LITTLE FOXES (I)

 Song of Songs 2:15

Catch us the foxes,

The little foxes that spoil the vines,

For our vines have tender grapes.

We will be examining little (sometime almost unnoticeable) things that can steal from or ruin or derail our destinies.

Our vineyards here represent our lives and what God is nurturing in us that must not be allowed to be destroyed by foxes (anything that has the ability to ruin your life).

Why do we labour a lot sometimes without seeing commiserate result?

Why would you work like an elephant and eat like an ant?

Why do you pray and pray and pray and it seems God isn’t listening?

You make all the right confessions and nothing is happening.

There could be some “little foxes” lurking somewhere, eating away your fruit.

What are these little foxes?

*PEOPLE

Luke 13:31-33

On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, “Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.”

And He said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’ Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.

*FALSE (foolish) PROPHETS

Ezekiel 13:1-7

1 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 

2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, ‘Hear the word of the LORD!’ ”

3 Thus says the Lord GOD: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 

4 O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. 

5 You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the LORD. 

6 They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD!’ But the LORD has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. 

7 Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The LORD says,’ but I have not spoken.”

#1. Sin

Jeremiah 5:23-29

But this people has a defiant and rebellious heart;

They have revolted and departed.

They do not say in their heart,

“Let us now fear the Lord our God,

Who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season.

He reserves for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.”

Your iniquities have turned these things away,

And your sins have withheld good from you.

‘For among My people are found wicked men;

They lie in wait as one who sets snares;

They set a trap;

They catch men.

As a cage is full of birds,

So their houses are full of deceit.

Therefore they have become great and grown rich.

They have grown fat, they are sleek;

Yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked;

They do not plead the cause,

The cause of the fatherless;

Yet they prosper,

And the right of the needy they do not defend.

Shall I not punish them for these things?’ says the Lord.

‘Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?’

Isaiah 59:1-13

Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened,

That it cannot save;

Nor His ear heavy,

That it cannot hear.

But your iniquities have separated you from your God;

And your sins have hidden His face from you,

So that He will not hear.

For your hands are defiled with blood,

And your fingers with iniquity;

Your lips have spoken lies,

Your tongue has muttered perversity.

No one calls for justice,

Nor does any plead for truth.

They trust in empty words and speak lies;

They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.

They hatch vipers’ eggs and weave the spider’s web;

He who eats of their eggs dies,

And from that which is crushed a viper breaks out.

Their webs will not become garments,

Nor will they cover themselves with their works;

Their works are works of iniquity,

And the act of violence is in their hands.

Their feet run to evil,

And they make haste to shed innocent blood;

Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;

Wasting and destruction are in their paths.

The way of peace they have not known,

And there is no justice in their ways;

They have made themselves crooked paths;

Whoever takes that way shall not know peace.

Therefore justice is far from us,

Nor does righteousness overtake us;

We look for light, but there is darkness!

For brightness, but we walk in blackness!

We grope for the wall like the blind,

And we grope as if we had no eyes;

We stumble at noonday as at twilight;

We are as dead men in desolate places.

We all growl like bears,

And moan sadly like doves;

We look for justice, but there is none;

For salvation, but it is far from us.

For our transgressions are multiplied before You,

And our sins testify against us;

For our transgressions are with us,

And as for our iniquities, we know them:

In transgressing and lying against the Lord,

And departing from our God,

Speaking oppression and revolt,

Conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.

Psalms 66:18-20

If I regard iniquity in my heart,

The Lord will not hear.

But certainly God has heard me;

He has attended to the voice of my prayer.

Blessed be God,

Who has not turned away my prayer,

Nor His mercy from me!

Before you conclude that these are Old Testament scriptures that do not apply to us, let’s go over to the New Testament.

Because of the long read (John 5:1-14), I’ll summarize the story.

A man was paralyzed for 38 years and was lying at the pool of Bethesda, waiting for the moving of the water so he could have a chance to be the first to jump in and get healed.

Jesus came by and healed the man.

John 5:8-9

Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.

And that day was the Sabbath.

See the admonition of Jesus to him afterwards.

John 5:14

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.”

It clearly shows sin can bring evil upon us.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians concerning a man who had taken his father’s wife.

1 Corinthians 5:1-5

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Paul said such a man would be delivered to satan for the destruction of his flesh.

However, this man repented as we can see from his 2nd letter to them, urging them to forgive him.

2 Corinthians 2:6-8

This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man, so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.

When a believer sins, there is provision for forgiveness through the blood of Jesus.

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

There is provision for every believer to deal with sin.

1 John 2:1-2

My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

Now, the intent of this study is not to make you sin-conscious, but rather to give no room for the enemy to gain an advantage or have access into your life.

Jesus once said the devil had nothing in Him.

John 14:30

I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.

We are exhorted not to give any room to the devil (Eph. 4:27)

Sin is a little fox that can eat away your blessing.

Job 31:7-12

If my step has turned from the way,

Or my heart walked after my eyes,

Or if any spot adheres to my hands,

Then let me sow, and another eat;

Yes, let my harvest be rooted out.

“If my heart has been enticed by a woman,

Or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door,

Then let my wife grind for another,

And let others bow down over her.

For that would be wickedness;

Yes, it would be iniquity deserving of judgment.

For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction,

And would root out all my increase.

Let me reiterate the fact that this is not meant to make you conscious of your faults. No.

1 John 3:20-21

For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.

As long as your heart does not condemn you or convict you of sin, just live with confidence and approach the Lord will all boldness.

1 John 1:7

But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Romans 8:1

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:12-13

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

As long as you walk in the light you have, and maintain fellowship with the brethren, the blood of Jesus will continuously cleanse you from all sin (1John 1:7)

And when your heart convicts you of a wrong, confess it immediately to God (1John 1:9)

Proverbs 28:13

He who covers his sins will not prosper,

But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.

Unconfessed sin and continual indulgence in sin will attract the judgement of God - here on earth - and not when we get to heaven.

1 Timothy 5:24

Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later.

If you are born again, you don’t need anyone to start reeling out condemnation on you. 

Your own heart will condemn you when you are wrong. 

Conscience is the voice of your spirit. 

It convicts you so you can judge yourself and repent, and there would be no further judgement.

1 Corinthians 11:28-32

But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world.

Your conscience will judge your actions, accusing you or else excusing you.

Romans 2:15

who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)

If there is anything bringing condemnation to you, pls deal with it before you go to bed.

Take out this one fox.