By The Manays Posted on

Godly Relationships Series: A Step by Step Journey from Single-hood to Marriage

God calls us into healthy, uplifting relationships that reflect His heart of love. Through an in-depth, 10-part teaching series, we will explore what Scripture reveals about cultivating godly connection in dating, marriage, parenting, friendships, and all relationships. Gain insight into avoiding harmful behaviors and attitudes while nurturing spiritual growth individually and together. Our relationships impact every area of life, so building them upon the strong foundation of God’s wisdom brings strength, peace and purpose. Join us on this transformational journey into grace-filled relationships centered in Christ.

My Journey in Godly Relationships

I struggled in unhealthy relationships and addictions, seeking father figures in the wrong places which led me into gang involvement and worse brokenness. At rock bottom, I cried out to God and found His love as a missionary shared Jesus with me. Since surrendering my life to Christ over 10 years ago, I experienced God’s forgiveness, healing and restoration – delivering me from addiction and transforming how I view women and relationships. Now 37, with a wife and kids after a journey of relational challenges, I share my story to encourage others that no matter your past, God can redeem your relationships and empower you to bless others when you let Him guide your journey.

Meeting the Love of My Life

After leaving behind my destructive gang lifestyle and turning to God, I still struggled in relationships – jumping between casual romances until conviction gripped me. As I learned to establish godly boundaries around my heart, I sought genuine friendships rather than fleeting flings. My mentor prepared me for when I met Claudia, my future wife. Our shared faith values and accountability allowed a friendship to develop before dating. Coupled with discerning God’s will, limiting physical intimacy, trusting mentor guidance, setting relational priorities, and open communication, our friendship blossomed into a godly marriage. Despite wrestling through commitment fears, separations, and surrendering my own timelines to God along the way, He ultimately led us into becoming one. Now our story testifies that with Jesus at the center, even broken pasts can lead to beautiful redemption in relationships.

Read Our Love Story Here

Session 1: Why God-centered Relationships?

This session calls us to examine whether our relationships truly reflect Jesus’ selfless love and respect, or if we view people as merely means to fulfill our own needs. It emphasizes that despite our varied personal histories, we can choose to pursue grace-filled connections centered on godly principles rather than the world’s distorted patterns. Research confirms the tangible relational benefits when we embrace biblical truths – increased commitment, satisfaction and parenting success. However, rules aren’t enough; we need God Himself, through His perfect love and wisdom, to transform how we treat one another. As we explore building relationships on this firm foundation of Christlike love, we open ourselves to peace, fulfillment and harmonious connections that shine light into the world.

 

Session 2: What Kind of Love is God’s Love?

This teaching delineates four Greek types of love – phileo (friendship), storge (family), eros (romantic) and agape (God’s unconditional love) – explaining the distinct meaning of each. It focuses most on agape as encapsulating God’s perfect selfless love embodied fully in Christ’s sacrifice for humanity’s salvation. As Christ-followers, we’re called to live out this same agape love in compassionate action towards others. Our capacity stems from knowing God personally, as He pours out His essence of love into our hearts via the Holy Spirit, thereby transforming us into conduits of divine love that heals brokenness. Despite humanity’s rebellion since the beginning, God’s plan of redemption through Jesus has been unfolding all along to restore us to intimate relationship with Love Himself.

Session 3: The Legacy of Relationships

This teaching traces godly relationships back to the original unity between Father, Son, and Spirit before creation existed. Just as the Trinity models perfect harmony, human connections are meant to reflect this. We see the first marriage of Adam and Eve entrusted with jointly governing Eden yet tragically ushering sin’s relational brokenness through disobedience. Their sons Cain and Seth established opposing legacy bloodlines – one of violent defiance vs the other of faithfulness to God. Throughout Scripture, the descendants of Seth like Noah and Christ Himself demonstrate righteousness, covenant love, and redemption. Ultimately all relationships must align with either Cain’s pride and rebellion leading to destruction, or Seth’s purity and obedience leading to harmony with God, as embodied by the immoral Babylon vs the holy New Jerusalem. Our choices determine whether we contribute to a fractured world or a society flowing with agape love.

 

Session 4: Our Personal Godly Foundation

This teaching emphasizes first cultivating a strong personal foundation rooted in our identity and intimacy with Christ before entering relationships, so we don’t rely on others for completeness. It explains how understanding our God-given passions, abilities and callings through self-reflection and seeking God’s guidance helps us steward our lives for maximum Kingdom impact. As we nurture our relationship with God, align our competitive skills, livelihood and passions with His purposes, and focus on blessing others, we can discover our unique role in advancing God’s Kingdom. While the journey has challenges, God shapes us as we trust Him through self-assessment, spiritual mentors, continued growth and perseverant action. Developing this inner foundation empowers us to live with divine purpose and bear lasting fruit.

 

Session 5: Growing in a Kingdom Family

This teaching explores growing spiritually within a Kingdom Family, not just an earthly one, centered on nurturing an intimate relationship with God and embracing relational roles like mentors to guide our identity, siblings to sharpen our faith through accountability, disciples to mature our leadership, and unbelievers to expand our compassion. It emphasizes self-assessing these connections to grow into relational wholeness, not relying on a romantic partner to complete us. With Jesus at the center, balanced relationships marked by obedience and spiritual fruit help single individuals cultivate maturity and stability before pursuing marriage. Surrounded by this Kingdom community, we live out God’s design for wholehearted harmony that overflows His love to the world.

 

Session 6: The Big Obstacles

This teaching explores common obstacles in pursuing godly relationships, like compromising values for fleeting romance as Samson did or seeking fulfillment from a partner over God as Solomon exemplified. It emphasizes not abandoning spiritual community for romantic connections and warns against immaturity as seen in the prodigal son. Using the metaphors of traffic lights, it advises assessing relationships wisely for spiritual compatibility, with unwavering commitment like Daniel modeled as green lights and destructive behaviors as red flags. With practical application questions, it challenges individuals to reflect on past mistakes, growth areas, misplaced motives and current connections in light of scriptural truths, urging personal maturation first before pursuing relationships. The ultimate goal is relationships anchored in honoring God, not appeasing self-serving desires.

Session 7: The Pursuit of Marriage

This teaching on pursuing godly marriage emphasizes first establishing maturity and spiritual foundation before awakening romantic love, utilizing wisdom principles like seeking professional alignment, shared values and responsibility for decisions. It explores Adam’s redeemed leadership, uniting spiritual families, communicating clearly on relationship status and direction while acknowledging God’s timing. Mapping out a purposeful relationship roadmap through prayer, counsel and patience allows love to unfold through Spirit-led courtship. Keeping kingdom legacy as the ultimate motivation focuses the pursuit on honoring God by raising children and disciples to spread His fame, not selfish desires.

Session 8: The Eternal Significance of Marriage

This teaching on the eternal view of marriage explores how it symbolizes Christ’s relationship with the Church, calling spouses to selfless, sanctifying love and mutual honor as in Scripture, while maintaining perspective that our ultimate marriage is with God in eternity. It emphasizes keeping God as the bedrock in earthly marriages to reflect His Kingdom before exploring the role of spiritual companionship on the journey, like a bridal party, as well as godparents and mentors who impart wisdom for the covenant. Transitioning to a new godly home after leaving parents means maturing as spiritual adults rooted in Scripture to serve the Lord together with passion. This divine romance manifests the Word by applying it in grace and reliance on God.

Session 9: Children and Legacy

This teaching on children as legacy emphasizes seeing them as blessings to raise as disciples, not burdens, since Scripture charges parents, not institutions, with primary spiritual responsibility. It explores becoming spiritual fathers and mothers within the Kingdom family while empowering the next generation. Our homes should reflect God’s Kingdom as we parent with His values to populate the heavenly New Jerusalem, not just Earth. Faithfully discipling our own children allows Christ’s influence to spread now and for eternity. Though long-term, it is a precious, God-entrusted duty – through our examples and teaching, we steer little ones towards Jesus and expand God’s glory. Despite challenges, nurturing a godly lineage advances His Kingdom which endures forever.

Session 10: Embracing God’s Design for Relationships

As this teaching on pursuing godly relationships draws to a close, the fundamental call is to recognize God as the author of all healthy connections and choose to anchor each one in Christ’s sacrificial love, mutual honor, an eternal mindset, and supportive spiritual community. Despite the world’s distortions, God’s design for relationships remains beautiful and life-giving when built upon His Word. This is a lifelong journey that requires intentionality and reliance on God who promises to faithfully guide each step. So with confidence in the Lord’s presence and wisdom, we can surrender our relationships to His transforming purpose, find deep fulfillment in biblical alignment, and let our godly connections shine as bright testaments of His enduring truth and grace to all.

 

Leave a Reply