Solitude with God is the foundation of my day. Every morning when I wake up, before I do anything else, I go to God’s Word. I read my Bible along with one of my 365 daily devotionals by Tony Dungy. As a result of spending my time this way, I’ve learned to listen to God who always lays on my heart what it is that I’m made to do that day. Often, I will also share that day’s devotional with some friends of mine who don’t go to church, but are receptive to the Gospel in this format.

Lately God’s been showing me that He’s created me to be different, unlike anybody else. There are things that have happened to me and ways that He’s designed me that are unique to only me—ways that I can be used for God’s purposes. There are many things in my life that are out of my control but I know that God’s preparing me for something much greater than what I could plan for. That could be football and/or life after football, but I know that in all things God’s equipping me by His strength.

My parents used to tell me that I was going to be a speaker or a pastor one day and I would laugh because I was always super shy. I hated public speaking, but slowly God has been opening more and more opportunities for me to speak to others. It’s a crazy thing for me because I never prepare for these times—I don’t like to plan a speech or think too much about it or else I will get really nervous and I’ll mess up. But that’s never happened. God always gives me the words that I need at the time that I need them. My wife has even asked me, “How do you stay on track?” I honestly don’t know, but when I pray that God would prepare my heart, mind, and mouth, He always gives me the words to say. Experiencing this makes God extremely real to me.

“Do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” —Luke 12:11-12

Over Christmas I experienced another time where God’s power was evidently working in me to bless others. Each day I try to pray that God would show me someone who needs to be helped in some way, whether that’s at the grocery store, parking lot, etc… I don’t always remember to act on this; there are times I see a need and without thinking, pass right by it. But on this day I was at the mall and noticed a man who kept walking around like he was looking for something. Eventually he came up to me and asked me for $2 so that he could buy a ride for himself and his wife. I gave him a little more than that and asked if I could pray for him. After I did, he said that no one had ever done that for him before. He said that this prayer meant more to him than the money that I had offered and that having someone encourage him with the Word around the holiday was just what he needed.

There were thousands of people at the mall at that time and this man could have approached any one of them, but he came to me. I was struck by the power of God’s love and sovereignty that day. I was thankful that He opened my heart to see this man’s need so that I could be a light in his darkness.

The only way for me to be open and aware of the needs of those around me is by staying close to Christ. Being in the Word is how I can really reset my mind back on the will and purpose of God. I’m human—I fail, sin, and get angry—but when I go back to God I’m able to focus my mind on Him, knowing that God’s grace is sufficient. I can choose to be critical of others who are broken just like me or I can choose to see others the way that God sees them. By experiencing the love of Christ for myself, I no longer try to avoid those who I might not usually associate with, instead I find myself seeking these people out so that they can experience Christ’s love as I have.

I’m not ashamed of the Gospel. I want to spread it to whoever I can in whatever setting I’m in.

“For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” —Romans 1:16

—Brandon Boykin

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