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Praying for the one!
By Kaitlin Kaiser — Written on Jan 06, 2020
The internet is a great resource for a lot of things including finding someone online when you're single and dating. You don't have to wait for God to make an introduction at church or through a friend. Now, you can go online using a dating app, if you want.
How do you find or meet someone to date when you're a Christian dating?
With apps like Bumble, Tinder, and OkCupid, it seems that love is just one swipe away. You can find love based on edited photos and proximity.
You have knowledge at your fingertips at all times to inquire about people to meet. Because of the internet, finding a date has changed forever but so has the dating market.
How can you use the internet to help you understand who you are dating and if it's a good idea to meet someone you've just met in person or online?
1. You can check your date out prior to meeting up via social media.
You can learn more about who they are as a person and what their spiritual interests are.
Because of social media and the internet, there is always room for discovery from your cell phone and app. How lucky are we to live in a time where dating new people is so accessible?
2. You can learn about your potential date's interests.
You can vet your lovers by height, weight, hair color, education, and claimed morals without ever having to speak to them.
There is some good in this, but it is also very troublesome. It creates a disposable atmosphere for your romantic life. There are so many options accessible to all of us at all times, that it makes commitment nearly impossible.
3. You can find out what the person's post history is like to see if they really are a believer?
When you are a Christian, trying to navigate your way through the dating world it becomes even harder. It is hard to find your partner in life and the Lord when you’re judging people based on a 3-line bio of a dating site.
Is the future father of your children a knock-knock joke connoisseur, or an aspiring cake taste tester? When is it okay to stop playing the field and try to picture your life with someone? Check out their post history on Instagram and other social media sites. If they are not being true, you'll know.
4. Remember that dating is all about intention.
It is unreasonable to expect every young Christian to live by the laws set thousands of years ago, speaking specifically of abstinence. But as with all things, the intention behind the action is what is most important.
Proverbs 16:2 states, “All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the LORD.” This is something to think about when it comes to intentions vs. actions.
5. Know why you want to go out on a date, too.
Is it your intention to marry them? Do your actions lead you in the direction of marriage? Only you and the Lord know what’s in your heart.
If one day you plan to invite someone into your heart what will they find? Will you house them in purity? Will you house them in the love of God? Or will you house your desires in murky waters of distrust and dishonesty?
What happens if we mess up? Mistakes are often made in our youth when we take over our faith from our parents and try to rebrand it as our own.
Sometimes we feel we can push the envelope and make mistakes under the guise of youth, citing that we will have years of repentance and self-discovery to make up for the impulses of the flesh. We think I am too young to be searching for my husband or wife, I just want to have fun.
Timothy 4:12 says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.” Now perhaps you aren’t ready to look for your future spouse, but that doesn’t relinquish our morals and invite promiscuity into our hearts.
Not that mistakes are inexcusable, but we should still be searching for ways to be an example of God’s love and show our partners respect and restraint.
6. Keep God at the center of your dating life as a Christian.
The most important thing to keep in mind while dating as a Christian is to keep God in the center of your connections. If you meet someone, and you do not see a future with them, do the Godly thing and be honest.
If you are with someone you think can become your future, don’t succumb to the temptation of possibility or opportunity. Try to always love with a pure heart, respect and the intent of eternity. In times of turmoil, send your worries up to God, and allow him the authority to guide your heart to happiness.
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Kaitlin Kaiser is a writer who covers astrology, pop culture, Bible and relationship topics.