We all want to be loved. We all want acceptance. When we go to school we learn the importance of fitting in and having others think well of us. Those that master that skill generally have advantages for the rest of their lives. Those that don’t often struggle the rest of their lives. Peer pressure can be a very powerful weapon when in the hands of bullies and manipulators. The pressure to conform can be intense.
That’s why we realize at an early age that it’s important to be cool. When I was growing up in the 70’s cool was personified by the Fonz. To the Fonz, being cool was the ultimate goal and every one of the characters in “Happy Days” looked up to him so much that he became the central figure on the show. Athletes are cool and perhaps none more so than Michael Jordan. In music, the coolness was magnified by the Beatles. There were actors like James Dean and Steve McQueen that people said was the epitome of cool.
In our own lives how important is it to be cool? If we buy a bike, it used to be that we bought a bike. Now, if we buy a bike we also have to buy biker shorts and a biker shirt with a biker helmet and biker gloves. We then join other bikers and ride for 100 miles in a day and the underlining reason is usually that we want to be cool.
For young people cool seems to be measured by the latest technology and do they own it? Is it the latest phone with the latest camera so they can take pictures to share with the world to prove they’re cool.
People who have earned the title of trendsetters can make tens of thousands of dollars just by showing up at a business venue that wants to be known as a hot-spot, trendy, and the place to be. I once gave a ride to a guy while driving for Uber who had just flown in from New York City where he was an owner of a new hotel. He told me about paying a woman I had never heard of $50,000 just to take selfies at a party being hosted by his hotel. I asked why he would pay so much money to this young woman for simply showing up and he explained to me how trend-setting worked and how vulnerable young people were to it.
Why is it so important to be cool? Well, it becomes important when we feel we have to use the worth of others to boost our own worth. We want their approval so badly that we will conform to whatever the cool people tell us is cool. Even to the point where if we know something is wrong, we will do wrong to keep from being ridiculed for not being cool.
Here’s a question for you. How important is it to you to be cool?
I can ask that question in a myriad of other ways. How easy are you to manipulate? How important is it for you to fit in with what others say is cool? How afraid are you to be laughed at by people for not going along with what they say is cool?
The world tells us what is cool, but who is “the world?” The world is Hollywood and TV entertainment. The world is rock, pop, country, rap, and hip hop music. The world is fake news. The world is social media. The world is anyone or anything that tries to pull you away from God – including churches!
Not every church puts God first. Not every Bible is the Word of God. As it says in I John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
False prophets are not just people in the flesh. False prophets can also be Bibles that have been so altered that they cease to be the Word of God.
False prophets don’t have to be garbed in religious clothing. They come as entertainers, athletes, newscasters, singers, politicians, or anyone who champions any way other than Jesus Christ.
A political party that rejects God is not to be followed. Politicians of that party are not to be voted for.
Be different. Be your own person. Do not allow yourself to be manipulated by those who don’t have your best interest at heart.
I once had a student that was an anarchist. He had long pink hair on one side and short blond hair on the other. He wore an army jacket with the sleeves cut out and anarchy patches are sewn on the jacket. He wore ragged jeans and said he was a rebel.
One day I was talking to him and I asked him why he dressed as he did. He definitely said, “Because I’m not a follower. I am an individual and I go my own way.” I shook my head that I understood, then asked, “Then why do you dress just like your friends?”
That’s when he realized that we’re all followers of something or someone. When you break it down and analyze your choices of who you are going to follow, it boils down to one choice. God or Satan. God, as he defined himself in his word, or Satan, as he defines himself to the world as the world. One choice is love, peace, and a future in heaven. The others is hate, conflict, and a future in hell. It sounds as if it should be a simple choice. However, Satan tells those trying to be cool and fit in that the opposite is true. He’s a deceiver and a liar, but some people are so afraid to be uncool that they sell their soul to Satan just to fit in with the crowd.
Be bold. Be your own person. Be brave and look at yourself for who you really are – a flawed person that needs help. Who are you following? Remember, every person in this world, no matter who they are or where they are is either following God or Satan. If you have not faced the fact that you’re a flawed person afraid of never being accepted by a perfect God, then here’s some good news. Jesus Christ fulfilled his perfect plan to save the people of an imperfect world and already paid for your flaws (sins) and died for you. If you believe that and ask God to save you, he will forgive your sins, then just as he rose from the dead and ascended to heaven, you too will ascend to heaven because Jesus Christ already paid the penalty for all those flaws you have. Ask him to forgive you, accept that he is the Son of God and believe that he will save you and he promises he will save you and you will know that you are saved and have a fresh start on life.
Do you want to start over? Trust Jesus to save you and your eyes will be open to a whole other world in which you have direct access to God. Satan will no longer be your master because God is now real in your life. What is your choice?