What is peer pressure?

1 Kings 21:25No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel.

1 Kings 22:13Meanwhile, the messenger who went to get Micaiah said to him, “Look, all the prophets are promising victory for the king. Be sure that you agree with them and promise success.”

Psalm 1:1-2Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.

Matthew 27:20Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death.

1 Corinthians 11:1You should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

Galatians 6:1Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.

Peer pressure describes the way others can restrain or inspire behavior that you might not choose on your own. It is the push of friends or the wider culture that you can choose to ignore, take into account, or actively resist as you make decisions. God’s Word reminds us that we are still responsible for the choices we make under peer pressure, but we should be eager to help those who have experienced failure because they listened to the wrong counsel.

Proverbs 16:23From a wise mind comes wise speech; the words of the wise are persuasive.

Jeremiah 15:19This is how the Lord responds: “If you return to me, I will restore you so you can continue to serve me. If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman. You must influence them; do not let them influence you!”

Jeremiah 26:24Nevertheless, Ahikam son of Shaphan stood up for Jeremiah and persuaded the court not to turn him over to the mob to be killed.

Acts 21:14When it was clear that we couldn’t persuade him, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

Hebrews 10:24Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.

Peer pressure is someone’s positive or negative influence on your decisions, actions, thoughts, beliefs, or feelings. When it’s negative, it is meant to get you to conform or please, not necessarily do right. When peer pressure is positive, it helps you stay accountable to what is right. The Bible commends peer pressure when it leads to good decisions.