Music: Where Is Your Heart? - Sarah Teague

Have you ever listened to a song, whether spiritual or unspiritual, that completely changed your mood? That is not a coincidence. Music contains so much power that controls more than just our emotions.

Lately, I have had such a burden for music in churches. For those who don’t know much about me, I’m a music education major at a Christian college. My desire for the longest time has been to teach children and teens what the right kind of music is and how to truly love good music.

To be honest, I never really struggled with bad music growing up. I am a people pleaser, so for the longest time I just listened to music that my parents allowed and didn’t really desire anything else. However, as I grew older, I started differentiating the different types of even Christian musics.

Today, I would love to share my heart about what music does and how it affects the individual. The three ways music affects us is spiritually, mentally, and physically. These three aspects of influence are tied to our body, soul, and spirit. 

Let’s start with how music affects us physically. Have you ever heard a song that had a fast beat to it? Often we call it a “toe-tapper,” because the fast rhythm makes our body react in a happy, go-lucky way. Here’s a question to ponder: does the music you listen to affect your body in a positive way? If the music you listen to causes your body to react in a worldly manner, is it truly Christ honoring? One of the three aspects of music is the rhythm. Is the rhythm so prominent in the music you listen to that it overwhelms everything else?

Our music also affects us emotionally. I have heard that many people who go through breakups listen to breakup songs. These songs can cause feelings of depression, anxiety, fear, worthlessness, etc. Another question to ponder: does the music you listen to cause your emotions to glorify the Lord? As human beings, our emotions can be so unstable. We can feel happy one minute and depressed the next. Except, if our joy comes from the Lord, we should not need to have a “pick-me-up” song that makes us feel happy on those lonely, sad days. Even other types of “Christian” music will appeal to us mentally and physically through our emotions without giving glory to the Lord. Repetition in songs appeals to us more emotionally and does not truly honor the Lord through the music. The harmony (the second aspect of music) should not be the focal point, for it affects us emotionally. The way a performer sings should honor the Lord. So many times I hear the argument that “this song doesn’t have a beat, so it’s fine,” but oftentimes the way the performer sings is so self-honoring and worldly-like that the Lord is not glorified even if the words do glorify Him.

Lastly, music does, in fact, affect us spiritually. The music world is such a battlefield. Satan was a musical being, and he knows exactly how to tailor music to attract an individual…especially a Christian. I have noticed as I travel to different churches or watch ministries from afar that the first thing Satan targets in a church is their music ministry. If he can change their music, he can change almost every other ministry piece by piece. Music standards are the first to go, and then dress standards—slowly but surely, doctrines start to slip away. Good music contains— or should contain sound doctrine. The main part of music is the melody— the words. If first and foremost the words of a song are not Christ-honoring, then we as Christians should not partake in listening to that song. Even if the lyrics are Christ-honoring, we must go back to the harmony and rhythm. Do both of those honor the Lord? Oftentimes if you listen to new contemporary music, there is a theme that, if you listen closely, you can hear. These songs are so focused on “me.” My chains…my trials…my fears…my fill in the blank— the focus is placed on self instead of the Lord.

The flesh appeals to music. Have you ever heard a ungodly song once, and it is forever stuck in your head? The repetitiveness causes your mind to remember the song in entirety. It’s easy to listen to music, even good, Christian music, to make me feel good. If I am a little sad, instead of taking my needs to the Lord I will listen to “peppy” music that will “lift” my spirit. What a waste! In that instance, I am using music as a crutch instead of an avenue to glorify the Lord. Music can become a “god” to us if we are not careful. Don’t appeal to the flesh when listening to Godly music. Appeal to the Spirit!

Let’s discuss a few instances of music in the Bible. Exodus 32:17-18 says, “And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.” I believe that this verse demonstrates how music can affects us physically. The music was known as a sound of war, due to the loudness, the beat, or even the way they sang. Later on in the chapter, the Bible states that the people were dancing. This sound of war caused the people of Israel to react physically and sinfully because of the music they produced.

Secondly, in 2 Samuel 16:22-23, the Bible says, “And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favour in my sight. And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.” This verse really exemplifies how music can affect us emotionally. Saul had a bad spirit, a bad attitude, that he couldn’t get rid of, so he asked for a man who could play music. Saul knew the power music contained. At this point, Saul was not right with the Lord. He had already disobeyed Him multiple times and the Lord gave him a great punishment. He didn’t go to the Lord to fix the problem, but he instead relied on music to “fix” his mood. We as Christians should not make music our temporary fix to a problem to make everything feel better for a moment, but we should rely on God and take not only our problems but also our feelings to Him. The emotions are again tied with the harmony in how it “sounds good” which can appeal to our flesh.

Now, don’t crucify me on a cross. I’m not saying that God doesn’t place a song on our heart to help us in a time of trouble. This past school year, there were several things that had been going on in my heart and mind, and God used a song to help me get through that. This is where the spiritual aspect of music comes through due to the words. God uses a song to bring comfort to our hearts and praise to Him. It’s during these times that when our spirit is weak that God uses music as a powerful tool to strengthen us through the doctrine and words of a song. In Psalm 144, David was talking about how good and mighty God was to him. I believe that this was probably during a hard time in his life when he just took time to praise the Lord (however, it could have also been a time of victory). Verse nine of this chapter states, “I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: Upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.” Sometimes God may place a “new song” that takes on a new meaning to us so we can praise Him differently than when the song didn’t mean as much to us. We will hear of people who write songs during times of trial. This verse can be taken literally. During a hard time in my life and in a time of loss, I wrote a song that God gave me. I use it to praise the Lord. I guarantee you that that song means more to me than anyone else because I wrote it to specifically praise MY God. (Side note: new songs are not evil…but take into consideration of how that song affects you. Does it appeal to your physical and emotional needs, or does it truly uplift you spiritually?) 

In conclusion, if we aren’t careful, our music standards can slip away little by little. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what I say or what anyone else says in regards to your music and your standards. You will be accountable to God for what standards you place in your life. I simply wanted to open the eyes of younger people about music and encourage the hearts of older people. Music is so important in the life of a Christian, but it can also be a stumbling block. When considering what music to listen to think of these three things: Does the music I listen to appeal to my physical desires? Does the music I listen to appeal strictly to my emotions to become a temporary fix to a spiritual need? Does the music I listen to truly honor and glorify the Lord as it should? We as Christian’s are supposed to be separated in our music and dress just like our spirits and attitude. What we say and do and listen to determines where our heart it. Where is your heart today?