Skillfull vs Anointed

Hey fam! A great concern in the body of Christ is the inability to discern the difference between someone who is skillful at what they do verses someone who is anointed to do what they do! Because you went to school, and rehearsed, and studied (which is necessary) how to do what you do does not mean that God has anointed you to do it! We often hear a preacher who can move a crowd, or hear a singer who can captivate audiences attention and we automatically label them as "Anointed" without trying the spirit by the Spirit. 1 John 4:1 (NIV) says "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." Please believe that it does not take the anointing to impress people, but it does take the anointing to destroy yokes! John says that we must TRY the spirit of an individual which means we must observe, discern, or Judge (that right, JUDGE)! But you must make your judgement according to biblical principals and not your personal opinions and feelings. Don't misinterpret me: I do believe that someone who is anointed should be skillful or well learned of the capacity that they serve in, but it is not spiritually profitable to be talented alone! You MUST make sure that God ALWAYS gets the glory!!! A sign of an "Anointed work" is that the results outweigh the vessel (person whom God uses)!

Being the best!

Hey fam! Everyone who is active in something that they are passionate about wants to be the best that they can possibly be. You should never sacrifice quality of performance, presentation, or image. One thing that my advisor always have told me (from a music business point of view) is "Handle Your Business"! In my opinion, one of the best ways to stay on top of your game is to continue being a student of what you love doing. Though Kobe Bryant is arguably one of the greatest basketball players, he yet remains a fan of the game. If you are a recording artist you must never stop becoming a fan of the music! No matter how many albums I record, I will always be a gospel music fan. It is difficult to grow when you have no one to pattern yourself after but yourself! The day you stop learning is the day you stop growing. The day you stop growing is the day you stop succeeding. The day you stop succeeding is the day you value begins to decline. Be humble and always be willing to consider someone else's opinion, EVEN WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR OWN!

Establish your platform as an artist

Hey fam! Today I had a conversation with a recording artist friend of mine and she is having problems trying to decide what moves to make to establish herself as an artist. It reminds me of what my consultant told me a few years ago; "Establish Your Ministry Platform!" When I talk to people about moving forward in their lives I ask them "have you prayed about it"? If they reply "yes", then my next question is "have you heard back from God?" Most of the time we think that just to pray is good enough, but prayer is a two way street. You have to allow God time to speak back to you before you move forward!

What works for someone else may not work for you. You have to ask yourself three questions: 1.) What are you gifted at, 2.)What are you passionate about, and 3). What do you enjoy? Maybe your like Angelina Jolie, you're passionate about foreign orphans. You must live with your own conviction and do what God has given you a passion to do.

How do you know that you are passionate about something?

One of the ways that you can identify what you are passionate about is you loose sleep thinking abou it! Some things God put on your heart because He wants you to do something about it. Remember: if you don't stand for something you will fall for anything! Don't be someone else, but be who God is making you to be.

You will not learn eveything about God's plan for your life right away. So remember that patience will eliminate correction!

-Darick L. Rutley-