Release Date...

So if you don’t know I am a huge Lecrae fan. Don’t know who Lecrae is? He is a Christian rap artist, but I call him a minister, a teacher, and a pastor because of the messages in his songs. Just some brief history on how I landed on rap music. I grew up listening to rap music, from Beastie Boys, to Run DMC, to MC Hammer, to Tupac and Cash Money records. I have listened to it all! After listening to rap music for more than 20 years, you get accustomed to the hard driving bass and the unmistakable beats. When I was a teenager, I could feel God telling me to listen to different types of music, but I didn’t like any other music, I loved rap. So I tried to listen to Christian rap in the mid and late 90’s and it wasn’t doing it for me. So I continued to listen to the same stuff that talked about drugs, sex, violence, and getting money. Even though those weren’t my values, I listened to it so much, I could feel my soul longing for those things.

So without digressing too much, Lecrae. He wrote a song that is titled “Release Date”. Here are some of the lyrics to “Release Date”.

“ I would live for me, I made myself an alter, I sacrificed myself, for lust I was a martyr. I gave my heart up, now my hearts been changed, made a deep incision, You made a heart exchange. Tore down all my idols, help me fight to live, moment after moment my life is Yours to give. Faithful to forgive, your loves my only hope, without I’m left empty, looking for ways to cope”.

I think it is awesome that Lecrae is obeying the calling God has placed on his life. It is because of positive Men of God like Lecrae, teenagers…and adults, have music they can listen to and be challenged, stretched, edified, and challenged some more. The lyrics above describes the daily battles of living a God-centered lifestyle. We have to daily reject instant gratification, we have to allow God to remove the junk inside of our hearts and begin the healing and renewal process. And then without the love of God, where would we be?

                What do these lyrics mean to you? What kind of “heart surgery” does God need to do in your life? When is the last time you felt the love of God? God never leaves us!

Sometimes all we need to do is simply turn around and look Jesus in the face.

I think He enjoys looking into our faces instead of always looking at the back of our heads!!

What do you think??