Shedding Light on the Issue: The Music Collaboration the Church Wasn't 'Ready' For

Last Friday, Tasha Cobbs Leonard released her third studio album, Heart. Passion. Pursuit. I was excited for the project because I'm a fan. I, like so many other gospel music lovers, have been rocking with Tasha since her debut album, Grace. Her single "Break Every Chain" is a staple in a Christian music library. Over the past week or so though, and especially over the weekend, saints have been up-in-arms about a track on her newest album called "I'm Getting Ready" featuring rapper Nicki Minaj. On the track, Minaj, who is signed to popular rapper Lil Wayne's record label, Young Money, spits 16 bars about how she "leveled up" from food stamps to jet skis and "more ice than Gretzky" because of God's favor and in spite of her haters.

Tasha Cobbs Leonard - Heart. Passion. Pursuit. (2017) / Amazon

Before I give my opinion on this collaboration, I need to clarify: I'm not one of Nicki Minaj's "Barbz" (that's what she calls her fan base). I don't know every song of hers, but I'm also not going to pretend that I didn't ever listen to "Superbass," "Moment For Life," and "Right Through Me," because a few years ago when I was a teenager listening to secular music on a regular basis, that was what was popular. And yes, I am aware that her stage name pays homage to menage a trois...and yes, I know what that means in English. With that being said, I support Tasha's decision to include Nicki on this album. Why, you ask? Simply put, this song, those 16 bars alone, could open a door for people in the world to see something they've never seen.

The song says:

God's doin' a new thing,

Get ready for overflow!

I'm getting ready to see

Something I've never seen

Some people who have never seen Jesus, but have seen Nicki Minaj will listen to/download this song just because she's on it. Yes, she's rapping about material things, but she's also acknowledging the God Who gave them to her. It's not conventional praise, but it's praise nonetheless. Psalms 100:1-3 (NIV) reads:

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Praise is not reserved for use only by the sanctified, holier-than-thou Christians who have been saved since they were a twinkle in their mother's eye (Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. We all know at least one "super-saved" Christian 🙄). ALL of the earth is supposed to praise Him. It is He who made us, all of us, even those of us who don't know Him, and even Nicki Minaj. We can't judge her praise just because it doesn't look or sound like ours. In fact, we should encourage her to praise her own way more often.

I've seen so many Christians posting 2 Corinthians 6:14 to justify why this collaboration is wrong. They all say, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness" (NIV)? I'd like to present John 1:5 as a counterargument: "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." As believers, we should be so confident of the light that shines within us that we can venture out into the dark places without fear. Going into the darkness to pull people out doesn't mean we'll get sucked in. If our faith is strong enough, we will not waver. The Church as a body needs to learn how to walk beside its brothers and sisters in the world. If we're not willing to go into the darkness in the first place, how will we ever bring more people into the light? Hear me out: I mean no disrespect to classic gospel music whatsoever. I love it, but I've been saved 17 of my 23 years. For the most part, the old-timey handclap doesn't work on my generation. We need to do something different and meet them where they are.

Nowadays, most pastors wouldn't even let a woman who dresses like Nicki Minaj into their sanctuary, and that's problematic. First of all, it's not their sanctuary, it's God's. Secondly, people who dress like Nicki Minaj are the main ones who need Jesus! If Nicki Minaj is the only one blessed by her own verse in this song, that, in itself, is major! If somebody listens to "I'm Getting Ready," downloads Heart. Passion. Pursuit., and then decides to go to church on Sunday for the first time, then Tasha Cobbs Leonard has done her job. If the people of the Church are the hands and feet of Jesus, we've just extended a huge hand to those who are still in the world. My prayer is that they grab His hand and never let go. I hope this song causes an overflow we've never seen — an overflow of souls won for the Kingdom.

The Wait, Part 9: Patiently, Purposely, Playing for Keeps

I've had a LOT on my mind in the last few weeks since the Married and Young Challenge ended. Completing the challenge, which, in total, spanned two weeks, has catapulted me into a season of self-reflection. As I shared before, for the past few months, I’ve felt God positioning me for marriage, so when I stumbled upon the 5-day challenge, I took it as a sign that God was about to send me my husband. Instead, God was like, "LOL, no. I'm about to show you, YOU!" As I began sharing in the Facebook group and tuning in to the daily video teachings, I quickly realized that this was something that would challenge me far beyond a 5-day span. It was a wake-up call, a lifestyle change that encourage me to seek God more consistently and to check my motives on why I was seeking Him. Soon, I found myself shifting focus from future husband to past, present, and future self.

Through the challenge, I learned that God still has to perfect a work in ME and get ME right(eous). I need to be walking right, talking right, and praying right--LIVING right--before He sends me Mr. Right. I honestly wasn't planning on continuing "The Wait" series, not because I didn't have anything to write about, but because I had, quite frankly, too much to write about. My thoughts were so all-over-the-place, I didn't know where to start...until I tuned in to the noon service at First Baptist Church of Glenarden yesterday. If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know I LOVE FBCG! I watch online almost every Sunday. Anyway, as soon as I heard the sermon's title, "The Benefits of Patiently Waiting," I knew I had to write about it. Please bear with me as I gather my thoughts.

I'll be the first to admit that one of the hardest parts of the Christian walk is learning to stand still and wait on God. We think we know what we want, and we want instant gratification. We want to reap the benefits of progress without having to go through the process. The 5-day challenge, in conjunction with Pastor John Jenkins' message yesterday from Psalms 40:1-5, showed me why the process is necessary. Pastor Jenkins taught from the New King James version, but I'll be referencing the New International Version.

Psalms 40:1 reads, "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry." The NIV says, "turned to me," NKJV says, "inclined to me," but Pastor Jenkins took it a step further: "God is leaning in your direction." He explained that leaning is more personal. You are special to God. There are 7 billion people in the world, but because He cares about YOU specifically, He leans in and turns His ear to YOU to hear your prayers. So, if He hears, why isn't He moving now?! God doesn't move as rapidly as you want Him to move because He's examining your posture. He wants to see how you sit in your singleness. Are you uncomfortable? Squirming? Crooked in compromise? Slumped over in complaint? If you are, don't be surprised if He makes you wait longer. Waiting means having an attitude of expectation. Stick with God and do it His way. Don't do what your flesh wants to do. Patiently waiting means recognizing that your time has not come yet. God is a God of alignment. He makes everything line up when the time is right. You can try to rush Him all you want. Just know it won't work until it's on His timing.

Psalms 40:2

"He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."

This was Pastor Jenkins' second point. "God will bring you up to set you up." When you're in a place you can't get out of, only God can bring you out. You cannot bring yourself out of singleness...well, you can, but you shouldn't. Remember, His timing! Before I go any further though, I'd like to emphasize an important part of this analogy. Your singleness is not a "slimy pit." It's not a dungeon, and you're not trapped in it while everyone else lives happily ever after. "He set me on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." Singleness is not punishment, it's purposeful! God uses our singleness to establish a solid foundation in Him. We need to learn to stand firm alone before He gives us someone to stand beside in matrimony.

Psalms 40:3-5

He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.

Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.

These 3 verses tie into Pastor Jenkins' third and final point: The new song.

When you are fully content in waiting, regardless of what you're waiting for, God will give you a new song to sing that praises Him. In the case of singleness, that "new song" will be marriage. From now on, I'll look at my singleness as the time God is taking to finish writing this new song. While He's writing it, I'll rejoice in the things He has already done for me, because He's already done too much for me to list. I'm learning to be satisfied with just God because I want my single season and my life as a whole to be an example of why people should serve God. I want my marriage to be a testament to how He rewards those who patiently and purposefully wait for His timing. If people watch me play the waiting game, not only will they see the beauty of the wait; they will also see me rewarded. And my reward after the waiting is not just marriage. If I play my cards right, my reward will be eternal life. I'm playing for keeps.

The Wait, Part 8: Computer Love (Phone Fast Update)

Image source: Facebook 

Yesterday, I watched a replay of Pastor Jamal Miller's video "God, Deal With My Other Lovers" in the Married and Young 5 Day Challenge group (TODAY is the last day to join the challenge! Click here to join!). I didn't catch the broadcast when it was live, but it felt like it was just for me. In the message, Jamal talked about how we all have other lovers that threaten to take up too much space in our hearts...space that only God is supposed to occupy. He explained that we may not be having sex with these "other lovers," but we are still physically invested in them. Whether we realize it or not, we literally and figuratively take these other lovers to bed with us. They abide in our minds and hearts.  At first, I thought, Okay, I'm good. I definitely don't have any other lovers. I've never even been on a date. I didn't think the message applied to me until Jamal said that his "other lover" was marriage. He became so obsessed with marriage that he pursued it harder than he sought God...and he even started praying more--in an unhealthy way--to use God and church as a means to get it. Wait a minute, I thought. These lovers aren't always people? Uh oh. Suddenly, I knew what my other lover was--my cell phone.

You probably think that's crazy, right? Well, you're right, it is, but let me explain. I've had a cell phone since 2006. I was 12 years old. Back then, all I used it for was calling my mom, grandparents, and a handful of close friends. As technology evolved, I joined MySpace, then Facebook, then Twitter, then Instagram...and I've kept the latter 3 in my pocket and beside my bed for several years now (and November 2016, I added this blog to the mix, so I'm on my phone even more now). I find myself checking my phone every 2 minutes or so, and I get overly excited when I hear the "ding" of a text message or other notification. My phone is the first thing I pick up in the morning and the last thing I put down at night. I have a Bible app on my phone, but I don't utilize it nearly as much as I should. To be honest, I was spending more time with my phone than I was with God. I had to break the habit.

As I get older, I'm learning that if I'm expecting God to move, I need to show Him how important He is to me. Usually for me that means amping up the praise and worship, but this time, I felt like I needed to do more. As I shared in a previous post, from Tuesday to Thursday of last week, I did my first fast ever...a fast from my phone. I turned my phone off for four hours each day (baby steps 😂). But seriously, I cut out distractions and gave God more of my time, and I've seen a drastic change in my prayer life in such a short time. He sacrificed His life for us. The least I could do was give up something small for Him. No text, tweet, status, or post will ever be more important than hearing from God. He deserves more of me...more of all of us. That brief phone fast taught me a lot of things. It showed me that I don't need my phone as much as I thought I did, and it showed me that above all, I need God more than anything. Tomorrow is the official start of the 5 Day Pray For Your Future Spouse Challenge, and I want to make sure I'm ready. Let us pray:

God, as we begin this challenge, help us to understand that while we should pray with our future spouses in mind, our primary goal is to grow closer to You. During our prayer time(s), help us to put down our phones and cut out distractions, focusing not just on our desire for marriage, but our desire to be filled and used by You. Help us to pray earnestly and unselfishly, thinking beyond just physical characteristics we look for in a mate. Guide us to request only the character traits of a spouse who is led by You and who worships You wholeheartedly; and through their worship of You, may they also honor us. In the five-day span of this challenge, equip us to effectively cover our spouses in every area of their lives, even if we haven't met them yet, and help us to continue covering them all throughout our married lives. As you perfect the hearts that are meant to love us, perfect our hearts and turn them toward You so that we may be used for Your glory in singleness and in marriage. Let our lives and our unions be a reflection of who You are.

In Jesus' name,

Amen

For a recap of the previous message shared in the challenge group, click here.

The Wait, Part 7: Married & Young Challenge (Extreme Makeover, Holy Edition - In Security)

Image source: Facebook

This afternoon, Monica Umunna, Married and Young's Director of Product Development, shared a word on insecurity in the 5 Day Challenge group. She discussed how both the man and woman in a marital union should be secure in who they are BEFORE God sends them a spouse. She alluded to the story of Samson and Delilah in the Bible, emphasizing that Delilah was able to subdue Samson because he was not secure. In Judges 16, Samson falls in love with Delilah, who was sent as a decoy by the Philistines so that they could find the secret to his strength. He resisted her 3 times, but on the fourth time, she used the fact that he loved her to get him to reveal that his secret was in his hair. It was easy for her to break him down because he wasn't secure in who he was. As we pray for our future spouses, we also need to pray for a spirit of discernment. We need to make sure we won't be so blinded by love (and lust) that we can't distinguish between who was sent by God to help build us up and who was sent by Satan to break us down.

I've often heard my single girlfriends say, "I'm tired of being alone! I need a man who completes me!" And when they find the man (First mistake: they don't wait for God to SEND him to find them!)...as I was saying, when they find the man, they completely re-center their lives to revolve around him, cutting off ALL their friends (some of whom they've known their whole lives) and their self-worth hangs on his every word. That's not healthy at all. Ladies and gents, your significant other should complement (and compliment!) you, but it is NOT his/her job to complete you. You should be whole with or without him/her. If you're not, you should probably re-evaluate some things...starting with your relationship with God. The reason Monica stressed the importance of finding security in God is because God is the only One who can make you whole. Go to Him when you are broken. When your self-esteem is low, only God can help you truly know who and Whose You are. Having a husband/wife cannot make YOU believe that you are enough. You have to walk in that truth BEFORE marriage. If you don't, you'll find yourself relying too much on your spouse's approval...and you could find yourself walking alone. Let us pray:

God, help us to see our singleness as a remodeling process. Help us to find peace in knowing that the reason You are making us wait is because You are making necessary repairs, finalizing the renovations in our single lives. Help us to understand that a work has to be completed within our own houses before You add on a spouse. In our single season, affirm who we are in You so we can stand on a firm foundation. Help us to be strong in singleness so that we can be stronger together in matrimony. Lay in us a groundwork of unshakeable faith so that we may be adequately prepared to weather any and every storm that marriage may bring. Let our lives and our unions be a reflection of who You are.

In Jesus' name we pray,

Amen

For a recap of the message shared yesterday, click here.

The Wait, Part 6: The IlLUSTrious Life

Image source: Facebook

Today's discussion in the Married and Young 5 Day Challenge group was Pastor Jamal Miller's most transparent one yet. The topic he tackled today was lust. He explained that everything good isn't God, and used himself as an example, speaking candidly about his struggles with pornography addiction. Jamal revealed that he's had problems in this area since he was 12 years old. While it was "good" that he abstained from having sex with his wife until marriage, what he was doing wasn't godly because he was using masturbation as a coping mechanism, as a "safe" replacement for sex and as a refuge when times got hard. Jamal also made sure to emphasize that lust is not always sexual. For him, it was also dangerous emotional connections he was making with people and just self-control in general. He prayed for God to send him a wife because he thought that marriage could fix his addiction. and when he actually got married, he realized that marriage wasn't the solution. The solution was God.

That was my main takeaway point from the message this morning: Marriage is not a cure for anything. One thing I've struggled with in my Christian walk is social media. I think I subconsciously lust after experiences. What I mean by that is, sometimes I find myself scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,  YouTube, etc. and saying, "Oooh, this person traveled to this place this week!" And, "This person met [insert celebrity name here]!" Or, "I wish my hair was as long as this person's." Or, "This person seems to have it all together. I wish my life was like that!" Recently, I've been scrolling and thinking, When I get married, my life is gonna be great! My husband and I will get to [insert everything I've seen every seemingly-perfect, wealthy married couple do on Instagram]! And even with this blog, I was getting way too caught up in how many people read each post and how many people liked what I said, literally and figuratively. It got to the point where I was like, "It's been up for three hours, and so far, nobody commented, only 25 people liked it on Instagram, and 15 people clicked the link to read it." It was consuming me, and for a little while, I asked myself, "Am I really called to do this?" I needed to step away and take a break.

Yesterday morning, Jamal talked about how he was spending too much time on social media, so engrossed in his phone that he couldn't actively listen to people during face-to-face conversations. When he said that, it was like God basically barged into my house, sat on my couch, and kicked His feet up, because that's exactly how I am with my phone. People  speak to me in real life and I just completely tune them out because I "have to" compose the perfect Tweet...no. I never want to get to the point where God is trying to speak to me and I tune Him out, so I took Jamal's advice and went on a 4-hour social media fast from 6-10pm EST. I was prepared for it to be difficult, but surprisingly, I kept it turned off for FIVE hours instead of four (Don't laugh lol). This was HUGE for me. I didn't even really miss it. I'm doing it again tonight and tomorrow night. I'm serious about this "less of me, more of Thee" thing, and I need to prove it to Him. A "lit" social media account and the number of followers on my blog doesn't determine whether or not I'm called to be a writer. Marriage won't fix the parts of me that need fixing. Marriage won't automatically guarantee a perfect life. Following God will guarantee everlasting life, and that's what matters. Let us pray:

God, help us to put You first above ALL things. Don't let our lust for sex, married life, or someone else's life distract us from our pursuit of everlasting life. Help us to focus less on who follows us on social media and more on following You. Help us to realize that the only validation we need is the 'yes' you give us, and help us to be satisfied in that. While we wait for You to send us a spouse, and even after You send them, help us to crucify our flesh everyday and submit wholeheartedly to Your will. Let our lives and our unions be a reflection of who You are.

In Jesus' name we pray,

Amen

For a recap of the message Jamal shared yesterday, click here.

The Wait, Part 5: Married & Young Challenge (Plumbing Issues + Why You're "Worth Being Worked On")

Image source: Facebook

This morning in the Married and Young 5 Day Challenge group, Pastor Jamal Miller spoke about the heart. This discussion tied nicely into yesterday's word about perspective, but took things one step further. Now that we know God can see us from all angles, we have to be willing to let Him dig deeper to get to the root of what needs fixing. We have to let Him examine our inner plumbing and unclog our hearts. Once our hearts are fixed on God, He'll send us the gift of our future spouse...but He has to take us through some things first.

I clicked on the video without looking at the title, so I didn't know what scripture Jamal would be teaching from, but as soon as he started speaking, I heard the lyrics to Tamela Mann's "Change Me" from her 2016 album, One Way, ringing in my spirit:

Tamela Mann - One Way album art / Amazon

Change me, O God
Make me more like You
Change me, O God
Wash me through and through
Create in me a clean heart
So that I may worship You

I love this song. I sing it all the time and watch covers of it on YouTube to see if anybody can do it justice, because let's be honest: NOBODY sings it like Tamela can! I knew the lyrics were borrowed from Psalms 51:10, but it wasn't until I spoke the words aloud instead of singing them that I realized that they are actually a very powerful prayer -- a prayer that we shouldn't pray until we are 100% sure we mean every word.

Change is good, but it's also scary because, well, it's change -- new and uncharted territory that we haven't explored before. We don't like change because it forces us to have to relearn everything, so we get comfortable in that job, that town, that person, that sin, because it's what we're used to. A lot of times, we don't feel God moving in our lives because we're afraid change is going to hurt. This morning, Jamal assured us that it will be painful. And ironically, the scripture he alluded to was Psalms 51:10 *cue goosebumps*.

Let's go back to the analogy of unclogging the heart. Has your sink drain ever been clogged? If so, you probably tried to fix it yourself before calling a plumber, right? Some Drain-O should do the trick. So you pour the whole bottle of Drain-O down the sink and continue adding more sludge down the drain for the next two weeks or so, only to find out that the Drain-O didn't fix anything the first time. The clog is even worse than before, so you bite the bullet and call the plumber, even though you really didn't want to pay the extra expense.

It's not a pleasant experience, but it sounds familiar, doesn't it? Too often, we try to fix our problems ourselves. We tell ourselves to suck it up and pretend to be okay, and the drain just continues to clog up until the sludge is almost visible under the surface. We don't want to call the plumber (God) because we know He's going to pull it out of us, and if it hurt going down, it'll be even more painful coming back up. It will cost us something, and we really don't want to pay the extra expense of being uncomfortable. Well guess what? It's necessary. And your expenses have already been paid.

Yes, change will hurt. In order to allow God to change us and make us more like Him, we have to come to terms with those things that are clogging our hearts. As Jamal shared this morning, it won't feel good during the process, but on the other side of the process is the living water of God that will be able to flow freely through our hearts (John 7:38). When we allow God to fix our plumbing, we can start drinking His living water, and in learning how to live for Him, we'll learn how to love like Him. This will eventually apply to our relationships with our future spouses, but in the meantime, we need to learn to love ourselves and our neighbors, our communities. As painful as it will be, we have to look inside ourselves and realize that we are "worth being worked on."

Let us pray:

God, I open my heart to You. You knew the ins and outs of me before I ever did. You know what needs fixing. Help me and everyone who reads this to surrender and accept the change that is necessary in order for us to be pleasing in Your sight. Help us to know that we are worth being worked on, and help us trust You to complete that work. Time and time again, we've tried to fix things ourselves, and time and time again we have failed. We like to think we've got it all figured out, but the truth is, we need You. Help us to understand that needing You is not an "extra expense" because You've already paid it all on the cross. Deal with us and show us how to deal with life. Unclog our hearts so that we may learn to love ourselves and others, and eventually, our future spouses, in a way that glorifies You. Let our lives and our unions be a reflection of who You are.

In Jesus' name we pray,

Amen

For a recap of the message Jamal shared yesterday, click here.

The Wait, Part 4: Married & Young Challenge (Perspective Prayers + Avoiding Idolatry)

Saturday, I joined a Facebook group called M&Y Saved and Single (5 Day Challenge). This group, run by husband-and-wife team Jamal and Natasha Miller, co-founders of Married and Young, includes singles from all around the world who are preparing for marriage. This FREE challenge, which begins July 31st, is designed to teach those of us in a season of singleness how to pray for our future spouses (even if we haven't met the person God has for us yet). As I mentioned in my last post, I've been thinking about marriage a lot lately. Since I was a little girl, I've always pictured myself being married (and yes, I AM that really annoying person who already knows what colors and music I want for the reception 😂), but this is...different. I've never had a "right time" set for marriage, never a specific age "requirement" to be married by. If you had asked me at 21 or 22 if I was ready for marriage, I would've resoundingly said NO. In this first month and a half of 23, though, something has shifted. I'm not dating anyone, and I don't even see any "prospects" on the horizon right now. To some, this may sound "crazy," but I feel God positioning me for marriage.

Image source: Facebook

I joined Jamal and Natasha's challenge group by happenstance when their live broadcast appeared in my Facebook feed. When I signed up, I felt excitement coupled with a sense of peace that I've never experienced before. I'm not afraid of where God is getting ready to take me, I'm just optimistic about the future. The challenge hasn't even officially started yet and I'm already being blessed by the nuggets of wisdom and encouragement that the Millers and various members of the group are posting on the Facebook page. Before the challenge officially starts and we begin praying for our future spouses, Jamal and Natasha are giving us a kick-starter course on how to get ourselves right spiritually before God brings us the right person.

This morning, Jamal shared a powerful word about perspective, explaining that we need to humble ourselves before God. We need to recognize the one-sided lens through which we see ourselves and acknowledge that because God is omnipotent, He can see us from every angle. Once we recognize that, we have to open up to see ourselves the way God sees us, so He can repair the broken areas before He sends us a spouse.

Jamal also touched on another subject that really resonated with me: How to separate earthly, spousal love from God's love. He explained that in relationship with our spouses, we need to be careful not to place the selfish burden of supernatural love on to our natural spouse. They shouldn't have the responsibility of providing us with a love that only God can give. That's deep! It made me think of something I saw on Instagram Sunday night. Ironically, one of my favorite poets, Jackie Hill-Perry, made a short video geared toward--of all things--women praying for God to send them a husband. Right in my wheelhouse. The clip had a playful tone to it at first, but then, Hill-Perry became serious. She said:

"Sometimes you hear the saints talk about the type of husband they want [and they say], 'I just need a man that's going to love me with all his heart all his mind and all his soul.'...This is the thing: We do want spouses who love us well, clearly, but if that's all we're praying for, that's not enough. What you have to pray for is a husband that loves God more than he loves you, because it's his love for God that's gonna make him love you well.

I think some of these women don't realize what they're saying when they say [they want a man who loves them with his all]. So you want to be an idol? You want to be a golden calf to a man? That's not what you want. You don't want a man who worships you. You want a man who worships God, and through his worship of God, he honors you."

This is exactly what I've been praying about.

Marriage has been weighing on me heavily in the last month or so, but I'm being careful not to be consumed by the idea of it, especially since I've never been married before. If I blow the idea of marriage out of proportion during my season of singleness, it may be harder to appreciate the union that God gives me. No relationship is perfect. My goal is to approach this season with realistic expectations. Let us pray.

God, I come to You asking for guidance in this season. I feel You shifting me towards something new, telling me to position myself to be married. As I and other singles reading this begin to prepare for covenant, I pray that You will open our eyes to the areas we need to work on in our own lives. And while the work is being done within us, we trust that You are also preparing the heart of the one You designed specifically for us. Help us to learn not to question or rush You. Help us to surrender our lives and desires to Your will, knowing that You know exactly what and who we need. And when You send us our future spouses, help us not to worship each other or the idea of marriage, but to focus on You, the One who knew us before the beginning of time, the One who loves us better than anyone on earth ever could. Most importantly, let our lives and our unions be a reflection of who You are.

In Jesus' name we pray,

Amen

To join the Married & Young Single and Saved 5 Day Challenge, click here. Challenge starts July 31!