Whether you’re looking into developing healthy Godly relationships in dating, with family members, or with friends… You’re in the right place. 🙂
Written by a gal who spent years walking through some pretty unhealthy (and un-Godly) relationships… and is now confidently enjoying Christ-filled relationships that bring so much good into her life… I have several key aspects to share on how to develop these Godly relationships in your own life.
Building Godly relationships isn’t as hard as you may think, with Jesus leading the way!
And in this post, I’m going to give you the key aspects to the foundation of a Godly relationship and we will take a look at what scripture gives us as far as Godly advice on relationships.
Ready for your relationships to grow leaps and bounds? Keep reading, sis.
This post is all about developing healthy Godly relationships.
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From the Desk of: Sydney Rhodes.
What is a Healthy Godly Relationship?
What is a God Centered Relationship?
A God-centered relationship is a relationship (whether in dating, a friendship, or even a relationship with a loved one) that is considered to have a strong Christian foundation.
Meaning, the relationship is built on Biblical principles and what the Bible tells us is best for relationships to function well.
Another huge characteristics of Godly relationships is prayer.
When the two people in the relationship pray for each other often, and even pray together… You may consider the relationship to be God-centered.
One more way Christ-centered relationships are often characterized is by the measure of which the relationship honors God, and rejects sinful ways.
For example, many Christians would consider a man and a woman who are dating, but have chosen to abstain from sexual intimacy until marriage… a God-centered relationship. Because the couple is standing in Godly (Biblical) principles in their relationship, in order to stay obedient to God and honor Him.
What the Bible Says About Godly Relationships
When you’re wanting to learn about ANYTHING in life, it’s always best to look at what the Bible says about that topic! Even if you trust the source you are getting the information from (like us… hopefully?) you still want to test the information against the Word of God.
So don’t just take our word for it when it comes to developing healthy Godly relationships 🙂
Test what we’ve shared in this post against the Word!
Here are several Bible verses about Godly relationships:
“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up…” — 1 Thessalonians 5:11
“Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.” — Colossians 3:19
“Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” — Proverbs 13:20
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” — Ephesians 4:29
“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.” — Proverbs 31:10-11
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” — Proverbs 27:17
We can see, just from this handful of verses about relationships, that God calls us to partake in relationships that are filled with love and encouragement toward one another! We are never called to bash, put down, or make fun of our spouse, boyfriend, friend, or any other person.
Developing Healthy Godly Relationships
How Do You Put God First in a Relationship?
There are several key things you can do in order to put God first in your relationship:
- Read the Word together. — When my husband and I were dating, some of our very first dates were sitting at a coffee shop, reading the Bible, and just talking about it together! Ask each other questions like “how do you think this can apply to your life?” or “do you feel like you’re living this verse out?”
- Pray together. — Sure, praying aloud in front of another person can be a little nerve-wrecking at first. But once you do it a few times, you will feel incredibly empowered and you’ll be amazed at how it’ll strengthen your relationship!
- Pray for each other. — When you’re not together, pray for each other. This will put God in the forefront of your mind when it comes to your relationship with this person. Surrender your relationship to God daily!
How Do You Maintain a Godly Relationship?
Maintaining Godly relationships takes work.
You must be willing to sacrifice some of your own desires. — That is the cost of love. Just as Christ sacrificed His life for us because He loved us… There are things we have to sacrifice in our relationships to keep them healthy.
For you, this may mean not always getting to do exactly what you want. For example: maybe your boyfriend/husband really wants to go to a movie when you REALLY want to go out to eat instead… It’s not a bad idea to give up your own desire to do what will bring him added joy.
And vise versa…
Personally, I’ve noticed the more that I sacrifice, give, and serve my husband… the more he does the same for me!
Another major way to maintain a Godly relationship is by showing the person you value them… in every way possible!
You really can’t use uplifting words enough.
Some examples of this are saying things like:
“Thank you so much for _____.” (Even if it’s a “little” thing!)
“I really love when you do ______.”
“You’re so great at _______.”
Especially when it comes to men… They want to feel like they’re your hero. And your words truly have the ability to do that (or the ability to tear them down.)
Godly Relationships Books
Both of these books are incredibly helpful when it comes to developing Godly relationships! I highly recommend reading either of them.
Love and Respect is hands-down one of the best marriage books of all time. The cover may not be the prettiest, but the wisdom you’ll attain from it will change your marriage (or future marriage) for the better, forever!!
Relationship Goals gets REAL when it comes to all things dating and relationships… You won’t regret reading this one!
This post was all about developing healthy Godly relationships.
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