We kicked off our “Down, But Not Out” series last night at Pneuma. We really saw God move and some teens perspectives changed. It’s always cool to see people realize that they no longer have to walk in bondage and can live in freedom.
In Galatians 2:11-16, Paul calls out Peter for changing his actions due to the people around him. Truth is, the peer pressure that we all face is like this passage. Too often, we’re ready to change who we are and what we do for other people. We all want acceptance and none of us want to be left out…the problem comes when we’re willing to change who we are to satisfy those desires.
Towards the end of that passage, Paul gives us some insight into how to overcome others having a negative impact on us. We have to understand who we are and who’s we are. In other words, we have to be comfortable with who we are. When we see ourselves as a child of Christ, we become comfortable with the person we are. When we realize that we are saved through Christ alone, not by what we’ve done, it changes what motivates our life. No longer are willing living for the acceptance of man, but for the glory of God.
I feel like so many teenagers (and adults) are longing to fill a void in their lives. They try to fill that void by jumping for thing to thing, people to people, relationship to relationship, hobby to hobby, but can’t quite fill the void. Sadly, many times these people fail to answer the questions of who they are and who’s they are. They fail to fill that longing.
We all need identity….we all need Jesus….
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