Does listening to worldly Music harmful to a Christian?

I am a music lover. By now, everybody should know that. However, do you know which are the hymns and choruses that are close to my heart and why I like them? In this short sharing, I will tell you a little bit more and why I love them in a personal way. I strongly recommend that you have the Revival Hymns and Choruses (RHC) and Then Sings my Soul (TSMS) song books with you as you continue reading.

Before I start, I want to address one problem that we may have but we just choose to ignore it. That is the problem of listening to worldly songs. In my sharing, I will not comment on Charismatic Songs or Hill Songs as they are not so serious. Well, how do we define worldly songs? Worldly songs are tunes and lyrics that contain the philosophy of the world. Some of us will argue that “Come on la, it is OK! I WILL NOT be affected by the lyrics! I KNOW MY LIMITS! I CAN CONTROL myself!” Notice the words in BOLD. I have a few questions to post to you:

1)Are you really sure that it is OK? What happens when the Lord suddenly returns, will He be pleased with what you are listening to? (it is OK)
2)How many times have you sung these songs knowingly or unknowingly? (WILL NOT be affected)
3)Do you feel like dancing to the tempo of the music sometimes? (KNOW MY LIMITS)
4)Do you watch pop concert, Singapore Idol, American Idol or Superstar on television and waste such precious time when you can read a christian book or the Bible? (CAN CONTROL myself)

Dear brethren, stop deceiving yourself! I have been through all that! In your sub-conscious mind, you are already affected. You will discuss what you hear with your friends. You will sing the songs unknowingly when you pass by a shopping centre playing the song. You will satisfy your flesh and feel good about the worldly songs. You will think that watching concert is just a form of relaxation. It is written in 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” and in 1 Peter 1:16 “Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.” and in Daniel 1:8 “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.” and in 1Corinthians 10:23 “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.” If you know that it is going to affect you, why put yourself to such a test?

Well I have said enough, godly advice given but the decision lies with you. Thank God that I have decided to stop listening to Chinese Pop Music 93.3 FM and have switched to Classical Music 92.7 FM instead. I decided to put a stop and I do not want to deceive myself. It is my sincere plead that you will stop listening to such music if you are still doing so. Thank God that this decision has greatly improved my appreciation of sacred music. Now I tend to avoid such worldly music so as not to be affected by it. Thank God also that I can appreciate hymns and choruses better as I practise playing them on my piano.