DMX asked for a sign, found vocation as a pastor

In the name of Jesus, spread the word
“No weapon formed against me shall prosper and every turn that rise against my judgment, thou shall condemn”
For this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord
“And their righteousness is of me,” said the Lord
Amen, Lord, give me a sign!

The opening lines of DMX’s 2006 release “Lord Give Me a Sign” gave us chills. If you told us all those years ago that rapper DMX, who performed hardcore hip-hop for the majority of his career, was going to release such a reverent and spiritual song, we would have probably laughed. We shouldn’t have been surprised however, for DMX — whose real name is Earl Simmons — has had a long standing relationship with Christ, which he has shared in at least one song on each of his albums.

DMX’s faith extends far beyond his music. According to Wikipedia, once while incarcerated he claimed “I came here to meet somebody … Don’t know who it was, but I’ll know when I see him. And I came here to give him a message. And that message is Jesus loves them.” He recognized his vocation in 2012 and is now a deacon in the Christian Church. He doesn’t intend to stop there either, as he aspires to become an ordained preacher and pastor.

The greatest propulsion toward this desire came after a brush with death in 2016. Simmons was found unresponsive and lifeless in a Ramada Inn parking lot in Yonkers, New York. He was resuscitated by first responders, who thought it was a drug overdose, but after no drugs were found on the scene Simmons claimed it was due to an untreated asthma attack.

In a radio interview later that year, he compared himself to “The Prodigal Son” and spoke about his plan to focus on his faith and become a pastor. When asked how his fans might react to the change he said:

“That’s where I can’t give you an answer—will I have more influence as a pastor or a rap artist?” DMX says. “But I do believe that God allowed my music career to create the platform to lay the foundation to gain the ear, to gain the credibility, so that way when I do become a pastor, I don’t think I’m going to lose fans, I think I’m going to gain more.”

He also spoke about his intense struggle through spiritual warfare:

“Whenever I went through something, it brought me way more closer to God,” DMX says. “And I stated it in a song, so now I’m closer to God. But being closer is hard. The attacks get stronger, become much harder to fight, and they last longer! That’s what it’s always been … but with the right perspective it can be something to gain.”