P 2298 The little foxes.

Song of Solomon 2:15  “Catch the foxes for us, The little foxes that spoil and ruin the vineyards [of love], While our vineyards are in blossom.” There are times when our love for the Lord is bright and burning hot with passion – and there are other times when it seems this life is full of surprises — and — none of them are good!

In my mind, these are situations that Solomon describes here, and they can come upon us unexpectedly.  Just when you start to think that your spiritual life is turning a corner – wham! Especially when you seem to be getting the hang of walking with the LORD, and understanding His ways. Now here’s a good time to remember “…pride goes before a fall..” !!!  I’ve fallen on my head at this place, many MANY times and probably will again, unless the Holy Spirit helps me. AGAIN!!

When stuff piles on top of us, and life seems relentlessly overwhelming, and way past our ability to cope with it, this is like the best prayer ever. Song of Solomon 2:17a “… Return quickly, my Beloved,…” Jesus is described in Song of Songs as the Chief Shepherd, the Bridegroom, and a gazelle, a mighty deer Who can overcome any obstacle to get to His beloved. He has feet that can go anywhere, just like a stag can! Call out to HIM!  Then wait. Do nothing, just wait to be rescued. BUT at the same time – don’t keep rehearsing other people’s sins against you … take those thoughts captive.

These little foxes invade our vineyard when there is a potential harvest. There are blossoms on the vine… that means … fruit is coming! These circumstances, our difficulties, etc. are here to spoil and steal our fruit!  These things are attacking us so they ruin spiritual fruit before it can even form. The Holy Spirit’s potential to produce fruit in us, is under threat from things we have allowed, or indulged in, or tolerated in our past – or just plain enemy attack.. 

The beauty of this passage is that the bride knows Who to call out to, for help. She knows her Beloved is stronger, more mighty and wiser than the foxes that have come to steal their future potential harvest from them. Sometimes we can race about spraying this and protecting that, when what we really need to do is call out for help to the One who can defeat anything. The Bible says so. Jesus Christ beat death, little foxes are nothing to be concerned about.

But it will still be a battle, simply because we have invested in those things that these foxes stir up. Things like our own self-pity, anger, hatred, bitterness, resentment, and our own self-justification. And this battle can draw blood. It’s going to hurt, because we’ve invested in these things in our past. Start with repentance, and then fight to protect that hard- won fruit you have.

Yes our current circumstances maybe dire and difficult and cringeworthy but however they look – the reality is: “… greater is He that is IN ME than he that is in this world.” We don’t just get to say that or think it, we actually have to live it out minute by minute, battling with our own imaginations, feelings, thoughts …until every single thought obeys CHRIST.

These pesky foxes can be chased off. The Holy Spirit in you, with you, is the winner. However He won’t do it FOR YOU because we all need these skirmishes to develop battle readiness. We cannot allow our enemy to thwart God’s processes by giving in to stuff that we have authority over. Jesus gave us authority! Like I’ve said before: “…having done all, we stand!” And then we keep on standing because our Shepherd/Bridegroom/Mighty Stag is coming and there aint nothin’ gunna stop Him!

Lastly, Jesus said this to His disciples: “I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]”  ←This is our task and aim — to take away the ground in our lives that we have given over to our enemy — whether accidentally or on purpose. Now we can fight satan for the lives of the people around us and WIN.  It is time to eliminate those foxes. HE WILL HELP US. 🙌