We’re continuing to answer questions raised by students tonight during Refuge. A couple of students have asked questions about discerning God’s will, so tonight we’re going to talk about how to know God’s will.

A few things I plan to cover include:
1. God’s will concerning our ethic and morality are never ambiguous. His Word is very clear. Jesus’ teachings are very clear.

2. God’s will is never random. It aligns with his redemptive purposes for all of creation.

3. We shouldn’t let what we don’t know spoil what we can do. Use these times as opportunities to grow in faithfulness.

Given things things, we are going to discuss three principles that help us identify God’s will for our lives:
1. Scripture teaches that we are to glorify God with our entire lives. We are to seek first his kingdom. In other words, live according to his Word. Any attempt to discern what God wants from our lives must begin with our desire to please him. ( Peter 4:10-11; Colossians 3:16-17; Psalm 37:4)

2. Discover what you’re passionate about. Explore your talents. As you desire to glorify God, do what you’re passionate about, what you’re good at. (Ecclesiastes 11:9; Psalm 37:4; 1 Peter 4:10-11; 2 Corinthians 12:7; 2 Timothy 1:6-7)

3. You’ve got to go for it! Don’t sit back and keep waiting for a sign. Don’t keep watching. It’s good to take time to pray, seek counsel, but at some point you need to take action. Take a risk and live boldly. Make it a way of life. Live in such a way where it’s essential for you to trust in God (Ecclesiastes 11:1; Ephesians 2:8-10).

Song of Solomon
Session 3: The Art of Courtship
In session 3 Tommy Nelson talks about the difference between courting and dating.

According to Nelson, dating is simply when a boy and girl spend time together doing things getting to know one another. He says that in dating there are no expectations, no physical contact; it’s centered on an event, not the person; it shouldn’t be exclusive; there should be no pressure to escalate the relationship. The purpose of dating is to discover the type of person you’d like to marry. You’re observing and evaluating. Basically, youre spending time with a person to get to know that person and build a foundation.

Courting takes place when you are emotionally and spiritually ready to begin an exclusive relationship with someone after having dated a while. In courting, he argues that the boy should talk to the girl’s Dad. In this context he says appropriate physical touch is a good thing. In this stage of dating, a couple is learning more and more about one another. They should learn how to resolve differences; how to be honest with one another. They should recognize the passion in the relationship yet remain self-controlled.

One thing Pastor Nelson said that I found very insightful is that you should never have to apologize for ending a relationship. That’s part of being spiritually and emotionally mature.

Some questions to discuss with your teen:
1. What does a healthy dating relationship look like?
2. How do you know you’re ready to begin dating someone exclusively?