Recording artist and songwriter Jordan Feliz released his new album, “Say It,” in January 2021 that talks about personal trials and his struggle with anxiety.

PEER: How did you come to know Jesus?

JORDAN: Well, I am one of the stories that kind of just been raised in the church life all our lives, you know? Church and Jesus have been in my life since I was probably five, but I always tell people I gave my life to Christ and dedicate my life to Christ when I was eight. But, I think, I am sure you can kind of attest this, but I do not really know if an eight-year-old boy what a relationship with the Creator of the universe necessarily looks like. So, I really struggled like times, midways through my high school years, and just kind of started feeling like, “Oh, I do not really feel like I have this relationship– I do not feel like I truly have a relationship with Jesus.” So, my parents truly challenged me to get into the Word and that is really like hone in and dive into the gospel, and so I did. When I was 17, I rededicated my life to Christ. I feel like truly that is where my full-on relationship with God really began and started truly striving.

PEER: What inspires you in your songwriting process?

JORDAN: Oh, my goodness! So many things. So many things, it is namely, I mean honestly for me, the majority of songs come from either something that I feel like God is teaching me, pulling me through or healing me from. Also, I had a lot of teachings from friends and things that they are going through and things that we can kind of relate on but the majority of it is really authentic and genuine to me because to me, that is just the kind of artist that I really want to be. I do not really want to write songs that I cannot relate to.

PEER: Have you ever felt anxious or stress between projects, like trying to keep busy, and what helped you on that?

JORDAN: Yes, 100 percent. For the last several years, I think I felt like, I know this is strange, but I felt like I had someone plant a seed in my life that made me feel like my work was where my worth was. I think that we live in a society that kind of coincides with that mission. It is almost like, “Well, of course, If I am not successful, then who am I?” Do you know what I mean?

Honestly, it is a lie, like that is a complete lie. I think that the enemy uses that to create stress, to create anxiety, to create chaos in our lives and in our hearts, and kind of fool us into thinking that we are in charge of our life, that we, somehow, can control every aspect of our lives. For me, I feel like I kind of took that on and I realized that one of the things that I would say is this, this number one thing that changed everything for me was getting my priorities back on straight. The moment that you allowed your worth or you have sucked everything into your job or keeping up with whatever, I have found that that is literally the time to turn around and run in the opposite direction because truly that is not truth.

The best way to come back from that anxiety, that stress is to realign yourself with making sure that the Lord is at the very tippy-top of your ladder priorities, that our relationship with Him is at the top. To me, whenever I started getting anxious and all this stuff, somehow, I just know that I have placed worth in something that is not God and it is not my other priorities. So, the quickest way to come back from that for me is to literally say “No, no, no, no, no. All right, Jesus, come into this place, come into this place of the anxiety because obviously I am not trusting you and you are not where you are supposed to be in the sign that you have given me.” For me, that is one of the things that have really changed and altered my life in that perspective when it comes down to the anxiety, fears and stress.

PEER: What are you most excited and nervous about entering this next phase in your career and these new projects?

JORDAN: Oh, man. You know, it is funny, I will say this, this is the first project I have not been nervous about. I know that sounds crazy. I feel like that sounds like a lie, but it is not. I promise it is really not. I think the reason why is because I feel like this is like, honestly, I am not trying to say this because I feel like so many artists end up saying stuff like this, but I truly think that this is literally the best project that I have been able to put out and the most honest project that I have been able to put out. For me, I think that this record—I have put so much prayer into and so much work into and we would ask God to really just pour over the songs, to pour over the choosing and the picking of these songs. I wanted everything to just be God rated. I wanted Him to just tell me what to do, and so, that is what we did, and I feel so much peace.

It was so funny, I was talking to a friend of mine and he is like, “Oh! Are you nervous? What if people hate it? Have you thought that thought?” And I am like, “You know I have thought that thought, but for me, I just feel like I am literally just walking down the exact path that I am supposed to. So, there is really like, “As long as I am strolling what Jesus is calling me to do then there is no failure in that.” Do you know what I mean? There is no nervousness. So, I guess, that is the first thing. I literally just feel the excitement and what I really am most excited for about this record is all about claiming what God has done in your life. It is all about just shouting it from the mountaintop. Do you know what I mean?

It is all about knowing that your worth is in Him and knowing that your priority is in Him and knowing that literally we exist to elevate the name of Jesus, period. That is why we are here and if we are not here to lift up the name of Jesus, then who needs us? I am just so excited for people to hear this truth that has really change my life. Whenever you are able to walk up to a friend and claim something that Jesus has done, has achieved in your life, like what beautiful gift that is, not only for you but also for your friend to give her more capacity to trust and to give things to God.

For me, this record is literally so exciting because I think it is just me, kind of coming out to the world and telling the entire world about all my stuff and what God has done. This record has been so vulnerable and honest for me. I have talked about things that I have never talked about in my entire life with anybody outside of my wife. So, for me, this record is just all about literally being able to tell people that no matter where you are at, whether you are in the best season of life or whatever—you have been able to claim something in the name of Jesus is so powerful. He is able to infiltrate the spots, the hurt, the pain and he is able to heal it, and he is also able to push you through seasons of where you need it, where you need that extra push. He is also able to meet you in brokenness. He is able to guide you and hold you. I am just pumped! I am so amped!

PEER: What encouragement do you hope for your listeners and new listeners?

JORDAN: This record is really just again, pushing people towards and just being able to literally run into the arms of Jesus in every aspect of your life and claiming things in His name, whether it is. Like I said, whether it is healing of pain or sin or hurting or the necessity and need of endurance, these are just all things that I want people to be able to take away from this record, that we are children of the King and He wants us, He craves a relationship with us. Like I said, me and my– if we are not existing to lift up the name of Jesus, then again, who needs us? Let us be the church together. Let us tell the world what God has sent in our lives.

PEER: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

JORDAN: Oh my gosh! I think the best advice that I have ever been given is to get in my Word. Every time somebody tells me that, it is always super convicting. When I do not do it, I typically, somehow, I like to say, it is like taking the truck route instead of the interstate. But, literally, the best advice that I have ever been given is to get into the Word. Like, every time I do it is, it is why it is called the living Word of God because it is alive. It literally changes the fabric of your life, it really does. It is one of those things that I think people kind of negate in the relationship with Jesus quite often. I think it is one of those things that is very quickly you can kind of push that to the wayside and when you feel like you are not growing spiritually, when you feel like just kind of in stagnant season of life, I am always asking myself, “Have I been in my Word?” It is like, “No I have not.” “Oh, well, there you go! But let us get back on that, let us get back onto the horse and get through that.” I would say that is probably the best advice that I have ever been given.

PEER: What is your favorite Bible verse?

JORDAN: Oh, man. This is a tough one for me, but right now, we have been super, super into Psalm 91, obviously because of the season.