What Peer Influence?- Daily devotional by Pastor E. A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Ps 61 -63
WHAT PEER INFLUENCE? Thursday, October 23, 2010
MEMORIZE: “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim. 2:22) READ: 1 Kings 12:4-16 Besides information and diet, another factor that can influence the decision pattern of an individual are those in the same age group or social set. Peer influence can be very strong at certain age brackets, depending on the level of relationship with one’s peers. Many youths have missed the mark out of sheer pressure. Some who were brought up to avoid premarital sex found themselves yielding just because some of their friends think chastity has become old fashioned. Youths and teens are more susceptible to peer influence than adults. Peer pressure could be negative or positive depending on who you choose as friends. If you have unbeliever friends, they will lure you away from God’s path, but if you have godly friends, the peer pressure they will assert on you will be positive. One casualty of negative peer pressure was king Rehoboam. On ascending the throne, he had the opportunity of reducing the yoke his father had put on Israel yet, because of peer pressure, he decided to worsen it and that cost him his throne. For everyone who has faced peer pressure, there was always a choice. Nobody forces you to take the step; inspite of the pressure, you could still keep a cool head and weigh the options before finally making your choice. Whenever you feel so pressed to take a wrong step, pause and ask yourself these questions: Is this action good, God-glorifying and Kingdom building? Will it feed my flesh or spirit? Can it take me to hell or Heaven? Was there anyone who was ever in the same situation in Bible times? How did the fellow handle the situation? What are the likely seen and unseen costs or repercussions of taking this step? If Jesus was in my shoes today, what would He do? Moreover, if you avoid bad company, you will be free from negative peer presence. What kind of friends are you keeping? Daniel experienced positive peer pressure from his godly friends - Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego and hence, their faith was mutually stimulated to overcome their impossible circumstances. Do you have friends like Daniel who can always influence you for good and cause you to remain on the path of righteousness? What peer influence do you dance to? ACTION POINT: Ask that God will break every negative peer pressure on our teens and youths and direct them in the fear of God. N.B Let us get our youths back to school, support www.10millionexercisebooks.com project today.