She is an outstanding American musician. She is best known for her work with Prince, George Duke and Ringo Starr. As a child and teenager, she frequently performed with her father who was also a percussionist. By her early twenties she had already played with George Duke, Lionel Richie, Marvin Gaye, Herbie Hancock, and Diana Ross. She joined Prince on several Purple Rain recording sessions and served as a writer and musician on many of his records as well. In her own right, she scored hits with “The Glamorous Life” and “The Belle of St. Mark”. She was nominated for an American Music Award and a Grammy for “The Glamorous Life”.

She says of her faith, “I was raised Catholic and only went to church because I had to. But I actually gave my heart to the Lord for the first time when I was 18. I was playing in George Duke’s band and one of the singers was driving me to a meeting and I was crying, just stressed out. There was a bunch of stuff going on and I said, ‘You know what? This is crazy.’ She said, ‘Look, if you just give your heart to the Lord, everything will be fine.’ And I thought, ‘You know, it’s not that easy.’ She said, ‘No, really, really it is.’ So we prayed in the car and I accepted Christ right then.”

As her popularity increased, she felt something was missing in her life. The abuse that she had suffered as a child and the immediate pressure to always perform took a toll on her physically and mentally. She soon became very sick and was admitted to the hospital with a collapsed lung. She was bedridden for weeks, lost a lot of weight, and could barely eat. It was at this point that she felt she was about to die and she cried out to God for help. She said of this time, “It was then that I decided, ‘You know what, Lord? If you just give me another chance, I’ll do whatever you want me to do.’ I got the Bible and I started reading and I kept it on my chest. I slept with it and never took it out of my hand for weeks.”

After being in the house for weeks, she finally walked outside for the first time in a month. She said of this time, “As soon as I walked outside, I saw this crack on the ground and I bent over and touched it. I just cried. Then I went over and I touched the grass. I looked up at the sky and it was so blue. I laid on the grass and said, ‘Lord, look at all these wonderful things you’ve given us that we just take for granted. I thought that I needed this and I needed that, but I only need you.’ That was the turning point.”

Today, she uses her talent for God and is dedicated to serving the Kingdom through her music and her foundation for children. She says, “God has given me a gift and the energy in performing comes from just loving so much what we get to do and being able to share that gift with people.” Her name is Sheila E.

This is the “Chief of Sinners,” Daniel Whyte III, president of Gospel Light Society International, and just as Sheila E. gave her life to Christ, may I encourage you to do the same. Here is how:

First, please understand that you are a sinner and that you have broken God’s laws. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Please understand that because of your sins, you deserve punishment in hell. Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death…” This is both physical death and spiritual death in hell.

But here is the good news. John 3:16 reads, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The phrase “For God so loved the world” means that if you are in this world, God loves you no matter what you have done.

The next phrase, “that He gave His only begotten Son” refers to Jesus Christ. He is God’s son who suffered, bled, and died on the cross for your sins and for mine, and He was buried and rose again.

Our next phrase is “that whosoever believeth in Him”. The word “whosoever” means anybody at anytime. The phrase “believeth in Him” means to trust in Him, to depend upon Him, to rely on Him, or to have faith in Him for your salvation.

Our next phrase, “should not perish”, refers to eternal punishment in a place called hell.

And, lastly, the phrase “but have everlasting life” means to live eternally in Heaven with God.

The Bible also says in Romans 10:9 and 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved…. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Dear friend, if you are willing to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, please pray with me this simple prayer: Heavenly Father, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

If you believed in your heart that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and rose again, allow me to say, congratulations on doing the most important thing in life and that is accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour!

Remember, friend, Believe by faith. Share the faith. and Keep the faith!