Muzik!!!

I love love love music. Music is such a powerful tool in our lives. It can instantly change your emotions. I can hear a song and instantly be in a better mood or it can make me sad and have me in tears. I have always needed music in my life. I can't stand working or driving without it playing!! Music can be a wonderful thing, but it can also be a very negative thing. I grew up in a very strict home, a preacher's home to be exact and music was an area where we had a lot of restrictions. Basically I was only aloud to listen to Hymns, Gospel, instrumental stuff. Since my mom listened to some mild country and oldies those were okay too. But anything with a beat to it or just not very good lyrics were not allowed. So of coarse, putting a boundary on this of coarse made me want to listen to the things I wasn't allowed even more. Going to public school and hanging around friends that were aloud to listen to whatever they wanted made this even harder. I struggled with music for years!!!! I listened to all the wrong music. Music about sex, drugs, partying etc. Everything that still fills music today. It was a huge conviction of mine that I shouldn't be listening to this music so I would stop for a while and just listen to things I thought weren't displeasing to God like the oldies or country my mom listened to, but it would never stick. I just needed a beat and more excitement to my music and didn't know where else to find it. So for years I circled around this issue. When I finally started realizing there was Christian music out there that wasn't boring and I liked it, yet, according to my "religion" this contemporary christian music was evil because it sounded worldly! So yet again, this outlet I had found was banned as well. I struggled constantly in this area. Hiding the music I was listening to from my parents and constantly feeling guilty for it. Once I got married and moved out of my parents house I was able to start finding myself, to step outside the box of what I had always been taught or told was right or wrong and started a journey of what I believe and why I believe it! I struggled with the music issue well into my married years and finally discovered K-love radio. A contemporary Christian station. K-love took over my life. It was all I listened to in my house and in my car. I had music that had a beat, it was exciting and it was filled with words about my Saviour!! I sometimes still felt maybe it was wrong to listen to this contemporary christian music based off what I was told growing up. I still wouldn't play it around my parents, too afraid of what they would think. Within the last few years I really stopped caring what they thought or what other Christians in my circle would think and started dissecting whether it was really bad or too worldly. The oldies and country music I was allowed to listen to growing up did not talk about Christ or glorify him in any way and the music I had now discovered talked about nothing but Christ. Since I listened to K-love all the time I was constantly thinking about Christ and my walk with him. This upbeat Christian music was strengthening my walk with Christ, was convicting me in certain areas of my life and helping me grow. Just because I had always been taught it was worldly and not pleasing to the Lord didn't make it so. Because the change in my live was evidence that God was using this radio station to draw me closer to him and I finally conqured my battle with music and it felt great! Sure there are hymns and mellower christian music out there that is very glorifying to God, but it wasn't enough for me. I love hymns but no offense to anyone....they get boring! I think those in my life that are against upbeat Christian music base it off of the religion they grew up in, what they were told by their pastors, their colleges, their parents. Christians, especially Baptists, don't like change!! I had discovered a passage in Psalms, chapter 150, verses 4 -6; Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals: Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
These verses were talking about all these instruments, loud instruments and even dancing in praise to the Lord. Sounds like they were getting jiggy with it back in the bible days in worship to the Lord. Now I'm not sure how it really went down but from these verses it just sounds loud, fun, and exciting. So why can't we take drums, guitars, electric guitars, music with a beat and praise the Lord with it? I have discovered, Christian Punk music, Ska music and even Christian Rap, and let me tell you, that the Christian Rap music I found is more convicting than any Christian music I have ever listened to, no joke! They basically preach at you and quote scripture in rap form. I know many Christians in my circle would in no way agree that could bring honor and glory to God. But how do we know what God thinks about it? I am still very careful with my Christian music. I pay attention to the lyrics and like to read about the artists to see what their testimony is and what they really are all about. I'm not trying to tell others in my life they are wrong, I'm just sharing my personal journey with music and how God has used it in my life! I don't think it is the beat or style of music that makes it bad, but people that can make it bad. I think that contemporary christian music is a good outlet for teenagers these days.  A lot of music out there today is awful!!!!!!! It is filled with lyrics that are just disgusting in my opinion but these kids are constantly surrounded by it. Most Christian teens aren't going to just listen to hymns, believe me, I've tried. Some people are satisfied with that and that's great, but it's just not what holds teens or most people now a days. They need an outlet, lyrics that set a good example and talk to them about Christ and living a godly life but in a way that will hold their attention, that they won't get bored with and turn to the other trash out there. Now don't get me wrong, there is plenty of good music that isn't Christian music. I still listen to non-christian music but am careful about it. I just challenge those that have been raised to believe that Contemporary Christian music whether its form is Rock, Rap etc. to not judge so quickly just because it isn't slow and soft. Listen to the lyrics and to the testimony of those lives it has changed in some way. I believe Christian Rap artists can reach a group of people that I couldn't, just from the message in the lyrics. I've heard of lives that have been changed and people that have accepted Christ because Christian music in some form introduced Christ to their life. Christian music in its many forms has changed my life!!!

Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord!