Peer pressure is a distracter. While you’re trying to follow God, peer pressure is screaming at you to come this way or go that way. Think of it in this manner. I’m going to use the example of a dog. I had a dog named Rex when I was a child, so I’m going to name this dog, Rex. Let’s say that Rex has a bag of money in his mouth. That bag of money belongs to one of the people in a group who is Rex’s owner. Ten people are standing around wanting that money. They know that if they try to take it from him, he’ll turn and run and they may never catch him. So, they start yelling his name and trying to get him to come to them. Rex knows his owner. He has spotted him, but every time he starts toward this person, the others start screaming his name. "Rex, here boy, come over here!" They’re kneeling on the ground, trying to look inviting to him and whistling at him. As they call his name, they are moving their hands in a calling motion to him. "Here Rex. Come here, boy. I’ve got a treat for you." Some of them are holding up bones trying to entice him to come to them. Rex just doesn’t know what to do. To whom does he go? His head jerks back and forth between the people. He is being distracted from his purpose.

That’s what peer pressure will do to you. As you start toward God, peer pressure will attempt to DISTRACT you from what God has called you to do. You have to refuse to look at the ones causing the peer pressure. Jesus said you don’t look back to the things behind. We could say it this way. We don’t look back to those things that might look inviting to us for a season. We don’t look back to those things that might make us think we fit in better. We don’t look back to those things that we think or anyone else thinks might make us have more fun. Whose description of fun are you believing? God is fun. YES, I said GOD IS FUN. Peer pressure tells you that He isn’t, but remember what I said earlier—PEER PRESSURE LIES. Peer pressure doesn’t know a thing about God and doesn’t want to know. Peer pressure is intent on making peer pressure feel good. Do you know that peer pressure can’t feel good unless it has someone over whom to lord itself? Peer pressure ALWAYS requires that another person be involved or it isn’t peer pressure. Take away the people and peer pressure doesn’t have any effect.