Music, one of the poisons in my life........

[Michael713]

Ok, I know there's more people like me out there......

I've always known throughout my entire life somehow that God is there......
Only recently, however, have I come to really know Jesus Christ......
I've been a Christian for only about 1 yr. now.....

Music is one of the poisons in my life that I am finding very difficult to get rid of.......

I listen to rap..........NOT Hip-hop (the stuff u hear on the radio)..........
but the real hardcore, gun slinging, drug selling, cussing-alot type of stuff......

Now, I KNOW its bad and I DO want to listen to something else, but its real difficult b/c I've been listening to this stuff for 11 years now......

I dont really like any other type of music, but I'm slowly getting there.......

I swear, sin is worse than ANY drug known to man........

 

[ps139]

Hey bro, it can be tough to get rid of any bad habit. It seems you are attracted to the music and detest the lyrics. I know there are some Christian rap artists out there who are really good. I heard a Christian rap song by an artist named "Souljahz." It was amazing. And I am pretty selective in my music tastes I dont throw that around lightly. I dont know much about Christian rap but it is out there and maybe that will help you out?

 

[Bohemian]

Music is one of the poisons in my life that I am finding very difficult to get rid of.......

You should change that to "Rap is one of the poisons in my life that I am finding very difficult to get rid of.......". Try listening to a wide range of music, just to see if someting catches your ear.

 

[CoCoChiCa33]

Souljahs is a great group, along with Grits, T-Bone, and KJ52. Christian rap has so many different styles within itself that there is surely something out there for you. I was also having trouble with listening to secular music, until I found a good alternative. I still occasionally slip for my favorite songs, but I just pop in my Grits cd and I'm good.

 

[enjolras]

hey mate! im no lover of rap of any kinds - its about the only type of music i dont like - however i agree with bohemian. there is always somthing else, even if it is different to most other people - like jazz or older stuff - but keep listening to other stuff and somthing will grab you in the end, somthing always does

if things get hard prayer is always a good way to help

god bless

enjolras

 

[caillan]

Something you could consider is throwing out all your CDs with the songs on them that you know are not pleasing to the Lord. Since I became a Christian I threw out the videos, CDs, cassettes etc. that I knew were not going to serve me well in life...others that are not acceptable to you but are not necessarily un-Christian can be sold easily on Amazon or ebay. I've bought some cracking Christian music with the proceeds so I benefit twice over.

 

[ps139]

You should change that to "Rap is one of the poisons in my life that I am finding very difficult to get rid of.......". Try listening to a wide range of music, just to see if someting catches your ear.

Good point. If it helps - I used to only listen to rap. Thats it. Then I only used to listen to electronic music. I used to say about rock "I dont like 'guitar songs."
Now I play guitar in a rock band hahaha.
The more stuff you listen to, you will recognize what is good music. And truly good music transcends genre.

 

[Kats]

I'm with others -- Rap is the one thing I can't STAND to listen to! LoL! But just the same, I know my cousin is very interested christian Rap and she is so much more knowledgable than me with this. I'm all about souljahs though. That's the one area I will venture within this type of music. Blame it all on my cousin! LoL! Just listen to what's out there! I'm sure you can find something that fits your taste!

It's gotta be out there, just trust you can find it. That's my advice, and I know, it isn't all that great!

 

[Michael713]

Something you could consider is throwing out all your CDs with the songs on them that you know are not pleasing to the Lord. Since I became a Christian I threw out the videos, CDs, cassettes etc. that I knew were not going to serve me well in life...others that are not acceptable to you but are not necessarily un-Christian can be sold easily on Amazon or ebay. I've bought some cracking Christian music with the proceeds so I benefit twice over.

I've almost done that three times........but something keeps me from doing it...

 

[WitchBaby]

Are you saying that the rap songs make you do drugs or go out and kill someone? Or what? If songs could make you do something we'd all love one another since there are far more sappy love songs than anything else.

Yeah, just listen to other stuff...

 

[ina]

i used to listen to ur everyday music.. but wanted to listen to christian music. unless u r aware of what is out there, u dont have much idea of what to look for. i love the traditional hymns, but i have acquired a love for hosanna music now. my fiance introduced me to ron kenoly....

needless to say i have to of his cds but i dont play any other music than that now. my his songs r great. they can bring tears to ur eyes.. maybe u can try his music, and see how u go..

i give thanx to the Lord, for such blessings in music like this. we give Him thanx in everything good.. good does conquer evil.. u will find the right music, goodluck.. and God Bless..

 

[MetalBlade]

This is the way I look at it. Music is just another tool for society. People are stupid and so they give into the music. One of my favorite bands is Slayer (which is very not Christian). I listen to some pretty bad music, but I don't let it effect me. You see if you let musics lyrics control how you think then you truly have a poor mind. No offense bud, but a weak mind can be a dangerous thing...

 

[Michael713]

Are you saying that the rap songs make you do drugs or go out and kill someone? Or what? If songs could make you do something we'd all love one another since there are far more sappy love songs than anything else.

Yeah, just listen to other stuff...

No, it doesn't make me do any of that.

I think that is a weak excuse that some people use.

I've never killed anyone, and I don't want to.

I have done drugs before and I wish I hadn't.

I've slowly been eliminating the evil/bad things in my life and replacing them with Jesus Christ and The Word.

I've already stopped drinking and smoking completely.

I just have to get rid of the negative music I listen to.

 

[enjolras]

you can do it! dont forget god will always be there to help you!

 

[thatonedude]

You know what I recommend?
I would download Napster. Pay $9.95 for one month of their Premium service. This way you can listen to almost ANY album you can think of - the whole way through. Even if you browse the secular music, you can at least get a whiff of some other kind of music that you can dig. From there you can find Christian alternatives to your new selections. This is what I did to try to extend my musical "pallet."

Also try MP3.com. They offer free downloads of up-and-coming bands from every genre you can possibly imagine. It's hard to find a lot of different stuff on radio (mainly because radio sucks now) so try to see if you can find any other interesting genres on the internet. Because I can tell you really want to stray away from the rap you currently listen to, you have to make a real iniative on this. But please don't forget to pray for help. God is willing to help you with anything...I know this for a fact.

(In case you're wondering - I do NOT work for either Napster or C|Net. )

Let me know if I can help out in ANY way.

 

[caillan]

Hey Michael, don't know if you've checked this out

http://www.christianforums.com/t575

might be useful

 

[Pnkr4Christ]

Souljahs is a great group, along with Grits, T-Bone, and KJ52.

I agree those r sum great examples and they r just a few artists that can influence ur life in a good way, not like what ur listening to now. I read sum where that music w/ unnatural beats, such as rap, challenge ur suggestibility. And when the lyrics come in, such as the examples u gave, drugs, suicide,etc, u r influenced to doing those things. I pray that u get out of ur slump . God Bless.

 

[Michael713]

Hey Michael, don't know if you've checked this out

http://www.christianforums.com/t575

might be useful

good discussion.......

thanks........

and I'm not really in a "slump", its more like I just came out of one.......

thanks for the encouragement folks.........

 

[enjolras]

thats alright! its always good to help others!

 

[Strife]

I understand why some people would bash Rap, a stereotypical thing to do, just like me like wise with Country.

Mike (if don't mind me calling you that Michael) there's plenty of rap alternatives than the ganster rap, gun sling'n, etc. There are few rappers out there, (some mentioned, but I havent heard of) with some true talent at doing with they do best, good lyrics, flow, and nice beats to there music and still in no way portraying evil. Ever heard of Kanye West? Lol, at least some tracks are very well made for christianity, but not all. Tupac? Well, he may have a few tracks that are well to listen to (Until the end of Time) . I'm guessing some 'good' rappers have their tracks dedicated toward good things in life or pointing out the negative in life that needs changes. Those are some good tracks I'll listen to.