So Ya Wanna Go Out?So Ya Wanna Go Out?

Part 1Part 1

According to According to teenagers today, teenagers today,

how important is it to how important is it to date?date?

Can the dating Can the dating relationships that relationships that

you have now affect you have now affect the rest of your life?the rest of your life?

That we allow Him the That we allow Him the freedom to freedom to Control Control this this

area of our lives.area of our lives.

His desire is that we turn His desire is that we turn our our EntireEntire date life and date life and future marriage plans future marriage plans

over to him.over to him.

Is God in control of your dating Is God in control of your dating relationships?relationships?

If He is, what is the evidence of If He is, what is the evidence of this?this?

If God is not in control, how would If God is not in control, how would it change things if He was?it change things if He was?

It is absolutely It is absolutely impossible to have a impossible to have a

truly successful dating truly successful dating relationship without relationship without

Jesus Christ in Jesus Christ in Complete Control!Complete Control!

““But seek first His But seek first His Kingdom, and His Kingdom, and His

righteousness; and all righteousness; and all these things shall be these things shall be

added to you.”added to you.”Matthew 6:33Matthew 6:33

YOUR YOUR GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND GIRLFRIEND/BOYFRIEND

CANNOT MEET YOUR NEEDS.CANNOT MEET YOUR NEEDS.

Ps 73:25-26Ps 73:25-2625 Whom have I in heaven 25 Whom have I in heaven

but you?but you?And earth has nothing I And earth has nothing I

desire besides you. desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart 26 My flesh and my heart

may fail,may fail,but God is the strength of but God is the strength of

my heart my heart and my portion forever.and my portion forever.

NIVNIV

It is very easy to feel the It is very easy to feel the pressure from friends and pressure from friends and this world, and panic. We this world, and panic. We

often might feel that God may often might feel that God may not ever give us someone to not ever give us someone to

date or even marry.date or even marry.

The 7 habits of highly The 7 habits of highly DEFECTIVEDEFECTIVE

Dating.Dating.

Dating leads to Dating leads to INTIMACYINTIMACY but but not necessarily not necessarily COMMITMENTCOMMITMENT..

Dating tends to Dating tends to skip the skip the

FRIENDSHIPFRIENDSHIP stage of a stage of a

relationship.relationship.

Dating often Dating often mistakes a mistakes a PHYSICALPHYSICAL

relationship for relationship for LOVE.LOVE.

Dating often Dating often ISOLATESISOLATES a a

couple from other couple from other vital relationships.vital relationships.

Dating, in many Dating, in many cases, distracts young cases, distracts young

people from their people from their responsibility of responsibility of preparing for the preparing for the

future.future.

Dating can cause a Dating can cause a discontentment with discontentment with

God’s gift of God’s gift of SINGLENESS.SINGLENESS.

Dating creates an Dating creates an artificial artificial

environment for environment for evaluating evaluating

another persons another persons character.character.

Eph 4:22-24Eph 4:22-24throw off your old evil nature-the old throw off your old evil nature-the old you that was a partner in your evil you that was a partner in your evil

ways-rotten through and through, full of ways-rotten through and through, full of lust and deception. lust and deception.

23 Now your attitudes and thoughts 23 Now your attitudes and thoughts must all be constantly changing for the must all be constantly changing for the better. 24 Yes, you must be a new and better. 24 Yes, you must be a new and different person, holy and good. Clothe different person, holy and good. Clothe

yourself with this new nature. yourself with this new nature. TLBTLB

5 attitude 5 attitude changes that will changes that will help you avoid help you avoid

Defective Defective Dating:Dating:

Every Every relationship is relationship is an opportunity an opportunity

to model to model Christ’s Christ’s LOVE.LOVE.

My unmarried My unmarried years are a years are a GIFTGIFT from from

God.God.

Intimacy is the reward Intimacy is the reward of of COMMITMENT.COMMITMENT. I I

don’t need to pursue a don’t need to pursue a romantic relationship romantic relationship before I’m ready for before I’m ready for

marriage.marriage.

I cannot I cannot “OWN”“OWN” someone outside someone outside

of marriage.of marriage.

I will avoid I will avoid situations that situations that

could compromise could compromise the purity of my the purity of my body and mind.body and mind.

Heb 12:1Heb 12:1Let us throw off everything Let us throw off everything

that hinders and the sin that that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us so easily entangles, and let us

run with perseverance the run with perseverance the race marked out for us.race marked out for us.

NIVNIV