"They Sold Their Souls for Rock n Roll"

Recently Brandon and I watched a "rockumentary" called "They Sold Their Souls for Rock n Roll". It's about the power Satan has over the lives of people in rock music and people world wide who are influenced by rock n' roll. It's a very powerful and very poignantly truthful account of the rock n' roll industry. It's extremely haunting and really makes you think and question everything. It's a lot for me to blog about but if you would like to know more visit www.goodfight.org. I encourage all Christians to watch it and take a glance into there own lives. Here is a bit of my own reflection.

After watching the DVD I was curious about my own musical influences. Since I do like several types of music, not only Christian but secular music as well, I was curious to find out how many of the people I listen to might have also fallen short and sold their "souls to Satan" at the price of fame and fortune. Here is what I discovered.

These are artists that I have in my iTunes that I believe have denounced God's teachings and have followed a different path. I don't want to proclaim that they "sold their souls", but through their lyrics and lifestyle choices one can observe that they do not proclaim biblical truths in their music.

Amy Winehouse: She gave into the temptations of drug abuse and will probably die from it. She had fame but could never quite get grip on reality.
Ashley Simpson: She was in the shadow of her older sibling for years and when she finally broke out of her shell she was praised for breaking all the rules and following a new path. This path was not God's path.
Ben Harper: His album cover for Fight For Your Mind is a depiction of himself in agony engulfed in what appears to be the fires of hell.
Panic! At The Disco in their song I write Sins Not Tragedies undermines the sanctity of marriage and also uses God's name in vain. Are we so jaded as a society that we don't even notice theses details and skip over the lies told in songs like these all for the sake of listening to a catchy tune? I think I'm somewhat guilty of falling into this trap. When your are constantly bombarded by the same lies told to you over and over again you become comfortable in hearing those lies even if you know they are lies. The reality is this: Society is way to comfortable with lying.
Taking Back Sunday: Sunday is suppose to be a day for God. To honor and worship Him. Are we really willing to say it's right to take back Sunday. The very name of this band acknowledges that it's not our day in the first place. So why is this band promoting the idea to take back something that was not given to us to do as they or we will. Do we deserve it? The world says we deserve it. The world proclaims if you earn it's yours, but the bible states what's yours comes from God. Satan has power over this if we let him. He can destroy you if you let him. He can make you believe that it is by your own power that you make you who are, but I think it is by God's grace that you are who you are. I might have stretched a little on this one to come to that conclusion, but after watching that documentary, it has really forced me to look at reality and society and what I stand for in a whole new way.

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Watch out for false prophets. They come
to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." –Matthew 7:13-15

These are only a handful of artists I decided to take a second look at. I can't testify that they did in fact "sell their souls" to the Devil, but what their lyrics and music suggest appears to to do just that. I like the saying, "If it looks like a dog, and acts like a dog it must be a dog" even it's not. I think this applies to those artists who think that even if they don't believe in the crap they are selling they still have to own up to the power it has over their fans who buy into it.

I liked this music for it's popularity and catchy tunes, but I believe I too have been a pawn in Satan's attempt to destroy and persuade people not follow God but rather follow our own rules. Forget right and wrong, you create your own destiny. This is a powerful statement that a lot of people have come to accept and use in their own lives. However, if you follow your own paths and give yourself up to this world, you will die, but God gives us hope. Jesus did not come to save the righteous. He came to save the sinners. Turn your life and eyes upon God and He will truly deliver you from Satan's grips and give you eternal life.

“Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:13-16)

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” –Philippians 2:9-11