A majority, many times, is a group of highly motivated snails. If a thousand people say something foolish, it’s still foolish. Truth is never dependent upon consensus of opinion.
In 1 Peter 2:0, the Bible says of us Christians, …ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.. Romans 12:2 exhorts us, And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
One of the greatest compliments that anybody can give you is to say that you are different. We Christians live in this world, but we are aliens. We should talk differently, act differently, and perform differently. We are called to stand out.
There should be something different about you. If you don’t stand out in a group, if there is not something unique or different in your life, you should re-evaluate yourself.
One way to stand head and shoulders above the crowd is to choose to do regular, ordinary things in an extraordinary and supernatural way with great enthusiasm. God has always done some of His very best work through remnants, when the circumstances appear to be stacked against them. In fact, in every battle described in the Bible, God was always on the side of the “underdog,” the minority.
Majority rule is not always right. It is usually those people who don’t have dreams or visions of their own who want to take a vote. People in groups tend to agree on courses of action that they as individuals know are not right.
Don’t be persuaded or dissuaded by group opinion. It doesn’t make any difference whether anyone else believes, you must believe. Never take direction from a crowd for your personal life. And never choose to quit just because somebody else disagrees with you.
In fact, the two worst things you can say to yourself when you get an idea are: 1) “That has never been done before,” and 2) “That has been done before.” Just because somebody else has gone a particular way and not succeeded does not mean that you too will fail.
Be a pioneer, catch a few arrows, and stand out.
Excerpt permission granted by Insight Publishing
John Mason is an international bestselling author, minister, publisher, executive author coach, and noted speaker. He’s the founder and president of Insight International and Insight Publishing Group. Both organizations are dedicated to helping people reach their dreams and fulfill their God-given destinies.
He has authored thirty-two books including An Enemy Called Average, You’re Born An Original—Don’t Die A Copy, Let Go of Whatever Makes You Stop, and Know Your Limits Then Ignore Them which have sold over 2 million copies and are translated into 40 different languages throughout the world. His books are widely regarded as a source of godly wisdom, scriptural motivation, and practical principles. His writings have been published twice in Reader’s Digest along with numerous other national and international publications. Seven of his books have reached number one on Amazon bestseller lists.
He’s been the president of two Christian publishing companies. He’s also a former Vice President and Publisher for Thomas Nelson Publishers (Harper Collins), the 6th largest book publisher in the world and largest Christian publisher.
He’s an internationally recognized executive author coach, helping numerous prominent authors with their books for more than thirty years. Politicians, NBA, NFL, PGA, MLB, an Olympic gold medalist and other professional athletes, billionaires, businesspeople, pastors, ministers, New York Times bestselling authors, a Fortune 500 CEO, Navy SEALs, Top Gun pilots, and a Texas governor have all benefitted from his knowledge.
Known for his quick wit, powerful thoughts, and insightful ideas, he is a popular speaker across the US and around the world.