Are You a Grasshopper or a Conqueror? By Lisa Burkhardt Worley

Going to the National Religious Broadcasters Convention reminds me of when the Israelites first scouted out the Promised Land. 

When there, you see many giants of the faith walking around, people I have a great deal of respect for like Dr. David Jeremiah, Anne Graham Lotz. Dr. Tony Evans. Priscilla Shirer, and Kay Arthur. 

It can be intimidating, and it’s easy to feel like a “grasshopper”—as some of the Israelites described themselves—compared to the giants in the land. An insecure voice can also say, That’s how they see you as well.

That’s when I have to make a conscious decision: Am I a conqueror or am I a grasshopper? 

This all goes back to calling, and remembering that God has given each of us territory to claim for him, whether it’s through a small ministry, a secular workplace, hosting a church group in your home, or taking a meal to a shut-in. We just have to stay the course and not compare ourselves to the giants, who might reach far more people than we do. Comparison can shut us down.

As I was reading in Number 13, I started wondering why God had the Israelites scout out the Promised Land in the first place? He had to already know who was occupying the land. He is the Omniscient One, and I am confident it would take one wave of his right hand to clear the people out to make room for His chosen ones. 

But here’s what I believe. God wants to observe if we will first be obedient to what He is calling us to do. When we face the giants, He also wants to see if we will proceed in faith, and do the work required to claim the land, or will we shirk back in distrust and think, I’m not in that league. I am not as good as the giants. Why even attempt to make a difference?

“But Caleb tried to quiet the people as they stood before Moses. ‘Let’s go at once to take the land,’ he said. ‘We can certainly conquer it!’” (Numbers 13:30).

Even though I still have a lot of self-doubt, I’ve decided to fight through my insecurity and be a conqueror rather than a grasshopper—to move forward ever though there are giants all around me. What about you? 

I just heard a great descriptive term of where God has transitioned me over the past seven years; I am a “media missionary.” When I left the television media world in 1999, I thought I’d never return. I’d had enough.

But God called me back, and as Pearls of Promise tries to expand our media platforms, out of obedience to the Lord, I am doing the work that is required. I am writing the follow up emails to the connections I made at the NRB Convention, sharing our “POP Talk” programs with different television networks, and most importantly, I, and my team are in prayer for Divine favor from the LORD who goes before us. He is still the one who opens doors and provides victory. We can’t face the giants without being totally dependent on our heavenly Father.

Where has God called you? Does the journey seem too difficult to take on? Are the giants overwhelming? 

Are you a grasshopper or a conqueror?

Remember that no matter what we face, no matter how overwhelming it might seem, we are not in this alone. 

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).