Brad Paisley is one of my favorite singers. I particularly love this song of his because I happen to find it very sweet and it makes me smile. Sometimes I cannot help but play it several times before moving on to the next song on my i pod.
Brad also has another song called Whiskey Lullaby which he sang with Allison Krauss. It is a very catchy song. When ever I listen to this song it makes me feel very sad but despite this there was a time when I would play it over and over again. I could not help it. But then the more I listened to it the more depressed I would get. In the end I decided to stop listening to the song so much because it was affecting me negatively. Why do this to myself when I can listen to other songs (including Brad's) which could lift up me up instead of down? Do you have any songs/movies etc which make you feel sad/down but for some reason you seem to like listening to or watching them?
Some people may think that it is crazy but I have come to understand that what I fed into my mind affects me in every way and begins to dominate my thoughts. In return what dominates my thoughts is what I become (Proverbs 23: 7 - As a man thinketh so is he...). It is like a chain reaction. That is why I try as much as possible to be selective of things that I read, watch, listen to etc. This year one of the things I am working on is to sow the Word of God in my spirit. The Word of God has creative power and what I speak shapes my tomorrow that is why I have resolved to feed myself with the word of God such that it becomes a part of me and I begin to speak it and in turn it makes me what it talks about. This has meant making sacrifices on my part. For those of you who know me I love watching movies and could spend the whole day watching one movie after the other. In order for me to make progress I am making it a habit of listening to sermons, watching Christian movies, and reading the Bible as well as various Christian material more than I used to. I am happy with my progress because I find myself remembering more scriptures and speaking differently.
Please pray for me as I continue to sow the Word of God in my spirit and as I learn to make the Word the final authority in all I do.
Brad also has another song called Whiskey Lullaby which he sang with Allison Krauss. It is a very catchy song. When ever I listen to this song it makes me feel very sad but despite this there was a time when I would play it over and over again. I could not help it. But then the more I listened to it the more depressed I would get. In the end I decided to stop listening to the song so much because it was affecting me negatively. Why do this to myself when I can listen to other songs (including Brad's) which could lift up me up instead of down? Do you have any songs/movies etc which make you feel sad/down but for some reason you seem to like listening to or watching them?
Some people may think that it is crazy but I have come to understand that what I fed into my mind affects me in every way and begins to dominate my thoughts. In return what dominates my thoughts is what I become (Proverbs 23: 7 - As a man thinketh so is he...). It is like a chain reaction. That is why I try as much as possible to be selective of things that I read, watch, listen to etc. This year one of the things I am working on is to sow the Word of God in my spirit. The Word of God has creative power and what I speak shapes my tomorrow that is why I have resolved to feed myself with the word of God such that it becomes a part of me and I begin to speak it and in turn it makes me what it talks about. This has meant making sacrifices on my part. For those of you who know me I love watching movies and could spend the whole day watching one movie after the other. In order for me to make progress I am making it a habit of listening to sermons, watching Christian movies, and reading the Bible as well as various Christian material more than I used to. I am happy with my progress because I find myself remembering more scriptures and speaking differently.
Please pray for me as I continue to sow the Word of God in my spirit and as I learn to make the Word the final authority in all I do.
Oh, what a good & timely word Shona! It is SO true!!! That we must think about what is praise worthy & excellent & those things against which there is no law, only freedom!
ReplyDeleteAlong my journey there have been things the Lord has needed gone from my life because they simply got in the way of my relationship with Him. It changed {and continues to change} what I read, watch on TV, etc. It is so true that what we fill our minds with {especially before going to bed} is what are minds are stayed on! How many times do you wake up still singing a song in your mind that you heard before going to sleep? The things we take in stay with us.
For this reason, one area that helps me & my kids is for instance my car. The only music I play is praise music. And my kids are fine w/ that because there is SO much awesome Christian music out there. Nothing boring about it. Sometimes I hear my kids singing this song or that about Jesus & I am "wowed" at how they absorbed all these praise worthy lyrics by driving around in my car. It gives God the opportunity to plant seeds in them instead of the enemy! Great food for thought in this post. God is working in your life & giving you revelation! That is an invitation! Praise Jesus!!!
Wylie
Really good post Shona. Recently I've found myself listening to a lot of worship music, especially on my way into work. It really helps to set the mood for the day and I end up having a worship song humming in my mind all day. My desire to listen to secular music is diminishing daily because there really is a lot of great Christian stuff out there now.
ReplyDeleteIt is a continuous journey and like Wylie said, its all facets of life from books, magazines to TV and films.
Thanks for the reminder of how important it is to feed ourselves with the things of God.
You are right there is good Christian music out there, be it rock, rnb, pop etc there is something for everyone. I also usually like boosting my day by listening to praise and worship music in the morning as I do my stuff, it always uplifts me.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you both enjoyed the post.
Preach it! I say it like this, "Junk in...junk out!" Keep pressing toward the mark of Christ Jesus in all things. You'll see how your thinking, perception, and language changes.
ReplyDeleteWhat ever we feed will grow and it is always best to feed the Holy Spirit rather than our flesh. Blog ON!
ReplyDelete