If someone was trying to get you to do something you know is wrong, what would you say? What if they kept doing it? I'd probably yell at them and tell them to back off, that I don't want to be a jerk like they are (in a slightly nicer way, of course).
Jesus had the same problem, but he handled it in a totally different way.
Check out Matthew 4. Jesus has been in the hot desert for a long time. He's hungry, tired, and in need of a shower. Satan comes along, trying to trip Him up. "If you're really the Son of God, turn these rocks into bread to eat." Next, he told Jesus to jump off a cliff, because of course God would save Him. Is testing God a good idea? Jesus knew it wasn't. Then Satan's last-ditch attempt: "Just bow down to me, and all the world can be yours."
Instead of mouthing him off with the longest stream of cuss words at the time, and instead of saying, "Hello, Satan. You're dirty scum, the world is mine, and I can burn you to a crisp whenever I feel like it."
Get this: Jesus replied with Scripture! He kept His cool, He didn't lash out, and instead, He replied with the Absolute Truth: the Word of God. I would be telling Satan to lay off and go get a life by now, but Jesus knew just how to fight off sin. He quoted Scripture to say no. When your friends ask you to do something you know is wrong, you don't have to rattle off Bible verses every time. But it's a good idea to keep your cool and memorize a few Bible verses that can help you when you're tempted to do something wrong.
This advice works in any situation. Thanks for reminding me :) I was going to work on memorizing some verses this summer but have forgotten. Hopefully I'll do it now. There should be a bumper sticker or a flair saying 'Jesus Christ, Son of the Living GOD is my Hero' I'd definitely stick it on my car and cork board if I had either! :) Jesus loves you!
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