Former NFL player Sam Acho wants Christian believers to live a genuine Christian life and boldly stand for Him.
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Speaking in an interview on “The Crazy Happy Podcast” hosted by Pastor Daniel Fusco and Billy Hallowell, the former Bears linebacker Sam Acho said that when God is glorified, people will benefit, and the world flourishes.
“When you’re who God created you to be when you’re not faking or pretending or hiding and you’re using the gifts God gave you He gets glory because of that,” he continued.
He shared that his parents are immigrants from Nigeria and would go on medical missions to Africa while growing up which he still does by serving as an ambassador of Living Hope Christian Ministry, a group providing medical services to people in Nigeria.
“[For] our parents, the foundation was education, it was hard work, but also faith in Christ and faith in Jesus, saying, ‘I don’t care what circumstance you’re in, God is greater than those circumstances,’ which is why we did those medical missions trips to Nigeria,” he recalled.
Acho revealed that he used to “hide” his faith but that it came at a “cost.” “[But there was a] cost of hiding who I really was, not only on the football field but in the community,” he said.
“You can’t please God and please man. You can’t serve God and serve your money or your fame or your fortune. Pick one or the other. The benefit of God is God … He is the reward,” he continued.
Acho recently released his latest book Let The World See You, which is about being “seen, known and loved.” He said that that the book is for someone who feels ashamed and thinks that they have to hide for a reason.
The book tells about being free for the benefit of the people around and that the world thrives when people live according to how God created them to be, Sam Acho said.
The athlete revealed that shortly before a friend died, he gave him powerful words of advice that guide his thoughts and actions today.
“He said, ‘There is no greater joy than you will have on this earth, and God gets no greater joy than when you get to know Jesus,” Acho said. “He said, ‘Sam, the second thing I want you to know is that you are worth getting to know.”
Sam Acho is today the vice president of the NFL Players Association, a bestselling author, a philanthropist, and host of the “Athletes for Justice” podcast. The 32-year-old athlete boldly shares how faith in Jesus Christ influences every area of his life.
