OCTOBER 2: THOSE LITTLE FOXES

A fox is a very cunning and destructive animal in a vineyard and small ones are the most dangerous because they are not as visible as the bigger ones. They are like small rats in the house. They hide in holes and destroy things if not dealt with. When they are spotted, the wisest thing is to get rid of them before they cause further damage. As believers, we are God’s vineyard, His tender grapes. He nurtures and prunes us so that we can bring forth fruits, living lives that are pleasing to Him. However, there are enemies on the prowl, foxes whose goal is to destroy the grapes so that Jesus, the Husbandman cannot reap a rich harvest in our lives. These foxes are sin of the flesh and spirit, which stunt our growth.

When we think of sin, we can quickly identify things like adultery and all forms of sexual immorality, murder, stealing, blasphemy, drunkenness and other works (fruits) of the flesh mentioned in Galatians 5:19-21. These are often obvious for others to see and correct but there are others, the very dangerous kinds of sins hidden, like foxes in their holes, waiting to attack.

They are sins like lust, faithlessness, bitterness, jealousy, covetousness, unclean thoughts, hatred, unwholesome ambition, pride, hypocrisy and those hidden sins of the heart that only God sees. The danger is that these ‘hidden’ sins are very often the ones that nurture and trigger the ones that now break out into the open. Often we justify those sins, hiding behind some misguided notion that if it is only human but if we are sincere and submit to God and His word, we will see just how dangerous they are and why we should not give place to them in our lives. If we want to live a life that is pleasing to God, bringing forth fruits to His glory, we have to smoke those foxes out of their holes and destroy them.

Prayer: Father, search my heart and see if there is any evil in me and help me to uproot it so that I may bring forth fruits worthy of Your holiness. Amen