Don't do as the wicked do,
and don't follow the path of evildoers.
15 Don't even think about it; don't go that way.
Turn away and keep moving. - Proverbs 4:14-15 (NLT)

Our culture teaches us about dating in ways that God doesn't approve. Culture is good. Its who we are. We are apart of it. But when you gave your life to Christ, you embraced the culture of Heaven. Never forget that. Look at what Jesus says:

Then some Pharisees asked Jesus a question. 'When will the kingdom of God begin here?'Jesus replied, 'When God begins to rule here, people will not see it with their eyes. 21 Nobody will say, "Look everyone! God is ruling here," or "Look! God is ruling over there." No, it is not like that. God is already ruling in the lives of his people.' - Luke 17:20-21 (EASY)

Heaven is real. The thing that clouds our sight in believing in God is being too fixated on the world. Heaven will never be real to us if we always want to be like the world. Worldliness and godliness cannot meet. The more conscious we are of Heaven, the more it become real. Jesus says, "God is already ruling in the lives of his people." 

As people of God, we have a Father who lives in us and who rules us. We can never have any impact on the world without fulling embracing the one who lives in us. Do you know what happens when you try to impact the world without knowing God or Jesus? You'll quickly become like the world. Jesus said, "You are the salt of the Earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor?" 

Set your mind on Heaven

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. - Colossians 3:1-3 (NLT)

This can only make sense if you are born again. Being a Christian is real. It's not religion. It's not some organisation that was started by Jesus. Christianity is real. Christianity is life. The bible says, "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ." Have we been raised to new life? Do you believe me now when I say that this Scripture makes sense when you are truly born again? There's new life after the one of ungodliness when we embrace our kingdom. The kingdom of Heaven is real. When we have it in our minds that Jesus really died for us, we would live differently. God is real. Jesus is real. The Holy Spirit is real. 

You are hidden in Christ

The bible says, "Set your sights on the realities of Heaven." I am breaking down the scriptures. In one of the chapters I mentioned that we should not rush our time with God. Relax in His presence. There's no pressure there. You can actually be you, when you talk to God. Spend time with Him and take your time when studying His Holy word. Do you know what makes the word work? You need to study. Every morning, I fight to wake up to pray. Why? Because I want to spend time with my Father in Heaven. I don't know when you spend time with God, but make it a habit. To tell you the truth, it's hard for me to wake up early in the morning. A lot of times I don't feel like doing it. But when I don't, I have a miserable day. God wants people who want to fellowship with Him. We need fellowship with God. It's a need. 

This portion of Scripture reveals something so amazing. There's many reasons why we should set our sights on Heaven. Why? The bible says, " Where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand." Did you ever wonder why Jesus came? Everybody knows He died for us. But do you ever think about why He died? Jesus brought to us the kingdom of Heaven. A kingdom has a king and a culture. In the 4th grade, I learned something about culture  in a subject called social studies. It was defined as 'A way of life.' If we borrow that definition, it means that Jesus came to teach us how to live here on Earth as He lived in Heaven. Jesus brought the culture of Heaven to Earth. 

Dead men tell no tales 

One of the things a dead body cannot do is respond to any type of stimuli. Dead bodies are insensitive to any type of stimuli. Because it's a dead body, It won't respond. Jesus wants us to be completely dead to sin and to the pleasures of the world. The world has many pleasures but we are dead people. We cannot and shouldn't respond to worldliness. In the Scripture above Paul encourages us by saying, "Think about the things of Heaven, not the things of the Earth." Why? Why does Paul say that? What you think about makes you respond to that thought. Everyday you do stuff that you respond to. If you are thinking about food and if there's food where you are, you will eat. Simple. What you think about is really important. Paul wants us to think about Heaven. 

Your real life is in Christ 

The bible says, "For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God." Everything about us should reflect the kingdom we represent. When we talk, when we dress up, does it represent the kingdom of God? The friends we have and the relationships we have, do they represent the kingdom of God? Remember, the kingdom is in us. Jesus said that. What does this scripture mean though? It means, if you are looking for_______________ (say your name), we'd have to find you in Christ. The real you is in Christ. We are only representing God here. 

Relationships are so power that we are still facing the repercussions of the first broken relationship in the garden. It's still affecting our relationship with God. Jesus came to change all of that, but if we keep going back, we'd never experience real growth in God. 

Honestly, being single can be confusing. But it's more confusing to be in a relationship that has no foundation on Christ. You'll experience things that are so traumatizing. Think about why you want to be in relationship. Will you feel more fulfilled? Will you be happier? Does it place any value on you? We dealt with some of these issues in the other chapters. And I think we now see why it's important to be single for a while. This is no formula. Or parental guidance. (lol)

I am a third year student of mechanical engineering. I am writing about things I have faced before and things that are real. In the six years that I have known God, I have been privileged enough to serve Him in  local churches and for each season, there was something to learn and embrace. I write as a friend who cares for everyone that reads this. Let's win together and represent Jesus well. 

As we seek God let's become more prayerful concerning relationships. Let's pray for our friends. our families and pray for our future spouse. It's always important to seek God's will in our relationships. Let's pray for people we have been trying to evangelize to. Everybody needs Jesus. When we are kingdom minded, we place the things of the kingdom above our things. Shalom. 

God bless you for reading today! You are an amazing lot!