Grasshopper Mentality

When God promised Israel a land flowing with milk and honey, it wasn’t an empty promise. God doesn’t play around with His promises. He brought them out of Egypt because of His covenant, and He had already secured their future.

As they approached Canaan, God instructed Moses to send twelve men—one from each tribe—to explore the land He had promised them. The twelve went, explored the land, and returned with their report. Ten of them spoke not only of the physical obstacles—saying the people were bigger, stronger, and that taking over the land was impossible—but they also made a tragic conclusion: “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” — Numbers 13:33 (NIV)

That one statement captures what we now call the grasshopper mentality—a mindset rooted in fear, inferiority, and forgetfulness of God's promises and power. While ten saw defeat, only Caleb and Joshua rose in faith, saying, “We can certainly do it,” because they trusted God.

In our own lives, we often develop mindsets that underestimate God's promises, overestimate our obstacles, belittle our identity, and spread fear instead of faith. The real issue is never the size of the enemy, but the size of our faith in God. All twelve spies saw the same promise and the same problems—yet ten returned with fear, and two with faith.

You may not be in a desert wilderness, but you might still wrestle with a grasshopper mentality. It appears in everyday thoughts and choices. It sounds like, “I could never do that,” in response to a calling—even before you’ve tried. It shows up when fear silences your voice and delays obedience. Often, we compare ourselves with others and conclude we’re not enough. We give more weight to human opinion than to God’s truth. This mentality whispers: “You’re too small. You’ll fail. Others are stronger. Don’t even try.”

The spies didn’t see themselves as God’s people. They saw themselves as insects—weak, crushable, forgettable. They assumed even their enemies saw them that way. No one told them that—they made that conclusion on their own. And despite everything they had seen—God’s power in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the manna, His constant protection—they still questioned whether God would deliver them again.

Aren’t we often like that too? We see ourselves through our fears. We assume what others think of us, even when we don’t know. We forget how far God has brought us and doubt His hand over our future.

This mindset cost Israel deeply. A whole generation wandered and died in the wilderness. They didn’t lose the promise because of giants, but because of unbelief. God didn’t judge them for exploring the land—but for doubting His word. And we, too, may miss out on God’s blessings—not because He is unwilling, but because we stop trusting Him.

But here is the truth: You are not a grasshopper. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, engraved in the palm of the Maker’s hand, created in His image, called and anointed. As Romans 8:37 declares, “In all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Not just conquerors—more than.

Remember, what God starts, He finishes (Philippians 1:6). His promises do not rely on your strength but on His faithfulness. Caleb and Joshua saw the same giants as the others, but they looked at them through the lens of faith. Faith doesn’t deny difficulty—it declares that God is greater.

So ask yourself: Are you seeing yourself as a grasshopper in a land God already promised you? Are the obstacles in front of you overshadowing your obedience?

Or will you be like Caleb—a person of faith who sees with God’s eyes, speaks courageously, and steps forward boldly, even when the crowd steps back?

Don’t let a grasshopper mindset keep you from a giant-sized calling. When God is preparing something big for you, don’t belittle yourself according to your own fears.