preachin to the choir.

I absolutely LOVE music.  Music excites me, motivates me, encourages me, speaks to me, keeps me going and... gets me dancin!  I like to say there's a song for everything.  I love to make mixed CDs for my family & friends.  Who does that anymore, right?  Well I enjoy sharing music with people & it's a way for me to be able to do that easily... even if it is outdated.


We all have different things or even places that help us feel closer to God.  Like maybe you like to be outside & enjoy reading Scripture or praying while you overlook the great outdoors.  Or you like to use devotions and study guides to help you along your quiet time.  I know people who feel closest to the Lord when they're serving and others who feel closest when they have long meaningful prayer time alone with God.  And as you might guess, music is what gets me.  Yes, I love the outdoors & yes I use devotions, but the times I feel the most passionate and the closest to the Lord, are during worship or when I'm listening to Christian music.  (It's a shame I have no music ability whatsoever.) 

 

 <<<<>>>>

Set a fire down in my soul 

that I can't contain that I can't control, 

I want more of You God, 

I want more of You God.

<<<<>>>> 

A few months ago, I was in a church service & heard this song, called Set a Fire for the first time.  At first, I just listened. I'm not good at pretending I know a song even when the words are on the screen.  I think I've learned my lesson through experience.  It seems like I'm always that one person who belts out a word at the pause in the song and then it becomes awkward. You know what I'm talking about too because it's happened to you!  Anyway, it wasn't too long before I stopped listening, and started singing.  It is now one of my absolute favorites.

I am a words person & I pay attention to words in songs like none other.  But the simple lyrics to that song get me every. single. time.  I want more of You God.  That is my heart's cry.  I want all of my selfish desires, and pointless worries to be overtaken with more of Him in my life.  The more Jesus I have in my life, the less room I have for unnecessary junk and the easier it will be.  I didn't say easy, I said easier.  ;)

Recently, the Holy Spirit has been convicting me about the music I listen to.  I think it's easy to excuse "secular" music sometimes by saying, well I don't really listen to the words anyway.  But I'm pretty sure that half the time, we'd be surprised about what we're really listening to.  I'm not a "Christian music only" kind of girl, but I absolutely believe that as believers, our music choices could be better... need to be better.  I think the Lord deserves more respect.  He deserves to be glorified in all things & it's kinda hard to do that when a song is about partying, drinking, or cheating.   

Anyway, I don't know about you, but I am going to be more intentional about my music choices from now on.  I love music & I have to have it, but I can't allow myself to mindlessly listen to lyrics anymore.