Letitia Wright - A Testimony

In Matthew 16:24-26, Jesus said "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?"

As Christians today, we are not accustomed to denying ourselves. We want what we want - when we want it and how we want it. We want Jesus AND whatever our “thing is.”  Be it gluttony, sexual sin, pride and arrogance or greed - we don't want to change who we are or give up anything to follow Christ. We're not used to sacrifice, but a holy God deserves something: He deserves us – all of us.

That means denying ourselves. Giving up somethings so that we might seek God more fully. Know Him more intimately.

In Genesis, God promised Abram a son. He told him He would be the "Father of many nations," and he changed His name to Abraham – which means father of many -  to reflect this.

In the natural, this was unlikely because both Abram and his wife, Sarai, were old and beyond childbearing years. Despite this, God, in His supernatural authority, opened Sarah's womb and gave them a son. 

Then he asked for him back. 

In Genesis 22, God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering.  And Abraham got up early the next morning to obey God - believing that "God himself (would) provide the lamb” for the burnt sacrifice.

By faith – meaning Abraham’s experience and thereby trust in God – Abraham agreed to sacrifice his son. He understood God’s goodness. He understood God’s grace. But most importantly, he understood God’s sovereignty. He understood that his life belonged to the Most High God and He was obligated to obey Him.

Well, if you're a bible-reader, you know the outcome. God provided a ram in the bush as the burnt offering, thereby sparing Isaac, Abraham’s son.

Today, God requires a sacrifice.

He requires a sacrifice of who we are, who we want to be and all our dreams. He wants us.

There’s an exchange that takes place in true salvation. Jesus gives us his righteousness, and we give Him our lives.

Our lives are no longer our own.

According to Galatians 2:20, Christians “have been crucified with Christ and “we” no longer live, but Christ lives in (us). The life (we) now live in the body, (we) live by faith in the Son of God, who loved (us) and gave himself for (us).

He is Master and He is Lord.

Faith in God means trusting and seeking Him for everything. And, it means obeying Him – even unto death. Though most of us won’t be called to a physical death, there are numerous things in this life God will require to put on the alter.

He asked Letitia Wright for her career, and she said, “Yes.”

Prior to accepting the role of Shuri in Black Panther, Wright left acting. She said it had become a idol in her life, and God called her to turn down a major role and just seek Him. For seven months, she only sought the Savoir, and He remade her dreams

Now, her only dream is Him. She says she fell in love. And now He is the source of her joy. She no longer needs the high that comes with winning a role or the adulation that comes with being a celebrity. Her worth is found solely in Him.

Matthew 6:33 says “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” And Letitia Wright did that.  

She gave God her dreams, and He remade them. Then, he handed them back to her on a worldwide stage. Black Panther is a box office hit, and it’s given her a platform honor and praise Him on a worldwide stage.

What a beautiful love story. It’s one I want. And it’s one I hope you want too. 

But it requires sacrifice. It requires seeking Him daily, praying, reading scripture, meditating, lingering in His presence. 

Listen to one of her testimonies above – there are others online as well – and ask God how you, too, can experience this freedom. 

Last, let's pray for her strength and integrity, that she continues to abide in God so that He may abide in her and her footing will be sure.

Know that I love you each, L.