Encouragement

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Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

I was once asked to write an article providing five signs that you've found the perfect mate. I turned down the
opportunity. I hadn’t found the perfect mate, and didn’t believe myself qualified to tell anyone else how
to find the perfect mate.

A few weeks later, I found myself in turbulent waters. I was being tossed to and fro. Every which way I turned there was controversy... my personal life, my financial situation, my employer, my friendships, my relationship with my daughter... Finally I just raised my hands in complete surrender. A close friend instructed me to get on an internet dating site assuming a new love interest would calm the turbulence in my life. My friend was absolutely right. Surrendering brought new love interest in Jesus, it brought a deeper love for The Lord.
I believed calm was near because The Lord, would leadeth me beside the still waters. My responsibility was to accept divine leadership.

That surrender and acceptance, prompted the writing of this article. How do we know we’ve found the perfect mate?

Step One - Check-out your mate's clubhouse.
Take a look at where your mate hangs out. If the hang out is in the strip club, making it rain dollar bills?? That's not a good sign. Maybe you found a great person in a bad situation or in turbulent seas... again, not a good sign. How about finding a mate by the still waters... If your mate is by the same still waters as you, then proceed to step two of the application process.

Step Two - Take your mate to court.
Please remember that the enemy was in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. So put your mate on trial. First John 4:1 reads:
Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are out into the world. The word try here means to prove, in the present tense, meaning multiple proofs. Even Jesus, when in the wilderness, was tried three times. Please honor your future enough to try your mate more than one time. Allow your mate to establish a pattern of righteous decision-making. Then you'll know your mate is tried and true.

Step Three – Does your mate talk the talk?
Proverbs 18:21 reads:
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. It is important
to have quality conversation with your mate. A righteous and Godly partner will be able to speak life into a dead situation. In other words, a God-fearing mate speaks with a loving tongue of encouragement, forever building when the world aspires to tear down. Chapter 37 of Ezekiel, verses 1-14, describes a vision of dry bones being prophesied over, or spoken to, to bring the bones back to life. The story of creation from Genesis 1 reads:
Day 1 - God spoke... let there be light, and there is light
Day 2 – God spoke...let there be a firmament dividing the waters, and there is Heaven
Day 2 – God spoke...let the waters under the heaven be gathered together, and there is land and sea
Day 3 – God spoke...let the earth bring forth grass, and herb yielding seed, and the earth was obedient
Day 4 – God spoke...let there be lights in the firmament, and there is a sun and a moon
If your mate can’t build you up; they’ll only keep you stagnant or tear you down. Getting this right? Your mate has to talk the talk, or your mate will keep you from walking your walk

Step Four - Attitude determines altitude
Our attitudes are equated with the manner of thinking or a reflection of our mind state. What is the mindset of
the perfect mate? Philippians 2:5 reads: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Deep stuff that begs the question – how do we know the mind of Christ? We know by the reflection of the attitude. What does a mind of Christ reflect? Philippians 4:8 tells us...
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. If your mate’s attitude reflects truth, honesty, fairness, purity, loveliness, good news, virtue and praise... you are on the right path.

Step Five - Consider the heart of it all
Jeremiah 17:9 reads:
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Therefore, we are urged from Proverbs 4:23 to do the following:
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.
How do we keep our hearts? First we should follow the prayer of Psalms 51:10 which reads:
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Once we have a clean heart, and a renewed right spirit.. we can determine if a clean heart is kept by our mate’s level of peacefulness. Philippians 4:7 reads:
And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Now if you have checked the hang-out, the spirit, the tongue / speech, the attitude / mind, and the heart but you’re still uncertain; fret not. God’s grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). Proverbs 3:5 – 6 reads:
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. God will lead you to proceed or abort the mission.

Truly there are plenty of fish caught up in the internet. However, I don't believe catching a lot of fish yields peace of mind. Jesus said, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Some of us are trapped in a gone fishing do-loop. We fish,
we catch, bring home, season, filet, and taste before throwing them back in the sea – because we don’t like ...the flavor. I believe the only successful fisherman, are those who have learned to be fishers of men. When we fish and catch men, there’s no need to throw them back in...

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