Don’t Be A Grasshopper

On Sunday I shared the story of the Israelites coming to the border of the promised land. Out of the twelve spies that went to explore the land, ten of them refused to enter in. Their list of excuses for why they couldn’t take possession of God‘s promises seemed legitimate in their eyes:

• the land was vast and seemed to devour its inhabitants.
• the people were many and strong.
• their cities were fortified.
• they had giants that fought for them.

The Israelites assessment was this, “we seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes”.

Scripture doesn’t say that the enemy saw them as grasshoppers. It was the words of the spies who didn’t believe God’s promise that said they were grasshoppers in their own eyes. In other words, the enemy that stood before them shaped the identity within them. They saw the enemy in the land as greater than the God who promised them to take the land. 

In the end it was what they saw that overrode what they heard from the Lord.

There’s one thing that I’m very confident of and it’s this; the dream God has over your life and what He has spoken is exceedingly abundantly greater than you can imagine. He knows the plans (notice that it’s plural) that He has for you. Plans to give you hope and a future. God is for you, not against you. He calls you more than a conqueror. He said you are the head and not the tail. He calls you His own. He adopted you in as a son or daughter. You’re a co-heir with Christ seated with Him in heavenly places far above all things.

In other words, you’re not a grasshopper! I hope that this image sticks in your mind. God calls you great and has called you to do great things. It’s true for you and it’s true for our church. As you go throughout your day today, do not let unbelief cause you to shrink back from God’s promises to you. Don’t allow what you see before you determine what you see within you. 

We’re coming into the final two weeks of our “Exceedingly Abundantly” series. I pray that your faith has been encouraged. This is also leading to our “We Say YES!” Commitment Sunday on November 14th. This is where we as a church will share what God has laid on our hearts our commitment to the vision concerning our campus expansion. I’ve asked you to lay your heart upon the altar and ask God to challenge you. I’ve asked you to pray and ask God what your part is in this. This week I asked you to pray the prayer, “Lord I believe. Help my unbelief.” This Sunday I’ll be sharing a message entitled, “The Power of the Widow’s Mite”. I believe it will encourage you to make room in your life for God’s overflow and abundance.

I am both encouraged and challenged by your testimonies of how God is speaking to you and challenging your faith. One thing I know is certain; the future here at Grace World is bright. There are generations that will be reached and lives changed because collectively we are all saying “YES!” in the season.

Know that Jenna and I love you and are praying for you. We believe in you. You are no grasshopper!