Beware of Cavities

Our teeth are something that needs to be taken care of every single day. They need to be flossed and brushed, and mouth wash can be used to add even further care. If teeth are taken care of as they should, they can work against cavities, and they can be built up to be very strong. 

On the other hand, if our teeth are not taken care of every day, they can develop cavities, and other serious damage. After this damage has been done, toothpaste, floss, and mouth wash is not able to fix that damage. At that point, teeth may have to be pulled, or a dentist will need to drill the cavity out of the tooth. 

Our relationship with God is the exact same concept. If we daily care for our relationship with God; praying, reading our Bible, witnessing for Him, etc. the connection we have with God will grow to be very strong. 

Contrary to living for God, if we don't care for our relationship with God daily, and we keep sin in our lives, cavities will be created, or in this sense, damage to our spiritual life. After the damage of sin has been done, reading our Bibles, or witnessing will not be able to change what has been done in the past, and it surely won't take it away. At that point, the dentist, our Heavenly Father has to step in, and we have to repent of our sins. Repentance is the only thing that will take the sins away. 

Unfortunately, while on this Earth, sin will not be forgotten. God will forgive, but until we die, we have to live with what sins we commit while in the world, which is why it is so important to stay away from sin. Even though it may be forgiven, sin has the possibility to follow us the rest of our days. Sin has the power to permanently damage our lives, and it can be out of our control, much like our teeth that can't be fixed once they are gone. 

Having sin in our lives brings more problems than luxuries. It may not be instant damage, but be sure that sin will have its consequences at one point or another. Sin builds up until it turns into something much worse. Don't let sin damage your life, take care of your sin from the start, and let God cleanse you. 

Before Meeting Your Helpmeet

One definition of a help-meet can be, "a helpful companion or partner, especially one's husband or wife." In the sense of marriage, a help-meet is someone that loves another person, and wants to be with them for the rest of their lives, through thick and thin, to help and comfort them through every step of life. In a Godly relationship, marriage is much different than the normal, everyday marriage. A Godly marriage has God at the center of the marriage. Not only do the two people have to worry about taking care of one another, but they must also make sure that they are living for God, and encouraging each other in their walk with God. Of course, a Godly marriage may take more work because they are following more rules, but having God at the center of one's marriage will be what keeps the two people together, and will continue their love throughout their lives.

Preparing for this type of relationship is very important because a relationship begins before even meeting the other person. You can touch the other person's life without even knowing them, and you can get yourself ready to be a better spouse as well. Here are 5 ways to prepare yourself for this meeting:

1) Love Yourself: Ephesians 2:10- "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

God made us exactly how he wants us to be; even the quirks and imperfections, and they should be honored because they are from God. If we don't love those things about ourselves, how do we expect someone else to love them? By having different qualities that others might not possess, we are special to the world, and someone will adore the qualities that God gives us. 

2) Seek God: Psalms 119:10- "With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments."

God blesses when we are following Him and His word. If we are to honor Him, He will honor us, and give us a Godly spouse. A strong relationship with God will lead to a great, loving relationship with the right person, because God will be the at the center of it.

3) Pray: Philippians 4:6,7- "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

Finding the person that we will spend the rest of our lives with is one of the biggest decisions that we will ever make, therefore, we need to pray a lot about it. We need to pray that God will lead us and direct us to the person, and that we will be a Godly spouse to whoever it may be. Also, we need to pray dearly for the person we are supposed to be with. It is important to pray about the other person's life and walk with God because this is the person that we will raise a family with, and it's important to know God is the center of their life. 

4) Trust: Proverbs 3:5- "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."

Waiting for something so important takes a lot of patience and trust. We must trust that God knows exactly what He's doing, which He does. It's important to have faith in God because He knows what's best for us, while we would mess everything up if we were in control. 

5) Be Pure: Hebrews 13:4- "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge."

In any Godly relationship, it is super important that purity is a key element. Before marriage, two people that are in a relationship with one another should enter into marriage being pure because this is how God wants it to be. Refraining from immoral behavior will only make the relationship stronger because they are using their strength to wait until marriage, and they are telling one another that they consider each other worthy of waiting for, even before meeting the person they will marry. Waiting for the one, special person to marry, and then being able to act how married couples should, tells the other person that they honor them and God enough to wait. 

God is the Escape of Temptation

1 Corinthians 10:13 - "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]."

There are many temptations that come into a person's life by the dozens on a daily basis. Temptation is surrounding all of us. I know that everyday I am tempted to wear the wrong kind of clothing, say the wrong things, have lustful thoughts, cheat, lie, etc. God brings these temptations into a saved person's life in order to test their faith. God wants us to choose the right path. If we choose the right path, He will bless us for it.

Like relationships that we have on Earth, God wants us to put the same standards in a relationship with Him. On Earth, we have to show each other that we are faithful and that we are willing to put in the work in order to have a good relationship with another person. If a man was to cheat on his wife, people would naturally say that it was wrong for the man to do so. It is no different when we cheat on God. When we put something above God, we are cheating on him. This can come in many forms such as sports, jobs, and so on. It's okay to be involved in these things, but not at the point that it is put above God. In the situation of a man cheating on his wife, most would say that the man should have put his wife above his lust for another woman, and that is exactly what we must do with God. We must figure out who or what we want our number one priority to be, and hopefully, this is God.

God gave us free will, and because of this, He gives us the choice everyday of whether we choose right or wrong. In 1 Corinthian 10:13, God stated that He will never give us a temptation that is too much for us to handle. All the temptations that are brought into our life isn't anything that can't be handled with praying and reading of God's scriptures. God will help us overcome all temptation if we ask Him. He created a way to distance ourselves from temptation. Not that temptation will ever go away, but by strengthening our relationship with God, we can become stronger against temptation. God is our refuge. He will always be in our lives if we have accepted Him into our hearts. He created a way by praying to have that relationship with Him.

Temptation can be overwhelming sometimes. It can feel like the world is closing in on you. Like, the many temptations of the world are all working against you. I've felt this way many times, and I've failed God a lot because of how I handled these temptations. Relationships is a learning process, and this doesn't exclude our relationship with God. We have to work at it. We have to work at forming a strong relationship, so that the relationship can withstand what is being thrown its way. It's much simpler than what it seems. God made a way for us to escape the burdening feeling of these temptations by giving us an escape through Him. He will never give us anything too big, and He will never make us go through it alone. Be faithful to God and His word. He is the solution to temptation.