Avoid This Harmless Looking Yet Dangerous Pressure

Mark 6:26 – The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her.

Social pressure is when you are compelled to do what you wouldn’t do or can’t afford, and yet you do it to satisfy social expectations. Social pressure is being compelled by your fear of what people will think or say if you don’t meet their expectations which you don’t believe in. Social pressure is bending backwards to satisfy public opinion about yourself. This kind of pressure looks harmless but it’s very dangerous!

King Herod killed John by beheading yet he loved and revered John the Baptist. How could he kill someone he loved and revered? He killed him because of social pressure. This kind of pressure looks harmless but it’s very dangerous!

Mark 6:17-18 – For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

John the Baptist had preached against Herod’s illicit marriage. Herod married the wife to his brother. He grabbed the wife of his brother Philip. Herod knew John was right in condemning him. Herodias the wife of Philip that Herod had taken hated John for telling them the truth that their marriage was bad.

Mark 6:19-20 – So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.

Herodias hated John and wanted to kill him but she couldn’t because Herod loved John and liked listening to him. Herod knew that John was a man of God with a message from God. Herodias couldn’t pressurize Herod to kill John. Herod could handle and contain pressure from Herodias.

If your spouse or best friend pressurized you to do wrong, would you do it? Herod was able to resist pressure from his wife. Herod refused to do the wrong that his wife wanted him to do. May God grant us the resilience and stamina of Herod to resist whatever wrong that any Herodias in our life may want to force us to do.

Herodias in your life can be a boss at work who wants you to do something wrong. Herodias in your life could be a child, a parent, a friend, etc. Resist like Herod resisted Herodias.

Unfortunately, while Herod could resist the pressure from Herodias, he couldn’t resist social pressure. Herod promised his daughter anything she asked for after she danced very well before guests who were attending his birthday. The daughter consulted the mother Herodias on what she can request, and she was told to ask for the head of John the Baptist.

Herodias was always looking for an opportunity to force Herod to kill John. Herodias was a continuous snare for Herod. Keeping people like Herodias around you will someday land you in trouble. Herodias got an opportunity to use social pressure to force Herod to kill a good man of God that he loved. If only we could avoid Herodias and also avoid social pressure. This kind of pressure looks harmless but it’s very dangerous!

Mark 6:26 – The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her.

Herod ordered the killing of John the Baptist. Herod knew that John was righteous. Herod knew that John was right in condemning his marriage. Herod knew killing John was a bad thing. Yet for the sake of impressing his dinner guests, he killed John. That is social pressure. This kind of pressure looks harmless but it’s very dangerous!

Herod was not pressurized by his wife Herodias. Herod was not pressurized by his love for his daughter. Herod killed John to impress the dinner guests. That is social pressure. This kind of pressure looks harmless but it’s very dangerous!

Social pressure causes us to live beyond our budget. We spend on what we can’t afford in order to ease social pressure. We take loans whose payments are punitive, just to satisfy social pressure. This kind of pressure looks harmless but it’s very dangerous!

We marry in a hurry to satisfy social pressure. We marry the wrong person who causes us heartache and pain afterwards. All these because of social pressure. This kind of pressure looks harmless but it’s very dangerous!

We join careers we don’t like nor enjoy, just to satisfy social pressure. We struggle and never enjoy life, just to satisfy social pressures. This kind of pressure looks harmless but it’s very dangerous!

Use of alcohol and tobacco and other drugs can begin due to social pressure to fit in. Eventually you get addicted and your life is permanently ruined. This kind of pressure looks harmless but it’s very dangerous!

Engaging in illicit sex can be due to social pressure. You don’t want to be the odd one out. Eventually you engage in what you know is wrong. You carry diseases and guilt because of social pressure. This kind of pressure looks harmless but it’s very dangerous!

What is social pressure doing to you? What are you doing or about to do that you know is wrong but are compelled by desire to keep a good image? Identify your social pressure and pray about it. Avoid the society and company that is causing the pressure. Relocate. Change friends.

Avoid Herodias who wants to cause you to do wrong. Pray for resilience against Herodias and the crowd. May God grant us wisdom to see the schemes of Herodias and to avoid crowd social pressure. In Jesus’s name, Amen!

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