Going to war

This is my
independence day
so look out world
out of the way
gonna be some change
tearing off my flesh
putting on the new man
that's what I'ma do
put myself to death
all these worldy things
putem in a grave
then I'll let you bury them
don't need'em any more
see today I'm at war
gonna see the difference
in the way I hold my stance
yeah them words you got hurt
but I'm dead to'em now
buried with my self
my ego's dead to man
hold my head up
filling with the spirit
set myself on fire
running for the LORD
and you know I'll never tire
looking forward to the day
when I leave this all behind
but I'll be fightin' til I retire
all in I am
and you heard that right
no gloves needed
this a bare knuckle fight
it's a war within my self
and that's why I died
buried in the water
raised up in Christ
walking in the spirit
just too tired of living
in mans world
listen to them lies
that even turn you fam
just can't see it
what some trials are for
so I pray to God and ask Him
give me wisdom for this war
He'll never leave me nor forsake me
and I can't be plucked from his hand
so I rest secure in this
and serve Him how I can
I know I'm not the best
my life ain't perfect
that God above
He loved me anyway
so today's a new one
full of promise and hope
and let that ole devil
think he's got me on the ropes
I know the one that wins it
the one that's on my side
and though you may not believe
He's the reason I'm alive
so I'll stand firm in belief
and worry not for tomorrow
cause no matter where I go
the LORD is sure to follow
and I know He's with me
directing my path
I see His light shining
in the darkest of the night
and though I've been down
I know that I'll arise
Just like my God in Heaven
Jesus Christ, The Messiah
He's my protector and my keeper
a shepherd to my flock
I remember very clearly
hearing when He knocked
I opened up the door
and opened up my life
to praise, worship and serve Him
even if it cost my life
cause he breathed life in me
and it's nothing to gain the world
cause if I lose my soul
I've surely lost it all
So war has come
and casualties will fall
sins of flesh, sins of mind
all gonna be left behind
laying down my life
at the Saviors feet
that he might judge me worthy
of all that I've been given
So goodbye flesh
I know you no more
today's the day I finally fight
this is my declaration of war

That so called Christian music of yours has the devil in it!

This is the attitude I get at times. See I listen to Christian rock and rap. I'm not really down with the country sounding or old time bluegrass sounding stuff. And I invariably, (I really hope I used that word correctly) end up getting someone that tells me my music is "full of the devil", or it "sounds too much like what they play in the bars."
I am told of the wholesome Christian values of "gospel" groups. Look at how they carry themselves, they aren't loud, they dress respectably, they __________.
While my purple haired freaks are nothing but loud, "I can't understand what they're saying," how do you know they're Christian?
Well for me, I research, I find out as much as I can about the groups I like, have you did the same for the gospel groups you like? Or do you just take their word for it when they swing through your church, and set up their table in back to sale some cd's.
I'm not saying all of this to say there is anything wrong with your music of choice, so let me change the subject a bit to books.
See I like books and here lately I have been purchasing books to better help me preach, to use as study aides. My grandfather was telling me that preachers called by God don't need any help, they don't need to read commentaries, that those types of books are harmful, that a preacher called by God should be able to step up in the pulpit and preach something he didn't study on, should be able to preach without any notes.
And maybe that's true, maybe I just haven't studied enough to feel comfortable enough to fly by the seat of my pants as it were. But I think if it's important enough for God to give it to me, that he would want me to take some notes, to make sure I stay on the point he has given me, and not drift off onto a point that is strictly from me.
As for commentaries, if I'm not to use them, should I not listen to preaching either, if I do, am I not just getting that preachers opinion of the scriptures the same as he had written a commentary on them?
He told me that I should be careful with those books, since they were written by man, the devil could be in them.
So the devil is in my books, he's in my music.
Here's a song I'm really liking right now, Salt and the Light by Sent by Ravens.

So the devil is in there, guess I should have told you that before you listened to the song, right?
This is my point to all this, sure, the devil could be in there, 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"
So yeah, he out there, and I am vigilant.
When Noah got off the ark, the devil was there too.
But I'll do you one better, there was once a place that was as perfect as could be, it was called the Garden of Eden, and guess who was there? Satan was!
As perfect and unspoiled as Eden was, satan was there.
When Christ chose his disciples, one of the twelve was a devil, and Christ himself chose them!
How then must I think it strange that satan might be in some words of man, or song I listen to?
I don't, like I said, I'm vigilant, but are you as vigilant towards the "gospel" groups you listen to?
That's right, I'm saying that the devil is just as likely to be in those pretty gospel groups you like as those rocking Christians I like.
But many won't hear that, I know from experience, I am told that I am speaking non-sense.
Maybe it's the way I always made my argument in the past.
I would be told that the devil used things that were pleasing to the eye, the ear, whatever, to get to you, and I would respond that he couldn't use my music to get to this person as they didn't find my music pleasing, I would say that since they found gospel music to be pleasing, that is where satan would try to reach them.
Again, I was told it was foolishness.
Apparently satan would be unable to tempt good God loving gospel singers, or to use them, to promote a false gospel, no, couldn't happen. They're "good" God loving people.
Luke 18:19 says, "And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God."
None good, not even Christ himself was to be called good, and he was spotless!
Look through the Bible, look at the chosen of God who have faltered, but no, not your gospel group, I remember, they're "good," not like those heathenish groups I listen to.
Look at what the people that listen to that music look like, they say, there is something wrong with them or they wouldn't dress like that, it's the devil in them they say.
Maybe I missed it, but did Judas dress differently that the other disciples?
My point is, satan is no more likely to be in my music than he is yours.
There are many that use versions of the Bible other than the King James Version, and are worried that my music is leading me astray.
Now I want you to look out at those "purple haired freaks," do you think they need Christ? Are your gospel singers going where they are at to tell them about the gospel of Christ? Or are they just coming to church functions to sing?
I know some who are going out there where they are, bands like Fireflight and Lecrae. There are many, many, many others, that are going out and trying to reach those that aren't in church with the gospel.
If you're only singing in the church, you aren't going to reach those that aren't in church.
I'm not writing this to change minds, or to influence your listening habits, it was just eating at me all day, that one type of music or person was susceptible to fall to satan while another was protected from him by virtue of how they dressed and sang.
We send missionaries all over the world to reach the lost, churches serve as sponsors to support these mission fields, and yet, we walk daily beside the lost and won't open our mouths to speak the truth to them.
We will separate ourselves from other Christians just because their Christian music doesn't live up to what you think Christian music should be.
We separate ourselves from brothers that will need us, and if anything, that is how satan uses the music to get to us, so that when we are down, when we are at our most vulnerable to attack from the devil, when things have been going badly and we just need someone to be our brother, he's instead isolated us, by telling us it mattered what music we listened to.
And in isolation, the satan devours us.
Just think about this for a minute, when the lion is about to go grab a gazelle, does he get the one that is in the midst of the herd, or does he get that one that's weak, that is slow, that is separated from the herd?
A lot of folks have their herd at churches all over the country, and there they feel safe from the attack, so why do we wound our brothers and leave them vulnerable. Why when a person misses church are they more afraid of what will be said about the one missed day, than about missing what God has in store for them. Why are they so afraid of what will be said they they stay out rather than return. How come we don't welcome them back and lift them up, rather than say things that, whether we intended them to or not, wound them.
I was out of the pack for a while, and I was very weak, even going to church felt weird to me. Satan was licking his chops, he was ready to dig in, he had a meal ready to go.
Then things got bad for me, I lost my wife, I was truly alone. I had family that helped me, my brother that looks out for me more than I ever thought possible, and it makes me sad sometimes because I'm the older brother and I feel like I should be looking out for him, but just when satan had his teeth bared, lunging for me, claws outstretched, my brother grabbed me by the arm and pulled me into God's waiting arms.
Things haven't been the same since, and I'm still growing, still trying to serve more.
But what if I hadn't had a brother to pull me from that fate?
Many don't, and fall right to satans waiting teeth.
In twelve years out of church, I can't remember the church I had grown up going to trying to reach me, to find out if I was okay, to see if they could get me back into church.
I had an uncle that went there that did, but if we are brethren, I don't live in that big of a city, and there are churches everywhere, and the more I think about it, the more it breaks my heart, that there are any out there without a brother to call on when satan is at the door.
How many have descended into hells on earth without ever having the gospel delivered in a loving way?
So many going to hell, and we're busy arguing over what music I should listen to.
It's a shame.