‘Choose wisely what you are feeding your spirit’
Published:Thursday | August 16, 2018 | 12:00 AM
Much debated is the adverse effect of listening to secular music has on Christians and while some believe it is completely harmless to vibe to some conscious reggae or R & B, there are those who have deemed the act as completely detrimental.
Emmanuel Nehemiah Amethyst, a Ghanaian-born evangelist who focuses his ministry on reaching out to students and aiming to enlist them in the family of God, mentioned in one of his blog posts that secular music is inimical to the Christian and to society as whole.
According to him: "The problem is in the words and the message they convey. Some of these messages are: lust under the guise of love songs, boastings, pride, strife, insults, sex appeals, materialism, focus on self instead of God, revenge and retaliation instead of forgiveness and reconciliation. These are portrayed through the words, dressing, and dances.
Through some secular songs, love has been reduced to sex and the message that they carry is that 'if you truly love me, you will show it by allowing me to have sex with you'. It is unfortunate that this has influenced most of the youth today who engage in sex or sexual intimacies to prove their love to others. It would really help us if we go back to find out more facts about songs and music from the Bible.
Using social media to share on the impact of music, Tamalicia T. Johnson, a Jamaican blog minister recounted what she described as 'the quickest lesson she had ever learned'.
"I only listen to gospel music and no, not even souls. I get ridiculed for it, but I honestly don't care. Sunday, while I was at work, this popular Ed Sheeran song started playing and being a singer, the amazing vocals caught my attention. Then I began listening to the words," she said, adding that not too long after she began admitting to herself how enjoyable those type of songs were and questioning why she never usually listen to them.
DANGER OF MUSIC
Johnson revealed that the answer to her question came almost immediately after when she, who has always considered herself single and contented, suddenly began to desire a partner.
"Out of nowhere, I felt that I needed companionship, someone to experience the story of this song with. I started to feel like I was missing something, and just like that I got my answer.
"The lyrics had quickly infiltrated my mindset and was ready to reprogramme. We talk about it all the time, but I don't think we understand the power of music. Music subliminally prophesies, it directs, it dictates, and it seduces. If instrumentals can calm a soul, add lyrics to that and you're literally being instructed," she said.
Johnson concluded: "Music plays a major part in why people are discontented, lustful, depressed, angry, and I can go on. That short five-minute window reminded me that as a single person, and as a Christian the messages behind these songs are influences I don't need in my life. Choose wisely what you're feeding your spirit."