May 26, 2011
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Power of Music
I grew up listening to music on my little walkman as I would drift off to sleep. As I became a teenager I began collecting cds of my favorite bands… groups like Pearl Jam, Counting Crows, Better Than Ezra, and Everclear. I loved the music and would have it on all the time, long before ipods and mp3 players. My mom noticed how much I loved music and yet how mellow and depressing most of it was (even the “upbeat” songs were depressing when you really listened to them), so she encouraged me to take a sabbath from secular music every Sunday and only listen to Christian music those days. I hated Christian music back then (you have to admit, 90′s Christian music was pretty poor), but I honored her request. Although I disliked the Christian music and couldn’t wait to hear my favorite songs again, looking back I can see that on those Sundays things felt clearer on those days.
It wasn’t until I was a first year in college that I began listening to the band Lifehouse and I realized some of their songs actually sounded like they were to God and not to some woman. Then I learned that some of the band members were Christian and I realized that some of the songs were in fact worshipful. I was blown away and would listen to that cd over and over. Gradually I began to discover other decent Christian bands (Jars of Clay first cd, David Crowder) and I started buying Christian music. I kept with my Sunday secular music sabbaths and found myself actually enjoying them, especially as I discovered at college fellowships catchy worship songs that would really stir up my spirit.
As I grew with Christ I began to realize the change in my spirit when I would listen to Christian music compared to when I would listen to secular music. I would be happy, alive, and even filled with compassion as I would listen to Christian stuff. Listening to secular music though my thoughts would mainly dwell on relationships and often I would feel mellow, sad, angry, or depressed while listening to it. By 2003 when I was asked to lead a house church of freshmen and I knew I would need to be a good example for them, I felt convicted to destroy all my secular music. I broke all my cds and threw them away and I deleted all my mp3s. I have never regretted that decision.
I remember when I was young I saw an experiment where different music was played in front of different plants. Classical music caused the plants to flourish and grow. Rock and roll caused the plants to wilt and die. I laughed then, but now I realize how true that experiment was. If you have time, watch the following four videos. There are some really tough parts in them, but we need to wake up to the realities of the power of music and just how much Satan is consuming and controlling the young generation through it.
Some of the speaking parts are a little cheesy, I admit, but still the Scripture is powerful. The documentary parts are well done. The first video really begins around the 3 minute mark.
