Imagine this scenario: As two of his schoolmates approach, Brian feels a knot in his stomach. Twice already this week, they’ve tried to get him to smoke. This will be their third attempt.

The first boy speaks:

He underscores the word “friend” with a wink as he takes something out of his pocket and extends his hand toward Brian.

Brian sees the cigarette between the boy’s thumb and forefinger. The knot in Brian’s stomach gets even tighter.

If you were Brian, how would you respond?

Have Brian’s peers really thought about what they are doing? Have they made their own decisions? Not likely. In general, they have yielded to the influence of others. They want to be accepted, so they allow others to shape what they do.

If you were confronted with the same situation, how could you choose a different path and resist peer pressure?

1. ANTICIPATE

   The Bible says: “The shrewd one sees the danger and conceals himself, but the inexperienced keep right on going and suffer the consequences.”—Proverbs 22:3.

   Often, you can see trouble in advance. For example, suppose you see a group of your schoolmates up ahead, and they’re smoking. By anticipating a problem, you’ll be ready to deal with it.

2. THINK

   The Bible says: “Maintain a good conscience.”—1 Peter 3:16.

   Ask yourself, ‘How will I feel in the long run if I go along with the crowd?’ True, you might temporarily avoid the disapproval of your peers. But how will you feel later? Are you willing to sacrifice your identity just to please your classmates?—Exodus 23:2.

3. DECIDE

   The Bible says: “The wise one is cautious.”—Proverbs 14:16.

   Sooner or later, we have to make a choice and live with the consequences. The Bible tells of men like Joseph, Job, and Jesus, who all made the right choice. It also tells of Cain, Esau, and Judas, who made bad choices. What will you do?

The Bible says: “Act with faithfulness.” (Psalm 37:3) If you’ve already thought about the consequences and made up your mind, stating your position can be surprisingly easy—and rewarding.

Don’t worry—you don’t have to give your peers a lecture. A simple but firm NO may suffice. Or to make your nonnegotiable stand clear, you could say:

• “Count me out!”

• “I don’t do that sort of thing!”

• “Come on, you know me better than that!”

The key is to respond promptly and with conviction. If you do, you might be surprised at how quickly your peers will back off!

What if your peers mock you? What if they say, “What’s wrong—are you a coward?” Recognize this sort of taunt for what it is—crude peer pressure. How can you respond? You have at least two options.

• You could absorb the taunt. (“You’re right, I am scared!” Then briefly state your reason.)

• You could return the pressure. State your reason for refusing, and then appeal to your peers’ intellect. (“I thought you were too smart to smoke!”)

If your peers continue to taunt you, walk away! Remember, the longer you stay, the more intense the pressure will become. By leaving the scene, you show that you refuse to let others change who you are.

Realistically, you can’t hide from peer pressure. But you can decide what you want to do, state your position, and take control. In the end, the choice is yours!—Joshua 24:15.

Ghee igiemwi na ghee: Brian ghi miẹn ihua re eva ne iran gba rre esuku, udu na wa siẹre. Ọna ẹre ọ ya gba vbe igbaha ne iran ke tama rẹn nọ deba iran si esiga.

Nokaro na kha wẹẹ:

Ọ na ghi fi obọ ye ẹkpo, rhie esiga ladian, ẹre ọ na rhie dae Brian nọ si.

Brian ghi miẹn esiga vbe obọre, ọ na kẹ kherhe ne udu ẹre vbọ fua.

Adeghẹ uwẹ ọre Brian, de emwi ne u gha te ru?

Ihua e Brian gele rẹn emwi ne iran ru ra? Uwẹ yayi wẹẹ ekhọe obọ iran ẹre iran ya ru ọna ra? Hiehie. Vbene ẹmwata, obọ emwa ọvbehe ẹre iran na miẹn uyinmwẹ na. Iran hoo ne iran gua usun ro, ẹre ọ siẹre ne iran na ru emwi ne emwa ọvbehe ru.

Adeghẹ uwẹ ẹre ọ werriẹ aro daa egbe ukpokpo otu ihegbe vbenia, de emwi ne u gha te ru ne u ya mudia gbain?

1. YARO YE EMWI NỌ GHA SUNU

   E Baibol khare wẹẹ “Emwa ni wan gha miẹn wẹẹ orueghe dee, iran ghi rhie uhunmwu iran lẹre, sokpan, ọmwa nẹi roro iro ghi wa ya owẹ khian lahọ, ọ ghi ya gha gbe ima rẹn vbe okiekie.”—Itan 22:3.

   U gha sẹtin bẹghe ọlọghọmwa vbe ọ gha dee. Vbe igiemwi, adeghẹ u miẹn ivbi esuku eso si esiga vbe urria, u ghi yaro ye emwi nọ gha sunu ne u mieke na sẹtin muegbe yotọ.

2. MUẸN RORO

   E Baibol khare wẹẹ: “Ghẹ gie ekhọe ruẹ bu ohiẹn gbuẹ hiehie.”—1 Pita 3:16.

   Nọ egbuẹ, ‘Vbọ khian kẹrikian deghẹ I na ru emwi rhunmwuda wẹẹ, emwa ọvbehe vbe ruẹ?’ Vbene ẹmwata, uwẹ vbe ihua sẹtin gu obọ egbe vbe ovbiẹghẹ kherhe. Sokpan de emwi ne u gha lae miẹn? U gha hoo ne u mu ẹkpẹn ne egbuẹ fua rhunmwuda u hoo ne u ya ẹko rhiẹnrhiẹn ihua ra?—Ẹksọdọs 23:2.

3. ZẸ EMWI RU

   E Baibol khare wẹẹ: “Avbe umẹwaẹn ghi gha ya egbe lẹẹ ne orueghe.” —Itan 14:16.

   Yerre wẹẹ, atamuolọyan ne ima rhirhi ru keghi mwẹ emwi nọ kẹrikian. E Baibol guan kaan emwa eso ni ru atamuolọyan ni maan vbe na ghee Josẹf, e Job, kevbe Jesu. Ọ vbe guan kaan emwa eso ni ma gua zẹ ne egbe iran vbe na ghee Keni, Isọ kevbe Judas. De emwi ne uwẹ gha ru?

E Baibol khare wẹẹ: “De obọ mu emwi esi.” (Rom 12:9) Adeghẹ u ka roro ẹre nẹ ighẹ evbọ gha kẹrikian kevbe emwi ne u gha ru, ẹi ghi lọghọ vbe u gha zẹ enunu ruẹ kevbe wẹẹ u gha vbe miẹn ere vbọ.

Ẹi re te u khian wa gha gu ihua guan vbe na ghee ọmamwaemwi. Wa ya ekhọe hia kha wẹẹ ẹn o, erriọ wa sẹ. Ra deghẹ u hoo nọ vẹ ne iran rẹn wẹẹ, iran i khian sẹtin fi ekhọe ruẹ werriẹ, u sẹtin kha wẹẹ:

• “I i gu uwa mwẹ obọ vbọ!”

• “I i ru egbe emwi vberriọ!”

• “Uwa ma ka rẹn aro ọmwa ne imẹ khin ra!”

Emwi nọ gha ru iyobọ nuẹ ọre ne u zẹ emwi ru vbobọvbobọ kevbe wẹẹ, ghẹ gha gbe yo gbe rre. U gha ru vberriọ, odẹ ne u ma zẹdẹ yaro yi ẹre iran khian ya lẹẹ nuẹ!

Adeghẹ ihua na gha ya ruẹ gbogiẹ vbo? Vbọ vbe ye hẹ, deghẹ iran na kha wẹẹ, “Vbọ ru ruẹ—ohan mu ruẹ gbe?” Wa rẹn wẹẹ ukpokpo otu ihegbe ẹre na khin. De emwi ne u gha ru? Ghee emwi eva ne u gha sẹtin ru.

• U sẹtin wa mu wuegbe. U wa kha wẹẹ, (“ẹmwata nọ, ohan gele wa mu mwẹ!” U ghi tae kuẹi ighẹ emwi nọ rrọ ruẹ ekhọe.)

• U sẹtin lele iran vbọ. U gha ghi ta ẹmwẹ nọ rrọ ruẹ ekhọe fo nẹ, u ghi wẹẹ ne iran mu enegbe iran roro. U sẹtin kha wẹẹ, (“mẹ te wẹẹ ọmwa ne agbọn fi, ẹre ọ si esiga!”)

Adeghẹ ihua na ye gha ya ruẹ gbogiẹ, u ghi kpa vba rre! Yerre wẹẹ, vbene u ya kpẹẹ vba, erriọ ẹre iran khian ya gha kpikpi ruẹ sayọ. Adeghẹ u na kpa vba rre, ọni rhiema wẹẹ, u ma kue ne emwa ọvbehe fi ruẹ werriẹ.

Vbene ẹmwata, u i khian sẹtin lẹẹ ne ukpokpo otu ihegbe. Sokpan, u gha sẹtin zẹ ne egbuẹ, u gha sẹtin ta ẹmwẹ nọ rrọ ruẹ ekhọe, vbe nai na vbe sẹtin gbuẹ yo gbuẹ rre. Vbe okiekie ehia, obọ ruẹ, ẹre emwi hia ye!—Jọsua 24:15.