So, your heart has been put through the ringer in 2016. Your dating life was like the surface of the sea – always moving, up and down, at times calm or stormy. It never quite settled, did it? Amid your brokenness and inner struggles, hear this: God wants to meet every single one of your desires in 2017, and it all starts with surrender from you.

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”  —Hebrews 11:6

1. Surrender To God

A surrender is a complete casting off of yourself and your own worldly desires for the will and purposes of the Father; His will isn’t to harm you, but to help you prosper, to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). That’s a promise of His.

So, for this coming year, start fresh with your love life. If nothing has ever worked out, you might as well start with a surrender to God. A new year was created to resolve what became unresolved in your heart, and that starts with surrender. “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways” (Proverbs 23:26).

2. Date With Intention

Imagine living a whole year in the pursuit of finding someone to marry, and feeling utterly crushed when nothing has worked out. You’ve cried (and chuckled) at some of the awful dates you’ve been on, but then you find yourself in the quiet stillness, alone, wondering if this marriage thing just isn’t something God has for you. But don’t doubt Him. Your desire is within you for a reason; it’s a pure desire, and God will fill it.

So, perhaps one of your dating resolutions for 2017 will be to stop carelessly dating and to start dating with pure intentionality. Maybe it will involve changing your attitude about your dating life, or praying more about your romantic prospects. Either way, you’ll get better results when you date with God’s intentions in mind.

3. Find Renewed Hope

For this new year of 2017, start living in a new hope; not the man-made hope, where it’s so easy to grasp temporal joy in relationships or materialism, but reach into the hand of the Father, whose hope for you is steadfast, unwavering and mightily complete for you. No relationship could ever deliver this hope; it doesn’t matter how incredible the relationship is, if your hope is not in the God of the heavens and the earth, rest assured, you’ll still feel hopeless even when you’re in a relationship. Humans simply can’t fill that void, only God can.

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth.”  —Psalm 121:1-2

So, this year, realize that God completes you, relationships don’t. Realize that a new year is a promise from God; it’s a promise that you can restore, redeem and entrust your life into His hands wholly and willingly.

Your love story was designed by the Father with a beautiful and soul-enriching purpose. Your dating life will be a testament of God’s unrelenting grace, power and faithfulness in your life. This year, dear one, just start believing again. God wants you to start there, with full belief in Him.

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