“How do I decide what secular music is safe to listen to?” This is a question I get asked a lot.

When I first made that decision to make Jesus the Lord of my life, I inevitably had to change many of my lifestyle choices. My habits, my appetites, my speech, my thought life… the unimaginably long list goes on.

I sought to live out the transformed and abundant life, “working out” (exercising) my salvation with “fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). I wanted to make good on the cheque that my heart wrote when I said “yes” to God.

Of course, I struggled with adjusting many of these areas to a biblical standard, and that’s normal. No one has their life perfect in every area. But wherever we are at, we make the decision to give our whole heart in trying, and that’s what I was determined to do.

I’d always loved music. But I knew that not all of it was good for my spiritual health.

A large part of my life that needed adjusting was the music I’d been listening to. I’d always loved music. But I knew that not all of it was good for my spiritual health. Many of you might have that concern, and I would love to share with you how I navigate these tricky waters.

But first, I think it’s important to clarify that music is of God and from God. He’s the original Creator of all music, regardless of style or genre (which are merely subjective artistic expressions). It’s what’s behind the music that matters.

I’ll explain my 3 key considerations below.

1. CONVICTION

Is God convicting me to refrain from listening to any artist, if only for this season?

If so, I would obey, because He knows best what helps and what harms me. He knows my needs for the season and some songs may be counter-productive to what I need right now.

For example, I once felt led by the Lord to refrain from listening to any and all secular music for 40 days. Can you imagine how gutted I felt when I first heard this?

Yet, I found it to be an utterly refreshing period during which I got so much clarity on what I needed to do for that season.

If God tells me to refrain from an artist, it may not be because they’re bad necessarily – it could simply be clutter or a distraction.

I don’t have to find out why. I simply need to say: “Indeed, God. Indeed.”

2. TOLERANCE

I believe each individual has a different level of tolerance for art-induced thoughts and emotions.

For example, my dad hates techno because it causes him to feel anxious and may even cause him to drive faster. In this case, he has a low tolerance. In other words, his thoughts and emotions react easily to music.

Interestingly, those were genes I did not inherit because I have an extremely high tolerance, which means I barely get affected psychologically or emotionally by a piece of music unless I listen to it perhaps for 24 hours straight (which I have never done nor will I ever do).

So ask yourself: “What is my level of tolerance?”

I’m not saying that you should toe the line by listening to KoRn every day simply because you think you have a higher tolerance and won’t react easily to its angst.

This is just one metric we all need to consider in making an informed decision.

3. CONTENT

If I did not receive a clear conviction from God about a certain artist, then I would analyse the lyrical content of the song objectively (not applicable to instrumental pieces, except perhaps its title).

Then I ask myself: Does this glorify God or bring me closer to Jesus? If so, I listen. If not, I refrain.

As I mentioned earlier, what’s more important isn’t the style, but the content or the spirit behind each piece. Where does it come from – a place of godliness, of anger, or a neutral space?

Personally, I’m a proud metalhead. I love metal for its technicality, speed, dissonance and sonic quality (heavy, distorted and headbang-worthy).

I know there are some who condemn this genre because of how it has been portrayed over the years, but what matters to me is that my listening choices don’t glorify Satan, negatively affect my thoughts and emotions (rarely does any music ever), or draw me away from my first love, Jesus.

I’d just like to make a note on the importance of listening to as wide an array of musical styles as possible. Widening my listening palette beyond praise and worship music has broadened my musical appreciation, understanding and skill.

It has challenged preconceived ideas, forced me to dig deeper and as a result, helped in my musical development. I would even go as far to say that a majority of what informs my musical style and creative process (as expressed in my bass-playing for AG’s albums, Our Light Has Come and To God Be The Glory) came from beyond church walls.

I strongly encourage you to take a step of adventure and bravery. Invest in your musical mind. Wiki a genre or style you’ve never heard (of) and listen to three songs by three of this genre’s most influential artists.

What will it be? Ragtime? Ska? Industrial dance music (IDM)? Romantic-era classical? The possibilities are endless!

Though I hope my personal list of considerations helps streamline what you listen to, you would know best at the end of the day. Happy listening!

This article was first published on Awaken Generation’s (AG) website and is republished with permission. Shawn is a mentor for bass + guitar in AG’s worship & music mentorship programme, and school applications for the 2021 intake are now open.