Christian dating can be more difficult than many people realize because our faith teaches us that certain things are not allowed, such as putting another person before God or having sex before marriage. These are things that Christians have trouble explaining to those outside of the church, which is why dating someone who understands and believes the same as you do is important.

You cannot give in to wants and desires of the flesh. Instead, you must be careful to put God first in your life and to follow his word in your relationship. This can be difficult sometimes and when you’re dating someone who does not believe the same way as you do, it can be even more difficult. Be careful whom you choose to spend your time with.

When you do find someone that you believe is a good match and you want to get to know them better, here are a few tips for Christian couples on the dating scene that can help your relationship go more smoothly.

Establish a Friendship

The basis for any good relationship is being friends so the first step when entering the dating scene is to form a friendship with the person you’re dating. Talk about all types of topics such as the things that make you happy or sad, your beliefs, your childhood and your goals for the future.

Some conversations should be meaningless and fun just to see the humorous side of your relationship but some of them should be serious. You do need to know how this person believes and what type of relationship they have with the Lord and Savior.

The more you talk the closer you’ll become as friends and this will make it easier to decide if you really are compatible with each other. You will discover things about each other that you love, things that you hate and many things that fall somewhere in-between. Then, you’ll have enough information to determine if you want to continue a relationship with this person.

You’ll discover how much you have in common and it’ll help you to feel comfortable around each other. Being good friends first can help make your marriage stronger if you do choose to continue the relationship but it will also help you decide if you need to just stay friends and look for someone else to date.

The Power of Prayer

Before you venture out on your date, spend some time alone in prayer. Ask for guidance and strength to follow his word and to make the right choices throughout the date. This will help get you in the right frame of mind before even seeing your date, which can help you avoid temptations that can lead your relationship in the wrong direction.

Prayer can also give you the strength to say “no” if your date is asking you to do something that goes against your beliefs instead of giving in. It could be something as simple as seeing a movie that you believe is unfit to watch or something as serious as engaging in sexual activity. All of which can be hard to reject if you don’t pray for guidance and strength.

Remember that when you pray, you are communicating with God in a very personal and intimate way. For this reason, it’s best if you avoid praying together too early in your relationship unless you’re in a group setting.

Beware of the Kiss

This may sound a little strange and even harder to do but kissing can lead you down a very dangerous path if you’re not careful. Therefore, Christian couples need to beware of the kiss. Many believe that you should avoid kissing altogether until you are married. This even includes the engagement stage. There are several reasons for this but the main reason is that kissing instantly creates sexual stimulation. This can make it temping to become more intimate before marriage, which goes against God’s word.

Some Christians believe greeting with a kiss or a kiss goodbye is acceptable. Of course, there are many different ways to kiss. If the kiss does not lead to sexual tension or cause impure thoughts, then it may be acceptable. That’s something that you’ll need to decide for yourself. Pray about it and let God’s word guide you in this area of your relationship.

Things to Consider

In order for a relationship to work both people must have the same beliefs and want the same things. If you don’t have the same moral standards, you’re going to run into many problems. Someone is going to have to change the way they believe or you’ll have to call off the relationship.

The problem is that most of the time, the person with the highest moral standards is the one that ends up compromising and that is a serious problem. When you begin putting worldly things before God, you are essentially turning your back on him and this could eventually interfere with your Christianity.

Use these tips for Christian couples on the dating scene to help you make good choices. Christians have different beliefs so don’t let someone pull you away from God or corrupt your moral standards for the sake of a relationship. Be patient, the right person will come along when the time is right.