The probability is that in all of our lives at some point we have been pressured into deciding to do something. This is a common occurrence that can happen at any point in life. The question is what choice did you make? Now not all peer pressure is bad, at times it can simply be neutral or even good. Sometimes it can help us to grow as a person. The example I am thinking of is when your friends talk you into eating something you have never tried or going to a type of restaurant that you have never been to. No matter the decision you make on these kinds of peer pressures you are still in good standing. There is no tarnished reputation or worry about someone knowing what you have done.
However, it is true that when we think of peer pressure we generally think of it in a negative light. And in most cases, this is an unfortunate fact. So when these times of peer pressure arise do you make a decision based on what is easier for you now or what is better for you later?
Interestingly enough this is something dealt with throughout history and the Bible mentions such occasions and can help us reach a good decision. In the book of Daniel, Daniel has three specific men mentioned as being taken with him into Babylonian captivity Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. These men in their work in Babylon came to a time of extreme pressure. They had the choice to bow down and worship something other than God or be killed. These men chose what was better than what was easy at the time because they knew God was with them no matter the outcome. When you are a child of God you have the knowledge that God will always be on our side no matter what as long as we make our decisions based on what God would want us to do. If we chose what is better for later, rather than what is easy now we can be assured that God will stand by our side. Jacob Saarloos
