The new wave Kanye West is causing around the globe
Hey guys! Sorry for the week long hiatus, I was on a much needed break and just had to recoup for the coming weeks ahead. So let’s jump right away into today’s talk. In the past week, Kanye West released his highly anticipated album titled—Jesus is King, and everyone has been talking about it. I committed one morning to watch his 2-hour sit down interview with Zane Lowe, for beats 1, and I was quite blown away by Kanye’s newfound love for Christ.
Kanye West
Of course with someone of his caliber and influence, he has suffered a lot of criticism from the black community; about things he had said in the past, the Christian community; those who don’t believe he should now be one of us and his fans; who are now thinking; what in the world is wrong with this rapper? But Kanye has made it clear that all which he does now is to the glory of God. Although some love to put his newfound revelation on his mental issues, but I think he is on the right path, and here is why.
I wasn’t really a fan of Kanye West, I am not a fan of rap, but I clearly knew who he was, and jammed to some of his hits song, long before I ever dreamt that I would live in the United States, for the amount of time I stayed there. Then I noticed a shift in him after he lost his mom and his friendship with Jayz, and we all thought Kanye had lost his mind. But now, we can see how refreshed he looks, and how joy radiates from the inside of him when he talks about God and his family. Correct me if I am wrong, before now, I had never really heard him talk about his marriage and the love he has for his children, with so much enthusiasm. He recently revealed in an interview that his relationship with God, made him have a better relationship with his kids.
In his interview, he talked about how God saved him from his pornography addiction, which started from a really young age. At the beginning of this year, he was on Jimmy Kimmel talking about his favorite category he loved to watch on a porn site, and now months later, he has been set free, and is not afraid to share it. Only God can do that.
What’s more interesting is that when Mr. West talks about God, he doesn’t just use the name—God, because we know there are thousands of religions out there who all refer to their ultimate as God. Just so we are not mistaken about who Kanye is referring to, he often uses the name Jesus, Christ or Jesus Christ interchangeably.
Only a man who is on a journey to total redemption with Christ can profess that.
And he calls the name of Jesus on platforms where people don’t naturally talk about Him. There was a Christian influencer/speaker who was invited to an interview but was briefed prior to going on air, not to use the name of Jesus, but rather say God, whenever she wanted to refer to Him, and she turned down the interview. So for those who doubt that God is really at work in Kanye, the devil cannot be responsible for this, the very one he hates, is being exalted all the more.
“Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from goodwill. The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains, but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached, and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” Philippians 1:15-18
What of His Past Sins?
I read an article this morning, which was basically tearing down Kanye, because of the things he had done or said in the past. The writer was of the opinion that he had not yet apologized for being a Trump supporter or saying “slavery is a choice.” So they weren’t going to extend any grace to him, after all there have been gospel artists doing this for over 20 years, so what was the big deal about Kanye singing about God?
First off, Kanye doesn’t need any human to give him grace. As humans we are incapable of giving anyone grace; only God can do that, we are in need of grace ourselves. Kanye is a celebrity, so his highs and lows have been documented from day one for the entire world to see. What if we had a camera follow us (regular people) around, and documents every single thing that we do, would we be able to stand boldly in front of the world? Yet alone God? But God knows our secret sins, yet doesn’t use it against us. We are all in need of God’s grace daily, the Christians and non-Christians alike, no one is perfect.
“Therefore anyone who is in Christ is a new creature, old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
What about his fans?
He was also asked in that interview if he was going to ever perform some of his hits songs again, and he said no. Whatever he does from here on out, is to the glory of God. So they could listen to his old hits, but they sure ain’t hearing him perform those songs live. He also shared that his only mission here on earth was to spread the gospel. Truth be told, it made me question my own motives, because God has called every believer to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, remember the great commission? (Matthew 28:19-20)
To the skeptics
It is okay to be skeptical about his transformation; I remember a couple of years ago, maybe about five years ago, when I thought to myself saying—“God, can a big time celebrity actually become a Christian, a total follower of Christ, forsaking everything and just follow you? Someone like Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian?” I thought it was impossible, and even if it were possible, I did not think I would see it in my life time. But now it is happening before our eyes.
I understand why people may not buy into it immediately or even at all, because it’s like night and day, two completely different phenomena. His story reminds me of that of Paul’s in the Bible, who went from persecuting believers, to becoming one of the greatest apostles that ever lived. Could that be Kanye’s story? We don’t know yet, but I am glad to see his journey, just as I am with anybody who decides to turn to the faith. Welcome home Kanye!
The possibility of exploitation
There are people who will now see this as an opportunity to exploit him, because he is rich and influential. My prayers for him, is that God surrounds him with the right people; people who can pray with him, pray for him, study the word of God with him, and explain biblical truths to him. So he doesn’t fall into the hands of some people who will come in God’s name just to rip him off, and then cause him to turn away from God. But I know God has a plan for him, so there is nothing to worry about.
Dear Christians,
If you are a Christian, rather than judge Kanye, please pray for him. If all of heaven rejoices over the return of one soul to God (Luke 15:10), we should also do same. Imagine the people who would now hear or say these words—Jesus is King, because of Kanye; people who wouldn’t typically say that or go to church. But they are making a divine declaration, and trust that the enemy’s camp isn’t thrilled about this, so Kanye needs spiritual covering.
This is not a call for people to become followers of Mr. West; we are called to become followers of Christ. This is a call to cheer him on, encourage him and pray for him and his family, that He who has started a good work in them, would bring it to full completion, even up until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). And to those who feel Kanye owes their community an apology for all the things he has said that didn’t sit right with them, when was the last time you went back to right every single wrong which you made? Let this man continue in his journey in peace, Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Kanye West Interview with Zane Lowe courtesy of YouTube
So what are your thoughts on Kanye’s transformation? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below, and also remember to share and subscribe, never to miss an update on Let’s Talk Nation.
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About The Author: Evi Idoghor is a Christian, writer, and content creator on Letstalknationblog.com. She is a chemical engineering graduate from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Consumed by her love for writing and desire to effect change, she launched her online platform––Let’s Talk Nation––to tap into her creativity and start meaningful conversations that would make a difference around the world.
Most of her writing has been influenced by her time spent in America, where she lived for about 11 years. Also, she lived in Nigeria and South Korea and currently loves traveling the world while learning about other fascinating cultures. You can find her on all social media platforms with @eviidoghor.