Little Foxes

Well, another work week has come to an end. When I embarked on this blog endeavor 4 days ago I wondered if I would ever have a decent site. Thanks to my Wonder daughter Mary, she made me look like a pro....Thanks Mary. Anyway,I thought I'd share about the names on this blog....when I had to put in a name...the notice kept coming back...sorry this name is already taken...or something like that. Needless to say I was getting a bit frustrated since it's almost impossible to know what millions of people have already captured. At any rate I thought,(which isn't always a great idea) "Let's see....Jesus was born in Nazareth, so He was a Nazarene....the Bible says we will reign with Him as kings and priests.....so since the likelyhood of my being a female king seemed unlikely..I decided on Nazarenequeen.....that must have been taken , for it came back," how about nazerenequeen? Just one little letter did the trick. Ok for that one....now Little Foxes.
This verse in the Bible has given me much thought over the years and I have experienced the little foxes in my life as well as seeing them active in others around me. The verse says, the little foxes spoil the vines. After some delving into finding the implication to our lives in that verse I learned that in Israel, there are little foxes, not much larger that a squirrel really, and they climb up in the center of the grape vines and eat the fruit....from the inside out...they are not always noticed because of their size. At any rate they ruin the vine. There's great application in the Word as to Christ being the vine and we the branches. Now it stands to reason I think, that we can apply the example of little foxes in our life to the things we allow in our life that spoil and inhibit our life in Christ. Sometimes these things cannot be seen from the outside as well. As for me I had a great big little fox in my life that took me some time to recognize and some time to be healed from. Anger...lots of it for things that happened in my childhood....Bitterness for not having any help in raising five children....the military life has a way of separating families for long stretches of time. Loneliness, thyroid problems, not a whole lot of money floating around etc.
Over the years I began to have asthma problems and other physical problems. Weight gain!!! As I got into reading my Bible regularly, I began to see how all these symptoms we experience can be little foxes that eat us up from the inside. Unattended,one day we see that the vine has been spoiled indeed. Christ the vine, who offers us love and peace, help and guidance is somehow separated from an engaging relationship with His branches because of the little foxes having free reign. But all is not lost ....all is not dismal ....all is not without hope. For when we take His word to heart, believe it, use it, trust it.. as we discover and identify our Little Foxes...and bring them to the Lord for healing He does just that. Sometimes it takes a while , we can't heal ourselves. He is the Potter....we are the clay....still on the Potter's wheel.....He is molding us after His image...all we have to do is to follow His instructions...."If we confess our sin He is faithful to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness." Our part....identifying the little foxes....taking them to our Saviour and receiving His healing touch. The Bible teaches about the branches that are not bearing fruit and how the vinedresser has to cut them off...we need not fear being cut off...when we are open to see the areas in our life that are not pleasing to God. The Bible says often says..."Let him who has ears hear what the Lord says...." May we have ears to hear and strength to obey!!! Take heart wounded soul....the Lord will finish the work He has begun in us. Oh What a Saviour!!!