Dating: Change of Attitude and New Perspective
Copyright 2010 Heaven Ministries

Some Christians have been raised to follow God’s design for relationships and righteous living. What this means is they live by the principles and standards that God outlined for them to live by. But some Christians have been raised in the Christian culture, which veers from God’s standards for living and steps out of God’s design for Godly relationships.

This is where dating comes in. Dating is not scriptural. It may seem harmless, but the attitude that goes along with dating leads to inappropriate behaviors that harm our spiritual and emotional well-being. Young Christian people will ultimately pay the consequences of giving away their hearts, minds and bodies to someone they are not committed to for marriage—the consequences can be devastating and can wreck havoc on subsequent relationships.

How Can We Change our Attitude?

How can single Christians change their attitude when they have been taught in their own churches that dating is an acceptable practice for Christ Ones to partake in?  We cannot change our attitude on our own—we have to go to God and sincerely pray about this issue, and ask Him to heal us of our past and renew our attitudes, giving us a renewed perspective on “how Godly relationships should be”.  Ask God “what His will is for you in the relationship” and God will provide you with the guidance you need.

“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.” 

(Ephesians 4: 17-19)

Apostle Paul Teaches About Living as Children of Light

Apostle Paul taught the Ephesians to leave behind the old life of sin because they were followers of Christ. We can’t follow Christ and still be partaking in our old life of sin. Change is a gradual process that happens when we put our trust and faith with God. God gives us a new attitude and way of thinking that allows us to see the world with a different perspective, which is more like God’s perspective.

Change of attitude (heart and mind) comes from God’s Son living in us—the Holy Spirit. Just because we have learned one way of living our life, does not make that way right and it does not mean that we can’t change ourselves and do it God’s way from here on out.

“You however did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:20-24)