Courtship is a period during which an intending couple study and understand each other to be able to get married and live together as husband and wife.

Going into marriage without adequate preparation can be likened to building a house without first sitting down to count your cost and planning properly.

This may give rise to several constraints at the end of the project.

Courtship is a time whereby intending couples know one another deeply, they will know each other’s strengths and weaknesses , past history and future plans, they will know each other’s genuine commitment with God.
What to look out for in Courtship[/i]
1. Relationship with God
The bible says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” Prov 9 : 10. One of the most important criteria of choosing a life partner as a Christian during courtship is that the person must be genuinely born again.

When a man is born again and works daily with God observing His ordinances , eschewing sin and dueling in his presence, the wisdom of God will come upon the person to be able to live right and also be capable of managing his/her home appropriately.

As a Christian, you are not permitted to court with an unbeliever let alone marrying him or her.

The reason is that the bible says

“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” 2Corinthians 6 :14

Let people of the same faith work together as they will understand each other better when they observe the tenets of their faith.

Also the bible says: “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Prov. 27:17

Both of you must love God and work hard to grow in faith together by so doing, your home will be hidden in Christ.

2. Temperament[i]
During courtship, intending couples need to study and understand each other’s temperaments.

It is better any of the partners back out at courtship stage than after getting married he/she discover the other party can even kill when provoked.

If he/she doesn’t know how to control his/her anger, then it is dangerous because the bible says “Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.” Ecclesiastes 7:9. Hence it is risky for a fool to own and manage a home the reason courtship is necessary ab initio.

Both of them can help each other in that case to go for counseling, pray together and work on the weakness to become better people if they choose to live together with the weakness.

3. Medical History[i][/i]
I have seen a situation some years back when a young man and lady were in courtship as believers for about 3 years.

When it was time for them to get married, the church instructed that a medical examination be carried out on both partners.

Painfully, the girl tested positive to HIV. And the young man was shocked. In fact the church committee had to summon the man and the lady to discuss the matter which ended up having the man backing out with a lot of regrets despite the plea from the church committee.

Thank God they didn’t get involve in immorality during courtship like some unfaithful Christian sometimes do maybe the man would have tested positive to the disease as well.

The truth is that wanting to know the health condition of a partner during courtship is not intended to discourage any of them but to get them prepared to face whatever it is together if they decide to go ahead with the marriage.

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