With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter. – 2 Thessalonians 2:15 (NLT)
Peer pressure is real. It’s hard to deal with some days. I remember one time standing up for a girl on my bus when everyone was making fun of her. No one else was stopping the bully. I decided to invite the girl to sit by me on the bus. Standing up for what’s right when everyone else is silent is never easy. You feel silly and alone.
If you’re facing peer pressure, I want to encourage you with today’s verse because. It talks about standing firm, and often that’s what you have to do when you’re facing peer pressure. You have to have the guts to stand firm and not be shaken by others.
The people that do big things for God, stand firm in their faith. They don’t allow popular opinion or fear of others keep them from doing what God has called them to do. And that’s what you can do too. You can choose to stand firm in the midst of a world that mocks God.
As you choose to make the Bible and your relationship with God more real than the pull of peer pressure, you won’t be as swayed by the opinions of others. You also become more aware of your relationship with God. The more aware you are of that relationship, the more it means to you. As you spend time in the presence of God, God will become more important and more real than the pull of your friends and those around you who aren’t choosing to serve God.
So today, challenge yourself to stand firm. Determine not to be swayed by peer pressure or anything else. Instead, let your relationship with God become more real to you and everything else will lose its importance.
