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MANY CALLED
FEW CHOSEN
PEER PRESSURE
WELCOME BACK MY
FRIEND
I trust you're choosing to take only one step a day,
which shows your heartfelt desire to be successful in your program.
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Psalms 130:5
I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in His Word do I
hope. |
Peer pressure isn't something that can be inflicted
on you only by your friends, but by your family, your co-workers, your
acquaintances, your boss, your clients, your generation, the status
quo of society even, can influence you by what's expected by them. Out
of these groups, however, your peers are the ones most likely to put
pressure on you to conform to their way of thinking or doing things.
Everyone who has friends, has experienced peer
pressure. It's when a friend or friends, pressure you to do or believe
something that they do or believe. Most of the time, people want to
please their friends so badly, that they give in to the pressure, no
matter what their own choice would have been without their friends'
influence or opinion.
When we hear the words 'peer pressure,' people
usually think of the usual things that people try and coax their
friends into, like relationships, smoking, drinking, lying, drugs,
gangs, theft ... these kinds of things, which I don't have to tell you
aren't on the Christian path.
Recently ... Even more dangers have been
added to the list of things that people pressure their friends into
doing. Cutting, tattooing (To become part of gangs or other clubs and
groups) holding your breath until you lose
consciousness, sex, homosexuality and even murder.
Most of these things are obvious as to why
you shouldn't do them, because they are harmful to you and
others, and I believe as one called to REPRESENT that you're
aware of the dangers of them, so we won't be discussing them in
detail, but I'd like to talk with you about a couple of these because
they may seem harmless at first, but they deserve more careful thought
from you.
The two that you may think are different than the others
because they seem 'safe' are tattooing (as to become part of a group,
gang or to REPRESENT something) and relationships.
As most have heard ... God said:
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Leviticus 19:28
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh
for the
dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD. |
That's pretty clear. This would obviously include
piercing too, but it says cuttings of the flesh FOR THE DEAD, so that
is a matter open to interpretation.
REMEMBER THE REASON GOD DID NOT WANT THESE BODY
MARKINGS AND CUTS OF THE FLESH IS BECAUSE THESE MARKS REPRESENTED
SOMETHING JUST AS THE TATTOOS DO WHEN ONE JOINS A GANG OR WHAT HAVE
YOU.
SO IT IS WHAT THE MARKING REPRESENTS ...
Look, BEFORE you go off worrying ... If you didn't know these
rules, and have already gotten tattoos representing a gang or
something you no longer believe in
or some type of piercing don't be upset with yourself, or feel
yourself unworthy, because the
Bible says:
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James 4:17
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to
him it is sin. |
That means, if you didn't know it was a sin, then
you weren't sinning.
NOW ... Something else to consider:
All rules do not apply to all situations.
Jesus said something that we
all need to HEAR and UNDERSTAND ...
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Matthew 19:11
All men cannot
receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. |
In other words ... All Laws
do not apply to all people, under all circumstances.
THE LAW
IS NOT, WAS NOT AND CAN NOT EVER BE ...
"ONE SIZE FITS ALL"
UNLESS IT CAN ADAPT
AND CONFORM TO A VARIETY OF SITUATIONS.
Just a few possible examples concerning
tattoos and piercings would be:
What about our parents and grandparents that got
a tattoo when in the Military?
What about all of the women in the world who wear ear rings?
ARE THEY ALL SENTENCED TO THE LAKE OF FIRE
DESPITE THEIR BELIEF IN AND LOVE FOR JESUS?
To better understand ...
See this study
Also see this study
RELATIONSHIPS
Now, lets talk about the relationships issue. Most
unmarried people think it's necessary to have a boyfriend or a
girlfriend. A lot of times it's not even because a friend pressured
them into feeling this way, but the world has made people believe that
if they don't, there's something wrong with them, or they're missing
out on something.
BUT IS THAT TRUTH?
Did you know that whether you are a woman or a
man, you are engaged to become the bride of Jesus Christ?
I'd like to show you something
that you'll find very interesting.
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Revelation 19:7-9
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the
marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself
ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine
linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness
of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which
are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith
unto me, These are the true sayings of God. |
The Saints are the believers who REPRESENTED Jesus.
They are the ones who have made themselves ready.
Blessed are they!
Let me explain further, that this doesn't mean that
people should never get married. God intended people to get married
and have families to fill the earth. But there is ONE person who is
your soul mate on this earth, and to risk your honor and your purity
in other relationships until you're united with them because of
loneliness, peer pressure, weakness, impatience, or any other reason
is very sad.
How will you know who your soul mate is? Trust in
God ... Will He not bring them to you at just the perfect time? Be
patient. God will let you know who your soul mate is. There are plenty
of things to do in the meantime ... Like Representing Jesus and
glorifying Him!
BUT THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE NOT CALLED TO MARRY:
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1 Corinthians 7:32-34
But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried
careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please
the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are
of the world, how he may please his wife. There is difference
also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for
the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in
spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the
world, how she may please her husband. |
Oooookay ... Now that we've talked about the obvious
and a couple of the not so obvious things that people pressure their
'friends' about, let's talk about an EXTREMELY important thing that
people WILL disagree with you about and try and pressure you into
changing your mind about.
That is ... Your Faith.
Sooner or later, every Christian will find
themselves in a situation where they have to defend their Faith.
Friends, family, co-workers, even strangers may attack the beliefs
that make up who and what you are ... a Christian. This isn’t a new
trick of the devil’s. He’s been using this one since the beginning of
man. But, we have a hero, named Jesus Christ, and a manual called the
Holy Bible, that can guide us in TRUTH, whenever our beliefs are
questioned by other people.
The tests and troubles that we face in our Christian
walk of Faith are all tests of the devotion we have to our Savior.
It’s our Faith that gets us through, and dedication to our Faith is
what guarantees us the eternal life we hope for. The most important
thing to remember is that there’s only One that you have to answer to,
and that is GOD! That’s the bottom line.
I will tell you this TRUTH ... People may end their
friendship with you because of your Faith. You’ll find however, that
the deeper your commitment is to Jesus Christ, the more peace of mind
you’ll have with the outcome of the conflicts you'll have with those
people who disagree with you.
Stand by your beliefs. I mean ...
Think about it. What are the alternatives? Follow the world? The
problem with that is the world doesn’t have a very good track record.
(The news proves that every day.) The world is being slowly-poisoned,
by evil and wickedness. You don’t have to believe in what everyone
else does. That’s why Jesus is calling you. Keep your feet firmly
planted in Faith and remember the TRUTH that you learned, (James
4:4) that a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Here's
another GREAT scripture that proves this:
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1 John 2:15
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If
any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. |
The things in the world are temporal.
That means they only SEEM exciting for a short time and they don't
last. You come into the world with nothing and you leave with nothing.
All the things that people try and talk you into, which in your heart
you know aren't right, are temporal. The Christian walk is eternal.
Again, this doesn’t mean to hate the
world that God created, and to have hatred in your heart for
everything and everyone. God doesn’t want that at all. God LOVES the
world.
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John 3:16-17
For God so loved
the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through Him might be saved.
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It's the WAY of the world that God
wants you to hate. LOVE all, and LOVE the life that God gave you, but
beware of the evil and hate the evil. Stay as far away from it as you
can, because you become what you surround yourself with.
Know in your heart that following
Christ is the right way to go. I know it’s a tough thing when your own
friends or family don’t understand your Faith, because hey, they’re
your LOVED ones and you have that natural emotional connection to them
called LOVE, and most people don’t want to endanger the LOVE of their
friends and family for anything.
So, how do you deal with this? Ask
yourself what the TRUTH is. What’s most important to you? Your friends
and the world, or your Faith in Christ? That doesn’t mean you have to
disown your friends, but you do have to change your attitude. In (Matthew
5:43-46), Jesus said to pray for those who are against you,
because if you only bless those who LOVE you, wow, big deal. But to
pray for people who disagree with you and oppose you ... Well now THAT
is an accomplishment.
Every Christian faces this problem,
whether it be with their family or friends. You have God, Jesus, the
Holy Spirit, and all your Christian brothers and sisters who support
you in choosing Christ. Instead of feeling like you have to end your
relationship with your loved ones, perhaps one day, maybe one, some,
or all of them may follow you! You must stand firm, and whenever they
oppose your Christian beliefs, take that as an opportunity to
enlighten them. Defend the Faith! And don’t forget how the Apostles
rejoiced because they were beaten and suffered shame in the name of
Jesus!
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Acts 5:40-42
And to him they agreed: and when they had called the Apostles,
and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in
the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the
presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy
to suffer shame for His name. And daily in the temple, and in
every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. |
Now, speaking of this new attitude in
defending your Faith, it won’t be easy at first, but as Christians,
we’ve all gotten a taste of how unkind people can be in trying to
embarrass us about our Faith, or prove it wrong. Most people think
that Christians are too “extreme.” Tell me, if you were in love with
someone would you want them to say, 'You love me too much,' or vice
versa?
There is no such thing as being too
devoted to God. Not only can you adopt a new attitude of REPRESENTING,
but you can enhance your Faith in a number of ways. As your Faith
grows, defending it becomes easier. A person can read the Bible word
for word from cover to cover, and not understand most of it. If you
don’t understand what you’re defending, it will be more difficult.
There are some things that you can do that will help.
There’s a term that people use when
they feel like people don’t understand their Christian beliefs . . .
The lonely road of Faith. Friends, you don’t have time to feel alone,
or lonely, because this website alone, has more than 5,000 pages about
Christianity. If you’re unimpressed by man's world now, wait until you
learn more about God’s world and see just how ugly the world's ways
really are!
The more you learn, the easier it
will become for you to walk the walk of Faith and fight the good
fight, and your feeling of being alone on your journey will be
replaced with eagerness to do God’s will in whatever way He has
planned for you to glorify Him through the gifts that He has given
you.
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Psalms 143:8
Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee
do I trust: cause me to know
THE WAY
wherein I should walk;
for I lift up my soul unto thee. |
What about Christian friends? You can always go to
the Oasis chat room here and share your thoughts with others who are
going through the same things that you are. It’s always comforting to
know you’re not the only one who has ever gone through this.
Don’t be fooled by people who want you to prove
things about your Faith to them. Faith is belief in something that is
unseen! If something can be proven, it takes no Faith to believe in
it. But I tell you a TRUTH ... people believe in the unseen every day.
From the invisible waves that come from some radio station tower and
put music on your radio to the invisible diseases that go from one
person to another to LOVE itself which is invisible but if you ever
catch it you will KNOW it is REAL.
What about LOVE? Most people believe in LOVE ...
Don’t they know that God is LOVE?
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1 John 4:8
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. |
How then, can a person believe in LOVE, and not in
God? That’s a great question to ask the Faithless.
Can you expect everything to go perfectly as you
begin to REPRESENT? Heaven’s no. Nothing’s perfect, except Jesus. You
will fall. EVERYBODY does. The difference is whether you choose to
wallow in pools of self pity when you fall, or whether you get back up
on your feet and keep going! Pick up where you left off. Make a mental
note of what caused your stumbling as to avoid it, and try, try again.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you and strengthen
you. If you’re a Christian soldier, He supplies your ammunition and
your armor. He is your offense and your defense. Trust in Him. He will
provide you with TRUTH. Jesus said:
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Matthew 10:19-20
But when they deliver you
up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be
given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not
ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in
you. |
That means, don't worry about what to say when
people disagree with you about your Faith, just pray and in that same
hour, the Holy Spirit will tell you what to say.
The emotions you’re feeling if and when someone
disagrees with your beliefs are very common. They’re also a part of
the trials and tribulations that you read about in the Bible. Fight
those emotions with TRUTH, like the scriptures that you’ve been
reading in this program. If you ever find yourself skating through
your life as a Christian and things are going just perfectly in every
way, that’s when you should be alarmed.
Why?
Satan doesn’t just give up on Christians who pass
certain requirements. No, the closer they get to God, the more the
devil turns up the heat (through temptations and trials). That’s why
you hear those “crazy” Christians in the Bible (the Apostles) talk
about rejoicing in tribulation.
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James 1:12
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is
tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath
promised to them that love Him. |
STAND FIRM!
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Philippians 1:27-28
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of
Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I
may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with
one mind striving together for the Faith of the Gospel; And in
nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an
evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of
God. |
Each time that you resist the pressure that your
peers put on you, you're planting seeds of TRUTH in them and in you.
People admire others who do things that are challenging, and little do
they know that ANYONE can live the way the world lives ... But it
takes a REAL person, with REAL courage and REAL faith to stand up and
REPRESENT Jesus. You don't need to do anything that anyone else
expects of you, but continue to stand up for your Faith ... Now that's
cool.
God Bless, and may you find the strength of Jesus in
your heart to remain true to our Savior and glorify Him in all you do.
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STEP #4
To complete this step you must CHOOSE to
learn more about the Faith that you're defending in this study.
Remember my friend, that without Faith ... You
will never be able to REPRESENT.
Continuing in EACH step daily
is so very important.
Go back over each step often to
be sure you have not missed anything.
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If you have any questions about the program, contact
one of the CHRISTIAN TEAM LEADERS in the Christianity Oasis Chat Room.
Or you can contact us at:
ManyCalledFewChosen@ChristianityOasis.com
To continue our program, you can return tomorrow and
select:
STEP #5
I’ll meet you there!
Take care and have a SON-sational day.
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