This book was inspired by the Lord Jesus. The author, Shelvie J. Cartlidge, received inspiration to write, while experiencing different challenges in the church. As she was sharing with a friend, some of the challenges she was going through, her friend said, "Why don't you write a book about some of the things you are experiencing, it could be helpful to others with the same problems." As they talked, she received enlightenment from God on just how to write the book. She decided to go through the original book that she was writing, and pull out some of the important information and put it in a book entitled, Rules for Having a Successful Spiritual Relationship.
This book, Rules for Having a Successful Spiritual Relationship, is meant to help in the education of our young adults concerning growing into productive young adults in our modern society. It is designed to teach them how to set boundaries for themselves, to become more responsible and gain the respect of each other while growing up, to learn how to take responsibility for their actions to learn how to take care of themselves and their responsibilities and to learn how to live a Christian life and become productive young adults and, at the same time, become the young men and women that god is looking for in these times. This book will not solve all of your problems, but it will certainly help in your Christian walk with God. However, it will help with your decisions and responsibilities in your life as an honorable human being. When she realized that some of the ladies were watching her and patterning their lives after her, she decided to put it all in a book with the abovementioned title that came into her spirit. This book was inspired and written, based on a "three year relationship experience" between two Christian believers in a small church in TN.
Ladies, we can have a spiritual relationship with a man, while getting to know each other and yet not getting too involved before marriage. As the author started pulling out some things to put in her book, she realized that God was making some drastic changes in her life along the way. She was learning some valuable lessons also. God was teaching her how to be a big sister. She realized that they were watching and observing her actions, and some even mimicked her. She felt that God was getting her ready for a position to come, and she just "fell into it" as she "went through it!" She realized that some of the ladies were hungry for knowledge. There were ladies with families; girls with babies and children, but, "Where were the husbands?"
She feels that her little bit of knowledge might reach just one, and God will be pleased because you took the time to go back for that one sheep that was going astray. That one that was left behind and got caught up in the shuffle. We can't reach everybody, but if we can save just one, it will be "a job well done!"
This book teaches us how to honor God in our relationships. We should honor the person we are with. It is not easy, and believe it or not, if it were not possible, God would not have said, "Do it this way!" We should get married first; the mystery will be new and different. It's important to get to know the person you are starting a spiritual relationship with. Get to know if you are compatible; will you want to spend the rest of your life together. Talk to find out if you really like the same things, if you are a minister of the gospel, will that person make an equally compatible mate. The sexual involvement should be the last experience on your mind.
When we become Christians, our lives are no longer center on ourselves, but in the living God. It is no longer what we want to do, but what Christ would have us do. We are in a covenant relationship with Christ and He is Lord of our lives now.
