God’s Voice is Love
I will admit, the first 6 months of living in New York City has been a crazy undertaking of one-off interactions. I’ve been able to find some incredible events and opportunities to meet others, experience cool new art works, and dive into what the city has to offer to their fans.
One event that still takes me by surprise is the day I was trolled by the rapper 2 Chainz.
It all began on Friday, February 6, 2026. I know the date because I took a screenshot of the text conversation because it was so funny to me.
While lamenting to my closest friends about how depressing my job search was going after receiving multiple rejections, I was doing what I always do-question my life decisions, including making my dream of coming to NYC a reality. Feeling discouraged and rejected, I felt I was entering into that black dark place that so many of us job seekers can find ourselves in-job search depression.
I’ve been in this place more times than I can count and I hate that fact within my career story. I want to be able to say that I’ve always been able to bounce from one position to the next, but the reality is, that is not how my story goes. I have never been one of those lucky ones that get a new position when they aren’t even looking. My career has always been a dance of two steps forward, three steps back. It’s been frustrating but also this dance has taught me the value of grinding and perseverance, which is not for the faint of heart and something that I should consider as a win.
To combat the pull of the unemployed darkness, I decided to search for fun events that would force me to go out into society. One of the many great things about living in NYC are the plethora of creative events that are put on any given day or night, ranging in price from Free to $100s of dollars. One of the places I like to look for events is the Barnes and Noble Union Square location for they have author events on a regular basis. Through a series of random searches and clicks, I found that 2 Chainz was promoting his memoir, “The Voice in My Head Is God”.
The following text is what I sent to my friends,
“2 Chainz being the guy that reminds me to have faith in God’s plan and not my own?!?!”
Friend T responds, “lol, maybe!”
Looking further into the event it was going to be thirtysomething dollars, including a signed copy of his book. I had nothing to lose. With a few more clicks and a submitted question to be asked at the event, I was booked for something fun on Tuesday, March 3rd.
In the meantime, I continued to press forward with my job search, still feeling a little sorry for myself, but decided that another way to combat the unemployment darkness was to find some sunshine, so I decided to book a random seven-day cruise that I would take solo around the Caribbean. This is a story in of itself, but for the reference to this story, I would make it back just in time for the book event.
The days clicked by at a rapid pace and after coming back from a grand adventure of meeting new friends and hanging out with an old one from my youth, I was back in NYC, refreshed, reinvigorated, but so sick. Runny nose and a harsh cough later, I was all too excited to crash into my own bed to sleep away the sickness. Monday came and went, then it was Tuesday, March 3rd. As I laid there in bed thinking about life and having the feeling that I was supposed to be someplace, it finally dawned on me that it was the book event at Barnes and Noble. Looking at the clock, 5:40pm, I had to go down 15 something blocks and I wasn’t even dressed yet!
I quickly put myself together not caring how I looked because why should I care? I’m one of MILLIONS and it’s not like I’m going to be meeting him anyways. I’m going to be one of many in the crowd, so I threw on my signature purple baseball cap on since I hadn’t washed my hair, random articles of clothing that were comfortable and cozy, and a face mask because NYC is still recovering from the impact of seeing someone cough without a mask on. Ultimately, I looked like a hot mess but I didn’t care. I was more interested in the conversation and signed book that I would receive more than anything. As I do when I always walk out the door lookin crazy, I told myself this is the last time I will allow this to happen. Update, this was a lie.
I arrived at Barnes and Noble receiving my copy of his signed book, a red wristband, and finding a seat close to an exit so if I ended up with a coughing fit, I could exit gracefully. After waiting for about 20 minutes, in cool swagger fashion, 2 Chainz struts in with his crew and walks up on the small stage where Charlamagne Tha God was the moderator for the evening. I knew 2 Chainz had swagger, but I was not fully prepared for the level of swag. I instantly felt cooler even though I know I looked a hot mess.
Honestly, I had no idea what to expect from the event. I went in thinking that he would do a reading, but instead, he used the time to answer the questions that were submitted by the audience members when we purchased our ticket to the event.
My question: “What verses, if any do you use for daily inspiration?”
I submitted the question a month prior fully expecting it not to be asked. But the joke was on me, because soon God would prove me wrong.
As the event progressed, the audience asked several great questions. Here are the takeaways that I received:
2 Chainz needed to live before writing the book. He wasn’t tapped into God’s voice in his 20’s like he is today.
2 Chainz talked about when he felt overwhelmed, he was reminded “I prayed for this” asked for this life which Charlamagne Tha God added “It’s a blessing to be overwhelmed with what God gave you.” My response, “AMEN!”
There’s such a thing as “Divine timing” which correlates with my own “Divine intervention” as I look at how various pieces have fall into place for me unexpectedly in the last year.
If you are trying to hustle while doing something else, the positives and negatives won’t work together. “Sometimes you have to take the payout for greatness”
There’s work you can do on your own. The internet is a great resource for getting your work out there. Do the work yourself. Going up to artists and asking them to listen to your work is cheap. Be independent-he had just gone independent as of 2025.
I will link videos and clips that other audience members had taken during the event down below. I didn’t take any video and only one photo which honestly, isn’t that great of a picture. I was just happy to be in attendance, but what followed next, I do wish I had it recorded.
A Barnes and Noble employee made the announcement that there was time for one more question. I sat there with my heart dropping, wishing that my question would be asked, but knowing that it was a long shot. Sitting there, waiting for the last question, I then heard Charlamagne Tha God say my name. I had to do a double take. “Wait, what?!?! Did he just say Lisa Martinson”?
I was not dreaming, it was real, my question was getting asked! I raised my hand, as that was the request that 2 Chainz had at the beginning of the event to acknowledge the audience members who asked the questions. With Charlamagne still reading my question out loud, I raise my hand so 2 Chainz can see where I’m sitting and greet me. He then interrupts Charlamagne and says, “Let’s go back over there. What is happening over there?” as he takes in my hot mess look, my eyes are the only thing barely peeking out because when I smile, my eyes tend to disappear.
Well, so much for not going unnoticed!
I immediately start laughing because I know I look like a hot mess and he called me out on it. I tell him and the crowd that I had just gotten back from a 7-day cruise in the Caribbean and gotten a head cold.
2 Chainz: “What did you bring back from the Caribbean?”
I’m now dying of laughter, trying to not get a coughing fit because that will just add insult to injury at this point.
2 Chainz: “Why do you have your facemask on so tight? Did you just come from surgery? I saw the red wristbands and I’m looking at others to make sure that they too have them and that you didn’t just break out of the hospital for this!”
Me: still laughing, which has now started to hurt, “No, I didn’t.”
2 Chainz: “Good! Thank you for coming out to the event tonight” and flashes that charming smile that I know has gotten him out of many situations.
He then returned to Charlamagne to repeat the question, “What verses, if any do you use for daily inspiration?” He had to think about it and state that I probably didn’t mean verses from Swizz Beats, which I clarified for him that yes, I did.
Me: “Any verses from the bible, to lyrics, any string of words put together that you may take daily inspiration from.”
After consideration, he shared with us that his father would write on the back of every letter “God is love”. He explained that the article “is” means equal sign and therefore “God = Love”. This served as inspiration for the title of his memoir, “The Voice In My Head Is God”.
God’s voice IS love.
Full stop.
Why are we so quick to allow the enemy’s voice of hate be louder than the voice of God’s, the voice of love? Is it because it’s easier to believe the hate than it is to believe in love?
How does this relate to my earlier pity party for myself? It goes back to the fact that I am dissatisfied with my career story. I did, or so I thought all the right things, only to be found hitting brick wall after brick wall. I went to school, got the degree, and then a second one. I did the grunt work during my early years of my career, missing out on those special moments that only happen once in a lifetime, thinking, KNOWING that someday it will all pay off with a big title, at a big organization, with a big salary to match. Instead, I’m given a different reality.
This isn’t me giving up on my career but instead realizing that what I had envisioned for myself isn’t what God had planned for me. A harder truth to grasp and try to reconcile. If what I had previously envisioned for myself isn’t what He wants for me, then what does He want for my life? How will I know that I’m walking down the right path? What will my identity be if it’s not associated to my job title, organization, or salary? What will my family and peers think of me if I’m no longer striving, aiming, moving forward toward something?
Again, these are not questions from God but questions from the enemy, trying to pull me back into the world, intentionally making me question my once unwavering faith in a loving God of provision.
Instead of letting the enemy’s voice be loud, let’s make God’s voice louder.
What does God want for my life? Simple, a relationship and communion with Him. How does that look? By getting into His word and praying for clarity and direction. Providing Him with the ability to whisper the direction He wants for you.
How will I know that I’m walking down the right path? He will put the right people directly in your walking path. He will open the doors that you never even considered. You will have little moments of assurances along the way that will solidify every step you take. This is also confirmed through the first step, being in consistent daily communion and relationship with Him.
What will my identity be if it’s no longer associated with my job title, organization, or salary? Your identity should never have been associated with those things in the first place. Your identity is found in the Christ Jesus. Full Stop. All the other identities are modalities for us to connect with others for His glory.
What will my family and peers think of me if I’m no longer striving, aiming, moving towards something? Let them think what they want to think, that is not your concern. Instead, your question should be “what does God think of my life?”. Listen for His voice in your daily moments together and throughout the day. Pay attention to when He shows Himself, jotting those moments down so that you can have touch points when you need an encouraging boost.
I know it’s incredibly difficult to completely turn off the enemy’s voice, so I think we should simply focus on making God’s voice louder so He can speak love into our lives.
1 John 4:8 “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
1 John 4:16 “…God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”
in love and light,
Lisa Marie
Links some video from the event
https://youtube.com/shorts/sK5ibHv8x8A?si=QyBFnnyCF_L8z7Ne
https://youtube.com/shorts/o9jBqZrKf00?si=TKG0iFQhgw93sa58
https://youtube.com/shorts/mYpqGQbh_ds?si=ndCWHk-elVq14hF5
