eKidz Devotional: All About InfluenceSample

At some point, we all experience peer pressure — when someone around us tries to influence our actions. Some of it can actually be okay, like when your neighbors convince you to ride bikes with them instead of playing video games all day. But a lot of it is negative, like when a friend wants you to watch a movie you’re not allowed to see, or when a classmate begs you to give them the answers to a homework assignment they didn’t do. When we talk about peer pressure, we’re usually referring to these times when someone tries to influence you to make a wrong choice. In today’s Bible passage, Rehoboam is the new king over Israel. His father had been very tough on the people, and they came to Rehoboam begging him to treat them better. Since he was new to the job, he did something very responsible — he asked some of the older, wiser people around him for help. Sounds like a strong start, right? Unfortunately, Rehoboam didn’t like their answer, so he turned to his friends, and they gave him some terrible advice — to treat the people even more harshly than his father had so that he would look stronger and more powerful. Because he followed their bad advice, he ended up sparking serious tension and rebellion among the Israelites. Giving in to peer pressure had major consequences for Rehoboam! Dex, River, and Fwizz faced peer pressure in the second episode of “The Gunga Games.” Nobody wanted the HardClaws to win, so the SwiftFlyers tried to convince the TreeRunners that cheating was the only way to stop Snark and his team. Dex was tempted to take the shortcut, but Fwizz reminded him that leaders should use their influence to guide others to good, and cheating is never a good choice. Check out this clip to hear what happened when the TreeRunners chose the honest path instead of giving in to peer pressure: [Insert audio here] It might have seemed easier to defeat their enemies if they gave in to negative peer pressure, but because Dex listened to Fwizz’s positive influence and made the choice to compete honestly, the TreeRunners were able to continue competing in The Gunga Games! Ask yourself : What are some bad influences in your life? What can you do to remove them or choose to listen to a good influence instead? Challenge yourself : Focus on what influences you. Start by limiting your distractions. If there’s a video game, phone, or other device that distracts you from doing better things, or if there’s a friend or neighbor who is a bad influence on you, commit to spending less time with them. Once you’ve cut out some distractions, replace them with things that feed your faith, like listening to worship music or spend time talking and praying with someone godly in your life. Choose to fill your day with people and things that help you love and obey God. Pray : God, thank You for helping me recognize the bad influences in my life. Help me choose to replace them with positive influences that will help me become more like Jesus. In Jesus’ name, amen.