Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Ephesians 6v11
God has kindly given us armour, to help us stay in good spiritual health, and preserve our mental health, but what does that actually mean in a practical sense? And what does it mean for musicians (and drummers 😆)??
Paul tells the people of Ephesus (in Ephesians 6v10-20), what the armour is in terms of his/their own time and culture, but nowadays, we don’t go about waving swords at each other very often, and have little experience of roman soldiers. There is plenty of teaching out there about how the armour relates to roman soldiers, so I’m not going to talk about that, I’m going to look at this passage in a more modern sense. OK, so what is the arnour of God? Here’s the list:
- Belt of Truth
- Breastplate of Righteousness
- Feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of Peace
- Shield of faith
- Helmet of salvation
- Sword of the Spirit
- Prayer
Belt of Truth
Belts are useful things. They prevent us from embarrassing ourselves. Telling the truth, even when it’s difficult, is always better in the long run than taking the easy route and telling little lies to get by. You know how it goes, you lie once, then you have to lie again later on, to cover for the 1st lie, and so it goes on. Then you have to keep track of all the lies you said previously, because you don’t want to get caught out, and often you will, only to look silly. And rightfully so. You’ve wasted all that time and goodwill, avoiding trouble only to bring more trouble on yourself and others as a result. People will lower their opinion of you. It’s why people don’t trust politicians, and who wants to be seen in that light? Telling the truth is straight forward, and brings peace because you don’t need to hide anything. You know this already, so do I, but it’s hard to keep to when you’ve done something wrong. Stay strong!
There are 2 other aspects to the truth. Telling the truth when it’s the right thing to do and everyone else is at fault, like a toxic work situation, and the way, the TRUTH, and the life.
It all sounds like hard work so far doesn’t it? So is it worth it?
Yes, because a good belt gives you a strong foundation to work from. Weight lifters know this only too well. The big belt they wear, protects their back, and helps their core strength. It enables them to carry huge loads and to still stand afterwards. In the same way, being known for your honesty protects you from lies. When others talk behind your back, your own words will carry more weight than their hearsay. Truth is also a strong weapon when speaking to those in power, or in opposition to the truth.
In all that we do, Jesus IS the truth, and if we make him our foundation, nothing will shake us. The wise man built his house upon the rock. God is honest. He is faithful. He is trustworthy, because he IS truth. God makes promises based on his word, and if we do our part and keep his word, he fulfils those promises.
Now consider your testimony. We are commanded to testify, and your testimony carries more weight when people have reason to believe you, and what you have to say about God and all that he’s done for you. This applies to your music and lyrics also. I’m not saying that everything you write should be based on a Psalm or a Bible verse, but that it should be honest.
A small confession here, I’m not very good at writing uplifting hymns. I’ve never been the happy/clappy sort. I find writing lyrics is a cathartic process for me. It helps to take my emotion and put it down on the page, sometimes in it’s rawest form. And that’s reality. Singing and dancing in church on a Sunday is one thing, but sat at your desk slogging away at work at 11am on a Wednesday is something different. Where is God in that moment? Or in the extreme, when your Grandad dies and your Grannie, after 50 years with him, is inconsoleable, and you have no idea what to say. Where is God in that moment? God is certainly there, but what do you use to express and exorcise those feelings somewhat? Do we not console and comfort ourselves with music? Does music not soothe the soul?
Well I’ve written far more than I initially intended here, and I’ve still got 6 points to go! So, I’m going to move on with this in a future blog. If this has given you something to think about, or said something you disagree with, or you have something you want to share, then talk to me in the comments below.
Shalom
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