How can I resist peer pressure?
“At school you’re faced with so much—smoking, drugs, sex. You know that what the kids want you to do is stupid. But you get to this point where you feel you just can’t chicken out.”—Eve
Its natural to want to be accepted by others. Peer pressure play on that desires. For example, if you’re being raised as a Christian, you know that such things pre-marital sex and alcohol abuse are wrong. (Galatians 5:19-21) Many of your peers, though, urge you to join them in these activities. Have they thought about those matters and made their own decision? Not likely. By and large, they

“He that is walking with wise persons will become wise, but He that is having dealings with the stupid ones will fare badly.”
-Proverbs 13-20 have yielded to the influence of others. They want to be accepted, so they allow others to shape what they believe. Do you? Or do you have the courage to stand up for your convictions? Moses’ brother, Aaron, gave in to pressure- at least in one instance. When the Israelites surrounded him and urged him to make a god for them, he did just what they told him to do! (Exodus 32:1-4) Imagine-this was the man who had confronted Pharaoh, boldly declaring God’s message to him. (Exodus 7:1,2,16) But when his fellow Israelites poured on the pressure Aaron caved in. Evidently he found it easier to stand up to the king of Egypt than to stand up to his peers! What about you? Do you find it hard to stand up for what to know is right? Would you like to be able to resist peer pressure without appearing tense and afraid? You can! The key is to see the pressure coming and decide in advance how you will respond to it. The four steps below will help you to do this.
1. Anticipate. (Proverbs 22: 3) Often, you can see trouble in advance. For example, you see a group of your schoolmates up ahead, and they’re smoking. How likely is it that they’ll offer you a cigarette? By anticipating the problem, you’ll be ready either to avoid it or to confront it.
2. Think. (Hebrews 5:14 ) You might ask yourself, “How will I feel and the long run if I go along with the crowd? True you might gain the temporary approval of your peers. But how will you feel later, when you’re with your parents our fellow Christians? Are you willing to sacrifice a clean standing with God just to please your classmates?
3. Decide. (Deuteronomy 30:19) Sooner or later, all servants of God have choose either faithfulness and its blessing or unfaithfulness and its better consequences. Men like Joseph, Job, and Jesus made the right choice, while Cain, Esau, and Judas chose poorly. Now it’s your turn to decide. What will you do?
4. Act. You might think this is the hardest part. It’s not! If you’ve already thought about the consequences and made up your mind, stating your position can be surprisingly easy-and rewarding. (Proverbs 15:23 ) Don’t worry –you don’t have to give your peers a Bible lecture. A simple but firm no may suffice. Or to make your nonnegotiable stand clear, you may choose to say: “Count me out!”
“I don’t do that sort of thing!” “Come on, you know me better than that!”
The key is to respond promptly and with conviction. If you do, you might be surprised how quickly your peers