The Effect of Music in Chrisitan Lifestyle

Oftentimes when people write songs, they write about their feelings or the things that they are going through in that moment. Sometimes we sing along with their songs because we can relate to them, and other times we just sing along because they sound good or they are catchy. But what we often do not take into consideration is how these songs affect us.

When people write songs they often write about an experience that they went through or things that they are feeling at that very moment. When we listen to things that are based on other people’s feelings, experiences, or opinions it can change the way we feel, think, or view our current situation. For example, if you are coping with a breakup and you listen to music about getting revenge after a breakup, what do you think that will do to your mindset? It will not help you be able to move on any faster, instead it might make your view of the person change. You may be encouraged to seek out revenge or feel hatred towards that person. 

When you are trying to move on from a bad situation, listening to music that amplifies the things you feel after that situation will not help you. 

Just like how certain people cry during sad movies or feel happy during funny movies, the emotion behind the songs we sing can have effects on us. You may find that when you are listening to or singing to a song that has lyrics that are loving and joyful that it can affect your mood and make it better. Sad and depressing music can also change your attitude, but not in a good way. 

When you feel sad or depressed you may turn to music that has sad lyrics in order that you can relate to it or sing it to get your emotions out. But sad music will not help you feel more happy, but it will just encourage the feelings you already have.

Psalms 46:1 says,”God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”

Instead of relying on sad music to fix our problems, we should be relying on God. The fixes that the world has are only temporary, but when you bring your problems to God, He will help and guide you through them instead of throwing even more problems at you.

From Ean:

God writes through Paul in 1 Corinthians that “Bad company ruins good morals,” meaning any and everyone that we associate ourselves with can build us up, or more easily, break us down. Every input in our life affects our output. Every person that we associate with can and will change us. 

However, this also extends to material things that we are associating with, especially music, among all forms of media. Whatever we spend our time listening to will affect us. 

Some “Christians” are listening to extremely secular, worldly sources of thought that have affection for purely sinful things, and practically every top artist on streaming and billboard charts is glorifying something that God has already commanded us to flee from. (1 Co. 6:18)

As far as I’m aware, everyone knows this anecdote.

About every single song that is popular, sadly, is worldly and only brings us down and away from God. This is around us in all forms of media that we too often attach ourselves to, be it (video)games, tv shows, movies, social media posts and personalities that we listen to etc.

We should realize that God has already given us instruction on this issue: 2 Corinthians 10:5 says to “...take every thought captive to obey Christ,” meaning that we should always be investigating our own thoughts in mind to make sure that they are following what God wants for us. Evil thoughts seep their way into our minds constantly from every direction, and we must always be watchguards for our own hearts and minds to make sure that we are not associating with worldly things; otherwise we will become those thoughts.

We shouldn’t buy into this thought that “I’m close enough to God that I can still watch/indulge in (secular) _____ (movies, music etc.),” because sin is separation from God! It doesn’t matter how close we are with God; Jesus told us to cut off anything that even causes us to sin! We can and will be led to sin by these worldly inputs. 

Sin is not a pet that we keep, nor is it some “fun quirk” about humans that we’re incapable of removing. God has already told us that “...God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”  (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Romans 6:1-2 is another explicit command:“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it”

Psalm 150 outlines that we should always be praising God, and that we can praise God with instruments. We shouldn’t be praising man or sinful things with music and its instruments.

We should surround ourselves with strong Christian people, inputs and sources across all areas of our life.  (Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another - Proverbs 27:17)

There is plenty of Godly Christian music made by fellow Christians across all genres. 

One more thing: don’t ever be ashamed of listening to Christian music! It’s such a great thing to be involving ourselves with Godly and moral inputs that train and help us to keep our sights on the Kingdom, and not the world. It seems probable to me that someone who would mock such a preference is too lost in sin to realize the goodness in such an effort.

As always, I recommend every reader to research and meditate upon this issue, because such small changes like these can make big differences in our lives; it’s often a sin that we consider little or nothing that separates us most from our Heavenly Father.