Devotionals

Scripture Reading: James 4:7

It does not matter how young or how old you are, at some point in time you have to deal with peer pressure. I come into contact with peer pressure almost daily in some form. Let’s define peer pressure. We have to break it down into two parts. Peer is defined as a friend, an equal (someone who you see as being equal to you), or a colleague (someone you work with or go to school with.) Pressure is a force, something heavy, or something that weighs you down. Now let’s think together. Peer pressure is when a “friend or acquaintance forces you or tries to force you to do something you know is wrong. Peer pressure comes in many forms, such as, gossiping, drinking, drugs, sex, brand of clothes you wear, and whatever else you do to try to fit in. You may put someone down or be put down for the way your family may not have a lot of money, or you may come from a home with an alcoholic or drug addict parent. Those are things you or the person you are making fun of cannot help. These are pressures from our peers. You don’t have to be ashamed of not wearing name brand clothes or not having a lot of money. That is material possessions. God doesn’t look at that. He looks at your heart. You do not have to be “cool” to fit in. God has called us to be “a peculiar people.”

Another type of peer pressure we come into contact with is “adult peer pressure.” What do I mean by adult peer pressure? Let me explain. I had friends whose parents would buy them as much alcohol as they wanted. They would always ask me, “What kind do you want?” My answer was always “I don’t want anything tonight” instead of what I should have said: “I don’t drink because it’s not right in the eyes of God and I’m not old enough anyway.” It is okay to resist the temptations instead of falling to them. God will make a way of escape. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

Another example of adult peer pressure that I hear a lot about is teachers, church leaders, family members, etc. making passes at young people. This disgusts me, but it happens all the time. I will give you an example of a young person who came to us for mentoring. This person’s “adult peer” started telling them that their companion didn’t love them anymore, and they needed to be loved. They came to them slowly like Satan does. The next thing that happened was the adult started sending this child text messages. Of course this child got scared. This person was coming home crying everyday. This person knew if they told their parents they would go to the school board and the adult would lose their job. The child did not want their fellow classmates to be mad at them for turning the adult in because the other classmates liked this person in authority. It went on and on until it scared the child enough that they told their parents. The parents then went to the school board and addressed the situation. Of course, the adult lost their job. That was the right thing for them to do. But now, the child wants to know how to forgive themselves. They did nothing wrong. They just happened to be the victim. They didn’t flaunt themselves at the adult; the adult just picked this person out of a crowd. Sounds like Satan. That’s how he works. This person didn’t do anything wrong. There is no reason for them to blame themselves!

Satan is always looking for a way to creep in to your life and make you do things that are wrong/sin. If you will turn to God for direction and guidance, He will make a way of escape for you. The choice is yours. Will you choose God or will you choose satan? It is not Godly to live under the pressures of others. You don’t have to please those around you. You should concentrate of what is pleasing to God most of all and then what is pleasing to your parents. Making fun of people is not pleasing to God. It could be you in a blink of an eye that has nothing possession wise. You and your family could lose everything you have by morning. Be thankful today for what God has blessed you with, and pray for those who aren’t as fortunate as you. Don’t allow your peers to conform you to their ways. Don’t allow adults to take advantage of you and scare you. You don’t have to be scared to tell your parents what somebody has done to you. Your parents will go out of their way to protect you from harm. God does not honor peer pressure. Don’t be the victim or the instigator!

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• Tags: peculiar, peer pressure, possessions

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• Posted by: Brooke Cason