Once and For All

It was just a tiny corner. Nobody else even knew about it. But God did. He asked me for it, but I didn’t want to give it to Him. And I’m ashamed to say that this was not when I was a teenager. It was about 6 years ago. But God got my attention in a way that only He can….

I love music. And I like all different kinds of music. I have thousands of songs on my phone- from about every genre…. you could name a song, and I probably have the song on my phone. My husband hates listening to my playlists because he says they are too schizophrenic. His brain can’t change gears that fast from “How Great Thou Art” to “Play that Funky Music White Boy.” Lol!

A long time ago, I had removed a lot of songs from my collection because they contained elements that I didn’t feel were pleasing to the Lord, whether it was language, subject matter, or the artists themselves. But I held onto a few select songs that I should have deleted. I rationalized that I really liked the beat in those particular songs because they were great for when I was exercising. I self-justified that they weren’t that bad, and I had at least gotten rid of the worst songs. Besides, those worst songs were still tamer than other people’s music. But God kept asking me for those few other songs. And I’m stubborn and willful and didn’t want to give them up. Enter now…. God’s sense of humor.

I was driving to the gym to exercise. I wanted to listen to some of those upbeat songs to get my energy level boosted. But for SOME reason, I couldn’t get my car to play those particular songs from my phone. It kept giving me an error message, saying “indexing device.” Frustrated, I yanked the phone cord out of my car. It immediately switched over to the radio, which was on the K-Love Christian station. And for the first time, I heard Lauren Daigle’s song “Once and for All,” knowing it was God’s special message to my heart. This wasn’t about music. It was about the idol of autonomy in my heart. I had to ask myself some questions, and I encourage you to ask yourself the same questions.

Who or what rules my life? Is it God, is it me, or even something else? Is there anything in my life that I put before God? Am I willing to obey God even when I don’t want to? And if I don’t want to, why is that? Do I compare myself to others so that my sin doesn’t look so bad, or do I look to Scripture for my standard? Do I live in a way that shows God has called me to a holy love, or does He have just a corner in my heart? Does my heart exalt Him as worthy of my complete devotion? Is there anything I partake of that I would not if Jesus were sitting next to me in the flesh? (Because the truth is, He is present everywhere, all the time…in fact, He lives in me through the Holy Spirit).

John makes an interesting closing statement in 1 John 5:21. He says, “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.” That seems random because nowhere in John’s letter does he talk about carved images. What are the idols of which he is speaking? There is no mention at all of pagan gods, such as Baal worship, etc. in the book of I John. Using Scripture to answer Scripture, we find a clue: “…the Israelites set up idols in their hearts…” (Ezekiel 14:4). A closer look at I John reveals that John was indeed talking about idols of the heart. He wrote about righteousness, habitual sin, and the enemy who wants to control us. If Satan can get us to worship anything other than God by setting up false idols in our hearts, then he has accomplished his goal in our lives. Idol worship isn’t just bowing to a statue. Worship is from the heart, and anything that turns our hearts away from obeying and glorifying God, anything that takes preeminence over Him in our lives—THAT is an idol. I have often had to do battle with the idol of rebellion in my heart—the desire to make my own rules. What seems so trivial can be the root of something pervasively sinister.

It’s probably not music for you, but I’m sure you’ve struggled with your own idols of the heart. Maybe you are overly concerned about the opinions of other people, being liked and accepted by them. Society calls that codependency. The Bible calls it sin. “Fear the Lord your God, serve him only…” (Deuteronomy 6:13). Maybe it’s having a proud, argumentative spirit. Society calls that being assertive. The Bible calls it sin. “Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues (Proverbs 10:19). Maybe it’s addiction to Facebook, Tiktok, drugs, alcohol, pornography, shopping, food, ANYTHING that you are not willing to lay down for the sake of God’s glory in your life—that, my friend, is an idol. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God,” (I Corinthians 10:31).

I had to lay down my silly idol. And the funny thing about it? I don’t even remember the names of those songs that I clung to. But I do remember the song God used to convict me…see  the lyrics below. (Isn’t it funny that God used music to convict me about music?)

Once and For All-(sung by Lauren Daigle)

God I give You all I can today
These scattered ashes that I hid away
I lay them all at Your feet
From the corners of my deepest shame
The empty places where I’ve worn Your name
Show me the love I say I believe
Oh Help me to lay it down
Oh Lord I lay it down
Oh let this be where I die
My Lord with Thee crucified
Be lifted high as my Kingdom’s fall
Once and for all, once and for all
There is victory in my Saviors loss
And in the crimson flowing from the cross
Pour over me, pour over me yes
Oh, let this be where I die
My Lord with Thee crucified
Be lifted high as my Kingdom’s fall
Once and for all, once and for all.
Oh Lord I lay it down
Oh Lord I lay it down
Help me to lay it down
Oh Lord I lay it down
Oh let this be where I die
My Lord with Thee crucified
Be lifted high as my Kingdoms fall
Once and for all
Once and for all
Oh once and for all
Once and for all.
-Lyrics by Paul Mabury, Paul Duncan, Lauren Daigle

I still have a variety of music on my phone. After all, I grew up in the 80’s, and we had all the greatest rock bands! But the songs I tend to keep adding to my phone are Christian songs because those are the lyrics that especially speak to my heart. My heart…that is gradually being more and more overtaken by His rule, as my kingdoms fall. Once and for all. Once and for all.

“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord…” (I Peter 3:15).