FOXES
Catch us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes. Songs of Solomon 2:15 NKJV
Then you must protect me from the foxes, foxes on the prowl, Foxes who would like nothing better than to get into your flowering garden. Songs 2:15 MSG
And that makes exactly two times you’ve heard Songs of Solomon referenced in church and it wasn’t during a wedding! The daily relevance of this verse may not be immediately clear, but I believe the activities of these foxes paint a candid picture of how untamed thoughts operate in the mind and life of the believer. And it is my sincerest hope that this write-up reinforces the idea that thought management must be conscious, deliberate and frequent for the believer.
The Bible tells us time and time again that thoughts are very important. Truth is, ‘it is all in your mind,’ is not synonymous with ‘it’s not real’. If it is already in your mind, it’s real. Thoughts mock-up the future. They present an architectural preview of what can be expected. And God takes thoughts very seriously:
For as he thinks in his heart so is he. Proverbs 23:7
Jesus Christ amplified this idea to His disciples on the importance of knowing that sin takes root in a person’s thoughts first before it manifests:
You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27-28.
The tendency of thoughts to be anything but benign is why we must do a better job of managing them. Our lives tend to veer in the direction of our thoughts. This is so because thoughts are never satisfied with remaining as mere thoughts. It is the dream of every thought to become reality. And if the reality will be unpalatable, we must arrest it in thought phase. This is why we are strongly admonished to take thoughts captive.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. II Corinthians 10:4-5
I have always thought it interesting that these famous II Corinthian verses progress from discussing weapons and warfare to talking about reasoning and elements of logic in the same breadth. My curiosity has only been further aroused the more I understand that for the believer, indeed for every human being, the greatest battle is the battle in our minds.
As sin took root in human nature, the first manifestation was Adam’s perception and thinking about himself. He became afraid. He saw himself as naked, a fact that had always been present but now perceived differently. He was now ashamed. Same for unbelievers and, sad to say, believers with unrenewed mind, every perception we have of how our environment will affect us and our ability to affect it sits in our mind. Self-doubt, fear, anger, hate, sadness, anxieties all sit in the mind. And so, we have the opportunity to arrest all these negatives, align our minds with the Word of God and replace these negatives with their positive superlatives. Just as it was in our mind that the inherited Adamic fall manifested, it is also in our mind that the inherited righteousness through Christ Jesus will take root.
Here is the good, the absolutely fantastic news. God has not left us alone to win this battle! Go back and read that II Corinthian verse again. I believe hidden in there is the idea that God, Himself, will weaponize our reasoning so we can readily and adequately combat rampant thoughts that are inconsistent with His word. This weaponization in our reasoning is achieved by the constant and unrelenting pondering of the word of God. So much so, that when anything contrary rears up, we are promptly equipped to clap back with God’s word. See, you don’t learn to recognize counterfeit money by studying counterfeit money. You learn to recognize counterfeit, by studying and digesting every fact about real money.
God’s word is the truth. His truth cleanses our minds of lies we’ve been told by sin for decades. When we study it, meditate on it, digest it, and let it rest copiously inside us, we readily arrest lying thoughts that raise themselves against the truth of Christ.
Therefore, the first module for the new believer, the continuing believer, for the growing believer and for the those who think themselves matriculated remains the same: renew your mind daily. The mind is the seat of our faith.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2
In Songs, the metaphorical foxes were to be stopped from running rampant in the vineyard because of their penchant to be swiftly destructive of tender fruits. Same with us, we are the beloved of God. We must arrest those thoughts that seek to intercept God’s assurances. We must take them captive. We must force them to obey Christ.
Amen!
By Sister Bolaji Akisanya