The Ant Advantage

THE ANT ADVANTAGE

Surviving, Flourishing, and Living                 According to God’s Design

Introduction:

Question: What is it that you believe God is doing in your life right now?

Q. Does He have you thinking and dreaming about things you once thought were impossible or would never happen?

Q. Is He creating enthusiasm and giving you a fresh understanding of your purpose and worth?

When God is moving in your life and new things are happening, they usually do not come easy!

Transition: Sometimes we think if only I had:

• Bigger faith
• Bigger opportunities
• Better circumstances
• Additional assistance
• More resources

Transition: In the book of Proverbs, God gives us an example lived out by one of His smallest created things to show us a path to success.

“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.” (Proverbs 6:6)

The Creator of the universe points us to one of the smallest creatures on earth. Why?

1. Because greatness is not determined by size.
2. And flourishing is not determined by circumstances.

• The ant survives.
• The ant flourishes.
• The ant fulfils its purpose.

Because it lives according to principles God built into creation itself.

And God says: “Pay attention.”

Because the same principles that sustain the ant will sustain us.

The ant teaches us five principles that help believers survive, flourish, and live according to God’s design:

• Preparation
• Vision
• Persistence
• Unity
• Purpose

These are not merely advantages. These are principles of life.

Transition: So, let’s look at what the ant teaches us about surviving, flourishing, and living according to God’s design.

I. PREPARATION: GOD’S DESIGN FOR TOMORROW

Proverbs 6:8 “Provides her meat in the summer…”

The ant is always preparing.

• Preparing for changing seasons.
• Preparing for future needs.
• Preparing for inevitable challenges.
• Preparing for moments when gathering will no longer be possible.
  
  

While others are enjoying summer, the ant is preparing for winter.

The ant understands something many people never learn: Tomorrow is often determined by what you do today.

Life comes in seasons:

• Summer becomes winter.
• Plenty becomes scarcity.
• Strength becomes weakness.

God designed life this way.

• Noah prepared before the rain.
• Joseph prepared before the famine.
• David prepared before the throne.

Prayer is preparation.

Bible reading is preparation.

Worship is preparation.

Faithfulness is preparation.

Many people want God’s harvest while neglecting God’s preparation process.

II. VISION: GOD’S DESIGN FOR DIRECTION

The Ant has a plan, a vision of sorts, short term, mid-term and long-term.

Proverbs 30:25, “Yet they prepare their meat in the summer.”

The ant is not living merely for today.

It sees beyond today.

It understands another season is coming.

Vision allows you to endure present sacrifice because you can see future reward.

Without vision:

• People drift.
• Families drift
• Churches drift.

Faith always sees farther than circumstances.

Vision is not positive thinking. Vision is seeing life through the lens of God’s future.

Transition: Vision helps us see where God is taking us.

But persistence is what helps us get there.

III. PERSISTENCE: GOD’S DESIGN FOR GROWTH

The ant refuses to quit.

Place an obstacle in front of it. It climbs over it.

Block its path. It finds another route.

Knock it down. It gets back up.

The ant is relentless. The ant understands something we often forget:

Growth takes time.

• Seeds grow slowly.
• Trees grow slowly.
• Character develops slowly.
• Faith matures slowly.

Many people fail not because they lack ability. Many people fail because they stop.

Galatians 6:9 says:”Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

The ant understands that persistence often accomplishes what size cannot.

“Persistence is faith that keeps walking when it cannot yet see the finish line.”

Transition: Persistence keeps us moving forward.

But God never intended us to walk alone.

IV. UNITY: GOD’S DESIGN FOR STRENGTH

There is probably no better example of teamwork than the ant.

One ant by itself is limited. A colony is powerful.

The ant understands:

• Cooperation
• Team Work
• Community

Ecclesiastes 4:9 says: “Two are better than one.”

This is why God gave us: Families, Friendships, Churches Ministry teams.

Unity / teamwork is not merely helpful. Unity is part of God’s design.

“What one ant cannot accomplish alone, a colony accomplishes together.”

Transition:

God designed us for preparation.

God designed us for vision.

God designed us for persistence.

God designed us for unity.

And He designed us for purpose.

V. PURPOSE: GOD’S DESIGN FOR LIVING

• Every ant knows its assignment.
• It does not wander aimlessly.
• It does not waste energy.
• It lives with purpose.

Purpose:

• Gives meaning to effort.
• Gives direction to discipline.
• Creates endurance.

Purpose doesn’t eliminate difficulty. Purpose makes difficulty worthwhile.

Transition: Now…the BIG NEWS!

• But every thriving colony has an enemy.
• And every believer who is living according to God’s design will face opposition.

Now church, every thriving colony has an enemy.

One of the ant’s greatest predators is the aardvark.

• A long sticky tongue
• An incredible sense of smell
• An aardvark can consume tens of thousands of ants in a single night.

What took the ants weeks and months to build can be damaged in hours.

Question: How many of you have been to the San Diego Zoo?

Did you enjoy seeing the aardvark? None there!

The aardvark is found almost exclusively throughout Africa.

God designed it with: Powerful claws

The ants spend their lives:

Preparing

Building

Organizing

Working together

The aardvark simply arrives to consume.

Jesus said: “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy…” (John 10:10)

The devil operates exactly the same way.

He doesn’t build. He destroys.

He doesn’t create. He consumes.

He doesn’t bless. He steals.

THE ANT HAS AN ADVANTAGE

THE AARDVARK HAS AN AGENDA

Here is something fascinating.

Application: The aardvark never searches for an empty hill.

• It searches for a thriving colony.
• It is attracted to activity.
• It is attracted to growth.
• It is attracted to life.
• It is attracted to something worth consuming.

Likewise: The enemy is not looking for empty lives.

He is looking for what God is building.

The enemy attacks because there is something valuable worth attacking.

The enemy wants to destroy God’s design in your life.

• He Wants To Destroy Your Preparation – Because preparation creates future blessing.
• He Wants To Blur Your Vision – Because vision creates direction.
• He Wants To Break Your Persistence Because persistence produces victory.
• He Wants To Divide Your Unity Because unity creates strength.
• He Wants To Distract Your Purpose. Because purpose creates impact.

“The aardvark doesn’t attack because the colony is weak. It attacks because the colony is valuable.”

• Sometimes the reason you’re under attack isn’t because you’re failing.
• Sometimes you’re under attack because God is building something worth protecting.

CONCLUSION

The ant teaches us more than wisdom. The ant teaches us how God designed life to work.

God’s design is:

• Preparation before provision.
• Vision before fulfillment.
• Persistence before harvest.
• Unity before strength.
• Purpose before impact.

The Ant Advantage teaches us five extraordinary lessons:

Preparation — Ready for what is coming.

Vision — Seeing beyond today.

Persistence — Refusing to quit.

Unity — Accomplishing more together.

Purpose — Living intentionally.

But the ant also teaches us another lesson. There is an enemy.

The aardvark can destroy in a night what took the ants months to build.

And the enemy would love to destroy in a moment what God has been building in your life for years.

So protect your:

Preparation

Vision

Persistence

Unity

Purpose

Because what God is building is worth protecting.

When we live according to God’s design, we don’t merely survive. We flourish.

And when we flourish, we become everything God created us to be.

“The ant survives because it lives according to God’s design. We flourish when we do the same.”

ALTAR CALL

If you’re here today and you’ve allowed the enemy to attack your preparation, your vision, your persistence, your unity, or your purpose, God is calling you back to His design.

The same God who told us to learn from the ant is the God who can restore what the enemy has tried to destroy.

Let’s stand together.

Let’s recommit ourselves to God’s purpose.

Let’s protect what He is building in our lives.

Prayer “Lord, teach us the wisdom of the ant. Help us prepare, give us vision, strengthen our persistence, unite us together, and keep us focused on our purpose. Give us discernment to recognize the attacks of the enemy and courage to protect what You are building in our lives. Help us not merely survive, but flourish according to Your design. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”