Is it possible to live a nice, quiet life and follow God’s direction? No, not really. If you are going to get things done for God, you must be aggressive. You can’t stand around and be afraid of circumstances. You must act on the good report, leave all the negative circumstances behind, and declare, “This belongs to me, and I’m going to tread on it!”
If you don’t act boldly on God’s direction, then you will cower in fear. Wouldn’t you rather make the enemy afraid of you? Tell him so. Shout it out: “Look out, devil, here I come!” Shake him up. Give HIM a headache for a change.
The Israelites were afraid to confront the enemy. The Bible “clues us in” on their thinking:
And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers. And so we were in their sight.
(Num. 13:33)
The Israelites had a “grasshopper complex.” You’ve heard of inferiority complexes. Well, the Israelites had grasshopper complexes. They looked in the mirror and saw themselves as grasshoppers in comparison to the giants. Have you ever looked closely at a grasshopper? They’re absolutely hideous! Why would anyone want to be compared to such ugly little creatures?
The Israelites didn’t see themselves as people who could stomp around in the Promised Land and put fear into the giants of Hebron. Instead, the Israelites imagined themselves as being squashed beneath some giant’s foot. Just a little green “splosh” on the plains of Hebron.
Do you know the Israelites real problem? They were looking in the wrong mirror. If they had looked into the mirror of God’s Word, they could have seen themselves as giants.
When we view ourselves through God’s Word, we become giants…giants for God, who take giant steps toward accomplishing his will. The spies blew it because they thought they were grasshoppers. They couldn’t tread all over the land—oh, perhaps they may have been able to take a few hesitant hops—but basically the spies walked in fear. They didn’t choose life nor did they take advantage of the wonderful opportunities that God had offered them.
To people in fear, everything in life is a giant. Do you fear that at any moment you may be devoured by a gigantic problem in your life? Do you view yourself as a grasshopper in the comparison to your circumstances? Then begin to view yourself only in the mirror of God’s word. Soon that puny self-image will melt away and you will see yourself as a bold, mighty warrior who changes circumstances rather than yields to them.
Excerpt permission granted by Marilyn Hickey Ministries
Marilyn passed away peacefully at her home on April 25, 2026. But before she graduated to heaven, God told Marilyn not to be buried with her mantle. Instead, she was to pass it on to all who were willing to receive it. Marilyn obeyed this directive and spent decades developing, discipling, and commissioning partners and team members. Because of this, when Marilyn slowly stepped back from active ministry in her 90s, she did so with peace and confidence. Marilyn knew that what God had started would be carried into the future by faithful hands on whom a portion of her mantle rests.
A large portion of Marilyn’s mantle also rests on her granddaughter, Isabell, who stepped into a powerful teaching ministry with Marilyn in 2023. Isabell brings both reverence for the foundation that has been laid and a God-given ability to preach the Word in fresh, effective ways. Along with Marilyn’s ministry team, Isabell is powerfully walking into the future, using decades of Marilyn’s teachings—thoughtfully curated and digitally restored—to expand the reach of her grandmother’s ministry through modern platforms, international outreach, and the daily television program. Marilyn’s powerful teachings are currently being translated into multiple languages that will reach people around the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ in their native tongue.
Marilyn’s vision to cover the earth with God’s Word is still alive and powerful today. Her ministry is continuing to walk through open doors, taking the gospel to nations that desperately need to experience the miracle power of the Word of God and reaching future generations with the hope of the gospel.