I gave up secular music

It’s been a little over a year since I listened to any type of music that wasn’t glorying God. I went from having a playlist filled with hundreds of songs about heartbreak, hot girl summers, and lust to a fire collection of worship songs that feed my spirit what it needs.

I used to be the type of Christian who thought there was nothing wrong with listening to worldly music as long as it didn’t cuss too much or promote violence, too much. Even if a song didn’t have a good message, I would download the ‘edited’ version and think everything was all good. That all changed last year when God convicted me for supporting Beyonce’, my once favorite singer/celebrity. The decision to say goodbye to Beyonce’ was one of the hardest things I’ve done, but also one of the most freeing. Not only did God call me to let her go, but he also called me to let go of all other music that wasn’t giving him the glory. But why?

The first reason is because of the demonic influence within the secular music industry. The devil is really using the music industry to corrupt humanity. In the past, the ties between the music industry and darkness were up for debate, but today the visuals and sinister agendas in most lyrics and music videos are too blatant to be argued. Obvious symbolism aside, all secular music seems to talk about is fornication, lying, cheating, and everything else that goes directly against God’s word. Even when a song sounds relatively sin-free, the artist who performed the song will nine times out of 10 lead you from PG to PG-13, rated R, and so on. Look at Ariana Grande, Chloe X Halle, and Lil Nas X. I enjoyed their music when they first started their careers. They were introduced as so innocent that even children could listen, but after some time they changed. Ariana started using F-bombs in her lyrics, Chloe does rated X videos now, and Lil Nas X began sliding down stripper poles and giving lap dances to satan- literally. Secular music artists seem to always end up coming into agreement with a satanic lifestyle, and by supporting them you align yourself with the same agreement. Many artists/songs seem innocent in the beginning, but the devil is a master of deception. He knows how to reel you in and then switch the bait right before you’re on the hook. The devil is sneaky, yet effective. If you crack the door to your spirit, he will kick it wide open and let himself in.

The next reason I let go of secular music is that it does nothing good for my spirit. Let’s take heartbreak for example. I’ve been hurt by relationships a few times in my life, and to cope I would listen to one of two types of music. My playlist would either be songs about heartache and breakups by artists like Beyonce, HER, Queen Naija, and Mariah Carey. OR, I would listen to what’s now considered ‘hot girl music’ like Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, and Meg the Stallion. The breakup songs, although very relatable, would feel good to listen to temporarily, but keep me in a state of melancholy. Singing along to the top of my lungs about how someone broke my heart was therapeutic in the moment, but the music would linger in my soul and leave my spirit feeling depressed and hopeless when it came to love.

Then there was the hot girl music- female rap songs that promoted the idea of not ‘catching feelings’ for men. The lyrics praised promiscuity, prostitution, and the ‘play men before they play you’ mentality as means of empowerment when according to God, those actions destroy your temple and harden your heart. Thankfully, I was never the type to act out the lyrics, but I would passionately rap along and allow my flesh to take pleasure in cursing men. I thought I was curing my anger by releasing it into the atmosphere through music but I was actually allowing myself to fall victim to my flesh. I let myself bask in the hurt instead of going to God to heal my broken spirit. Secular music had me coping like the wicked instead of asking God to give me a new heart and cleanse me of the hurt, pain, and unforgiveness.

Even love songs can be stumbling blocks to a Christian walk. Specifically, the unmarried Christian.

The last reason I decided to let go of secular music is I realized how lit Gospel music can be. No matter what genre you’re into, there’s a sound for everyone. I love all genres of music especially R&B and music with a dope beat so it was a blessing to see how much Christian Soul and Hip-Hop evolved from what it was years ago. When I first gave up secular music I was worried about what I would listen to to get me hyped when I go the gym. It turns out that there are some FIRE gospel songs with banger beats that got me more energized for a workout than Cardi B ever did. For almost every artist I listened to in the world, I was able to find a Christian artist who had a similar sound but was better and made music for the kingdom instead.

Almost any time someone gets in my car they ask me who I’m listening to because the beat knocks and the message is so positive. It leaves the spirit refreshed instead of grieved and it brings hope and not sadness. Now that I’ve been listening to Gospel only, I always have a song stuck in my head that increases my faith instead of a song that promotes something not pleasing to God. It’s an amazing feeling. So far, it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made and I’m so thankful God removed the scales from my eyes so I could see how I was hindering my spiritual growth.

This is actually the second time God told me to do such a thing. The first time was back in junior high school when I was a part of my church youth group. We all agreed to stop listening to “worldly” music because of the bad messages it came with. That was even before discovering the actual witchcraft used in the Hollywood music industry. Not listening to worldly music lasted for a while, but slowly I was sucked back in. This time around, I have a better understanding of how music affects the soul.

For me, giving up secular music was a scary thought at first because of all the nostalgia that comes with it. Plus, in today’s society it’s tempting to use a secular song to match Tik-Toc or Instagram Reel (which I used to do). Secular music is everywhere- the skating read, out at dinner, during sporting events -all of my favorite places. I also think about all of the secular songs I want to play at my wedding one day. I have mixed emotions about some old school music, but either way I got rid of it all and I haven’t had any regrets.

I know there are some out there who may not agree with me, but I would like to challenge anyone who still listens to secular music to let go of it for 30 days and see how your spirit reacts. If you’re a music lover like me it can be hard at first, but I’d be willing to bet you’ll find something so much better. Don’t let the devil trick you into thinking you’ll be missing out on something. I can definitely help you out with recommendations. I have playlists for when I’m working out, praying, cleaning, girls nights, etc. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Comment below if you’d like help finding new music to download or just let me know how you feel about secular music overall.

Thanks for reading!

With love,

Veronica