Proverbs 1:10-16 - My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
Proverbs 4:14-15 - Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
Proverbs 22:24-25 - Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go; Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.
1 Cor. 5:9-11 - I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world. But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one, no, not to eat.
2 Thess. 3:14 - And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
Let's face it, many adults cannot withstand peer pressure. Why would we expect kids to be able to withstand? Examples of adults not standing against peer pressure are the January 6th protests getting out of hand and leading to much worse things than what was first intended. Many who have been brought to trial used the excuse that they got caught up in the moment. All the protests and riots since the George Floyd incident are more proof of getting caught up in the chaos. Even in the bible the priests and Pharisees stir up the people to crucify Jesus. Many of those same people had only recently laid down palm branches and cried "Hosanna" as Jesus rode into Jerusalem.
I have watched as certain influences allowed have caused harm or destroyed one child in a family yet had no effect on the other children. I have also watched teenagers be good influences on their parents and an entire church, actually. When my husband was a youth pastor, the teens we worked with became big soul winners and it fired up the whole church to invite and tell people about Christ. We had a constant flow of visitors at the church. Many parents made changes at home in music and faithfulness to church all because their teens were doing right!
Following right example is also talked about in the bible. Paul tells the church in 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9 - For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labor and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an example unto you follow us.
Hebrews 13:7 - Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
3 John 11 - Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.
If I could just ask that everyone reading this consider seriously what influences you allow for yourself and your children because as my title says, influence can make or break.
I hope this post makes you think.
