THE STORY OF ANTONIO BALDOVINOS FREEDOM FROM SECULAR MUSIC

Driving home from work one day, flipping through the channels, I heard a song on the
radio and immediately it grabbed my attention, the rhythm and beats captured me. I began to give myself, my
emotions and thoughts to the groove, and the emotions that it brought…I thought to myself, “this is amazing,
what a sweet song!” As soon as I could, I drove to the nearest Best Buy and purchased not only that song, but
also the entire music CD. I listened to that song and that CD for two straight days continuously. After two days,
I grew tired of that CD. I’m not able to quickly pick up the lyrics in a song like many people, but the emotions,
and feelings behind a song encompass me and it unlocks my emotions and heart immediately.
A few days later I found myself back at Best Buy purchasing a couple more CD’s. I reasoned with myself that
by purchasing more CD’s and having more songs I wouldn’t grow tired as quickly as before; so I thought. So
now I had numerous music choices to accompany my days with and of course I also reasoned “I need this for
better workouts at the gym” and before I knew what I had given myself to, I was hooked.
Secular music became such an addiction for me that at the height of listening to it, I did not know one Christian
Worship song, except for those I sang 10 years prior. I was convinced that Christian artists were second-class
musicians and they’re only copying the trend of the secular artists. No matter how I looked at it, it was a god to
me and I was deceived. There was no way that I was going to throw away the songs from my mp3 player or
cd’s. I would protect it as gold. There are people today that hold their songs in much of the same way…idols or
better yet, songs of idols, worshipping other gods.
Thank God I was set free! I was set free from allowing depressed, immoral, demonized artists telling me how I
should think, what I should value, what I should feel, and how I should live. I was set free the day I threw every
song into the trash, not keeping one song. Today, I hold one view when choosing what I will listen to. I ask does
it worship God? Does it lift up His name, His fame and is the Holy Spirit comfortable with this song? If it does
not, I don’t want to take part in it at all. I don’t even care to be entertained. I care that my spirit man is alive
and strong. I get the greatest pleasure when my spirit comes alive with the Holy Spirit. When the Word of God
touches my heart, I come alive. Secular songs could never satisfy me like God can and Worship helps me
Worship my creator. I only want to Worship God.