who walk in purpose from the many who just watch about purpose on YouTube… now on reels of course! 

When you believe, it shapes your behaviour. You start tithing even when your salary is tight. You forgive even when you want revenge. You choose simplicity even when extravagance is expected. You become the exact opposite of the world that’s around you! 

When people are afraid; you say NO to fear and yes to the promise of God. 

When people do things because of culture and pressure, you must become confident to stick to your faith. 

When you’re asked about your future and when things aren’t clear, you’re not afraid to say – “I’m still trusting God! I don’t know what to do next!” 

That’s faith. 

Very interestingly, I find that this kind of faith that is demanding is often diluted even in our church circles! I know people who do things out of fear of the greater society., 

They choose partners of the same caste because they are afraid of what people may say! 
They practice ‘ceremonial good omen’ at weddings, birthdays and celebratory events. Such as
boiling milk over at a housewarming.
Choosing an auspicious day for an event.
Black dot on babies.
Not cutting hair or nails at specific times and days.
Pregnant women not attending funerals. 

Now, the Bible says that on the last day, people from all tribes, and all nations will come to Jesus. To me, that says that Jesus is not against culture, I do not think that the Bible hates the culture or is against it. I also do think that culture is a beautiful thing, and it’s given us great art, music, literature, culture and movies… What I’m trying to get at is: fear! I do not think that people who are believers of Jesus, lead a life of fear and practice the things that are driven down generationally because of fear. I also, do think that the one who is in me is greater than the one who is in the world! 

That means, that you do not have to practice these things out of fear or doubt… often this is what affects the faith, the big question of ‘What if’ and ‘if only’ 

So, as I was saying, this kind of diluted faith is still found in the church today and if it’s found in the church today, that’s what the children will learn! They won’t learn faith alone in church these days, they will learn faith + ‘What if’ and ‘If only’! Which frankly we are better off without! 

So you have to be the one that is saying! 

By Faith Alone! By Grace Alone! By Scripture Alone! 

And that, my friend, is not easy! 

I did a small anonymous survey at our church. I asked, “What is stopping you from obeying your personal conviction and faith?” 

Most people didn’t say sin. They didn’t say doubt or finances or anything like that! They said: 

Fear of judgment
Family pressure
Embarrassment
Responsibilities

In short, it was people. People are stopping them from stepping into faith. Honestly, this was literally how 70% of the answers were formed! 

Here’s the reality: most of your life’s tension is not because you don’t know what to do—it’s because you’re scared of how others will react to what you already know you need to do. 

Do you want to pursue ministry? Your family thinks you’re crazy!
Do you want to live a simple life? Your relatives think you’re not ambitious.
Do you want some privacy? Your family thinks you’re rude.

But here’s what Psalm 20 says: 

“May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble… May He remember all your offerings… May He give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 20:1–4) 

God will reward you not for the expectations you fulfill, but for the faith you obey. 

Here is also the truth! All the people who limit you by watering down your conviction and your faith won’t come to rescue you when you’ve failed! It’s only the lord who will lift you 7 times! He’s not gonna laugh, He’s not gonna mock, he’s just gonna stretch out his hand and lift you up! 

To me, that means I would much rather fail following my conviction for God to lift me up rather than fail following suggestions and expectations from people of diluted faith who won’t show up when I need them! You will be better off setting your expectations on your faith and in God than in the people who you were trying to please! 

Have faith in God! Believe that he who started this good work in you will bring it to completion! Start small but start now! 

It is a blessing to surround yourself with people who have followed their convictions and then also succeeded at it… Their few words will help you much better than the many words others who followed the status quo will tell you! 

Those who followed their conviction had to show up with a lot of resilience in the face of failure and also show up in front of the people they failed, these guys have had to learn how to face disappointment and how to own up to shame and own up to failures, all because they knew their conviction was real!

Scripture: Psalms 20:1-9

People in John 6, started following Jesus wherever He went, but Jesus saw beneath the surface, He knew that people were not following Jesus because they loved Him but because he was providing food for them. So they wanted the benefits that came from being around Jesus but they really didn’t want to do what Jesus was doing. They came not for Him but for what comes along with Him. He looked at them and said, “You came for bread—but I am the bread.”

Let me repeat that, Jesus said, “I am the bread.”

These guys, they didn’t follow Jesus for Jesus. We do the same today. 

We go to church for community, not Christ.
We follow faith for prosperity, not obedience.
We go to church for the opportunity and to gain that social capital that we crave.
We always have our agenda. 

This means that we labour for the food that perishes (John 6:27), not for the food that endures. And when Jesus told them that He is the eternal bread and He tells them to eat of his flesh and drink his blood, they didn’t get it! It was obviously strange and hard to understand! 

You may say, I am doing all that a normal church-going Christian does, what else am I supposed to do? 

You may say that I serve, I tithe, I am showing up and all these things… but Jesus still says, that those are perishable things! He’s asking us to eat him… 

When Jesus said, “I am the bread of life,” He was offering Himself. In a world hungry for success, satisfaction, fame, and comfort – He pointed beyond the temporary bread that fills our stomachs but leaves our souls starving without purpose and fulfillment. We wanted solutions and miracles, but Jesus gave meaning, He was offering fulfillment. They wanted provision, but He gave presence. 

To “eat His flesh” was about receiving Him fully, intimately, dependently; an invitation to a kind of faith that dwells on Him (truth), and lets it nourish every part of our being. The bread of this world spoils—whether it’s success, relationships, popularity, money, or validation. But Jesus says: “Whoever feeds on Me will live because of Me.” This is not fast food faith—it’s covenant communion. A daily dependence. His body broken so that your soul can be whole. Faith consumes JESUS—it eats it. It makes Him your life source. 

And sometimes, we don’t get it either, like the people in John 6. I know, and I have been there… I just want the solutions without having to go through the communion of the covenant bread. We want the blessing but not the belief. We want the fruit but not the faith. 

Jesus is saying: 

If you want my provision, you have to take my presence.
If you want my peace, you have to take my process.
If you want my bread, you have to eat me.

It was offensive to those who were hearing Jesus, they were not happy with what they were hearing… Jesus was asking from them something they had not understood and had never done before. Of course, when was the last time we ate someone’s flesh and drank someone’s blood? I do not even understand what Jesus was thinking! It is a hard thing! And many people left him on that day because I think they thought Jesus was crazy or something! And when Jesus saw the people were leaving, He turned to Peter and asked him, “Peter, are you going to leave me too?” 

I want you to see something very powerful here. 

Personally, I don’t think Peter understood anything that Jesus preached either… about eating his flesh and drinking his blood… HAHA! Yes, I think Peter was as dumbstruck as the other Jews who left that day… but Peter showed resilience and demonstrated faith. 

Peter said something so powerful: “Lord, where else can we go? You have the words of life.” (John 6:68) 

My Translation: I don’t get it, but I’m not leaving. 

That’s what God is looking for, not perfect understanding, but persistent staying. Staying even when your faith makes no sense to anyone around you. Just remaining in the presence… laying hold on eternal life, fighting the good fight of faith, pressing on and not letting go! 

So what now? You cannot say yes to your calling until you say no to the crowd. You cannot say yes to clarity until you say no to confusion. You cannot say yes to growth until you say no to comfort. 

So today—say no to what’s pressuring you. Say no to schedules you didn’t ask for. Say no to voices that don’t know your destiny. Say no to a life that looks good but feels dead. 

Because you’ve said yes to something better: 

Yes to faith.
Yes to Jesus.
Yes to the work of God in you. 

And if you stay the course, if you walk this faith even when it’s costly, even when it’s lonely—He will be your strength, and He will be your reward. 

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” – Psalm 19:14 

David here is saying that he wants to be pleasing only in His sight. I want you to understand that David was a king and he needed to please the people and yet he’s rejecting them and he’s saying ‘No, I want to please God who is my strength.’ 

He’s rejecting his chariot. He’s rejecting his army. He’s rejecting his wealth, and he is rejecting everything that is around him and he’s saying, ‘The words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart must be acceptable in God’s sight.’ We cannot forget how David spoke to Michal, his wife when she commented on his dancing too… David wasn’t afraid of demonstrating his faith. 

I want to ask you. What are you willing to say no to from today? 

Say no to that biriyani your friends want you to come out for.
Say I will text you later, I have some work (faith) to do.
Say no to the wrong relationship you’ve been in.
Say no to the family that’s pressuring you to do something that’s misaligned with your conviction.
Say no to distractions.
Say no to explaining yourself to people who don’t get your faith/conviction.
Say no to the networks that do not mirror your highest beliefs. 

John C. Maxwell says, “Learn to say ‘no’ to the good so you can say ‘yes’ to the best”

Finally, now that you’ve gathered the courage to face up to the people who are around you and tell them “NO” don’t look for confirmations in people! 

Follow your convictions! The Lord will lead you! He will guide your steps! Pray daily, read the Word, eat the flesh, drink the blood – be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and in due time, you will rise up! In due time, the fruit of your labour will be undeniable! The work of your hands – unquestionable! The words of your mouth will be esteemed with great respect! 

Then, you will thank me for writing this small Bible plan!!
HAHA!! AMEN!! 

Go on, list 10 things that you will say no to from now on! 

Stay.
Believe.
Say No. 

Remember, only when you identify what you have said yes to, can you start saying no! Whether it is a lifestyle choice, a faith choice, a financial choice, a growth choice or whatever it is! If your choice and desire are in the scope of your faith, and a choice made from wisdom and in good character… then.. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.