HOW TO GET RID OF
LITTLE FOXES

         Daily Forgiveness of small things that want to eat your lunch (Fresh Bread) usually begins in your home.
         We can take all the great hurts in our life and know that we made a conscious commitment to forgive these things that were wrongfully done to us. We have even made a conscious commitment to forgive ourselves.
         But, each day is a new day, and the little foxes will return to spoil the vine.
         Solomon, known for the great wisdom God granted him, says in Song of Solomon 2:15:

                  “TAKE US THE FOXES
                   THE LITTLE FOXES THAT SPOIL THE VINES:
                    FOR OUR VINES ARE TENDER GRAPES.”

         This comes from a love story and is so appropriate for us today. It’s because we love someone, that they are able to hurt us. Our vines have tender grapes. We must be gentle with each other.
         The little foxes can represent many things, but today we will consider them as attacking our thought life and our need to daily forgive.
         To “take Us the foxes”…we must bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5). He is the True Vine and we are the branches or extensions of the Vine. (John 15:4-5). Therefore, we seek to be in agreement with Him and His Words.
         Jesus is the Truth, the life and the way. No one comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6).

SEEKERS OF TRUTH

         Once we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and know that He is all TRUTH, we seek His answers for every situation in our life. The branch (or the extension of the Vine) cannot find the TRUTH apart from the True Vine, Christ, through God’s Word, and the teaching and direction of the Holy Spirit.
         All men and women were created by God for God. And all are seekers of TRUTH. His Word says, “Ye shall seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13).
         When you find Jesus and ask Him to be your Lord, you become attached to the True Vine.

YOUR GRAPES REMAIN TENDER

         It is through this tenderness that God is able to teach us. Each time we are sensitive to the pain our loved ones cause us, or we cause them, we come to our Lord asking, “Why?”, and seeking His TRUTH.
         “Why does this hurt, Lord? Am I wrong? Are they wrong? Are we both wrong? Your TRUTH sets me Free from the pain, so I need to know Your Truth. My grapes are tender and I am hurting.”

LITTLE FOXES

         “Little foxes.”, you might hear Him say to your spirit.
         Only God knows the whole truth about any given situation or relationship. Some things, it is not time for us to know…but we can have relief from these little foxes…thoughts that circle in our minds, nipping at the tender grapes of our emotions: making us angry, discouraged, sad, frustrated because we can’t figure out how to fix them…or to stop the thoughts.
         There really is a simple solution. To stop their harassment, all you have to do is chose to FORGIVE every minute of your day…as necessary.

At the first nip of remembered pain or a new pain…say: “I forgive.”
         This works better than rocks thrown or even the words “shoo…get out of here”, or even trying to figure out why the little foxes are attacking you.
         It works every time because it is a constant with God. 

PERSONAL FOXES
YOU KEEP IN YOUR PEN

         A dear friend just stopped by. She said that she could picture a private pen where we choose to keep some personal foxes locked up. We just won’t let them go. We keep feeding them.
         I had to agree, because as her husband stated: the longer they stay in our personal pen, the larger they grow. Eventually, they are no longer little foxes, but roaring lions.
         This gives us a clue of their intentions as we read I Peter 5:8. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”
         So I encourage you to stop the little foxes before they grow into roaring lions. Open the gates where you may have kept your personal fox…and let him go. And, if strays approach, get rid of them immediately by saying: “I choose to forgive…every minute of the day if necessary.”
         HOW THIS WORKS, I don’t fully understand, but it’s not important to me this morning because all the little foxes are gone. And the gate is open and I have released some Big Foxes…so I am Free.
         Yes, they will try to come back. It’s their nature and assignment to spoil the vines by attacking the tender grapes. (Song of Solomon 2:15).
         Only God knows and understands how this works so effectively against the little foxes. If He chooses to give us this weapon at this time, He knows we need it.
         So I invite you to practice with me today, saying, “I forgive…every minute of the day…as needed.” Once you begin, you might find as I did, that you are forgiving yourself of more things than others…because that is probably where the little foxes attack first. Forgive yourself for being impatient with others. Forgive yourself for being late. Forgive yourself for not having a spotless house. Forgive your child who calls your name too often and demands your attention. Forgive…Forgive…Forgive!
         Let’s be quick to stop the little foxes before they have time to multiply or grow up to look and sound like lions. We can do it, by God’s Grace and revelation of our attackers.