secular vs christian music

Teen Devotions
Is there something wrong with listening to secular music?

What a huge question to ask. You know, I don’t think the Bible literally says to not listen
to secular music. You won’t find those words anywhere in the Bible. Personally, there is
a lot of “non-Christian” music that I enjoy. Don’t get me started with Michael Jackson’s
Off the Wall album (OK, that may before your time…). I enjoy many kinds and types of
music. But my appreciation for music and enjoyment of it never supersedes what God
may be saying to me in regards to the types of music I allow in my life and in my home.
Above all else, my desire is to keep my heart away from things that may be bad for me
or impact me in a bad way.

For this study, I will define “heart” as the following”

Heart – the most inward part of us that connects with God. The part where your
morality and character lives.

The Bible tells us to keep or guard our hearts with all diligence, for the circumstances of
our life come from what is in our hearts. Let’s read Proverbs 4:23 (NIV):

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

If you want to see different circumstances in your life, you are going to have to start
watching what you are putting before your eyes and what goes into your ears – which
are literally gates into your heart. Some of your music choices may not have the best
words to put into your ears or some of the music videos you watch the best to put before
your eyes if you are trying to change particular behaviors in your life. Only you know
what those behaviors are that need to change. If you find yourself desperate to be in a
relationship, maybe pouring music in your heart about relationships is not the best thing
for you. If you find yourself tempted a lot sexually, maybe (not maybe – definitely!)
music with sexual lyrics and innuendos are not what you should be listening to. If you
have a problem with cussing, maybe artists that tend to use cussing in their lyrics are off
limits for you. Philippians 4:8 (NIV) tells us the following:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever
is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think
about such things.

Bottom line, if you are spending 5, 6, 10 hours a day pouring secular music into your
ears and heart and NO time in the Word, guess what? You will see more of the world’s
way of living and doing in your life than God’s way of living and doing. It is impossible to
think that you will succeed in God if you are putting more of the world into you than Him.

This is just common sense. Whatever you sow into your life, that is what you will reap
Let’s read Galatians 6:7 – 9:

7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what
he sows. 8The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from
that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please
the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not
become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will
reap a harvest if we do not give up.

So, you have to be the judge of your own life. You have to set the guards up for
yourself. No one else knows what those guards are and no one else can do this for you.
If you want to see a change in your circumstances and issues, you’ve gotta change
what’s going in you. Out of YOUR heart are the issues of YOUR life. You’ve got the
control, so what are you going to do?

Click here for a pdf version of this post.