SUNDAY MORNING CHRISTIAN RECORDING ARTIST TESTIMONIES

Khul Rhema's Testimony

Khul Rhema's Testimony When I set out for LA back in 1995, I had one thing on my mind—to make it big! I was an aspiring music producer and I truly believed that if I put myself in a position to be heard by any music exec that I would be this huge overnight success. And I was right . . . almost. The record label was one that was run by a notorious gang leader in the Crips organization—which at that time was cool by me.  However, the problem came in when I began to read the contract. So I left the label that supplied me with my only source of income and there I was, thousands of miles away from my native Georgia—with no money. Thank God, I landed a job at a local carwash—this supplied me with enough money to rent a room at a lodge. The lodge mostly housed drug addicts, prostitutes, homeless people who managed to raise enough money from begging to pay hotel fare, visibly diseased men and women, and a female gang member named Angie. Angie was a drug trafficker for a supplier in LA. She and I became fast friends. In fact, we became so close that she offered to supply me with drugs—free of charge—and introduce me to her fellow gang members who sold drugs in the local area. I accepted and began a life of “trappin’” with the Crips. The money was very good and things were going great until I had an encounter with a particular customer. She was an addict who had no money left to buy drugs, so she offered me a bike. Everybody else in the trap had a bike, so I thought it was a pretty good bargain. We made the transaction. Two days later, she came back with a small kid who was crying real bad. The kid was her son whose bike she had sold to me for drugs. She confessed to me that she sold me his bike and begged me to forgive her and return the bike to him. My fellow pushers laughed and said I would be stupid to give it back.  I guess I really didn’t have what it takes to be a successful drug dealer—I couldn’t do that to the kid. That experience changed my whole perspective on selling drugs. I realized that I was contributing to the demise of hundreds and ultimately thousands of lives if I continued. I didn’t. On my way back to the lodge that day, I destroyed the rest of my stash (worth hundreds). I was certain I could find a fast food gig or something to tie me over. But I couldn’t. I was eventually evicted from the lodge and found myself taking refuge in a Greyhound bus station. I called family in search of financial assistance. No one seemed to have money they could send. One was an uncle who was a preacher. He told me that God was a “burden removing, yoke destroying” God. These words resonated in me—mainly because I didn’t know what was meant by God being a ‘yoke destroying’ God. My only reference at the time was to egg yokes! So I asked my uncle, who explained to me that the Scripture was referring to the wooden clamp that was used to control beasts of burden, such as horses, mules and oxen, used to plow fields in the old days. When my uncle gave me that visual—I felt the connection. I felt that I was like those beasts of burden, working to move forward but throughout my life there was always a weight that seemed to prevail at weighing me down. I desired this power of God my uncle was telling me about. I attended a local church where the “preaching” was more like “teaching.” This was wonderfully new to me—as I’m from South Georgia where all the preachers were crooners and wailers, more or less.  One significant Sunday was when the pastor taught on how to pray. He explained the components of effective prayer—coming into His presence with thanksgiving and praise, praying in the name of Jesus Christ, interceding and making my petitions known according to the Word and His promises, believing and receiving answered prayer in advance—in Jesus’ name, Amen. I put the lesson to work after I discovered that my family was not able to assist me at that time. I was hungry and homeless. After leaving a payphone conversation with my mom, I broke down to my knees with tears rushing down my face and I cried out in the middle of the sidewalk in front of a sea of pedestrians and passer-bys. I cried out to God, “ Father!! Hallelujah! I give you all the praise—You are worthy of my praise. In the name of Jesus, I come into Your presence. I thank You for life, for Your mercy and grace. I need Your mercy Father! I was told that You are a yoke destroying, burden removing God. And I’ve got many burdens and many yokes. If You will remove them from my life, I will serve You for the rest of my life! I thank You right now, in advance, because I pray according to Your will for my life and I know it will come to pass. Thank You in Jesus name . . . AMEN!” Immediately, when I said “Amen,” I felt a very present “presence.” It was wonderful—serene, peaceful, comforting—it felt great! I began praising God emphatically. I went back to sit in front of the lodge I was evicted from. Not more than an hour later, a guy that I met at the church came by, rolled down the passenger window of his car and shouted to me, “Hey—you looking for a job?” Praise God! for He is Faithful. From that day forward I became a servant and son of the Most High God. Though life hasn’t always been easy since, I go forward knowing that He is with me and that He’ll never leave nor forsake me. He loves me and forgives me when I err. CLICK ON JOIN AND BE COME A PART OF THE AMP TEAM