Seven Royal Laws of Courtship Pledge

My Pledge to Almighty God and

to That Someone, Somewhere,

Who Awaits Me

1. By the grace of Almighty God, I will marry the person God has created for me.
2. By the grace of Almighty God, I will arrive at the marriage altar morally pure.
3. By the grace of Almighty God, I will arrive at the marriage altar prepared to fulfill my responsibilities as a marriage partner.
4. By the grace of Almighty God, our marriage will have the blessing of both sets of parents and our pastors.
5. By the grace of Almighty God, I will have glorified God and maintained an unquestionable Christian testimony throughout my courtship.
6. By the grace of Almighty God, I will give to my partner someone who understands and practices real agape love.
7. By the grace of Almighty God, on my wedding day, I will be in a position to fulfill God's specific calling for my life.

Each day I will pray for you, each day I will wait for you, each day I will prepare for you. And one day, I will give you a part of my heart that I have reserved and protected for only you.

Signed this ______ day of the month of ____________ in the year of our Lord _______.

________________________

(signature)

Seven Royal Laws of Courtship: Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Tenants of the Seventh Royal Law of Courtship

“By the grace of Almighty God, on my wedding day, I will be in a position to fulfill God's specific calling for my life.

This is for guys who feel that they are called into full-time Christian service.

1. It is best to finish your schooling (Bible college) before you get married.
2. Make sure that the young lady you are considering has dedicated her life to the Lord's work.
3. Do not marry someone who is materialistically minded.
4. Do not marry someone who is selfish by nature.
5. Stay focused on your calling.

Seven Royal Laws of Courtship: Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Tenants of the Sixth Royal Law of Courtship

“By the grace of Almighty God, I will give to my partner someone who understands and practices real agape love.

The Bible Definition of Love

There is only one place in the Bible where love is defined. First John 4:8 says, “God is love.”

Learning to Recognize Biblical Love

Using a Bible concordance, look up every place in the Bible where the word “love” (or some form of it) is used (there are over 550 places where it is found). Look up each verse and write down it's meaning in a notebook. If you do 5 verses each night before you go to bed, you will have this project completed in less than 4 months & you'll be able to tell the difference between true biblical love and a cheap counterfeit.

Do a Careful Study of the Love Chapter

1 Corinthians, chapter 13, has long been called “the love chapter.” You might be shocked to find that the world love is not found in this chapter. Instead, the Greek word agape has been translated charity. Agape is a Greek word meaning “divine love” or “God-love.” It is the strongest, truest and deepest of all forms of human affection. Let's look at what this chapter teaches about love.

Verse 1:

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”

~ Love is more than words.

Verse 2:

“And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.”

~ Love is more than being spiritual.

Verse 3:

“And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.”

~ Love is more than sacrifice.

Verse 4:

“Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.”

~ Love is patient.

~ Love is kind.

~ Love does not envy.

~ Love does not promote self.

~ Love is not prideful.

Verse 5:

“Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil.”

~ Love does not behave indecently or shamefully.

~ Love is not selfish or self-centered.

~ Love does not have a short fuse.

~ Love does not premeditate to do wrong.

Verse 6:

“Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.”

~ Love gets excited about the right things.

Verse 7:

“Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

~ Love is strong; it does not quit when things get hard.

~ Love is trusting; it looks for the good instead of the bad.

~ Love is optimistic; it trusts God for tomorrow.

~ Love is tough; it endures instead of complains.

Verse 8:

“Charity never faileth.”

~ Love commits! Because of that, it does not fail.

A person can have a velvet tongue, may seem to be filled with great Bible knowledge and faith, and be constantly sacrificing and giving to others, but . . .

~ If they are not patient and kind, they lack love.

~ If they are envious of others, they lack love.

~ If they are full of pride and constantly talking about self, they lack love.

~ If they behave indecently or in a way that brings shame to the Lord, they lack love.

~ If they are selfish and self-centered, they lack love.

~ If they are quick-tempered, they lack love.

~ If they are always trying to figure out how to get by with wrong, they lack love.

~ If they enjoy wrong and seem bored with right, they lack love.

~ If they are quick to quit, distrusting, pessimistic and constantly complaining, they lack love.

Seven Royal Laws of Courtship: Chapter 5

Seven Royal Laws of Courtship

Chapter 5

Tenants of the Fifth Royal Law of Courtship

“By the grace of Almighty God, I will have glorified God and maintained an unquestionable Christian testimony throughout my courtship.

1. Avoid the appearances of evil.

• 1 Thessalonians 5:22
• Romans 14:16

2. Protect carefully the reputation of the one you are courting.

• 1 Corinthians 13:4-5

3. Exalt Christ in your relationship.

• Colossians 1:18

4. Build all your relationships on a rock—the solid foundation of clear Biblical teaching.

• Matthew 7:24-27

Seven Royal Laws of Courtship: Chapter 4

Seven Royal Laws of Courtship

Chapter 4

Tenants of the Fourth Royal Law of Courtship

“By the grace of Almighty God, our marriage will have the blessing of both sets of parents and our pastors.

1. Counsel is essential when you are dealing with matters of the heart.

• Proverbs 19:20-21
• Proverbs 28:26
• Proverbs 11:4
• Proverbs 15:22

2. No two people in the world know you better than your parents.
3. Give your parents veto power.

• Judges 14:2-3
• Proverbs 12:15

4. Beware of anyone who tries to drive a wedge between you and your parents.

• Proverbs 6:20-24

5. Wise parents will encourage their child to seek the counsel of their pastor during the courting process.

• Proverbs 20:18

Seven Royal Laws of Courtship: Chapter 3

Seven Royal Laws of Courtship

Chapter 3

Tenants of the Third Royal Law of Courtship

“By the grace of Almighty God, I will arrive a the marriage altar prepared to fulfill my responsibilities as a marriage partner.

The Prepared Young Man

Before a young man marries, he should be able to honestly say three things . . .

1. “I am prepared to lead.”
2. “I am prepared to leave.”

• Genesis 3:24

3. “I am prepared to provide.”

• Luke 14:28

The Prepared Young Woman

Before a young lady marries, she should be able to honestly state three things . . .

1. “I am prepared to follow my husband.”

• Ephesians 5:22

2. “I am prepared to help my husband accomplish what God has called him to do.”

• Genesis 2:18

3. “I am prepared to manage a new household , to be the 'keeper' of our home.”

• 1 Timothy 5:14
• Titus 2:4-5

5 Questions to Ask Before Getting Married Right Out of High School

1. Is that one you are considering conformed or transformed?
2. Can you really live on love?
3. Is this decision really about God's perfect will or your own sense of insecurity?
4. Will you regret missing your “thirteenth year” (1 year of Bible college)?
5. How different will you look on this decision in three years?

Marriage is a Lifelong Commitment

Before you consider getting married right out of high school, consider the vows you would have to make to your spouse.

A Husband's Vow to His Bride

“I (groom's name) take thee (bride's name) to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, till death do us part.”

A Bride's Vow to Her Husband

“I (bride's name) take thee (husband's name) to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish and obey, till death do us part.”

Numbers 30:2 “If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.”

Seven Royal Laws of Courtship: Chapter 2

Seven Royal Laws of Courtship
Chapter 2

Tenants of the Second Royal Law of Courtship

“By the grace of Almighty God, I will arrive a the marriage altar morally pure.

1. Make a vow of chastity to the Lord (Deuteronomy 23:21).
2. Realize the battleground for purity is fought in the mind. Work at developing a pure mind (2 Timothy 2:22 & 1 John 3:2-3).

• Guard your eye gates!
  • Psalm 101:3
  • Job 31:1
• “How do I deal with evil thoughts?”
  • Our wonderful Creator has equipped us with minds that cannot think on more than one thing at a time. Choose to meditate on “whatsoever things are pure.”
    • Philippians 4:8
    • 2 Corinthians 10:5
    • Psalm 199:11
    • Psalm 1:2
• Never make excuses for lusting after the opposite gender. Doing so is a sin.
  • James 1:15
  • Proverbs 6:23-25
  • Matthew 5:28
  • 1 John 2:15-16

3. Institute a personal “no-touch rule” and enforce it.

• 2 Corinthians 7:1-2
• 1 Corinthians 7:1-2
• 1 Thessalonians 4:3-7
• Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 5
• Hebrews 13:4

4. Understand the importance of “pacing” a relationship. This is essential in helping you arrive at the altar pure and chaste.

• In order to properly pace a relationship you need to answer these questions:
  • What is the safest age a serious relationship should start?
  • What would be the best time marriage should be considered?
  • At what pace should a relationship move so that it will peak in intensity no earlier than the proper timing for marriage?
• Please consider the following suggestions . . .
  • Spend your high school years serving the Lord, making friendships and preparing yourself for your future.
  • Do not get into a serious boy-girl relationship during your high school years. When you graduate from high school, you should have all of your options open. There will be an enormous difference between how you look at lief on the day you turn sixteen years of age and how you view it one the day your turn twenty-one. Your view of yourself, of others, of god and of what is truly important will have gone through a dramatic change. I personally believe that most young people would be wise to wait until the end of this six-year period before pursuing a serious relationship.
  • Most romantic relationships peak in intensity within a two-year period. What I mean by that is, after two years, you have exhausted every level that a proper relationship can rightly achieve and are ready to be married! If this is rue, why start a serious relationship five years before your should be married?
• If you do not properly pace your relationship, you will peak before you should and one of the following will happen:
  • You will get married before you should.
  • You will break up with that person out of frustration.
  • You will continue forward into areas intended to be developed after marriage.

6. Have a game plan.

• Age 13-18: “I'm not going to get caught up in riding the romance roller coaster. God has someone He is preparing for me, and during these years I will prepare for that special one.”
• Age 18 and beyond: “The time has come for me to prayerfully consider other dedicated Christian young people as a possible partner for life. I will rely heavily upon the counsel of my parents and the Holy Spirit's leading. I refuse to get in too big of a hurry. I will begin preparing to accomplish what God has directed me to do. When God leads me to this one, I will pray for great wisdom in pacing our relationship so that we both enjoy each step as God turns our friendship into divine love.”

The Anatomy of a Seduction

1. Don't stay simple (Proverbs 7:7)

• Proverbs 4:5-8
• Proverbs 6:20-24
• Proverbs 2:10-16

2. Avoid places of temptation.

• Proverbs 7:7-8
• Proverbs 27:12

3. Avoid hours of temptation.

• Proverbs 7:9

4. Avoid those who dress immodestly.

• Proverbs 7:10

5. Avoid people of low moral character.

• Proverbs 7:10-12

6. Avoid people who cannot keep their hands to themselves.

• Proverbs 7:13

7. Avoid people who wear a cloak of spirituality.

• Proverbs 7:13-14
• Proverbs 2:11-17

8. Avoid those who talk suggestively or use flattery and fair speech to get what they want.

• Proverbs 7:15-21

9. Avoid people who are always trying to get you alone.

• Proverbs 7:19-20

10. Read often the consequences of fornication and adultery.

• Proverbs 7:22-27
• Proverbs 2:16-19
• Proverbs 5:1-5
• Proverbs 5:20-23
• Proverbs 6:23-33

Seven Royal Laws of Courtship

Hey guys!  I got the book "Seven Royal Laws of Courtship" at camp this year.  It's an amazing book so I thought I'd outline it on my blog.  Enjoy!

Seven Royal Laws of Courtship

 Chapter 1

Tenants of the First Royal Law of Courtship

“By the grace of Almighty God, I will marry the person God has created for me.”

~ God has created someone specifically for you (Genesis 2:21-24)!

~ A part of you is in that specific one created for you.

~ You will never feel complete until you meet this person.

~ God will bring this person to you.

~ Adam had to stay in the garden to meet Eve. If you choose to leave God's perfect will for your life, you sacrifice meeting the one God has created for you.

~ Your teenage years should be about preparation, not pursuit.

“But how will I recognize the one God has created for me?”

1. God's perfect will is discernable only to those who have dedicated their lives to the Lord (Romans 12:1-2).
2. God's perfect will is discernable only to those who have transformed their minds from worldly thinking to Biblical thinking (Romans 12:2)
3. No unsaved person should ever be considered as a potential marriage partner (2 Corinthians 6:14).
4. No one should be considered who claims to be saved but who refuses to dedicate himself/herself to the Lord and separae from worldliness. This is true because . . .
   1. An undedicated and unseparated young person might not really be saved (Matthew 7:20-21).
   2. An undedicated and unseparated young person cannot know God's will for his/her life even if he/she is saved.
   3. The unwillingness to dedicate his/her life to God exposes a character weakness. He/she may be able to dedicate himself/herself to you.
   4. The unwillingness to separate himself/herself from the world exposes another character flaw. Will he/she separate himself/herself only unto you? If someone cannot be true to a perfect God, will that person be true to an imperfect companion.
   5. If you are a dedicated Christian, your children will not have a unified example in the home (Proverbs 1:8).
   6. You risk becoming a victim of divorce (Amos 3:3).