Published: 28 February 2025
Last Updated: 28 February 2025
Reading Time: 8 minutes
What is your earliest memory of a favorite song?
I think mine would be the Barney song – laugh all you want; I loved that big purple dinosaur! Another would probably be “Camp Connri” which went something like:
Camp Connri, the place you really want to be
Camp Connri, the place with fun and harmony
Camp Connri, hip hip hooray hurray hurrie
Camp Connri, ba-dap ba-dap ba-dap ba-dap
As you probably guessed, I learned this song at a summer camp I used to go to when I was a kid. I still remember this tune as if I was there singing it last week!
We all know nursery rhymes, right? They are catchy, silly, and they sometimes don’t even make sense, but we sing them anyways. Rub-a-dub-dub; Ring Around the Rosie; London Bridges Falling Down; The Lady in a Shoe, to name a few. It is shocking that I still remember most of these songs’ decades later. What is even more shocking is how long it took me to learn the truth behind some of these cryptic nursery rhythms…
The fact that these songs left such an impression on me when I was a kid and to know them fluently even in adulthood, proves to me that songs have power. Music can have a lasting impact on the listener: it can cause you to recount forgotten memories, be an outlet for emotional relief, encourage you, you can even be intoxicated by it. The Bible even illustrates a time when music was used to help soothe a tormented king (1 Samuel 16:14-23). It is evident, music has the power to effortlessly influence the mind & spiritual state of any listener. In other words, there is something supernatural about the power of music. See Mark 6:21-23; this man was so seduced by music and dance that he offered up half his kingdom to his own niece!
Our worldly culture knows about the power of music 🎶🎵.
Recently, at the 2025 Grammy Awards, singer and songwriter Alicia Keys emphasized the power music has to influence the world during her Global Impact Award acceptance speech; music is so impactful that it has become an international art. Unfortunately, music’s supernatural-international power is being used to promote corruption by sugar-coating songs with beats that drop and lyrics that flow.
Why is it that most people can recall famous singers but cannot recount the names of heroes noted in the Bible? Why is it that most people can memorize songs from a whole Beyonce album (or insert other favored artist here _____) but can’t recite a Bible verse aside from John 3:16?
This should not be.
The Bible teaches us to guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23), and being selective about what we listen to is a way to do just that. The truth is, many of the popular secular songs we hear today and countless others from the past multiple decades, is the activity of seducing spirits working behind the scenes to defile the souls of many.
Going back in time to examine a few instances, you can find:
- In a video that has since been deleted, Cardi B recorded herself admitting that a song of hers activates demons.
- In 2021, various lives were lost at an Astroworld music festival (created by rapper Travis Scott), due to the “music vibes” invoking episodes of overly violent mosh pits.
- In the 60’s, the Beatles shifted the musical style of rock and brought the occult arts into mainstream media. Following the murders in the late 60’s, Charles Manson attested to the influential power the Beatles music had on him.
The devil (satan) wants us to use this influential tool to further his agenda. In the Bible, we’re able to read about early forms of music being used as a means to program the masses (Daniel 3:7). The history behind how we dress, act, and even how we view sex, birth control, and the household dynamic, is due in part to music’s involvement throughout the generations. There is no doubt about it, music has the power to influence our worldviews. The eras that birthed musical genres like rap and rock ‘n’ roll are prime examples of the puppeteering powers music can have on the human race.
Let’s think about it further for a sec, shall we. When you listen to songs about getting wasted, dressing inappropriately, doing drugs, or committing sexual sin, you would naturally be more inclined to do those very things, right? (If your answer is no, then why are you listening to something promoting behavior you wouldn’t do?) How much more so would a child who listens to such songs want to do these things?
Like a moth drawn to a flame, human nature is drawn to the culture and all its persuasion. This sort of dysfunction was an issue the prophet Jeremiah had to address during his time. The people’s unhealthy addiction to worldly things had reached an all-time high. Though the topic of music was not the matter of discussion, the account of Jeremiah emphasizes what happens when a nation loves and worships things that are not of God. Israel’s desire to be in the likeness and image of false deities resulted in a reprobate people.
Our words have the power to either liberate or condemn. Anyone wanting to produce lyrical content should be particularly mindful of this truth.
Matthew 12:37
What we listen to matters; music is powerful because it is spiritual. As far as it pertains to you, I urge you to not be in harmony with the secular sounds of the enemy because this can hinder and/or harm your spiritual development in Christ. Music in the hands of Christ followers can be used to blow down walls & break off chains (Joshua 6:20; Acts 16:25-26), but more importantly it is used to worship and praise the Creator of heaven & earth (Psalms 96).
Yes, majority of music being pushed today is a tool to draw people away from following God and into a life of desiring things that do not profit. And yes, many of us live in a country where satanic tunes are normalized, but on the flip-side there is a Christian alternative to practically any musical genre you may like whether it be country, pop, rap, or even heavy metal.
Purge out your playlist and seek songs that purify your heart. And by drawing near to God, He is faithful to draw near to you!
James 4:8
Additional note:
- Play the right stuff at the right time.
- It is important to pay attention to lyrics but beats alone have the power to be provocative. Even instrumental beats should be listened to with caution. If the source is demonic, even the instrumental flow can affect moods in a negative way.
So, now that you can confirm that music is a weapon, how will you use it?
