November 27, 2004
(ML #3513 ‚ GN 1101)
FD/MM/FM November 2004
ML #326, DB 6
1. Music can be a blessing, ’ yet it can also be so dangerous! That's why it is so important to listen to the RIGHT KIND of music. The Pavlovian Method of conditioning reflexes enables evil men to discover secrets of the hearts ' minds of men in order to manipulate them for their own evil purposes. People can be mentally conditioned to respond to a set stimuli like a series of tone signals. It's almost like a telephone: You can dial a certain combination of numbers ' that keys the equipment to connect one instrument with another instrument.
2. CERTAIN KINDS OF MUSIC CAN ALSO BE LIKE A COMBINATION OF TONE SIGNALS, almost like dialing a number. If they hit the right combination of notes, the right music can bring a certain response in your own heart ' mind. It has a psychological ' spiritual effect on you. If you're really SPIRITUALLY tuned, it has just as direct an effect on you as an electrical current or receiving a radio signal.
3. CERTAIN KINDS OF MUSIC WILL TURN YOU ON FOR CERTAIN KINDS OF THINGS.—IT'S SPIRITUAL! I know now that when I was a kid I was flipping out SPIRITUALLY when I would sit for hours listening to classical music. My Mother would come in amazed to see me weeping because it got through to me so. I couldn't restrain the tears or control the weeping. That music would turn me on so much that it was just like I was flipping out into another World. It was almost like I UNDERSTOOD the music ' was THERE ' KNEW what was going on.
4. IT'S ALMOST AS THOUGH IT LINKS THE HEART OF THE HEARER WITH THE HEART OF THE COMPOSER. It blends the spirit of the composer into your spirit. It's almost like the composer is a spirit guide ' becomes a medium ' his music is his crystal ball! When you listen to his music you gaze with him into his crystal ball, ' all of a sudden your spirits are UNITED ' you BOTH see the same things.—You both see the same pictures. It's just like it sucks your spirit out of your body ' transports you into another World. Suddenly you are integrated or revitalized into the World of the Spirit in some other place.
5. LET ME TELL YOU, THE SPIRITUAL WORLD IS FAR MORE REAL THAN THE PHYSICAL! Music like that is like a vehicle, a crystal ball, like drugs, like electronic keying, tuning into your wavelength, radio tuning. If you're tuned ' that's your wavelength ' you're supposed to get the message, then you get it!
6. YOU KNOW SOME OF THOSE COMPOSERS WERE INSPIRED! Wagner was sometimes inspired by the Devil, ’ others like Handel ’ Mozart were sometimes inspired by the Lord. It's as though they were really inspired by the Lord or the Devil. Those inspired by the Devil were getting the Devil's message, if they were really tuned in.—And if the hearers are tuned in, they get the message too!
7. BUT YOU SEE, OTHER COMPOSERS WERE INSPIRED BY THE LORD ' WERE GIVING GOD'S TUNE ' GOD'S MESSAGE. If we're the Lord's ' WE'RE tuned to His channel ' THEY'RE on His channel, if it's God's composer ' God's music ' God's Message, then we who are tuned in ' keyed to the Lord get the Message!
8. THE MUSIC OF SUCH WONDERFUL SPIRITUAL MEN ' BELIEVERS LIKE HANDEL ’ MOZART ' SOME OTHERS WAS DEFINITELY INSPIRED BY THE LORD! But these composers were just like us: It all depends on whose channel they're tuned to ' according to their mood.—Whether they're in a believing ' faithful mood, or are doubting, discouraged, despondent‚ fearful ' listening to the Devil! We all go through those experiences where we sometimes listen to the Enemy instead of the Lord. The Lord lets us hear the Devil's tune if we insist on it—even if it's only a test to see if we can tell the difference ' to see if we'll receive it or reject it.
9. THERE ARE CERTAIN KINDS OF MUSIC THAT MY HEART, MIND, SPIRIT ' EVEN MY PHYSICAL BODY RESIST ' REBEL AGAINST! It makes me furious because I know it's diabolical ’ Satanic! My whole soul just FIGHTS it ’ I HATE it because its effect is so fiendish! But other kinds of music just thrill ' inspire me ’ lift me up into the heavenlies ' put me into communication with the Lord.
10. SO HOW DO YOU TELL THE DIFFERENCE?—WELL‚ DOES IT MAKE YOU NOT ONLY FEEL GOOD, BUT FEEL GOOD IN THE RIGHT WAY? Does it make you want to BE good ' DO GOOD, ' LOVE ' BE LOVED, ' be HELPFUL ' CONSTRUCTIVE? Or does it inspire you to BE evil ' DO EVIL‚ ’ be rebellious ' destructive ' hate, like some of Wagner's music inspired Hitler to destroy? Does it BUILD or does it DESTROY? Does it HELP or does it HINDER? Does it LIFT you up or drag you down?
11. YOU CAN TELL ABOUT MUSIC JUST LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE, BY ITS EFFECT ON YOU. Is it BEAUTIFUL or is it UGLY? Is it clean or is it dirty? Is it INSPIRING or is it OPPRESSIVE? What effect does it have on your own spirit?
12. GOD GIVES YOU ENOUGH SENSE BY HIS SPIRIT TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT IS GOOD ' BAD, then He gives you a choice between good ' evil, Himself ' the Devil. He gives you the sense to know the difference between flowers ' weeds. If it's ugly, cut it down. If it's pretty or beautiful, leave it.
13. IF YOU CAN'T QUITE MAKE UP YOUR MIND ABOUT WHETHER IT'S GOING TO BE PRETTY OR UGLY, THEN LET IT GROW A LITTLE LONGER to see whether it develops flowers or thistles.—Whether it develops beautiful blossoms ’ blooms, or whether it just develops thorns ' thistles, then we'll decide which is to be cut down. Like the Lord did about the tares ’ the wheat: The reason He said, "let it grow until the harvest" was so you could tell the difference!
14. AS THE LORD SAID, "BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM"!—MAT.7:20. So if you want to know the difference, just like the Lord said, whether it's flowers or weeds, good grain or tares‚ good works or evil, good fruits or bad, good literature or bad literature, good food or poison, good music or bad music‚ you can tell by whether its effects ' fruits are good or bad, good or evil.
15. DOES THE MUSIC INSPIRE YOU ' DRAW YOU CLOSER TO THE LORD TO BE GOOD ' DO GOOD THINGS ’ HAVE A GOOD EFFECT?—Or does it destroy you, shatter you, oppress you, make you feel rebellious, hateful, angry ' destructive ’ want to hurt ' destroy ' do evil things? Does it make you want to seduce, violate ' rape‚ kill ' do violence ’ make war?
16. WHAT INSPIRES PEOPLE ABOUT OUR MUSIC IS THAT IT'S HAPPY MUSIC ' MAKES THEM HAPPY! It's GOOD music ' makes them WANT to BE good. It's FRIENDLY music ' makes them want to BE friendly! It's GODLY music ' makes them want to BE Godly! It's SAVING music ' makes them want to BE saved! It's ENJOYABLE music ' makes them want to JOIN IN! It has GOOD FRUIT ' makes them want to do good ' be good!
17. BUT THE DEVIL'S MUSIC IS DEAFENING ’ NOISY ' CONFUSING—LIKE THE ROAR OF A SATANIC BEAST or diabolical monster that wants to destroy! It has both a physical ' a spiritual effect. It will literally destroy your eardrums ' your hearing ' deafen you physically. Its pulsating beats will cause your very body to throb with evil instincts ' evil desires, evil reactions, as well as to get your spirit right on the Devil's channel! It will put you in tune with Satan, where you get his message ' you carry out the Devil's will—his diabolical designs!
18. GOD'S MUSIC MAKES YOU WANT TO DO THE WILL OF GOD ' love Him ' love the children of God! The Devil's music makes you want to do the will of Satan ' love Satan ’ the children of the Devil ' do evil. So how do you tell the difference?—What music should you listen to?
19. I'VE TURNED ON THE RADIO OR TV SOMETIMES ' HEARD MUSIC WHICH I KNEW WAS INSPIRED BUT IT HAD AN EVIL FASCINATION FOR ME! It was gripping, like the tentacles of an octopus, ' you felt like you were being sucked into a vortex or maelstrom‚ almost irresistible! But it was evil ' you could tell it was the voice of Satan—the sirens of Satan—and it can get you in the spirit all right, the DEVIL'S spirit!
20. IF IT'S REALLY EFFECTIVE MUSIC, WHETHER GOOD OR BAD, IT WILL INSPIRE YOU TO ACTION! It will MOVE you! It will cause you to EMOTE, create EMOTIONS which put you in MOTION to DO good or evil. How does it make you feel?—Good or bad‚ Godly or fiendish? What does it provoke you to do? What kind of action does it inspire you to? Acts of love, kindness, mercy, compassion ' helpfulness?—Or thoughts of hate, cruelty‚ vengeance, violence, destructiveness, vandalism, wastefulness‚ rape, murder ' war!
21. ANOTHER KIND OF EVIL IS JUST AS BAD: DOES IT LULL YOU TO SLEEP, indifference, inaction, carelessness, indolence, negligence ' zombic stupor? If the Devil can't inspire you to take actual negative action ' do his VIOLENT will, he'll try to put you to SLEEP ' put you OUT OF ACTION like he has the CHURCH, so you at least won't get in his way!
22. WHAT KIND OF MUSIC ARE YOU LISTENING TO? Whose voice are YOU hearing? What does it do FOR you? What does it do TO you? What does it do WITH you ' what do YOU do BECAUSE of IT? What does it make you WANT to DO ' BE, if anything? Does it bring LIFE or DEATH?—Good or evil? Does it make you want to LIVE or DIE? Is it SAD ' depressing ' makes you want to quit, or is it HAPPY ' inspiring ' makes you want to LIVE for the sake of others, to serve God ' your fellowman?
23. YOU KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BY THE END RESULT ' THE FINAL FRUITS. That's how you know whether our words ' music are of the Lord: It's had GOOD results, GOOD fruit, so the tree CANNOT be evil.—Mat.7:18a. It's GOTTA be good! It's GOTTA be God! Listen ’ see if you can tell the difference. Watch ’ see if you can see it. How does it make you feel?
24. WHAT KIND OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO? … Are you on the DEVIL'S channel listening to his evil voice inspiring you to do EVIL?—Or are you on GOD'S channel listening to HIS sweet loving Voice inspiring you to do GOOD?
25. "CHOOSE YE THIS DAY WHO YE SHALL SERVE! If God be God then serve HIM! If Baal be your god, then serve him! As for me ' my house, we will serve the LORD!"—1Kings 8:56; Josh 24:15.
ML #326A, DB 6
3. IN WHAT THE LORD SHOWED US IN THE FORMER LETTER, "THE MUSICAL KEY", we tried to show you what power music has over our lives, emotions ' actions, which can be either good or evil. Music has such an effect on me personally that I cannot stand to listen to anything which does not influence me in the right direction, positively, constructively, encouragingly, inspiringly ' uplifting.
4. WE HAVE BEEN AMAZED AT SOME OF THE OLD TRASH FROM THE OLD LIFE YOU USED TO LIVE THAT SOME OF YOU ARE STILL LISTENING TO! It reminds me of the Scripture about the dog returning to his vomit ’ the sow to her wallowing in the mire, ’ I could hardly term them much better than puke ' garbage from that awful life you once lived, ' I don't understand how you can carry over with you into this new wonderful life with Jesus that same smell of smoke of the fiendish fires of Hell!—2Pet.2:22. There must be something wrong or perverted about your appetite or your New Birth, ' you didn't make it WHOLE!
5. YOU MUST STILL BE A LITTLE RETARDED OR DEFORMED TO STILL ENJOY THAT JUNK! You may not yet be a sinless saint but the Bible does say something about your being a NEW CREATURE in Christ Jesus to the extent that such old things should have passed away ' your present life become all new so that you couldn't possibly stand that stuff anymore!—2Cor.5:17.
6. BEING A CHILD OF GOD IS SUPPOSED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE ' you should have fairly new tastes ' appetites ' interests ' should not continue to desire to submerge yourself in that kind of filth which arouses nothing in me but rage at the God-damned Devil ' his works, ' how you can tolerate him in listening to it anymore is beyond me!
7. WE THINK IT'S TIME YOU CHANGED YOUR WAYS IF YOU'RE A TRULY BORN-AGAIN CHILD OF GOD‚ ’ no longer a Child of the Devil reveling in the awful sounds of Satan's offspring! God help us ' deliver us from the Old Man ’ his dirty duds that have damned the World ' wrecked their children!
8. I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU CAN DO IT ' KEEP IN THE VICTORY. It's like torturing yourself—it feels so good when it stops! I can't even take too much of Don McLean or Beethoven ’ others like them, they are all so sad ' hopeless ' helpless ' without any answers. Too much of even their best is really depressing.
9. WE HAVE BEEN SAVED AS BRANDS FROM THE BURNING ' snatched from the Enemy's claws, hating even the garments still spotted by the old flesh, ' we should be very thankful to have saved the fat from the fire ’ not to have thrown the baby out with the dirty laundry!—Zech.3:2; Jude 23.
10. BUT SOME OF YOU STILL SEEM TO BE FASCINATED BY THE FLAMES ’ INTOXICATED BY THE SMELL of the old, stinking, soiled, filthy clothes of your old past life, so there must be something haywire somewhere with your personal regenerative experience! You either need another dose of new wine to flush you out, or a good clean bath in the pure water of the Word to thoroughly cleanse you from all this old pollution ' any further taste for it!
11. YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE A NEW MAN WITH NEW GOOD CLEAN APPETITES for good clean healthful things, a joyful re-creation of a healthy fun-loving life with a good sound body, clean heart, pure mind ’ a new, regenerated, reborn spirit within you which no longer likes the old. This Conversion should make some difference ’ you should really be a changed person compared to what you used to be.
12. BUT SOME OF YOU STILL SEEM TO HAVE DRAGGED SOME OF THE OLD DIRTY EMPTY HUSKS FROM THE SWINE PIT ALONG WITH YOU ' are still chewing on these polluted morsels of emptiness or still licking at the old vomit which the Lord had you throw up a long time ago!—My God!—What is wrong with you? You must be still sick spiritually to want to go back to that stuff! May God deliver us from these old diabolical influences of our former filthy fiendish lives! Amen?
13. MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON YOU ' DELIVER YOU! No wonder you're so weak spiritually ' so often down ' out of the victory ' half sick ' barely able to drag around! I would be too if I had to listen to that kind of stuff very much! I've got to have something that feeds my soul ’ strengthens my body ’ renews my mind ' lifts my spirit ' encourages my heart ’ purifies my whole being‚ such as the refreshing Water of the Word or the inspiring songs of the Revolution!
14. IF SOME PEOPLE CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD ' BAD MUSIC any better than that, I'd rather dump the whole load ' stick to nothing but our OWN rather than having some of you getting mixed up again in the old dung-heap of the old Devil's diabolical divinations!
15. SO IF YOU CAN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE, FOR GOD'S SAKE, STICK TO WHAT YOU KNOW IS OF THE LORD ' what you know is good ’ fresh ' clean ’ pure ' of GOD! If your spiritual senses of smell ' taste are so perverted, benumbed or lost that you can't tell which is which, for God's sake only eat ’ drink that which you know comes from a good source‚ ' remember you can't get good fruit from an evil tree! So lay off it ' stick to the trees you know are OK!
16. MAY GOD DELIVER US ALL FROM THESE SATANIC SOUNDS OF THE DEVIL'S DAMNED DOMAIN! If you're still eating this kind of stuff, you need a change of diet for something more wholesome ' healthful! Amen? This goes for any of the rest of your old perverted appetites as well, for anything that is not natural, God–made ' God-ordained, so for God's sake get rid of it ’ clean out the pantry from these contaminants ’ pollutions of the old life of spiritual ’ physical perversion! Amen? And may God help you to know the difference!
17. THE CHURCHES HAVE CONDEMNED SEX ' NUDITY AS SOMETHING NASTY WHILE IGNORING THE DIABOLICAL INFLUENCE OF THIS FIENDISH MUSIC. While horrified at the natural nudity ' open normal sexual activities of the natives, they have listened to their devilish ' truly evil rhythms as merely amusing. Personally, my attitude would be just the opposite: Their MUSIC is more harmful than NATURE! Look what it's done to the SAVAGES ' BEWARE! Don't YOU become its VICTIM! God help you!—Love, Dad.
ML #2891:55-67‚ Lifelines 21
The Curse of Excessive System Music!
55. (Mama:) Grandpa has explained many times that music is very powerful‚ ' it can have either a positive or negative effect on us. Music is a vehicle for the spirits who inspired the composers to convey their message to generations afterwards. Knowing this, we can all agree that listening to the wrong music is like playing with fire; ' I think you, our dear European young people, have been singed or even badly burned by the music you've been listening to.
56. Think about it: Yours is the only area in the World where System music has gained such an inroad, where teens have listened to so much System music unchecked on headphones, ' even aloud throughout your Homes, ' developed almost an insatiable hunger ' desire for it. Teens in other areas have also wanted more variety in their musical diet, ' have listened to some System music. But Europe is the only area in the World where System music has become such an issue that in an attempt to find acceptable music for you, councils or subcommittees have been established to listen to tape after tape. But you've gone way past the guidelines that these councils set up ' have insisted on listening to practically anything ' everything, so that you may have developed some kind of addiction to it or fascination for it!
57. And the result? Europe is the only place that has been having a large number of teens who are backsliding ' having such extreme battles ' feeling so uninspired ' unchallenged. This is not happening in any other continent of the World.
58. It's obvious that something has crept in that's perverting your spirits, destroying your faith, making you feel confused, getting you down ' causing many to backslide!—And in all honesty, you can't ignore that System music may be that factor! The music you've been listening to is undermining the very foundation of your faith. The Enemy's plan has succeeded in many ways, sad to say, ' he plays for keeps. His goal is to snatch away the Lord's children from lives of fruitful ’ happy service, to make them slaves of the very thing that they were once trying to rescue others from. What a sad fate! "I fear, lest by any means‚ as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."—2Cor.11:3.
59. In addition to snatching some from the high calling which the Lord has ordained for you by actually causing some teens to leave the Family, I believe the System music ' other outside influences that have been allowed have also resulted in other bad fruit, such as foul language ' swearing; being sarcastic, unloving, unaffectionate ’ distant from each other; being argumentative ' rough ’ even violent in some cases.
60. No one needs to tell you teens that these things are not a part of our Family life. They weren't a part of your early years in the Family. It's up to you to carry our sweet‚ loving, affectionate, caring Family life on to your little brothers ’ sisters, as well as to your own families that many of you will undoubtedly soon be beginning.
61. Listening to System music, ungodly rock music by ungodly artists is death to your spirit! You can't just say, "I can take it," because you can't ! Even though you may not realize it or even believe it, that music will take a toll on you! Like Grandpa has said, when you're open to the good spiritual world, you can be equally as open to the bad, if you get on the wrong track. And because you, our young people, are so spiritual ' have been open to the Lord's channels all your lives, it may be that even this little "touch" of System music you have heard has had a far greater effect on you than it would have had on some flatlander Systemite kids.
62. Your minds are like sponges or tape recorders, ’ things really stick. Something you hear doesn't have to make much sense or have much meaning‚ but it can sure take hold ' be repeated over ' over ' over countless times. And once it gets stuck in your head, it's hard to get rid of it. Hasn't it ever happened to you that you've heard a song ' then the melody ' words just kept running through your mind over ' over? And then months or even years later, when you thought you'd long forgotten that song, suddenly it pops back into your mind.
63. You need to be careful about what you're feeding your spirit, because with time, you'll begin to feed off the System music ' even try to get your inspiration from it; ’ eventually you won't be able to understand why you're so confused ' feel so lost‚ why you can't find happiness or freedom or the Truth.
64. Some teens have said that what they do now when they're going through trials is listen to System music—because, they say, it expresses what they're feeling or going through. But these teens aren't discerning enough to realize that in the same breath that they confess that they're turning to System music for solace, inspiration ' feeding, they also admit that they feel discouraged ' spiritually dead! As one teen said, "Lately I have been listening to a lot of System music. My Shepherds have said that it is draining, ’ I am sure it is, but the songs that I listen to seem to say just what I am going through ’ it helps me somehow.—Right now I am just so confused, I don't know what to do." It doesn't seem like that music is helping her very much, does it!
65. Or as another teen put it‚ "I feel like every bit of faith in me has been ripped out of me, ' as much as I want it back‚ I just can't seem to find it!" So let me ask you something: Who or what do you think is ripping that faith out of you? Sure you'd probably like to blame it on your parents or your Shepherds or the negative peer pressure or some bad experiences you've had—but actually, it's the Enemy who is stealing away your faith, through those very words you listen to for "comfort" or "inspiration." The Devil, through that System music, is destroying your faith! As Grandpa has taught us, "Words are real things! They bless or they curse; they lift up or they knock down; they save or they damn! There's no in-between!" (ML#33:13, DB4)
66. You could compare it to being in a battle—like a boxing match. Your opponent is really beating up on you ' hurting you.—He's kicking you in the stomach, ' jabbing you in the ribs, ' punching you in the face. But somehow, all this danger ' the threat is so camouflaged under the cover of "variety" ' "a great beat" ’ "a good message" that you actually begin to think it's inspiring! You don't even realize you're taking a beating, until he's finally weakened you so much that he clobbers you with the KO punch—that knock-out punch—’ all of a sudden you're out of the fight!
67. If you have developed some kind of evil fascination for the System music you've been listening to, you can be cleansed of it!—And you need to be cleansed of it, because it makes God sad, Who loves you so much ' cares about you, to see that you're caught in this grip of a fascination for this evil music, because you have yielded to it, knowing that it was wrong. Or maybe you didn't have conviction yourself that it was wrong, but in many cases you at least knew that your adult Shepherds disapproved of it. But for whatever reason you may have gained an interest in it ' even a fascination for it‚ this doesn't mean that there's no hope for you ’ that you don't love the Lord. But it does mean you don't love Him enough ' you need to be delivered of this!
ML #3022:24-40, 110-117, Lifelines 22
Three Wells Prophecy!
24. (Prophecy:) Music is food of the Spirit. As you drink it in and absorb it‚ it becomes part of you‚ and the words resonate within your mind. The words are the message and the music is the vehicle. The music is the channel which you open to receive the message, the words.
25. This is so not just with My music and My Words‚ but with all music. Satan pours out his message through the music of man, through the music of this world, through the music of those who seek to destroy, who seek to kill, who seek to maim‚ who seek to lie, who seek to deceive and who seek to call truth lies and lies truth. They pump it into the hearts and the minds and the spirits of their children. They feed them this spiritual food and it becomes part of them, and they begin to live its message, its horrors, its death and its falsehoods. They begin to believe the lies and act upon them, and it brings forth evil fruit.
26. But the music that bears My Words and My Truth is music that brings life, that brings hope, that pours My Spirit into the hearts and minds and spirits of those who listen‚ of those who drink in My songs‚ who listen to My music, and who receive My message.
27. There are three wells! One is the well of the System. When you put your bucket into the well of the System and draw from the waters thereof, they are poisonous waters. The water may look clear and seem no different, but as you drink it in, it poisons, it destroys, it kills.
28. Then there is the well of My children who know Me, who love Me, who sing of Me, but who do not live My Words; who‚ though called to spread My Message, do it in a way that they feel is good and right, but do not live according to what I have written; who do not sacrifice of themselves or their lives. I bless them, and I use them to pour out My Message. I use the music that they write to send My Message into the hearts of those who don't know Me, and those who only know Me lightly. From this well comes water that looks clear and is drinkable, for it is not poison, but it is brackish, salty. It is enough to sustain life, but it is not pure water.
29. Then there is the well of those who love Me‚ who serve Me, who give their lives to Me; the well of those who have suffered, whose hearts have been squeezed, whose lives have been a struggle; those who love Me enough to give their lives to Me; those who love Me enough to do My will no matter what it is‚ no matter when it is, and no matter how it is; who are willing to say, "Not my will but Thine be done." From this well comes clean and pure water—water that refreshes, water that is good, water that is pure! And so must be the water that you pour out to My children. So must the songs be that you pour into their ears‚ into their hearts, and into their minds.
30. When you send out water from the brackish well‚ though it is drinkable water, it is not fresh water, and the message contained therein‚ though it is My Message, has not the purity of My Message. But if you will pour out the pure water, it will strengthen the hearts and the minds and the spirits of these who so desperately seek to be strengthened.
31. For your younger ones now face greater challenges, greater battles, greater mountains! As they fight and as they climb and as they march forward, they need songs of the Spirit to lift their hearts, to encourage their spirits‚ to say to them, "Carry on! Carry on!" But how can you pour out this message of carrying on from those who do not carry on themselves and who do not fight? (Mama: Most Christian musicians and singers.) Their songs are designed for another purpose. But the songs that I pour out to My children of David are designed for My children—to inspire them to move upward and forward, to fight‚ to enter into the fray and to fear not! For these songs are meat of the Spirit!
32. My children are no longer children—they are men and women of God! They are strong in Spirit! They are soldiers! They are valiant, and they need the meat of the Spirit! They need the strength of the Spirit! They need the rallying cries of the Spirit! And so I pour out to them that which they need. And so will I pour out to them in great abundance as they take up the challenge to fight for Me, to take their stand, as they enter into their day—their day of battles and their day of victories.
33. The children of yesterday are the soldiers of today! So they must lay aside the childish things, the brackish things, and the poisonous things, and they must seek for the clear waters of the Spirit. For it is the clear waters that give them strength, that refresh their souls, that give them the vision and the courage and the faith to carry on!
34. Do not look to the well of poison for your inspiration. Neither look to the brackish well for the uplifting that you seek. Look to the pure waters , the pure water of My Words, the pure water of My music, the pure water of My Spirit. Oh, come! Come! Come up! Come up to the mountains where the mountain streams are clear and fresh! Come up where the air is not polluted! Climb! Climb ever upward, leaving the things of this Earth behind you‚ and you shall find a purity of spirit, a purity of heart. You shall find thrills that you never knew existed!
35. Come to Me with your cup in hand, and see if I will not pour out to you some of the fresh water of My Spirit! For if you will look to Me in prayer and in desperation, if you will seek Me, and if you will ask Me to pour out to you the songs of the Spirit, then I will pour forth. You will have the music that you seek, with the message that is good, that is strong, that is healthy, that is pure, that is clear, that is filled with Me and My Love and My Word and My strength and My power and My anointing.—Words that speak to your heart, words that pour out the heartcry of your heart, and that bring My answer to those heartcries.
36. You will sing these songs with great joy and with great happiness! They will give you great strength. These songs will strengthen the hearts of your younger brothers and sisters, and will also lift them up to new heights and will give them courage. For they will see that you march forward, and they will say‚ "So will we march! So will we sing the songs of these who go before us!—These who have fought before us, our brothers and our sisters; these who we love and admire; these who we follow in their footsteps!—And we will follow where they lead us!"
37. Their prayer to Me is, "Oh, dear God, we are following them! Help them to follow You! Help them not to lead us astray, for we march in their pathway and we march behind them watching where they go. That which they do, we do, for we look up to them. Our parents are so far ahead of us‚ but these are right in front of us, and we march behind them. Oh God‚ we pray that they will not lead us astray but that they will lead us to You‚ and that as we follow their footsteps, we will be marching forward and upward‚ closer, always closer to You!"
38. So I say to you, will you march forward? Will you march upward? Will you shed these things of Earth that hold you down? Will you set your affections on things above? Will you look to My face, and My face alone? Will you drink of My well and of My well alone? Will you come to Me that I may pour out to you the beauties of My Spirit, the beauties in song, the beauties in Word, the beauties in action, the beauties in love?
39. So receive! Receive My messages, receive My songs, receive My Words, and sing them, for they will strengthen your heart. They will encourage the heart of your parents, and they will lift the hearts of your brothers and sisters, and they will reach the world! They will reach your generation‚ for it will be music that they will understand and will be fed by. They will taste of the pure Words, the pure waters, the pure music, and they will be enlightened. They will say, "We will drink of this well‚ the well of God, for it refreshes us. It strengthens us. It speaks to us. It puts into our hearts the truth, the life, the love that we seek, that we so desperately need, and that we are dying without!"
40. So sing a new song! Receive a new song! Write a new song! Record a new song! Share My Message, My Words, through the vehicle of your songs! So shall you reach the hearts of many. (End of prophecy.)
Each of You Must Make Your Choice!
110. (Mama:) God's Word says, "Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind" (Rom.14:5). Each of you must choose which water you will drink of. In order to be a strong part of the Lord's Revolution, you must drink pure waters and you must eat clean and healthy food. Then you will have the spiritual strength to sustain you through the fierce battles that you will fight as a front-line soldier.
111. If you are going to follow Jesus, you must follow Him out of dedication and love and inspiration of His Spirit. You must come to Him to drink of His pure waters if you wish to have the strength to help others and to win others and to inspire others and to encourage others to come into His Kingdom.—And not only to come into His Kingdom‚ but to be soldiers in His Kingdom. For without the conviction and the strength that the pure waters bring, you will not be able to sustain yourself in these battles‚ for they are great. You must be close to Jesus to withstand the onslaughts of the Enemy and of the System and of the devils of this world.
112. This is why He has created this Family!—As an oasis for the soldiers of the cross!—That you can come and partake of His purity and His Love and be so overflowing with His purity that you can take it and give it to others!—That you may get the inspiration that you need to help others and to pull them out of the darkness and the depravity of this world, to set the sheep free to dwell with you in the clean, pure pastures and drink of the clear brooks and rivers of His Word and His Spirit and His Family!
113. But each of you must decide for yourself which path you will take, and which waters you will drink of. His warning is clear and His message is clear, that you who wish to follow closest and be the most useful must drink of the pure waters. You must not drink deeply of the brackish waters, and you must not take in the poisonous waters at all, which will destroy your usefulness and even destroy your spiritual life.
114. As always, His Message is the same: "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me!" (Luk.9:23). His Message is that you must forsake the ways of this world and the things that appear to be good and sparkling and inspiring—like the water from the poisonous well—but which are a lie and which are false, and which only try to drag you into their nets and their poison. For it is the Devil's poison, and he is the one that wishes to poison you!
115. You have reached the age of accountability, and each of you must stand before the Lord and choose whether you will obey or not, whether you will follow in the straight and narrow path of total discipleship and total yieldedness or not. Each of you must make your choice and each of you will be accountable before the Lord for your choice. For though this may seem like a small matter to you‚ and even insignificant, it is a grave matter, because what you listen to is what you are. What you take in to your spirit and feed of in the way of music is what you become!
116. If you, dear one‚ wish with all your heart to be revolutionary, a dropped–out child of David, a soldier in his Endtime army, you'll want to get your major musical input from the dropped–out revolutionary songs of David! For the more that you take in of the music of the church system, the more like a church you'll become! Because these songs fill you with their churchy traditions and attitudes instead of the Family's freedoms. By the same token, the more that you take in the music of the Devil, the more like the Devil you'll become!
117. We can't force your obedience or legislate your righteousness, even though we have addressed this music issue in the Love Charter. The Charter says you must minimize and resist ungodly and unedifying influences. It also says you must follow the counsel given in the Letters and the WS pubs regarding music. So if you are listening to the Devil's poison, then you are contravening the Charter. But if someone is absolutely determined to drink from the poisonous well, and they listen to it on the sly, there is nothing anyone can do to stop them because no one will know they're doing it. If you have rejected what the Lord has said about that kind of music and are determined to listen to it, then you will find a way to do so. The Lord wants each of you to make a choice so that He can see where your heart is at and reward you accordingly.
ML #3186:52-73‚ GN 791
Purge Your Playthings and Head for the Highlands!
52. (Jesus speaking:) There are mountain pastures, and there are pastures in the valley. The sheep in the folds of the valley regions are weak and not as strong as their relatives that live on the mountains. You ask why? It's because the sheep on the mountain are used to breathing the fresh‚ cool mountain air, while the sheep in the valley pastures breathe in the air filled with smog and smoke and pollution.
53. Those on the mountain drink from the fresh, cool mountain streams, rivers and waterfalls, while those in the valley drink from often stale and stagnant waters or dams. Those on the mountains brave the cold and the fierce winds, while those in the valley are lulled to sleep by the sirens of Satan. Those on the mountain must trudge through dangerous country, over rocks, cliffs, crevices and thorns, while those in the valley live in comfort in their lush green flat pastures.
54. Both groups of My sheep have the fresh grain delivered to them, which is so nutritious and gives them strength. The sheep on the mountains need this grain for survival, for the grass and other food groups are sparse on the mountaintops. They devour the grain and find strength through consuming each and every bit of goodness. The sheep in the lowland pastures often only nibble a little here and a little there, because they satisfy their hunger with other things—the grass, the shrubs, and the things surrounding them. There are many choices available in the lowlands, and thus these sheep don't cling to the golden grain for their strength. Much of the grain goes to waste in the valley, while it's devoured by those on the mountains.
55. I love each of My sheep because they're all a part of My fold. If one gets lost, I will leave the 99 in order to seek and to save this precious one. I love them all dearly, but some are stronger than others. Those in the highlands are My stronger sheep, but they often look down with envy at those in the lowlands, because they seem to have it easier.
56. My children on the mission fields are like those on the mountain. They have to really struggle, they have to climb hard‚ there's not much grass, there are difficulties‚ and they look upon the sheep in the lowlands—those of My children who are living in the West, dwelling in the pleasures of sin for a season—and wish that they could have the abundant grass and other foods. They desire more fellowship like those in the home fields. They desire what the lowland sheep have because it seems easier.
57. But I'm now calling these, My lowland sheep, those who are in the West and other lowland fields, to join My fold upon the mountaintop. I've been calling for a long time, and some have taken heed to My call; others have not. Of those who have taken up the challenge, there are those who forsook all and found total freedom, happiness and contentment in their service for Me upon the mountain, on the mission field. Others have been as the children of Israel who did not fully trust Me.
58. The children of Israel saved the manna for fear that I would not supply for them and keep them. Likewise, some of these sheep from the lowlands insisted on taking some of their food from the valley. They didn't think they could live without their cool clothes‚ their worldly ways‚ their ungodly movies‚ and their diabolical System music. They packed their bags with the things they'd been used to eating, instead of forsaking that food, that input, for something better. Then before long their grass and other food items even began to rot and pollute others of the sheep on the mountain, and out of pride they could not admit that they were wrong.
59. If you want to be one of My mountain sheep‚ you've just got to forsake everything—and I mean everything! Life on the mountain is not for namby-pamby, lukewarm, wavering ones! If you're not willing to forsake your desires and comforts and the things of this world, then you're never going to make it on the mountain. You could survive in the valley‚ but you'll not make it on the mountain.
60. Some of My sheep down there have been lulled to sleep by the sirens of Satan and just need a wake-up call! They'll throw away everything that's holding them back and they'll climb higher than they've ever been before! They'll find freedom like nothing they've ever felt before!
61. Everyone has the option to do something for Me, to really go the distance, to really reach the peak in your mountain of service to Me. This door is open to every one of you, but whether you go through it or not is up to you. If you want to pass through this door, you have to be willing to forsake the things that are holding you down and holding you back from really giving Me your all. It's like one of those metal detectors that you have to walk through at the airport. You're not going to be able to pass through unless you get rid of all the metal—the things of this world‚ the toys you're hanging onto.
62. You're never going to make a truly great and useful missionary unless you yield your all to Me. If you have to bring suitcases full of toys that will distract you and My children on the field, then don't even hop on the plane. Who are you kidding, anyway? Do you think I'm blind? No, I'm not blind. I see and I know everything. I know your heart and I know what you're capable of doing and being.
63. If you're willing to give your all, to throw off the chains of bondage that surround you, if you're willing to throw away the toys and gadgets of the Evil One, if you're willing to fight your addictions and get "sober," then there's no limit to what I can do with you! There's no limit to what I can do with a man or woman that has yielded their all completely to Me. There's no limit to what I can do with a man or woman that comes to Me with open arms, a clean heart, and empty bags for Me to fill.
64. If you come to Me saying, "Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling," I'll fill your hands with all of the desires of your heart and will take you to heights of freedom you've never known before! I have lost sheep all over the world who are crying out to Me day and night, seeking freedom‚ seeking answers. You have the answers at your fingertips! Are you going to receive this freedom for yourself and then go on to new worlds and pass it on to others? The only Bible I have is you, the one bound in shoe leather.
65. I plead with you to cast aside all that is of this world, and receive the things of My spirit world. I implore you to shun the pleasures of sin, and esteem My riches greater than all of these fake trinkets of so-called happiness. If you do what I'm asking‚ it will be the beginning of a life in service to Me and My sheep that will bring eternal benefits into your heart and life.
66. If you aren't willing to forsake the addictions you have, if you aren't willing to break the chains of the System in your own life, then at least have the courage to keep your vices to yourself rather than pulling others down with you. If you want to go to the mission field, you're going to have to forsake all, otherwise you might as well not even go. You'll do more damage than good if you're not there with your whole heart and giving it your all.
67. It's the front lines out there! You're not going to be able to dodge the bombs, missiles and bullets of the Enemy if you're weighed down with unnecessary gadgets, chains, and heavy equipment. If you want to be able to survive out there, to run with ease and to help the work instead of hindering it, then you've just got to forsake all! That's the bottom line. That's the long and the short of it. If not, for Heaven's sake, don't go! You'll only end up getting yourself and others wounded‚ causing casualties, and slowing down My army.
68. There are places of service for those who aren't willing to give all. But if you're going to be a part of My Endtime army, then you're just going to have to give up your vices and the things which hold you back. Since when did you see soldiers on the front lines with backpacks full of goods that they don't need to fight the war? They carry guns and bullets, not boom boxes and piles of System music. They dress in uniforms, not cool clothes of their own choice, lest they be mistaken for civilians, or even the enemy. They live a simple life and carry only what they need to fight the battles and win the war. All else is set aside for the good of their country, and even for their own survival.
69. Soldiers are asked to put on a uniform and leave everything behind—things, family, friends, lovers—and go and fight the war! And so it is with you, My children. I need soldiers out on the battlefield who put on the uniform of My Spirit and forsake all the gadgets of this world. I need those who are willing to set aside the material goods and comforts and even their own desires so that they may fulfill My desires. It's the only way we're going to win this war.
70. I need every one of you! There's a position, a station, a uniform, and a special mission for each of you! Each of you can be a front-liner if you've got the guts and the courage to do it. It may be a forsaking at first, but afterwards you'll wonder how you ever thought you needed your toys in the first place! After all, we're in a war and we don't have room for System toys and other such sundry items. They'll weigh us down, hamper us‚ and hinder our ability to fight to our optimum capacity.
71. We're going on! This war is going to be won with or without you! Like I said, it's My desire that each of you takes part and plays the role that I'm asking you to play‚ because I know the joy that the victories will bring to your life. The greatest joy and happiness comes after the victory is won, but there is also great joy to be found in fighting‚ if you relish it and desire to do nothing else.
72. I only have volunteers in My army. But if you're going to volunteer, you're going to have to abide by the rules that I've laid out, cast aside extra added baggage, and fight with Me! Those that do, those that go out on the front lines, to the mission fields, to the high mountains, will never be disappointed. Those who go forth to conquer will not look back with remorse over the past, but will find satisfaction in being more than conquerors!
73. Will your last words be, "If I only had"? Or will they be, "I don't regret that I did, and I never will!" (End of message from Jesus.)
ML #3197:52–68, GN 803
Minimize and Resist Ungodly and Unedifying Influences
52. (Peter: ) The most controversial portion of this [Charter] clause is the "minimizing and resisting of ungodly and unedifying influences in their lives." This clause has been rather controversial because there is no strict black-and-white definition as to what "ungodly and unedifying" influences are. What one person considers ungodly and unedifying might differ from what someone else considers to be so. This has been a point of contention between Home members, and often between older and younger members.
53. The points of controversy that have been the most contentious have been the watching of violent or unedifying movies, listening to System music, playing violent or unedifying computer games, foul language, excessive and unwise Internet usage, and worldliness in general. The attitude of some has been, … "I really like a steady diet of System music and I don't think it hurts me or affects my spirit or my service for the Lord." Or‚ "What's considered unedifying, anyway?"
54. Perhaps the way to look at it is in reverse: "Is this movie or music edifying for me? Does it help me in some way without being harmful in some other way? Is there some information or some moral value contained in it that will help me to be a better Christian or a better person? Does the movie or music promote things or attitudes that we as a Family are for‚ or does it preach against what we believe?"
56. When asking the Lord about how to decide if something is edifying, Dad spoke and pointed out that you need to go to the Word on the subject to see what the Lord has said. Dad said, "That's the first way to know the will of God—the Word. You could do a little study on both His written Word and my written word on the subject. Open your Bible and see what it has to say on the subject. If it's not there—and you probably won't find much on music or movies there—then check out the Letters and see what Mama and I have to say on it. Use your Cat Book, your HomeARC, your Daily-Dex and other study tools, and 'study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that doesn't need to be ashamed,' because he knows the Word! I dare say if some of you knew the Letters a little better, you wouldn't have to wonder if something is an ungodly influence or not. You may be surprised at what you find—all sorts of treasures you haven't read for years that answer a lot of your questions." (End of message from Dad)
57. (Peter: ) A lot has been written on movie watching and music, so if you have a question about your appetite for certain kinds of movies or music‚ check out the Word on the subject.
58. Dad also said to ask the Lord about it:
59. (Dad continues: ) What do you do if you're not sure whether something is an ungodly influence or not, or may be okay some of the time but you want to minimize its influence and not have it affect you adversely? If you have a question, just ask the Lord. Just get quiet and let Him speak to you. And if you're still not sure, a couple of people could hear from the Lord, so that "in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word would be established." Then you have to be willing to abide by what He tells you, of course! That's going to be the hard part in some cases, especially if you really want to do something and the Lord says you shouldn't.
60. So follow the seven ways to know the will of the Lord. Go to the Word. Seek His direct voice in prophecy or His written Word. Let it speak to you, and obey what it says. You can also seek confirmations and counsel from your shepherds or others. Remember that burdens are often one of the least effective ways to know God's will in situations like this, so you'd better confirm them with the other ways. (End of message from Dad.)
61. (Peter:) So if you are unsure about whether something is unedifying, go to the Word, go to the Lord, counsel with your shepherds and be open to what the Word‚ the Lord and your shepherds say.
62. Another question is in regards to how much or how little is "minimizing" these ungodly influences. We tried to be realistic when writing the Charter‚ knowing that it's impossible to completely eliminate every ungodly influence in our life, and so we said we should minimize them. This means to cut back on them as much as possible: to usually avoid them.
63. Perhaps you could find a practical definition by using this example: If your shepherd said that you should minimize the amount of times you have to do dishes or some other job or activity that you don't like to do, how often would you do it? Probably not very often—maybe never. Well, that would be your definition of minimize. So if you would minimize something that you don't like to do by cutting back to almost never doing it, then you should apply the same interpretation of minimize when it comes to some ungodly influence and how often you should partake of it.
64. Of course, it's much harder to minimize something that you like or enjoy or have a hankering for. However, our responsibility as Christians is to minimize the influences of the world as much as possible, not as least as possible. The Bible says, "Come out from among them, and be ye separate" (2Cor.6:17). That doesn't sound like just a little bit of minimizing, does it? Please, let's all make an effort to rid our lives of these negative influences and inroads of the Enemy!
65. It is very clear from the Word, both old and new, that some things are unedifying, and a steady diet of them is an ungodly influence. There have been a number of GNs that touched on movies‚ music, foul language, Internet usage and other aspects of worldliness, both specifically and generally, and that have clearly stated the Lord's views on them. Whether you realize it or not, regular intake of things of the world does have a detrimental effect on your spirit, and will affect your service for the Lord and loving interaction with others if it hasn't already—all the more so if you're not getting a steady diet of Word to counteract and cleanse you from the System input.
66. Since the Lord's counsel on these matters has been published in the Word, and since you as a Charter Member are expected to read and believe the Word, it is expected that you'll accept what the Lord and we have to say about these things. Whether you personally feel that these affect you negatively or not, God's Word says they do, and as a Charter Member you should avoid and minimize them in your life.
67. If you have an inordinate desire to watch violent videos or movies, or you enjoy a constant diet of System music‚ or you're extremely desirous of the world and its ways, and you do not want to minimize them in your life, but instead you want to fully drink of these cups, then you need to ask the Lord to deliver you. If you can't let go of them, then you need to ask yourself, "Why am I a Charter Member? Why don't I move to Fellow Member status where I can do these things and still serve the Lord and be a member of the Family?"
68. If some of these things are so important to you that you can't bring yourself to minimize them in your life, then you should voluntarily choose to become a Fellow Member, where the requirements for membership are less stringent. As a Fellow Member your negative influence and the negative influence of the movies‚ videos, computer games or whatever won't be damaging others in your Charter Member Home. But if you want to be a Charter Member and receive the physical and spiritual blessings of Charter membership, then you are expected to minimize these ungodly influences in your life.
ML #3304:100-110, GN 905
100. (Question: ) What effect‚ if any, does it have on a person's channel if they're not minimizing unedifying and ungodly influences in their life, or they just started to seriously minimize, but before that had perverted appetites for the things of the world? Does contact with System music, bad computer games‚ reading System books, watching violent, senseless or time-wasting movies; surfing the Internet (including not just really bad stuff, but unnecessary general browsing) affect a person's ability to be a clear channel?
101. (Jesus speaking:) Everything that you take into your mind and spirit affects you. There is no one who is not affected negatively in some way when they partake of System influence via movies, music, novels, worldly attitudes put forth in newspapers, magazines, or the Internet. All of that propaganda of the Enemy goes into your being and becomes part of you.
102. If you have a strong foundation of faith, you're less affected, and the propaganda doesn't gain a firm hold in your heart and mind, as long as you take the time to wash yourself regularly with the Word and My Spirit. But if you're weak in faith and you have bad Word and prayer habits, then the propaganda from the System has more effect. And it's a cumulative effect, growing more and more harmful with time. The more you take it in and the longer you allow it to remain in your heart and mind, the stronger the influence, especially if you don't wash it away with the Word. Don't just take things in and let them remain in your mind, but check out your input with Me. Ask Me about the information you are exposed to and hear from Me in prophecy about what My perspective is on the matter. I'll tell you what is true and what is false and what you should reject. Getting My viewpoint and My mind on the matter will help keep you cleansed of false information and wrong attitudes.
103. Those who have taken in much System influence over time subconsciously develop perverted reactions and thought patterns. That System influence can be in the form of such things as excessive movie watching, or the watching of bad movies, or listening to evil music, or playing violent computer games, or receiving the vain philosophies of man. Because of the System influence and their entertaining the wrong attitudes or ways of looking at things, even without their realizing it‚ they develop a mentality that is ungodly. That ungodly mentality wars against the spirit. It's in sharp contrast to the ways of My Kingdom, but the unsuspecting victim often doesn't realize that their first reactions and many of the conclusions they draw are not Word-based.
104. Because of this, the person is at a disadvantage when it comes to hearing from Me, because they're not in a position where they can easily discern the spirits and judge what voice is of Me and what is not. Their senses have become dulled because they've heard the voices of the Enemy's world for so long‚ so they don't recognize that it's wrong, and that those voices and attitudes and reactions have become a part of them.
105. When a person is in this state spiritually, their prophecies will likely be less pure. Therefore, until such a person gets cleaned up spiritually by taking in massive doses of My Word, having united prayer, and having his thought processes brought in line with My way of seeing things, then he will need to be very careful with his prophecies—careful to seek confirmations and counsel from those who are spiritually stronger.
106. As a person who has been contaminated by the world for a period of time seeks the cleansing power of My Word‚ prayer, and the spirit‚ they will become a more reliable channel, a clearer one. But it stands to reason that someone who has taken in from the System without limit, who has drunk deeply of the evil wells of the wisdom of man and his perversions, and who has built up a large "database" of stored System values and attitudes in their mind, will have to flush that out and be cleansed and strengthened in spirit.
107. I'm still able to speak to those who are contaminated by a long-term deep feeding of the System, but they must realize their handicap and be very desperate. They must also be aware that there could be some impurities from the Enemy and from their perverted mindsets that can slip into the prophecies because of their weak spiritual state. This can happen because they're not finely attuned to My voice and ways, so when they hear the voice of the Enemy, they don't recognize that it goes contrary to My Word and Spirit, and therefore they're not able to raise a standard against the Enemy's voice on the spot.
108. This is another type of serious tainting of My messages that comes about as a result of the channel being dirtied through System influence, especially System influence that has been taken in over a long period of time. This type of tainted prophecy is often characterized by compromise and a general permissiveness that pushes the boundaries and guidelines of the Word and the Charter to the limit.
109. If someone wants to be a reliable channel, one who receives complete prophecies that are the result of great faith and yieldedness, then that person must seek to cleanse their mind and spirit of the ways of the world. If the influence of the world has been great, it will take more time and a conscientious effort to reprogram the channel's mind so that their first reactions and mindset are in line with My Word and the truth, rather than the perversions of the world, and so that they can recognize My voice and discern when the Enemy's voice tries to butt in. If someone has been contaminated by much input from the world, he should take more time in the Word and prayer, and even have a prayer of deliverance.
110. Even if people have good habits in the Word, if they have regular contact with the world through movies, the Internet, novels, etc., they must raise a standard against the influence of that contact through prayer and a plea to Me that I will wash them clean as they drink deeply of the things of the spirit. (End of message from Jesus)
ML #3430:54-80, GN 1012
54. (Question: ) Some people say‚ when they're doing something wrong, like listening to System music all the time, or watching non-recommended movies, etc., "I have the faith for this; it won't do me harm!" or "I'm strong; I can take it!" Many people say this—both young people and FGAs. But from what I understand from the Word, if it's something that goes against what the Word says, then even if you say you have all the faith in the world for it, it's still wrong. And you'll only be saying you have the faith for it, but you actually don't have the faith; you're just using those words as an excuse to do what you want. The Word says that faith is a gift of God. He won't give you this gift to use on something bad for you or others. It's impossible to have faith if you don't obey the Lord. Did I get it right?
55. (Dad:) The Lord has given you in the Family great faith for things that very few other Christians—people who are otherwise wonderfully saved and really love the Lord, and who even believe in living for the Lord and witnessing for Him—could ever possibly have the faith for. You've been given many wonderful freedoms, which the majority of the churches would consider heretical, blasphemous, or at the very least, dirty and sinful. Nevertheless, you have these freedoms, by faith, with very few restrictions and guidelines. Many of you younger ones probably don't even realize how special those freedoms are, because you didn't have to fight for them; you grew up thinking of them as being completely normal and natural.
56. What is it that gives you the faith for these things that so many other good Christians do not have the faith for? What is it that makes the Family so different?! It's your faith in the Word, and specifically your faith in the now famous Law of Love that sets you apart from the rest of the church. Your freedom along these lines is what separates you from almost every other Christian or person of faith in the whole world.
57. Faith comes by hearing the Word and believing it—believing it to mean exactly what it says—and the Family is really strong on that point. But do you want to know something very important? This is the crux of the whole matter. The important thing you must remember is that you can have all the freedom in the world and all the faith in the world‚ but without love‚ it's nothing. As the Apostle Paul explained time and time again, real faith must be based on love, and put into action with love—otherwise it's nothing. Read it again in 1Corinthians 13: "Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity (love), these three; but the greatest of these is charity (love)."
58. As Paul told the Galatians, "In Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love" (Galatians 5:6). In other words, are your actions based on your faith in Jesus, and on your love for Him and for others? Are you doing what you're doing because you love Him, and because you want to please Him and glorify Him in your body, mind, and spirit? If so, then there's no Scriptural law against what you're doing.
59. But if what you're doing isn't edifying or loving, if it's selfish and carnal and based upon your own selfish desires and the lusts of the flesh, if it doesn't draw you closer to the Lord or to others, and if it doesn't fill your heart with good things—with love and the desire to reach out to those around you—then what you're doing isn't of the Lord, it isn't built on the Rock, and therefore it isn't an act of faith but an act of sin.
60. That's right—it's a sin. Does it surprise you to hear me say that? You who have grown up in the Family haven't heard that word much, have you? We've kind of shied away from using that expression and talking about things as being "sinful‚" because it smacked so much of the churchianity system.
61. Many of the first generation had been so put down and put off by the churches' constant sermonizing about sin and hellfire, they were just fed up with it! They'd heard so many warnings about all the things they weren't supposed to do, and yet they'd been given no idea of what the Bible and Jesus' love are really all about. "Don't do this and don't do that. Don't dance or drink or enjoy life. Don't have sex. Don't masturbate. And for God's sake‚ don't ever be tempted to become some sort of religious fanatic!" And if by any chance someone happened to miraculously be moved by the Lord's Spirit to actually do something for Jesus, they were looked on as a complete freak, a weirdo.
62. So when the Lord, in His love and mercy, broke us free from the chains of churchianity and from the System's religion of don'ts, He turned us on to a whole new religion and a whole new way of life. Jesus didn't say to us, "Don't do this and don't do that." He told us, "Go to it! Go into all the world, and do whatever it takes to win the lost and make disciples of all nations." He said, "Brother and sister, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom! I've come to set you free, and whom the Son has set free is free indeed!"
63. Many of the first generation were so jazzed to have finally found the truth and be set free from the hypocrisy and lies of the System, they latched on to that freedom with everything they had and ran with it!—And the world criticized and condemned them for it.
64. But unfortunately‚ some of your parents lacked the experience‚ maturity, and the spiritual depth to know how to use the freedoms they were given wisely, and as a result, some of the things that were done in the name of freedom were not necessarily done in love; therefore they were wrong, or they bore the wrong fruit. They didn't fulfill all the conditions that were laid out in the Lord's Law of Love, and sadly, some were hurt by their actions.
65. And, of course‚ as I've said before‚ I should have put more conditions on the Law of Love myself, more restrictions and rules, so people wouldn't be hurt. So I'm responsible too, because I didn't anticipate the problems that could have come up, and did come up. I warned people to be ruled by love rather than lust, but that just wasn't enough.
66. Let's learn from the past, beloved. Please don't ever use the liberties the Lord has given you as an excuse to do your own thing, or as Peter put it in 1Peter 2:16‚ "Not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God."
67. Jesus' love and grace and forgiveness have set you free from the law of sin and the flesh. But He didn't give you those freedoms just so that you would drift along‚ gratifying your own selfish desires and weaknesses. He gave them to you so that you could be a happy and loving bride, able to show the world a loving and understanding God.
68. "Brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" (Gal.5:13-14).
69. Love—that's the standard. If it's not loving‚ if it's not full of love and full of the Lord's Spirit, you're not at liberty to do it. Part of your love for the Lord is manifested in your obedience to Him. So even if something doesn't look harmful to you, if it's something that the Lord has told you not to do‚ or that the rules of the Family do not permit, it's just love to be obedient—plain and simple. There is so much written in the epistles to the Early Church that makes this point very clear, and it's still just as true and as important today. Some of it might be a little hard to understand, but if you pray and read it with an open heart, the Lord's Spirit will help you get the gist of it.
70. Read through it and listen to what the Lord has to say to you. Just because you want to do something badly enough doesn't mean it's faith that's driving you, and it certainly doesn't make it right. In fact, the things that some people are doing and saying they have the faith for are dead wrong. Some of these things are not only bad for you and for your spirit, but they're bad for your testimony, for your work, and for your high calling of winning the world.
71. I'm talking about listening to the wrong kinds of music, and watching the wrong kinds of movies—music and movies and other worldly input that is slowly poisoning you and contaminating your spirit. You might deny—even to yourself—that these things are affecting you. You might say you have the faith for them, and you might even think you have the faith and the freedom to do them. But the truth is‚ you're not free at all, because you're trading away your God–given freedoms for a measly mess of pottage‚ allowing yourself to be overcome by the temptations and the pull of the Enemy.
72. You're giving up the waters of life in exchange for broken cisterns, wells without water‚ clouds that will be carried away by the storm. Read 2Peter 2:19-22: "For of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome … it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire."
73. "You are a chosen generation," folks, "a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that you might show forth the praises of Him Who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. … Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against your soul" (1Peter 2:9‚11).
74. "Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God‚ as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you" (Romans 6:13-17).
75. Does that sound old-fashioned and out of date to you? It's not. It's more important today, more real, more true today than it has ever been before! It's a war of the spirit, and if instead of putting on the armor and the new weapons which the Lord is making available to you‚ if instead of yielding yourself to Him completely as His obedient servants, you're filling your mind and spirit with the pollutants of the Enemy, then it won't be long before you'll be completely defeated and useless as one of the Lord's emissaries.
76. I could go on and on with scripture after scripture, confirming that it's impossible to have the faith for something that's wrong, regardless of how much you want to do it. But I think I'll leave it up to you to dig into your Bible and read the rest for yourselves.
77. How could something not be wrong if it's not right? If it's not something good, if the spirit of it isn't good‚ if its message isn't good, if its purpose isn't good, then it's not good, and its fruit will not be good, and it will not be good for you.
78. So come on! "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called" (1Tim.6:12). "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him Who hath chosen him to be a soldier" (2Tim.2:4). "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Eph. 5:11). "Be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you" (2Cor.6:17).
79. And if you feel yourself weakening in your convictions, or if you've already allowed yourself to become contaminated by the Enemy's poison, it's not too late. Let God's Word strengthen and help you. "Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you" (John 15:3). "Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against You" (Psalm 119:11). "It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the Words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).
80. There is no excuse for disobedience‚ beloved. It's inexcusable. It will weaken you and sap you of your faith and your light. Don't let that happen to you. Stay on the wall! You'll be much happier and stronger, enjoying the freedoms of the Spirit which will last forever‚ than merely enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season. (End of message from Dad)
If you desire to be strengthened, if you desire to follow closely‚ if you desire to be endowed with the wisdom that is from above, then sanctify yourselves through My Word, that you may be clean. Do not allow the little foxes to spoil My vine, but come out from among them and be separate.
For just as junk food will spoil the body and will slowly take its toll as you become weakened and fattened and bogged down with extra baggage and nonessential fats, so will a steady diet of the junk food of this music bog down your spirit until your spiritual muscles become weakened and flabby and out of shape. Eventually they will lose their tone and elasticity as you become weaker and weaker.
Therefore, fall not for the subtle ways of Satan that would have you think you are not affected by such sounds‚ for it is a slow fading away, a slow‚ steady deafening of the ear, a slow, steady hardening and numbness to My Spirit and My truth—quicker for some than others, but taking its toll.
Therefore, take a stand! Sanctify yourselves through the Word that I have spoken on this subject, and speak to yourselves in song—My songs, My music, My Heavenly tunes. Put off the old man and walk in newness of life.
My Heavenly tunes, those that I give, are they that be of the Spirit. The hellish tunes, those that deceive, are those that be of the flesh. I would that you wallow not in the mire and the mud. Seek not that which is ungodly, but seek the tunes that are of Me. For as in My holy mountain there is nothing that will hurt or destroy, so you will not find these cancerous sounds in My halls of Heaven.
I call these sounds cancerous because they eat as a cancer does. Sometimes they devour quickly, causing sudden death. Other times their effect is slow and gradual‚ a wearing away and a wearing down, a slow‚ painful death, where the victim dies a little bit every day, eaten from the inside, with the cancerous tissue of the Enemy replacing My good, clean‚ wholesome tissue.
I pray that you would be free from the evil that exists in the world. These hellish sounds are but evil. They are as a continual dropping—plunk‚ plunk, plunk, drip, drip, drip, trip, trip, trip. They trip you up in subtle ways, a little here, a little there, taking their toll. Some more obvious‚ some on the sly‚ chipping away—tink, tink tink. Through these sounds Satan seeks to weaken the minds and harden the hearts. It's a fading away—a fading of conviction, and a slow, subtle slipping into compromise. A fading of joy, and a yielding to doubts.
These tunes, often encased in the guise of rhythmic melody or a good dancing beat, take their toll if they are not of Me. Even those that would seem harmless, or the lesser of evils, the best of the brackish, can be the cause of the fading away. Even these slowly and steadily chip away‚ break down and weaken. And those who sow to the flesh, reap of the flesh corruption.
Hear My Words when I say to you, by your fruits you will be known. Be not deceived; look not afar off, thinking the repercussions are yet to follow way ahead. But look around at the fruit you reap in this music which you allow in your midst‚ for even now you reap the fruit thereof. For I hear a bleating among My sheep, a crying out for the many problems that are found in your Homes. Is this not the fruit of following afar off—sounds of disunity, pride, discontentment, worldliness or doubt? This music is one cause, a planting of evil seeds. Evil seeds bear evil fruit, as good seeds bear good fruit.
It is the little foxes that spoil the vine. And what great vines these seemingly little foxes of worldly music, distorted sounds and tunes and lyrics, spoil. Satan mixes the good among the bad, a touch of truth mixed in with the lie, and he often wraps the most poisonous fruit in pretty packages.
I pray not that you are taken out of the world, but that you will be kept from evil. For you must be in the world, yet you are not of the world. Therefore be separate and touch not the unclean thing, and sanctify yourselves through the truth of My Word. Have I not spoken on this subject of music? Have I not spelled out the dangers? Therefore I challenge you, My Family, to take a stand. If you would be pure, if you would stand strong, purge out the little foxes that spoil the vine. Be in the world but not of the world.
For you are in the world, yet you are not of the world. Therefore be separate‚ and touch not the unclean thing. Touch not the sounds of Satan. Wallow not willfully in them, freely listening to the bells of hell.
My Family, if you desire to be strengthened‚ if you desire to follow closely, if you desire to be endowed with the wisdom that is from above, then sanctify yourselves through My Word, so you may be clean. Do not allow the little foxes to spoil My vine, but come out from among them and be separate.
For just as junk food will spoil the body and will slowly take its toll, as you become weakened and fattened and bogged down with extra baggage and nonessential fats, so will a steady diet of the junk food of this music bog down your spirit, until your spiritual muscles become weakened, flabby and out of shape. Eventually they will lose their tone and elasticity, as you become weaker and weaker. Therefore fall not for the subtle ways of Satan who would have you think you will not be affected by such sounds, for it is a slow fading away; a slow, steady deafening of the ear; a slow, steady hardening and numbness to My Spirit and My truth. It is quicker for some than others, but it takes its toll.
Therefore‚ take a stand! Sanctify yourselves through the Word that I have spoken on this subject. Speak to yourselves in song—My song, My music and My Heavenly tunes. Put off the old man and walk in newness of life. If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.
Christian Digest #12 (excerpts)
As Dr. David Elkind noted in his book The Hurried Child‚ "One of the most underestimated influences on young people today is the music industry" (The Hurried Child, Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1988, pp.89-93).
Citing the National Review: "Rock's sheer pervasiveness makes it the most profound value shaper in existence today. Unless you are deaf‚ it is virtually guaranteed that rock music has affected your view of the world" (National Review, February 24, 1989‚ p.28). From the manner in which young people dress to the way they view and understand the key issues of life, little escapes the pale cast by rock's big sound.
And it's no wonder. Young people wake up to it, drive to it, play to it, study to it, and go to sleep to it. Studies show that between the 7th and 12th grades, the average teenager will listen to and watch 11‚000 hours of rock music and rock videos—more than twice the time they'll spend in class (American Academy of Pediatrics).
As Dr. Alan Bloom noted in his best-selling book The Closing of the American Mind‚ "Nothing is more singular about this generation than its addiction to music" (The Closing of the American Mind, Dr. Alan Bloom, Simon and Schuster, 1987, p.68).
Incredibly, despite this unprecedented power and the mounting evidence that rock's influence can be less than positive, most people have never stopped to consider what is really going on in and through contemporary music. Why is music so powerful? How does it affect us? What is its source? And where is it leading us?
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Throughout the ages, wise men have noted music's profound impact on its listeners. For example, over 2,000 years before the birth of Christ, the musical systems of China were both highly developed and central to its society. It was to this that the philosophers directed much of their attention. Understanding its intrinsic power, they carefully checked their music to make sure that it conveyed eternal truths and could thus influence man's character for the better (The Secret Power of Music, David Tame, Destiny Books, 1984, p.34).
To this end, tradition states that one emperor‚ by the name of Shun, would monitor the health of each of the provinces of this vast kingdom by simply examining the music they produced. Coarse and sensual sounds indicated a sick society‚ one in need of his intervention and assistance (The Secret Power of Music, pp.13,14).
Two thousand years later, the Greek philosopher Plato echoed the sentiments of Emperor Shun when he said, "When modes of music change, the fundamental laws of the state change with them" (The Republic, Book 3, p.401).
In his famous work "Laws," Plato could have been writing about our modern age when he stated, "Through foolishness they, the people, deceived themselves into thinking that there was no right or wrong in music—that it was to be judged good or bad by the pleasure it gave.... As it was, the criterion was not music but a reputation for promiscuous cleverness and a spirit of law-breaking" (The Secret Power of Music‚ p.189).
Plato's contemporary, Aristotle, noting that music has "the power to form character" (The Secret Power of Music, p.19), wanted to see it actually regulated by the state. The ancient Greeks even believed music had the power to heal. They assigned a musician as well as a physician to those who were ill. They believed music could bring the body's rhythms into harmony, which allowed healing to occur.
Moving up to the present century, Vladimir Lenin, the co-founder of communism and one of history's greatest experts on subversion and revolution said, "One quick way to destroy a society is through its music" (The Marxist Minstrels‚ A Handbook on Communist Subversion of Music‚ American Christian College Press‚ 1974).
Changing laws, forming character, and toppling societies—most of us are not used to talking about music in such expansive terms. To understand this magnitude of impact we must consider both the nature of music and man; and how music affects us in body, soul, and spirit.
IMPACT AND EFFECT
Given the materialistic philosophy that marks this present age, it's surprising that more attention has not been given to the many profound ways sound and different musical forms can affect the physical world. For example, research has found that shrill sounds of sufficient volume can congeal proteins in a liquid medium. So a soft egg placed in front of a speaker at some of the louder rock concerts can midway through the concert become a hard–boiled snack for the weary rock fan. (The Day the Music Died‚ Bob Larson, Bob Larson Ministries, 1973.)
Moving from proteins to animate objects, repeated experiments have shown that plants respond positively to classical forms of music, actually growing and flowering faster than if there was no music at all. Conversely, more dissonant forms of music, like heavy metal, can actually retard growth and even kill the plant! (The Secret Power of Music, p.143.)
Of course, humans are much more complex than plants, but it still makes one wonder what music might be doing to us. As Dr. Adam Knieste, a musicologist who studies the effects of music upon people noted‚ "It's really a powerful drug. Music can poison you, lift your spirits, or make you sick without knowing why" (Family Weekly Magazine‚ January 30, 1983, p.12, article by David Chagall).
As mathematics is the universal language of the mind, music is the language of the heart, what the great composer Robert Schumann called "the perfect expression of the soul." The human personality has three component parts—the mind, the will, and the emotions. And it's here where we begin to see music's real power take hold.
In the realm of the mind, there is mounting evidence that certain kinds of rock have a negative effect on one's ability to think and learn. Studies at two separate universities, for example, have found that rats have a much more difficult time learning to pass through a maze if they are subjected to hard rock music. (Insight Magazine, April 27, 1987, p.57.)
On the emotional level, few would deny music's power. Its ability to influence and enhance moods is‚ in fact, one of music's greatest attractions. What most people are not aware of‚ however‚ is both the extent of this influence and the ease with which they can be unconsciously manipulated. As Eddie Manson, Oscar-winning composer and one-time president of the American Society of Music Arrangers has said‚ "We manipulate people like crazy.... Every film composer mixes his experiences with a talent for musical manipulation, and then projects that Machiavellian power gut to gut" (Family Weekly, January 30, 1983, p.15).
Moving from the gut to the brain, music is also a powerful "encoder," a term in psychology for something that helps determine the way we perceive and think about the world. In other words, music has an inside track to the subconscious levels of our minds. (The Secret Power of Music, pp. 148-150.) This truth is even physically suggested by the fact that the auditory nerves are the most predominant of all the human senses. (The Secret Power of Music, p.136.)
Research done at Stanford University confirms not only this predominance at a physical and subconscious level, but also in an area that is perhaps the most uniquely human of all; that is, in the area of transcendent experiences—what the researchers term "thrills." They found that the most powerful stimulus for evoking thrill-like sensations in their subjects was music. (Physiological Psychology, 1980‚ Vol.8 (1), pp.126-129, Avram Goldstein.)
Musicologist David Tame anticipated Stanford's discovery when he wrote in his book The Secret Power of Music, "Music is the language of languages. It can be said that of all the arts, there is none that more powerfully moves and changes the consciousness" (The Secret Power of Music, p.151).
Changing one's consciousness is what David Crosby meant when he told Rolling Stone Magazine that through just his music he could alter his audience's value systems and, in effect, steal them away from their parents. (The Rolling Stone Interviews, Arthur Barker‚ 1981.)
And Crosby is not alone. Perhaps rock's greatest genius, Jimi Hendrix, told Life Magazine in 1969, "I can explain everything better though music. You hypnotize people to where they go right back to their natural state, and when you get people at their weakest point, you can preach into their subconscious what we want to say" (Life Magazine, October 3, 1969, p.4).
In recognition of this transcendent power, Eddie Manson went on to share a sober warning, "Music is used everywhere to condition the human mind. It can be just as powerful as a drug and much more dangerous, because nobody takes musical manipulation very seriously" (Family Weekly, January 30‚ 1983, p.15). Young people, in particular‚ can become virtually addicted to it, and perverted by it.
A SPIRITUAL DIMENSION?
In the previous quote by Jimi Hendrix, he explains that music is a spiritual thing. And it is in this realm of the spirit where we will focus most of our attention because it is here where music reaches its greatest heights of power and influence.
Even the very word "music" suggests this spiritual dimension. Its root word "muse" referred to the spirit beings who the ancient Greeks felt were responsible for the inspiration of all art.
Today, it's not just the Greeks who feel that artists are inspired by spiritual forces. Folk jazz artist Joni Mitchell, in an interview with Time Magazine, was described as follows: "Joni Mitchell's own strongest creative impulses come to her in a somewhat unusual way. She deeply believes in a male muse named Art who lends her his key to what she airily calls the `Shrine of Creativity'" (Time Magazine, December 16, 1974, p.39).
Avant-garde musician Peter Rowan echoed this description when in an interview with The Washington Times he said‚ "I do believe that music itself is a spiritual force. The inspiration l feel is like a holy thing. It's beyond any words I can use to describe it" (Washington Times‚ March 7, 1986).
This perception takes on an even more startling dimension when described by guitarist John McGlaughlin, "One night we were playing and suddenly the spirit entered into me, and l was playing but it was no longer me playing" (Circus Magazine, April, 1972‚ p.38).
This perception is mirrored in these words by AC/DC guitarist, Angus Young‚ "Someone else is steering me. I'm just along for the ride. I become possessed when I'm on stage" (Hit Parader, 1985).
To fully comprehend both the nature and magnitude of the spiritual interrelationship between man and music, we must first understand something of the basic realities that attend the spiritual world.
1. The real reality is a spiritual one. One of the Scripture's primary messages is that the time/space world we live in is a created one, having its origins in an eternal, spiritual realm that exists outside the scope of our physical senses. In John's Gospel, Jesus tells us that "God is a Spirit" (John 4:24a)—and it is this inexpressibly wise, loving and all-powerful Spirit Who is the Creator of all things. His is the transcendent reality, the one that transcends all others.
2. Man is a spiritual being. Though we live in a body and have a soul, we are first and foremost spiritual beings. Genesis 1:27 gives the account of the origins of man: "So God created man in His Own image." In other words, Spirit begat spirit. From the breath of God that gave us life, to His image indelibly impressed upon our hearts, you and I are spirits. And as spirits, we are profoundly affected by the principles and the personalities that make up the spiritual world, whether we are aware of them or not.
As God's offspring, the primary purpose for our existence is to know and experience God. In John 17:3, Jesus said, "This is life eternal, that they might know the only true God‚ and Jesus Christ." Continuing with the passage of Scripture we read earlier‚ "They that worship God must worship Him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24b). The worship spoken of here is not some dry religious exercise, but the natural response to knowing and experiencing God. And Biblically and scientifically, there is no more profound way to be drawn into and then express this experience than through music. As one of the greatest musicians in history, Johann Sebastian Bach, said, "The end of all music should be the glory of God and the refreshment of the human spirit."
Through sin, man fell and was separated from God. Throughout the Scriptures the Words of God in Ezekiel are echoed again and again, "The soul that sinneth shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4).
The death spoken of here manifests itself in several ways, but most significantly in a spiritual sense, as through our sin we are separated from the God of all life. Left stranded, subjected to the tyranny of our selfishness and lust, we are no longer citizens of God's Kingdom but instead walk "according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2). Into this hopeless situation, God sent a Savior, His Own Son, to pay the penalty for our sins‚ to destroy the power of this "prince of the air‚" and to bring man back into His Kingdom. (See John 3:16; John 10:10; Hebrews 2:14.)
A HIDDEN HAND?—SATAN?
The kingdom of darkness is real and is the spiritual source of all opposition to God.
The lord of this diabolical kingdom is the "prince of the air," more commonly known as Satan, or the Devil. With a horde of wicked spirits at his command, he is called the "god of this [fallen] world" (2 Corinthians 4:4). As this world's ruler, his task is to oppose all of God's efforts to redeem m an. The battlefield here is primarily the human mind. Using a variety of techniques, Satan's strategy is to fill us with lies, to convince us that black is white and evil is good, to justify sin and blind us to our need for a Savior, to distort our image of God and erase or trivialize our image of Satan, convincing us that he either doesn't exist or that he's a cartoon imp in red pajamas. Put simply, "to blind the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Given its power over the heart of Man, music is among the most potent of these techniques. And it's worth noting that both the Scriptures and church tradition suggest that music comes quite naturally to Satan, that very possibly, before his fall‚ he was in charge of music in Heaven. (See Isaiah 14:11; Ezekiel 28:13-15.)
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