This week I want to start a series on the same topic I am preaching about at my church, the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah’s public life was the outflow of his personal life. That should be our goal as well.  His devotion to God, his dependence on Him for everything, and his desire for the glory of God found equal expression. He knew that only ventures that are begun in prayer and bathed in prayer are likely to be blessed.

In our Bibles in Nehemiah 1:1-4 we find Nehemiah was CONCERNED about the problem. Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the king. His job was to taste the king’s wine before the king drank it to make sure it was not poisoned. As cupbearer, Nehemiah had a great job. He had intimate access to royalty, political standing, and a place to live in the palace. It was a cushy job that provided everything he needed. And yet, when one of his brothers returned from a road trip to Jerusalem, verse 2 says that Nehemiah “questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem. Nehemiah was greatly concerned about what was happening in Jerusalem. He could have insulated himself if he chose to, but he didn’t.

This is an important starting point. It’s so easy for us to stay uninvolved and unaware. Some of us don’t want to even think about stuff that’s going on in our own lives, much less take the time to investigate what is happening in the lives of others. Even though Nehemiah had never been to Jerusalem, he had heard stories about it, and knew that his ancestors had been led away in chains when Babylon destroyed it. He was doing what Jeremiah 51:50 instructed the exiles to do: “…Remember the Lord in a distant land, and think on Jerusalem.”

Nehemiah was broken over the complacency of the people of Jerusalem. They were living in ruins and they accepted it. They were willing to walk around the devastation instead of being concerned enough to do something about their situation. Friends, nothing is ever going to change in your life, in the life of this church, or for that matter, our nation, until we become concerned about the problem. Some of you have become complacent about the way your life is going. You’re living with rubble and it doesn’t even bother you anymore. Are you ready to allow God to do some rebuilding? If so, you need to become concerned about the problem by listening to the facts ­ even if you don’t want to hear them.

When Nehemiah heard the report his concern lead him to pray and fast for four months and seek the Lord about what he was to do.

Action Step for today: What is on God’s heart and mind that needs to be on your heart and mind?  God needs a vessel (a person) He can work through.  Are you available today?

Today I saw a sign on a funeral home that read, “Don’t Die With-out Life Insurance”.  The best insurance we can have cannot be purchased with money. The only way you can get it is to accept the death of a man that died 6000 years ago. That’s right Jesus Christ purchased for us life eternal and all we have to do is accept Him as our Lord and Savior. 

The “Good Hands” people can’t save you. The "Umbrella" can’t protect you even though they promise to keep you covered. There is forgiveness but not from the “State”.  In our “Progressive” times being in the “Flo” can’t save you either. Like a “Good Neighbor” State Farm can’t promise you they’ll be there on Judgement Day we stand alone.  Geico promises to save you in fifteen minutes or less but Romans 10:9-10 tells us we must confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts. Nationwide may be on your side but they are not the Judge nor are they the true advocate.

Bottom line is there is no “Whale” of a deal you are not looking for “Pacific Life” but Eternal Life.  

1 John 2:25 (NIV) “And this is what he promised us--eternal life.”

Last Fall I found an app. for my phone called “Shut Up Devil”.  I was getting ready to do a youth conference and thought it would be great to share with the young people. It was. It still is.  I wanted to share it with you this morning and pray that you too will download it to your phone. It is free.

When I am down I go to the app. for an encouraging word.  When the devil says something to me I go to the app. to find a word to counter his verbal attacks. I seek out advice and encouragement for others on this same app.  It is like a Bible on call ready to sift through all the scriptures and give you what you need at the moment you need it.

This is one of the teachings I received from the app. in my own words:

Satan will do anything and everything in his power to get us to sin.  He does this by overwhelming our culture with sin, sway us with desires, and taunt us with accusations. We need to make ourselves aware of his devices.

Corinthians 2:11 (KJV) “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”

You don’t have to fall prey to Satan’s strategies. The Shut Up, Devil! app. is designed to help you stand strong. A habit a speaking Scripture aloud keeps your mind set on godliness in order to resist the temptations of a world saturated with sin.

Here is the Link to the App. I hope you will use it and Shut the Devil up!      http://www.shutupdevil.org/

By telling the others what I believe, and then living according to that testimony, I become an example; Peer pressure lessens when people know where you stand and for what you stand. For example if others know you do not curse and use foul language then when they are around you they either don’t swear or feel bad when they do.  When we live for Christ our mere existence shines a light on deeds of darkness.

Matthew 5:14-16 (NKJV) “You are the light of the world … let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Instead of making up excuses, and simply avoiding situations, I can choose to be a light to the darkness that is in the world. I can be a good influence on those who want to keep themselves pure in the same way that I want to!  We can encourage others to live for Christ and in so doing we speak the kind of person we are and how we live without saying a word.

God strengthens me when I have a heart to live for Him.  The things I do or choose not to do come from deep within my very being.  I can’t not, not live for Him when He gladly gave His life for me. My loyalty to Him and His commands cause my life to be blessed, protected and rewarded.

2 Chronicles 16:9 (NKJV)  “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

When I live before God’s face alone, then God becomes my ally. I become free to think, act and speak according to how God is working in me through the Holy Spirit. Then I become a help, blessing and example for those around me, and I am filled with an inner joy that comes from doing what I know is right before God’s face. Peer pressure has no pressure on a life that gladly lives for Christ.

We need to be prepared to deal with peer pressure beforehand. We need to wake up each morning with a decided mind to keep ourselves pure and obey God’s leading.  Everyday we will face peer pressure so we may as well deal with it early.

Psalms 118:6 (NKJV) “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

When we arm ourselves with this mindset, we are ready throughout the day. If we have decided to serve God with our life, then He can give us boldness to stand up for what we believe is right.

1 Peter 3:17 (NKJV) “For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”

The worst thing that can happen when we stand against peer pressure is that we have to suffer the disapproval of people for doing what we know is right. Disapproval is nothing compared to the inner peace and joy we get when we have a pure conscience and the boldness that comes from doing what is right.

When I admit the truth about how easily I am swayed by peer pressure, it should be a matter of course that I don’t put myself in situations where I will be more easily tempted.

1 Corinthians 15:33 (NKJV)  “Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits.”

Deep down I know who influences me in the wrong way. If I continue to spend time with these “friends” who pressure me to do what I know is wrong, then I can’t serve God and be faithful to Him. “Bad company” also includes what I watch or listen to, where I “surf,” and what I read. This clouds my goal to be free from sin, and can lead me into unnecessary temptations. It is only when I separate myself from bad company that I can make progress in my Christian life!

Everywhere we go we can see good and bad.  On this earth we have the ability to choose where we go, what we do and with whom we go and do things.  It’s not always the who or what we do that gets us in trouble it’s the what’s on the inside of us that surfaces and manifests when we are with the people we choose to be with.  What do we do when we are with them that we would not do if we were with Jesus?  If you wouldn’t do it with Jesus that’s a pretty good indicator you shouldn’t do it with anyone else either.

Joshua 24:15 (NIV) “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Once you decide who it is that you are serving, peer pressure doesn’t even factor in to the equation.

It can feel so important to be accepted by people, but what about being accepted and esteemed by God Himself? When my actions are controlled by what other people think, I lose my connection with God and my ability to serve Him and hear His voice.

Deuteronomy 6:5 (NKJV) “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

The first step in being able to resist peer pressure is to decide to live for God alone: to love Him and to have a fear to sin against Him. If I sense I don’t have this holy fear to sin against Him, I can pray to Him who gives “liberally and without reproach” and I will receive it! (James 1:5)

We do not need to be accepted by man.  We are accepted by God.  I know sometimes we really want acceptance but if we are so caught up in the need to be accepted by others it can cause us to be rejected by God.

Ephesians 1:3-6, (NLT)  “3 How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. 4 Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. (He has made us accepted in the Beloved - NKJV).”

God accepts me just as I am.  He loves me too much to leave me like I am but He loves me as I am and none the less. When I choose to be me and love myself I can choose to love others as they are.  It is not our job to change people and it is not their job to change us.  Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to do His job. 

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT) “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”

God loves you, God chose you, God adopted you, and God accepts you in His family.   No one is too good or too bad to be saved.  Today go about your business which is really His business accepting others and yourself and watch God minister to and through you.

Peer pressure can be good or bad. Last night we watched the movie Polycarp. Polycarp was a 2nd-century Christian bishop of Smyrna. According to theMartyrdom of Polycarp he died a martyr, bound and burned at the stake, then stabbed when the fire failed to touch him  It is truly a great movie with several messages one of which is to not give in to peer pressure. 

Is it possible to overcome “fear of man” and resist peer pressure? How can we stop being so easily influenced to do what we know is wrong?

Who hasn’t experienced dealing with peer pressure? It’s everywhere—at school, at work, among friends. It’s that seemingly overwhelming pressure to conform, often against what I know is right. When I give in, I end up feeling empty and powerless inside. I feel weighed down with thoughts of regret and bad conscience. I know it’s not the life I am called to as a Christian, but can I really resist peer pressure from other people and their opinions?

Why am I so easily influenced by other people? It is because I am controlled by thoughts about what the others think about me; I’m afraid of what they might say if I tell them what I really believe. I might lose my status with them, and they might even start saying things about me when I’m not around! This is sometimes referred to as the “fear of man;” it is the opposite of fearing and serving God, and it is the reason why it is difficult to resist peer pressure.

I need to acknowledge the truth about myself and admit that I am bound by what people think of me. I need to admit that I make decisions that go against what I know God wants me to do, because of peer pressure and other influences. And I need to desire to become free from it! Then God can start helping me.

Deuteronomy 6:5 (NKJV) “5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”  

The first step in being able to resist peer pressure is to decide to live for God. Loving God and loving what He loves and hating what He hates is a big step. We have to fear God enough not to want to sin against Him.  When we love Him we will go to Him and talk with Him and ask Him to help our weaknesses and He will answer. (James1:5) Make a new start as fall starts to close in around us let’s push back the old habits and tendencies and begin to forge ahead with new habits, new desires and a new start. Tune in for the next several issues of this Blog for ways to fight the peer pressure battle and win.

"Quit caring." "That’s crazy", you may say. "I thought we were supposed to care." Well, let me share this scripture with you.

1 Peter 5:7 (KJV) “7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 

All means all.  In the scripture above it reads (casting) that is a continual daily repetitive thing to do, not just a onetime cast.  God is telling us we will be tempted to carry care, rather than to cast it upon the Lord because He cares for us.

Think of a good father and his child.  His child is continually gathering things too heavy to carry.  What good father wouldn’t want his child to let him carry those things?  We serve a good father, who loves us and wants the best for us.

“We cannot throw away our troubles.” Alan Stibbs.

We cannot run away from our problems or pretend they don’t exist. “But we can get rid of the anxiety that is caused by our troubles. We can refuse to be burdened down by care. We can reject the kind of worry that disturbs our peace and distracts our mind.” What we do instead is to turn to God.

We find relief in God. We hand our worry over to Him so that we don’t have to carry our worry ourselves. We pour out our anxiety to Him in prayer. We cast our cares on God. When we do this, we can feel at peace. We can be calm even in the midst of times of trouble. We can experience the serenity that God promises and that Jesus exemplifies.

There’s another reason for casting our cares on God that Peter doesn’t mention. God is big enough to carry our cares for us. We can’t really do this for each other. Have you ever tried to tell a friend about your troubles, and it seemed like all they wanted to do was tell you about theirs? We often can’t ask someone to carry our burdens because they’ve got enough burdens of their own. But God has broad shoulders. God is so big that He can carry all of my burdens and all of yours. Even the burdens of the whole world are not too much for Him.

Worried about something? Caring more than you should about someone or something? Start casting. Literally stand up and act like you are throwing a rock high into the sky and yell, "Hey Lord catch this!" He has His catchers mitt on and is ready for whatever you got!     

Today while pool side-it was a great day off.  I’m smiling. A little bee kept bothering me.  He was after my beverage which I am sure had more sugar in it than I needed, but it was not something I wanted to share with this little guy.   He kept at it for the few hours I was there, (never long enough when there is water and sunshine involved). I swatted at him, threw a towel at him and he kept at it.  Finally I threw away the remainder of the drink and zipped the beach bag with all enticing contents well hidden.  You’d think that would have been the end of my pesky bee.  Oh no, he kept at it humming around the yellow beach bag, hovering just above the zipper.  So finally I moved my bag away from me and let him have it--the bag that is.

Thinking about all this later I realized he was just doing what he was created to do.  He was made to find sweet things and take that good stuff back to his hive and make honey.   He was created to be attracted to bright colors because usually those mean flowers. However, the very thing he was created to do, the thing that drove him was about to get him killed.  If I’d been quicker and better armed he would have gone on to bee heaven. (Just kidding)

So what about us?  What are we created to go after that may be life threatening?  We are called to go after food, but too much of a good thing will send us to an early grave.  We can literally eat ourselves to death.  What about sex? God gave us the drive but it is only blessed and protected within the confines of marriage, outside the marriage it is literally deadly.   Money? God wants us to prosper. He delights in the prosperity of His saints. But when need turns to greed and we misuse our blessing and fail to give God what is His, we bring a curse on ourselves. God’s desire is for us to be blessed and do what we were created to do, but in the manner He desired for us to do it.

2 Corinthians 9:6-15 (NKJV) “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have abundance for every good work. As it is written:  'He has endures forever'. Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the Gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

Doing what we want, when we want, where we want, isn’t any safer for us than it is for bees. We are created for good works, not works of the flesh. We can only know the difference by reading God’s word and being lead of the spirit of God.  Just because God created us with desires doesn’t mean we give into them with abandon, doing so may just get us squashed.