September 2, 2024 • 27 mins
Should Christians listen to secular music like Beyoncé? Pastor Willie Robbins, III, aka Pastor Will, takes us through this contentious debate, weighing the spiritual impact of secular tunes on believers. He doesn't dictate but rather guides us to reflect on whether our music choices glorify Jesus and nurture our souls. Is your playlist aligned with a Christ-like lifestyle? We're providing a thoughtful exploration, incorporating scientific research on music therapy to highlight how music influences our emotions and stress levels.
Tune in to gain insights that bridge faith, science, and the undeniable influence of music on our lives. #Faith #Secular #Christian #Jesus #worldly
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Is it all right for believers to be an all-out
Beyonce fan?
Is it Christ-like to be a partof the Beehive?
Is it Christ-like to be a fanof the music of people who put
out messages that is unhealthyfor our souls?
Is that okay?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
I can't look at life from my old views Cause it hurts
too much to walk in my oldshoes.
The word of God is my go-towhen I go through the valley of
shadow or death.
Holy Ghost move.
Need him to flow through thisnostalgic soul tune to let you
know don't just go through, butgrow too.
So many things he gotta showyou as he produce fruit of the
(00:41):
Spirit.
So be fueled by the SoulFuel.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
What's going on, everybody?
Welcome to another episode ofthe spirit.
So be filled by the soul fuel.
What's going on, everybody?
Welcome to another episode ofthe soul fuel podcast, the pit
stop for your soul to be fueledfor your journey in life.
Doing it with christ.
I'm your host.
Willie robbins, the third akapastor, will we're getting ready
to talk about something thatreally chaps my lips.
It it really does.
(01:04):
It kind of burns me up becauseI believe there is a standard
when it comes to this oneparticular thing and the
question that plagues many andsome have asked me before on
other lives and statements thatI've made concerning this Is it
okay, is it okay for truebelievers in Christ to listen to
(01:28):
secular music?
Can a true believer who lives alifestyle of worship and has a
behavior of holiness and walksby the Spirit, can these people,
can we, listen to secular music?
Is it all right for believersto be an all-out Beyonce fan?
(01:52):
Is it Christ-like to be a partof the Beehive?
Is it Christ-like to be a fanof the music of people who put
out messages that is unhealthyfor our souls?
Is that okay?
Let's get into it.
I just want to say you canlisten to whatever you want to
(02:15):
listen to.
As a pastor, as a teacher of theword of God, I do not tell
anybody what they can and can'tlisten to.
I can make a suggestion, but Ican't tell you what to and what
not to listen to.
I don't know if it really saysif you're safe or not.
(02:42):
I don't know if it determinesif you're safe or not.
I think I said that twice, butit's okay.
I don't know if it determinesif you're saved or not.
I think I said that twice, butit's okay, I'll say it again.
I don't know if listening tosecular music would determine if
you're saved or not.
I believe it is your actionsthat are closely associated with
the music that you listen toand what is in your heart.
(03:02):
I think the question becomeswould Jesus be glorified by the
music that you listen to?
Would Jesus nod his head andcommend the artists who sing
these songs that are essentiallyand we know this just by the
content of the work, we know itdoes not benefit the soul to
(03:28):
help us walk up right before theLord.
It is simply a sound thatpleases the flesh.
I believe that it's the beatthat gets you into the mood to
receive what the message is ofthe song.
We'll get into some scripturein just a second, but I just
(03:50):
want to talk about thisscientifically, to look at some
stuff that I found in clinicalresearch not my clinical
research.
It says that studies have shownthat music therapy can be
effective in managing emotionsand reducing symptoms of
depression and anxiety.
For example, a 2017meta-analysis found that music
(04:13):
therapy had a significant effecton improving mood and reducing
anxiety in clinical settings.
Music can trigger the releaseof dopamine, a neurotransmitter
associated with pleasure andreward, which helps in emotion
regulation, so it helps controlyour emotion.
Listen to this.
Research has consistentlydemonstrated that listening to
(04:37):
music, particularly slow tempoand low pitch music, can reduce
stress and lower cortisol levels, and low-pitched music can
reduce stress and lower cortisollevels the stress hormone.
A study published in theJournal of Advanced Nursing
found that patients who listenedto music before surgery
experienced lower levels ofanxiety and required less
(04:57):
sedative medication.
Music can activate theparasympathetic the
parasympathetic Y'all.
If I'm butchering this word,it's okay.
I'm not a scientist, I'm notinto this stuff like that, but I
just thought that this wasinteresting.
Music can activate theparasympathetic nervous system,
leading to relaxation and stressreduction.
(05:19):
Several studies have exploredthe most mo.
What is the Mozart effect?
Well, this suggests thatlistening to classical music
might temporarily enhancespatial temporal reasoning
skills.
While the effect is debated,other research has shown that
background music can improveconcentration and memory in
(05:42):
specific tasks.
Concentration and memory inspecific tasks, particularly in
people with neurodevelopmentaldisorders like ADHD.
Music, particularly classicalmusic or music without lyrics,
can enhance cognitiveperformance in certain tasks by
improving focus and reducingdistractions.
(06:02):
Even music being implemented inpain management Music therapy
has been used as an adjuncttreatment for pain management in
various clinical settings,including post-operative care.
It showed that patients wholistened to music after surgery
reported lower pain levels andrequired less pain medication.
Music can stimulate the brain'sreward system, leading to the
(06:25):
release of endorphins, which arenatural painkillers.
Endorphins are naturalpainkillers.
What about social behavior?
How does music affect thesocial behavior?
This is important.
This is a good one.
Music has been shown to promotesocial bonding and cooperation.
(06:46):
We see this in church, we seethis at concerts, we see this in
clubs.
We witness this everywhere.
They play music, and the typeof music also matters and the
messaging within the music alsomatters.
In the music also matters, themusic that has been shown to
promote social bonding andcooperation.
(07:06):
A study published in NatureNeuroscience found that group
singing and music makingactivities can enhance feelings
of social connectedness andcooperation.
Music synchronizes brainwavesand promotes the release of
oxytocin, a hormone associatedwith social bonding.
(07:29):
Yo, I've got.
I've got a couple more.
I got a couple more here.
Music therapy has been found tobe beneficial for patients with
neurodegenerative diseases likeAlzheimer's degenerative
diseases like Alzheimer's.
Studies have shown that musiccan improve cognitive function,
(07:50):
mood and quality of life.
In patients with dementia,music can stimulate brain areas
related to memory, oftenbringing back long forgotten
memories and improving emotionalwell-being.
I don't suffer from Alzheimer's, and a lot of you who are
listening probably don't either,but one thing we can say for
(08:13):
sure is that when we hearcertain songs, they take us back
to the place of where we werewhen we first heard it or when
we used to listen to it.
I've said it many times howmusic has the ability to conjure
memories, which can beproblematic.
It can be problematic becauseif you forget to forget the bad
(08:37):
of your past or the sins of yourpast, I believe that music can
conjure up that emotion that youwill begin to relive.
Whether it be for a shortperiod of time, it comes to the
front of your brain Because weuse things that we've been
through in certain moments whereit would serve us well or
(09:03):
benefit us.
And there are other times wheresome people conjure up these
thoughts and they can't evenshake it.
They can't even shake it,bringing up those bad memories,
and we can talk about thatbecause, again, that is all
spiritual, that is all where youchoose to put your trust and
(09:24):
where you choose for your mindto go.
But again, music can stimulatebrain areas related to memory,
often bringing back longforgotten memories and improving
emotional well-being, thingsthat you did not remember.
There's a song by Phil Collinscalled You'll Be In my Heart.
It was on the Tarzan soundtrack1999.
(09:44):
I'll never forget it, but everytime I hear that song I'm
reminded of Metro WestElementary School in Orlando,
florida.
I'm associated with thatbecause we learned that song in
music class.
But all in all, out of all ofthese things, the findings
demonstrate the broad impact ofmusic on various aspects of
health and well-being and theysupport the use of music as a
(10:09):
therapeutic tool in clinicalsettings.
Now, always thought about thisif music wasn't important, as
I've had this conversation withother believers before how they
some who are in opposition whosay, oh, you can listen to
whatever you want, or they stilllisten to secular music, they
still listen to today's artists.
(10:30):
Um, they have always said thatyou know, you know, it doesn't
matter what you listen to, youknow we're saved by grace and
all of these things, and that'svery well true.
But it caused me to go down athought process of thinking
about how powerful music reallyis.
(10:51):
We just read a little bit aboutit, right, some things that
I've jotted down, and I wasreally, really, really, really
okay.
If it's okay to listen towhatever we want and it not
affect us, then we are okay.
(11:13):
It's almost the same as watchinga movie, right?
Well, I think it's a little bitdifferent, because we're not
consuming movies to live it outor for it to make us feel good.
We like movies and we havefavorite movies because movies
(11:35):
can also minister to people inwhatever way.
It could be evil, it could begood, but it can right, but it's
not something that we can justmake a part of our lifestyle, as
music tends to do.
Music tends to speak on andglorify certain things.
(11:55):
Thinking about this and thereason why I brought up movies
anyway, as a filmmaker and, as amusician, movies would be so
different if they did not have asoundtrack, if they did not
have a score right.
The role of music in a movie isto evoke an emotion, to get a
rise out of the viewer andenhance a moment.
(12:21):
That's already happening.
You know love scenes that wesee in a movie of two people
being intimate.
They often are paired withpassion type music.
Sometimes it's a score,sometimes it's what they call in
(12:42):
television, in narrativetelevision, needle dropping
music.
Music in movies help elevate amoment, to help you feel right,
to to you know the, to make yousit in joy, fear, sadness or
(13:04):
excitement.
Right.
It takes the right musicalscore to make a powerful scene,
powerful scene, even moreimpactful.
Think about that.
Think about that.
And I believe a lot of peoplelike certain songs because they
somewhat identify with it.
They say I don't know what itis, it's listen.
(13:26):
Let me say this it's alwaysspiritual.
It's always spiritual.
If you can identify with thesong, then it's it.
It's spiritual, it's something,there's something in you.
But you have to ask yourself.
You can do the work, askyourself what is it about me
that likes this song?
What's another reason why moviesuse music?
(13:48):
For characterization.
They use music forcharacterization and it's
necessary because it helps youthrough by the song choice.
It helps you understand themotives of a character and what
they're willing to do.
It helps you understand.
So music can also be thematic.
(14:11):
Music can also be signaling, itcan be foreshadowing.
Right, there is culturalcontext and setting.
Music helps to situate thestory within a particular
cultural or historical contextmood transitions, symbolism,
thematic reinforcement, thatsame score that we heard in the
(14:34):
beginning.
I'll tell you a movie that doesit well beverly hills cop.
There is a theme.
So if you watch that movieyou'll hear that same theme in
different, in different moods.
Right, you hear it as as a, youknow, you hear it fast, as it
(14:59):
is in the opening credits, andthen you hear it in a, in a, in
a, in a very, uh, sadistic wayor a very thrilling way.
Uh, same notes might be adifferent instrument, but it's
playing the same theme.
Right, we even saw from jordanpeele's us, the movie us.
He had the theme of lunes, Igot five on.
(15:21):
They took that and theycombined it with the elements of
orchestral cinematic trailermusic and even when you watch
that, it invokes an emotionbecause we're used to hearing it
as a hip hop sample or as a hiphop record, but the way they
(15:41):
use it was so sadistic, it wasso creepy.
It made it creepy, it made usthink about it in a different
way, especially when you thinkof the context of the film.
I just want to give a couple ofscriptures to speak to the
science behind some of this,because, again, I say it's all
(16:05):
spiritual and I still say that,hey, I'm not the person to tell
you what you can and cannotlisten to.
I can only tell my childrenwhat they can and cannot listen
to.
You are not my children, youare fellow brothers and sisters
in Christ, and some who may comeacross as that is not a
(16:25):
believer.
I want everybody to takesomething from this that all
kinds of music that has amessage that is not glorifying
God and not being beneficial tothe average man, we shouldn't
(16:45):
consume it.
We shouldn't consume it.
We see it a couple times inScripture where it is said that
when we speak to one another, weshould we should use psalms and
hymns and songs from the spirit.
According to Ephesians, chapterfive, verse 19, sing and make
music from your heart to theLord.
This verse is highlighting howmusic is used to praise God and
(17:10):
encourage one another in faith.
That's why we have some of thesongs that we have right.
Psalms 150, verses one throughsix, says praise the Lord,
praise God in his sanctuary,praise him in his mighty heavens
.
Praise him with the sounding ofthe trumpet, praise him with
the harp and leer.
Praise him with the timbrel anddancing.
(17:30):
Praise him with the strings andpipe.
Praise him with the clash ofcymbals.
Praise him with resoundingcymbals.
Let everything that has breathpraise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
Music from this text is sayingthat we use music to glorify God
.
We use music to worship him.
(17:50):
Right, because true praisecomes out of worship, because
worship is a lifestyle.
It's not a kind of music.
It's not a type of music.
Music is a part of how weshould be honoring God.
Music is indeed a source ofcomfort and healing.
And the reason why I can saythis is because you know,
(18:13):
science said it, science said it, the research showed the
science is only mankindmeasuring.
It's only mankind measuringwhat god did, what god allows,
how the spiritual realm works.
Music speaks to the mind, musicspeaks to the, speaks to the
(18:34):
heart, music speaks to the soul.
Yes, even music without words.
The right chords, the rightmajor chords.
The right major chords has theability to make you feel good.
The right minor chords has away to make you feel angry.
(19:01):
1 Samuel 16, verse 23,.
Whenever the spirit from Godcame on Saul, david would take
up his lyre and play.
Then relief would come to Saul,he would feel better and the
evil spirit would leave him.
This is when the Lord allowedan evil spirit to torment Saul
and I believe that the Lordallowed this to happen number
one, so that David could do it.
So David had an opportunity todo what he did in playing the
harp or playing the lyre.
(19:22):
But I also believe that this isthere to show us that music has
the power to control emotion.
It has the power to influenceemotion Again, because this
verse is illustrating thesoothing and healing power of
music, is illustrating thesoothing and healing power of
music.
As David plays the lyre.
It brings relief to King Saul'sattitude or grief or whatever
(19:50):
he was feeling from this evilspirit.
Music that was played from aworshiper.
I think it's important to lookat the heart of the person
playing as well, because theheart of the author always
follows his work and David beinga true worshiper David really
being anointed for the task thathe was about to do.
(20:12):
This was setting him up.
The Lord put him in position toplay so that he could end up on
the field eventually fightingGoliath.
There's even music involved inspiritual warfare.
Second Chronicles, chapter 20,verse 21 through 22.
After consulting the people,jehoshaphat appointed men to
(20:36):
sing to the Lord and to praisehim for the splendor of his
holiness.
As they went out at the head ofthe army saying give thanks to
the Lord, for his love enduresforever.
As they begin to sing andpraise, the Lord set ambushes
against the men of Ammon andMoab and Mount Seir who were
(20:57):
invading Judah, and they weredefeated.
So here is another passageshowing us how music and praises
that played a role in spiritualwarfare leading to a miraculous
victory.
Is that to say that you couldturn up some heavenly music or
you could sing your way out of aphysical battle?
(21:21):
Probably not, but it's justshowing you that music has power
in spiritual warfare.
So when you are battling andgoing through your circumstances
of life, you've got to becareful what music you put on,
because even not even all gospelmusic is safe to listen to when
you're going through it.
Number one.
(21:41):
The best thing to do is to talkto the lord, and sometimes
talking to the lord is justgiving him.
It's just giving him thanks.
It's thanksgiving, praying,rejoicing in your current
circumstance before you turn onmusic.
That that, that is.
That should be your solutionall the time.
That should be your solutionall the time.
That should be your first go-toall the time, and then maybe
(22:03):
your second solution is puttingon some music.
That's going to help you alittle bit more.
But it matters what kind ofmusic you're putting on, though,
because if you put on musicthat is a message that is
degrading or music that isaggressive, it's, it's, that's
gonna.
You may say, oh, that helps me,though, but it's really not,
(22:25):
because eventually, your heartis going to be shown, even if
you don't act on it.
The lord already knows yourheart before you begin to open
your mouth.
Who can know the heart?
The lord knows the heart.
So you have to be careful inthe kind of music that you're
(22:46):
listening to.
Even james mentions it in.
In james, chapter 5, verse 13 isanyone among you in trouble?
Let them pray.
Is anyone happy?
Let them sing songs of praise.
Do you see what I just said?
What I just said.
I just said your first solutionshould be prayer, hello somebody
(23:09):
, and after you have prayed,after you have made your request
known unto God or just bygiving him thanks, then you can
put on some music, but it mustbe music that glorifies the Lord
.
This is why, I say again, youcan listen to whatever you want
to listen, to go right ahead,but I guarantee you, I'm telling
you as a fact being sure, thateven though you can listen to it
(23:33):
, it's not going to do anythingbut harm you at the end of the
day.
It's not going to do anythingbut harm you at the end of the
day.
It's not going to do anythingbut harm you.
The connection between emotionsand music is evident.
It is You've heard music,you've listened to music, and
there has been music that havemade you cry even harder than
(23:54):
you were crying before you evenlistened to it.
Why?
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Because it's so beautiful, it's just the words,
they just really listen to it.
Why?
Because it's so beautiful, it'sjust the words, they just
really speak to me.
I just the part when he gets tothat, oh my God, it's just.
Oh, I just, I lost it.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
You lose it because the music has softened you,
whether it be anger, a memory ofsomeone that has passed away,
it's conjuring something andeven in music, in the movies, as
(24:41):
we talked about, it's conjuringthe emotion and the feeling
that they want you to feel, evenmusic in times of sorrow, as I
was speaking on Psalm 42, verse8.
By day the Lord directs hislove.
At night his song is with me, aprayer to the God of my life.
(25:02):
Do I need to go on?
I'm going to give y'all onemore.
Colossians, chapter 3, verse 16.
Let the message of Christ dwellamong you richly as you teach
and admonish one another withall wisdom through psalms, hymns
and songs from the SpiritSinging to God with gratitude in
(25:24):
your hearts.
Musically, music, especiallywhen centered on the message of
Jesus, is seen as a powerfulinfluence that can teach,
admonish and fill the heart withgratitude.
These scriptures areunderscoring the answer that I
(25:48):
gave you in the very beginning.
It's underscoring a yes thatyou can listen to whatever you
want to listen to, but it's alsotelling us blatantly clear,
plain as day, that any messagethat is not of Christ is not
going to benefit you, becausesecular music pleases the flesh
(26:09):
and we understand that a mindthat is governed by the flesh, a
mind that is saying that, hey,I need to listen to this Because
this song is going to, thissong is going to, this song is
going to.
To listen to this because thissong is going to, this song is
going to, this song is going to.
We got to also be careful that,even though we may be listening
to Christian songs and gospelsongs gospel, christian-centered
(26:30):
, inspirational songs that theycannot replace the Word of God.
Music cannot replace the Wordof God, but if we're going to
listen to it, we got to makesure that it's beneficial for
our souls.
Listen, that's all I got for youtoday.
There's so much more coming.
I got so many more episodesthat are coming.
I hope that you I pray that yougot something from it.
Do me a favor share this withsomebody that you know and love.
(26:52):
When it comes to, you mighthave had this debate or
conversation with somebody.
Send this to them, let themrest on this.
Take down the scriptures, goback, listen to it, take down
the scriptures that I've givenand reflect on it.
This is the Soul Fuel Podcastthe pit stop for your soul to be
fueled up for your journey inlife as we do it with Christ.
(27:13):
I'm your host, willie RobbinsIII, aka Pastor Will.
I hope to see you next time,peace.
Is it all right for believers to be an all-out
Beyonce fan?
Is it Christ-like to be a partof the Beehive?
Is it Christ-like to be a fanof the music of people who put
out messages that is unhealthyfor our souls?
Is that okay?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
I can't look at life from my old views Cause it hurts
too much to walk in my oldshoes.
The word of God is my go-towhen I go through the valley of
shadow or death.
Holy Ghost move.
Need him to flow through thisnostalgic soul tune to let you
know don't just go through, butgrow too.
So many things he gotta showyou as he produce fruit of the
(00:41):
Spirit.
So be fueled by the SoulFuel.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
What's going on, everybody?
Welcome to another episode ofthe spirit.
So be filled by the soul fuel.
What's going on, everybody?
Welcome to another episode ofthe soul fuel podcast, the pit
stop for your soul to be fueledfor your journey in life.
Doing it with christ.
I'm your host.
Willie robbins, the third akapastor, will we're getting ready
to talk about something thatreally chaps my lips.
It it really does.
(01:04):
It kind of burns me up becauseI believe there is a standard
when it comes to this oneparticular thing and the
question that plagues many andsome have asked me before on
other lives and statements thatI've made concerning this Is it
okay, is it okay for truebelievers in Christ to listen to
(01:28):
secular music?
Can a true believer who lives alifestyle of worship and has a
behavior of holiness and walksby the Spirit, can these people,
can we, listen to secular music?
Is it all right for believersto be an all-out Beyonce fan?
(01:52):
Is it Christ-like to be a partof the Beehive?
Is it Christ-like to be a fanof the music of people who put
out messages that is unhealthyfor our souls?
Is that okay?
Let's get into it.
I just want to say you canlisten to whatever you want to
(02:15):
listen to.
As a pastor, as a teacher of theword of God, I do not tell
anybody what they can and can'tlisten to.
I can make a suggestion, but Ican't tell you what to and what
not to listen to.
I don't know if it really saysif you're safe or not.
(02:42):
I don't know if it determinesif you're safe or not.
I think I said that twice, butit's okay.
I don't know if it determinesif you're saved or not.
I think I said that twice, butit's okay, I'll say it again.
I don't know if listening tosecular music would determine if
you're saved or not.
I believe it is your actionsthat are closely associated with
the music that you listen toand what is in your heart.
(03:02):
I think the question becomeswould Jesus be glorified by the
music that you listen to?
Would Jesus nod his head andcommend the artists who sing
these songs that are essentiallyand we know this just by the
content of the work, we know itdoes not benefit the soul to
(03:28):
help us walk up right before theLord.
It is simply a sound thatpleases the flesh.
I believe that it's the beatthat gets you into the mood to
receive what the message is ofthe song.
We'll get into some scripturein just a second, but I just
(03:50):
want to talk about thisscientifically, to look at some
stuff that I found in clinicalresearch not my clinical
research.
It says that studies have shownthat music therapy can be
effective in managing emotionsand reducing symptoms of
depression and anxiety.
For example, a 2017meta-analysis found that music
(04:13):
therapy had a significant effecton improving mood and reducing
anxiety in clinical settings.
Music can trigger the releaseof dopamine, a neurotransmitter
associated with pleasure andreward, which helps in emotion
regulation, so it helps controlyour emotion.
Listen to this.
Research has consistentlydemonstrated that listening to
(04:37):
music, particularly slow tempoand low pitch music, can reduce
stress and lower cortisol levels, and low-pitched music can
reduce stress and lower cortisollevels the stress hormone.
A study published in theJournal of Advanced Nursing
found that patients who listenedto music before surgery
experienced lower levels ofanxiety and required less
(04:57):
sedative medication.
Music can activate theparasympathetic the
parasympathetic Y'all.
If I'm butchering this word,it's okay.
I'm not a scientist, I'm notinto this stuff like that, but I
just thought that this wasinteresting.
Music can activate theparasympathetic nervous system,
leading to relaxation and stressreduction.
(05:19):
Several studies have exploredthe most mo.
What is the Mozart effect?
Well, this suggests thatlistening to classical music
might temporarily enhancespatial temporal reasoning
skills.
While the effect is debated,other research has shown that
background music can improveconcentration and memory in
(05:42):
specific tasks.
Concentration and memory inspecific tasks, particularly in
people with neurodevelopmentaldisorders like ADHD.
Music, particularly classicalmusic or music without lyrics,
can enhance cognitiveperformance in certain tasks by
improving focus and reducingdistractions.
(06:02):
Even music being implemented inpain management Music therapy
has been used as an adjuncttreatment for pain management in
various clinical settings,including post-operative care.
It showed that patients wholistened to music after surgery
reported lower pain levels andrequired less pain medication.
Music can stimulate the brain'sreward system, leading to the
(06:25):
release of endorphins, which arenatural painkillers.
Endorphins are naturalpainkillers.
What about social behavior?
How does music affect thesocial behavior?
This is important.
This is a good one.
Music has been shown to promotesocial bonding and cooperation.
(06:46):
We see this in church, we seethis at concerts, we see this in
clubs.
We witness this everywhere.
They play music, and the typeof music also matters and the
messaging within the music alsomatters.
In the music also matters, themusic that has been shown to
promote social bonding andcooperation.
(07:06):
A study published in NatureNeuroscience found that group
singing and music makingactivities can enhance feelings
of social connectedness andcooperation.
Music synchronizes brainwavesand promotes the release of
oxytocin, a hormone associatedwith social bonding.
(07:29):
Yo, I've got.
I've got a couple more.
I got a couple more here.
Music therapy has been found tobe beneficial for patients with
neurodegenerative diseases likeAlzheimer's degenerative
diseases like Alzheimer's.
Studies have shown that musiccan improve cognitive function,
(07:50):
mood and quality of life.
In patients with dementia,music can stimulate brain areas
related to memory, oftenbringing back long forgotten
memories and improving emotionalwell-being.
I don't suffer from Alzheimer's, and a lot of you who are
listening probably don't either,but one thing we can say for
(08:13):
sure is that when we hearcertain songs, they take us back
to the place of where we werewhen we first heard it or when
we used to listen to it.
I've said it many times howmusic has the ability to conjure
memories, which can beproblematic.
It can be problematic becauseif you forget to forget the bad
(08:37):
of your past or the sins of yourpast, I believe that music can
conjure up that emotion that youwill begin to relive.
Whether it be for a shortperiod of time, it comes to the
front of your brain Because weuse things that we've been
through in certain moments whereit would serve us well or
(09:03):
benefit us.
And there are other times wheresome people conjure up these
thoughts and they can't evenshake it.
They can't even shake it,bringing up those bad memories,
and we can talk about thatbecause, again, that is all
spiritual, that is all where youchoose to put your trust and
(09:24):
where you choose for your mindto go.
But again, music can stimulatebrain areas related to memory,
often bringing back longforgotten memories and improving
emotional well-being, thingsthat you did not remember.
There's a song by Phil Collinscalled You'll Be In my Heart.
It was on the Tarzan soundtrack1999.
(09:44):
I'll never forget it, but everytime I hear that song I'm
reminded of Metro WestElementary School in Orlando,
florida.
I'm associated with thatbecause we learned that song in
music class.
But all in all, out of all ofthese things, the findings
demonstrate the broad impact ofmusic on various aspects of
health and well-being and theysupport the use of music as a
(10:09):
therapeutic tool in clinicalsettings.
Now, always thought about thisif music wasn't important, as
I've had this conversation withother believers before how they
some who are in opposition whosay, oh, you can listen to
whatever you want, or they stilllisten to secular music, they
still listen to today's artists.
(10:30):
Um, they have always said thatyou know, you know, it doesn't
matter what you listen to, youknow we're saved by grace and
all of these things, and that'svery well true.
But it caused me to go down athought process of thinking
about how powerful music reallyis.
(10:51):
We just read a little bit aboutit, right, some things that
I've jotted down, and I wasreally, really, really, really
okay.
If it's okay to listen towhatever we want and it not
affect us, then we are okay.
(11:13):
It's almost the same as watchinga movie, right?
Well, I think it's a little bitdifferent, because we're not
consuming movies to live it outor for it to make us feel good.
We like movies and we havefavorite movies because movies
(11:35):
can also minister to people inwhatever way.
It could be evil, it could begood, but it can right, but it's
not something that we can justmake a part of our lifestyle, as
music tends to do.
Music tends to speak on andglorify certain things.
(11:55):
Thinking about this and thereason why I brought up movies
anyway, as a filmmaker and, as amusician, movies would be so
different if they did not have asoundtrack, if they did not
have a score right.
The role of music in a movie isto evoke an emotion, to get a
rise out of the viewer andenhance a moment.
(12:21):
That's already happening.
You know love scenes that wesee in a movie of two people
being intimate.
They often are paired withpassion type music.
Sometimes it's a score,sometimes it's what they call in
(12:42):
television, in narrativetelevision, needle dropping
music.
Music in movies help elevate amoment, to help you feel right,
to to you know the, to make yousit in joy, fear, sadness or
(13:04):
excitement.
Right.
It takes the right musicalscore to make a powerful scene,
powerful scene, even moreimpactful.
Think about that.
Think about that.
And I believe a lot of peoplelike certain songs because they
somewhat identify with it.
They say I don't know what itis, it's listen.
(13:26):
Let me say this it's alwaysspiritual.
It's always spiritual.
If you can identify with thesong, then it's it.
It's spiritual, it's something,there's something in you.
But you have to ask yourself.
You can do the work, askyourself what is it about me
that likes this song?
What's another reason why moviesuse music?
(13:48):
For characterization.
They use music forcharacterization and it's
necessary because it helps youthrough by the song choice.
It helps you understand themotives of a character and what
they're willing to do.
It helps you understand.
So music can also be thematic.
(14:11):
Music can also be signaling, itcan be foreshadowing.
Right, there is culturalcontext and setting.
Music helps to situate thestory within a particular
cultural or historical contextmood transitions, symbolism,
thematic reinforcement, thatsame score that we heard in the
(14:34):
beginning.
I'll tell you a movie that doesit well beverly hills cop.
There is a theme.
So if you watch that movieyou'll hear that same theme in
different, in different moods.
Right, you hear it as as a, youknow, you hear it fast, as it
(14:59):
is in the opening credits, andthen you hear it in a, in a, in
a, in a very, uh, sadistic wayor a very thrilling way.
Uh, same notes might be adifferent instrument, but it's
playing the same theme.
Right, we even saw from jordanpeele's us, the movie us.
He had the theme of lunes, Igot five on.
(15:21):
They took that and theycombined it with the elements of
orchestral cinematic trailermusic and even when you watch
that, it invokes an emotionbecause we're used to hearing it
as a hip hop sample or as a hiphop record, but the way they
(15:41):
use it was so sadistic, it wasso creepy.
It made it creepy, it made usthink about it in a different
way, especially when you thinkof the context of the film.
I just want to give a couple ofscriptures to speak to the
science behind some of this,because, again, I say it's all
(16:05):
spiritual and I still say that,hey, I'm not the person to tell
you what you can and cannotlisten to.
I can only tell my childrenwhat they can and cannot listen
to.
You are not my children, youare fellow brothers and sisters
in Christ, and some who may comeacross as that is not a
(16:25):
believer.
I want everybody to takesomething from this that all
kinds of music that has amessage that is not glorifying
God and not being beneficial tothe average man, we shouldn't
(16:45):
consume it.
We shouldn't consume it.
We see it a couple times inScripture where it is said that
when we speak to one another, weshould we should use psalms and
hymns and songs from the spirit.
According to Ephesians, chapterfive, verse 19, sing and make
music from your heart to theLord.
This verse is highlighting howmusic is used to praise God and
(17:10):
encourage one another in faith.
That's why we have some of thesongs that we have right.
Psalms 150, verses one throughsix, says praise the Lord,
praise God in his sanctuary,praise him in his mighty heavens
.
Praise him with the sounding ofthe trumpet, praise him with
the harp and leer.
Praise him with the timbrel anddancing.
(17:30):
Praise him with the strings andpipe.
Praise him with the clash ofcymbals.
Praise him with resoundingcymbals.
Let everything that has breathpraise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
Music from this text is sayingthat we use music to glorify God
.
We use music to worship him.
(17:50):
Right, because true praisecomes out of worship, because
worship is a lifestyle.
It's not a kind of music.
It's not a type of music.
Music is a part of how weshould be honoring God.
Music is indeed a source ofcomfort and healing.
And the reason why I can saythis is because you know,
(18:13):
science said it, science said it, the research showed the
science is only mankindmeasuring.
It's only mankind measuringwhat god did, what god allows,
how the spiritual realm works.
Music speaks to the mind, musicspeaks to the, speaks to the
(18:34):
heart, music speaks to the soul.
Yes, even music without words.
The right chords, the rightmajor chords.
The right major chords has theability to make you feel good.
The right minor chords has away to make you feel angry.
(19:01):
1 Samuel 16, verse 23,.
Whenever the spirit from Godcame on Saul, david would take
up his lyre and play.
Then relief would come to Saul,he would feel better and the
evil spirit would leave him.
This is when the Lord allowedan evil spirit to torment Saul
and I believe that the Lordallowed this to happen number
one, so that David could do it.
So David had an opportunity todo what he did in playing the
harp or playing the lyre.
(19:22):
But I also believe that this isthere to show us that music has
the power to control emotion.
It has the power to influenceemotion Again, because this
verse is illustrating thesoothing and healing power of
music, is illustrating thesoothing and healing power of
music.
As David plays the lyre.
It brings relief to King Saul'sattitude or grief or whatever
(19:50):
he was feeling from this evilspirit.
Music that was played from aworshiper.
I think it's important to lookat the heart of the person
playing as well, because theheart of the author always
follows his work and David beinga true worshiper David really
being anointed for the task thathe was about to do.
(20:12):
This was setting him up.
The Lord put him in position toplay so that he could end up on
the field eventually fightingGoliath.
There's even music involved inspiritual warfare.
Second Chronicles, chapter 20,verse 21 through 22.
After consulting the people,jehoshaphat appointed men to
(20:36):
sing to the Lord and to praisehim for the splendor of his
holiness.
As they went out at the head ofthe army saying give thanks to
the Lord, for his love enduresforever.
As they begin to sing andpraise, the Lord set ambushes
against the men of Ammon andMoab and Mount Seir who were
(20:57):
invading Judah, and they weredefeated.
So here is another passageshowing us how music and praises
that played a role in spiritualwarfare leading to a miraculous
victory.
Is that to say that you couldturn up some heavenly music or
you could sing your way out of aphysical battle?
(21:21):
Probably not, but it's justshowing you that music has power
in spiritual warfare.
So when you are battling andgoing through your circumstances
of life, you've got to becareful what music you put on,
because even not even all gospelmusic is safe to listen to when
you're going through it.
Number one.
(21:41):
The best thing to do is to talkto the lord, and sometimes
talking to the lord is justgiving him.
It's just giving him thanks.
It's thanksgiving, praying,rejoicing in your current
circumstance before you turn onmusic.
That that, that is.
That should be your solutionall the time.
That should be your solutionall the time.
That should be your first go-toall the time, and then maybe
(22:03):
your second solution is puttingon some music.
That's going to help you alittle bit more.
But it matters what kind ofmusic you're putting on, though,
because if you put on musicthat is a message that is
degrading or music that isaggressive, it's, it's, that's
gonna.
You may say, oh, that helps me,though, but it's really not,
(22:25):
because eventually, your heartis going to be shown, even if
you don't act on it.
The lord already knows yourheart before you begin to open
your mouth.
Who can know the heart?
The lord knows the heart.
So you have to be careful inthe kind of music that you're
(22:46):
listening to.
Even james mentions it in.
In james, chapter 5, verse 13 isanyone among you in trouble?
Let them pray.
Is anyone happy?
Let them sing songs of praise.
Do you see what I just said?
What I just said.
I just said your first solutionshould be prayer, hello somebody
(23:09):
, and after you have prayed,after you have made your request
known unto God or just bygiving him thanks, then you can
put on some music, but it mustbe music that glorifies the Lord
.
This is why, I say again, youcan listen to whatever you want
to listen, to go right ahead,but I guarantee you, I'm telling
you as a fact being sure, thateven though you can listen to it
(23:33):
, it's not going to do anythingbut harm you at the end of the
day.
It's not going to do anythingbut harm you at the end of the
day.
It's not going to do anythingbut harm you.
The connection between emotionsand music is evident.
It is You've heard music,you've listened to music, and
there has been music that havemade you cry even harder than
(23:54):
you were crying before you evenlistened to it.
Why?
Speaker 2 (23:56):
Because it's so beautiful, it's just the words,
they just really listen to it.
Why?
Because it's so beautiful, it'sjust the words, they just
really speak to me.
I just the part when he gets tothat, oh my God, it's just.
Oh, I just, I lost it.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
You lose it because the music has softened you,
whether it be anger, a memory ofsomeone that has passed away,
it's conjuring something andeven in music, in the movies, as
(24:41):
we talked about, it's conjuringthe emotion and the feeling
that they want you to feel, evenmusic in times of sorrow, as I
was speaking on Psalm 42, verse8.
By day the Lord directs hislove.
At night his song is with me, aprayer to the God of my life.
(25:02):
Do I need to go on?
I'm going to give y'all onemore.
Colossians, chapter 3, verse 16.
Let the message of Christ dwellamong you richly as you teach
and admonish one another withall wisdom through psalms, hymns
and songs from the SpiritSinging to God with gratitude in
(25:24):
your hearts.
Musically, music, especiallywhen centered on the message of
Jesus, is seen as a powerfulinfluence that can teach,
admonish and fill the heart withgratitude.
These scriptures areunderscoring the answer that I
(25:48):
gave you in the very beginning.
It's underscoring a yes thatyou can listen to whatever you
want to listen to, but it's alsotelling us blatantly clear,
plain as day, that any messagethat is not of Christ is not
going to benefit you, becausesecular music pleases the flesh
(26:09):
and we understand that a mindthat is governed by the flesh, a
mind that is saying that, hey,I need to listen to this Because
this song is going to, thissong is going to, this song is
going to.
To listen to this because thissong is going to, this song is
going to, this song is going to.
We got to also be careful that,even though we may be listening
to Christian songs and gospelsongs gospel, christian-centered
(26:30):
, inspirational songs that theycannot replace the Word of God.
Music cannot replace the Wordof God, but if we're going to
listen to it, we got to makesure that it's beneficial for
our souls.
Listen, that's all I got for youtoday.
There's so much more coming.
I got so many more episodesthat are coming.
I hope that you I pray that yougot something from it.
Do me a favor share this withsomebody that you know and love.
(26:52):
When it comes to, you mighthave had this debate or
conversation with somebody.
Send this to them, let themrest on this.
Take down the scriptures, goback, listen to it, take down
the scriptures that I've givenand reflect on it.
This is the Soul Fuel Podcastthe pit stop for your soul to be
fueled up for your journey inlife as we do it with Christ.
(27:13):
I'm your host, willie RobbinsIII, aka Pastor Will.
I hope to see you next time,peace.
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