Single And Serving God
I had an opportunity to speak to the singles ministry Monday evening. Wow! What a mixed group. Some eager to get married, some bitter from past broken relationships, others caught betwixt and between wondering is this person the one for me or someone else. While we can debate whether or not Christians should date - this time I choose to focus my attention on "Single and Serving God."
I challenged the group to seek after covenant with their potential mate as opposed to simply marriage. Many can attest that marrying is merely the act of a ceremony. Yes, it is holy ceremony. But what happens after you say "I do" is what matters most.
For the core of the session I used the Common Care Counseling Handbook as a guide concerning this topic. It provides many practical tips for this much talked about subject. I made them aware that the three main areas that Satan attacks the Christian single are:
- Conformance to the world
- Failure to accept your singleness before God
- Marriage Obsession
If a single person can get to the place where they have genuine acceptance of their singleness it will bring about a personal contentment. One of the major problems faced by singles is that of loneliness. I know it is difficult, before I married my wife I struggled with pressures that the enemy sent my way. Singles must learn to exercise restraint when dealing with the influence of
fornication, masturbation, and impure thoughts.
Even the most committed singles go through seasons of struggle and temptation. Getting involved in service at your local church is a key to fulfillment for the single Christian.
Because I knew that many were wondering ... what should I look for in a mate, or what qualifications should they have. I challenged them to make sure that they considered the following guidelines:
- Set standards beforehand
- Trust God's guidance
- Spiritual compatibility
- Similar backgrounds
- Emotional attraction
- Physical attraction
- Mental and emotional maturity