3 Healthy Habits to Cultivate to Honor God in Our Dating

I was lying quietly in my bed when suddenly the following verse came to mind: For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be despised. » (1 Samuel 2.30)

This verse resonated with me so much that I thought the following:

So if I honor God in my dating, then He will honor me in my marriage. But if I despise Him while we’re dating, then my destiny mate and I will be despised in our marriage.

How is it “despised” in our marriage? Isn’t there a way to still come back into marriage with God’s blessing, even if it has been dishonored in dating?

Yes, there are, because God is not a man to lie. His hand always does what his mouth says. He says through his apostle: 1 John 1.9 ” If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us of them, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.»

But let’s not make this verse an excuse for not honoring God in our relationships.

This is why God, passing over these times of ignorance, now announces to all single people everywhere that they repent of their misconduct in courtship.

It was after writing the article above (which I advise you to read as well), that I decided to write this article on healthy habits to cultivate during dating to honor God our Father💞.

But before starting to write the article, I had also decided to do a little research on Google around the term ” to honour “. The first result I had before my eyes was that of the Larousse dictionary.

This result allowed me to better understand the verb “to honor”. According to the Larousse dictionary: To honor is to show one’s respect, one’s consideration for someone, for their memory, to pay homage to their qualities, to their merit.

Indeed this result is a little more telling, and revealing of what it really means to honor God.

This is why I was inspired by the definition of the Larousse dictionary, to declare the following: To honor God in our associations is to mark our respect, our consideration for Him in the actions we commit individually and as a couple before and in marriage. It is to pay homage to His qualities, His merit, by the habits that we cultivate during courtship.

But what is dating?

First I want to place these four verses before you which are very revealing of the answer to the question posed.

1 Peter 2.11 : “Beloveds, I encourage you, as temporary residents and strangers on earth, to refrain from the desires of your own nature which war against the soul.»

Jeremiah 2.32 : “ Does the young girl forget her ornaments, the bride her belt? ? »

1 Corinthians 10.8 : “ Nor do we indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, so that 23,000 fell in a single day. »

1 Thessalonians 5.23 : “….and may your whole being, spirit, soul, and body, be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ! »

Most often and unfortunately we fail to honor God in our dating, simply because we confuse “dating” and “flirting”.

Dating or friendship is not synonymous with flirting

While the flirting practiced in celibacy refers to any action or word that exposes us to sexual stimulation before marriage and makes us miss the promises of God, dating or friendship is rather a step that singles must take advantage of. to discover amazing things about the personality of their destined spouse, to fellowship, and to spend quality time with God together.

My friend Yedess Élisée has already written an article on dating and flirting. You are cordially invited to read it.

We finally come to the question that has been floating around in your head for a while: what are these 3 healthy habits to cultivate to honor God while we are dating?

• Habit 1: Speech meditation 📖of God with his/her spouse of destiny

My beloved💞, if you want to know and understand God’s vision concerning marriage and the life of a couple, you must read it often. Yes, it’s fine to spend quality time with God in prayer and praise with your partner, but know that God is in his word. (John 1.1)

Many blessings will come to you if you set time for meditation with your partners. The greatest blessing is getting to know God and his promises over your lives.

Spend quality time with your partners in meditation on the word of God. Follow meditation plans together on YouVersion for example. If possible, download Connect-Me, which is a mobile application that will challenge you and your partner on a daily basis, advising you of daily actions to take.

• Habit 2: Talking with your partner about the world’s ideas and views on life as a couple

If you want to know the point of view of your partner on sexual relations for example, you just have to ask him the question. It’s not making love⛔️ to our partner that we discover his point of view on sexual relations. We just have to broach the subject together.

But beware ! ⚠️ We can be at the right time to broach a subject, but not in the right place. Because King David was not at the right time or in the right place, he fell with his soldier’s wife. He should be on the battlefield that day, because Israel was at war.

Always be at the right time and in the right place when you have to discuss certain topics with your partners. If you decide to approach them in your bedroom, when the hands start to wander, you will find it hard to resist. Go to restaurants together, visit museums together, invite each other to cultural activities organized in your churches, your universities.

Apart from sex in marriage, there are plenty of other topics.💬 that you can discuss with your partners while dating. I can cite for example: the number of children, finances, your phobias, your hobbies, etc.

• Habit 3: Playing a sport together 🏋️‍♀️ 🏋🏻‍♀️

According to sexology experts, intense sport would not only melt fat, it would also have a negative impact on libido. This negative impact can work in our favor during dating.

Women/girls with partners who find it difficult to dominate their passions and control their impulses can encourage them to participate in intense sport. Even if you do not encounter this type of difficulty in your dating relationships, you can still practice a sport together with your partners. It will also allow you to spend quality time together.

It is not only in meditation and praise that we can please God. You don’t have to be too spiritual either to be a good partner. You are already children of God.

Finally, I advise you to read this article by Diane Aniambossou Dassoundo on the three habits to cultivate to flourish in your celibacy.

I like you very much,