A Frightening Influence-Part 2

Part 2.....
Peer pressure is one of the strongests influences placed on young people today. It has been said that it is twice as strong as the influence of home and family and is an even greater influence than religion!

Why do people use peer pressure? Are they that lacking in confidence themselves? Do they honestly want to "hurt" those around them only to make themselves feel better?

What makes peer pressure so hard to fight against? Face it..our instinct is to want to seek approval from those around us...which in turn the only approval we should be seeking is God's! We also want to feel a part of something! You want to be accepted by your peers--some are willing to disobey parents, sell out their personal convinctions just to be a part of a group!

What characteristics does it take to resist peer pressure? Are you grounded? Do you know what is right and wrong? What is your goal? Is God on your side when you are making these decisions? Who are you surrounding yourself with?

Thought-provoking questions...So, what do you do to "avoid" it?

Read the words from the Proverbs writer in Chapter 1

Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching.

They will be a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.

My son, if sinners entice you, do not give in to the.

If they say, "Come along with us; let's lie in wait for someon'e blood, let's waylay some harmless soul; let's swallow them alive, like the grave, and whole, like thos who go down to the pit;

We will get all sorts of valuable things and fill our houses with plunder; throw in your lot with us, and we will share a common purse."

My son, do not go along with them, do not set foot in their paths for their feet rush into sin, they are swift to shed blood. how useless to spread a net in full view of all the birds!

These men lie in wait for their won blood; they waylay only themselves!

Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.

Know what is right or wrong--which means know the Word. Look at why these people are using peer pressure in the first place. Most of the time, do they have your best interests at heart when wanting you to do something? Absolutely not! Most of it is guided by selfish ambition!

Be prepared to be an "outcast." ---But, that is fine! Just because you don't follow the crowd, doesn't mean you are alone! If you make wise decisions, you have God on your team--and that will stand the test of time! He will always win! And...you will become stronger because of the adversity you face! Noah did it...Joshua and Caleb did it...JESUS did it (Matthew 4:11)!

You have to possess SELF-CONTROL! You must show restraint over your impulses, your emotions, your desires!

Make sure you are surrounding yourself with people who have the same goals as you! "Prevent" it the best you can! Your circle of friends says a lot about you! Make sure they are loyal...and make sure they hold you accountable just like you do them! If there is any peer pressure there--make sure it is the "peer pressure" that helps you--that leads you in the right direction! Take to heart 1 Corinthians 15:33--Evil companionship does corrupt good morals!

A Frightening Influence...Part 1

The influence exerted by a peer group in encouraging a person to change his or her attitudes, values, or behavior in order to conform to group norms....

You know...

PEER PRESSURE

It can influence the way you dress, the entertainment you see/listen to, trying drugs/alcohol, disobedience to parents, and......

It's scary isn't it?

The book of Daniel has 3 great examples for us to see how some stood up to peer pressure. They didn't go with the norm.

Daniel 1-The Case of the Unclean Food
Daniel and his friends wouldn't eat the food they knew they weren't to partake in...so, after some talking with the chief official, they were allowed to eat nothing but vegetables and drink water. Turns out, they ended up being healthier and better nourished than any other of the young men there!

Daniel 3-The Case of the Golden Idol
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego wouldn't bow down to the gargantuan idol...and faced consequences for it. They were thrown into a fiery furnace only to be saved by our powerful God!

Daniel 6-The Case of the Lion's Den
Later on, a decree was made stating that no one could pray to any man or god for 30 days. This didn't stop Daniel! He continued to open up his windows, set his eyes toward Jerusalem and pray 3 times a day! He had to face the consequences by being thrown into the lion's den, but our powerful God again shut the mouths of the lions and he lived!

These boys stood up...and so can you! Next week we will look at ways you can
PREVENT PEER PRESSURE!!

Test for your spirituality

I know you really don't like that word....TEST....but I came across some thought provoking questions I had written in my Bible a few years back from a lesson I had heard.

• Do you spend a considerable amount of time in prayer? (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
• Do you spend a considerable amount of time studying and reading scripture? (John 5:39)
• Do you look forward to the Lord's Day? (Rev. 1:10; Acts 2:42)
• Do you choose "spiritual" activities rather than worldly? (Ps. 122:1)
• Do you enjoy the company of Christians over those who are worldly? (Phil 4:1) STAND FIRM!!

These are some really hard questions. Really examine yourself and make the change!

Children, obey your PARENTS

Well, it may seem like the "uncool" thing to do in today's world, but the fact of the matter is, God is pleased when you do obey your parents.
Whether you want to believe it or not, your parents have a big responsibility that they do not take lightly. God has entrusted them with you, to train you up (Proverbs 22:6). They are not to provoke you (Colossians 3:21), but to teach you diligently when you sit in your house, walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up (Deut. 6:4-9). You are one of the qualifications of elders (Colossians 3:21).
God requires you to be obedient to them (Colossians 3:20). He even throws in being disobedient to parents with some other "hard" topics I wouldn't want to be compared to (blasphemers, unthankful, unholy, traitors, headstrong, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-2 Timothy 3:1-5).

A great example of an obedient child is Jepthah's daughter (see Judges 11 for the text of this story). Jepthah was one of the judges. He made a vow with the Lord that he would make a burnt offering to whatever came out of his house to meet him if the Lord would deliver the Ammonites into his hands. Well, the Ammonites were delivered, but the plan didn't go as Jepthah wished. His daughter (only child) was the "whatever" that came out of the door to greet him. In despair, he told her what he had promised to God. Instead of arguing, she told him that he had to keep his vow.

Sometimes being obedient to God isn't the easiest thing to do, BUT it is the right thing. The only way you will ever achieve complete happiness is to be in accordance with God's will. Being obedient to your parents is one of those things.

Your prayer life...

Prayer RULED Jesus' life. In fact, the Word even gives us an example in Mark's account that Jesus got up very early in the morning while it was still dark to go to a solitary place and pray.

He prayed about important decisions. In Luke 6:12 we find out that he spent the night praying before he chose the twelve apostles.

He was very persistent in praying. Luke 18:1 tells us that Jesus used a parable to show his disciples that they should always pray and never give up. The widow kept bothering the judge and ended up granting her justice.

He prayed for others and let them know specifically what He prayed for. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned your back, strengthen your brothers. (Luke 22:32)

He taught others how to pray. Sometimes, especially as women, we tend to clam up when we are asked to lead a prayer in our ladies' classes. You might just be the person who could teach someone how to do this. (Luke 11:1-2)

Prayer is ALWAYS answered. The answer might not be what YOU are wanting, but God knows what is best...Be prepared for YES, NO, and YES but you need to WAIT.

Taking off the mask....

Are you the same person you were last year? Hopefully you can answer no because of how much you have grown in your faith.

But that isn't the direction I am wanting to take on that question. Do you act the same when you are around different sets of friends? Some of us run in different groups..you might have school friends, "church" friends, neighborhood friends, etc. In each situation, do you act the same or differently?

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 NIV)

That is the example we have set before us. A perfect example at that. HE NEVER CHANGES no matter the situation!! No matter the situation, He stayed the same!!

I want to challenge you to really take a look at yourself and your actions while you are around your different groups. Do you change for the better, or the worse? Can you get by with more "negative" with some than others? If so, maybe you should reevaluate those "friendships."

Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

1 John 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

Where are you looking?

Matthew 14:22-32
Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.
But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
"Come," He said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshipped him saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Do you ever have those times when your eyes are taken off of what you should be focused on just like Peter in this story? Sure, everyone has! Most of the time sin occurs when we aren't thinking in the right frame of mind we should be. Our minds should constantly be set on things above, not the earthly things (Colossians 3:2).

So, what can we learn from this?

BELIEVE! Do you really believe that God can do anything? Ephesian 2:20 is an amazing verse to keep handy when "doubt" arises in your life. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us! HE CAN DO ANYTHING!! Pull your FAITH in here! HE CAN DO ANYTHING!!

SPEND TIME WITH HIM! Jesus was in his quiet place to "pray." You have to spend time with God in order to know His power! He rescued you from darkness (Colossians 1:13), so why wouldn't you want to spend time with Him?

You must stay focused so you are not easily taken down a wrong path. Know the POWER that our Almighty Father has! He created you...He created everything around you. He knows you better than you know yourself. Get to know Him...study, pray, worship.