Author	Thread: Best Advice I Can Give
Tulip89 View Profile History	Best Advice I Can Give Posted : 20 Dec, 2012 11:11 PM I've read books on Christian dating, heard sermons on Christian dating, and been to conferences devoted to Christian dating. At a certain point, it all runs together, and most of it is well meaning but useless advice. Want the best advice I can give you? Find a good Christian counselor, and get some help dealing with your junk. They don't necessarily have to be a professional with a license, but they certainly need to be older and wiser than you. We've all got it, but the only people who ever get better are the one who are willing to deal with it. Getting a boyfriend/girlfriend won't fix you. Getting married won't fix you. The only thing that's going to fix you is sitting down with someone, being honest about what you struggle with, and working through it. Forget dating even. You'll be way happier with yourself once you start working through all that stuff. The dating benefit is just icing on the cake. After all, if you don't really like you, you're just going to continue sabotaging others who like you. Post Reply
NRSV1953 View Profile History	Best Advice I Can Give Posted : 21 Dec, 2012 04:47 AM That is some really good advice from a young, but very wise, man! If you don't love yourself, you really can't love someone else. Amen, brother! Post Reply
Tulip89 View Profile History	Best Advice I Can Give Posted : 21 Dec, 2012 11:19 AM Thank you. For some reason we've gotten it in our heads that our problems will just go away on their own. Then you've got the naive people saying, "Have you taken this to God in prayer?" like that's some magic pill that you probably just haven't thought of yet. God gives us wise counsel for a reason, and I'm pretty sure that reason is to use it. Use prayer and scripture too, of course, but refusing to deal with your problems or get help dealing with what you can't handle yourself is a sign of real immaturity. Post Reply
DontHitThatMark View Profile History	Best Advice I Can Give Posted : 21 Dec, 2012 08:00 PM Excellent advice sir. I've been pondering this a lot myself. Is it really prayer that just magically removes all our problems? Throughout my own life experience, it has always been the catalyst of faith in God that has brought about change in my life. The bible very often admonishes us to repent, to turn away from sin, or to take the talents that God has bless us with, no matter how small, and multiply them for his glory. I'm fully aware that He supplies strength and motive, and also, He literally commands us to edify others and ourselves, so we know and move through the faith that it will be literally possible to fulfill that command and also to trust that if we're lacking, He will supply what we need to do His will. Like Peter on the angry sea, he stepped out in faith that Jesus would be able to sustain him through the storm. Peter turned and lost his gaze on Jesus, lost his strength, but Jesus was there with the power to pull him up when he cried out to Him. So, I do think communication with God is extremely important, but I don't think problems are going to just disappear with no action/faith from our part. "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?" :peace::peace: Post Reply
View Profile History	Best Advice I Can Give Posted : 22 Dec, 2012 07:02 AM I agree but I also know from my own experience God used dating as a process to help me become more honest with my self and deal with my junk. In James we are told that trials bring patience and when we allow patience to work in us we become complete. It really comes down to a yielded heart. When we truly seek to live a yielded life God (will) bring what is needed to complete us. It is just as He says if we seek Him we ( will ) find Him. Their are certain guarentees we have in surrender of our wills and seeking Gods will even when we are walking in the wrong direction. As children God will correct us. Let us walk as children of the light. Post Reply