Little Foxes in the Vineyard
December 2014
What is the condition, posture, or state of your heart in this season of your life? Are you hungry for God and His Word or bored with the things of God? Are you growing spiritually, experiencing greater intimacy with Jesus or do you feel "stuck?" If this world were filled with people like you, would it be filled with people on fire for God or with people that are discouraged and/or disinterested? Last question, are you truly living not only what you preach, but the abundant life that Christ came to give you (John 10:10 AMP), or just "looking the part" and/or going through the motions?
Earlier this year my heart was very heavy. Anxiety kept me awake more nights then I would like to admit. I preached, "Walk by FAITH and not by sight! Don't be afraid, TRUST GOD", but realized that although saved and living for the Lord there were some little things that had gotten into my heart. Things like worry, stress, discouragement, disappointment, and fear. Then one night, while spending time with the Lord I began to cry out to Him, "Lord, restore my joy and peace! Help me!" It was then that He led me to Song of Solomon 2:15 NLT It says,
"Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming!"
He then began to minister to my heart. I asked Him what were some of these little foxes. He said.....
Earlier this year my heart was very heavy. Anxiety kept me awake more nights then I would like to admit. I preached, "Walk by FAITH and not by sight! Don't be afraid, TRUST GOD", but realized that although saved and living for the Lord there were some little things that had gotten into my heart. Things like worry, stress, discouragement, disappointment, and fear. Then one night, while spending time with the Lord I began to cry out to Him, "Lord, restore my joy and peace! Help me!" It was then that He led me to Song of Solomon 2:15 NLT It says,
"Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming!"
He then began to minister to my heart. I asked Him what were some of these little foxes. He said.....
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So many times we focus on the things that everybody can see with the natural eye, but overlook these "little foxes" that get into our vineyards. Friend, is your heart filled with some of these "little foxes" listed above? If so, hear my heart, these foxes, no matter how small they may seem or how well you hide them from others are not your friend. Their assignment is to kill, steal, and destroy. They want to kill, steal, and destroy your joy, peace, identity, faith, and anointing. They want to shut your mouth and make you doubt who you are. By all means, they definitely don't want you to have and enjoy life, to the full, in abundance, till it overflows (John 10:10 AMP). Like real foxes, they are quiet, cunning, nocturnal in a sense that they keep you up all night, show up and out behind closed doors, but hide and "sleep" during the day around other folks. They major in camouflaging. They know how to blend in with the environment, looking like one thing, but are actually another. Just like real foxes steal food, bury it, cover it with grass, and mark it with urine. These little foxes have gotten in the hearts of so many blood bought believers, stole, and then marked it with a lie that the blood bought believer believed!
Question: What lie have you believed?
Who told you that you were not good enough? Who told you that you were alone? Who told you that God would not come through this time? Who told you that you could not accomplish what God Himself has anointed and equipped you to do? One thing about me, if I catch you in a lie one time, I'll be like, "Maybe she "forgot" the truth." If I catch you again, I'll give you the side eye, but I won't give you the "title" of a liar! Oh, but after that third time, if you tell me that the sky is blue, although I know it probably is, I'll have to check for myself. And if you were to be honest, you are the same way with people. So, why don't we do Satan like that? The Word tells us that he is a liar and that there is no truth in him (John 8:44). Why do we waste so much time believing him? Why do we put people on trial, but overlook the enemy? 2014 is soon to end and 2015 will be here. Let's not wait until the New Year to get these foxes out of our vineyards. Let's not wait until the New Year to be free and live the abundant life. Let's start putting Satan on trial, and watch him come out guilty every time! Let's take our joy, peace, and zeal back. Let's be hungry for God and His Word. Let's start truly operating in our anointing and walking in our purpose. Let's stop just going to church....and actually BE THE CHURCH! Let's get these foxes out and keep them out!!!
So, how do we do this:
1. Prayer, Transparency, and Cutting off Distractions
First things first, we've got to spend more time in prayer----more time talking with God. We've got to stop just talking about prayer and it's power and actually do it! So many times when you're dealing with some of these "little foxes" the enemy will have you thinking that you need to talk to or hear from everyone, but God. Don't get me wrong, I am all for Godly, wise counsel, but nothing should take the place of seeking God and hearing His voice. One thing I did when I was in college was invest in a prayer journal (it's nothing special, just a regular journal from Walmart). On days when I have a hard time verbalizing what's on my heart, I write and write and write. And earlier this year when I was in desperate need of encouragement and someone to talk to I did as Psalm 62:8 says and I poured out my heart to Him! I got real and transparent with Him. Yes, He already knew about the things that were bothering me and the things that disappointed me, but He also knew what I needed. You see friend, yes God hears and listens intently to our prayers, but it is not a monologue. No, it's a dialogue. His communication with us doesn't depend on how loudly He speaks. It depends on how well we listen. God has things that He wants to share with you and say to your heart, but you've got to yield to Him and pray! He is jealous FOR you and He doesn't want to share the throne of your heart with mere foxes like discouragement, un-forgiveness, bitterness, etc.! He definitely doesn't want you trusting in people more than you do Him! He wants His Bride to be wholly His. Another thing that the Lord led me to do was to get off of Facebook for the month of May. Listen, I LOVE Facebook. I love ministering and encouraging others via Facebook, and I also love seeing and celebrating the great things that are happening in the lives of my peers, but the Lord wanted my full attention. Instead of me pouring so much out, God wanted me to take a break and be poured into! Usually, I spend time with Jesus twice a day (once in the morning and once at night), but during this time, I was out of school so I spent a lot of time with Him and found that in His presence there is fullness of joy! The truth is, it's hard to hear from God with your TV playing in the background, your computer open to 5 different social media sites, and your phone in your hand. Sometimes we have to learn to shut it all off so we can Him clearly. I'm not saying that getting off of social media for a month or longer is for everyone, but I am saying that when you're dealing with some foxes, you've got to cut off any and everything that is a distraction and get focused. You've got to stay in the secret place. You've got to keep seeking God's face and keep praying. And when you do, don't get discouraged if it seems like God is "quiet." Just know that you can't be in someone's presence and not eventually hear their voice. So, stay in the secret place and you will hear the Lord's!
2. Intimacy with Jesus (Get in the Word)
Friend, Christian books and blogs are great but they should never replace God’s Word. Before we go get insight from another person we need to first get in the Word and receive insight from God himself. Another thing that we must not do is "underline our Bibles till our pens run dry without a drop of ink splattering our lives. The self-deception slithers in when we mistake appreciation for application or being touched with being changed." God wants intimacy!!! This is why the enemy tries his hardest to distract you from getting in the Word and spending time with God because intimacy releases power, faith, strength, joy, peace, identity, and destiny! It's not a waste of time to spend time with Christ. God used the study of His Word to not only set me free, but to restore, encourage and remind me of some things.....like my inheritance as a child of God and my purpose. He reminded me that no child of His should settle for living in stress, anxiety, hopelessness, and/or depression! No way! Because when Christ died on the cross every one of those "little foxes" were nailed on the cross too! And when He rose, every one of those "little foxes" were defeated and put under our feet!! The Word has the power to not just touch us, but to change us! It also has the power to get those foxes out and keep them out, but we have to stop just appreciating it, and actually get in it and apply it!
3. No matter what, PRAISE GOD
Last, but certainly not least, we have to stop being controlled by our feelings and emotions. I don't care what it looks like, we have to make the decision to trust and praise God....not with a question mark, but with an exclamation point! I can remember many mornings waking up with the spirit of heaviness this year, but then I remember reading this quote by Smith Wigglesworth: "I don't ever ask Smith Wigglesworth how he feels!" I jump out of bed! I dance before the Lord for at least 10 to 12 minutes - high speed dancing. I jump up and down and run around my room telling God how great he is, how wonderful He is, how glad I am to be associated with Him and to be His child." It was then that I decided to put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. So each morning, no matter how discouraged or heavy I felt, I would turn on some music and just praise God. Before I would "preach" to anyone else, I would preach to myself. I would dance before the Lord and pray the Word over myself. Friend, I learned from experience that you can't praise God and worry at the same time! Satan can't defeat or stop a praiser! The more I praised Him and set my affection and attention on Him, the more the cares of this life began to grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. God is not a respecter of persons, choose to praise God in spite of and watch Him not only show up, but show out for you too!
I believe that in this last month of 2014 and especially in 2015, God is calling you higher! It is time to press into Him and seek His face like never before. No longer will you live off of someone else's revelation or testimony, but I believe that God is getting ready to give you a personal revelation and testimony of who He is. I believe that God is going to do something so extraordinary IN and FOR you that others will marvel at all that He accomplishes THROUGH you. Oh yes, I believe that you were born for such a time as this, not just to be a Christian or just to go to Heaven, but to experience Jesus on such a deep level that He confides in you and shows you His covenant and reveals to you it's deep, inner meaning (Psalm 25:14 AMP). That's why the enemy has been trying to distract, discourage, and hinder you with these "little foxes" because he doesn't want you to have a personal revelation of who God is. His goal is simply to make you numb to the things of God. He's not too worried about you following this one on social media or bragging about sister-so-and-so's revelation or quoting it on social media, oh but he does fear a deep, intimate, and powerful relationship with the Father. The devil fears this because once YOU get a revelation of who God is, you will truly know who YOU ARE, "For as He is, so are WE in this world" (1 John 4:17)! So friend, let this be a call to rise up, go deeper, and soar higher. Let this be a call to fight the good fight of faith. Let this be a call to get those foxes out and keep them out! God wants you. He calls out to you today. CHOOSE to draw near to Him. CHOOSE to seek Him. CHOOSE to cling to Him. CHOOSE to depend on HIm. CHOOSE to trust Him. You won't be disappointed!
Be blessed!:)
Question: What lie have you believed?
Who told you that you were not good enough? Who told you that you were alone? Who told you that God would not come through this time? Who told you that you could not accomplish what God Himself has anointed and equipped you to do? One thing about me, if I catch you in a lie one time, I'll be like, "Maybe she "forgot" the truth." If I catch you again, I'll give you the side eye, but I won't give you the "title" of a liar! Oh, but after that third time, if you tell me that the sky is blue, although I know it probably is, I'll have to check for myself. And if you were to be honest, you are the same way with people. So, why don't we do Satan like that? The Word tells us that he is a liar and that there is no truth in him (John 8:44). Why do we waste so much time believing him? Why do we put people on trial, but overlook the enemy? 2014 is soon to end and 2015 will be here. Let's not wait until the New Year to get these foxes out of our vineyards. Let's not wait until the New Year to be free and live the abundant life. Let's start putting Satan on trial, and watch him come out guilty every time! Let's take our joy, peace, and zeal back. Let's be hungry for God and His Word. Let's start truly operating in our anointing and walking in our purpose. Let's stop just going to church....and actually BE THE CHURCH! Let's get these foxes out and keep them out!!!
So, how do we do this:
1. Prayer, Transparency, and Cutting off Distractions
First things first, we've got to spend more time in prayer----more time talking with God. We've got to stop just talking about prayer and it's power and actually do it! So many times when you're dealing with some of these "little foxes" the enemy will have you thinking that you need to talk to or hear from everyone, but God. Don't get me wrong, I am all for Godly, wise counsel, but nothing should take the place of seeking God and hearing His voice. One thing I did when I was in college was invest in a prayer journal (it's nothing special, just a regular journal from Walmart). On days when I have a hard time verbalizing what's on my heart, I write and write and write. And earlier this year when I was in desperate need of encouragement and someone to talk to I did as Psalm 62:8 says and I poured out my heart to Him! I got real and transparent with Him. Yes, He already knew about the things that were bothering me and the things that disappointed me, but He also knew what I needed. You see friend, yes God hears and listens intently to our prayers, but it is not a monologue. No, it's a dialogue. His communication with us doesn't depend on how loudly He speaks. It depends on how well we listen. God has things that He wants to share with you and say to your heart, but you've got to yield to Him and pray! He is jealous FOR you and He doesn't want to share the throne of your heart with mere foxes like discouragement, un-forgiveness, bitterness, etc.! He definitely doesn't want you trusting in people more than you do Him! He wants His Bride to be wholly His. Another thing that the Lord led me to do was to get off of Facebook for the month of May. Listen, I LOVE Facebook. I love ministering and encouraging others via Facebook, and I also love seeing and celebrating the great things that are happening in the lives of my peers, but the Lord wanted my full attention. Instead of me pouring so much out, God wanted me to take a break and be poured into! Usually, I spend time with Jesus twice a day (once in the morning and once at night), but during this time, I was out of school so I spent a lot of time with Him and found that in His presence there is fullness of joy! The truth is, it's hard to hear from God with your TV playing in the background, your computer open to 5 different social media sites, and your phone in your hand. Sometimes we have to learn to shut it all off so we can Him clearly. I'm not saying that getting off of social media for a month or longer is for everyone, but I am saying that when you're dealing with some foxes, you've got to cut off any and everything that is a distraction and get focused. You've got to stay in the secret place. You've got to keep seeking God's face and keep praying. And when you do, don't get discouraged if it seems like God is "quiet." Just know that you can't be in someone's presence and not eventually hear their voice. So, stay in the secret place and you will hear the Lord's!
2. Intimacy with Jesus (Get in the Word)
Friend, Christian books and blogs are great but they should never replace God’s Word. Before we go get insight from another person we need to first get in the Word and receive insight from God himself. Another thing that we must not do is "underline our Bibles till our pens run dry without a drop of ink splattering our lives. The self-deception slithers in when we mistake appreciation for application or being touched with being changed." God wants intimacy!!! This is why the enemy tries his hardest to distract you from getting in the Word and spending time with God because intimacy releases power, faith, strength, joy, peace, identity, and destiny! It's not a waste of time to spend time with Christ. God used the study of His Word to not only set me free, but to restore, encourage and remind me of some things.....like my inheritance as a child of God and my purpose. He reminded me that no child of His should settle for living in stress, anxiety, hopelessness, and/or depression! No way! Because when Christ died on the cross every one of those "little foxes" were nailed on the cross too! And when He rose, every one of those "little foxes" were defeated and put under our feet!! The Word has the power to not just touch us, but to change us! It also has the power to get those foxes out and keep them out, but we have to stop just appreciating it, and actually get in it and apply it!
3. No matter what, PRAISE GOD
Last, but certainly not least, we have to stop being controlled by our feelings and emotions. I don't care what it looks like, we have to make the decision to trust and praise God....not with a question mark, but with an exclamation point! I can remember many mornings waking up with the spirit of heaviness this year, but then I remember reading this quote by Smith Wigglesworth: "I don't ever ask Smith Wigglesworth how he feels!" I jump out of bed! I dance before the Lord for at least 10 to 12 minutes - high speed dancing. I jump up and down and run around my room telling God how great he is, how wonderful He is, how glad I am to be associated with Him and to be His child." It was then that I decided to put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. So each morning, no matter how discouraged or heavy I felt, I would turn on some music and just praise God. Before I would "preach" to anyone else, I would preach to myself. I would dance before the Lord and pray the Word over myself. Friend, I learned from experience that you can't praise God and worry at the same time! Satan can't defeat or stop a praiser! The more I praised Him and set my affection and attention on Him, the more the cares of this life began to grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. God is not a respecter of persons, choose to praise God in spite of and watch Him not only show up, but show out for you too!
I believe that in this last month of 2014 and especially in 2015, God is calling you higher! It is time to press into Him and seek His face like never before. No longer will you live off of someone else's revelation or testimony, but I believe that God is getting ready to give you a personal revelation and testimony of who He is. I believe that God is going to do something so extraordinary IN and FOR you that others will marvel at all that He accomplishes THROUGH you. Oh yes, I believe that you were born for such a time as this, not just to be a Christian or just to go to Heaven, but to experience Jesus on such a deep level that He confides in you and shows you His covenant and reveals to you it's deep, inner meaning (Psalm 25:14 AMP). That's why the enemy has been trying to distract, discourage, and hinder you with these "little foxes" because he doesn't want you to have a personal revelation of who God is. His goal is simply to make you numb to the things of God. He's not too worried about you following this one on social media or bragging about sister-so-and-so's revelation or quoting it on social media, oh but he does fear a deep, intimate, and powerful relationship with the Father. The devil fears this because once YOU get a revelation of who God is, you will truly know who YOU ARE, "For as He is, so are WE in this world" (1 John 4:17)! So friend, let this be a call to rise up, go deeper, and soar higher. Let this be a call to fight the good fight of faith. Let this be a call to get those foxes out and keep them out! God wants you. He calls out to you today. CHOOSE to draw near to Him. CHOOSE to seek Him. CHOOSE to cling to Him. CHOOSE to depend on HIm. CHOOSE to trust Him. You won't be disappointed!
Be blessed!:)