10 tips for Christian teens facing peer pressure
Many pre-teens and teens constantly face heavy peer pressure, typically from their closest friends and classmates. Many Christian kids cave into the pressure exerted upon them by their peers out of their desire to be ‘part of the circle’ or to be accepted by them.
Some teens engage in premarital sex, others are forced to commit crimes, while some try illicit substances just because their schoolmates or friends tell them to and despite their better judgment.
If left unchecked, teen peer pressure could lead to serious problems, especially when teenage kids start behaving or doing things they don’t fully understand.
If you’re a Christian teenager under much peer pressure right now, know you’re not helpless. Here are 10 tips on how you can fight the fire that’s trying to consume you and destroy your Christian beliefs and values:
1. Seek help and advice from your parents, church adult, or pastor.
One of the things that many teenagers mistakenly assume is that they are alone in their situation. Often, their friends who have been exerting pressure on them to do un-Christian things succeed in isolating them from their churches by telling them they’re being “uncool.” This breeds that mindset of isolation, which only gives the negative influences more room to grow inside the already troubled teen.
When you seek advice from your parents, church elders, or pastor, you reach out to people with nothing but your best interests as a Christian. So, instead of dealing with your internal problems because you think you’re alone, seek the company and wisdom of fellow Christians who love and care for you as Jesus does.
2. Follow Christ and not your friends.
While this may be easier said than done, the truth is that it is the right thing to do. Remember what Romans 2:12 says: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what the will of God is, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
You could honor Christ’s sacrifice of his life by heeding his call for you to live a godly life according to Christ’s teachings and God’s commandments. Remember that Christians like you should strive to do things not of this earth but of God’s kingdom. Emulate how Jesus lived his life and not how your friends live theirs. Be the influencer and not the receiver of influence, especially if your circle of friends leads you away from Christianity.
3. Learn to say “no.”
Too often, teens experiencing negative peer pressure follow mindlessly for fear of being the “odd one out.” While you might think you stand to lose your closest friends or the coolest co-students in school, remember that losing Christ is more fearsome. So, when you’re tempted to mindlessly say “yes” to a peer’s command for you to commit an un-Christian act, dare to say “no” and walk away.
1 Peter 3:17 says, “For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”
4. Seek God’s help and wisdom.
“Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” – Psalm 105:4 clearly says.
When you think you’re already back against the wall because of the pressure you’re dealing with from fellow teens, know there is always God whom you can turn for guidance and help. Too often, we ignore God at our lowest points, believing He had forsaken us when we needed Him most. But the truth can’t be farther: God will only show His love and mercy if we seek Him out through prayer.
5. Know when to change your circle of friends.
According to 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’”
When your current set of friends has nothing in mind but pursuing worldly things, there’s always a great chance of you getting sucked into that un-Christian world. Many teens mistakenly think they’re stuck in what circle of school or community friends they have, so they stay despite all the red flags. That’s hardly the case.
If you think that your friends are dragging you away from your Christianity, take it as the perfect sign for you to change the kind of people you surround yourself with. There are always your fellow teenage Christians to keep you company, whose acts are according to the Bible and not according to worldly desires.
6. Set the example of being a good Christian teen.
Why do you always have to conform to fellow teens’ worldly lifestyle choices and beliefs when you can set a good example for them on how a Christian teenager should behave?
Matthew 5:14-16 says, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
7. Condition your heart daily to face “unforeseen pressure” from your peers.
No matter how you stay away from negative influences from kids your age, there will come a time when the pressure to do un-Christian things will pop out. For those unforeseen circumstances, the best defense is a stoic mindset.
Each day, pray upon waking up and ask the Lord to give you the courage to stay away from temptations and the wisdom to know good from evil. Know that the Lord is always with you in your daily life, and man’s desire to steer you away from His fold is no match to the Lord’s protection.
8. Read the Bible daily and let its words become your coat of protection.
Psalm 119:105 reads, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, light on my path.”
When you make it a habit to read a Bible verse or two each day, you’d be surprised at how much practical advice you can get from it. Indeed, the Bible has plenty of guides for Christians, and we only need to read it to maximize its lifesaving gift.
9. Learn not to commit the mistakes of the past.
If you have done un-Christian acts due to teen peer pressure and regretted them, be wise enough to avoid making the same mistakes you did in the past.
Many Christians do not realize that God sometimes allows such temptations to test us and will enable us to solidify our faith. When you stumble in the dark, know that God may have allowed it, so you can see the light at the end once you realize the lesson that such a mistake provides.
According to James 1:2-3: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
10. Realize that Satan uses people to lure you away from God.
Just as how the devil tried to tempt Christ, so is Satan trying to lure you into giving up your Christian faith by using other people. Stand your ground and hold onto your Christian faith; God will not forsake you when temptations are beyond your power.
Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
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