Tips for Christians When Dating

Christian singles are in a battle every day when it comes to dating. As Christians we all are called to a higher standard of living than when we walked in our fleshly desires. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body." (NIV). Whether we are young or old, the battle rages on in our flesh to remain pure and holy while we are dating. We must honor God with our bodies and we also want to honor those we are dating. But we have help through the Holy Spirit who guides us and we know that Jesus has overcome the world! We don't have to face the battle alone.

Here are some very practical dating tips that you can apply while dating. Some of these dating tips may seem a bit rigid, but when followed you’ll find that you end up with a beautiful relationship on the other end; and you’ll have no regrets.

• Pray – Before you even leave home to meet your date you need to spend time on your knees asking God to help you honor Him and your date. You can never go wrong with prayer. This will also put you in the proper mind-set for your time together.
• Talk a lot – There’s no better way to get to know someone than by talking to them about a wide variety of topics. The more you talk, the more you will begin to know if this might be a relationship that you should pursue.
• Let’s be friends! – This is an important dating tip to remember. Don’t forget that until you are married the person you are dating could be some one else’s future mate. When you begin dating someone there is a lot of pressure to move things along much too quickly. Choose to keep your relationship on a friendship level. The longer you can remain "just friends", the better your relationship will be if you decide to get married at some point. It's great being married to your best friend!
• Pray in groups – What in the world does that mean? This sounds like an odd dating tip. What we’re suggesting is that you don’t pray together alone as a couple too early in your relationship. Prayer is so very important in any relationship so please don't misunderstand this point. When you pray with someone of the opposite sex that you care about you begin to build a level of intimacy that can often lead to trouble.
The goal in any Christian relationship is to honor God. Prayer is intimate communication with God and can draw couples together in ways not intended if you are not careful. It’s better to pray together when you are with other Christians. This will help keep the focus on God and not allow thoughts and emotions to wander to prohibited areas.
• Choose to not kiss – At least until you are engaged to be married. Okay, this can be extremely difficult, but if you can follow this one dating tip then most of the others will happen naturally. Even kissing once you are engaged can be very dangerous. It’s better to not kiss at all until your wedding day!
• Include another couple – You will find that physical issues are much less distracting if you plan most of your dating situations to include other couples. Group dates can be a lot of fun and you’ll also be helping your friends maintain purity in their relationships as well.
• Always treat each other with respect – If you respect the person you are with then you won’t say or do things that will intentionally hurt them. Ask yourself "what would Jesus do?" and then do it!

Don't simply read these dating tips and then not try to apply any of them to your dating situations. Dating is a wonderful experience and should be enjoyed by both people in the relationship. If you came searching for these dating tips then you have a desire to honor your date and honor God with the choices you will make while dating. We pray these dating tips will bless your life and your future relationships.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things." Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
Happy Dating!