Commentary on Songs in General

Every song has a message and “spirit” embedded into it, and we should all use discretion when listening to any music. It’s not as simple as saying, “That song is ‘demonic’ just because it’s secular” or “This song is ‘godly’ just because it carries a faith-based label.”

We are living in perilous and intentionally confusing times. So a “faith-based” song can be just as spiritually harmful — if not worse — as a secular song. Likewise, a secular song can be helpful and even contain concepts that might point a person toward recovery, faith, self-reflection, etc. Vice versa can also be possible.

We must ask ourselves what the heart of each song is and whether it suggests something life-giving or life-stealing. How does the music make us feel inside, and what does it invoke? If the song’s catchy lyrics have the power to produce wellness/growth or destruction/decay, what will chanting them repeatedly manifest?

What does the theme of the song encourage us to do? What is the overall “spirit” of the song? Does it praise activities that are of the light or of the darkness? Or is it simply someone singing from the perspective of the Self, telling or sharing a story with the genuine message of “You’re not alone in your struggle”?

Many songs are written from an artist’s self space or ego. They are primarily therapeutic for that particular person (and financially beneficial to the music industry), but their openness and vulnerability can touch other people’s lives in a positive or helpful way. These types of songs can be “iffy” when in the wrong hands or when received inappropriately, but that’s a whole other subject for another time.

Many old LP/C songs were like the above: raw, self-reflective, personal, vulnerable, human, etc. But then quite a few of them also addressed political matters such as the government’s disregard for the Hurricane Katrina victims (“The Little Things Give You Away”) or had themes about redemption (“What I’ve Done”).  Some even had blatant mentions of “God,” the jacked-up state of the world, and the need for His mercy and grace (“End of the World”).

They were a mixed bag. You never knew what genre or concept you were going to get, lol. But I can say that their music never made me feel worse, more alone, or more inclined to do something destructive after listening. So they were always helpful to me back in the day.

There are also songs that have a positive message, but the artist isn’t necessarily a person of faith. Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t worry Be happy” is one random example of such a song. It wasn’t a “faith-based” song, per se, but it was one that encouraged joy and renounced anxiety. Those concepts aligned with Scriptural instructions, even if they weren’t written with that intention. 

Then there are songs that blatantly promote sin, no question or doubt. These songs outright glorify everything opposite of the Word, blaspheme the Almighty, and promote hate, violence, greed, sex, covetousness, lasciviousness, disrespect, division, etc. They are obvious life-stealers that speak nothing but death into the listeners’ ears. 

Faith-based songs exist, too, but they are useless if they suggest that the listeners worship a wrongful entity or encourage sin. They are helpful only if they edify other believers, honor the appropriate entity, and are of the correct Spirit. 

Long story short, the things we consume can nourish or malnourish our souls. So every song should be evaluated, regardless of its genre, but no one should be “condemned to hell” by others or labeled “a child of the devil” for opting to listen to something.

All artists are humans who can choose whether to speak life or death into the atmosphere for a living. We can also choose what songs/artists we listen to and use our discernment to know whether they’re good or bad for our souls and whether we are honoring or dishonoring the Most High by supporting them. Conviction eventually comes straight from Him when something isn’t right, if not immediate outright repulsion.

I am not the Almighty, nor am I a music promoter. I simply state the spiritual power of music and the need for everyone to be cautious with it, whether they are a listener, a creator, or both.