March 30

1 Samuel 14,15

The Dangers of Peer Pressure

1 Samuel 15:24 Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned. I violated the Lord's command and your instructions. I was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them.”

Ruth Burrenda and Associates did an experiment with teens a few years ago. The plan was to break up into groups of 10 and ask which was the longest of three lines.

Line 1 -------------------------------------

Line 2 ---------------------------

Line 3 ------------------

The catch was they had told 9 of the kids to vote for the second longest line every time. And these lines were obviously different. The issue was to discover how many teens would withstand peer pressure and vote for the correct line. The results of this experiment are scary. In 75% of the votes, the nine would raise their hand for line 2 and the stooge would look around, frown, and then raise their hand 75% of the time!!
The experiment proved that people would rather be accepted than be right.

King Saul also shows us this truth in this passage. The people were leaving the campaign. They were getting antsy and packing their bags. So rather than waiting for the prophet to come and make the sacrifice, Saul did what was expedient and offers the sacrifice himself. That was a colossal mistake on Saul’s part.

So what is the antidote to peer pressure? How do we swim against the tide?

1. Live for an audience of one. Live to please God and not people. Remember that we work for the Lord not for our boss. Remember that the Lord is with us at every moment of the day.

2. Discern what is right and wrong from God’s word. That is one of the greatest benefits of reading through the Bible this year. We will all have a clear understanding of what God expects from us.

3. Learn to hate what is evil. We laugh at sin when we should hate it. Sin is not a joking matter. Sin destroys life. It destroys marriages, relationships, churches and people’s lives.

4. Develop “Guts” or if you are a proper person “Intestinal Fortitude.” It takes courage to stand alone and do the right thing. Don’t wimp out and follow the 75% just to be accepted.

5. Take your stand early. The earlier we take a stand the easier it will be. The longer we wait the harder it was be.

If we Christ followers are going to have an impact on culture we are going to have to stand alone for what we believe in regardless of how may stand against us. In my analysis of society I see that middle ground is rapidly disappearing. We are locked in the cosmic battle between good and evil. Our generation is going to have to take a stand for right.