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Influence. We’ve all felt it, and we all have it. It is a simple word that if harnessed properly, can change the course of one’s destiny. Influence is powerful and it is real. It is time for the followers of Jesus to rise up and use their influence for the sake of our King and His Kingdom.

In April of this year, I was provided the incredible opportunity to visit the nation of India for six weeks. What I witnessed during my time there shocked, horrified, and propelled me into action. India is a land of dichotomies. I saw opulence that was unparalleled by anything my eyes had seen thus far, sandwiched right next to some of the most abject poverty imaginable. I was wooed by the hospitality and warmth of the Indian people, only to be appalled by a newspaper articles telling of yet another person murdered simply because of their socioeconomic background.

India is indeed an up-and-coming world power. This is not to be denied. With a booming economy and the world’s second largest population- some 1.2 billion strong and growing – India is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Traveling through Mumbai and Hyderabad, two of the prosperous, burgeoning cities of India, at first glance one might see a progressive, modern society. However, buried deeply below the surface of this “modern society,” ripe with technological innovations and state-of-the-art commercial facilities, lies a pervasive system of government-sanctioned oppression and discrimination that is so merciless, so thorough, and so “normal” – until it has almost become invisible. Underneath this unrelenting taskmaster, some 250 to as many as 900 million people, known as the Dalits, struggle to survive from day to day. Their lives are constantly being threatened by a governmental and social system that views them as less than animals. This is a modern-day tragedy. This is India’s hidden apartheid.

What do you know about the Dalits?

Nothing? Before this trip, I didn’t either. And, after traveling around the nation gathering story after story of systematic religious and governmental oppression, I am firmly convinced that the Dalit situation in India is the human rights atrocity of our time. The only thing worse than the situation is the fact that the majority of North Americans are almost completely unaware of the issue! The Dalits are a group of at least 300 million people (depending on how you categorize the various Dalit groups) who have been and still are experiencing some of the most atrocious discrimination and subjugation in existence today.

If you want to talk about “modern slavery” and human trafficking – the Dalits could make up to 80% of these categories. They are the “untouchables.” However, Indian government officials would and do say, “the practice of ‘untouchability’ has been abolished in our constitution. It is now illegal, and no longer exists.” Oh, how I wish this was true!

I could go on and on about the Dalit’s plight in India- sharing with you story after story, photo after photo and interview after interview that would break your heart. And I will, because God has given me influence. WE ALL HAVE INFLUENCE. The question is never if you have influence, but rather, what will you do with the influence you have been given?

After returning from India, Bible verses like Micah 6:8, where we are called to “do justly and love mercy,” rang out in my heart and mind. I knew that doing nothing about what I had seen in India was not an option for me. As a disciple of Jesus, I am called to follow Him, and He cared about the poor and the marginalized. Actually, in Luke 4, Jesus actually made the poor and oppressed, downtrodden and enslaved His mission. So I follow.

God has given me an area of influence with music, so I intend use that. I am in the process of re-vamping my band’s Web site to use it as a platform to raise awareness and bring a KINGDOM REVOLUTION to the Dalit people. I have partnered with an indigenous, social- justice activist group in India, which will help bring both spiritual as well as socio-economic liberty for the Dalit people. At my shows I have started selling bracelets that are made by women in India, who have been rescued from sex slavery and have formed a clothing company as a means of providing for their daily necessities. All proceeds will go right back to the women, enabling them to pay the school fees for their children. If Dalit children have the opportunity to attend English-medium schools, the cycle of poverty will eventually be broken.

So that’s me. I’m just a normal guy trying to learn to follow a supernatural God who loves people. The issue or the cause that moves you to action may be different. How you respond will probably be different as well. Maybe you’ll influence a crowd. Maybe you’ll just start with one person. But however and for whomever you choose to advocate, my friend, I beseech you in the name of Jesus and on behalf of the oppressed: Don’t Waste Your Influence! Don’t pretend that you don’t posses it. Don’t shrink back in false humility. If God has given you influence, use it for His glory and for the advancement of His Kingdom.

Passionately pursuing our Servant King,
Jon (2010)

Read this justice feature and others in the Freedom Issue for free. Select digital issues from the shelf below:

Why Desires?

Because God so loved the world that He gave us sex for marriage, ears for music, nerve endings to touch, and a million taste buds to enjoy food a million different ways.

Because He seriously did not have to.

Because if God has so freely given us these trivial things, paying such attention to detail, then He can be trusted with every other yearning and craving, even our very lives.

Because God gave us desires to lead to Him.

Read “Desires” and other issues for free by choosing from the shelf below:

M: So what is your testimony?
B: I grew up in a Christian home. About sixteen/seventeen, I was curious about what it was like outside of the church. Hit rock bottom at one point, ended up going to a retreat where I gave my life to the Lord.

M: What would you say is the importance of purity for young men and women?
B: Well I will be saying this from a female perspective, of course. I didn’t, unfortunately, save myself for marriage. So a lot of that stems from a search of approval. It’s like you’re searching for something and don’t know what it is. So we speak to young people and we try to encourage that, its biblical, that for young girls we are emotional creatures and that it’s very easy for us to fall in love and to attach yourself to a guy; and that you’re leaving bits and pieces of yourself with each guy — and the person you’re supposed to be with, you won’t have much to give them if you give a piece to everyone else.
So yeah, I’m big on sharing it with young girls about guarding your heart

M: How would you say purity has helped you in your marriage, now that you are married?
B: Like I said, I unfortunately didn’t save myself for marriage, but you know the thing is that when I met my husband, it was a good conversation to kind of share with him about my past. He didn’t know who I was and he was willing to accept me for who I was… that is what truly meant a lot to me.

M: What message was Rhema Soul trying to convey through the music video, Fly Away?
B: Well that video.. that was pretty much a personal testimony about stuff that we have gone through, stuff that people are going through. And we want to share that with people, and that’s what we’re kinda known for, about being real. We just want to let people know, that there are things that people -Christian or not – are going through, cause it’s more of a global issue more than it is a Christian issue, and that’s what we want people to take away from that. It’s not something we wanted to address in the church or people in the church. It’s something we definitely wanted to get across the board.

M: What would your message be to like, young girls and guys in Christ who are trying to live pure right now?
B: I would just say be true to yourself. I think that would be the most important thing, be true to yourself. Be true to who you are. Just stick to your convictions and everything else will work itself out. You know, once you start compromising on your convictions unfortunately, that’s how a lot of people fall into these traps. If you stick to your guts and what you believe in and what you truly stay firm on, then everything else will work itself out.

Read this & other stories in the Purity Issue of SALTY below:

I was on a path that was leading to death. I used to struggle with anxiety attacks, depression, and suicidal thoughts after my ex-boyfriend cheated on me and left me for another girl. One night I was searching for emotional healing through painkillers because I was so heartbroken. I swallowed about 20 pills, but because of the grace of God, I didn’t die. The Lord saw my suffering and wanted to deliver me. He wanted to heal me emotionally and stop me from cutting my body. One day, I was going to hang myself at my old high school, but the Spirit of the Lord came and told me “Nasim, don’t do this. You are going to hurt so many people that love you.” I went to the altar of my church on a Sunday and asked Jesus for His help because I knew I couldn’t quit everything I was doing on my own strength. Jesus really changed my life. I am not the same person I was two years ago. I am God’s child. People are always commenting about the joy and peace I have now, and I get it all from my Father in heaven. All the glory goes to Him.

In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
-Psalm 18:6

Read this testimony and others in the Freedom Issue for free. Select digital issues from the shelf below:

Most people hate wearing uniforms to school. However, I was one of the few who loved it because deep inside I knew my dad would not take me shopping. My Nigerian father literally pinched every penny he had because he supported me, my two sisters and my family in Nigeria. Thus, I did not grow up as your average American girl. My dad barely gave me money to go out with friends so I did the next best thing with my time – sports. I played three sports: volleyball, basketball, and track and field. Each of the sports kept me busy all year and during the weekends. Therefore, wearing a uniform did not completely bother me, because my life growing up was not about fashion. It was about getting shirts from tournaments to wear to practice and getting new uniforms every two-to-three years.

So, by the time I graduated from high school, I was sad that I could not wear uniforms to college. At age 18, I literally had enough non-uniform clothes to fit into one dresser drawer. I honestly, had no clothes. Later that summer, I got a new job and started using that money to buy clothes. I kept telling myself, “I need to build my wardrobe, so it is okay if I spend money.” Also, I was coming to the University of Florida so I wanted to come in as this intelligent beautiful young lady who dressed classy.

When I started school, I took out a loan to pay for the costs. I had about $1,000 leftover after all my school fees were paid and thought to myself, “I’m rich!” I started doing $100-shopping bouts at the mall just because I believed I needed to build my wardrobe for the winter, since I did not have winter apparel. Then, summer came and I needed to build my summer wardrobe. Additionally, I wanted to transform my whole wardrobe into dresses. I justified all my shopping as a necessity, which led to my debit card being declined twice. I actually over drafted about four times at one point, and my card got declined again. I owed Wachovia hundreds of dollars. I over drafted again a couple of months later all because I hated looking at my bank account to check how much I had left. I had the false assumption that I could spend and just keep track of funds in my head. This was the same head that kept telling me I needed to buy more and more. Luckily, my cousin bailed me out of the first overdraft, and my mentor bailed me out of the second one, because my father would not help. After the second overdraft, I knew I had a problem and that I needed to slow down. I had so many clothes and shoes in my closet that even to this day, I still have not worn everything.
I had to hit “debt bottom” before I could hear the Holy Spirit’s voice speak sense to me, and give me the fruit of self-control towards shopping. All of this happened in one year. Yet now, I can boast in the Holy Spirit and say that one year later I have been to the mall only two or three times. I went both times with a purpose. I got in and got out!

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” — 2 Peter 1:6-8

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” — Galations 5:22-23

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” –1 John 2:15-17

Read this testimony and others in our Digital issues for free. Select issues from the shelf below:

Money was my motivation.

Purple haze and sour diesel was my preference.

Sex and pornography was an addiction.

I had more Jordans and SB’s than you had teeth, fingers and toes.

I was well known.

My image was who I was.

I was a cool kid.

I was my own God.

You couldn’t tell me anything. I ruled the world… hand in hand with Satan.

May 15, 2010 my life took a turn that nobody including myself expected. I was born again. God literally snatched me and said “My child, leave it all behind and follow my Son”. So I did just that: left the weed, left the girls, left the envy, left the pride, left the lust, left the darkness I was walking in and became a disciple. I was an avid atheist prior till – you could not tell me there was an “Almighty” or someone bigger than my understanding. If I couldn’t see it, I didn’t believe it.

Scripture says, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and that’s exactly what’s happening to so many of us; we are so full of pride, so full of sin… chasing our own desires. We are so stuck on getting that next high, seeking that next thrill, that bigger “action” that we do not even realize we are DYING joyfully with an eternal inferno waiting for our soul. People don’t understand that it is not God who sends the sinner to hell but you who make the conscious decision to continue walking in sin, and reject the Savior Jesus Christ who died for your sins:

“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

It makes no sense to most, until they are face to face with trouble, in a bind, or worse – death, and they call out His name to save them: JESUS.

If you don’t take my word for it, take His; and if you can’t take His, believe for the works’ sake. I’ve seen blind eyes open, kids come out of comas, lames get out of wheelchairs and walk, hearing restored, cancer healed – from prayer only. So please, I have walked down that road where “image is everything”, where who you are is not defined by your spirit but by who you know, what you say and wear, and how the majority sees you. I am telling you there is another side of life that iscrazy ill and filled with unfathomable peace. There is a God who loves you far more than your parents and far more than you love yourself. He loved us so much so to bear a Son to live and die for you. God raised Jesus from the dead and He sits at the right hand of God, constantly interceding for your sin, waiting on you to call on His name with your whole heart. Believe with your mouth and confess with your heart that He is Lord, and I promise you… haha, I’ll leave it there. #ThankMeLater

“But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:8).

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:13-16).

Testimony by Javier Edwards – Disciple for Christ Jesus

Read this testimony and others in our Digital issues for free. Select magazine from the shelf below:

Only the male gender salivates at a computer screen imagining things so vividly he can almost touch them. Only guys throw away their virginity at the slightest touch. To think that guys are the only ones plagued by their flesh, daily, hourly, within the second is foolish to say the least. Women are struck just as hard by the devil’s devious tactics and our own flesh workings. I dare say we may have it worse; because not only are we stricken with the corruption of our eyes and hands, our hearts tend to follow our sight and touch. I was that girl. The harlot, the whoremonger, the rose on her way to hell and she didn’t even know it!
I don’t remember when lust began to take over my life. It seeped in and began its saturation before I was even allowed to date. Way before I had my first kiss I knew myself. Nobody ever told me it was wrong but I knew it was not “normal” or morally acceptable so I told no one and deluded myself into thinking, “Well, it’s better than having sex.” But it wasn’t. I was only planting seeds of lust, which would sprout and cause more chaos than I could ever imagine.

By the time I was 16, I craved attention in any way I could receive it. My father had passed away 2 years prior and I longed for something to fill the gaping hole in my chest. The late nights in the dark I spent with myself were no longer enough. My thoughts needed to materialize outside of myself to curb the hunger. Then he came along. We had been together no more than two weeks when I professed love to him – way before I knew what or rather who Love was. Not too long after, we lost ourselves to each other in a bathroom stall. I told myself it was okay, because I was doing these things with the man I “loved.”

Three pregnancy scares, a possible cancer diagnosis, one cheating boyfriend and a lost count of how many lovers later I found myself at rock bottom. I was failing school, addicted to porn and wasting away. The shame I lost somewhere between 19 and 20 began to find itself back in my heart. What was I doing? Why could I not stop? I would wake up in the middle of the night because my dreams even consisted of sex. I could not turn my computer on without searching the unmentionables. It was everywhere! In the things I watched, the books I read, the conversations I held. It literally consumed my entire life. I was covered in sin from head to toe.

My grandmother taught me what sin was when I was a little girl. But I didn’t totally grasp it until I was 21. I started going to church faithfully with a friend. Through him I found the truth I was missing in my faith. I was baptized in Jesus’ name and received the Holy Ghost, yet I still found myself unable to tame my flesh. I was seeing some one and thought that this relationship was much different than all the others. This was “God” ordained. But no matter how much God loves you, he still hates sin! We fought our flesh weakly and the day we lost I cried harder than I had ever cried before. He told me not to beat myself up about it. That it would never happen again. But wouldn’t it? I told God I was done with that life. I thought to myself, “Here I am once again hiding behind my flower exterior, but I am the same harlot I was when I was 16.”

The following month, the “prophesied” union had been shattered and disproved. I once again found myself at the altar on my face. I had come there many times before, pouring what I thought was all of my heart out to God, but this time was different. The day before I was about ready to let go of all that I loved to hide from the pain of what I thought I had lost. That day I realized that there was only one remedy for my ailment. I had to trust God! Not trust in God but TRUST God! There is a big difference in knowing that He can and believing that He will. He was and is the ONLY thing that could ever fill the scathing gash in my heart that I picked at all these years. I had to surrender completely to Him; submit myself in every facet of my life. It wasn’t enough to claim Him to be my Lord; He must also become my Jehovah Jireh. I could no longer seek out things on my own. I could not fight the temptation of my flesh alone. I had to forgive myself before He could love me like He wanted to. At that altar I lost myself and found Him.

I was born of Adam’s rib and I was once devoured by the same temptation the world thinks is man’s alone. But am I not man? Am I not of his bone? I no longer am! I am not my own. I once was a withering rose, tattered and bruised. Now I am a sunflower: beaming, standing tall, forgiven and always leaning toward the light.

By Morgan McCoy

Find this feature and other stories in our Purity issue of SALTY Magazine. Order below and share with friends:

SALTY Magazine: Volume 1 Issue 1: PURITY

Volume 1 Issue 1: Why Purity? Because slapping a condom on impurity does not make it an improvement. Because time has proven that we are not wiser than God, but need His leadership. Because nothing else will ever satisfy for only purity leads to the ultimate prize: “blessed are the pure in heart, fo…

JC:
Kendric, introduce me to RicLamar.

RL:
I started off with a clothing line. I would have fashion shows where clients could buy the specific items. After awhile, I ended up not having enough time to reproduce everything, but I did have enough time for you to come to me and get something custom. After this year I will no longer do custom clothing.

We now do four fashion shows a year. One show per season. Spring/Summer, a street/casual with high fashion influences, fall/winter and an evening collection. We can make detailed clothing without all of this in the front and all of that in the back hanging out.

JC:
Who are you as a designer? What makes you different?

RL:
I don’t want to just make pretty clothes; I want to make clothes that mean something and make a statement. I want you to question if you like it or not. There needs to be a thought process to it. Not just, that’s nice, and move on, or I don’t like that, and move on.

I have to pray and ask God for inspiration and creativity so that I don’t work from my flesh. I want this to be a ministry, not just nice clothes. You can get nice clothes at Wal-Mart (laughs). I’m serious; my shorts are from Wal-Mart!

If you’re confident in what you’re doing, people will love it. Like Alexander McQueen, he made some crazy stuff and people loved it, but there was so much darkness in his life. Imagine if these designers were in the Kingdom and what they could do with their gifts.

JC:
What is your take on style?

RL:
I really believe that you should be able to go to your closet, grab a shirt, throw on some jeans (well, skinny jeans) and stilletos and GO! People should go, “Wow, what are you wearing?” Your clothing can be the first invitation for someone to get to know Christ. They look at you and that makes them want to talk to you.

You have to be radical and be out there … WHY NOT?

JC:
Who wears RicLamar Clothing?

RL:
The woman that is not scared for people to look at her [RicLamar now has a male line called Adam]. It’s not an age; it’s an attitude. You have to want someone to look at you. There is no way that you can wear RicLamar clothing and not be looked at.

JC:
What do you think about Christian fashion?

RL:
It’s tee shirts! Really, it’s tee shirts and that’s the extent of it. At first I made tee shirts, because that’s where I thought I fit into this world of Christian fashion. One said, “I hate religion.” Churches didn’t like that. I tried to explain to them the difference between religion and relationship. I brush my teeth religiously; I don’t want to have a “brush my teeth” relationship with God.

JC:
Where do you want to take Christian fashion?

RL:
To New York Fashion Week! I want the girl to walk down the Runway with an “I hate religion” shirt and a couture skirt. Why can’t we do that? Why can’t we run in their area? We’re here and we wear this and you can wear it, too! People think that when they get saved they need to buy the little Christian tee shirt, but no, your prom dress can be made by a Christian designer, someone who exudes who Christ is.

JC
You’re a Christian designer in a world where sex sells. I heard you had to face a little controversy over one of your models in an online article. Can you explain?

RL
I listen to everything people say about RicLamar. I decide if it’s something I digest or not. I take seriously what the commentator on “Lions and Liars” said. I agreed with everything he said. The model had tan lines and was wearing a sweetheart dress. The tan lines created clevage when the picture was printed in color. It was never meant to be in color; it was supposed to be black and white. I told them when I saw the picture that I hated it and never wanted to see it again. They did not understand that and they posted it. I prayed about it. I talked to the photographer and the people at Lions and Liars. They didn’t want to change it, but they did it. As we grow in Christ our image changes and that is not the image I wanted for RicLamar Clothing.

JC:
That’s a great way to look at it and learn from it. Where else do you face resistance in what you’re trying to do?

RL:
When people see RicLamar clothing and it doesn’t have the name Jesus on it, they don’t respect us as a ministry. We can’t wear a dress and have the name Christina and be a Christian company? Does your company name have to include Mary from the Bible and everything say Jesus on it to be Christian? I try to tell them, you can’t minister naked! We can minister to people through clothes. The runway is our pulpit! People see a dress and it’s strapless and they say, “oh, you’re of the devil.” We’ve been kicked out of churches.

JC:
You say you want to go to NYFW and to be on Project Runway. How do you see yourself getting there? To the world, fashion is fashion; to us, it has a purpose. How do you see yourself bridging the gap between how the world sees fashion and how we as Christians see fashion?

RL:
In order to get the world’s attention, to make them look, you have to give them something to look at. Putting out models that have a standard and who aren’t going to strip naked with a guy right there, or walk down the runway showing it all.
Do you know who I am? I’m a child of God! The walls are going to fall down; they are starting to now. My name is starting to get out there. Show them the ministry side; we’re not just pretty clothes, there’s more to it.

Find out more about RicLamar Clothing at:
www.riclamar.com
www.facebook.com/RicLamarClothing

Find this and more in our Beauty issue of SALTY Magazine. Order below and share with friends:

SALTY Magazine: Volume 1 Issue 2: Beauty

Volume 1 Issue 2: Why Beauty?Because Hollywood did not invent beauty, they just watered it down.Because we are never satisfied by the decay of worldly beauty – we were made for something more. Because beauty is first spiritual, all other forms will only self-destruct. Because our insatiable …

When The Lights Come On – Jin feat Joseph Vincent