Powerful Brandon Lake Interview will bring you to tears...!

This Brandon Lake interview with Justin and Kim will remind you that fear is not your future. Sickness is not your future. God is.

View this video with Brandon Lake, and other interviews with JOY FM artists videos on the JOY FM YouTube Channel.

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Brandon Lake Transcript

Justin:
And come alive in the name of Jesus……and I’m about to cry right now, but in that moment I was like,

Brandon Lake:
Oh my gosh!

Justin:
…You are sovereign Lord.

Brandon Lake:
Holy moly.

Kim:
We have the privilege of sitting down with Brandon Lake, a preacher’s kid from South Carolina.

Brandon Lake:
That’s right. P.K.s where my P.K.s at? What’s up? We’re the best.

Kim:
How are you doing today?

Brandon Lake:
I’m good. Slightly tired. Cause it’s day three of the Miracle Nights tour. And these nights we give it all.

Justin:
As a preacher’s kid. How quickly were you on stage at church singing worship songs?

Brandon Lake:
Yeah, so I’m sure I made an appearance a few times as a young, like actual kiddo. My dad used me for different… you remember skits?… like when churches had skits? So for sure definitely played a few roles.

Justin:
Oh, so were you in Psalty the Singing Songbook ever?

Brandon Lake:
No. What is that!?

Justin:
Oh, that stuff I was in. I thought everybody did that. Maybe it was my church.

Brandon Lake:
I was never salty. No, I was only ever sweet.

Kim:
P-S -A-L-T-Y. Like from the Psalms. Yeeesss.

Brandon Lake:
Got it. Sorry. Okay. Awesome.

Justin:
No, but not every preacher’s kid gets to be Psalty.

Brandon Lake:
There was this kid named Will who played guitar at what we call the praise team. It’s probably a Southern Baptist term – the praise team. And I thought he was really cool. My dad had a guitar at home so he taught me G, C, D, and E Minor and I kind of took it from there. And that was about age twelve. So I started playing guitar… in the youth group at twelve…thirteen… started singing around fifteen. Yeah, been doing it about every Sunday since.

Kim:
Yeah. That’s incredible.

Justin:
What did that feel like the first time you’re leading worship at church? What did it feel like?

Brandon Lake:
The first time I ever sang, I actually didn’t want to. And all my friends just kept haggling me and they’re like, “Dude, we need someone to sing a youth group. Like, please, we’ve heard you sing and you sound decent. Just do it.” So I’m like, “All right, fine.” So I finally do it. Absolutely hated it! I was like, “I’ll never do this again. I’ll never do this again.” I felt so naked on stage. I was like, “This is so humiliating!” And just that pressure. And it’s funny that I’m doing this as a calling in front of thousands of people… which it actually might be more terrifying leading worship for like four or five people than 4,000.

Kim:
I actually agree with that.

Brandon Lake:
But I still… to this day… I shake in my boots going out there on that stage. But back then it was so terrifying. I said I wouldn’t do it again. My friends kept annoying me and then I was like, “All right, I’ll do it again.” I did it. And then it was shortly after that – it wasn’t really until I saw people actually connect to the Lord and connect with the Lord that I was like, “Okay, there’s something really special here.” And I think a lot of times we look for a sign from God in the sky, you know? Or to smack us right in the face. But it’s often through his people that he affirms the gift on your life. And that’s how it came about for me. It was listening to my friends and my mentors and they’re like, “Hey, I think you really need to step into this. I think God’s just given you a voice for a reason.” So…

Kim:
That’s incredible.

Justin:
Musically speaking, I heard you say once that you attempted to just imitate Phil Wickham when you got on stage.

Brandon Lake:
That’s how I started writing songs. I absolutely adore Phil. And now he’s like one of my best buds. And now…

Kim:
You’re the Worship Knights…

Brandon Lake:
And now we are going out on the Summer Worship Nights Tour and…knights with a “K” because we’re the Knights of Worship. No… really excited. He’s been my longest kind of like person I’ve looked up to and modeled and imitated my life after. And you know, I’ve heard it said that you’ve gotta imitate before you innovate. And so he is the person I probably imitated more than anyone. And so when I got ahold of his record around the time “Cannons” came out I was like, “Man! I want to try to write songs like that!” And so I’d write down my own words and what I wanted to say to the Lord, but try to make it sound like Phil, you know… and model at his songs. And, “Divine Romance” was even in my wedding. Yeah. So he’s been a huge, huge example and mentor to me over the years.

Kim:
Wow. Well, we just wanted to kind of run through the songs that are currently in the top 100 of the CCLI [Christian Copyright Licensing International] chart. Okay? So we’ve got Graves in the Gardens, We Praise You, Gratitude, Same God…which we did this morning at church… Rest On Us, My Testimony, There’s Nothing That Our God Can’t Do, Rattle, and Champion.

Justin:
I think that’s NINE Brandon Lake songs on the current CCLI chart.

Kim:
It’s incredible!

Justin:
How’s that make you feel to hear that, man!?

Brandon Lake:
It’s amazing!

Kim:
Yeah…it is amazing!

Brandon Lake:
Amazing. I mean, that’s been my dream. I never thought I’d be here, but, I had prophetic word after prophetic word spoken over me that -at a young age – that I would write songs that would travel across the nations. And of course, that’s amazing to hear that. But when it’s years and years and years ago, and I’m just trying to write a song for my local church, and then we’re putting this music out and a hundred people listen to it. You’re like, “Well, cool, we have 112 streams.” You know? It can feel a little defeating. I wanna say that’s amazing and that’s such a testament to God and allowing me…the only way THAT happens is by getting around people outside your small circle and I think exposure to other expressions of worship. And it’s like when you get people in the room who don’t sound like you, think like you, lead like you, something beautiful happens. You create something you couldn’t have created on your own. And I think the only way I’ve gotten to nine on CCLI is that I’ve just been really, really hungry to grow. And so I’ve spent time with Brooke [Brooke Ligertwood]. And I’ve spent time with Elevation [Elevation Worship]. I’ve spent time with Mav [Maverick City Music] and so it’s been really cool to be a part of all of those things. And I think what God does when in that spirit of collaboration, you know, I think He blesses it cause it looks like the Kingdom. So I’m ecstatic about it and it’s been my dream to have people sing these songs.

Justin:
For those who don’t know the CCLI chart is how churches keep track of the songs that are being sung in church. So that’s…I mean…you might not even realize it, but you’re singing a lot of Brandon Lake tunes in church these days.

Kim:
Every Sunday.

Brandon Lake:
Somebody came to the show I think last night and came up to a friend of one of my band members, and was like,”So I’ve never heard of this Brandon Lake guy.” He invited her and she’s a worship leader. And she’s like “So did he write these songs?” And he is like “Yeah, yeah.” She’s like, “Okay! We’ve been leading these songs. I had no idea who this guy is.” And that’s what’s cool about my set on tour – these Miracle Nights – is I’m singing some songs that actually, there’s not a recording of me singing that song out there. And yet it’s so cool. Like, even “Same God” I don’t have a version of that out with me singing it. And yet it’s a highlight every single night. People just love that song. And so I think it’s really cool. It’s not about me it’s about these songs and connecting with the Lord.

Justin:
So we did a poll with worship leaders and we asked them, “What is your favorite Brandon Lake song to play in church?”

Brandon Lake:
Wow.

Justin:
It’s all over the board, truthfully. Neal said Gratitude. He said, “I sing and play that every night as my daughter and I worship together.” So he sings it with his kid.

Kim:
She’s four… Josh says “Gratitude and Graves Into Gardens.” Amazing.

Justin:
Joel says, “Rest On Us, or Honey in the Rock is his favorite.”

Brandon Lake:
Awesome!

Kim:
Love Honey in the Rock! Yes! Jeff says Graves Into Gardens. Luke, who’s my worship leader who I get to serve with – “Same God,” which we did this morning!

Justin:
Gabriel said, “Son of Heaven.”

Brandon Lake:
Oh, wow.

Justin:
So, what’s your favorite Brandon Lake song to sing in church?

Brandon Lake:
Man, I have to say Gratitude. It’s everything I want to say to the Lord, and I love that for me, it even just sonically, musically, it kind of hits both end of the spectrum of like, really pretty… but then it has a roar at the end. And it gets aggressive and rowdy. And so I like to say that I like showing both ends of the spectrum of reflective and rowdy. And so that song kind of goes from this reflective and just thankful and pretty angelic kind of feel to like rowdy and you got the lion in your lungs type thing. And then it’s like so vertical, it’s just to the Lord. But then that bridge…it takes a moment to be like, “Hold on, let me command my soul to wake up! Like, I’ve got more to offer God than I think I do. Let me let that lion out.” You know? That lion size praise. And so yeah, that one’s been the most fun. And obviously God’s been using it in a crazy way. The craziest thing about that song is it almost didn’t make my record.

Kim:
What!?

Brandon Lake:
Yeah. It was a deep track and didn’t even make it a single, had no clue how special it was. And we rerecorded it probably four or five times. And because I got it back – and my producer is amazing – but he actually did what I asked. I was like, “I want this to sound like just a church song.” And he made it sound like a church song. And when I got it back, I was like, “This isn’t inspiring at all. Like, this sounds like every other worship song out there.” And I’m just not like…I’m okay with that for some songs… but this song is just way too special for me to get the recording back and go, “Eh, I believe the words, but I don’t believe it. It’s not convincing to me.” And so I’m like, “Dude, ” after a few attempts I was like “Let’s strip everything away, put me in front of a microphone like this with an acoustic and I’m gonna do the whole song as organically and passionately as I can.” And that’s basically what you hear. And then he kind of built the music around how that organically built. And it’s crazy that after three or so years now it’s surfacing and God’s breathing on it.

Justin:
And number one radio song, by the way. We were talking about CCLI but number one on radio.

Kim:
My best friend and I were talking about this song and she was just saying… you talking about the pretty and the rowdy and how that so aligns with scripture too, because she was like I was reminded of the song as I was reading about when the Lord says even if you don’t worship the rocks will cry out. And the rocks are the rowdy. And we could be probably a little more rowdy in our worship but like God was saying, “Even if you don’t do it, it doesn’t matter. My creation still will.”

Brandon Lake:
Yeah, exactly. Yeah. I think God’s in the whisper, he’s also in the shout. And there’s so many different forms of praise and worship, and I think that’s why I like songs that do both, or maybe not even just in one song but in your worship set. I think it’s important to have aspects of praise and worship that that kind of hit the spectrum. There’s a word for praise that is a shout and there’s a word that’s more reflective and honoring and quiet and still. And so I think that as worship leaders it’s important for us to educate the congregation and lead them to a place of understanding how to express and respond to the Lord in all those ways,

Kim:
So as a worship leader, is it refreshing for you to ever be in the congregation and be filled up? Or is it like you come alive on stage, or how does that…

Brandon Lake:
Yeah, no, both. But when you’re leading, you’re not leading for yourself. Luckily God’s so good that you get filled up. But like, my responsibility, a worship leader’s responsibility, is to minister to the Lord. But then secondly, it’s like your responsibility isn’t for you to get yours. It’s for you to lead people to the throne room for you to take the hand of God and the hand of the congregation and somehow in that atmosphere, as best as you can, help that to connect. And so, you know, some worship leaders get a little too lost up there and it’s like, “Hey, no don’t leave them, lead them.” And so because of that, I think it’s super important to have your own time of worship. And so I’m still on staff at my church. They let me travel the country and be wild and stuff, but they have been so gracious to keep me on. And when I come home, they’re not super demanding of me like “Hey, we need you to lead every weekend you’re home.” They recognize that I need rest and to be revived and so a lot of Sundays I just go with my family… worship with my family. And it is lifesaving for me, especially being out on the road. People think that this is a sexy lifestyle. It is not. It is very difficult. It’s hard on your body, and especially on your mind. And touring isn’t reality, you know? And so it’s very important to get home quickly. It’s a reason why I tour Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and then I go home. And I only do that two weekends a month. And then I have a few weeks off, so I’m in church getting fed, filled up. A tree planted by a stream of water. And then that way I have something to give when I go back out.

Justin:
I love that. We also asked worship leaders, what is the most challenging Brandon Lake song to sing in church?

Brandon Lake:
Oh my gosh.

Justin:
And EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM said Gratitude.

Brandon Lake:
What?!

Kim:
Including me.

Justin:
Because of the vocal range.

Kim:
It takes us like three people to get the melody covered because your range is so incredible.

Brandon Lake:
That is so funny, I never would’ve guessed that.

Kim:
It’s so incredible we’re like… “Okay, YOU do the bridge, I’LL do the melody, I’ll do the chorus…”

Justin:
Compliments to you and your vocal range, by the way.

Brandon Lake:
Yeah. Well, I will say I sing for about two hours on these nights and my voice is TOAST by the end of it. Cause I keep telling Pastor Steven, I’m like, “Yo, can we please write songs in lower keys?” Like, but it just sounds better high. Just, you just screaming. Right. But that’s funny because Gratitude for me is a little bit easier. There’s a reason why I don’t do a few songs on tour because I would be TOAST. Lion is almost impossible to sing. I am DONE after that song …one time singing Lion, I’m done. Might Get Loud is insanely difficult cause it’s a high A for a male that’s pretty high and I’m actually a baritone. People thinking I’m a tenor.

Kim:
Oh, I would never have thought that!

Brandon Lake:
I’m really not, I just push myself to get there. And it’s not as natural for me. Like Benjamin William Hastings, who’s out here, he is a true tenor. Like, he has a crazy range. He can hit high notes with zero effort. For me I have to really work for it. But Might Get Loud, Lion, and Rattle is pretty high. And you have to do it with some grit. I do rattle on tour, but I do it in the acoustic set. Like four whole steps down.

Justin:
…This is encouraging to worship leaders right now!

Kim:
It really is!!

Brandon Lake:
I put it down here for everybody else to be able to sing.

Kim:
It’s so validating right now. .

Brandon Lake:
Oh, and I have never led Graves Into Gardens in the key we recorded it in since the recording. So it’s in B. When I’m at Elevation or on an Elevation Night, I lead it in B flat. So I drop it half a step on my tour because it’s the very last song and I’m toast by them. I sing it in A.

Kim:
So worship leaders…do you hear that? It is okay to drop the key for your vocalist .

Brandon Lake:
It Is. It’s not worth ruining your voice.

Justin:
While we’re on the subject of Gratitude. We have a segment on our show, it’s called “Thank You.” And we use this moment to thank people in our life or in our community who are doing great work. So we were like, “We can’t have Brandon Lake on the show with his number one song being Gratitude and not make you a part of this segment.” So is there anyone that comes to mind right now that you just feel like needs a little extra love…thank you…gratitude…they don’t get told we appreciate you enough?

Brandon Lake:
Oh man.

Justin:
Anybody that comes to mind.

Kim:
Like an organization you work with…or just people…

Brandon Lake:
I wanna shout out teachers. I don’t know why that came to mind, but I actually have been thinking about that lately. Like what teachers do is so incredibly important and crucial to our children’s growth. And, let’s be honest, their salaries are absolute trash. And they are doing work that is like incredibly important. Like now that I have kids, I really understand that. It’s been teachers and so I’ll say teachers, I really mean in school, but also teachers outside, like biblical teachers and also bring youth leaders into that. I think youth leaders are in this season might be more important than a senior pastor. Maybe that’s not exactly accurate or there’s a better way of putting that but I think that if we’re gonna see our nation change and come back to Jesus in a huge way and… and these next generations coming up… I think that we have got to figure out a way to have healthy passionate youth pastors that are very intentional in being in these students’ lives. The reason I’m here today is because teachers and mentors of mine at that age kept me from veering off left and right. And the only way that they could do that is they got into my mess. They got into my life, they spent time with me, they showed up at school lunch and they spent time with me. There was real credibility there. I went to my youth leaders about things I didn’t feel like I could tell my dad. You know? And and I’ve seen where that has saved me and I’ve seen where some other people in my life, they didn’t have that. And I think that’s why they’ve ventured off. And so man, I’m just so grateful for any form of a teacher… somebody that is looking at a young adult and saying, “Hey, this is the gold. I see the golden side of you and I’m calling it out.” I think if I can encourage you to do anything, it would be see it, say it. If you see something in a young adult, like say it, remind them like the God thing that’s on their life. That’s the reason why I’m here today, is because people were faithful to do that and also walk with me through my mess and help me on my journey. And so I’m thankful for every teacher, the hours upon hours that you sacrifice, that you spend loving on kids that are absolutely cray cray and drive you insane.

Kim:
I work with student ministries and yes. They’re amazing though.

Justin:
I’m from a family of school teachers, so we know.

Brandon Lake:
So they’re the superheroes, you know. And just wanna thank moms. Moms are amazing. My wife is my hero. And just everything that she does to keep our family together, love our kids, and make them make sure they know that they are loved and valued and seen and heard and yeah… mamas are amazing.

Justin:
So we’re talking about Gratitude and obviously the success that it’s had on Christian radio. We’ve already talked about the nine songs you have on CCLI right now…the church chart. Do you ever feel this pressure to write the next great worship song? Or, are those just moments with God?

Brandon Lake:
Absolutely feel the pressure. And it’s something that I try to crucify every day because you don’t write the next Gratitude by trying to write the next Gratitude. You don’t write the next What a Beautiful Name by trying to write the next What a Beautiful Name. It’s probably one of the biggest turnoffs when I walk into a songwrite with someone else and they’re like, “Man, let’s try to write a song like this.” And I understand that… I’ve said it before, I’m guilty of it. But the truth is like, that’s not how you get there. It’s gonna be a counterfeit version of that of that song. You know, I think the best way I have found to get to a song that’s going to…and not get number one…I could care less about being number one on a chart. I’m grateful. I think that’s super awesome. Cause it’s an affirmation. It’s shows how many people are listening and connecting to that song, but like, hitting number one on a radio chart didn’t change my life. But it showed me that maybe that song is changing other people’s lives. And I think the best way to get to that next song is just staying in that place of “God, what are you saying to me? What do your people need to hear?” I heard Bill Johnson say one time where do you see the church 10 years from now? And as a songwriter, write the songs that lead them there. And so right now, like, you know, one thing that we’re going after on these nights is deliverance. People are so filled with shame and fear, especially what we’ve gone through as a nation. And as a world the past few years. And so I’m writing songs that are like, man, I RENOUNCE fear. I RENOUNCE the lie that I’m not enough. I RENOUNCE shame, I RENOUNCE this and you know, I’m putting on this – I’m adopted. I’m beloved. I’m a child of God. And you know, it’s things like that. And I think when it’s honest and when you hear from the Lord, like he takes care of the rest. But man, I feel that pressure every single day. Especially when something’s successful. That’s like the temptation every single day is like… how do I write that next song? But yeah, I just have to surrender daily and go, “God, I’m gonna trust you.” And I think the key is you gotta write songs for your church. Not THE church. Just write songs for your church. And if it connects at your church, good chances are it’s gonna connect everywhere.

Justin:
Hearing that I think people are connecting. I wanna share a story with you and while it’s my story, I feel like a lot of people will relate to it. We just had our daughter Banks. She’s about to be three months old.

Brandon Lake:
Banks!?

Justin:
Yes.

Brandon Lake:
Oh, I love that name! That’s our dog’s name.

Justin:
Oh, . oops.!

Brandon Lake:
No, no, no, no. So like, this is hilarious. So we named our son, Banner. That’s Benjamin William Hastings….that’s his dog’s name. Yeah. And so our dog is, Banks. Your child is Banks.

Justin:
Was it after the Need To Breathe song?

Brandon Lake:
We just need more “B” names. I actually wanted to name …so I have a Bo…

Justin:
Yeah.

Brandon Lake:
And, and I was like, “Babe, I want to name another kid, Bear. But that was like, it’s too much Bear and Bo… Need to Breathe.

Justin:
Mine was after the song…

Brandon Lake:
And they’re friends of mine, so I was like, “We can’t do that.”

Justin:
Yeah. So we went into the birthing process thinking we were gonna have this natural birth. And this idea of, “Oh, it’s gonna be peaceful, it’s gonna be easy. We’ve done all the roadwork…”

Brandon Lake:
Got your playlist ready…

Justin:
Our birth plan, the whole thing. And baby Banks was breach pretty much the whole time. So my wife’s water breaks, we go to the hospital and she’s still breach, even though we’ve been praying and believing that she’s gonna flip around…she’s gonna flip around… this plan is is gonna happen. So when we get to the hospital in the final ultrasound, we realize she’s not, so we’re prepping for a c-section, which we kind of knew was gonna be a thing, but the c-section room is very different than the regular birthing room. And so I wasn’t prepared for that. So we walk into what felt like a stage, you know, with this light and your bed is at center stage and there’s half a dozen people there. And I’m like, “What is happening?” And even though I know c-sections are pretty common and doctors have a lot of experience in it, the only thing that’s playing through my head is, “Yeah, but something could always go wrong.”

Brandon Lake:
Yeah, of course.

Justin:
And I just remember as I’m watching the monitor and trying to memorize all the numbers, because I wanna be the first to know if something’s wrong. Right? I remember the nurse saying, “You know you can play some music if you’d like.” And I thought, “That’s right. We need some music. We need some worship music.” So you were the first name that popped in my head. And I said, “I’m gonna play Brandon Lake’s House of Miracles.”

Brandon Lake:
Dang.

Justin:
And truthfully, I skipped song number one cause it’s a little too rocking .

Brandon Lake:
Yeah. That’d just make things more chaotic.

Justin:
So I went song number two… and the peace that I felt in that moment, I can’t describe to you. And I don’t if you know this but c-sections are pretty fast. And so our daughter, Banks, was born as House of Miracles is playing. And literally the moment that she is coming out of the womb I’m hearing, “Come alive in the name of Jesus,” and of course – I’m about to cry right now – but in that moment I was like, “You are sovereign, Lord.” Thank you for reminding me through your music that you can bring peace in the midst of all of it. So I know that…

Brandon Lake:
Holy Moly…

Justin:
you write songs for people to hear. And whether it’s a church service, or their car, or an operating room… they matter, my friend.

Brandon Lake:
Dude, thank you. This might blow your mind. When I wrote House of Miracles, I knew it had to be the word House. But when I wrote that song – and I’m not making this up – as I’m writing that song, the first place that I knew I was writing this song for was for hospitals.

Justin:
Wow.

Brandon Lake:
That is crazy. I was like, this song will be played in hospitals all over the country and that’s why this song exists. I know it’ll be played in homes, and I think that’s amazing, because that’s obviously a very House of Miracles. It like, makes sense. But I was like, “I think this song exists because people are gonna need it in the hospital, in the emergency room, in situations like that. And we’re gonna declare that this hospital is a House of Miracles.”`

Justin:
You turn that operating room into a House of Miracles.

Brandon Lake:
Holy Moly.

Kim:
That’s amazing.

Justin:
God did, but used your voice to do it.

Brandon Lake:
I have one other really cool story and it’s similar. This guy, a tattoo artist, Austin, brought him out to Dallas and he did some tour tats for our crew. And sorry for those of you who are super against that . My body is a temple, I just have stained glass windows . And he shares this testimony… so he tattoos “Miracle Boys”, you know, me and my band.. he tattoos “Miracle Boys” on my arm. And he is like, “Hey, before you leave I need you to tattoo something on me.” I was like, “Dude, I don’t know how do that.” And he’s like, “Yeah, I need you to tattoo “gratitude” on my wrist. ” I was like, “No way. No.” He’s like, “No, you have to.” I was like, “Are you sure?” He is like, “Let me tell you the story.” He’s like, “When our son was born he came out and he wasn’t breathing. And of course as a father I just started freaking out and I just started panicking and it was like a decent little while he wasn’t breathing. The doctors are starting to freak, you know, they’re doing the thing without saying… you know…just doing their thing. And he’s like frozen, like doesn’t know what to do. And he said, all of a sudden Gratitude started playing and there’s that line, “You’ve got a lion inside of your lungs.” And as that was playing, he goes, ‘All of a sudden I heard my son start to cry. And breathe.’ And so he just began to weep. And he’s like, ‘As that song prophesied that you’ve got a lion inside of your lungs my son came alive and began to cry and breathe.’ And so I tattooed “gratitude” on his wrist. . I have to, now. Doesn’t look too great, but … Thank you for sharing that story that’s absolutely incredible.

Justin:
God is using you, my friend.

Brandon Lake:
Oh man. I’m so honored. Very humbled.

Kim:
When I first heard you live was with Maverick City this last tour. I had never heard Fear Is Not My Future before and three years ago I went through cancer and I had a super rare cancer in my foot. It was very wild. And unexpected. And I have so much fear. Even though I say I’m healed, I’m healed. Like I know He has healed me. I know that to be true. And if not, He’s still good. I hang on to that. But I struggle with fear. And when you got to the “…sickness is not my story, You are…” I didn’t know I could come undone like that. I didn’t know that my heart needed to hear that so badly because fear – the enemy has a way of taking fear and just permeating your life and no amount of self talk can calm that. Only the Lord can calm that. And so I just wanted to say thank you for that. Just to remind me…I have my next set of scans coming up next month and I am going “Fear is not my future. Sickness is not my story. And He is.” And I just thank you.

Brandon Lake:
Of course.

Justin:
That’s the next song by the way people are hearing on JOY FM.

Kim:
Yeah, we’re playing that.

Brandon Lake:
Oh, amazing. Wow.

Justin:
Why do you love that song?

Brandon Lake:
I think exactly why you said that. I think what you said, people are riddled with fear especially these past few years. It’s crazy that we write songs having no idea what’s just ahead. It’s like “How do you not believe in God? If I look at my own life writing Graves Into Gardens like right before Covid… we’re going into that season where so many people would need to cling to that promise and that hope and Fear Is Not My Future is the same. You know? And I never ever thought people would connect to that song like the way they have. We’ve been doing it on these nights in the acoustic set and it’s just been beautiful to see people with so much faith cling to that. And you can see how how desperately they need that. And Josh – he’s been praying on these nights – he’s been saying something like, “This is why it’s so important that receive daily the mind of Christ. Because in the mind of Christ… do you think worry can exist in the mind of Christ? Do you think fear can exist in the mind of Christ? It can’t.” And so every day I think that should be a prayer. And not just a prayer but also I think it’s important what we declare. Declarations make a difference, you know? It shifts our perspective. And so saying that “Fear is not my future” and saying “Sickness is not my story” it’s like putting on the mind of Christ and saying, “you [fear] don’t live here. This is Christ’s mind.” Like, this isn’t a place for fear, worry, doubt, shame, guilt, any of it.

Justin:
So with Easter approaching and a lot of worship leaders getting ready to lead their congregation, their people, or even new people that are coming to church for the first time, what would you say to them -to that worship leader right now who is mulling over the songs trying to figure out what to do on this big day? I mean this, you know, one of the biggest days for the church, THE biggest day I guess for the church.

Brandon Lake:
Yeah. To worship leaders?

Justin:
Yeah.

Brandon Lake:
Man, you can have all the right songs and it still feel like karaoke. I would say lead with the authority that you’ve been given from Christ. If you were put on that platform to lead…He’s placed you there for a reason. And it’s not to just sing a song it’s to release God’s power, his authority, his truth, his Gospel. And you can hear a song with great truth and it’ll do work cuz His word doesn’t return void. But there’s a difference when someone leads it with authority. And one of my goals is to raise up other Brandons. And I would say I quickly want to try to get them is to start leading with – whoever those Brandons are – which I have a few in my life – but I try to encourage them to lead with authority, with passion, with conviction. Don’t just sing it to me. Like, convince me. Convince me that this is what you’ve bet your life on. Convince me that you absolutely know that this is truth. And there’s gonna be a lot of people walking through your doors that are like, “I’m gonna give God a one more shot.” And I think if we just put on a karaoke service or a “Hey, here’s some nice songs”… a Ted talk with a few points, another song, and then we walk out the door, I just don’t know that we’re leading people the best way. You know? And so I would just say, lead with that authority that God’s already given you. You just have to step into it. Like, I shake in my boots every single night when I go out to lead. I’m not kidding you. But there’s a moment that when you give your nerves and your weakness and your insecurity over to God, it turns into God confidence. One of my favorite scriptures says “Forget about self-confidence, you’ll fall flat on your face.” – The Message version. So instead cultivate God confidence. How do you cultivate God confidence? I think it looks like dependency. You do it afraid. You just do it afraid. You step out there, you give God your “Yes” and then when you feel that burning, that sense of “I was made to do this,” step into it. And lead, like command the congregation, lead with the authority that He’s given you. You’re not overstepping your bounds. He’s like actually “Yes, this is what I’ve invited you into. Like, teach my people, lead my people, wake them up.” Like it drives me insane that when I’m leading and I see bodies, but I don’t see signs of life. I want people to be fully alive. He said he came that we may have life and life more abundantly, fully alive. And I wanna see worship leaders wake the church up and go, “Hey, there’s more to this…there’s more to life.” Like we can step into the joy, step into the confidence that God has, has, has given us.

Kim:
Something really cool about what you just said is – I do like a word of the year. I have been for past several years. Last year my word was CULTIVATE. And then this year my word is CONFIDENCE. And so I just thank you for that.

Brandon Lake:
Wow. Yeah. Of course.

Kim:
That was beautiful. You didn’t even know.

Brandon Lake:
I’ve needed it. I need it nightly. And then I’ll say this too. Every time I go to lead worship, I pray one prayer every night. “Help. Help. I can’t do this on my own. So Holy Spirit. Help.”

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You’re going to hear a lot of great music.  Music with meaning…but you’re still going to want to sing along with the songs.  

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