What Music Should I Listen To?

The type of music you listen to can have a big impact on your mood, mindset, and even spiritual well-being. The best music for you depends on your personal preferences and values, but here are a few general guidelines to consider when choosing music that uplifts and enriches your life:

1. Music That Uplifts Your Mood

Listening to music that brings you joy and peace can improve your emotional well-being. Consider genres or songs that make you feel energized, relaxed, or happy.

• Positive Vibes: Choose music with positive lyrics and uplifting melodies to lift your mood. Songs with themes of hope, love, and encouragement can help you feel motivated and uplifted.
• Calming Music: Instrumental or acoustic music can be great for relaxation and reflection. Classical or peaceful worship songs can provide a calm atmosphere when you need to de-stress.

2. Music That Reflects Your Values

Your music choices can also reflect your beliefs and values. If faith is important to you, consider listening to music that aligns with and supports your spiritual growth.

• Faith-Based Music: Christian or gospel music can help you connect with God and reflect on your faith. Whether it’s worship songs, contemporary Christian music, or hymns, these can remind you of God’s presence and love.
• Music with a Positive Message: Even outside of faith-based music, many songs have messages about kindness, compassion, and perseverance that align with healthy, positive values.

3. Music That Inspires Creativity or Focus

Sometimes, music can help you focus on tasks or spark creativity. Choosing the right background music for study, work, or creative projects can make a big difference in how you feel.

• Instrumental or Minimal Lyrics: For studying or working, instrumental music or songs with minimal lyrics can help you concentrate without being distracted.
• Creative Tunes: If you need inspiration, try listening to music that energizes you or puts you in a creative mindset can help get your creative juices flowing.

4. Music That Avoids Negative Themes

While music can be a powerful tool for positivity, some songs carry messages that can negatively affect your thoughts or emotions. Be mindful of music that focuses on harmful behaviours or negativity.

• Avoid Harmful Content: Songs with themes of violence, explicit language, or negativity can bring your mood down or promote unhealthy attitudes. Opt for music that builds you up instead of tearing you down.
• Avoid Harmful rhythms: Songs that use aggressive and repetitive beats might cause stress or anxiety. This is because when rhythms are too fast or irregular, they can throw off the body’s natural rhythms, like your heart rate or breathing, which can make you feel tense or even overwhelmed. On a deeper level, chaotic or erratic beats can create a sense of unease, leading to feelings of anger or restlessness.In some cases, certain rhythms are tied to music that promotes unhealthy behaviours or negative attitudes. While rhythms themselves aren’t bad, their impact really depends on how they’re used and how they affect the listener.

5. Find a Balance

There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to music. The key is to find a balance that works for you—music that helps you relax, focus, and feel connected to your values.

Recommendations:

• Worship or Gospel Music
• Classical or Instrumental
• Hymns and choral music

Ultimately, the best music for you is the kind that aligns with your values, uplifts your spirit, and helps you stay focused on what matters most.

• Watch a video
• Bible verses about listening to music
• Join the conversation

The rest of this article will provide biblical and practical insight into why music choices matter. Let’s start by looking at a video that explains music’s impact on our mental well-being.

Watch a video on how music affects our minds

Disclaimer: Hope for Africa is not affiliated with the following video. It is simply being provided as a helpful resource on the effects our music choices have on us.

Watch Distraction Dilemma: Christian Berdahl’s full series on music

Music and the Mind || Choice of a Young Voice Sn 2 Ep 7 – by Hope Channel Kenya

What is Music?
Can you imagine a world without music?
What is the role of music in our lives?
How does the music we listen to affect our mind?

10 Bible verses about what music we should listen to

Compiled by the Hope For Africa staff on September 18, 2024

Bible verses related to “What music should I listen to?” from the New King James Version (NKJV) by Relevance

• Colossians 3:16
  “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord”
  Explanation: Music is a great teaching tool. As Christians or those who want to grow in faith, the music or songs we listen to or play should be imbued with the truth of God’s word. They are to lead to the study, meditation and permanent retention of the transforming words of Christ. They should also elevate and withdraw the mind from sin and error to Jesus Christ. This effect can’t be achieved by secular music.
• Ephesians 5:19
  “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,”
  Explanation: In a public, group or congregation setting, the hymns and praises we sing, whether accompanied by instruments or not, should appeal to our hearts and direct them toward God rather than uplifting self.
• Philippians 4:8
  “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
  Explanation: Whatever we engage our minds on, including music, should bear the characteristics of truth (especially God’s truth (John 14:6)), nobility (worthy of respect), just (innocent and blameless), purity (not immoral), lovely (friendly and pleasing to God), good report (reputable). If our music fails to bear these virtues then it’s corrupting and not worth spending time on.
• Psalm 96:1-2
  “Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.”
  Explanation: The music or songs we sing and listen to should talk of God’s goodness or deeds throughout the world, and His glory. And it is to help us know about God’s saving grace to all people.
• 1 Corinthians 10:31
  “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
  Explanation: Every aspect of our life, whether it be what we eat, drink or listen to, should be centred around God’s glory. If our music does not glorify God then it is not good enough.
• Psalm 98:4-5
  “Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises. 5 Sing to the Lord with the harp, With the harp and the sound of a psalm,”
  Explanation: Songs sung to worship God should be done heartily while avoiding unnecessary emotional sensations. We are to use our musical gifts and talents to praise God and skillfully play instruments to the glory of His name.
• 1 Samuel 16:23
  “And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.”
  Explanation: Skillfully played Christian music can cause relaxation of the mind by releasing tensions, and it can also cast out evil spirits as in Saul’s case.
• Psalm 101:3
  “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.”
  Explanation: We need to resolve as David did, to stay away from watching, reading or listening to impure, wicked or degrading information. We need to ask God to give us a hatred for evil things so they don’t appeal to our taste.
• Mark 4:24
  “Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.”
  Explanation: There are things which Christians should not read or listen to. If we choose to fill our minds with the right information, we shall reap its benefits.
• Luke 8:18
  “Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”
  Explanation: If we sincerely give attention to wise counsels and seek to do what is right, we shall grow more into understanding. But if we fail to live by the truth we have learnt, we risk losing it altogether.

Search the StepBible.org for more references about song and music.

Topics and verses are generated from multiple resources and are reviewed by our team. If a verse or topic does not belong or is missing, please contact us. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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