Carlene Davis on Assignment for God
Published:Thursday | November 1, 2018 | 12:00 AMShanna Kaye Monteith/Gleaner Writer
"Quitting is not an option." That's the message gospel veteran Carlene Davis hopes to send with her latest album The Assignment.
The message, she said, isn't only for Christians, but also serves the unchurched and the unsaved.
"The Assignment is a track from the offerings on this album, and the message coming out of the song is that everyone of us is special. None of us is a mistake in spite of where you are from or your upbringing.
"So through personal experiences and accepting the fact that we are on an assignment - which is God's assignment for the purpose we are created for - we want to assure the listeners, especially those who are without hope, that there is hope. There is purpose for your life to fight the distractions, fight the naysayers, the negatives, and seek God's assignment on your life," she said.
Offering advice on how others can figure out or recognise their God-given task, Davis noted the importance of prayer and seeking after the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
"An assignment is instructions from God; His desire for us. None of us was born by mistake. God said to Jeremiah [in Jeremiah 1: 5], 'Before I formed you in your mother's womb I knew you ... and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.'
"We are created, born and ordained for a specific assignment on Earth. It may be that thing that you desire or have a passion for.
"Psalm 37:4 says, 'Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.' It is God who places the desires in our heart, not us," the song minister said, adding that whatever duty God assigns is bigger than the person as it will also have a positive impact on humanity.
Davis told Family & Religion that the 17-track album will be launched on Sunday, November 11, on RJR during 'Palav' with Gerry McDaniel and that it speaks about the serious issues that are faced in the country and the world. The single Jamaica Belong To Jesus says that in spite of the rape and murder, the word of God says, 'Blessed is the nation whose God is The Lord'.
She said, "The Assignment also speaks to the body of Christ. We want to see a revival among the Christians. We are saying, wake up and be the agents of change, take our rightful place, declare who God is and encourage each other."
The woman of God also admitted that this new project has also been a source of encouragement to herself.
"As I listen to the songs and reflect on the four years it took to get to the finish, I recognise the importance of staying the course of what I'm called to do, first as an ambassador for Christ, using the gifts and tools He has given me to carry that message of the hope and love of Christ to a hurting world.
"Never give up on your dreams, no matter how young or old and where you are in life, you never stop believing in yourself," she shared, advising that even if you fall, it's OK to get up, dust yourself off, and keep going.
She continued, "Seek the Lord for He knows the plans for our lives, which are good and not evil, His plans give us hope and a future. Quitting is not an option."