6/30/2018 - NO CHAINS PT. II
"Tell em I'm so free I got no chains on me." No Chains - KB
Not the first and definitely not going to be the last time I am going to use one of KB's songs for a devotional. My guy is just too good with words and the Word. Just recently went with Not Today Satan (6/22/18). Yesterday I talked about the central verse (Galatians 5:1), and will touch back on it a little later; and I used some worship music to back to up. Toady we go cultural and bring Christian rap into it, we are going to break down KB's No Chains. We are going to talk about his lyrical genius, more Scripture, how KB has no chains and how we can follow his example to live with no chains and to remove our chains. Imagine walking through a hay stack, but the hay is chains (temptations, idols, darkness, and evil). These chains are chomping at your arms, legs, neck and anything that is can grab on to. But the thing is they are sliding off, they cannot fully get a grip on you. That is what it is like to walk in the world when you walk like, act like, have, and reflect the image of Jesus. We start in the Pre-Chorus, bars 0-1,3 say, "I was running with the Savior, I was running with the set, We don’t ever flex, we just rep." if you listen to this song and do not want to jump around you might need to check yourself. When KB says he is running with the Savior and his set (116), he is talking both literally and figuratively. Life is a race; we just to constantly be running until it is finished. Like the great Yogi Berra once said, "It's not over til it's over," and you hear "well done my good and faithful servant" from our Father. We cannot do it alone; I said it before, life is a team sport. We have to have a solid team of friends behind us that can and will help us and challenge us. We also need to run with and follow Jesus, he already ran the race. He is our coach and mentor. He is not just any coach, but he is the only every first ballot and anonymous decision Hall of Famer. It would be smart to follow his Word. 1 Corinthians 1:31 says, "Therefore, as it is written: 'Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.'" There is a difference between flexing and repping. When you boast you basically acting almighty and use it for your glory (sometimes). When you rep it is more humble, people get more attached to you to the person that is repping something. Just think about anyone that you know that is cocky. The cocky are quick to boast about their accomplishments, they are quick to tell you how good they are; it is better to be humble and accept your talent instead of being loud and obnoxious. Bars 5-6 say, "I don’t need respect, I'm the threat." KB does not need the respect or the glory because he has God on his side, and that is all that matters. It is all for His glory and not ours. If KB did it for his glory he would not be the man he is today, Christian rappers do not make the money or are as well-known as the secular artists (that are trash), I pray that these men and women in the Christian rap game continue to blow up. I am going to go out on a limb on this threat line, I might be stretching it a little, but I love it so much for so many different reasons. He is again talking about a literal and figurative threat. He is a threat because of his race, he is a "threat" to the White culture and the world in general (this does not need much explaining for the culture we live in - the fact that all these young Black kids are dying from their own hands and the hand of others for no reason at all). Then he is a threat to the devil because he has Jesus on his side. When we have Jesus on our side we are in an instant threat, because that means we do not as easily fall for his tricks, are eyes are more open. We are a threat to the devil's mission. We now move on to the chorus real quick in the first bar, "Tell em I'm so free I got no chains on me." Galatians 5:1 says, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." This is the bases to the song. Jesus died on the cross and was the ultimate sacrifice in order for us to live life in the Light. This was all done in order for us to be free from sin and be free from the chains and bondage of the world in eternal darkness. First verse time, bars 3-4 and 6-7 say, "I've been on since college with it; They hit the club, I hit religion; I (persona of KB and God) just give 'em livin raps; You (persona of the devil and the world) just give 'em Insta snaps (this is all temporary bliss)." Some of us accepted Jesus into our life at a young age and some of us much later. For me I thought I had and accepted Jesus at a young age, but I did not really have and know Jesus until I got to college. College is a tough and rough place to be for any Christian, baby or veteran. It is full of temptations. The men (for the ladies) and women (for the men), the parties, constant temptation for drugs and alcohol; there are temptations left and right. In college you gain and lose friends, you gain friends that will fuel the temptations and you will gain friends that will help you fight the temptations. You will have friends that will accept you faith and some that do not. Some of my better friends in college are the ones that were constantly trying to get me to go out with them and drink. There are three gods in college, they are drugs, alcohol and sex. This is the religion of the college student, they think this is what college is all about and they think this is the reason they go there ("to explore and adventure"). But like the side note that I added in the bar, it is all "temporary bliss" is not going to get them anywhere in there true purpose on this earth, it is only going to drive them further away from God. Bars 9-10 say, "You insecure (the devil is a sore loser), you do the most; My side (Light) we revive God through the WiFi." The devil hates to lose, he is a sore loser. He will try harder and harder, especially if he knows that he is losing and going to lose. He will throw everything and the kitchen sink at us. I am trying to revive God through the WiFi. I am trying to use something of the world for the purpose of the mission. Now we go on to the brilliant and killer flow of Bars 13-14, "Aim to bust, flame to dust, every idol bring to us, gang of us; Trained to trust (1 Peter 3:18), the name that's blood stained on us, Christ gained us(Galatians 3:13-14)." We have to aim at and fight every chain, idol, and temptation that is thrown at us. We have to have the power to say no to them. We are bought at a price and have Jesus. He is our weapon, the Way, and the Word. 1 Peter 3:18 says, "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit." Galatians 3:13-14 says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.' He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit." Now we move to the second verse and start with Bar 2, "Money or the faith, I chose the latter." Matthew 6:24 says, "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." We cannot serve two masters, it is either going to be Jesus or any idol you want to replace him with. Each idol is a new chain on our body and our soul, and it is another step further away from him. Jesus has the power to break those chains and defeat those idols, but we have to let him. Bars 8, 10-18 say, "Faithful over famous (Matthew 16:26); New rappers that's sure to blow are really drug addicts with a studio; You gotta pop pills on the usual then that paradise ain't really coolio; If your world is really that flame then why you always high, tryna to escape?; Gram flexin' that's too fake and them money phones really money loans; And that real life is you coming home, empty house and a heart of stone; Bad chick super savage but for a bigger bag she movin' on; Oh yeah you making moves but these folks don't really love you; Industry only love dudes that they can use, don't get confused; Interviews that don’t tip toe." Matthew 16:26 says, "What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?" Nothing compares to the love and "accolades" of following Jesus. There will never be an amount of fame and money that compares to "ultimate faith". Fame and fortune is all worldly stuff, it does not last forever. I love this verse because he takes a shot at the current rappers, the mumble rappers. All the talk about and praise is sex, money, drugs, and fame. They have so much influence, but are not using it for the right mission and the right cause. These are rappers are depressed and they are overdosing on the drugs, the fame, and the world. This is not what God has in store for them. Only if they accepted the message and embraced the Love, they would be whole; they would not have to pop this and pop that. They use drugs as an escape, they run away from God instead of running toward God. Every thing is temporary bliss, all the money and the fame comes and goes. J Cole said in a song ("1985"), that this trend is going to come and go. Their fans will grow up and will realize that what these rappers are doing and preaching is not good. They flex and show off, but do not invest. The Instagram model is only there for a minute, she will leave just as fast as the money goes. We have to find a Godly man and woman, someone that will stick with us through the thick and thin, someone that will help us to grow, and someone that will challenge us. The devil and the world uses anything it can get it's hands on. The devil uses everything for us advantage, to drag us down. He knows our weaknesses and will it against us. Bars 20-21, and 23 say, "His glory that's simple (1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:17); Riding around with that tempo; My wife happy and Jesus love me ain't nothing left to conform to (Romans 12:2)." KB goes of the motto, H.G.A. H.G.A is an acronym, for "His Glory Alone". 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Colossians 3:17 says, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." KB has a song called Tempo, on there he talks about how to ride to God's tempo and he described tempo as, "Tempo is about focus and freedom. Focus on a higher calling and freedom anything stop that vision!" I think it is funny how KB says that his wife is happy, and all I can think of is the saying "happy wife means a happy life". We need to find a husband or a wife of God, we need to help find someone that helps us and challenges us. I hope you were able to stick around and were touched. So here is what I reward you with, the link to the song this devotional was based off of:
Lord, thank you for all you do. You are truly an amazing God. You love us no matter what, you continually show us grace and mercy. You have the power to break every chain and destroy every idol. I pray that you take everything from us and allow us not to be slaves to the dark, slaves to the world; but I pray that you help us continually be your children. I pray all this in you son's name, Amen.
#LetsBeAMovement