Kanye West is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur and fashion designer. West first became known as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, contributing to hit singles for artists such as Jay-Z, Ludacris and Alicia Keys. Last year, Kayne was ridiculed for coming out in support of president Donald Trump, wearing a “Make America Great Again’ hat during a television interview. This decision to publicly support president Trump led to a backlash from African Americans, Hollywood and the hip hop community. On Thursday night, Kayne West was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live, revealing how this criticism has affected his life.
There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love], 1 John 4:18.
In response to a question from Kimmel, Kanye spoke about two motivating forces in life, fear and love. When Trump first announced his willingness to run for president before the 2016 Republican Primary, West was urged by friends not to announce his support for Trump in public. This peer pressure caught Kayne off guard, causing him to lose his confidence for nearly 18 months, fearful of what others might think of his political affiliation with Trump. The life lesson West learned from this experience is that if you truly believe that something is right, acting upon your conviction will set you free from the fear of being bullied by other people.
But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word [the message, the basis] of faith which we preach— 9 because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
While the other 11 disciples abandoned Jesus as he was arrested and sentenced to death on a cross, John the brother of James was not fazed. At some point in his life, John understood that perfect love drives out all fear. Thus, as other disciples allowed fear to drive them into hiding, John stayed next to Jesus’ mother Mary, at the foot of the cross. In the passage above, the apostle Paul reveals the freedom individuals experience as you profess your faith in God. As a former Jewish zealot, Paul was once an enemy, who gave the order to have the apostle Stephen killed. Despite his past, God gave Paul the courage to come out of the closet, betraying everything he was taught as a child to pronounce that Jesus is Lord. May Kanye’s interview with Jimmy Kimmel fill you with boldness to speak out, defending the things you believe to be true.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 