I Have Decided

This is a song that makes you wonder "Now what does it mean? Is this scriptural?" I've never heard anyone else say it, but I think that in its day (early '80s) it was, pound for pound, the most hell-raising song in CCM.

It seems like most of your comments are "Now what does it mean? Is this scriptural?"

OK. Here's a Cliff notes edition:: (However, I'm too lazy to dig up scripture)

I have decided, I'm gonna live like a believer, Turn my back on the deceiver, I'm gonna live what I believe.

Verse 1: The deceiver is Satan

I have decided, Being good is just a fable, I just can't 'cause I'm not able. I'm gonna leave it to the Lord.

OK. I think she's going on about how all humans, except Christ, have sinned and cannot be good 100% of the time and can never be. Fundamentally, we can only cut down on our sinning and that change is from the Holy Spirit and thus, she's "leaving it to the Lord" to fix her.

There's a wealth of things that I profess, I said that I believed, But deep inside I never changed; I guess I'd been deceived.

This is about how we profess a LOT of things yet don't really believe them or follow through. Sometimes we don't bother changing and fixing these.

'Cause a voice inside kept telling me, That I'd change by and by, But the Spirit made it clear to me, That kind of life's a lie.

I guess the voice is the voice of the devil. Some changes are meant to be big like throwing out all our ill-gotten stuff eg pirated CDs, DVDs. Rather than gradually doing it.

So forget the game of being good, And your self-righteous pain. 'Cause the only good inside your heart Is the good that Jesus brings.

See verse 1...

And when the world begins to see you change, Don't expect them to applaud. Just keep your eyes on Him and tell yourself, I've become the work of God.

I guess this is obvious. All the person's secular friends won't care but the goal isn't to please them anyway.