In today’s culture, it’s easy to feel the pressure of dating or needing to date. How do we deal with the constant barrage of unbiblical dating messages from social media, TV, movies, and hookup culture? How can we guard our hearts while we are in a dating relationship? How can we protect our hearts amid a culture which wants to steer us away from God’s plan for our lives? Below are 8 prayers to help you guard your heart and avoid the landmines in dating.
1. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. – Proverbs 4:23 NLT
Heavenly Father, sometimes I get anxious about dating. I don’t always know how to do it in a way that honors You. My shame shows I have not guarded my heart. Help me to run to You. If You kept a record of my sins, who could stand? But with You, there is forgiveness. Thank You for Your grace toward me. Amen.
2. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. – Philippians 3:13 NLT
Father, I often look in the rear-view mirror of life and am bogged down with my past. Help me to forget what lies behind and reach forward to what lies ahead. Help me learn from the past but not live there, so I can live wisely today. Amen.
3. So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. – 1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT
Dear Father, it is so hard for me to protect my heart and aim for Your glory. I feel so selfish at times. Help me to remember that I am in one of the safest places I can be when I live for You and Your glory. May that desire to honor You saturate my heart and my life more and more. In Your name, Amen.
4. God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. – 1 Thessalonians 4:3 NLT
Father, I make Your will so complicated sometimes. Help me to remember that Your desire is for me to be holy. Amidst the traps that seem to be laid for me, I can be assured that it is Your will for my dating partner and I to be pure. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
5. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. – Philippians 1:6 NLT
Lord, sometimes I try to nurse the hurts of my bad relationships. And if I am honest, I am bitter and feel like my life is broken. But You are a God who specializes in repairing broken lives and will protect and guide my future. Help me to trust You for the perfect work You began in me. Amen.
6. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. – Ephesians 4:32 NLT
Lord, I feel sapped of strength for being privately upset. I feel so hurt and chained to my unforgiving spirit. Help me look to Jesus, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Help me choose to forgive the people that have hurt me in the past, and protect my heart from bitterness. Amen.
7. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. – Philippians 2:3-4 NLT
Father, I get hurt when I look after my interests instead of others. My self-centeredness damages my soul and hurts my relationships. Help me to consider others’ interests before my own so that I might be the person You want me to be. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
8. I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on Him. I have put my hope in His word. – Psalm 130:5 NLT
Lord, whenever I rush relationships and dating, I miss the beauty of seeing my prayers answered and my character built. Help me to embrace the tension of waiting. Help me to rest in You, Lord, and to see my help and answer come from You. In Your will is the ultimate protection. Amen.
