Title of Tip: Sing Through It
Name: Bethany Ragland
Description: Singing is like breaking out of the flesh. So, if you love singing, sing. Even if you don’t think you are the best, sing. Even if you only sing in the shower, sing. Even if you only sing in the car, sing. It’s fighting the forces of darkness, like spiritual warfare. God wants our souls to fulfill His purpose for us while the enemy is trying to take away anything good. I love it when somebody asks me to sing for them, and I know when the spirit is working because you can see the emotion in the room.
Instructions: When you have a melody and a song in your heart, no matter what you are going through, especially in a dark place, sing through it. Believe that angels will come.
I’m going to sing “Burning House.”
I had a dream about a burning house
You were stuck inside
I couldn’t get you out
I lay beside you and pulled you close
And the two of us went up in smoke
Love isn’t all that it seems
I did you wrong
I’ll stay here with you
Until this dream is gone
I’ve been sleepwalking
Been wandering all night
Tryna take what’s lost and broke
And make it right
I’ve been sleepwalking
Too close to the fire
But it’s the only place that I can hold you tight
In this burning house
I see you at a party and you look the same
I could take you back
But people don’t ever change
Wish that we could go back in time
I’d be the one you thought you’d find
Love isn’t all that it seems
I did you wrong
I’ll stay here with you
‘Til this dream is gone
I’ve been sleepwalking
Been wandering all night
Tryna take what’s lost and broke
And make it right
I’ve been sleepwalking
Too close to the fire
But it’s the only place that I can hold you tight
In this burning house
Learning: I was in foster care, and my twin sister and I were separated. It was difficult. I grew up in church. My mother was the piano player; my dad drove the bus to pick up Sunday school kids. We’d go to church about five nights a week between practices, youth choir, and adult choir. We lived there. You didn’t get to talk to people there, so using my singing voice was my only communication. There’s always something going on in church; everybody has their own stories and struggles. So, I would start singing. I would tell them that God loves it when you sing, no matter what you sound like.
Story: I was in a bad place, locked up in a county jail cell during a 23-hour lockdown. It was really lonely in there. All you have are the voices in your head, which can be dark. Lucifer is trying to steal everything while the Holy Ghost talks to me. The spirit speaks to you throughout the day, whether you are tying your shoe or brushing your teeth. That wicked voice is always trying to steal, and it’s strong. I’m fighting to get the spirit back while that bad voice takes the word and twists it. The test is gaining wisdom through it; that is the fight. So, I thought I would start singing. I told the girls I could sing. That was the only moment of peace we had. I would begin to sing for them and sing them to sleep. Country music, gospel music, I can sing most things. You feel pretty low down when you’re in a place like that. I was trying to shine a light.
