Make Music in Your Heart // God Wants to Heal Your Heart, Part 10
A Different Perspective Official Podcast
Release Date: 08/08/2025
Distractions // Building a Godly Family, Part 11
A Different Perspective Official Podcast
With all the entertainment options and gizmos available to us these days, there are so many distractions. Things that stop us from interacting and doing the things that we need to do to build a godly family. I remember with great delight the days that I used to come home from school in my younger years. I was allowed to watch an hour, maybe an hour-and-a-half of TV. It was a great big hulking black and white model that sat in the corner of our lounge room. I used to watch Gilligan's Island and Mighty Mouse, and later on Batman. Our time in front of this tube was strictly limited by our...
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Children and Honour // Building a Godly Family, Part 10
A Different Perspective Official Podcast
Honour is not something that gets talked about a lot these days. But Commandment number 5 out of the top ten is to honour your father and mother. And it turns out that there’s a very good reason why it’s right up there at number 5. It's funny how the way we think; the things that we think are important. They change over time. If you got a 15 year old down with a 45 year old and a 60 year old and a 90 year old and got them together and asked them what things are really important my hunch is we'd get quite different responses from each of them – the values of my parents generation, people...
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When Two Becomes One // Building a Godly Family, Part 9
A Different Perspective Official Podcast
They say that what marriage is all about is two becoming one. It’s a great theory but, well, as I heard someone say once, it’s the “becoming” that’s the problem. That’s where the hard work really is. Well, over this last week-and-a-half, on the program, we've been talking about building a Godly family and this week in particular, about realising the enormous blessing that comes from having a peaceful home. Its great stuff isn't it? And yet, for many, it seems so impossible, this notion that our family, our dysfunctional family, with all its bumps and wrinkles and imperfect family...
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Wife and Mother // Building a Godly Family, Part 8
A Different Perspective Official Podcast
We think of men being the stronger sex and the Bible even talks about women as being the weaker sex. But some of the strongest people I know are women – and you women, your particular brand of strength can be such an amazing blessing to your families. You know, so often we look at men and there's something about their physical size and brute strength, their ability to go out and crash through problems. It's easy to make the mistake and think that it's the man who's the strongest force in marriage and in a family. Well maybe that's true. But you know something, there's another 'tour de force'...
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Husband and Father // Building a Godly Family, Part 7
A Different Perspective Official Podcast
We men are a funny breed – we have the whole provider and protector thing going on inside us. And you know something, if we know how to live that out in a godly way, we can be such a blessing to our families. We men are a funny breed. There's something deep inside us that makes us the protectors and providers for our families. Most men, not all but most men are programmed, hard wired, to provide and protect. Yet these days, women so often work and bring an income into the house and that's great but it tends to be the man, the husband, the father who carries the burden of protection and...
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The Blessing of a Peaceful Home // Building a Godly Family, Part 6
A Different Perspective Official Podcast
Peace is one of those things – well, who doesn’t want peace in their lives. Freedom from conflict. But imagine, imagine what a blessing it must be, to have peace at home. A family that thrives on peace instead of being lost in conflict. If God offered you anything you wanted in this world, anything at all, what would you ask for? Tough question. It takes a bit of thinking about: a new car, a bigger house, health, a long life. There are so many things to choose from. What would you choose? Can I tell you something? After the basic provisions of enough air to breath and water to drink and...
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Setting the Course // Building a Godly Family, Part 5
A Different Perspective Official Podcast
This week on A Different Perspective, we’ve been chatting about building a godly family. Well, at some point – the talk has to turn into action, otherwise nothing’s ever going to happen. The question is – are you ready? Well, are you? This week we've been talking about building a godly family on the program. The whole gist of it has been this – it doesn't matter how dysfunctional a family ours is at the moment, all it takes is one member of that family to turn back to God. To honour God and God can and will make some awesome and mighty changes. It will probably take time. Maybe...
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Breaking with the Past // Building a Godly Family, Part 4
A Different Perspective Official Podcast
The first thing a doctor tends to ask us when we visit is about our family history. And just the way that physical things get handed down to us genetically, so do emotional, behavioural and spiritual things. Question is, what can we do about them? One of the things that brings so much dysfunction into families is, well … things from the past; things that have been handed down genetically, emotionally and spiritually. It seems such an incredible paradox to me that the people who are most likely to sexually abuse a child are those who were themselves, abused when they were young. Doesn't that...
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The Ideal Family // Building a Godly Family, Part 3
A Different Perspective Official Podcast
Let me ask you something – if you could set about building a Godly Family – what would that look like? I mean how would you know when you’d arrived? A Godly family. Man – wouldn’t that be amazing. I'm excited because this week we're kicking off a few weeks looking at what it means to build a Godly family. That's why I'm so excited. Because I've been praying, praying that of the millions of people that will listen to these programs this week, God will transform countless families. Think about it, the family is God’s smallest, fighting formation. In the battle of life, He uses the...
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The Dysfunctional Family // Building a Godly Family, Part 2
A Different Perspective Official Podcast
It’s easy to look around at other people’s families and think “Boy – how come I didn’t get a normal family like them.” Truth is though, that no family’s perfect. And no matter how dysfunctional your family might be, God has a plan. We don't have to look very far to see that, in society today, families are becoming more and more dysfunctional. It doesn't matter where we live, how wealthy, how poor. In the wealthy west, you know, teenagers have less and less contact with their parents. They use the internet and cable TV and their friends to tell them who they are and how they...
info_outlineMusic has this ability to – well, to lift our spirits. To move us on the inside. In a way that nothing else can. And so when we make music in our hearts – music for God – there’s a healing that comes out of that overflow.
There’s something special about music. We each like different things. For me it’s Beethoven, Chopin, The Little River Band. Funny thing music. I mean I listen to one of my favourite songs and, well without the music the lyrics would still probably make a pretty good poem but it wouldn’t be the same, would it?
There’s something about music that moves us. Music is something that touches the soul. Music is something that touches us so deep in our hearts. When you stand back and think about it, well it’s kind of weird. It doesn’t make sense but there you go.
Music affects us in ways that we can’t explain. And that’s why I love this particular verse written by the apostle Paul almost 2,000 years ago. Have a listen:
Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:19).
It’s one thing for someone else’s music to move us, to rock us to the core. But that’s not what Paul’s talking about here. He’s not talking about receiving music. He’s talking about giving music. Singing and making music in your heart to the Lord. Now that’s something quite different.
Over these last couple of weeks we’ve been talking about the fact that God wants to heal our hearts. The heart is that place deep inside where we live and laugh and cry and experience things.
People can have hard hearts or soft hearts. Divided hearts or committed hearts. Our hearts can be proud and arrogant or humble and contrite. And the point, I guess, of what we’ve been talking about over these last few weeks is the fact that our hearts need healing. Because when they’re sick, it robs us of life. It stunts our growth and that’s why God wants to heal our hearts.
Even when we’ve turned our backs on Him, especially then. When we’re hurting. When we’re living through the consequences of our rebellion. Jesus, quoting Isaiah, said this:
For this people’s heart has become calloused. They hardly hear with their ears and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn and I would heal them.
And what happens when our hearts are healed is this. Instead of being needy all the time. Instead of always needing people to help us and support us. Instead of being mostly a taker, we become mostly a giver. There’s an overflow. There’s an abundance. There’s more than enough to share with others whose hearts, in turn, need healing. And nowhere is this more evident than when we’re making music in our hearts to God.
I wonder if that isn’t what worship is all about. See, these Christians, they go to church, mostly on Sundays and sing songs and worship God. But I know from my own experience and maybe you’ve been in this place too, that it’s entirely possible to stand there, to sing the song and have your mind wandering. “Oh I wonder who’s going to win the football match this afternoon.”
You know what I’m talking about. There’s no worship happening there. The mind’s not even engaged yet alone the heart. But when our hearts have been healed by God we just want to make music. We just have to.
Because when the Spirit of God gets a hold of our hearts and heals them and brings forgiveness and repentance, that turning back to God that we were talking about the other day. When we love God and we seek Him and serve Him with all our hearts. When that’s what’s happening on the inside, let me tell you, we just want to make music to God in our hearts.
Can I ask you something today? Can I implore you? Don’t settle for a life of anything less. This is God’s plan for you and for me so that even when we’re going through the most severe trial, we can close our eyes and just know that we are full of the Spirit of God Himself. That we are loved. That we are safe and that my friend is where the joy of the Lord comes from. That’s what makes us want to make music to the Lord, our God, in our hearts.
There was a time when David, before he became king of Israel, was being hunted down like an animal by the current king, Saul. Saul wanted to kill David and so David, this day, was hiding in a cave. Later he writes a psalm about that experience. Listen carefully, it’s so beautiful. Psalm 57:
Be merciful to me O God, be merciful to me. For in You my soul takes refuge. In the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until the destroying storms pass by. I cry to God most high, to God who fulfils His purposes for me. He will send from heaven and save me. He will put to shame those who trample on me. God will send forth His steadfast love and His faithfulness.
I lie down among the lions that greedily devour human prey. Their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues are sharp swords, be exalted O God above the heavens. Let Your glory be over all the earth. They set a net for my steps, my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path but they have fallen into it themselves.
My heart is steadfast O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody. Awake my soul. Awake O harp and lyre. I will awake the dawn. I will give thanks to you O Lord among the peoples. I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your steadfast love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
I love this! Here is David, he is hiding and cowering in a cave. People are after him, he is in fear for his life. This is the darkest hour, his life is threatened. He’s lying amongst the lions and yet listen to what he’s saying. Psalm 57:7:
My heart is steadfast O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.
How can he want to sing? How can he want to make melody? Because his heart is steadfast. It is healed. It is resting in God. He is safe amidst the danger and the threat. And he just can’t help himself. He wants to sing.
Does that mean we should expect to be on cloud nine? No. Some days are going to be tough. Some days are going to be like hiding in the cave fearing for our lives. But on those days I want to deliberately encourage you today to make music in your heart to God.
God wants to have us healed. He wants a heart in us that is steadfast and abundantly overflowing with the joy of the Lord. And you know what I’ve discovered? On those bad days when sometimes the very last thing that I feel like doing is worshipping God, I worship Him anyway. Because in this strange kind of way, in a way that I can’t quite explain, worshipping God, making music to Him in my heart brings healing and peace and joy.
My friend, listen to me. God wants to heal your heart. Lay it out before Him. Seek Him with all your heart. Love Him with all your heart. Serve Him with all your heart. And He will, I promise you, He will come and heal it.
It may take time, it often does. But little by little, that sickness inside us He calls sin goes away and it’s replaced by health, a vitality, a passion, a desire to sacrifice and serve the Lord our God. And it’s like He gives us a new heart or it’s like He revives our heart. And when He does that, no matter what comes, we end up in our own way saying what David said:
My heart is steadfast O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.
You just can’t help it.