Ephesians 5:15-16 says, “Be very careful, then, how you live not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil. (Read 5:1-21)

Lately, I’ve had a few opportunities to answer questions and share the Gospel with people from different walks of life that sought me out at work. For starters, I’ve been at my current job for about 3 years. Many of my coworkers know about my relationship with God because of hearing or hearing about the kind of music that I do. I’m humbled by the fact that the music has opened many doors for conversations with people that has never stepped foot into a church. Also, it has sparked the “not-so curious” to speak exactly how they feel about God, the reality of Heaven and Hell, the existence of Jesus Christ and the end times.

“Be as wise, making the most of every opportunity…”

One thing in particular that I’ve enjoyed from this whole process is seeing how god can utilize Hip Hop to spark the curiosity in the minds and hearts of so many people. Being prepared and careful for all conversations will bring your level of confidence to major heights. Even when I find myself explaining, discussing or debating with someone that seem to only want to prove that God isn’t real, I feel an awesome joy when I give a scripture based answer that make sense. Don’t be scared to rep Christ when you are leaning on the understanding of God’s Word and not your own.

Ephesians 5:19-21 says, “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Sometimes, all it takes is a song to start the conversation of grace and salvation. Other times it’s songs of praise and encouragement. Whatever tool God is using in your life to help you reach others, make the most of every opportunity. It’s not just what you say; it’s in how you say it. Allow God to lead you to the great opportunity of being a witness to the many people around you. May your fingerprint leave a mark on the minds of everyone in need of this Christ that we sing, rhyme and write about so much!

Lord, help me to seize every opportunity given to let others know about you. May my life reflect the unconditional love that you continue to show me daily. Amen!

For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1st Timothy 6:6-10). Please read 1st Timothy 6:3-10

There have been many moments in my life when I’ve put the material world before God. I can remember when I didn’t have much but I knew with all my heart that I had God. When you are solely depending on God, you know that you can’t take any of the credit for the things that happen. The majority of the time, people tend to forget about God even after He has blessed them in abundance.

Why would people like Michael Jordan, Jay-Z, Julia Roberts or Donald Trump admit that they are sinners and need Jesus Christ in their lives when they seem to have everything that they could ever want or need? Why should they admit that they need God? It is much more difficult to live for Christ when you own every form of distraction compared to barely having anything at all. If something other prayer, Bible study or God is taking up your time, there is going to be some problems in your life very soon that you will not know how to handle. Things like the internet, television, video games, DVD’s, music and every new piece of technology will hinder your growth in Christ if it is not under control.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that every purchase you make is of God. True, God is the provider but what we do with what He provides is on us. Be a good steward over what God gives to you and then notice how well He takes care of you. This life is not built around how many toys we can gather. There’s nothing wrong with having, but having should not separate you from locking in to a solid relationship with God.

God, help me to be a good steward with whatever You decide to give to me. May whatever I purchase be pleasing in your sight. Give me the sincere ability to serve You no matter the amount of money I have. Amen!

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all , with unveiled face, beholding as I a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Sprit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)

How often do you feel nervous or scared when you are talking to others about the salvation plan of believing in Jesus Christ? Everyone has experienced it in some form or fashion. It’s not that we don’t believe in God, it’s just that we are afraid of how someone will look at us as an individual.

We love to express our feelings of praise and worship when our Christian family is around (like in some form a church setting or concert). However, when it comes to the golden opportunities of witnessing and speaking to the unsaved, we tend to hide behind the fearful possibility of rejection. When God gives us something to share that one of our fellow Christians needs to hear regarding their lifestyle choices, we hide behind fear. Who are we to decide the outcome? If He sets up the chance for His Word to be heard, there must be a reason that it needs to be done. We will never know the impact our lives have on others searching for true knowledge. For us to deny that opportunity to help someone who needs it, will show that we are not allowing God to work through us.

2nd Corinthians 3:12-13 basically says since we have such hope (which is Christ), we should use great boldness of speech. We should be confident in what we are talking about. The only way this can happen is we yield to the Word of God and let it transform us into the same image from glory to glory. God has given us the same ability to live right that Jesus had. That ability only comes from studying His Word for ourselves, praying without ceasing and living a life that will help transform others around us.

But you, Timothy, are a man of God, So run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. (1 Timothy 6:11-12)

This passage is referring to the love of money and things that turns our focus away from God. There is no one that is exempt from falling into putting an earthly possession before the one that created us all. That’s why God wants us to stir away from things that will eventually hinder our relationship with Him.
“Aim at righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness”. Aiming for things that pleases God is what makes the difference. Constantly, people ask me, “Yo, Eric, why do you need to do Christian music? You’re a talented individual. Why can’t you use that talent that God gave you and go make some money to support your family or better yet, travel and do what you love to do”?
`My answer is simple enough to explain to someone that understands the Christ like mentality. Someone that doesn’t understand the things of God will not understand this. See, I believe God gave me this gift of music. I gave it back to Him for His use and what He decides to do with it is beyond my control. If it is His will that 1Way sales a million plus CD’s, that’s great. Our main focus is to see a great amount of souls receive Jesus Christ as their personal Lord & Savior.
Reaching for the goal of being like Jesus Christ is what being a Christian is all about. And to succeed at that desire requires righteousness, godliness, kindness, faith, love, gentleness and everything else that describes holiness in the scriptures. If it weren’t possible, Jesus Christ wouldn’t have set the example for us. There is nothing that Satan can do to us once we surrender the desire to please ourselves to the unchanging hand of God. Pray and ask God with a sincere heart to be your mirror. You will definitely see what is it that you need to change in your life.

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for the Lord is good! For His mercy endures forever. (Psalm 118:1)

As I go through Psalm 118, I notice that the things we should be praising God for are right here. How often do we give Him praise just for being good to us? Most of the time, our prayers revolve around some kind of request and that’s it. Give God praise for the wonderful things He’s done in your life.

v.6) The Lord is on my side, I will not fear. What can man do to me?

God is on my side. Even when the world is trying it’s best to destroy me with music, movies, pornography, hypocrisy, false religions and anything else that’s contrary to His Word, God is on my side. What can a man that God has created do to me when I am surrounded by the hedge of protection, The Holy Spirit? Nothing!

v.14) The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.

God saved me from a road of destruction and then gave me eternal life. We as Christians must sometimes sit down, reminisce and think about the things that God has delivered us from. Realize if Christ had not rescued you, where would you be today? Think about it.

v.24) This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.

I have sang this song for many years and it seemed like a simple one but I found out through experience that it’s more than just a song. Give God praise for His greatness and for what He has done to bring this far. Why let the rocks, birds, trees and the remaining creation replace what you have been designed to do? God is worthy of all the praise and honor that we can render to Him. If I had 10,001 tongues and I sang to Him 24/7, I still would not come close to what He really deserves from me. Which means I must praise Him every chance that I get.

What better way for us to start our day and end it with saying, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever!”

Not that I have already attained, o r am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phillipians 3:12-14) Please read Phillipians 3:1-15


I can remember when I was younger thinking I had to be perfect to believe in God and to serve Him. Later, I realized that I was trying to do it all on my own. I was constantly beating myself up because of all the mistakes that I was making. The only way of me to reach that perfected status was for me to give my life and all that control over to God. Well, I’m still not perfect, yet. But I am trying everyday to get a grip of the promises that God has planned for my life.

The one wall that I run into every time God gets things rolling in my life is me, myself. The only way to get anywhere in Christ is to allow self to die daily. The only thing that hinders growth is me because I allow all distractions in and block the blessings that could take place in my life. Once we realize what God’s plan is for us and move towards that, then we can start seeing the things that once slowed us down us began to fall away. As we reach for the things that are pleasing to God, we are covering ourselves with protection from the sinful things in life.

I can’t say that I comprehend or understand everything in the scriptures, one thing I do know is if I forget about all things that hold me back from receiving the things of God and reach for the things that are pleasing to God, I will see the perfected life that Jesus Christ proved can happen . Think about this: How can I make God happy today?

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence of Christ. (Ephesians 5:18-21)

My best friends and I (1Way) for many years met up once a week for Bible study and rehearsal. Every once and a while, the agenda for us would get rerouted. There are times as a group we need to reflect and reminisce on the wonderful things that God has done for and through our ministry. The conversation may bounce back and forth from different concerts to places we’ve been to the many special people that we’ve met during the life of our ministry.

There are times when I have to think about His salvation, deliverance and redemption plan for me as an individual. The moments when I’m feeling overwhelmed, I’ve learned to appreciate the times when God rescued and delivered me.

I remember when I first heard T-Bone’s cut “Drunk In Tha Spirit” in 95’. I must have played that song 24/7. Why? Because I could identify with that song. It made me think of how powerful the Holy Spirit truly is. Experiencing God to the point of staggering like a wino and not caring who is staring is something that can only be understood by you experiencing it for yourself.

There is a song that sets an atmosphere of praise & worship every time hear or sing it which simply says:

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ His Son
And now let the weak say I am strong
Let the poor say I am rich
Because of what the Lord has done for us

What do you have to thank God for? Let Him know how you feel about everything that He has done for you. We were created to give God praise. He wants us to do it, so why not make the Creator of the universe happy?

1 Peter 3:15 says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have, but do this with gentleness and respect…

I’m often faced with many different questions like; why did I choose to do Christian Hip Hop instead of secular music? Why does it matter if I listen to secular music? Do you really think that God even cares about me checking out a Rated R flick? If God is so loving, why would He allow my loved one or friend to die such an ill death? And my favorite, what’s the big deal about having sex before marriage if I planned on marrying him/her anyway?

The answers to some of these questions seem to always get glazed over with no true conviction. So, how do we prepare ourselves for the awkward moments we are placed in by the asking of the so-called “grey area” questions? Well, the obvious way is to dig deep into the scripture. Secondly, being plugged into a church that links you and the understanding of God’s Word will strengthen your confidence when challenged by the grey areas. In order to have the answers for someone else you must study to find out those solutions for your own foundation.

1 Peter 3rd chapter continues by saying, “Keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

We as believers must get to a point in our everyday life that reflects the very Word that we say we believe. Christ must come 1st no matter the reaction of the people around us even if it means losing friends, support from love ones or fans along the way. Being afraid to speak on these topics can cause you to look as if you don’t understand or believe The Word yourself. Serving Christ is not supposed to be the popular way of life. In fact, sometimes there will be moments when the surrounding tabloid will try to shake us off of our foundation. It’s such a blessing to know that in the midst of slander and intentional hurt, we can have clear vision because of our preparation through His Word.

Lord, thank you for Your Word. Help me to be ready to answer everyone that has questions by getting into Your Word. Although, the world may not understand what we believe, help me to stand firm on Your Word with a clear conscience and an understanding of Your Word for myself…Amen!