Putting God First in Mate Hunting- Part 1

Here's one for all of you single folkes out there:
I know how you feel :)
Ever since i was aware of the opposite sex, I wanted one. I wanted a boyfriend so bad that I was putting that before everything else. It was such a big deal to me that it became one of the biggest strongholds that I have had to overcome in my life up to this point.
Now my spirit was always bearing witness with me that there was actually more to life then finding my mate, but for the longest time I just wouldn't listen. I don't remember the exact point when I realized I needed to change, but I think it was when my Pastor (Jay Eberly, best pastor EVER!) did a sermon on the appetites of the flesh. One of the things he said that stuck out to me the most was "Anything that you are putting before God in your life the Devil will use against you to get you off His plan for you; to get you out of His will." Well, we all know that when your in God's will your blessed and when your not...you not. And if you get a chance I strongly encourage you to listen to Keith Moore's series on "The Kingdom of God" (http://archiveserver.morelifenow.org//archives.php?archive_index=TheKingdomOfGod.txt&filetype=vod&seriestitle=1402 ). It will totally change your view about the time you have on this Earth and the importance of fulfilling the plan of God for your life. I implore you, Please listen to it.
Anyway so when my pastor said that, the Holy Spirit was like, "you know what your putting before God." And i was like, "Yes, i do."
So I slowly but surly began to realize just how much of a stronghold that was for me. It took me a long time to finally get it off of me but it was well worth it.
The first major step I took was when I was leaving my friend's house one night. I, as usual, had a crush on some boy and my spirit was letting me know that it wasn't right. All of a sudden I got a revelation, I realized that it wasn't ME (the true me, made Righteous though Christ Jesus, My inner man, my perfected spirit) that wanted to have a crush, but rather it was my flesh. All along I would go back and forth in and out of the will of God for me thinking I was terrible for wanting to do the wrong thing. We have to get that way of thinking out of our heads. You, the Real you is perfect (assuming your born again). The real you wants only what is good and righteous and nothing else. We have to realize that it's really just our flesh that wants that other stuff and our flesh will ALWAYS want the wrong thing.
Romans 7:18- "For I know that in me (that is in my flesh) nothing good dwells..." Your flesh will NEVER desire to do the right thing, so you might as well stop identifying yourself with it. You are a spirit being and you have been made perfect by the sacrifice of Jesus. Don't waste what He did for you by going through your whole life beating yourself up for something He payed for.
So I got revelation of that and all of a sudden I said, "God I know that it's my flesh that wants to have a crush. To tell you the truth I feel like I don't even want to stop wanting to, but I know that my spirit, the real me, wants to do the right thing. But I've tried to do it time and time again, to the point where I've lost all faith in myself. I cant do it. So if You want me to do it You have to help me!" Now I have now doubt that I was inspired to pray that, because even though I knew what was the right thing to do, I didn't want to do it. I didn't even want to want to do it. And I kid you not, that thing began to slowly fall off me. Now it didn't happen overnight but it came off! Praise the Lord!
I had to realize first of all that it wasn't me that wanted to do the wrong thing but my flesh. However, I also had to realize that I couldn't do it. See, I was trying to do what God asked me to though the efforts of the flesh, when all along I could have done it though Gods strength, and it would have just "fallen off of me." I use that term because when I finally got my thinking right all I had to do was ask for help and doing the right thing was pretty effortless. I just stopped wanting to do it.
You can apply this to any stronghold in your life. God never intended us to battle sin by ourselves, because without Him all we have is our flesh which is actually the bad guy in the first place. If we will simply accept His help and stand in faith, we will finally be able to please Him. And you'll know when you're doing things God's way, because when someone asks you how you did it you'll have no other answer than, I didn't do it. God did. And He will get all the Glory :)