I Just Listen to the Music

Tue Nov 10, 2009 ... 8:02am

Even as young as ten years old I recall hearing teenagers say this in response to a concerned person asking them about the music they were listening to. More specifically the concern stems from the concerned person listening to "the words" that are in the music and considering the message of the lyrics. "I'm just listening to the music" the teenager would respond. Even in my early teen years I remember thinking about this statement. Thinking to myself "Is it really possible to just listen to the music and not be influenced by the words?". And now almost three decades later I can understand where this is possible and where this is impossible. And as I write that now I think to myself, if they were really just listening to the music then why aren't they listening to songs with lyrics in a language that they don't understand. There are quickly a dozen answers to that latter question but the point I am making is still relevant.

"Music influences our soul" is just one of many related sentiments quoted by so many men and women that the world considers to be great people.

Now ... just as music "influences the soul" so I believe everything that we look at, touch, taste, and feel influences us. Many a proud self reliant person has said that 'they' won't be influences by outside stimuli such as music or television. However these same "I'm just listening to the music" people are the same people who time after time have not been able to see far enough in the future to know that they would one day be singing along with words that they (at that point) fully understand.

It's unavoidable ! ... I remember being a teenager and envying those that were able to remember and sing along with the words. It seemed that those that could remember the words got the attention of the other kids. I wanted that attention. I wanted others, especially girls, to be mesmerized as I parroted off a few lines of what was popular. But despite my best efforts I couldn't remember neaerly a third of what "the popular" kids seemed to be able to remember. Now despite my inability to remember these words, I am to this day still have bits and pieces of songs go through my head when I am not trying. My point is I am influenced even now by words that I was incabable of memorizing; only because i listened to the songs so many time. Sadly there are those who do not believe they can be influenced by things on a "less than conscious" level.

And God, who I often remind others is a lot smarter than us, in His wisdom gave us some instructions regarding the things we should be influenced by. "... whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things." ... Philippians 4:8



And in another place "Everything is permissable, but not everything is beneficial" ... 1 Corinthians 10:23 ... Can we think for a moment that the songs of my past or the song of our children's present are able to "fit the bill" of what God would say is "good, pure, holy, etc". Here are a few modern examples from music on the charts this decade:

• I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas ... It's songs like this that I 'hope' are going to have a good message. I mean, it sounds putting good to begin with but then you get into the rest of the lyrics it doesn't take rocket science to get that the kind of "good night" that this guy is talking about involves getting "wasted" and getting laid. Yes in my "B.C. days" this is the kind of thing that I would have looked 'so' look forward to. But now I know that God is a lot smarter than I am and has great reasons why we should keep these kinds of things off our minds and out of our hearts.
• Your Guardian Angel - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus ... again, a song about devotion to something (usually a someone) other than God. Yes from a world perspective you might easily say (so what's the big deal). But then there is a reason the scriptures teach us to be devoted to nothing else other than the one that gave us life; our heart's should be undivided. A human being makes a poor replacement for the place that God is suppose to inhabit inside each of us. ... Admittedly the song is beautiful though. And this beauty is enticing. If I didn't "know better" I would spend hours enjoying and filling my mind with songs such as these.
• Year 3000 - Jonas Brothers ... This was a harmless song for me. But then I am open minded enough to know that it is harmless for me because I have no struggles with having my mind so full of science fiction fantasy that it would distract me from God's thoughts in any given moment. For for someone else this song might not be harmless. The scriptures say in many places that 'His' people are continually praying, unceasingly remembering, and always rejoicing in Him. ... That doesn't leave much room for many other thoughts does it?
• One Time - Justin Bieber ... "Love" songs are some of the most dangerous songs to listen to in regard to anyone seeking God's will. The reason for this is that, of all things, God is spoken of as 'being' Love. This may sound contradictory but hear me out for a moment. Is God "a feeling"? Is got a beat of your heart or a bunch of "butterflies in your stomach"?; of course not. ... The enemy has skillfully twisted what "love" 'is' into something that God is not. And as a result our ideas of God are often twisted into things that God is not. A hundred thousand words need to be written on this aspect of it.
• Voices - Randy Orton ... What else can I say about this song that hasn't been written. "Sorta like WWJD, only in this case Jesus would kick you in the skull instead of pull you up if he saw you down.". 'Nuff said; nothin' "good" about that.
• You Belong With Me - Lyrics by Taylor Swift ... a song about a woman who is 'so' consumed by the idea of convincing a man that she should be the one that is his. Whoah! If the reason we were put on this planet was to learn to be devoted to God, do you think that God wants us to instead live that life learning to be infatuated with another person?
• In The End - Linkin Park ... Ok another one of those "debatable" songs in so many senses. But if your goal in life is a Philippians 4:8 thing, would you honestly choose to listen to this? If so I am looking forward to learning your reasons why 'you' do. Perhaps this will give me some incite into being better able to understand other's reasons as well.
  

Now I'm not daft enough to believe that anyone should make an "off limits" list of music that no one is permitted to listen to. There are have been times in my life that songs like the above have been good for me to listen to just for a couple of minutes because they reminded me of something other than the intended message of the lyrics. While listening to songs like the above I have had thoughts like "Wow, the world is so subtly twisted. So skillfully and subtly twisted by the enemy as to get music lovers to redefine "good things" and no longer be able to recognize something of God.

And especially regarding "love" songs, I can think of many men and women that have an "innocent crush" on someone other than the person they are supposedly in a "committed relationship" with. This is a mindset that has been taught to us as innocent by a twisted modern culture. God has another plan regarding male female relationships. It goes along the lines of devoted yourself to God and then, when 'God' is ready it will make it clear to you if He has chosen someone for you to be with. And amazingly God doesn't even need you to "date" in order to help Him figure that out :-)