Then, here are some questions to discuss:
We all have criteria in our choice of partners. But sometimes our criteria can change. What can influence your list of criteria? Over time, did your “hormones” make you change your criteria? Do you think this is a good thing or a bad thing?
Do you find it more difficult for a Christian to find a partner than a non-Christian? How does it make you feel to have the criteria of faith in your choice? When you talk to your non-Christian colleagues or friends about it, what do you get as comments?
Are there other areas in your life where you find that you seem to “lose” from having your standards of holiness, compared to non-Christians who do not share the same standards? (like your finances, your entertainment, etc.)
What helps you, encourages you, to keep your standards?
(Asaph, in Psalm 73 also had the impression of being “loser” before those who do not submit to the standards of the children of God. But in verse 17, his dialogue changes because he then “went into the sanctuary of God”.)
What is in the Presence of God that helps us get our standards back on the right foot?
(Looking at our desires through the eyes of God keeps us on the right path, helps us avoid sin.)
Read Genesis 4:7 This is the NKJV version, but you can read other versions: “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
If the Lord says that we must “rule” over the desires of sin, that we have to dominate them, it is because these desires can be very strong at times. Do you sometimes feel like the temptations are stronger than other moments in your life? What can make you more vulnerable, based on your personal experience?
What do you do to “dominate” these desires? To stay firm on your standards and moral choices?
When you resist temptations or when you choose to keep your standards despite the pressures of the world, how do you feel? (For example, at work, someone suggests that you drop your faith and accept dating a non-Christian colleague. You refuse, keeping your position. When you get home, how do you feel about keeping your position?)
God attaches a promise to such an attitude: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3 KJV) Do you feel peace, too?
How do you think you will feel if you achieve one of your dreams, but by putting your faith aside? Why is it good to think about this when you are not necessarily under pressure?
What are you going to do this week to stand firm in your beliefs?
Some verses to study:
Psalm 73:1-17 Genesis 4:7 1 Corinthians 10:13 Isaiah 26:3 James 1:6-8
Some prayer points to conclude:
Pray that God will strengthen us in our faith; So that the Holy Spirit accompanies us in our tribulations and our temptations; So that we may be a light to the unsaved people around us … And of course, please pray for Passion374! Thank you!
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