TLP 23: What God Thinks about Your Kids' Music

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If we find these five ingredients in our children's favorite tunes, we'll know that God is not pleased by their music.

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And then we'll be left with a choice of whether or not to help them change. Welcome to Truth, Love, Parents, where we use

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God's Word to become intentional, premeditated parents. Here's your host,

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AM Brewster. Your children love their music. It excites them, mends them, and inspires them.

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Each song in iTunes is there on purpose, and each playlist is like a chapter from their lives.

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They turn to music when they're in a melancholic mood, or an adrenaline -soaked frenzy in a passionate smolder.

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There are songs for every occasion, playlists for every party, and we couldn't escape it if we wanted to.

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It's behind every movie fight scene in every store and rumbling through every sports arena. For some, music isn't just life, it's everything they wish life could be.

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But regardless of how well the song tells our stories or how it makes us feel, the Christian should desire to give

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Christ the preeminence in all things. This means that we must test our music and our children's music against the

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Lord's beautifully sufficient and perfect standard. God loves that which gives glory to His character and hates that which steals the glory due

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Him. So the question for today is, does God love or hate your kid's music?

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But more on that in a minute. We strive in every episode to give you Christ -honoring, family -applicable truth.

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And the more you do these, the more people we can reach with God's truth. Now back to the topic at hand, and don't forget that we also have robust episode notes in PDF form on our website, and I'll link that for you in the description.

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All the boys who live at Victory Academy have many things in common. One of those commonalities, in fact, is that they all listen to music their parents don't approve of.

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Even the ones whose parents let them listen to questionable songs, they still have a steady diet on the side of tunes their parents probably don't know about.

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And you know what? It was true of me, too. During my teen years, I slid far from God and my parents, and though I can't blame my music,

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I can say with all certainty that it strongly encouraged my rebellion. But in order to know if God is pleased with our and our children's music, we need to understand this biblical concept called glory.

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What is glory? Well, it's not a word that we use often in our daily language, but it comes up in the

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Bible a lot. Basically, to glorify something in a biblical sense is to give a high opinion of it.

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We say that if something has been over -glorified, that we have been made to think something too high about it.

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First Corinthians 10 .31 informs us that we cannot over -glorify God. We must give a high opinion of God in everything we do, and that includes the mundane acts of just eating and drinking.

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But have you ever thought about how one can glorify God simply by drinking a cup of water? Well, it's helpful to understand that God can be glorified in two ways.

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Number one, He can be glorified directly. When we use our auditory and visual cues in our communication and our audience walks away understanding that we were deliberately pointing to God, He is glorified directly.

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This happens in preaching, sacred art, and Christian music because the theme is clearly understood to be about nothing other than God and His truth.

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Of course, we can also glorify Him indirectly. Indirect glorification occurs when the audience has prior knowledge that allows them to see beyond the surface communication to the deeper truths.

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For example, to anyone with eyes, a flower can be described as colorful or beautiful. A dozen roses can communicate love and desire.

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But a Christian who looks beyond these simple concepts and views the flower as a stunning creation of God, a symbol of His power, has seen the glory the flower brought

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God indirectly. Psalm 19 .1 depicts this simply with the lines,

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The heavens are telling of the glory of God, and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.

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So first of all, we need to understand that everything either glorifies God directly or indirectly. But second, we need to realize that in the same way we glorify

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God indirectly or directly, His glory can be stolen indirectly or directly.

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A profane tongue will tear down the opinion someone may have of God. A graduate of a

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Christian school turns his back on God's truth and fills social media with atheistic philosophies and harsh criticisms about God and religion.

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This is one way of directly stealing God's glory, and things like this happen all of the time. It's sad how filled

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YouTube is with videos of people just wanting to tear down the God that they supposedly don't even believe in. But number two, it's actually far easier to indirectly steal

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God's glory. See, when we take credit for His working in our lives, we raise our own estimation in others' eyes and undercut

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His. In fact, any time we don't acknowledge God in our lives, we're ignoring Him and indirectly offending Him.

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Please understand this is not somehow more acceptable or quote -unquote not as bad, because sins of omission are just as sinful as sins of commission.

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So today's specific focus is whether or not our secular music glorifies

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God. Let me say from the outset that I believe secular music can and often does indirectly glorify

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God. This is definitely not going to be a podcast about if it has a guitar and drums, it's sin.

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That's not what this is about. In order to determine if our music does glorify God, we need to look at five things that God specifically says

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He hates and that are oftentimes in most secular music. When we find these five ingredients in our favorite tunes, we'll know that God is not pleased by our music, and then we'll be left with the choice whether or not to change.

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And the same thing goes with our kids. If we find these elements in our children's music, we'll know that God's not glorified by their music, and we'll be left with the choice whether or not to help them change.

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Also, let me just say that many of you listening today have young children, likely, who potentially haven't been introduced to what we commonly think about when we say, quote -unquote, secular music.

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But if the song wasn't written directly to or about God, then it is secular. Mary Had a

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Little Lamb, all the songs in My Little Pony, and the music careening through each Disney movie is either going to indirectly glorify

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God, or it's going to indirectly steal what belongs to Him. So, let's start with the most obvious thing

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God hates about much secular music. We're going to call this perversion.

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According to Webster, a perversion is something that improperly changes something good.

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Biblically speaking, perversion is everything that God created that sin confiscates for its own devices.

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See, God created sex, but sin perverts it. God created speech, but sin perverts it. Profanity, lying, sinful sexuality, greed, dishonesty, rebellion, hatred, lust, and immorality are just a few of the examples of common spiritual perversions.

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And if you turn on the radio or skim through iTunes top 10, you'll likely encounter perversion before you finish the first three songs.

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But God says a couple things about this. In Psalm 34 13, He says, keep your tongue from evil.

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In Proverbs 17 20, He says, he that has a perverse tongue falls into mischief. And Proverbs 10 31 says the perverted tongue will be cut out.

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Ouch. It's a sad reality that the vast majority of pop, rap, country,

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R &B, alternative, and rock that our kids are filling their minds with team with perversion.

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Whether it's rebellion against authority, criminal activity, or the ever -present sexuality, today's popular music is brimming with it.

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Many of the songs directly offend God by speaking ill of Him, and all the other perversions indirectly offend

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God because they put the focus on that which He hates. So if your children are listening to music that contains lyrics that are clearly anti -biblical, clearly perverting

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God's original intent, then we know that God hates their music. The second thing we need to watch out for is very closely related.

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It's called suggestion. This is a close cousin to perversion, but its ability to say something without actually using the words makes it that much more dangerous.

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Of course, figurative language has its place, but as with perversion, it must never imply acceptance for that which the

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Lord rejects. Now just because the music doesn't use the word sex doesn't mean it's okay to rock out to.

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I could list off a hundred songs that promote inappropriate physical relationships without ever using the word sex, but they're no less offensive to God.

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Philippians 4 .8 says that whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, just, pure, lovely, whatsoever things are of a good report, if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things.

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Isaiah 1 is an amazing passage full of surprising comments from God. Verse 13 starts a section where God tells the children of Israel to stop doing all the sacrificial things

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He had previously commanded them to do. He tells them to stop because they're doing all the right external things, but inside they're unrighteous and impure.

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What's the implication to this concept of suggestive content? Well, you see, the sacrificial system was a picture of what

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Christ was going to accomplish for us as the perfect sacrificial lamb. It was a picture of what was already in heaven.

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It was a beautiful and tragic image. So if God hates the figurative picture of something beautiful and right when it's offered with a sinful heart, how much more does

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He hate the picture of sin sung with a sinful heart? If your children's music veils its attacks on God's character, then, well,

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God hates their music. Now before I continue to the third item, I want to say that likely your elementary schooler's musical diet probably doesn't include the same level of perversion and suggestion that most quote -unquote grown -up music does.

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But it's still there. A perfect example, it's an older example I know, but it's Disney's Little Mermaid.

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One of Ariel's songs flirts with perverted thinking because it kindles thoughts of rebellion and disrespect.

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This becomes very dangerous because one, we too often view it as, we don't view it as destructive. It's just a kid's song from Disney.

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And two, it's a catchy kid's song from Disney. So because we listen to it a lot and because we're not on guard to protect our minds from perverted thinking, it slides on in, infests our philosophies of life, and begins to change us.

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So, to review, God's not too pleased with your children's music if it has perversion and suggestion in it.

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But number three, He also can't abide wrong association. If I told you that I seriously love rainbows, flowers, and purple hearts, you may come to various conclusions.

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Some of you may scratch a few points off my man card. Others of you are now wondering if my iMac desktop is a flowery mass of hearts and rainbows.

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Why do people automatically jump to conclusions like this when someone says they like rainbows, flowers, and purple hearts? Let me tell you what

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I was really thinking about. I love rainbows because of all of God's promises to man, the rainbow is the only one visible to our physical eyes.

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I love flowers because the first job ordained by God was a gardener. I love getting my hands dirty, planting seeds, watching as God does all the hard work and then allows me to reap the harvest.

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I love purple hearts because I respect the men and women who earn them defending my freedom. You see, association is a subjective thing our minds automatically do in response to our own unique collections of life experiences and our a priori assumptions.

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Here's a real -life example for you 90s kids. If I tell you that I love Green Day's song,

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Good Riddance, sometimes known as Time of Your Life, there's absolutely nothing inappropriate with you assuming that I like Green Day in general or that I enjoy listening to their other songs.

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But I know that Green Day is a godless band whose songs are filled with pretty much all of the things we're talking about here.

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I don't want you assuming that I love Green Day and their music because I don't. I use the band

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Green Day as an example because I spent the majority of my teen years listening to them and I did genuinely like their song

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Good Riddance. But unless I tell you this, Good Riddance is the only song

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I like from Green Day and that I never listen to their other stuff, just that one song, you're likely going to assume

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I still listen to their music. But back to the point, that's what association is. Association is like a chain.

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It links my way of life to another's. Now, I'm fine admitting that association is a subjective thing, but we must not be cavalier simply because, well,

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I can't control what other people are going to think. Paul has an extended discussion about whether or not the

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Christians in Corinth should eat meat lest they wrongly associate themselves with something that could cause a weaker brother to stumble.

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Making sure that our liberty doesn't trip someone else up is called love. Romans 12 .10 says, "...be

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devoted to one another in brotherly love." I love this part. Give preference to one another in honor.

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Other translations say, outdo one another in honor. If your children's music choices clearly associate them with a group, a lifestyle, or an ideology that contradicts

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God's revealed truth, then God hates their music. 4.

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Errant Philosophy Now we're getting into really dangerous territory. Why?

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Well, lyrics that expose failure philosophies are masters of stealth. They sneak in like a ninja and no one realizes their moral compass is missing.

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The early 2000s hailed Taylor Swift as an upstanding role model for young girls. I knew many

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Christian teens whose parents had no problem with them listening to her music. Yet, even as a casual bystander,

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I had to wonder if the parents ever once listened to the lyrics. One of her first breakout hits was called

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Love Story and was about a girl who wants to be with this guy but Dad doesn't like him. So she spends the entire song upset at Dad and eventually sneaks out of the house to meet her quote -unquote

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Romeo. Of course, in the end, Dad finally comes around and allows the boy to propose to her.

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Granted, the song never said anything or implied anything about sex or smoking weed or vandalizing cars, but throughout the entire song,

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Ms. Swift's portrayed a philosophy of life that runs contrary to the

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Bible. If your dad doesn't like your boy, who cares? Sneak out anyway, Dad will eventually come around.

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In another of her more popular songs, she talks about having a drawer of her stuff at her boyfriend's place.

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Why exactly did this guy have a drawer of her stuff at his place? Well, because the implication is that she stayed over.

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Is this something that we want going through our girls' minds over and over and over again as they listen to this song?

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I know I'm quoting a lot of old artists and really I'm doing that for a reason because at some point in the future, any artist

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I name is going to be outdated. But when I initially did this study, a solo artist named

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Pink was still pretty popular. She came out with a song called Perfect, which made everyone feel all warm and squishy inside because we should never think that we are quote, less than perfect.

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Unfortunately, no one will ever see their need for God and run to him for salvation until they realize that they're anything and everything less than perfect.

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Again, I could go on with more modern songs that all do the same thing, but the point's clear. Sure, your favorite artists may not swear and promote binge drinking and hooking up, but when they tell you this, for what is a man, what has he got?

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If not himself, then he has not. To say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels.

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The record shows I took the blows and did it my way. Well, when your song is telling you that, your

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Holy Spirit -tuned conscience should say, whoa, that's not true. Just because it looks good doesn't mean it's from God.

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Consider 2 Timothy 3, 5 -7. Holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power, avoid such menacies.

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For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

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Here's a really great personal example with me and my kids. My wife and I once played Rooster Hannigan and Lily St.

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Regis in the musical Annie. Our song Easy Street is billed as one of the musical's most famous songs, but the lyrics are clearly encouraging a terribly sinful lifestyle of dishonesty, laziness, and greed.

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Still, we played the characters because the story ends with the bad guys losing, and that's a sound biblical principle.

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But we knew we had to talk with our kids when we heard our littlest one warbling on Easy Street from her bedroom.

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We had to explain to her that we weren't going to sing that song around the house because it's teaching bad ideas. Rooster and Lily were bad people, and we don't want to live like them.

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The same's true with Disney's Let It Go. Within the context of the movie, the song makes sense because it's being sung by a very selfish woman who just hurt everyone in her life by making a very foolish choice.

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But when a cute little five -year -old starts singing, it's time to see what I can do to test the limits and breakthrough.

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No right, no wrong, no rules for me. I'm free. You have to wonder if they're being taught

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Christ -honoring philosophies. If your child's music teaches them to deny

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God's worldview. God hates their music. Now, before I move on to our final point,

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I want to say that if this particular idea of errant philosophy really stuck out to you, and you're going, wow, you know what,

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I've never looked at my kid's music that way. I never looked at my music that way. I want you to know that we did another episode.

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It was episode 14 called Kids and Movies, Parenting Your Kids to Success. And it takes the same concept of this errant philosophy that sneaks in into our forms of entertainment.

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And it specifically applies it to movies and TV shows and books. And I would really encourage you to check that out if you haven't heard it yet.

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Again, it's episode 14, Kids and Movies, Parenting Your Kids to Success. All right, now for the fifth point.

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Another thing that often happens with our music or our kids' music that the Lord just cannot tolerate is this, idolatry.

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Now, I hope this last thing that God hates about secular music isn't true of you or your children. But really,

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I fear it may be. As a counselor who deals with teens, I can say with heaping spoonfuls of certainty that most young people love their music too much.

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Have you ever heard it said that music is life? Kids say that all the time. People feel that way because music is really so powerful.

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And as I mentioned in the introduction, it has the ability to connect with my joys and struggles better than almost any other created expression.

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And we have to understand that music does this because God created it to. But see, Satan has hijacked this divine expression and set it up as a substitute for God.

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Consider your children and their music. When they're having a bad day, do they run to their iPod before they run to the

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Scripture? Do they talk to their friends more about their favorite bands and groups and singers than they do

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God? Would they rather drown in their tunes than talk with you on the way to school?

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If any of these are the case, I would say music has become their idol. When we turn to our music before turning to God, our music has taken

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His place. When my music comforts me and excites me more than His truth, my music is my

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God. When you prove with your money and your time and your conversation that music is worth more to you than God, you're worshiping an idol.

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And Jeremiah 25 6 says, So, how does your family's music stack up?

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Does it directly and indirectly glorify God by giving people a higher opinion of Him and His truth?

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Or does your children's music glorify man and sinful pleasures? Listen, I was in a band for over a decade.

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I met out, hung out with, and played with some very talented and very lost musicians. As a teen,

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I idolized my music. I really do get it. I understand how much these songs mean to them. But what does

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God mean to them? Is His plan for your family's life important to you?

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Does changing into the image of His Son rank higher than downloading that new album?

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So, here's a challenge. I want to encourage you to do these three things. Number one, know what your kid is listening to.

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The chances that your child is hiding music or listening to things you don't know about is statistically very high.

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Be premeditated and intentional about keeping your children accountable. And this goes for what your kids aren't necessarily hiding.

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You let them watch this little TV show on Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel. Because, you know, for the content and whatnot, it's okay.

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But what are the songs like? You need to know what your kids are listening to. Number two, test their music using these five things we've talked about today.

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Is it perverted or suggestive? Does it promote inappropriate association? Is it filled with errant philosophy?

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Has it become their God? And be honest. Compare their songs to God's truth.

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And number three, ask for help. Confronting your kids on this may be very difficult.

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Especially if you've been listening to and promoting the same music yourself. I and other God -loving counselors would covet the opportunity to help your family conform to God's image in this arena of what they listen to.

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If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me at counselor at evermindministries .com. Seek out your pastor.

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We'd love to show you what God's Word says about your music. But more importantly, we'd love to show you what

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God's Word says about your family, and how they can have the most amazing relationship with Him.

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Remember, no one can glorify God with his life if large chunks of it are stealing his glory.

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We need to purify our families of the perversion, suggestion, sinful association, errant philosophy, and idolatry in our playlists, and embrace that which pleases

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Him. If this conversation has sparked questions or concerns, I would encourage you to join us on Friday for How the

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World Trains Your Kids to Fail. We'll be looking at just one song written by a girl who once claimed to be a

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Christian to see how it's been used to drag our kids away from God. We also have a link to extensive notes for this episode in the description.

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And don't forget to like and follow TLP on Facebook and at AM Brewster on Twitter.

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And as I mentioned before, be sure to rate and review, subscribe and share this podcast. If you haven't reviewed or rated us yet, please take a handful of seconds.

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When we get high ratings and solid reviews, it enables more people to find us and to hear shows like this. And until next time, may

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God be glorified in everything your family says and does and listens to today. Truth.

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Love. Parent. is part of the Evermind Ministries family and is dedicated to helping you become an intentional premeditated parent.

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Join us next time as we search God's word for the truth your family needs today.