Sarah Kroger recently released her Integrity Music album, A New Reality, following her album Light, which featured the standout song "Belovedness." My daughters are 24, 20, and 18 years old, and this album is perfect for them.
It has been one of my missions to share the biblical truth behind songs that help women being bombarded with negative messages regarding identity and purpose to know that their true identity and purpose are found in God. Sarah's album is all about committing our hearts to God, with Sarah sweetly singing in her single, "Still Yours": "You're still good, and I'm still Yours/Yours and Yours forever/Loved, adored and treasured." I had the chance to speak with Sarah about her standout song, "No Filter."
Please tell me the personal story behind this song.
This song puts the rest of the record into context. It encapsulates what I've been walking through. I hope it allows space for people to bring their questions and not be held captive to fear.
This song was inspired by the haunting words of Psalm 22 and my personal trials. I wrote "No Filter" alongside my friend, Savannah Locke, within thirty minutes. What emerged was a musical expression of unwavering faith warring with crippling doubt. This track is a lifeline to those wrestling with their faith and a testament that doubt and faith can coexist, leading to a deeper understanding and experience of God's mysterious ways.
With this song, I'm reaching out to the silent strugglers, the doubters, and anyone who has felt alone in their spiritual battles, offering a melodic embrace that says, "Your journey is valid, and your questions do not make you less of a believer."
Which Bible verses connect to the message of the song?
Psalm 34:8 (VOICE): "Taste of His goodness; see how wonderful the Eternal truly is. Anyone who puts trust in Him will be blessed and comforted."
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (VOICE): "So we have no reason to despair. Despite the fact that our outer humanity is falling apart and decaying, our inner humanity is breathing in new life every day. You see, the short-lived pains of this life are creating for us an eternal glory that does not compare to anything we know here. So we do not set our sights on the things we can see with our eyes. All of that is fleeting; it will eventually fade away. Instead, we focus on the things we cannot see, which live on and on."
Psalm 22:3 (VOICE): "Still, You are holy; You make Your home on the praises of Israel."
Jeremiah 29:11 (VOICE): "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Eternal, "plans for peace, not evil, to give you a future and hope--never forget that."
Romans 8:28 (VOICE): "We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan."
Psalm 112:7 (NLT): "They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them."
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV): "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight."
1 John 4:18 (NKJV): "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love."
What is the takeaway message?
[This song is] an invitation for believers to express greater authenticity in our relationships with God. I hope to ignite the need for conversation around faith and doubt within the Church. My mission is to assure listeners that their doubts do not disqualify them from pursuing closeness with God. Faith is a living journey marked by questions that propel us forward. "No Filter" is a song for brave souls daring to believe amidst unanswered questions.
I hope people feel encouraged to bring their imperfect, questioning, doubting selves to God. I want people to be reminded of the beauty of His presence in the world. He's more real than we can comprehend.
Lyrics
Sometimes when I pray
I wonder if I'm talking to the ceiling
Sometimes when I sing
I question if this whole thing's just a feeling
Who are you?
Who am I?
Questions just keep racing through my mind
If you want me
Here I am, no filters
With questions more than answers
If you want me, here I am
No hiding
No more playing perfect
Cause honesty is worth it
If you want me, here I am
If you want me, here I am
Sometimes I do all the right things
hoping it would you make proud of me
Is it ok to feel you
more in nature than inside church buildings?
Who are you?
Who am I?
Question after question in my mind
If you want me
Here I am, no filters
With questions more than answers
If you want me, here I am
No hiding
No more playing perfect
Cause honesty is worth it
If you want me, here I am
If you want me, here I am
If you want me, here I am
I want to believe
I do
Help my unbelief
Help my unbelief
I want to believe
The truth
Help my unbelief
Help my unbelief
If you want me
Here I am, no filters
With questions more than answers
If you want me, here I am
Closing Thoughts
Being a Christian father of three young daughters, these songs all reflect the yearning for Jesus to make us whole I pray for my daughters to feel in their hearts as well. I love how this song celebrates God's sovereignty, professing that God is the ultimate ruler over our lives. I love how this song expresses the truth of our earthly challenges.
This song has resonated with me as I realize that Jesus commands us to trust God completely no matter our circumstances or personal distractions or concerns. The song is about faith and letting God's plans be revealed in your life.
God tells us in the Bible that we are all sinners, and we've all fallen short. We need to serve God because of who He is, not what He does for us. God doesn't promise to spare us from pain, but we need to trust Him. You have to trust Him and wait on Him and wait for Him to orchestrate the plans for your life. This is a wonderful song of encouragement to live as a light and know that in Christ we can do anything. God will never fail us or forsake us until the work of the Lord is finished. God has great plans for all of His children according to Jeremiah 29:11.
We have the very love of God in our hearts. We have faith to see the impossible come to pass, and we have a God waiting to back us up in this mission. Ask God to open your eyes today. Ask Him to reveal His footsteps so you can follow them. They will lead you to some amazing places. Spend time with God, and let Him redeem and restore you. Although many of us may know Proverbs 3:5-6, Solomon wrote that to remind us today about the importance of trusting in God with ALL our hearts.
God doesn't make bad things happen to us. He came to give us life and to live with Him eternally by trusting in Jesus alone for our salvation. God is bigger than any calamity we experience in this world. His love never fails. Jeremiah 29:13 says, "You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart." God tells us in the Bible that with faith, we can do anything in Christ. I'm completely convicted by the strong lyrics and find immense comfort in this song filled with biblical truth. The Holy Spirit gives us new life, and we don't have to live anymore with our guilt, fears, perfectionism, or worries. We are new creations, and we need to live as children of God.
This is one of my favorite songs of the year. If you are looking for a firm foundation in your life, make these lyrics your personal prayer: "If you want me/Here I am, no filters/With questions more than answers/If you want me, here I am/No hiding/No more playing perfect/Cause honesty is worth it/If you want me, here I am." Amen to that.
NRT lead contributor Kevin Davis is a long-time Christian music fan and an avid collector. He credits the message of Christian music for leading him to Christ. He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three daughters.
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