The DMX rapper led thousands of his followers in a Bible study over the weekend in hopes of calming anxiety caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The Instagram Live video hit 14,000 live viewers and then thousands more after as Earl Simmons, better known by his stage name DMX, recited scriptures from the Book of Ecclesiastes while holding a cigarette.
“A time to kiss and a time to avoid kissing,” he said in his signature raspy voice when talking about social distancing. “A time for hugs and a time to avoid hugs. What! Go on.”
The New York native, who admittedly lost people to COVID-19, told his audience to keep the faith and believe in God’s will.
“Ultimately, at the start of the day, it will be God’s will,” DMX continued. “If you try to figure out why He does, what He does, you’re going to end up with a headache. Just do what it takes.
He encouraged the thousands of people watching live to get their lives right with God and follow Jesus.
The mainstream rapper has never been shy about sharing his Christian faith and his recent Bible has sent his fans into a holy frenzy. Many of them thanked him for leading people to Christ; others asked for more Bible studies.
The hip hop artist, whose lyrics are sometimes vulgar, has recorded several songs about his Christianity, including “Lord Give Me a Sign” and “Damien”.
DMX has openly stated in the past that he wants to become a pastor. In a video posted on Facebook in 2016, he said his dream of becoming a minister is slowly coming true. The video showed the emcee from behind a pulpit preaching about the miracle born of tragedy.
“If I weren’t a threat to the devil, he wouldn’t be wasting his time. If I weren’t special for God, how would I know what he is willing to do for me? We know what he is capable of. said, “All things are possible through Christ who strengthens, Amen!” exclaimed DMX. “So we know what he is capable of doing. How can you know what he is willing to do until you have been placed in a situation where you need him to do it for you? If you haven’t been somewhere where you need God to get you out of the situation, you wouldn’t know what He is ready to do for you. We know what He’s able to do, but we won’t know what He’s ready to do until we get there.
The hip-hop entertainer has had many public incidents, from a drug overdose to various arrests, and in his sermonette he said tragedy was actually what brought him closer to God.
“So now I embrace the difficult situations. I praise God for the difficult situations because through these situations I see what he is ready to do for me. On a daily basis, if it gets difficult, I praise God it goes wrong I praise God it goes left I praise God I praise God because there’s nothing he can’t get me through so I thank him for every opportunity that comes my way me to see what he is willing to do for me,” DMX concluded.
