Music To My Spirit
February 17, 2021
February 17, 2021
Last week we discussed how music impacts our hearts, this week I thought I would talk about how music impacts out spirits. Music has a great impact on our spirits! Why do you think there is music in church? I know for me that even a couple of songs about God and my whole being changes. My heart is drawn into love, peace, and joy. My soul feels lighter ready to receive what God has for me. My spirit is refreshed and expecting.
This has not happened every time I have been in church. Sometimes when I walk in, I am more focused on other things and I sing the familiar songs on auto pilot, not really engaging. It is in these times that I find myself spiritually wanting and emotionally anxious. Listening to the lyrics and believing the words as I sing them is key for me. It brings me to a place where I am humbled and allow God his rightful place in my life. It brings my spirit to life and allows me to soak in God’s presence, experiencing the fullness of his love for me.
The enemy, Lucifer, wants nothing more than to keep us on autopilot so we miss these times of refreshing and renewal. He wants us to start questioning whether God can change anything in our lives. Lucifer wants nothing more than to steal our joy, to kill our spirits and destroy our relationship with God. Did you know that when he was an angel in heaven, he was the music leader? This means that Lucifer can use music as well and he does. Have you heard some of the lyrics that are played over the radio frequencies lately? I have. It is so sad when a song about having casual sex is more popular in our world than songs about God’s love for the world. It shows that Lucifer will use any and every tool he has in his arsenal to destroy us.
Love was not meant to be experienced as fling after fling where little bits of your heart and soul slowly get stripped away with each encounter, it was meant to be experienced in marriage, with your loving committed spouse being there with you through everything. Choosing to love you every day and you choosing to love them every day. Music has strongly influenced this. The interesting thing is we know this, I think of the weddings I have been to and I can tell you I have never been to a wedding where one of the songs in the ceremony was about casual sex, the songs chosen are songs that talk about love lasting forever, or about loving and cherishing the other person. Music is important!
I want to leave you with this. I was in College and I went to a karaoke restaurant and I am not at all music savvy. I do not know songs by the titles or singers, so I chose the only one I thought I knew, Love Shack. For any of you who know the lyrics what happened to me next will not surprise you. I was a bit innocent back then growing up at home where the music we listened to most was Gospel Music. So, when I got up to sing the song, I started to read the lyrics as they flew up onto the screen and I froze. I could not believe this is how graphic the song was. When I chose the song, I only remembered the chorus. I was so embarrassed I almost ran off the stage. I had heard the song play so many times on the radio but had never really listened to the lyrics. I am sure we all do that especially with songs that have a catchy chorus, or a melody we enjoy. This experience taught me to spend more time listening to lyrics and be more careful with what I listened to.
Words are empowered by music. There have been medical studies done for Alzheimer’s patients that indicate words learned through song stuck the longest, like the alphabet. Think of this implication regarding the music we listen to and sing along with each day. These words affect us on all levels, even spiritually. I know for me my best days are when I have played some songs about God and really engaged with those words and allowed them to change me for the better.
Personal Note: Last week I challenged you to see how the music you were listening to made you feel, this week focus on the lyrics of the music you listen to. Do you agree with the lyrics? Do you believe in them? It is important to cling to those lyrics that are going to build us up, not tear us down. Take some time this week and really think about the songs you listen to and the songs you sing along with, it may be time to make some changes.
This has not happened every time I have been in church. Sometimes when I walk in, I am more focused on other things and I sing the familiar songs on auto pilot, not really engaging. It is in these times that I find myself spiritually wanting and emotionally anxious. Listening to the lyrics and believing the words as I sing them is key for me. It brings me to a place where I am humbled and allow God his rightful place in my life. It brings my spirit to life and allows me to soak in God’s presence, experiencing the fullness of his love for me.
The enemy, Lucifer, wants nothing more than to keep us on autopilot so we miss these times of refreshing and renewal. He wants us to start questioning whether God can change anything in our lives. Lucifer wants nothing more than to steal our joy, to kill our spirits and destroy our relationship with God. Did you know that when he was an angel in heaven, he was the music leader? This means that Lucifer can use music as well and he does. Have you heard some of the lyrics that are played over the radio frequencies lately? I have. It is so sad when a song about having casual sex is more popular in our world than songs about God’s love for the world. It shows that Lucifer will use any and every tool he has in his arsenal to destroy us.
Love was not meant to be experienced as fling after fling where little bits of your heart and soul slowly get stripped away with each encounter, it was meant to be experienced in marriage, with your loving committed spouse being there with you through everything. Choosing to love you every day and you choosing to love them every day. Music has strongly influenced this. The interesting thing is we know this, I think of the weddings I have been to and I can tell you I have never been to a wedding where one of the songs in the ceremony was about casual sex, the songs chosen are songs that talk about love lasting forever, or about loving and cherishing the other person. Music is important!
I want to leave you with this. I was in College and I went to a karaoke restaurant and I am not at all music savvy. I do not know songs by the titles or singers, so I chose the only one I thought I knew, Love Shack. For any of you who know the lyrics what happened to me next will not surprise you. I was a bit innocent back then growing up at home where the music we listened to most was Gospel Music. So, when I got up to sing the song, I started to read the lyrics as they flew up onto the screen and I froze. I could not believe this is how graphic the song was. When I chose the song, I only remembered the chorus. I was so embarrassed I almost ran off the stage. I had heard the song play so many times on the radio but had never really listened to the lyrics. I am sure we all do that especially with songs that have a catchy chorus, or a melody we enjoy. This experience taught me to spend more time listening to lyrics and be more careful with what I listened to.
Words are empowered by music. There have been medical studies done for Alzheimer’s patients that indicate words learned through song stuck the longest, like the alphabet. Think of this implication regarding the music we listen to and sing along with each day. These words affect us on all levels, even spiritually. I know for me my best days are when I have played some songs about God and really engaged with those words and allowed them to change me for the better.
Personal Note: Last week I challenged you to see how the music you were listening to made you feel, this week focus on the lyrics of the music you listen to. Do you agree with the lyrics? Do you believe in them? It is important to cling to those lyrics that are going to build us up, not tear us down. Take some time this week and really think about the songs you listen to and the songs you sing along with, it may be time to make some changes.
