I would like to give you an explanation that was given to me of how the U.S. Supreme court explains conviction vs. preference.

"The difference between a conviction and a preference, according the U.S. Supreme Court is as follows: a preference is a very strong belief, held with great strength. You can give your entire life in a full-time way to the service of the preference, and can also give your entire material wealth in the name of the belief.

"You can also energetically proselytize others to your preference. You can also want to teach this belief to your children, and the Supreme Court may still rule that it is a preference. A preference is a strong belief, but a belief that you may change under the right circumstances. These circumstances may be:

1. Peer pressure; if your beliefs are such that other people stand with you before you will stand, your beliefs are preferences, not convictions.
2. Family pressure
3. Lawsuits
4. Jail
5. The threat of death; would you die for your beliefs?

"A conviction is a belief that you will not change. Why? A man believes that his God requires it of him. Preferences aren't protected by the constitution.

"Convictions are. A conviction is not something that you discover, it is something that you purpose in your heart. Convictions on the inside will always show up on the outside, in a person's lifestyle. To violate a conviction would be a sin."

Conviction Is Vital
What made these individuals different from others? They lived a life of conviction.

A statement a minister said sums it up. "A person without a conviction is like a ship without a rudder."

• Preference says, "Never mind." Conviction says, "Nevertheless."
• Preference brings survival. Conviction brings revival.
• Preference brings compromise. Conviction brings victory.
• With preference, "Some restrictions apply." With conviction, "No restrictions apply."

It would be easy to compromise what God's Word says about living a life of conviction. I heard a definition of compromise that really put it in perspective. Compromise is "accepting what you don't believe, because you refuse to fight for what you do believe."

It is so easy to stop living a life of conviction. The devil will give 1,000 alternatives (preferences) to keep you from doing what God requires you to do. Even people can sway you away from doing what you are supposed to be doing. Paul told Christians at the church at Corinth, "Ye are bought with a price, be not ye the servant of men" (1 Cor. 7:23).

Most Christians look for a "plan B" because "plan A" is too much work or a sacrifice. I have learned for myself and observed most Christians get confused by a trick of the devil to stop them from growing and living a life of conviction.

This usually happens when a situation they are in is not convenient and the devil gives them a "plan B" option. They get confused because the deception of the devil is a "relief in the flesh" and not a "release in the Spirit."

A life of conviction is a rewarding life, but also a serious one. I am not saying you won't have fun, but you can't be half-hearted about it either!

Copyright © Todd Bailey Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission.