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Pastor Beal

PEER PRESSURE

"And be not conformed to this world; but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind..." Rom. 12:2

This week I want to look at something as old as mankind, peer pressure. Sometimes we seem to act as if peer pressure is a teenage plight, but how wrong we are. Peer pressure starts in the nursery and ends in the senior housing. There is always someone putting pressure on you, to knuckle under to their way or suffer the consequences. Because of one's size, strength, or status, they feel that you must conform to their thinking. Yet, actually, there are only two paths of thought to follow. One path is the world or influence of Satan, as he is called the Prince of the Power of the Air in Eph. 2:2. The other path is God and His Word, which is truth and the way of righteousness. The world does not like God's way and in John 12: 42-43 we find some lost Pharisees, afraid to confess Jesus as Savior and Lord because of the consequences that would follow. In John 12:43 we find a great verse that sums up man's weakness to stand for the truth. It says that, "FOR THEY LOVED THE PRAISE OF MEN MORE THAN THE PRAISE OF GOD." Isn't that so true? We become men pleasers instead of God pleasers, and will risk the eternal consequences of sin for man's acceptance. So many people are afraid to trust Jesus Christ as Savior, because they are afraid of what someone will say. How sad! If someone shuns you because of your walk with God, pray for them. Live your life as a shining example of what Christ has done in your life. Just remember that they are probably where you were once, afraid to buck the pressure of this world. I learned a long time ago that people aren't afraid to be ODD, they're just afraid to be DIFFERENT! If I'm going to be odd, then I'm going to be ODD FOR GOD!

Thanks! Pastor Earl Beal