From Adam Sharp, Youth Pastor: Crystal Valley Missionary Church

Things You Need to Know Before You Date

We have been challenging our students in our series called "Things you need to know before you date"

We are trying to hit a bunch of positives in this series on dating, but putting it back in their court by saying if you do not have a working and healthy relationship with Jesus Christ you shouldn't be dating at all. We have stressed this aspect so much that we have had some couples take "breaks" because we have been telling them that if they aren't running after God they shouldn't be running after anything else. I encourage you as youth workers to really stress the importance of being shaped by Jesus before you start being shaped by the person you are dating. Really drive home the fact that Jesus Christ wants to have them in a great relationship like He did for Adam and Eve but they must first spend time with the maker. Read the first 3 chapters of Genesis with them and really stress the importance of knowing God before knowing someone else!

Be in prayer for your students because this is such a huge temptation for them, and its hard when the world around them is pressing in and telling them that they need someone in their lives. We need to be praying and telling them any chance we get that they are God's creation and that God loves and wants to be with them! Stay strong, and fight the good fight!