But when the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles was near, Jesus’ brothers said to him, “You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in him. John 7:2-5 

This verse stunned me when I first noticed it – even his own brothers did not believe in him. How many times have you had a family member or friend that you wanted to please pressure you to do something you didn’t want to do? We all have. How hard it must have been for Jesus – the Messiah – to know his own brothers didn’t believe in him.

How do we get free from the approval of men? It is hard. Jesus must have gotten his approval from somewhere else or he wouldn’t have been able to stand up to this peer pressure. I think one of the reasons Jesus had to get off alone by himself so many times is to get his approval from another source – His Father. Always being in the presence of others tempts us to get our approval from them! Make sure you spend time alone with the Father to avoid this trap.

How do you handle peer pressure?