“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]