I don't condemn anyone, for the Bible condemns all of us as guilty, dirty,
rotten, hell-deserving sinners. My salvation solely rests in Christ's
righteousness, because of the precious blood that He gave for our sins. My
intention is not to be unkind; but rather, to expose the false teachings and
glorification of sin so present in much of today's music.
Country music from the occult-controlled industry is spiritually dangerous. The inherent danger is that with all the singing about God and Heaven, no mention is ever made of sin, repentance and judgment. Music is a vehicle by which messages can easily be indoctrinated into the listener's mind. Jesus Christ is rarely mentioned. The Gospel is missing! This is deliberate, because record producers and artists don't dare offend anyone. So they produce ecumenical recordings that make vague references to spiritual matters to fill the demand for Gospel recordings.
The danger is that a message is being conveyed. The infamous druggy guitarist Jimmy Hendrix said, “I can explain everything better through music. You hypnotize people and when you get people at their weakest point, you can preach into their subconscious what we want to say.” Sexual immorality, divorce, teen rebellion, drunkenness, wild mischievous behavior and feminism are sins typically glorified and promoted in Country music. Satan is a master deceiver (2nd Corinthians 11:13-15) and music certainly is a powerful force. Satan's greatest weapon is to con people into living a religious life without ever being born-again. You can't live the Christian life to obtain eternal life. You must be born again, or born anew, from above by the Holy Spirit of God (John 3:5-7; 1st Peter 1:23; Romans 10:3-4; Philippians 3:9).
Here's a portion of the lyrics from George Strait's 2005 album SOMEWHERE DOWN IN TEXAS, the song YOU'LL BE THERE...
Woah My My
I'll see you on the other side
If I make it
And it might be a long hard ride
But I'm gonna take it
Sometimes it seems I don't have a prayer
Let the weather take me anywhere
But I know I wanna go
Where the streets are gold
Cause you'll be there
Oh my myYou don’t bring nothing with you here
And you can’t take nothing back
I ain’t never seen a hearse, with a luggage rack
So I've torn my knees up prayin’
Scarred my back from fallin’ down
Spent so much time flying high, till I’m face first in the ground
So if you're up there watchin’ me, would you talk to God and say,
Tell Him I might need a hand to see you both someday
A False Gospel
Though seemingly harmless, the message of the song is a false Gospel.
First, I sincerely doubt if Mr. Strait has “torn” his knees up praying, nor do I believe that he has “scarred” his back from fallin' down. But who knows? And the reference to... Spent so much time flying high, till I’m face first in the ground is irreverent to God. Walking with God shouldn't be referred to as "flying high." This is just more religious mumbo-jumbo that Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) is known for. You don't get to Heaven by praying or "flying high." Eternal life is a free gift (Romans 5:15;6:23), paid for by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ (1st Peter 1:18,19).
Second, Mr. Strait is asking someone in Heaven to speak to God on his behalf. 1st Timothy 2:9 states, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." No one can put in the good word for you, or ask God to help you. This is what the Godless Catholic Church teaches, i.e., that their priests can intercede on your behalf and forgive your sins. Blasphemy! Only God can forgive sin (Mark 2:7), and Jesus is Almighty God (John 1:1-3,14; 10:33; 1st Timothy 3:16; Colossians 2:9; Revelation 1:8).
George Strait's song is a perverted Gospel, which conveys the message that getting to Heaven is A LONG HARD RIDE (4th line down in preceding lyrics) which requires human effort. No, it's not. If you put forth any effort at all to merit Heaven, then you have sealed your fate in Hellfire (Ephesians 2:8,9).
Third, George Strait sings... Tell Him
[God] I might need a hand to see you both someday." This is
false doctrine which implies that Mr. Strait is doing the best he can to
merit Heaven, but "MIGHT" need a helping hand to finish the course. This is 100% work salvation wrapped up in a Gospel country song.
The Danger of So-Called Country Gospel Songs
In an article published by SouthernGospelNews titled, George Strait Hits Christian Radio, they state...
Nashville, TN. George Strait has landed his first record at Christian radio." You'll Be There" shipped today through a promotion and release agreement between Rick Hendrix Company and MCA Records. After scoring fifty #1 country singles in Billboard Magazine, George Strait's faith-based song "You'll Be There" is reaching Christian playlists all over the country.
SOURCE: http://sogospelnews.com/index/features/comments/3999
There is nothing "Christian" about Mr. Strait's song. Just because he employs the Biblical term, streets of gold, in no way validates the false Gospel conveyed by his song. This is a woeful evil in American society, i.e., heathens placing a "Christian" label on anything, just so long as there are some Biblical terms involved. Tragically, most of what is labeled as "Christian" nowadays is of the Devil. It is the love of money that is the root of this evil (1st Timothy 6:10).
The sad fact is that George Strait's song
YOU'LL BE THERE is of the Devil. It preaches the same wishy-washy
false ecumenical Gospel that has infiltrated most of America's churches,
especially Southern Gospel churches. As the church becomes more
worldly, so the world is becoming more
churchy. Unsaved heathens
by the droves are now jumping on the apostate Gospel bandwagon, because
there is no difference between the two anymore.
Country Music Glorifies Adultery
On the same album as YOU'LL BE THERE, George Strait sings THE SEASHORES OF OLD MEXICO...
After one long siesta, I came wide awake in the night.
I was startled by someone who shadowed the pale moonlight.
My new-found companion, one young senorita,
Who offered a broken hello,
To the gringo she found on the seashores of old Mexico.
She spoke of Sonora and swore that she'd never return,
For her Mexican husband, she really had no great concern.
'Cause she loved the gringo, my red hair and lingo:
That's all I needed to know.
Yeah, I found what I needed on the seashores of old Mexico.
For her Mexican husband, she really had no great concern. 'Cause she loved the gringo? That's horrible! The music promotes and glorifies adultery. Adultery is a sin (Exodus 20:14). I would think that any Mexican person would be greatly offended by this song. The song is demeaning to Mexicans. God hates music that glorifies sin.
How could any professed Christian promote George Strait's so-called Gospel song You'll Be There, when on the very same album is the offensive song The Seashores of Old Mexico which glorifies the sin of adultery? It's apostasy! Another of Strait's popular songs is titled, One Night At A Time. I love Country sounding music, but the lyrics are so filthy in so much of it, and always has been. How can we expect God to bless our nation when we make light of the Ten Commandments, which strictly forbids adultery and covetousness?
God is not trying to prevent us from enjoying life; but rather, God knows better than anyone where sexual sins lead. God sees the unwanted children from the unintended pregnancies. God sees the loneliness and the countless soul ties with strangers from one night stands. It's insane to hear movies and songs talking about loving a lifetime's worth in one night, from fornication in a one night fling. It is evil, horrible and throwing one's pearl to the swine.
One of Mr. Strait's other songs is called OVERNIGHT MALE, clearly a reference to a one-night stand. Sexual sins bring the judgment of God upon a nation (Romans 1:24-32; Jude 1:7)! Country music is synonymous with adultery, cheating and divorce. So why do people listen to such sinful music? It's because their hearts are sinful and they love sinful music. Country music is largely adulterous music produced by adulterous people to inspire adulterers. God hates Country music that glorifies sin.
Conclusion
I realize that George Strait is a singer and not a preacher, BUT songs are spiritual in nature and do convey meaning. 1st John 4:1 instructs us as believers to “try” (i.e., test) every spirit, to determine whether it is of God or Satan. When the Light of God's Word is shown upon Mr. Straits song, it is exposed as a pack of lies. Mr. Strait says he “might” need a hand from God to get to Heaven. Let me tell you friend, God must do ALL the saving, or else you're not going! John 1:12,13 states... “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Salvation is 100% of God, and NOT man. It's not just a song.
Our only part is to BELIEVE on Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to forgive our sins. Psalm 40:4, “Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust...” The issue is sin. We are sinners. You deserve to burn in Hellfire, and so do I (Romans 3:1- 23; Revelation 20:11-15). You can try as hard as you may, but you'll burn in Hellfire if you die in your sins without Jesus Christ. Jesus is the ONLY way to Heaven! Christ died, that's history; Christ died for me, that's salvation! Christ died on the cross for our sins, He was buried and then resurrected three days later. This is the Gospel (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). If you receive Christ's sacrifice on the cross as payment for your sins, you are saved. Eternal life is a free gift, which is a take proposition, not a give proposition. You give nothing. You only take it to have it.
I did not write this article to condemn Mr. Strait, nor to be unkind in any way, God forbid. I wrote this article from a Christian perspective, using the Word of God as a reference. The Ecumenical message of love, love, love is a big front for unbiblical compromise with the sinful world. Hebrews 1:9 tells us that Jesus hated iniquity. 2nd Corinthians 6:14-17 commands all believers to separate from the sinful unbelieving world. James 4:4 clearly warns that to be a friend of the carnal world is to be God's enemy.
George Strait is a great singer and I'm sure a very nice person, and I like much of his music; but he is pulling on the same rope that the Devil is pulling on. I never hear anything bad about George Strait in the news, and he's a man of character I am confident. If there's one singer I hate to preach against, it's Mr. Strait; but I have to bring attention as a preacher to anyone, regardless of the source, who distorts what it means to be saved. Eternal life is a free gift (Romans 5:15; 6:23), paid for by our dear Lord's precious blood (1st Peter 1:18-19). Salvation is not something we do to get; it's a gift that we receive to have. I expose many Contemporary Christian Music [CCM] singers: TobyMac, Third Day, Carrie Underwood, Jars of Clay, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, et cetera. I am the biggest sinner I know friend. There's 3 fingers pointing right back at me, believe me! But I have to preach THE TRUTH, earnestly contending for the faith (Jude 1:3; Titus 1:13).
There need be no doubts. Our salvation is based upon God's unconditional love; and not upon our own self-righteousness. Eternal life is a free gift from God, that cannot be earned. Salvation is receiving, not giving. When country singers enter into the realm of Biblical doctrine with their music, they are treading on holy ground. It is the duty of every believer to expose Satan's unfruitful works of darkness (Ephesians 5:11). The song YOU'LL BE THERE is a work of darkness.
