“The Challenges We Face” (Part 2: Peer Pressure)

There are two challenges being faced in this passage:

self-identity and peer pressure.

PART 2: PEER PRESSURE

Living to please God is a necessity in our walk with God;

but at the same time, there will always be people around who will try to force us into living in a way that satisfies them instead, which can lead to living against God’s will...

better known as peer pressure.

This peer pressure is exactly what Pilate went through in this passage when deciding whether or not Jesus should be set free (Matt. 27:17);

Pilate was stuck in the middle of making a decision that would satisfy the rioting crowd or that would truthfully be the right thing to do.

When you find yourself in a situation like this where you’re stuck in the middle, who will YOU choose to please?

Always remember that God gives us our own free will; at the end of the day, you are the one who holds the power of deciding who you want to please and who you want to live for.

Don’t be like Pilate, who ended up doing what the crowd, the leading priests, and the elders wanted him to do even though he knew it was the WRONG thing to do (Matt. 27:21-24).

Our job is to recognize and pin point who these certain people are in our lives in order to put a stop to peer pressure.

I think it’s only right to say that the only “pressure” we need in life is the one from God;

the type of pressure that will mold us into becoming who He has created us to be, not break us down and drift us farther away from Him (Isaiah 64:8).

By being confident in the fact that God knows what’s best for you, you’ll start to learn how to depend on Him instead of looking for validation from others.

Don’t let the pressure of others make you say or do something you know you might regret, but instead, choose to live to please God;

I guarantee you that you won’t regret it!

[Passage found in Matthew 27:11-26]

“The Challenges We Face” (Part 1: Self-Identity)

There are two challenges being faced in this passage:

self-identity and peer pressure.

PART 1: SELF-IDENTITY

The moment we accept the Lord into our lives, we become children of God and find our true identity in Him.

Despite what others have to say about you and who you are, trust in who God has created and called you to be.

When Jesus was before Pilate, even HE had to face this challenge of staying true to His identity; when everyone denied who He really is and made accusations against Him, He remained silent (Matt. 27:13-14).

Silence.

This is something that plays a huge role when dealing with others who try to denounce who you have already been called to be.

Through the many silent moments of Jesus, He was falsely accused to the point of reaching the cross, where He died; and what all those people who were ridiculing Him didn’t know is that God always has the final Word.

Three days later, after all that silence and no action, Jesus rose from the dead and clearly assured everyone who kept saying otherwise that He truly IS the Son of God!

In the same way, God has the power of revealing to our own naysayers that we are His children; because of Him, we have been called to be great and nothing short of that, no matter what others have to say.

At the end of the day, THEY will be the ones to be left silent and jaw-dropped when seeing all that God is doing in our lives (Psalm 8:2b).

[Passage found in Matthew 27:11-26]