https://youtu.be/C-SkrDf55fM {----- Clayton's Newest Video I refer to in post below
"Don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." ~James 4:4-10
I see articles claiming the “Almighty Clayton Jennings” has lost his license to preach. And inside I felt it to be true. To be good. So I investigate into this more. Only to discover this video he himself has released. So I decided to watch it. To see what hogwash he was going to spew now.
The mood was set with Tony Nolan’s opening. The music, the soft light. All the right settings to make you feel less anger. Yeah, I judged. I WAY judged.
But I kept listening.
Kept watching.
And then tears began falling.
B U T G O D
This man, once full of himself, his image, what these “fans” thought of him—was standing before MILLIONS of people confessing his sins. Admitting he was wrong. Admitting that some of what was rumored was true. Do you understand that?
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.
I still struggle to share with my husband my daily struggles, much less millions of people. I don’t like to admit when I am wrong, much less when I am sinning. Even now I can’t begin to type out my sins. My daily struggles. But he did. He laid them all out for you. Even after recently getting married to a Godly woman, his past haunts him. But the best part of it all, God IS the best of them all. When he said sin washed white as snow—he meant it. He didn’t meant white like I wash clothes (a little spotty, probably ruined with a red sock) no He meant WHITE. Clear. Fresh. Done. It Is Finished. That’s what Jesus did. For you. For me. And even for Clayton.
And all God kept showing me during the video is Paul. Oh, sweet Paul. If you don’t know the story, read the full story in Acts 1. A short summary is that Saul was a king who killed anyone that believed in Jesus. He literally killed christians. And guess what? God still loved him. Still used him. He became Paul, a mighty man of God. Used for His Glory. His sins were forgiven. Literally killing people who worshipped God almighty and God still chose to see worth in him.
Just like he looks at Clayton and says “My beloved”. He sees the worth of this man. He sees his boldness. His determination. His love for the Lord. And chooses to love him even more.
So do I think Clayton was full of himself? Yeah I do.
Do I think he’s forgiven? Absolutely.
I challenge you reading this, to stop and pray. Because isn’t that what I should have been doing when I judged him so harshly? I’ve personally met him a few times and simply wasn’t a fan. His spoken words were epic, but his personality I wasn’t a “fan” of. But does that give me any right to judge—to sin? Nah. But I still did. And even through my judgement God saw His son. He saw Hope. He saw a Light.
So pray. Pray for this extremely hard journey Clayton is on. Pray for me, Lord knows I need it. But also pray for you. Don’t always feed into what the media gives ya. Take the time to step back and see it for what it is. Try and see what God is doing.
So before you cast that stone, take a minute and see him for who he is-man, flesh, and just like us—just with a whole lot more eyes judging his every move.
"Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” 2 Corinthians 12:8-9
So in the words of God through Clayton:
JESUS IS:
He’s more than you could ever need
He’s more than the eye could see
I don’t deserve His love, but He’s always been there for me
You see, Jesus met me when I was at my lowest
And if you don’t know Jesus, know this:
He’s the greatest example of generosity this world of greed has ever seen
And when Jesus hit the scene, He changed the scenery
And met diversity with serenity
If you’re looking for peace, He offers plenty
Jesus was, and Jesus will forever be King
And when the Angels sing, they sing of the grace that was displayed for sinners like me
I can’t explain Him, and I can’t describe Him
Because if I could He wouldn’t be Jesus
Because you can’t explain eternity and you can’t comprehend the galaxies
But it was the loving hands of Jesus, who spun them into existence
And created man, knowing He would go to the cross to pay our sentence
There was a certificate of judgement with a period after the sentence
And we were sentenced to death long before He said, “It is finished”
He’s a father to the orphan, a shelter for the homeless
A hiding place for the abused and an anchor for our storms
He stormed the gates of hell and came out on top
And the power of His gospel cannot be stopped
Even when the world tries…and they try a lot
He trade places with Barabbas and became a catalyst
Of missions across the world covering every portion of the atlas
If you’re in need of rest, I know of a mattress
If you don’t know Jesus, your future is tragic
But He’d gladly embrace tragedy so we could live in His presence of majesty
His presence is presents
And it’s His presence that presents preciousness to a world of peasants
He’s far from pretentious, but still loves those who are
He’s a light of the world that hung on the stars
He brings the dead to life, but delivers life to the dead
He took a crown of thorns on His head
So we can put crowns at His feet
And I can’t wait until the day I get to kiss His feet that were nailed to the cross for me, and for you, and for every other person around the world
He loves the world and I love His word
Because His word became flesh
And in His flesh, He demonstrated the word to the world
He’s an example to every boy and every girl
He’s a lover of black people; He’s a lover of white people
He’s a lover of the un-churched and the assembly under the steeple
He doesn’t see the believer’s failures; but still takes time to celebrate their faithfulness
It’s His spirit that enables us
And gives us boldness, even when the world labels us
And if you wanna label me
Please call me a “Jesus Freak”
If that freaks you out, good
Because it’s better to be good with God
Than to fight being misunderstood
By a world that could never understand
So let it be understood that I don’t worship man
I worship Jesus
And although He doesn’t need us
He still sees us, and pleads with us
To run to the cross where He bled for us
His heart bleeds for us; His heart grieves for us
But still graciously grants us a pardon for our treason in a season where the world tries to explain away the work of the spirit with human reasoning
And here’s the reason why they can’t:
Because His spirit is like the wind, and the wind cannot be seen
But loved is he who believes without seeing the unseen
I’m telling you, Jesus is something
He’s something more; He’s something great
And if you wanna know Him, you don’t have to wait
He stands at the narrow path with a key to the gate
And all you have to do is reach out and embrace His grace
I don’t care who is president, I have a King who is always present
I don’t care who hosts musicals, celebrities; the voice of the Lord will always be the sweetest melody
I don’t care who owns the riches of the globe; my Jesus has more wealth with more ruby on His robe
I don’t care who’s the strongest or the fastest; nothing matches the creator of the universe and His immortal, infinite status
I don’t care about religious leaders who died and stay dead
I worship the One who conquered death, and wears a crown on His head
His name is Jesus, and I’m telling you He’s something
He was faithful yesterday, He’s faithful today
I can feel His presence whenever I pray
And when the time comes for me to fade away
I would remember the day I heard Him say,
“My name is Jesus.”
