{"id":1779,"date":"2022-11-29T14:48:44","date_gmt":"2022-11-29T14:48:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/?p=1779"},"modified":"2022-11-29T14:48:44","modified_gmt":"2022-11-29T14:48:44","slug":"pastor-craig-groeschel-lists-5-red-flags-christians-should-watch-out-for-when-dating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/strongermarriages\/2022\/11\/pastor-craig-groeschel-lists-5-red-flags-christians-should-watch-out-for-when-dating.html","title":{"rendered":"Pastor Craig Groeschel Lists 5 Red Flags Christians Should Watch Out For When Dating"},"content":{"rendered":"
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YouTube\/Life. Church<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During a recent sermon, megachurch Pastor Craig Groeschel of the multi-campus Life. Church shared five “red flags” Christians should watch out for when dating.<\/p>\n

The first red flag, the pastor said, is when the person a Christian is dating is not consistently pursuing Jesus. Groeschel clarified that this doesn’t mean they need to be “perfect” but that they are “on a journey to get to know Jesus and be conformed to His image.”<\/p>\n

“A lot of people here are kind of cultural Christians. And just because someone tells you, ‘I guess I’m a Christian, and I go to church on Christmas and Easter,’ doesn’t mean that they’re a committed follower of Jesus,” he warned.\u00a0Groeschel said when dating someone who may or may not be a practicing believer, a Christian should pay attention to where their main focus lies.<\/p>\n

“If you meet someone, and you’re getting to know them, and you spend some time in intimate conversation with them if you don’t hear about Jesus, or you don’t hear about their faith, or you don’t hear about God, or you don’t hear about their involvement in the Church, or you don’t hear about their ministry within the first hour of talking to them, I would suggest to you that is actually a red flag,” Groeschel said.<\/p>\n

“And that seems incredibly extreme. … But, you have to remember that people talk about first what they value most. So, if you have to ask, ‘hey, what are your spiritual beliefs? Are you a Christian? Do you ever attend church anywhere?’ if you have to ask that after an extended conversation, chances are this person is not a committed follower of Jesus.”\u00a0Groeschel cited\u00a02 Corinthians 6:14<\/a>, which says, “do not be yoked together with unbelievers.” He rejected the idea that such standards are limiting.<\/p>\n

Groeschel said the second red flag to look out for is if a believer’s devout Christian family, friends and other loved ones disapprove of their dating relationship.\u00a0“When those around you that you really trust, who have a good spiritual foundation and have your best interests at heart, when they don’t like the person you’re with, and all of them don’t like the person you’re with, listen,” Groeschel said. “Proverbs 27:9<\/a>\u00a0says this: ‘the heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume.’ And in this instance, you want to listen to those who love you.”<\/p>\n