Ep 163: Beyond The Music - Choosing Daily Obedience (Part 2)

"Today on Plays On Word Radio, we continue our discussion with our dear brother, pastor, author, and worship leader Harold B., as we delve into the meaning of true worship."

What if worship isn’t about the song you sing but the choice you make when sin crouches at the door? We sit down with pastor, author, and worship leader Harold B to reframe worship as obedience, presence, and love that moves from the private prayer closet into the messy beauty of team life. Starting with Cain and Abel, Harold walks us through the moment of decision where God’s grace offers a real option and our will either yields or resists. That hinge—choose God’s way or your own—becomes the truest test of worship.

We talk about carrying God’s presence into every space, not confining Him to a set or a sanctuary. Harold shares how desire for God must be formed by Scripture, meditation, and repentance, and how many of us need to unlearn our assumptions before we can live worship the way God intended. From there, we pivot to community: loving God with all we are, then proving it by loving our neighbor. Teams become the training ground where forgiveness is chosen before feelings, humility outruns talent, and submission to leadership shapes character. Practical rhythms matter—praying for one another during rehearsal, inserting Bible study into practice, and creating space to confess and heal so the song comes from a whole heart.

Drawing on the Levite pattern fulfilled in Christ, Harold reminds us that the torn veil means bold access for every believer. When two or three gather in His name without agendas, unity becomes power. We dive into the costs and rewards of this path: carrying your weight, dying to self, honoring authority, and letting your life sing louder than the mic ever could. If you’re a worship leader, a volunteer, or simply someone who wants your choices to honor God, this conversation clears the fog and points to a lifestyle that changes atmospheres because it surrenders first.

If this spoke to you, follow the show, share it with a friend on your team, and leave a quick review with one takeaway you’re choosing to live this week. Your words help others find the message and join the journey.

(Please click on the underlined links below.)
Harold B's Media Links: https://linktr.ee/harold_b

This program was made possible by the Plays One Word family of supporters. To find out more, check out our website at playsonword.org

Plays On Word Newsletter Sign Up • Support Plays On Word Radio

Plays On Word website
Plays On Word YouTube
Plays On Word Facebook
Plays On Word Instagram
Email us: team@playsonword.org

Transcript

Setting The Worship Context

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Lord, you know.

SPEAKER_05 0:01

You're now listening to play is the best.

SPEAKER_02 0:07

I just read it and go, oh, that's nice. There's so much context. Even with worship. Worship, there's so much context that we've missed because we've assumed what it is. And and and and I've assumed for many years what it is. Like I'm a worshiper, I'm I not. And then God's showing me, wait, but the person on the street to the bishop on uh at the top of the hill, they all can worship.

SPEAKER_00 0:49

Today on Plays on Word Radio, we continue our discussion with our dear brother, Pastor Author, and Worship leader Harold B.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

As we delve into the meaning of current worship. Hello, and welcome to Plays on Word Radio, where we discuss, analyze, work, and play on the Word of God. Thank you for joining us on the 630 today. Let's join Pastor Teddy, also known as Fred David Teddy Jr., the founder of Plays on Word theater. I think that's a deep dive into the Word of God.

Choice At The Door: Cain And Abel

SPEAKER_02 1:46

Here we go again. I want to show you something, man. You keep saying how you warn. You don't have a choice unless you have all the information. You can't make a choice unless there's something to choose. Right. So option. Just to show you, before Cain gave in to his sin and chose his sin, God came to him. Right. Warned him. Said, hey, and said, Cain, the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? Why is your face so downcast? This is what he says to him. Because he God is so gracious in this in this situation.

SPEAKER_05 2:37

Even there, you're seeing the grace.

SPEAKER_02 2:38

He says, Yeah, he says, Why are you angry? And then he says, if you do what is right, you'll be accepted. Will you not be accepted? But if you do not, what he's giving him the choice. Yeah, here's the choice. If you do not do what is right, sin crouches at your door. That's the Netflix show. Whatever it is. It is. It's crouching out your door. It desires to have you, but you must rule over it.

SPEAKER_05 3:09

Rule over it. You have the option. So how you got the option. And what did he do? He doubled down. He never repented. The only thing he did he was never repented. He was he was more upset. He was like, yo, man, my punishments. This ain't even right. This punishment's too much more than I can bear. He was more upset about getting, he never one time said, felt bad about Lord, I'm sorry about killing my brother.

SPEAKER_02 3:32

He was consumed by his own flesh. Yep. So it was either jealousy or give God your first fruits like your brother did. Yeah. And you'll be accepted. And God came and said it to him. And that's where we have the battle. We know that there's a good and bad, we know that there's a disobedience, but let's look where the battle really is. It's that point in which that tension in which the choice has to be made. Now, if I choose to do it God's way, I'm worshiping.

SPEAKER_03 4:07

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 4:08

Because I'm obeying. If I choose to do it my way, I cause confusion. I can cause corruption, you know, I can cause cor um, I can sabotage whatever God wants to do. And then I'm not, this is the point. I'm being disobedient and I'm not worshiping.

SPEAKER_05 4:28

That's the point you brought up in the book. You brought that point up in the book, and it r it reminded me of uh the Cain and Abel thing because um many believe that when God when he made skins for Adam and Eve, he showed them right there. That's a picture of the gospel, showed them that their blood needs to be shed because of your sin. And sh showed them right there, and and a lot of people believe that Abel brought his first the first of his flock to God as an offering for sacrifice, the way God prescribed, and Cain was doing it the way he wanted to do it, bringing his first fruits and bringing f of his works from his, you know, the ground was cursed, and he was he was working the ground, he rolled step to God the way he wanted to. And you pointed out in the book, and I forget which chapter and where, but you I remember you saying that you know, worship, you you can't just step to God the way you want to. You know? Right. It's it's more of a recognition of who he is. And I I forget the chapter, I forget where you were on that, but you were talking about that.

SPEAKER_02 5:34

I believe that's chapter three. I believe that's right.

SPEAKER_05 5:37

Yeah, yeah, it's early on. It's early on.

Worship As Obedience In Daily Life

SPEAKER_02 5:38

Yes, chapter three. It's what I in the beginning of the book, I talk about how it's important to want the presence of God. Because how can you worship God if you don't even know what it is you're supposed to be or where you're supposed to be? It's the place that God, this is gonna blow people's mind, but there's one place in this world that you belong. You belong. You've been intended to be there from God Himself, and that's guess where that is in his presence. Yeah, and if you don't know that, then why you run into it? You don't you don't you don't desire something if you don't know what it is you belong to. So the destination of and in your purpose is to be in God's presence. The only way to be in God's presence is through obedience.

SPEAKER_05 6:31

And the thing that's a t-shirt right there.

SPEAKER_02 6:35

That's a t-shirt. I buy that. And it's it's so it's so important to God that he's jealous. God says, Don't forget me because when you because when you're not in his presence, you're it's only two presents you can be in, one or the other.

SPEAKER_03 6:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:55

Right. Right. You see, and so he knows by obeying him and being in his presence. Even Jesus said, Everything I do, I do with my father. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because he was in his presence of his father. Yeah. And this is the thing. The presence of God is not something that is restricted to a certain room in your house.

SPEAKER_03 7:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 7:19

You can bring the you can bring the presence of God everywhere you go, and that's what God wants us to do. You know, the song says the atmosphere is changing now. So now it's changing because you brought it with you. That's why when you walk in a room and there's people there that go, oh, we can't talk about that no more. So and so just walked in. Yes, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 7:47

Because you brought the presence of God, yeah, and say, yeah.

Living In God’s Presence Everywhere

SPEAKER_02 9:15

You know, raising a generation that will live out their worship and not just sing it.

SPEAKER_05 9:20

Amen. Amen. You know. Do you have like a website or anything like that, or any type of Facebook links or anything?

SPEAKER_02 9:27

Yeah, if you go to my uh Facebook page, it's Harold Boyd Um Jr. And then when I'm Hboogie33 on uh Instagram. I know. Yeah, Instagram. There's a story behind that. HBogie33. Um, there's a story behind it. Um we'll we'll we'll try to put the links.

SPEAKER_05 9:46

We'll try to put these links in in the show notes. So that if anybody wants to go to the show.

SPEAKER_02 9:52

Yes. And then what I have is also a link tree. Okay. That is if you go to my Instagram, the link tree, the link to my link tree with all my platforms are there music, books, uh, everything, TikTok, all that stuff. Um, and so it's so important uh that we understand what true worship is. And I love how you're bringing that out, the whole obedience thing, the choice thing. It's the end now. This is the thing the book is broken up into. The book is broken down to worship as an individual, you know, your personal walk with God, and then to mature to a place where now you're able to work with uh your your your your your worship as a team. And that's I love it, that's where God wants us. And so um you gotta understand, I've been a pastor since 2004. Since 2004, over 20 years I've been a pastor, and I've uh dealt with and I've led so many teams, and I've dealt with so many different personalities, so many different um um situations and and and and also maturity levels. And so with that he showed me so many different things, and um it was through that that that God put me on this this journey to read this to write this book.

SPEAKER_05 11:24

Um you also put actually on I was gonna say you you also the the team aspect is is really important and you brought a lot of great wisdom for that uh because it it is important. And you're also like study guides at the end of each chapter. You know, which which is which I you know I'm all about that, man. I'm like, okay, he's asking some important questions. Make it go a little further. Let me think about this, man. You know? Uh and I I you know, I I liked what it was what are two acknowledgments and the one response that we affirm in our worship. Uh it's almost like a quiz, and you're like, go back and read Job 38 through 40. You know, I'm like, I I was just I'm I mean, I was feeling that. I I like the idea, I like the concept. And so it felt like a um a journey individual, but also wow man, I'm ready to go lead a lead an army now.

Personal Worship To Team Worship

SPEAKER_02 12:24

Yeah. So so the thing is, the thing is, um the funny thing about the the the whole the whole thing about you know the the work thing and the and the end of it, there are key parts that you have to understand in order and and to reinforce what you because some people are just reading things and not really taking time to meditate, to soak it in, to really understand. And that's how we're supposed to do in the word anyway. You're supposed to read the word, but not just read it and go, oh, that's nice. There's so much context, even with worship, worship, there's so much context that we've missed because we've assumed what it is. Yeah, and and and and I've assumed for many years what it is. Like I'm a worshiper, aren't I? And then God's showing me, wait, but the the person on the street to the bishop on uh at the top of the hill, they all can worship. So if that's what they all do, then it is what is it that I do? Let's define it for what it really is, and then we can do it in the real context that God intended. Sometimes we read things and we we do things in the assumption of what we think it is, but we don't really try to understand what is being said, and so that's why there's a lot of in like any relationship, there's there's a lot of um misunderstanding, you know. Well, I just assumed this was it, and and and and meanwhile, the husband or wife was saying that's not what I meant at all. And that's exactly so when I was seeking the Lord about truly worshiping him, I I had to be careful what I was asking for because I had to really redefine and repent and re so I heard it like this sometimes you have to unlearn what you've learned, to learn what is the right way, and then redo it. So you unlearn it, then you relearn it, yeah, and then you do it correctly. And that's what the I pray that this book does is help people to unlearn what we thought it was, to relearn the way God is and is intended for it, and then our response is to do it though his way.

SPEAKER_03 14:42

Amen.

SPEAKER_05 14:42

So I feel I'm I'm gonna put we're gonna make sure we put a link in we're gonna put your link tree up here, but we'll put a link to the Amazon uh for the book.

SPEAKER_06 14:56

Barnes and Noble.

SPEAKER_05 14:57

Yeah, Barnes and Noble. But we'll put that put the link up there so you anybody listening, I I would highly recommend it. I think uh any anybody who's lead worship needs to check this out. But if even if you're not a worship leader, you need to listen. We're all we're all part of the worship team, man. Like everybody is part of the worship team. You know? I love the segues. Not everybody's up on the stage, but every single person that calls Jesus Lord, hey, if you're not part of the worship, right? And if you're not, if you could don't consider yourself part of the worship team, the overall were then you you you need to unlearn. What did Harold say? Harold said you need to unlearn so that you can learn.

unknown 15:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 15:42

Unlearn what you're doing.

Unlearn, Relearn, Then Do

SPEAKER_02 15:42

You gotta unlearn what you learned, what you thought you knew, then relearn what it is so that you can do it correctly. Right. And so listen, I'm not telling you these things because I'm trying to preach at somebody. I'm telling you these things because that's what I had to do. Amen. Like, you know, like the hair club for men. I'm not just the president. I'm I'm, you know, I do it myself, you know. So, you know, well, not exactly because I'm bald, but the the thing is, you know, just as an analogy, I I'm the first one, man. I'm I gotta get it right. Yeah, and and in order to, I can't, and you know, one leadership 101, Kim Blanchard said in his book, in order to be able to lead someone, you have to lead yourself. You have to be the example of what is expected.

SPEAKER_06 16:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 16:30

So I'm not coming to you, you know, just just barking orders. I'm saying this is how God said it. I didn't say it, just don't shoot the messenger. But if you want to do it God's way, and this is the bar that I set even on my team. We we doing it this way. We're not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not trying to just sound good. We pray for one another. I have during worship team, during worship rehearsal, there's one time we've done a Bible study. We ain't saying, we just did a Bible study, they loved it. We do, I did a prayer line. So, what you struggling with? Get in this line and let's be obedient to God. You know, let's get it right so we can be obedient and be in his presence as a team. So, man, let me just get to this part real quick. Let me get to this part. I'm gonna I'm gonna give you the whole book in a nutshell. There's two commandments. Two commandments. The first one that Jesus gives is love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. Now, that is the first six, seven chapters of the book. Loving the Lord your God. Your prayer time, being in his presence, you know, praying to him, seeking him, feeding your spirit. That's all personal. I love you, Lord, I love you, Lord. Okay, that's great. What's the second one? The second command is to love your neighbor as yourself. That's the hardest one. Yeah, it is because that's the one where you have to die to yourself and love someone above yourself.

SPEAKER_04 18:07

Right.

SPEAKER_02 18:08

Where your f it's not about you, but it's about him. And that's where God wants. See, we got the first commandment nice because you know, we talk to God all the time, yeah, and we tell him how much we love him. But the second command, we show God how much we love him by loving one another.

SPEAKER_05 18:27

And that's where it's that's where it's ugly sometimes. It's like I don't this I I'm waiting Lord, I'm supposed to love somebody that's unlovable right now on the team. On the team. And that's that's you know, that's because and he's like, Well, I loved you when you were unlovable.

Loving God And Loving Neighbor

SPEAKER_02 18:43

Thank you. Thank you. Where's the grace that I showed you? Where's the love that I showed you? Oh so the thing is we become a community, yeah, a common unity. Yes, yes, yes. That's what we become. And the thing is, if you don't have the love of, if you don't know and have the love of God, then you can't bring it into the team because it's not your differences that bring you together, it's the kingdom that brings you together, it's your purpose that brings you together. And God has appointed things. That's why I talk about the organization, like in chapter 10 and 11. It's about getting everybody on the same page. Chapter 8. Everybody carries their own weight. The Levitical calling was not just, they used to call the musicians the remnant, the Levite, you know, remnant of Levites, Levites. The Levites were in was effort, it was in the what is the word I'm looking for? It was an illustration from God of the relationship that he wanted with us. That's why when the veil was torn, we all could come into the Holy of Holies. Because that's what he wanted. He didn't want just, you know, the sons of Aaron and all these others, you know, those Levites to be to just be the ones that had that calling. That was God saying, This is the relationship I want with you guys. And when Jesus fulfilled that, we all were brought back into his presence. And we can come boldly before the throne of grace. Now, once you're in his presence, now you got two or three gathered in his name. Yeah, yeah. Oh man, it's over now. But the thing is, you don't come with you don't come in there with your agendas and your differences. You come in there in humility, you come in there in love. So, and that that's the full obedience of the worship of God. The full obedience is that you love him by showing, by telling him how much you love him and making him the first thing on your mind. But then when he tells you to forgive, when he tells you to show grace, when he tells you to be humble, when he tells you, you know, um, come to your brother in a spirit of meekness, when he tells you to turn the other cheek, that means that now you bring in that into when he tells you to carry your cross and die to yourself, and then you know, pick up his cross and learn and and walk in, you know, uh when it says, you know, um you can um deny yourself, carry a cross and follow him, yeah, that's what you do in the team.

SPEAKER_05 21:28

Obedience.

SPEAKER_02 21:30

All the way around, not just when people aren't looking. When when you're with the team, you know, it's it's you know, um like I make myself accountable to our senior pastor. He's younger than me. But I'm acknowledging who God calls him in the team. So I don't get caught up in, well, I'm older than you, I know this, and I'm better than you. See, that is me. That's flesh. That's not him. And so I think that part of the book is one of the hardest parts because now it takes you out of yourself and puts you in a place where you have to find yourself loving.

SPEAKER_05 22:14

You make that choice to do it. That's it. That's it. Choosing the lifestyle, man. That's it. Choosing the lifestyle. It's easy. And it's it's it's pretty simple. God made it black and white, man. Easy. Well, it's not easy.

SPEAKER_02 22:32

It's not easy, but He made He gave us a choice, and it's it's clear to say. It's not easy, but it's possible. That's what I say. Right.

SPEAKER_05 22:42

Because if it was impossible, it would what kind of choice is that if it's impossible?

SPEAKER_02 22:46

It has to be there, has to be some possibility in it. So then now you got Christ who showed us, first of all, if you want to be like Christ, then you want to suffer like he did. If you want to be like Christ, you want to deny yourself like he did. So Christianity was never meant to be comfortable. I mean, you want to be like Paul. Paul wrote 75% of the Bible in the New Testament. I'm sorry. He wrote 75% of the of the New Testament to the many churches in jail. Yeah, he was just. But we want to be, you know, we you say you want it. Do you want it? But see, that but that's where, but see, I've learned to say, nevertheless, not my will, but your will be done. And so that person that has disappointed me, that person that has done me wrong, I God said forgive. I don't forgive, man. I know it's gonna sound crazy, but I don't forgive because I want to. I forgive because he said so.

Hard Choices, Forgiveness, And Discipline

SPEAKER_05 24:00

Right, right, yeah, right. Does that make sense? Yeah, it does. It makes sense. Okay. You know, it's in the morning. Because I'm being obedient to what he's calling me to do, because you gotta keep it hey, keeping it real, man. Sometimes I I'm not feeling like forgiving this person right now, but the Lord tells me to. I'm gonna choose to be obedient. And my heart, yeah, some my heart will follow if I choose, but if I never choose to be obedient, I'm never gonna get there.

SPEAKER_02 24:26

You're never gonna get there. Never gonna get with you. You know, so and maybe I'll hear a song that says forgive. And that song says about Christ and how he forgave, and then now that song is encouraging me. Yeah, you see how that works now? Now I'm being obedient. Now I'm worshiping because I forgave.

SPEAKER_05 24:47

Yep. Yep. Yep, amen. Amen to that.

SPEAKER_02 24:51

And where you train yourself, that's where your heart will fall. I love that part. Yeah. It it at first it is not easy, but when you deny yourself and you choose that, your heart will f I love that. I should have put that in the book, man.

SPEAKER_05 25:06

It's all good. Oh, it's on your throw. Find another book. I'm gonna put that in there. Amen. I'll I'll send you another beat. You could just sing it. Sing a song, sing a song about it. Well, Harold B, man. We're we're we're we're basically out of time, man, for this episode. We'll do we'll do an extended version and uh we'll make that available for everybody. We're also gonna, we're so glad to have you on the program. We're gonna get you back, though, on the program. Um we're gonna get you back on plays on where radio. We what do you we want to know what's happening? Do you have anything coming up? Any shows coming up or anything like that? You want to promote?

SPEAKER_02 25:40

Oh man. Oh man.

SPEAKER_05 25:42

Or we'll just we'll just check out your site.

SPEAKER_02 25:44

I'm gonna say, I'm gonna, yes. Um, so uh man, this Saturday I'm gonna be doing a worship uh night at our church with Rita Springer. Okay. And um before there was a Kim Walker, there was a Rita Springer. And a lot of song, worship songs that we do, you know, uh came from her. So just to be just to be, you know, a part of that is is huge. Um I have a book tour coming up. I'm gonna be in the Union County area, three book tours. Then we're gonna have a major thing coming up June 6th, where I'm gonna do a uh what is that called? Uh it's not a workshop, it's uh like a worship conference. Conference. Man, that's wild talking about.

Team Humility And Accountability

SPEAKER_05 26:36

Yo, I know I know a bunch of bunch of pastors, and you know, you uh let me know before you said, you know, you will come out um to the you know, you come out to the church and you could do a a worship conference with their worship team or you know, the people, and uh so that is an option for it all you pastors listening right now, and I know I know who you are, you know who you are. And uh yeah. We've but the this is the problem though, uh Harold. We we got pastors in Uganda, uh we got pastors in in uh Bangladesh, uh Albania, uh the Philippines. So you uh who knows, man. You might find yourself on a plane. Listen, wherever he sends me, I gotta be obedient. We've been streamed in seven 79 countries or something like that. So who knows, man? So yeah, uh the contact for Harold will be there, or if you can't get a hold of him, reach out to me and we'll we'll make it happen. So, all right, my brother, Harold B. We didn't even play any of the music, but you uh those of you listening, you've been able to hear some of the bumper music in between. And uh, yeah, so we're gonna make sure we have the the nice beautiful Harold B bumper music. And there are there's some Harold B surprises coming up over the horizon. If uh the North Carolina um contingent of the the Harold B International Silver Screen Submarine Band could just get the productions uh straightened out. If we could get the if we could get uh this guy down in our southern command here, the we got a bottleneck happening with our production, but uh I heard there's some dance stuff possibly uh coming out or some something you could bop your feet to. So we'll listen.

SPEAKER_02 28:26

I'm gonna tell y'all, I'm gonna tell, I'm gonna tell everybody right now. I'm giving it away serving them know this. They don't they don't know this, but my man Ted is he is one of the most talented people I've ever worked with. And the the the the possibilities are limitless, man. So I'm there are some things we talked about. I believe God ain't finished, man. So um there's gotta be a lot of things. God let me tell you, when you go on TikTok, when you go on TikTok or you go and you see my content on Instagram, shout out to Teddy, man. The soundtracks are amazing. It yeah, it just takes my stuff to another level where you'd have thought I I shot it on BET or something like that, man. Like he, this guy is amazing. So it's a I I I I gotta show my appreciation to my brother, man. Shout out to you. I thank God for you. And we're gonna we're gonna, yeah, whatever you want, Ted, man. I appreciate it. Whatever you want.

SPEAKER_03 29:30

Yeah, hold on one.

Opportunities, Tours, And Events

SPEAKER_05 29:33

No, don't do it, Ted. Don't do it. I gotta hit a bridge one more time, man. Yeah. Let me kill the drums. Oh my god. Yeah. Sweet, man. Yo, I'm gonna send you these tracks. I'm gonna send you the individual stems and the tracks so you can pull it up on uh in Logic and yo, you got to listen to the harmonics on the bridge, man. There's harmonics hitting in the guitar or something. And uh I there was if I remember correctly, we didn't have a bridge when we started doing this song. There was no bridge. No. And I did the bridge like three or four years after I recorded the the idea of the main guitar. I don't think I ever read I wonder if I can We did this live at a coffee house one time.

SPEAKER_02 31:54

Yes, we did. I have I think I have the video of that.

SPEAKER_05 31:57

But Harold B, yeah, thank you for being on Plays on Word Radio. Uh and anybody what we're we're gonna make sure you can get in contact with him and please go out and buy this book Beyond the Music. Choosing a lifestyle of worship. We'll we'll put the the code in there, the the link. Um, and Harold's gonna be working on a new book soon. And we're gonna just man, we we love you, bro. We love you, and I just pray that this I pray that the Lord just continues to bless people through your ministry, your ministries, and I'm just looking forward to hearing the feedback from the folks that go out and buy this and the folks that have listened to some of the tunes we played here in the bumper music without giving all the any of the new stuff away.

SPEAKER_02 32:40

Alright. Listen, man, let's talk later and let's do it on now.

SPEAKER_05 32:44

Alright, my brother. I love you very much.

Supporters And Website

SPEAKER_01 32:54

This program was made possible by the Plays On Word family of supporters. To find out more, check out our website at plazonword.org.