James 4:17 – “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
It doesn’t matter what age you are – 14, 31, 55, or 83. We all deal with a form of peer pressure, some on a daily basis. This past Sunday I shared with the congregation a prayer request, and asked that we gather around, and pray over our youth and their families.
Our youth today face some very difficult challenges, not unlike ones we faced when we were their age, but one that is fighting for their very lives now – peer pressure.
I used to think peer pressure started in high school. Some of you may have experienced that all too familiar, “Come on, just do it with me, go with us. It’s no big deal, no one will know,” mantra from the people we used to hang around with. Some of you may have never experienced that before. It’s a real life event, and one that needs to be weighed each time.
Are they asking you to do something you know is wrong? Will it bring joy to those who love you? Or pain? More importantly, will it glorify God?
Peer pressure is starting younger and younger. It would seem no one is immune.
Folks the things that kids are experiencing are starting with kids as young as seven and eight years old. Things we never dreamed of doing, youth today as young as seven years old are doing it. While there are some very positive things, there are also some very negative things as well.
Middle School is more than just six, seven, and eighth graders learning subjects like History, Science, and Mathematics. The things that used to happen at my high school are now happening at our local middle schools. Things like, sex, drugs whether marijuana or prescription drugs, and alcohol. Yes folks, those things are happening in middle school. Hard to believe, but it’s true.
Peer pressure. How do our youth in middle schools around town and around this world fight the negative peer pressure? One way is by making new friends who bring a positive light into their lives. And whose light is it that we should look for out of someone positive? Jesus Christ. Another way is by simply saying no to the things we know deep down are wrong to do.
Our middle schoolers need to see Jesus in us. They face many pressures today, and we need to be a light in a dark place, or the negative peer pressure they face every day will steal them away, and in some cases, ruin their lives.
Please continue to pray for the youth in schools around the United States. Pray for their families too. Together, our prayers can make a difference in the life of a child.
Standing on His Promises,
Jeanette Duby
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