We wear shirts proclaiming we want “the good life.” Songs are written about the good life. People want the good life, a blessed life, yet they rarely plan and prepare for making the decisions and choices that create a life God can bless!
There is a big disconnect between what believers know is God’s will and how people actually live. For example, as many as 80 percent of unmarried evangelical young adults have had sex, 64 percent have done so within the last year and 42 percent are in a current sexual relationship, according to a study on sexual activity by Relevant magazine.
What We Want: A Blessed Life
We claim we want God’s blessings, but how do we actually get them? Just look at the bible for clues:
- For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield. (Ps 5:12 NASB)
- Lord, o good to those who are good, to those who are upright in heart. (Psalm 125:4 NIV 2011)
- My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart. (Psalm 7:10 NIV 2011)
- May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you. (Psalm 25:21 NIV 2011).
- Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have led a blameless life; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. (Psalm 26:1 NASB)
- Because of my integrity, you uphold me and set me in your presence forever. (Psalm 41:12 NIV 2011)
- He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. (Proverbs 2:7-8 NIV 1984)
- Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. (Proverbs 10:9 NIV 2011)
- The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. (Proverbs 11:3 NIV 2011)
What is the common denominator of all these verses? Integrity. God is looking to bless those who obey His guidelines for life, including His guidelines for relationships.
What God Wants: Your Obedience
When writing “10 Best Decisions a Single Can Make,” I looked up the key words in 1 Thes. 4:3-8. I have inserted their meanings in the parenthesis so the interpretation and application can be seen more clearly:
“It is God’s will (His desire, decision and intent) that you should be sanctified (consecrated, set apart for a holy use): that you should avoid (abstain, distance yourself, keep away from) sexual immorality (fornication, consenting sex involving someone who is unmarried, all sex of any kind outside the context of the marital bed, including adultery, premarital and extramarital intercourse, homosexuality, prostitution, and other perversions); that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy (consecrated, dedicated to God) and honorable (respectful and treating as if it has high precious value), not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God (people who do not believe in God, or have yet to realize or perceive God); and that in this matter, no one should wrong or take advantage (exploit or outwit, often motivated by greed or self-indulgence) of a brother or sister.” —1 Thes. 4:3-6
To get what we want, we just need to do what God wants. Easier said than done, right? Check out Part 2 of this dating guide to find out exactly how you can achieve this level of sexual integrity in today’s dating culture.
You may also be interested in How To Follow God’s Will For Dating & Sex: Part 2
