Darius Walker, artist and rapper, was asked by a music producer if he performed gospel. When Darius answered no, he heard I can’t work with you, then. He knew that if he was going to rap Gospel, he’d have to get to know Jesus. And so started the journey of joining a youth group and talking to a Pastor. He began to learn about Jesus, but also about sin something he’d not heard of before. Then he learned about the love of Christ and how God still wanted him despite all the dirt he’d been doing.
Change began on the inside. Darius shares, It started with my private time, dealing with the Lord, praying, reading The Word, (The Bible) listening, thinking about how I’m treating other people. And what began on the
inside worked its way to the outside changed activities, the people he hung with, and a new respect for them. He lost the desire to bully, realizing Who am I. Everyone has value. Respect began to grow for authority too; teachers and police officers seeing people for who they are in Christ. His language also changed. He admits, I used to curse a lot. I’d get angry and didn’t know how to control it. Asked what he would say if someone wondered if God was real, he answered, Look at my life. If God wasn’t real, maturity would not have shifted my life and my heart like it has.
When asked about what he would say to someone hurt by the Church or by someone who claimed to be a Christian he answered, I’m sure you have been hurt. Christians do that. One of the things my mentor told me, When you go to church you’ll see why people need Jesus. He adds, I’ve been hurt by the Church. Before I was saved I was being laughed at by the youth group because I wasn’t a Christian, because I didn’t know Bible verses or how to do Christian rap. But if I allow my faith to be in a person’s hands, who am I serving? Is it my emotions, my feelings? Or is it that God says, “Yeah, I know they did that, but they’re not Me.” Yeah, I know they did that, but I forgive them and I forgave you, so forgive and move on, I’ll give you the strength to do that! The institution isn’t who God is it’s the relationship that’s what makes us Christians.
He continues, I didn’t grow up in the Church. I didn’t have a Christian home or Christian family and I didn’t want anything to do with Jesus. I wanted my own life to live. But despite all of that God said, I still want you, I have a plan for you. Whether you can see it or not all you have to do is have faith so small to say I don’t understand it, I don’t know it. Let me just try this, and I promise you the Lord will answer but you have to be ready and willing to accept what He shows you when you pray. If not, you will always, always miss out on what He has for you and what He wants to reveal to you. You can’t see or understand someone without getting some time with them. Can you relate? Give what Darius did a try, get to know Jesus, spend some time with Him.It’s a relationship that will change your life forever!
