Listening to Non Christian songs (Zefen).
I do think it is VERY WRONG to listen to non Christian songs (zefen) for Christians. If we think about it, how can we praise God and others (specifically the opposite sex) with the same words?
There was a time in my Christian walk where I used to listen both mezmur (Christian songs) and secular songs. But then, a time came where I had the understanding that I shouldn’t be doing this anymore. I was listening to an Amharic secular song one day and started paying attention to the words that this female singer used in her song (it was a love song of course)… and I noticed that I used those same exact words in mezmurs before.
For example we say the following when we praise God:- I love You Lord, You are all I want, You are all I need, I will follow You for the days of my life, You are my life, You are my heart’s desire, You are my joy, You are my satisfaction, In You I get my rest, or You rest my soul, You are my peace, You are my refuge, I will meditate about You all day & night, etc…etc…
Secular songs basically substitute the “You = God” in these phrases. So, I stopped listening to secular music after this understanding, cause I didn’t really want to use my mouth to praise two completely different gods. I didn’t wanna be a lukewarm Christian anymore that Jesus would want to spit out (Revelation 3:15-16). I wanted to draw a line and separate myself from all the uncleanness of this world, cause that’s really what God is calling us to when He separate and sanctify us from this world by the Holy and precious blood of His Son Jesus Christ (2 Chorinthians 6:14-18; especially verse 17 – “Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you”
Now, I believe one thing, we have to be wise and feed the new child in Christ, i.e. the one born from the Spirit, all the right stuff.
Do we feed a new born baby sand & small stones? No, but we give it milk! It’s the same thing with our spiritual self, if we feed ourselves the things of this world, it’s like feeding sand to a new born baby… it will hurt & harm us. Plus we won’t grow. The only good food we should feed this spiritual child is found in the word of God and all the other spiritual things for our benefits including mezmur. --- 1 Peter 2:2 “as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,”
Last modified by Berya7 on Apr 19 2008 12:41PM
