In Dissecting the Serpent, my friend, now deceased, Rick Shoemaker shared a story from his third-grade math class. The teacher had privately instructed the three smartest students in the class to choose answer B to a math problem she was going to share with the class.
When asked for a show of hands for anyone who believed A was the correct answer not one person raised his/her hand. She then proceeded to ask who believed letter B held the correct answer. Once the three “smart” kids raised their hands, almost everyone in the class followed. Rick said, “It didn’t look right to me, but I raised my hand anyway. I didn’t want to look stupid.”
Then the teacher called for a show of hands for letter C. One girl, Elaine raised her hand. Elaine was the only one who chose the correct answer.
Rick says, “I don’t remember anything about the math problem that day, but I will never forget the powerful lesson Elaine taught me about standing alone when you know you are standing for what is right.
That class (or at least Rick) learned a valuable lesson in peer pressure that day. Satan loves to use the power of hordes or as Rick calls it “droves” to lure people to that which is wrong or evil. You’ve likely seen or heard, “Wrong doesn’t become right just because everyone is doing it.”
Peer pressure has proven to be detrimental to scores of people throughout history. It’s what led to Christ’s crucifixion. Many of the same people who, days earlier were shouting “Hosana to God in the highest,” as Jesus entered Jerusalem, were now calling for His crucifixion. Why? Had they seen something different in Jesus that week? No. Jesus was still the healing, loving teacher they had witnessed before. They followed the hordes calling for His death that morning.
Jesus shared in Matthew 7:13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
“Because everyone is doing it” is a ticket to the broad gate that leads to destruction. Before jumping on the bandwagon of popularity, check with the Holy Scriptures. That is where absolute truth is found. Truth is not found in individual beliefs or desires, that is the sure path to destruction. This Christmas season seek truth, study the Holy scriptures, this is the only way to life abundant and eternal for which Christ came. – Those are not my words, but God’s.
