I Ain’t Afraid No More
In 2004, rapper Kanye West released a hit entitled “Jesus Walks.” When it came out, I would loop it frequently when I’d go on a long run, even though the lyrics (at the time) weren’t the best. In 2004, West was anything but a Christian role model, and the song far from “Christian.” But in the last year, Kanye West has experienced a significant conversion.
God has clearly done a work in the rapper’s life in an inspiring way. One of the evidences of this transformation is the shift in the once “explicit” song. “Jesus Walks” has changed, and the song that once ended “I want to talk to God, but I’m afraid because we ain’t spoke in so long,” now ends “I wanna talk to God … I ain’t afraid no more … I ain’t afraid no more” (watch the song played here at City of Refuge Church last month).
“I ain’t afraid no more…” That’s what God’s love and grace does in our lives. I bring this up because 2020—the year of chaos, as I see it—has begun with a lot of fear. Fear generated (this last week) by the geopolitical happenings in the Middle-East. Fear amplified by politicians, the news, and social media. But “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). “Perfect love casts out fear!” (1 John 4:18).
If you (like many in our nation) are troubled by all the happenings in this world, remember that Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1). He calls upon us to cast all of our cares and anxieties upon Him (1 Pet. 5:7). He exhorts us to bring everything to Him in prayer, and He promises to guard our hearts and minds with His peace which surpasses our understanding (Phi. 4:6-8).
God has clearly done a work in the rapper’s life in an inspiring way. One of the evidences of this transformation is the shift in the once “explicit” song. “Jesus Walks” has changed, and the song that once ended “I want to talk to God, but I’m afraid because we ain’t spoke in so long,” now ends “I wanna talk to God … I ain’t afraid no more … I ain’t afraid no more” (watch the song played here at City of Refuge Church last month).
“I ain’t afraid no more…” That’s what God’s love and grace does in our lives. I bring this up because 2020—the year of chaos, as I see it—has begun with a lot of fear. Fear generated (this last week) by the geopolitical happenings in the Middle-East. Fear amplified by politicians, the news, and social media. But “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). “Perfect love casts out fear!” (1 John 4:18).
If you (like many in our nation) are troubled by all the happenings in this world, remember that Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1). He calls upon us to cast all of our cares and anxieties upon Him (1 Pet. 5:7). He exhorts us to bring everything to Him in prayer, and He promises to guard our hearts and minds with His peace which surpasses our understanding (Phi. 4:6-8).
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
– John 16:33
