Meaning of My Brother's Keeper

Meaning of My Brother's Keeper

Welcome to our Christianity Oasis My Brother's Keeper study program. This is our Meaning of My Brother's Keeper study. The truth within this SON-derful Meaning of My Brother's Keeper study will truly enhance your be-YOU-tiful Christian walk.

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Welcome Back to
My Brother's Keeper
Peer Pressure
Step #4

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.

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 you need to know how to avoid peer pressure and if not then how to deal with peer pressure. 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, unsafe sex, and even murder. You must choose to learn how to avoid with peer pressure and if not learn how to deal with peer pressure.

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:

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 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:

That means, if you didn't know it was a sin, then you weren't sinning. Also, never ever ever forget that God sacrificed His son Jesus because we are sinners and when we are sincerely sorry for something we have done, He forgives us.

Something else to consider is that all rules do not apply to all situations. Jesus said something that we all need to hear and understand:

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 earrings?

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:

God's Grace reveals that if you truly believe in Jesus and the Truth that He was willing to die for you, and did, that you would know that He loves you so much that you will want to do what He wants you to do because you would know that He is looking out for your best interests. You will try hard not to do things that would make Him ashamed or disappointed in you. You may fall, but always remember that only a worm is free from the worry of stumble and the real test is to see if you will get up, dust yourself off, carry on and never surrender.

Saints ... Are Just the Sinners That Fall Down and Get Up !!!

As time passes, you will find that you begin to make the right choices, out of love ... Not fear of punishment.

Now, lets talk about the relationships issue. Most young 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 young people believe that if they don't, there's something wrong with them, or they're missing out on something. Some people think it makes them popular too.

But is that Truth?

Did you know that whether you are a young woman or a young man, you are engaged to become the bride of Jesus Christ? I'd like to show you something that you'll find very interesting.

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 for most 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 wrong no matter how many others are doing it.

You know the old saying ... If you saw everyone jumping off a cliff, would you? I have a better question for you ... Do your friends that follow worldly trends constantly have problems because of their choice to join the crowd? Do they get hurt in these relationships? Do they get used and abused? Do they cry when this happens? Are they really happy?

What is a soul mate?

Most of us have heard the theory that each of us has a Soul Mate out there somewhere. The theory suggests that one soul was divided and the two souls from this division were placed on earth as to see if the two souls could become one again, by overcoming the world with true love. It is obvious that overcoming the world is the hard part. Kind of like when the moon asked the sun "Why is it that I oft times sit in darkness" ... The sun responded, "It is because you let the world come between us" ... But, finding our Soul Mate in this world filled with deception, is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

How will you know who your soul mate is? Only one way my friend. Trust in God ... He will bring them to you at just the perfect time. Be patient. God will let you know who your soul mate is. Do not trust Man's world trends as a way to find love. What they are doing is not love, it is being used. Most jump into that scene because they are "bored" or lonely. There are plenty of things to do in the meantime ... Like representing Jesus and glorifying Him!

If you choose to serve God and represent Him ... He will give you your hearts desire if and when He knows it is right. He is looking out for your best interest.

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 and even strangers may attack the beliefs that make up who and what you are ... 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:

The things in the world are temporal. 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.

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 as what you surround yourself with, so surround yourself with things that remind you of God and your walk with Him.

Your eyes are the portal to the soul, so wouldn't it be a good idea to influence your soul with holy things? We are greatly influenced by what our eyes are exposed to. How true and Biblically sound is this? Jacob influenced his father-in-law Laban's flocks to bear striped, speckled, and spotted offspring by facing the animals toward tree branches that he peeled in striped, speckled and spotted patterns (Genesis 30:37-39). If you want to be conformed to the image of God, surround yourself with Godly things.

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!

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 ... They call it the lonely road of faith. Friends, you don't have time to feel alone, or lonely, because this website alone, has thousands of 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.

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 puts 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?

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 allowing it to happen again 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:

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.

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 enemy 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.

Stand Firm!

Each time that you resist the pressure that your peers put on you, you're planting seeds of Truth in them. 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 person of real conviction and passion and substance to stand up and represent Jesus. You don't need to do anything 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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