Grasshopper Mentality

(Mark 9:23 GW) Jesus said to him, "As far as possibilities go, everything is possible for the person who believes."

1. God has no limits – there is nothing He cannot do.
2. God desires to overcome our limits with His limitless ability.
3. What we believe determines what we are available to receive (unbelief stifles God).
4. We limit what our limitless God can do for us when we fail to believe He can or will.
5. As we expand our capacity to believe we release God to freely operate in our lives

A good example of this is found in Numbers 13. 12 spies went into the land. Two believed they could take it and 10 did not. When Caleb said, "Let's go… I know we can do it!" The other men replied, “We can't attack those people; they're way stronger than we are." If this was all they said it would have been bad enough, but they went on to spread scary rumors among the people, saying, "…everybody we saw was huge.. giants… alongside them we felt like grasshoppers. And they looked down on us as if we were grasshoppers" (see Numbers 13:30-33). Let’s seek to glean a few golden nuggets that apply to our lives today:

1. Believing God will often put you in the minority: Many Christians today are so accustomed to participating in “religious activity” without any real manifestation of God that they criticize those that have the audacity to literally believe God and His Word. Those who believe they can receive and do what the Bible says they can receive and do are often labeled as fanatics, even within the Christian community. So just know up front that if you are ready to expand your capacity to believe God and to expect the blessing of God to flow in your life that you will be in the minority. In spite of the fact that 10 out of 12 were against them, Joshua and Caleb did not doubt. Even when the rumors spread and millions doubted God, Joshua and Caleb remained in faith. What was the result? Millions died in the wilderness without ever possessing the promise of God for them. Joshua and Caleb were the only two of that generation to receive that promise. Are you ready to believe even when it is unpopular?

2. Doubting God leads to fear: Doubt is the precursor of fear. Once you doubt God for one moment you open the door to fear in your life. Faith moves God, fear moves satan. Faith is having confidence in God and His Word. Fear is having confidence in satan and his word. God said the land was theirs, but they doubted when they saw the obstacle they had to overcome to receive the promise (the inhabitants). Once doubt was present, fear crept right in. Successful Christians doubt their doubts and have faith in their faith.

3. Fear messes with your mind: Faith will cause you to look at a giant and say, like Caleb, "Let's go… I know we can do it!" On the other hand, fear will cause you to look at the same giant and say, “we felt like grasshoppers.” Even worse, they went on to imagine that the giants saw them as grasshoppers as well. If you are going to receive God’s blessing and do great things for God in His kingdom you must overcome the grasshopper mentality. The grasshopper mentality looks at obstacles and looses heart. The giant-killer mentality (also remember David and Goliath) looks obstacles and sees an opportunity for God to manifest His glory.

4. Doubt and fear are the fruit, but unbelief is the root: When you operate in doubt and allow fear to overtake you it is simply because you do not believe God. If you believed God and believed the Bible, then you would not believe the thoughts of doubt, fear, and failure. There are constants thoughts running through your mind; thoughts from God, satan, and you. You must sift your thoughts through the filter of faith – the Word of God – so you can know which thoughts to receive and which ones to reject (2nd Corinthians 10:3-5).

Father, I believe You and Your Word. No matter how many people doubt You, I refuse to be one of them. I walk in faith and not fear. I walk in trust and not doubt. I sift my thoughts through the filter of faith. I am a giant-killer in Your kingdom. I overcome every hindrance, every obstacle, and every attack. I am a believer and not a doubter. I feed my faith and starve my doubts. I overcome the grasshopper mentality and I maximize my purpose and potential in YOU! In Jesus’ name. Amen.