close
Join the community
Edition 14
Monday, 26 October 2026
Faith · Peer Pressure

The Crowd or God’s Way?

Will you follow the crowd or choose God’s way? Doing what is right is not always easy, especially when your friends are going in a different direction. But you do not have to follow everyone to be accepted. Be bold enough to stand for what you believe!
Part 1 · Hear it
The Lesson

Be bold enough to stand apart

By Deaconess Donna Carrington · 2 min read

Have you ever done something you knew was wrong just because your friends were doing it? Have you ever been afraid that people would laugh at you if you chose to do what was right?

Maybe your friends encourage you to gossip, cheat on a test, bully someone, or do things that go against your Christian values. You want to fit in, but deep inside, you know God expects something different from you.

To all you youth, here is an important truth: you do not have to follow the crowd to be accepted by God!

God has called you to live with purpose, courage, kindness, and faith. Sometimes following Jesus means making choices that are different from those around you. So, what will you choose, the crowd or God’s way?

God’s word speaks

Romans 12:2 (KJV): “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

What does this scripture mean?

It means we should not allow the world to control how we think, behave, or make decisions. Instead, we should let God’s word guide us. Following God’s way does not mean that we think we are better than other people. It means we choose to obey God while treating everyone with love and respect.

Remember, you can be friendly with everyone without participating in everything they do.

Bible heroes who refused to follow the crowd

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image, even though they faced a blazing furnace. They stood firm in their faith! Read: Daniel 3:16–18

Peter and the other apostles kept preaching about Jesus even after they were told to stop. They said they must obey God rather than human beings. Read: Acts 5:27–29

Lesson: Obey God even when doing the right thing is difficult.

Real Talk

The crowd or God’s way

Hey, Youth Talks family! Have you ever found yourself doing something you knew was wrong simply because everyone else was doing it? Maybe your friends pressured you to gossip, cheat, make fun of someone, or go along with something that did not feel right.

You wanted to say no, but you were afraid they might laugh at you, call you boring, or stop being your friends. Let’s be real! Sometimes we care so much about fitting in that we forget to ask ourselves whether our choices please God.

But here is the truth: everybody is not always right just because everybody is doing it! God has not called you to copy the crowd. He has called you to live according to His word. You can love your friends, enjoy yourself, and still have the courage to say no when something is wrong.

Remember Daniel? He made up his mind to honour God even when he was living in Babylon (Daniel 1:8). If Daniel could stand firm in a difficult environment, you can ask God to help you stand firm at school, at home, online, and wherever you find yourself.

Real-life situation: what would you do? Imagine this! You are in a group chat with your friends. Someone posts an embarrassing picture of another student, and everybody begins laughing and making cruel comments. One of your friends tells you, “Come on, join in! Don’t act so holy!” You know it is wrong, but you do not want to become the next person they make fun of.

Vote in the poll, and ask yourself why you made that choice.

What is God saying to you? Do not let peer pressure decide who you become. Let God’s word guide your decisions. You do not have to be rude or judgmental toward people who make different choices, but you can lovingly stand firm in your own beliefs.

A final word: To all you young people, never sacrifice your values just to fit in. The right friends will respect your boundaries, and even when others do not understand your choices, God can give you the strength to stand firm.

You were created to make a difference, not simply to follow the crowd. Be brave enough to say no, humble enough to show kindness, and wise enough to choose God’s way. Remember: it takes courage to follow the crowd, but sometimes it takes even greater courage to stand apart.

Your group chat is laughing at an embarrassing picture of another student. What would you do?

Part 2 · Our voices
Testimony

Words of Wisdom

From our Deaconess Donna

01

Friendly, not following

You can be friendly with everyone without participating in everything they do. Following God’s way does not mean you are better than anyone. It means you obey God while treating everyone with love and respect.

02

Brave, humble, wise

Be brave enough to say no, humble enough to show kindness, and wise enough to choose God’s way.

03

Dare to stand apart

It takes courage to follow the crowd, but sometimes it takes even greater courage to stand apart. You were created to make a difference, not simply to follow the crowd.

Youth Highlight

Meet Aaron

Meet Aaron, one of our own and an up-and-coming chef! Aaron loves to cook, and this week he’s sharing his warm, creamy pumpkin soup with the whole Youth Talks family.

Find his recipe in the Have fun section, try it at home, and send us a photo of yours. We’re cheering you on, Aaron!

Up-and-coming cookFuture chef
Part 3 · Have fun

Did you know?

Daniel kept praying to God three times a day, even when a law said he could not. He chose to obey God rather than give in to pressure.
Daniel 6:7–10
Activity of the week

This week’s games

The Bible Decision Challenge

Bonus round: complete the verse

Recipe

Pumpkin Soup

About 35 mins
Serves 4 to 6
Easy
Luke cooking

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 carrots, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
  • 2 tsp finely chopped peeled ginger
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 12 oz butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 (15-oz) can pumpkin purée
  • 6 cups (or more) low-sodium vegetable broth
  • Heavy cream or sour cream and roasted pumpkin seeds, for serving (optional)

Steps

  1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the carrots, onion, garlic and ginger, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 minutes.
  2. Add the squash, cover and cook, stirring now and then, until the squash is barely fork-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and paprika and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste is brick red, 1 to 2 minutes.
  3. Add the pumpkin purée and 6 cups of broth. Partly cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer, stirring now and then, until the squash is very tender, about 15 minutes.
  4. Take the pot off the heat. Blend until smooth with an immersion blender (or let the soup cool, then blend it in batches in a regular blender). If the soup is too thick, add more broth, ¼ cup at a time. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Divide the soup among bowls. Top with a spoonful of sour cream and some pumpkin seeds, if you like.

Made it? Show us!

Upload a photo of your dish. We might feature it next week.

Creative Corner

Made by our youth

Poem

The battle is not yours

When life gets hard and you feel weak,
and you don’t know the words to speak,
when friends turn away and tears may fall,
remember, God is Lord over all.

When battles arise and fears appear,
trust in the God who is always near.
You don’t have to fight alone each day,
give God your worries and let Him lead the way.

When the crowd says, “Come, follow us,”
stand firm in God and place your trust.
Don’t trade your faith just to fit in,
with God beside you, you can win.

Like David standing before the giant,
be bold in faith, let your heart be defiant.
For the God who helped him will strengthen you,
and give you the courage to see things through.

So pray when you’re troubled, praise when you’re weak,
open God’s word and let Him speak.
Though you may not know how the story will end,
trust in the Lord, your Saviour and Friend.

by Youth
Poem

The light of faith

When days are dark and skies are gray,
faith gives us hope to find our way.
Trust in God, be strong and true,
for He will guide you through and through.

by Rebekah
Photo

Baked Cookies

by Tahari
Art

Painting

by Danny
Poem

Dare to stand!

When the crowd says, “Come along!” will you follow right or wrong?
Will you choose the popular way, or trust in God each passing day?
When friends pressure you to bend, remember, God will be your friend.
Be brave, be strong, and let faith lead, for God’s way is the way you need!

You don’t need the crowd’s applause, just stand for Jesus and His cause.
Let kindness shine in all you do, and let God’s word keep guiding you.
So make your choice, be bold, be true, God has a special plan for you!
Don’t follow crowds just to belong, stand with God, and you stand strong!

Verse to remember: “Be not conformed to this world…” Romans 12:2 (KJV)

A little message: As young people, you were created to stand out for God, not to blend in with everything the world does. Choose God’s way, even when you must walk alone, because walking with Him is always worth it!

by Deaconess
Poem

The crowd or God’s way

The crowd may say, “Come follow me,” but God has a better path for me.
Though others choose the wrong to do, I’ll stand for God and follow through.

I won’t give in just to belong, with God beside me, I’ll be strong.
When the crowd says, “Go this way,” I’ll choose God’s path every day!

Remember, guys, be brave and true, God’s way is best in all we do!

by Rebekah
Poem

The Light of Faith

When days are dark and skies are gray,
Faith gives us hope to find our way.
Trust in God, be strong and true,
For He will guide you through and through

by Rebekah
Send us your art, poem or story
Part 4 · Respond
Prayer Corner

Let’s pray

How to pray: the 5-finger prayer

Tap a finger to pray along.
Thank You, Father

Heavenly Father, we come before You today with grateful hearts, thanking You for Your love, mercy, and faithfulness. Thank You for creating each of us uniquely and giving us a special purpose.

Request a prayer

Our prayer team will pray for you this week. Only the team sees your request.

This week’s challenge

Choose God’s way this week

When you face a difficult decision this week, pause, pray, and ask yourself, “What would honour God?” Then choose God’s way, even if you have to stand apart. Think about one thing you learned in this edition and put it into practice.
Dare a friend on WhatsApp

3 people have accepted this week’s challenge

Last week’s challenge

Live like you were born for a purpose

Did you complete it?

Luke, the Youth Talks mascot

Find Luke · This week

You haven’t found Luke yet

He peeks out from behind things while you read. Scroll back through the edition and keep your eyes open.

Luke has been found 8 times this week.

Share the hunt Challenge a friend
Facebook X

Previous editions

View all

See you next Monday.

Check out what's happening this week on WhatsApp.
Join the community
crossmenuarrow-right