What's the message of the locust?

(1) Don't quit, your victory is assured! The locust is not big, but he's bold! If he can't get through the door, he'll come in through the window. If he can't get in through the window, he'll climb down the gutter and come up under the porch. But he never gives up. So keep praying, keep believing, keep fighting; your victory is assured. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).

(2) Alone you can't, but together we can! The locusts operate in 'bands'. Some of us have issues when it comes to letting people into our life. Because of fear, insecurity or pride, we don't want to talk to anybody, or open up and admit to anybody that we need anything. To reach your destiny you must surround yourself with the right people. You can't run with weak, satisfied, laid-back, mediocre people. No, you need people with an appetite for life and a hunger for God. In God's Kingdom the mathematics are different: "One can face a thousand, but two can chase ten thousand" (Deuteronomy 32:30). "If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in Heaven" (Matthew 18:19 NIV).

Locusts can't really fly; their wings are too narrow. But they can jump 200 times their own height. And timing is everything! The locust waits till the wind blows, then he jumps and the wind carries him to his destination.

What's the message of the locust?

(3) When God moves, be sure you move! A locust cannot navigate where he goes, or fly against the wind, or chart his own course, or change direction. No, he's totally dependent on the wind. Thank God for self-help books and leadership seminars, etc. But there comes a moment when you have to trust God, recognise His timing, take a leap of faith and let the wind of His Spirit take you where you need to go. All your flapping around and wearing yourself out won't get the job done.

(4) Stay sensitive to the wind. God, not you, determines your life's purpose. He's the One who schedules your seasons of opportunity. But Spiritual lethargy can dull your senses and cause you to miss your time. "Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's Word all over again" (Hebrews 5:12 NIV).

Perhaps, instead of flying, your life is falling apart because you let the fire of God in your heart go out. Well, it's not too late! The wind will blow again.

So start praying, "Lord, I may have missed my time before, but not this time. I don't want to end up wishing I'd done something I didn't get to do, not because You weren't ready but because I wasn't."

The locusts have one more important lesson to teach us: Instead of following, lead the way! If you keep hoping someone will take you by the hand and tell you how it's all going to work out, you'll never get anywhere. "The locusts have no king [leader], yet they go forth." Note the word "go". Has it occurred to you that God may have called you to blaze the trail and set the pace? You've sat in church for years and heard all the sermons; now it's time to "cross the Jordan and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you" (Joshua 1:11 NIV).

But you say, "Nobody in my family has ever done anything like this before." Good, then you'll be the first! Who are you going to listen to? The voices of your dysfunctional past or the God who is saying to you, "Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9 NIV). Having people think your ideas are crazy is just part of every success story. When God moves, He doesn't commission a focus group or call for a vote. No, He looks for somebody like Isaiah to say, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8 NIV). Then He underwrites them, equips them and sends them out to be "The head, and not the tail… above only, and… not… beneath" (Deuteronomy 28:13).

And the people God uses are people He can trust with success; people who say, "My wings were too small to travel this far. It wasn't my flapping around that got me here, it was God."

(The Word for Today is brought to you by TheVine in association with The Rhema Broadcasting Group Inc, New Zealand and UCB International Ltd. The Word for Today is copyright © Bob Gass Ministries, PO Box 5130 , Alpharetta , GA 30023-5130 , USA .)