Where's Your Heart and Your Treasure? (Forsaking Music)

Greetings sisters!

And good day to you all from the southern hemisphere...to wherever you are on this planet. 

"For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance."
Hebrews 10:34 

That's me today...knowing I have better things above. 

Yesterday I saw these luxurious houses on the seafront...and I thought of and added the verse. 

It is Jesus' command to not store up treasure on this earth. 

And this is so true...

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Matthew 6:21

And this... 

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

Matthew 6:24

And so I wanted to write and share about something else that people of this earth value. And where I was once. I wanted to share about a particular freedom I now have in Christ. 

Perhaps some of you reading this knew I had been involved in making music in the past. Well today that is not the slightest bit a part of my life anymore. 

It is not something Christians should be doing and I claimed to be one at the time. Why? Music is fleshly for a start (it affects our emotions and body). "So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." (Romans 8:8).

But what I was also involved with in the past in my music also involved pride, covetousness, idolatry, unbiblical dress and more as well as being around people who were like that. Is that sin and disobedience, yes it is and no saint of God would want to partake in such things and empty ways. I call it what it is. It was sinful of me. And it could be sports or anything else of competition or even something good in itself like cooking can be done for pride and covetousness trying to win over someone else. I had that in my past too but that had to go too, so gladly I did it. Now I do good and pure things heartily unto the Lord instead!

"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;"
Colossians 3:23 

It's never a burden to forsake things for Christ because He is all we need and He has so much good for us to do. 

I think of Paul and how he compared how earthly people strive hard to win and compared that to how we as saints should fight to overcome sin and the flesh for eternal things. 

"And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. 

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 

I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 

But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway."
1 Corinthians 9:23-27

And I wanted to pull out this part of it. "Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible." Yes I was fighting for a corruptible "crown"...but no more. Now I strive for an incorruptible one.

"To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,"
1 Peter 1:4

"be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."

Revelation 2:10

And I cast away all remnants of my past involvement in it...like the people who came to Christ as recorded in the book of Acts destroyed their wicked books. 

"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,"

Philippians 3:7-8

I was even reminded of this what happened to the Children of Israel when one of them sinned and disobeyed God and kept that which was supposed to be destroyed. I'm not saying it's exactly the same but I thought of it nonetheless. 

"Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. 

Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. 

Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you."
Joshua 7:11-13

Also when you are born again in Christ by the Spirit you search your life for anything that does not please a holy God and forsake it. It's a search and destroy mission that we do in our hearts and minds. As Paul wrote about putting off and mortifying sins and deeds of the flesh. 

And as Ephesians 5 says, covetousness is not to be once named among the saints. And a covetous person has no inheritance in the kingdom of God and instead the wrath of God will be upon them...and you or I don't want that! 

"Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience."
Ephesians 5:6 

"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
Hebrews 13:5

"Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another."
Galatians 5:26

"Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord :"
Proverbs 16:5

God hates pride and I saw that sin in the music world too. It's going to be a sign of the evil last days of great apostasy. 

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,"
2 Timothy 3:1-2

And it manifests a love of the world also when we are to not do so. I know this world will pass away as this verse says and only those who obey God will remain. 

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 

And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."
1 John 2:15-17 

Again, as I wrote the other day on this blog, I HATE music because of it's invasive nature to the brain and I find it so annoying. I can't help but think it is one of satan's biggest tools to silence the God-given conscience and the conviction of the Spirit. It's so freeing to not have to have any such noise in your brain (for the most part) and so you can think clearly on the things of God. 

I'll also mention here (as I did briefly above) that those kinds of things as making music can involve unbiblical dress for women. So see here for how God commands His daughters to dress. 

I also think of all the time I wasted on such earthly temporary pursuits. From 2008 to 2015, it was a huge part of my life and my family's. And I got swept along with them, as for the most part I didn't want to do it but I didn't have God's truth to stand on then. Well I had God's truth as I read the Bible every day, but I couldn't see what I do now and wasn't fully seeking God's ways as I should have been. I praise God, looking back now, that I had physical issues that put an end to my music career. I see it as one of the best things to have happened to me...being stopped in it physically. It was then out of my life physically but not out of my heart yet. True repentance is a change of heart and now I can say I hate it and I see what I didn't see back then...how according to many scriptures and God's commands (some of which I have shared above) no true believer can think to partake of such things. 

"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil."
Ephesians 5:15-16

Now how selfish it looks too because being involved with such things you are not seeking God and His ways first. Nor are you truly loving those around you by telling them the truth about sin and how they will perish if they don't repent. 

So to use my testimony in this subject of making music, it's not for God's people who are to love HIM with all of our souls, hearts, minds, and strength. 

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."
Mark 12:30

And how do we love God? 

"If ye love me, keep my commandments."

John 14:15

Now I labour for that which lasts, for that which is worthwhile, for that which shall endure forever.

"Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church."
1 Corinthians 14:12

So I hoped I could clear Christ's holy name of my past involvement in the area of music. I can go on looking ahead and not back because no sin is too hard for my God to forgive. All sin is terrible in His sight whether it be murder, or adultery, or pride, or covetousness, or idolatry, or false religious ways. And if we truly repent He WILL forgive! Praise Him.  

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 1:9

And He can forgive you too...if you forsake your sin. 

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
2 Corinthians 5:17

See the good news to eternal life here...and check your heart and life against it. 

I hope perhaps that might encourage someone who may have had similar things in their past or perhaps is seeking the Lord's will to obey Him in everything making no excuses.

Because I see all the craving after fame and winning, pride and covetousness, whether it be in sports or music or anything else, I shall close with this verse to ponder deeply. 

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Mark 8:36

Amen, it's not worth it. 

My heart and my treasure is in Christ, His kingdom, and His saints. Where's yours today? 

Love in Christ,

...from a daughter of God