The Power of Peer Pressure

There is great power in peer pressure. It has the ability to silence and to destroy. Peer pressure is influence from those within your age or social group. It’s a feeling that you need to do the same thing everyone else is doing to avoid being disliked, bullied, or canceled. It’s not comfortable. It’s not easy to be yourself and stand up for what you think is right. Going against the crowd is not popular. But it is not impossible. Nothing is impossible with God’s help.

I want us to look at three brothers who were facing peer pressure from their community and the king himself. They were ordered to bow down and worship an idol. But these three Hebrew boys did not cave in. Knowing that death was the price tag, they refused to obey. When challenged to turn their back on God, they replied to the king, “We will not bow down! Our God is able to deliver us from the fiery furnace. But if not, we still won’t bow down!” God delivered them from a fiery furnace (Daniel 3:16-18.) These men were unashamed of their faith in God. And, notice this: they were not spared from the fire but they were delivered from the fire! And God was glorified in their story.

Now, let’s look at a modern-day hero who stood unashamed of his faith, “Average Joe.” Joe Kennedy was a high school coach in Bremerton, WA. His practice was to kneel and pray at the 50-yard line following each game. It wasn’t long before some of his players asked to join him. He was fired because the school district thought if he was allowed to pray in front of his students, it would be seen as a government endorsement of religion. In 2023, following a 6-year legal battle, the Supreme Court ruled that he could pray on the field. Joe, a former Marine says that he had to stand for not only his rights but for the rights of all Americans. His price tag for not caving in meant losing his job as well as his reputation. It meant a fiery furnace of being bullied and a long legal battle. Yet, he stood unashamed of his faith in the face of peer pressure.

Did you notice that standing up for what he believed did not keep him from the fire, but he was delivered from the fire, and God was glorified in his story? Matthew 10:32 MSG says, “Stand up for me against the world’s opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven.”

The next time you feel the pressure to follow the crowd, remember these heroes of the faith. Heroes like these inspired the lyrics in my song, Unashamed, “I don't answer to the crowd, I answer to a King, so the louder they shout, the louder I sing.” Ask God to help you to stand tall under peer pressure. Be confident that no matter what happens, you will be delivered, and God will be glorified in your story.

Do Something:

1. In what ways do you feel peer pressure even as an adult?
2. How did these stories encourage you to stand unashamed of your faith?
3. Read 1 Corinthians 16:13, Philippians 4:1, and Mark 16:15.