British-American sister duo Elissa Tipps and Becca Nicholson formed The Sonflowerz in 1999. Elissa Tipps, then Leander, started writing worship songs when she was 14 years old. Consequently, Elissa’s youth pastor encouraged her to form a band with her sister, Becca.
At first, they performed at various venues across Colorado. And since then, they’ve received several accolades. In 2007, the duo garnered praise for its “GMA Vocal Duo of the Year” award at the GMA in the Rockies Competition.
The duo received an outstanding response for their album, All Over The World, in 2008, Album singles include "My Adoration," “Legacy,” “Edge of My Seat,” and “More Than I Think I Am.” The record was followed up by their full-length album By Faith and their EP, Love Walked In EP.
In 2020, The Sonflowerz dropped their worshipful single, “Surrounding Me.” And now, the duo is back once again with their new single, “If I Boast.” I spoke with Elissa about the song.
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.
Songs are like a soup where they must simmer for a long time before they’re ready for people’s ears. The deeper heart of this song has been stirring in me for several years. I started writing it during the shutdown of 2020, around the time when we released “Surrounding Me.”
It culminated from something my husband and I have been learning and growing in our understanding of the real core message of the Gospel and what that means for our everyday life. As we raise kids, being able to verbalize what we truly believe to them is very important: to say it and sing it—loud and clear.
Some people have heard “If I Boast” and said, “this sounds like the Gospel.” That’s exactly it. We’ve been receiving the revelation of grace: that it’s not by our own efforts but by the grace of God that we accomplish anything for Him. It’s in Him that we live and move and have our being. Everything is from Him and to Him and through Him.
I’m a parent who’s living in a world where there’s a lot of uncertainty and fear like we’ve never seen before. To realize that God is the one directing our lives, we need to fully lean in and depend on Him. It’s not by our own efforts. Every good thing is from God.
Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
1 Corinthians 1:31(VOICE): As the Scripture says: “If someone wants to boast, he should boast in the Lord.”
Galatians 2:20(NKJV): "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
Romans 8:38-39(NKJV): "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
John 1:12(NIV): "Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."
Philippians 1:6(NKJV): “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
What is the takeaway message?
I remember my pastor saying that Jesus plus nothing equals everything. It’s so true. As Christians, we try to add to what Jesus has done and try to impress God by doing enough good things. That doesn’t lead anywhere to God. We can’t impress Him. So, instead of boasting about ourselves, we boast in Him alone.
In this world, we have so much bad news—just watch CNN or ABC. The Gospel being Good News is the hunger of humanity. The song’s message is the crux of good news that we can cling to.
We don’t have to perform or create our own righteousness. It’s been done and that conversation is over when we’ve accepted the Lord. As a believer, I’ve settled that in my heart that I don’t have to live in condemnation that maybe I didn’t measure up today. I don’t have to have a religious order in my home. Raising my kids in the grace that Jesus is everything has really liberated us and helped us to live in the fullness of the Gospel, not by works so that none can boast about themselves.
Lyrics
Saved by grace through faith in the name of Jesus All my sin has been erased I am free the enemy crushed beneath my feet And this is the victory of a child of God
And it’s not by works so that none can boast Not by works so that none can boast It’s the riches of His endless grace The gift of God
Righteousness is mine by the blood of Jesus He was broken in my place I am healed and every curse is lifted off me This is the victory of a child of God
And it’s not by works so that none can boast Not by works so that none can boast It’s the riches of His endless grace The gift of God The gift of God
If I boast I will boast in the One who paid my debt My Jesus Messiah If I boast I will boast in the One who loved me first My Jesus Messiah If I boast I will boast in the Lord of all the earth My Jesus Messiah Jesus Messiah My Jesus Messiah
Closing Thoughts
Being a Christian means that we walk by faith, not by sight. Faith requires people to rely on the unseen. We walk by faith every day. The beauty of walking by faith and not by sight is that we can learn to trust God more with our lives.
God tells us in the Bible that with faith, we can do anything in Christ. I'm completely convicted by the strong lyrics and find immense comfort in this song filled with biblical truth.
God tells us in the Bible that with faith, we can do anything in Christ. It's a perfect truth that you can use to get a daily reminder to not fear. One of the lessons I've seen about life is that we shouldn't wait to fix ourselves before we step out in faith. Look for ways to obey God and offer your faith to Him.
Even when you’re saved, you might beat yourself up about failure. You might feel unworthy of God's love. That's the point: you aren't worthy. You can't earn grace. It's a gift of unmerited favor from God to His children.
Romans 5:8 tells us, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Despite our sins, God still thinks of us as His children: sons and daughters. This includes you if you’ve accepted Jesus as your substitute and savior.
When I read the Bible, I’m strengthened with the truth that fear, worry, and anxiety are not God's plans for my life. So, trust God's Word. Jesus commands us to trust God's Word completely, no matter the circumstances.
Our thoughts are constantly under attack by the enemy. The best way to ward off enemy attacks is to spend time with God in prayer and read the Bible daily. Trust in what God says about you—no matter how you feel about yourself.
You'll be blessed by this powerful song with a convicting declaration: “And it’s not by works so that none can boast/Not by works so that none can boast/It’s the riches of His endless grace/The gift of God/The gift of God.” Amen to that.
NRT Lead Contributor Kevin Davis is a long-time fan of Christian music, an avid music collector, and credits the message of Christian music for leading him to Christ. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three daughters.
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