‘Tis So Sweet to Trust In Jesus. This is a hymn that many Christians have sung in their lifetime. One would be surprised at the number of people who carry “Christian” but do not practice any of the fundamentals. The core of many religious beliefs is to have faith in whichever deity the religion upholds. But according to gospel singer Erica Campbell, many Christians are talking the talk but not walking the faith walk.
Best known for being one-half of the gospel duo Mary Mary, Erica Campbell has had her share of moments where her faith was tested. From being a mother to juggling a thriving music career to past infidelity in her marriage, Erica Campbell has been through it and then some. But despite all that she’s been through, Campbell stands firm in her belief in God.
The opening track to Mary Mary’s self-titled album in 2005, “Believer,” is a strong declaration full of testimonies of God’s saving grace in rough times. The song’s first verse shows Erica Campbell singing about a time that her mother felt that “something in her spirit wasn’t right” one night after arriving home from church service. So, at the behest of their mother, Thomasina “Miss Honey” Atkins, the family stayed at an aunt’s house. She then sings about her mother getting a call from authorities alerting them to their house on fire. While it was a sad moment due to the destruction, Campbell recalls being grateful that their lives were not in imminent danger.
The “I Luh God” singer appears to want those that follow her to develop a deeper relationship with Christ with her music, the sisters’ reality show on WE Tv, and her morning radio show Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell. She also wants those who declare themselves to be Christian to move as such, especially in their beliefs. During a recent conversation with Christian author Joyce Meyer, the Grammy Award-winning singer expressed her belief that you “can’t praise a God you don’t trust.”
“There’s a lot of people that serve God, but they don’t really trust Him,” she said on the podcast. She issues that these people may have been scarred from past instances that may have amplified their trust issues in God. “And, you know, the devil’s not an option,” she added.
Because of this, many Christians tend to “stay in church” due to tradition or deeming it a “safe space,” but they are not opting to “get to the fullness of what God has” for them because they refuse to “stand on the promise.” Instead, they are choosing to stand on their pain, whether they believe it or not.
So, church members and Christians will go to church and operate in the routine they are used to, but there is no trust in the One they are singing or preaching about. “I’ll sing this song, but I remember, God, that You didn’t bring me through this,” she brings up as an example.
