Danny Gokey shares message for churched and unchurched: 'Love God, love people'
Award-winning Christian singer Danny Gokey released his fifth studio album, Haven’t Seen It Yet, this month and says he wants to share a message of hope for the world to love God and love people.
Haven’t Seen It Yet reached No. 1 this past week on the Billboard Top Christian & Gospel Album chart. Gokey said the theme of the entire record is: “there’s hope.”
"To be quite honest, I was feeling like hope was dwindling and I had to go back and remind myself who He is and not who I've created Him to be in my own mind,” Gokey told The Christian Post of the season he was in when he recorded his new album. “I think a lot of times we tend to think God is a genie and really that's not how the Kingdom of God works.”
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The "American Idol" alum said God chastens who He loves.
"A lot of times we're going through things that God has purposed to refine us and make us better and make us stronger,” he explained. “There's really no other way to respond to God. You're either going to say yes to God or no to God, there's no two answers.”
"I'm really hoping that people can trust God beyond themselves, and I know that's a hard thing because we love to control everything. But I guess we have to go back to the foundation. He created us for His purpose, for His glory, not us for our own purpose and our own glory,” Gokey stressed.
“The way our culture is going in the sense of social media, hope is harder to find, too, because we've decided what we think hope is. You go on Instagram and say, 'God I want to be this,' and we're really missing out that there’s a plan for us that God had designed for us before we even came on this Earth.”
Gokey believes Haven’t Seen It Yet is timely because he sought the Lord before jumping into the creative process.
“When I make a record the first thing I say is, 'Lord, what do you want to say to the church and the unchurched?'" the husband and father of three revealed.
“With God’s help, we can accomplish a lot more,” he maintained.
Gokey’s 13-song album includes his new single, “Love God, Love People,” featuring Michael W. Smith on piano.
The message is clear and a solution to the problems of the world today, the singer says, noting, “the Bible says the law and everything is summed up” in that command by Jesus: "Love the Lord and love your neighbor as yourself," as found in Matthew 22:36–40.
“If we just did those two things we really wouldn't need all the laws and all that because we would see what it means to love God and love people,” Gokey told CP.
“The song is a good reminder because people think it’s law to be belligerent and really barrage people if they don't carry the same beliefs. It seems to me is love is categorized [now] in let someone do whatever they want. That’s not love! Love won't allow someone to harm themselves,” he asserted.
“'Love God, Love People' is a song of our time,” Gokey declared.
Gokey got his start on season eight of "American Idol" and made it as far as being among the top three contestants on the show. The popular singing competition is still on the air for its 17th season and the performer shared some advice for the current slate of contestants.
“The advice I would give to anyone coming off the show is to have a plan in place. There’s no guarantee once you come off the show of anything and you have to realize that. Because if it doesn't take you where you want to go, you have to be able to pick up right after the show,” Gokey advises.
Gokey’s first No. 1 hit on the Christian charts happened five years after his appearance on the show.
“The journey is not going to be easy, but it is doable if you have a plan and stick to that plan,” he added.
In support of the record, Gokey is also gearing up for the second leg of the Hope Encounter Tour, featuring a 31-city lineup, kicking off on Sept. 26.
“It was a big undertaking but we were able to accomplish what we set out to,” Gokey said of the first leg of the tour and now they will do it all over again.
Haven’t Seen It Yet is now available for purchase. For more information on Gokey and the album, visit DannyGokey.com.
