A mighty fortress is our God,
a bulwark never failing;
our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevaling.
Little Foxes: We stumble not over big things. Rather it is the small, even the tiny thing that trips us up. Large errors in our beliefs, in our theology, are more easily discernable. Little ones are not. Unfortunately, these little things don’t remain little. In time, even a small inaccuracy in our understanding of God’s word grows to significance.
“Error, indeed, is never set forth in its naked deformity, lest, being thus exposed, it should at once be detected. But it is craftily decked out in an attractive dress, so as, by its outward form, to make it appear to the inexperienced more than the truth itself.” – Irenaeus, Against Heresies 1:2, a 2nd Century defender of the faith
A mere half-degree off course today will place us far off our intended destination in the years to come. As men and women of Truth, we are called to rightly divide God’s word, to test everything and hold fast to that which is true.
1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
It has been the accumulation little things that have now robbed the Church of her power that was promised to Her by God. The experiential far too often fails to match what God promised with respect to healing, miracles, and answers to prayer. Instead of rooting out the error and seeking God’s power in earnest, we have embraced old traditions. These traditions are revealed by a cadre of believers endorsing an assortment of trite sayings, that excuse ourselves from realizing God’s promises. Little foxes have spoiled our vine.
Song of Solomon 2:15 Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.
I have tired of playing church. Exhausted with the experiential not aligning with the plain Word of God, I press into Him to seek the reason why. I want the power flowing through my life and all those around me earnestly seeking Him.
God’s word is still true. God’s power and sure answers to prayer are still available. But we must root out the “little foxes” spoiling our vine, our graft into His vine. We must eliminate old tradition that undermines our faith. For these misconceptions steal our ability to believe. Without faith, we can expect nothing from God.
1 Corinthians 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
The time for talk has passed. We must press into God, our source, for the power he so clearly promised. It is time to get back to the simplicity of God’s instruction – to the power source. Now is the time to reveal the kingdom of God in power as He instructed.
Lastly, we must believe God even when all looks impossible. Like the Israelites with their backs to the Red Sea and Egyptian army in hot pursuit, all looked lost. Yet, God came through, if for no other reason, but the faith of one – Moses.
As FF Bosworth says, “it is only faith when we are believing in the face of contrary evidence”. Once the answer arrives, no faith is required. It is more reasonable for us to expect God to do what He promised, then to believe He would not.
Sometimes God’s answer tarries. Faith is like a muscle. It must be exercised to grow stronger. God’s regimen seems to be ‘wait’ training.
If we endure patiently, faithfully standing on His word, I believe we will see our experience raised to the level of His clear promise. In time we will determine that excuses don’t cut it … God said it, thus it is so.
If our experience fails to match God’s promises, the problem lies not with God, but with us. Of this, I am convinced. Therefore, I refuse to make excuses and I refuse to blame God.
God honors His promises where they produce faith.
– FF Bosworth
My journey continues on to root out old tradition robbing us of power. In it, I press on to understand. Follow this blog to follow my journey.