 When you are ready to date that is the question that is asked so many times when am I ready to date? You know the answers will be very simple, but you're not gonna like them, but it's okay The truth will set you free, but sometimes that truth will make you miserable at first We are going to look at the story of Adam and Eve and look at few things that will apply right now to us especially those people who are single Number one You are ready to date when you don't need to ouch So you are ready to date when you don't need to You have to be so lost in God that the other person has to look for God to find you The Bible says that Adam he did not Come to God and say God. I'm lonely. Send me a wife It was God who came to Adam and said Adam you're alone Let me help you find the wife Adam didn't even realize he was lonely or alone Excuse me that he was alone because he wasn't lonely the presence of God fixed that loneliness The God had God had to tell him that he needed a wife God wants you to have a relationship with him to that degree where you don't need to date Where you don't have to date to be happy to be whole to be complete Be successful to be significant or to know your value as long as it's an emotional need my friend We don't need romance then we need rehab Relationship with God will make you whole all other relationships will reveal your holes Only relationship with God will satisfy you. All other relationships will magnify you Relationship with God will complete you. All other relationships will compliment what you already have. What am I saying? If you are lonely now when you get married you become more lonely If you are watching porn right now when you get married, you're gonna watch still porn Marriage doesn't do any miracles Marriage will only magnify what you already have if you are depressed marriage won't fix that God sent Jesus to fix our problems not marriage God wants you to have a relationship with him the same way that fish has a relationship with water and Trees have a relationship with the soil. Let me read to you the following verses And God said let the earth bring forth grass, and I'm not gonna finish the verse So God speaks to the earth and says bring forth glad grass and the Bible says and the earth brought forth grass If we read a little bit later in Genesis 1 verse 20 it says and God said let the waters Abound with abundance of living creatures and let the birds fly above the earth across the face of the Fermanin of heavens So God spoke to the earth and says earth produce grass earth produced grass if you notice that Grass trees cannot live without the earth. They don't go into the ground on the weekends They live there. They have their being there and Why because they came from the ground God spoke to the sea and said produce living creatures So fish Don't go to the water On the weekends one hour a week fish live and have their being in the water. It's their life in the water Why because they came from the water according to Genesis 1 verse 20 God spoke to the ground. God spoke to the water, but I want you to notice in verse 26 Then God said let us make men In our image and in our likeness So God spoke to the earth to produce plants God spoke to the water to produce fish and then God spoke to himself and said let us make men in our image God is a try on God. God the father son and the Holy Spirit You are also a try and being you have a spirit you have your spirit You have a soul and you live in a body a Try and God created a try and being You came from God my friend Therefore you need God the same way trees need soil and Fish need water why because they came from those sources You came from your source God as a single person You are ready to date when you are truly single. I like to say it like this You are ready to mingle when you are truly single single. I don't mean unmarried I don't mean that you don't have a boyfriend single meaning that you are whole Single meaning that you are complete Single meaning that you're not desperate As long as there is desperate a father wound or some kind of a ache. I Need to get married. I need to have a boyfriend because everybody has it why because I'm not complete Because I am lonely because I am depressed my friend. That is the big red flag You don't need romance. You need a spiritual deliverance. You need a prayer life You need a hobby you you need other things, but not marriage You first need God Adam first had God Before he had a wife God didn't make Adam and Eve at the same time Because he wanted Adam to experience a time of singleness a model for us What to do as we are single is the first thing is you are ready to date when you don't need to Number two you are ready to date when you have found your mission The Lord God took men and put him in the garden to work and to keep it Genesis chapter 2 and verse 15 so this means that after Adam had a Relationship with God Adam had a job No money no honey God wants you to have Job work work is not bad work is not cursed. And so what does this mission look like? It's having building a courier and Developing your calling now a lot of people have this question very confused and I deal with it more intensely in my single ready to mingle book But You're calling and career a little bit different. Let's look at the difference Career is decided calling is discovered Career is something natural calling is something supernatural Careers can change calling does not Career is for money calling is for eternity for ministry Paul says in Colossians chapter 3 verse 23 he says this and whatever you do do it Hardly as unto the Lord not as unto man What this means is when it comes to your career young person don't sweat over it Don't overthink it Whatever you do as long as it's not illegal as long as it's not against the Bible and as long as it makes you money So if it's in line with your passion if it's in line with your personality if it's in line with your gifts If it's in line with something that people are hiring for you go for it You know why because you don't need To have prophetic word and three seven dreams and seven green lights on your way to work to know that you really Need to become a teacher just go become a teacher and while you are a teacher Live out your calling when souls make disciples heal the sick priest the gospel cast out demons So please single people young people After you develop your relationship with God, it's not a time to get a girlfriend or a boyfriend It's time to get a career to get a job to get a ministry to get a life group To get something going for your life so that you are fulfilled as a person and you can contribute to a relationship Work is not a curse work came before the curse God worked Jesus work the Holy Spirit works and you are more like God when you work work is a good thing Work helps us to overcome temptation because idle mind is the devil's workshop When you work you are more likely to overcome temptation Samson, you know, he fell into sin because Samson was laying on the lap of the Lila But Joseph the Bible says went into the house when he was tempted and Joseph came to work He had no time for sin because he was busy with work work is a good thing and God wants you to develop a career And to discover your calling now something about your calling Before you find out your specific calling in the kingdom of God Do the general one love God run from sin Win souls and make disciples Heal the sick cast out demons do the general one and then your specific calling will become more clear Fast and pray for your calling But trust God with your career work hard on your career do it with your whole heart come early Leave late stay longer do what the best you can with your job why because No money no, honey God created like this before there was Eve. There was a job Number three you are ready to date when you are ready for marriage Now that's very simple. You're ready to date when you don't need to you're ready to date when you are Following your assignment from God and you're ready to date when you're ready for marriage. So let me ask you a question Are you ready for marriage? No, I'm not. I need to finish school. No, I'm not. I need to get a job Well, you then have the answer for if you are ready to date if you are dating and You are not ready for marriage. I like what Jefferson Bethke said dating with no intent to marry is like going to the grocery store with No money you either leave unhappy or you take something that is in yours so The Bible says and the Lord God caused deep sleep to fall on Adam and he slept and he took one of his ribs and closed up the Flesh in its place Genesis 2 verse 21 So while Adam was looking, you know, and he couldn't find anybody then God put Adam to sleep and while Adam was sleeping God was working and so maybe that is kind of the season that you are in you're not ready for marriage So God wants to put you to a sexual sleep and God wants to work on you while you are waiting Song of Solomon chapter 2 verse 7 it says do not stir or awaken love until it pleases I will not dress the teenagers if you're a teenager and it's not your time to get married right now Which I don't think you should be getting married when you're a teenager, but that's just my personal preference You should finish your school. You should go to college You should you know get a car get a job start a ministry start a life group, but not get married You're gonna wait for that stuff Don't stir up love until it pleases your teenage years are like a tithe years to God in Song 90 verse 10 it says that our life on earth is 70 Of course if we eat broccoli exercise and everything goes well, we can live up to 80 90 But typically 70 is kind of where the mark is If you count your teenage years your teenage years are seven years So your 70 is pretty much what's expected seven out of 70 is ten percent So that tells me that 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 are your teenage years are your tithe to God Give them to God give them to ministry Be available at everything your church is doing why because your single years are the foundation of your marriage And if that foundation has cracks if it's not given over to God my friend It's gonna be tough to build something solid on it Being a youth pastor for 14 years, I've noticed one common thing among the teenagers Those who are sexually awakened Constantly dating sleeping around they're usually spiritually asleep and Those that are spiritually awakened Teenagers are usually sexually asleep. When are you ready to get married? When you don't need to When you're doing something about your job and your mission and when you are ready for marriage