Music for the Soul. DANGEROUS!

Last blog post you learned the physical consequences for listening to certain songs. As the title suggests, music for the soul is the satan's number one weapon, as the soul is linked to emotions. Once he touches your emotions through music he gains access to your innermost feelings. Once that access is obtained he then controls the person as a mere puppet. 


Devil's recipes:


Are you angry? Listen to Heavy Metal, Punk Rock. 


Are you in love? Listen to love songs. 


Wanna take a puff? Listen to Hip Hop, Garage or the like. 


Do you want to spur that rage inside you? Rap is what you need. Need a stronger dose? EMINEM is excellent to drive you crazy. 


Are you happy? Listen to... happy songs, I guess. 


In other words, there's a song for any kind of mood. He can control you as it pleases him. 
  
Well, I warned you before, can you stand the truth? If not yet so then I'm using the Bible as my last resource to bring you to your senses:  



"You were in Eden, the garden of God; 
Every precious stone was your covering: 
The sardius, topaz and diamond; 
Beryl, onyx and jasper; 
Sapphire, turquoise and emerald with gold. 
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes 
Was prepared for you on the day you were created." - Ez 28:13



Luke Castro
YPG National Coordinator

Can You Stand the Truth?

In most of my meetings I make sure I mention the danger some music imposes on us and I've noticed most youths find it really hard to believe in what  I'm saying. Some even think I'm trying to dictate their lives by telling them what not to listen to. Well, I decided to share with you what this secular pediatric website has to say. Even though it's from a physical point of view, the outcome is pretty much the same as of the spiritual one in the meetings.

Objective: To perform a comprehensive content analysis of substance use in contemporary popular music.

Design: We analyzed the 279 most popular songs of 2005 according to Billboard magazine. Two coders working independently used a standardized data collection instrument to code portrayals of substance use.

Outcome Measures: Presence and explicit use of substances and motivations for, associations with, and consequences of substance use.

Results: Of the 279 songs, 93 (33.3%) portrayed substance use, with an average of 35.2 substance references per song-hour. Portrayal of substance use varied significantly (P < .001) by genre, with 1 or more references in 3 of 35 pop songs (9%), 9 of 66 rock songs (14%), 11 of 55 R & B/hip-hop songs (20%), 22 of 61 country songs (36%), and 48 of 62 rap songs (77%). While only 2.9% of the 279 songs portrayed tobacco use, 23.7% depicted alcohol use, 13.6% depicted marijuana use, and 11.5% depicted other or unspecified substance use. In the 93 songs with substance use, it was most often motivated by peer/social pressure (45 [48%]) or sex (28 [30%]); use was commonly associated with partying (50 [54%]), sex (43 [46%]), violence (27 [29%]), and/or humor (22 [24%]). Only 4 songs (4%) contained explicit anti-use messages, and none portrayed substance refusal. Most songs with substance use (63 [68%]) portrayed more positive than negative consequences; these positive consequences were most commonly social, sexual, financial, or emotional.

Conclusions: The average adolescent is exposed to approximately 84 references to explicit substance use daily in popular songs, and this exposure varies widely by musical genre. The substance use depicted in popular music is frequently motivated by peer acceptance and sex, and it has highly positive associations and consequences.

*Excerpted from: http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/162/2/169

To be continue...

Luke Castro

YPG National Coordinator

Are you digging deep?

Depending on a person's decisions and actions, they can either be building a house that will withstand a hurricane or one that will get blown away by the first winds. Both individuals are given the same instructions and tools to do the job. However, when  a storm comes, only one house will remain standing. Why?

The Lord Jesus explains why in the book of Luke.

"But why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do the things which I say? Who ever come to me, and hear My sayings and do them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house; he dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great." (Luke 6 46-49)

From looking at this passage, we can clearly see the difference between those who hear Jesus’ sayings and put them to practice, and those who heard but failed to act. However, let’s all focus our attention to the part of this passage that states '...dug deep...' and '…laid the foundation on the rock...'

What do we understand from the term '...he who dug deep...'? Well we know that earlier in the passage, Jesus compares this person to the one that hears His sayings and does them. So, this shows that in order to do what God asks of us, it takes sacrifice. As digging a pit is not easy and involves sweating, getting our hands dirty, etc, digging deep in practical means staying away from the things of this world, reading the Bible, seeking the Holy Spirit, praying, fasting, obeying the Word of God and doing all that is required to receive His presence.

Many people confuse the meaning of the other term from this passage which states '...laid the foundation on the rock...' If a foundation is simply laid upon a rock, make no mistake; it can be moved. However, to dig into a rock and lay the foundation makes it very different. This foundation becomes unshakable. (Usually, when people dig into the earth and come across a rock in their path, the only way of removing such rocks could be by using dynamite). This just illustrates how hard we have to work.

The process of digging and laying the foundation upon the rock would be very lengthy and hard; but the motivation we should have in choosing to do so is the assurance that our base is sound and unshakable, which is Lord Jesus.

As for the other person mentioned in this passage, we see that he saw no importance in digging deep and laying his foundation. These set of individuals become more concerned with the appearance of their house. Youth who are like this person usually start off very strong, but along the way, they become complacent. Youths such as these are not really bothered about investing in their faith. They come to church and make weak prayers and think it's okay to miss important services during the week.

"These set of individuals become more concerned with the

appearance of their house. Youth who are like this person usually

start off very strong, but along the way, they become complacent... "

Their houses are already built. Since they are convinced that their work is finished, they become idle; leaving their minds open to thoughts and suggestions. What happens next is that the stream will rise.

They will face persecutions, temptations, accusations and problems that will make them fall.

Pr Luke Castro

YPG National Coordinator