I Dare You!

"I dare you!"

"I double-dog dare you!"

"I triple-dog dare you!"

The highest form of peer pressure experienced on the elementary school playground. If you were triple dog dared to do something, you did it no matter what it was, or you were regarded as uncool. Some of us may not have understood what we were saying or doing, but we would dare each other to do anything and everything! You would think that as we get older that this form of peer pressure wouldn't have as much of an effect on us.

And yet, as I have grown older, daring someone to do something has never lost its effectiveness. 

We still dare each other to do stupid things, we just aren’t as forthcoming to say the word. We'll say "I bet you can't jump over that fence" or "I bet you can't eat a whole pizza." That challenging of who we are and what we can do pushes us to extremes. A popular book a few years ago was "The Love Dare," challenging married people to learn how to truly love their spouse. So why is this dare concept so effective, and are there principles in the Bible that we should follow concerning taking on a dare?

I believe that as humans, our natural inclination is to take on these dares for our own pride and self-esteem. Like many things in life, there can be both good and bad dares.

The main point that drives these dares is peer pressure. Peer pressure is defined simply as being influenced by one's peer group to do something. Again, like anything, there can be good and bad peer pressure. So how do we know when we are experiencing good or bad, and how do we deal with that? The answer can be summed up in Psalm 1 and Proverbs 1. 

In Psalm 1:1, we read, "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." Proverbs 1:10-16 says, "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."

These 2 passages set forth principles of avoiding bad peer pressure at any age. When we think of peer pressure, we often think of those dares on the playground in elementary school or something stupid that we did on a school bus in high school. But peer pressure exists at any age of our lives. Peer pressure could come from a boss telling us to do something wrong to advance our job. Peer pressure could come from a co-worker making unwanted advances. I ask the question again, how do we deal with these influences?

1.  We must listen to Godly counsel. 

Who is the Psalmist in Psalm 1? Why the man after God's own heart- King David. Who is the write of Proverbs 1? Why it's the wisest man who ever lived- King Solomon. These two men, despite all of their flaws and all of their mistakes still honored God with their lives. They were kings that God used to execute justice and keep Israel safe from its enemies. And they wrote words down that God gave them for the people of Israel and for their own children. 

Unfortunately, Solomon's son, Rehoboam did not follow this advice from his grandfather, father or his father's Godly counsellors. He had all of the Godly influences he could have asked for. His father had built a temple to God and had written books and proverbs and songs that would lead someone to follow God. But he chose rather to listen to his peers. He chose to foolishly say, "I will crush these people under my iron fist because I deserve to be feared," rather than saying, "I will respect these people because I want to be respected by them and feared by all other peoples around us."

Is there someone in your life who is experienced as a teacher/studier of God's Word? Is there someone that you can go to for advice who has lived for God for years? If there is, you must most certainly listen to their advice above someone who is not following after God. 

2. We must be careful who we walk with.

Rehoboam was to be the next king of a full kingdom of Israel. He was approached by the elders of the people and was asked if he would be a king who would care for them or if he would crush them like his father did. Rehoboam went to his father's counsellors first, like we saw above, but just as we also saw above, he went to his friends as well. And after he did both of these, he followed the advice of his friends.

These "friends" who did not honor God with their lives. These "friends" who had no desire to serve Jehovah. Because Rehoboam followed this advice, he saw the kingdom split. He listened to  those who he thought were his friends, but rather they just caused him trouble.

Who are your friends? Who do you walk with? The Bible presents a very clear progression for us in Psalm 1:1. If we start walking with someone and keep heading down a path with them, eventually we will stand with them. Pretty soon standing won't be enough, and we will be sitting with them, committed to that same lifestyle. If we are not careful about who we walk with, who we are friends with, we may find ourselves in the counsel of the ungodly, the way of sinners, and the seat of the scornful, rather than in the counsel of the godly, the way of believers, and the seat of the righteous. 

Take these principles from God's Word. This advice that was given to Rehoboam by his father and grandfather. He didn't listen and it cost him many blessings from God. If you want to receive God's blessing you must take it.

I dare you!