The Devil’s Playlist of Worship Songs

Introdcution to God’s Music Versus The Devil’s Music

The Scriptures we just took the time to read are lyrics to a song that God wrote. God obviously loves music, but He wants us listening to and especially singing the right songs to Him in church.

If you want to know what lyrics to music should look like, we go straight to the Bible.

Songs in the Bible:

1. The Song of Moses – Exodus 15:1–19 — After God destroyed Pharaoh in the Red Sea. A song of victory, judgment, and salvation.
2. The Song of Israel at the Well – Numbers 21:17–18 — A short but powerful praise for God’s provision.
3. The Song of Moses (Again) – Deuteronomy 32 — A warning to Israel not to forget the Lord. Filled with doctrine.
4. The Song of Deborah and Barak – Judges 5 — After victory over Sisera. A battle hymn of triumph.
5. The Prayer-Song of Hannah – 1 Samuel 2:1–10 — A song of thanksgiving for God’s deliverance and justice.
6. David’s Song of Deliverance – 2 Samuel 22 (repeated in Psalm 18) — A personal psalm of salvation and God’s power.
7. The Song of the Bow – 2 Samuel 1:17–27 — David’s crying for Saul and Jonathan.
8. All the Psalms – The entire Book of Psalms (150 chapters) is God’s inspired hymnbook. They are filled with doctrine, prophecy, praise, judgment, and holiness.
9. The Song of Solomon – A poetic love song, picturing Christ and His church.
10. The Song of Isaiah – Isaiah 12:1–6 — A song of salvation and trust.
11. Mary’s Song – Luke 1:46-55 – Mary rejoices in God her Savior. She magnifies His mercy, His holiness, and His power to humble the proud and exalt the lowly.
12. Zacharias’ Song – Luke 1:68-79 – Zacharias, filled with the Holy Ghost, praises God for visiting His people and raising up salvation through Christ, the promised Son of David.
13. The Angels’ Song Gloria in Excelsis – Luke 2:13-14 – The heavenly host sings at Christ’s birth: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” True worship exalts God’s glory above all.
14. Simeon’s Song – Luke 2:29-32 – Simeon blesses God for letting him see the promised Messiah. A song of peace, salvation, and light to the Gentiles.
15. The Songs in Revelation – Revelation 5:9–10; 14:3; 15:3 — Songs sung in heaven to the Lamb for His redemption and judgment.

God gives us all of these songs in the Bible. Hundreds upon hundreds of songs. He gives us the lyrics to these songs. Now, I want you to understand that God’s songs are packed with truth about God. They teach us the proper doctrines within the Bible. We don’t get things wrong when we use His words.

His songs are God-centered focused on His salvation, His justice, His holiness, and His glory. God’s music is edifying to us meaning His music is teaching us, educating us, admonishing, and convicting. His words change us and mold us into what He wants us to be.

You can compare that to today’s so-called “worship music” that is empty, repetitive, and wordly worship. You will start to see that those songs are not worshipping the God of the Bible. Those songs are written to Satan. He wants to be like God. So his songs are making people believe they are worshipping God when they aren’t.

The Devil Has His Own Playlist of Music That Deceives

So, let’s talk about the Devil’s playlist of worship music. Once you beging to get into the Bible more and more, you will get to know the Holy Spirit more and more. When you know God’s words and what He says, you know Him more and more. And then when you hear one of these so-called worship songs, you should feel a conviction that it’s wrong. And they are wrong.

Many churches today have swapped out the Psalms for the playlists from Hillson, Bethel, and Elevation. Worship leaders look more like rock stars than servants of Christ. Hillsong, Bethel, Elevation, Kirk Franklin—they’ve built empires off songs that carry another spirit. People don’t realize—music has a spirit behind it. It can be the Spirit of truth, or the spirit of error.

I want to show you how the devil has written his own playlist—and how thousands of churches are singing along.

“Christian” Artists and Movements Corrupting the Gospel

1. Chris Tomlin

• Famous for songs like How Great Is Our God and Our God.
• Partnered with Passion Conferences (Louis Giglio), which promotes unity no matter what someone believes in. And they promote a works-based “lordship salvation.”

2. Lauren Daigle

• Huge mainstream crossover success.
• When asked if homosexuality is sin, she dodged: “I can’t honestly answer on that, I have too many people that I love who are homosexuals.” That’s not the Gospel—that’s compromise. And she leads others to compromise. She isn’t worshipping the God of the Bible.

3. Tasha Cobbs Leonard

• Well-known gospel artist who collaborated with secular rapper Nicki Minaj on a song. Blending light with darkness (2 Corinthians 6:14).

4. Matt Redman

• Wrote 10,000 Reasons. Sounds biblical on the surface, but he’s tied to the unity worship movement that downplays doctrine and pushes experience above truth. And that’s what their songs do exactly. The feelings over the truth.

5. Michael W. Smith

• Pioneer of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). Openly for unity of all different beliefs (the spirit of antichrist), promotes Catholic mysticism and charismatic practices, while his music draws more from pop/rock than Scripture.

6. TobyMac (DC Talk, solo career)

• Mixes worldly rap/pop with Christian themes. Preaches “Christian unity” across all denominations, including Catholicism, but not the pure Gospel of salvation by faith alone.
• And then I’ll hear people say things like: We should all come together. This music is pushing this. No, you come together in God’s family IF you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ—not a works based salvation.

7. Casting Crowns

• Lyrics often blur the line between faith and works—giving people the impression salvation is about “trying harder” instead of believing the finished work of Christ.

8. Phil Wickham

• Songs like Living Hope are hugely popular. But Wickham is tied directly to Bethel’s music network and writes songs used to funnel royalties into their false doctrine. Why would you want to support false doctrine?
• Look, I loved those songs many years ago. I thought they were good. Now, when I hear those songs I hate them. I don’t even want to hear a few seconds of them. They make me sick. You have to understand what they are doing to people.

9. MercyMe

• Known for I Can Only Imagine. Their theology often reduces the Gospel to sentimentalism and vague hope rather than clear truth about sin, hell, and salvation in Christ.
• Why don’t these people preach the true and simple Gospel in their music? If they did, they wouldn’t be popular. Do you not see what’s happening?

10. Third Day / Mac Powell

• Big names in CCM that blend Southern rock with “Christian” themes—but their ecumenical partnerships (unity between all faiths) water down the message of salvation.

A Comparison of Song Lyrics: Truth vs. Error

From the Bible

Exodus 15:2
The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

• Focus: The LORD’s strength, salvation, and exaltation.
• It names God, declares doctrine, and points to truth.

From Hillsong (What a Beautiful Name)

SLIDE: “You didn’t want heaven without us, so Jesus You brought heaven down.”

• Problem: Makes it sound like God was lonely or incomplete without us.
• Suggests God’s motive in salvation was need, not His glory and mercy.
• This subtly shifts worship from God-centered to man-centered.
• Do you see how this lifts up man versus lifting up God? That’s evil. It’s subtilty. It’s tiny. It’s small to us. But it’s huge. This is how the devil works. And that song is in the devil’s playlist.

From the Bible

Psalm 96:2-4
Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. 3 Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. 4 For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.

• Focus: God’s name, salvation, glory, and fear.
• Worship exalts God above all else and teaches truth.

From Bethel (Reckless Love)

SLIDE: “Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God…”

• Problem: Calls God’s love “reckless”—as if He acts without wisdom or purpose.
• God is not reckless—He is all-knowing, wise, sovereign, and deliberate.
• Twists God’s nature into something man-like and careless.
• They are telling people that God’s love is endless. They say, “NEVER ENDING.” Let me tell you the truth here. God’s love does end for the people He throws into hell. Psalm 34:16 God says: “The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.”
• God won’t remember them any more. The lake of fire is the end of them. Hated by God. Not endless love. God’s love isn’t reckless. This song, Reckless Love, is on the devil’s playlist.

Now, I hope you’re  starting to see the difference here. This is very important to see and to understand as that music will take you the wrong way and it plays on your emotions. And then you make bad decisions based on those emotions. That’s what this music is doing to you. It’s teaching you lies. It has a different spirit that is not the Spirit of God.

Another Spirit Behind the Songs

2 Corinthians 11:4
For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

These movements push another Jesus and another spirit.

1 John 4:1
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Just because it has “Jesus” in the lyrics doesn’t mean it’s the Spirit of God. Muslims say they believe in Jesus and the Bible and they have no clue what they’re saying. They don’t even understand what it means to believe in something. They don’t believe in Jesus. I show them one verse in the Bible, and I ask them if they believe that. They say no. I say, “Then stop saying you believe the Bible.” People use the name of Jesus all the time and they don’t believe in Jesus.

Bethel’s “grave soaking,” bizarre laughter, and trances. That’s not the Holy Spirit—that’s a different spirit.

They are into witchcraft—not worship. And you want to listen to their songs? Think about that. In the Bethel church, they have people laughing uncontrollably, shaking, jerking, rolling on the ground, roaring like animals. They claim that this is the HOLY SPIRIT. Man, I’m telling you. Do you really want to say the Holy Spirit is making you do that? Blasphemy.

Bethel claims that glory clouds of gold dust or feathers appear in their services. Sprakles fall from the ceiling while people worship. “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign.” They deceive people. Their music pulls more and more people into these lies.  Their songs are sung in thousands of churches worldwide. Every time a church uses their songs, royalty money flows back into Bethel’s heretical ministry. The songs are designed to sound emotional, but they carry the spirit of error and false teaching.

Their music is pure trash. Does it sound good? Yes. Are they good at music? Yes. Satan was good at music.

The Devil Was Created With Music

Ezekiel 28:13-15
Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.  14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.  15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Satan knows music. He knows how to manipulate atmosphere, emotion, and spirit. Music has great power. Satan knows that. He uses that to deceive people. Music was built into Satan’s verse nature as you can see within the Scriptures.

Verse 13, right there, says: “The workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.”

Lucifer was not only beautiful and wise (Ezekiel 28:12), he was also designed to be musical. Many believe he was created as a heavenly worship leader—covering the throne with song and praise. God loves praise through song. Satan didn’t have to pick up an instrument—he was one. Music flowed from him as naturally as breath. He’s very, very good at music—the devil himself. Understand this. He’s the best at deception through music.

Isaiah 14:12-14
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!  13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:  14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Lucifer’s goal, Satan’s goal, has always been worship. And I believe Satan created this so-called worship music industry. Take a closer look and you’ll see that. He wants worship as God is worhsipped so he created this music to worship him with lies. He is the father of lies and deception. He is the source of this music that is telling lies about God. When you listen to that music, you aren’t worshipping God Almighty. Understand this.

Hillsong concerts look identical to Coldplay shows—smoke, lights, chanting. Who does that spirit glorify? This isn’t glorifying God. People bring that trash into the churches. Darkness in the churches. Smoke. Do you really want smoke in church? Smoke comes from hell.

Chanting is enchantment. When you just stand there and repeat the same words over and over again, you are chanting. You are bieng manipulated. It is wizardry and witchcraft. And that topic is all throughout the Bible. God hates these things.

Worship Has Become a Marketplace

2 Peter 2:3
And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

Hillsong made over $90 million in one year, Bethel Music pulls in nearly $20 million annually—most from royalties. That’s not ministry; that’s merchandise.

Churches sing their songs, then send royalty money straight back into heretical ministries. Supporting Satan. Strengthening the powers of darkness. That’s what’s happening out there. The root of all evil is the love of money.

And what do they do with that money? You’ll never once hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not once. They wouldn’t be popular if they had the Gospel of Jesus Christ because they wouldn’t be getting Satan’s help in this world. The devil is helping them and giving them power and making them popular in this world.

Empty Lyrics = Empty Spirit

Their lyrics absolutely are 100% empty. Empty lyrics with ZERO POWER from God’s words. None. Nothing. Totally empty but used to prey on your emotions—to make you cry, to make you feel bad, to make you do this, to make you do that. Enchantment.

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.

True music teaches and admonishes. Their lyrics are shallow and doctrinally false. They have no clue what good doctrine happens to be so you’ll never see it in their music.

Kirk Franklin: “The Lion and the Lamb will bow down to the GOAT.” But goats in the Bible picture the damned (at times), not Jesus Christ! He meant the Greatest of All Time as G-O-A-T but why do that trash? It’s messing with God’s words. It’s not okay to do this.

These are feigned words—words crafted to sell records, not exalt Christ.

God Rejects False Worship

Amos 5:23
Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.

God says: Keep your songs—I won’t listen. It’s possible to sing, clap, and raise hands—and God still calls it vain worship.

Ezekiel 33:32
And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not.

Churches today treat worship like a concert performance. They copy the ways of this world. They copy AC/DC. They copy rock & pop concert culture. They didn’t get any of their ways from the Bible. Do you see what I mean?

The lighting rigs, smoke machines, stage design, sound systems – all of that is lifted right out of secular rock and pop music concerts. Instead of pulpits and choirs, churches now build stages like arenas. They add emotionalism and showmanship into worship. Why the musicians stand high above the crowd in the front, the people raise their hands and bow down to them.

It’s a concert feel. It makes them FEEL GOOD. They make the churches feel like the world so unbelievers won’t feel uncomfortable. They copied the world. The so-called “Christian Music” industry copied the worldly music industry. What they do has more in common with a Coldplay or Beyonce concert than Psalm 150.

The Spirit of Truth vs. the Spirit of Error

John 4:24
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

1 John 4:6
We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Truth matters MORE than anything. Without truth, the spirit behind the music is not of God. Real worship: full of doctrine, holiness, fear of God. Fake worship: full of repetition, sensual beats, false doctrine.

Conclusion: Choose Which Spirit You Will Sing To

There are only two playlists: God’s or the devil’s. The Psalms give us God’s playlist—songs of truth, fear, and glory to His name. Hillsong, Bethel, Elevation, CCM—that’s the devil’s playlist. It’s designed to corrupt, to merchandise, to glorify flesh, and to deceive.

Psalm 96:9
O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

Worship isn’t entertainment. It’s holiness. It’s truth. It’s Spirit.

Closing Call to Action

Don’t let your spirit be manipulated by emotional songs. Don’t let your church be bought into licensing music that funds heresy. Sing the Psalms. Sing the hymns. Sing the songs of truth. The Devil has a playlist—but so does God. Which one are you singing?

Make the necessary changes in your life and praise God—don’t fall for the tricks of the devil.

Let’s pray.