Click to watch “More Than Conquerors” by Rend Collective
He was imprisoned in the Hanoi Hilton – the most notorious of prisoner of war camps in Vietnam. He was a marine pilot who was shot down at the onset of the war and spent the duration of the war imprisoned.
They tried to break him. Oh did they try to break him. Psychological, emotional, and physical torture beyond comprehension was his daily lot. He should have died. He should have gone crazy. He should have ceased functioning as a human being.
But he didn’t. Why?
There were a number of factors, but one surprising one to him, was his Sunday school upbringing. He was not currently walking with Jesus, but he had been raised in a Christian family and, therefore, attended Sunday school as a child. During his years in Sunday school he was taught to memorize many scriptures, as well as numerous songs about scripture.
He gives credit to these scripture-based songs and the scriptures themselves to keeping him sane during his long years of captivity. He spent years in solitary confinement and had to keep his mind active in order to not lose his mind. These songs and scriptures came back to his recollection as he desperately exercised his brain to remember: to remember truth that would save him.
I read the book of this harrowing story when I was in my early 20’s. Unfortunately I do not remember the title of the book or the name of its author. What I just described was the key lesson I took from my reading: truth will keep you alive in the midst of a battle of lies.
After reading this book I determined I would evaluate praise and worship songs by this standard: would the words of the song keep me alive and sane in a prisoner of war camp? Is there enough truth in the song to feed my spirit in the midst of a battle of lies?
Is it a “Prisoner of War” song?
I thought of this lesson recently when listening to the Rend Collective song “More Than Conquerors”:
“When my hope and strength is gone, You’re the one who calls me on
You are the life, You are the fight that’s in my soul
Oh, Your resurrection power burns like fire in my heart
When waters rise I lift my eyes up to Your throne
We are more than conquerors, through Christ
You have overcome this world, this life
We will not bow to sin or to shame, we are defiant in Your name
You are the fire that cannot be tamed, You are the power in our veins
Our Lord, our God, our Conqueror
I will sing into the night, Christ is risen and on high
Greater is He living in me than in the world
No surrender, no retreat, we are free and we’re redeemed
We will declare over despair You are the hope
Nothing is impossible
Every chain is breakable
With You, we are victorious
You are stronger than our hearts
You are greater than the dark
With You, we are victorious”
This song is definitely a “Prisoner of War” song. It is packed full of scriptural Truth to keep us alive in the midst of the battle of lies.
In order to stay alive and vibrant on a day to day basis we must be “marinating” in Truth. We must ensure that amidst the strategy of our spiritual enemy to imprison, oppress, condemn and destroy us we are focussed on the Truth – in the same way that Marine pilot kept his sanity during his torturous captivity.
Scriptural-based praise and worship songs are a fabulous way for us to stay focussed on the Truth. I have no doubt that all of you know the lyrics to a vast array of songs – many of which can feed your heart, soul and spirit on Truth. And, many that perhaps do not.
Let’s choose to feed ourselves on songs of Truth; on songs that contain scripture, or its essence, to empower us to battle the whisper campaign of our spiritual opposition.
Let’s give the music we listen to the “Prisoner of War” song test – If we know the Truth it will set us free.
Romans 8:37-39
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
1 John 4:4
“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
Isaiah 43:2
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”