Disagree with me if you want to, but I believe music is one of the most influential things we allow into our lives. Even on rare days when I don’t tune in to my local Christian music station or pop in a favorite CD on my way to work, the song I wake up to in the morning or what I hear playing at the grocery store always finds a way to get stuck in my head. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing depending on what kind of music is involved, but the fact of the matter is that our thoughts, and therefore our actions, are directly affected by what we spend time listening to.

“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;”

-Ephesians 5:19

Now I’m not one of those people who think it’s sinful to listen to anything but Southern Gospel, but I do believe most Christians are far too liberal in their choices of music. I’ve seen too many friends who once lived respectable, Godly lives begin a terrible downward spiral by deciding to compromise in this single area. I know the simple fact that a song isn’t about God doesn’t make it sinful, but we must ask ourselves whether its lyrics and overall message are truly worthwhile and consider what kind of lasting effect it will have on us. Even if you stay away from profanity and punk rock, filling your mind with lies about life and love can be just as harmful in the long run. Can you honestly say what you listen to meets the criteria for Godly thought found in Philippians 4:8? If not, then it’s time to clean out your iPod.

At this point I’m sure I’ve already offended some of you, but know this is not my intent. I just believe we need to be aware of just how much influence music wields in our life and emotions, and yet too many people seem to think they can partake in the very things the world takes pleasure in without being negatively affected by any of it. Proverbs 6:27-28 lets us know that, when you play with fire, getting burned is unavoidable. It doesn’t matter how strong you are in Christ; it’s impossible to daily and willingly place yourself in the devil’s line of fire without getting hit. “But what’s wrong with this song or that band?” you say? Perhaps instead of asking “Is it wrong?” you should ask “Is it right?”. Comparing darkness to light provides better contrast.

We all worship something. Whether you’re a Christian, an atheist, or anything in between, you have a god somewhere in your life that you, though perhaps indirectly, are worshipping. How do you identify what that is? Simply ask yourself this question: “On a day-to-day basis, where do I seek shelter? Where to I look for comfort, happiness, and fulfillment?” You answer is your god.

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

                -Joshua 24:15

As foolish as it would be for us to serve anyone but the Lord, it’s a choice God has nevertheless left us the option of making. We can serve anything or anyone we want, for God has given each of us a freewill to make that decision. Joshua’s words, though spoken to the Israelites, apply just as much to us today as they did to Israel then: “choose you this day whom ye will serve.” His own, personal choice was made clear with the famous words, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

“I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”

                         -Revelation 3:15-16

God would rather us not serve Him at all than to do so half-heartedly. In reality, though that lack of commitment may not seem like much at any given moment, it will manifest itself at crucial times in your life that give clear evidence of your spiritual condition. You might seem “committed” when surrounded by your Christian friends, but are you committed when peer pressure strikes or witnessing opportunities come your way? As it was said by C.S. Lewis, “The virtue of courage is a prerequisite for the practice of all other virtues; otherwise one is virtuous only when virtue has no cost.”

Where do you seek shelter from day-to-day? At you computer desk? At your school, or the town square? If so, know that those things provide a temporary and incomplete satisfaction. Only those who find shelter under the shadow of God’s wings are fully protected (Psalm 17:8).

“Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.”

                       -Acts 19:19-20

Some of the greatest outpourings of the Holy Ghost took place in the book of Acts. People were saved by the thousands (Acts 2:41), and the Lord added to His church daily (Acts 2:47). But contrary to what people often suggest today, God did not pour out of His Spirit so freely just to get people’s attention. The reason we find such amazing miracles and groundbreaking revivals is because the early church knew what it meant to live a holy and sanctified life.

On the other hand, many people today are under the false assumption that you can have as much of the world as you want without it hindering your walk with the Lord. They entertain themselves with murder and vampires on Saturday, yet leave church confused on Sunday because they didn’t feel the Lord like they thought they were supposed to. While their morning might include a short Scripture reading, the evening hours are spent indulged in books unworthy of sharing the same shelf with the Word of God. Apparently unaware that a Christian “…cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils” (I Corinthians 10:21), they continue on in this miserable state of hypocrisy, hoping that they’ll soon come out of the valley they unwittingly keep throwing themself back into.

As Christians, however, we should follow the example of the Ephesians and remove from our lives anything offensive to God. When they realized that the books they read were not holy, they gathered them together and burnt them. No, they didn’t sell them on E-bay and cause someone else to stumble; they destroyed the evil once and for all. The Scripture goes on to say that it was this very act that caused the Word of God to spread rapidly through the area (verse 20). In the same way, we can expect God to work mightily in our lives when we begin removing those things that have no place in our life. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you (James 4:8).

“Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.”

                        -Deuteronomy 7:26