Today, September 16, 2020, is the one year anniversary of me starting Refresh Her Course Blog! God is so faithful! I usually do not finish or continue things I start to the capacity that I want, and do not get me wrong, I have a long way to grow with faithfulness to this blog, but GOD brought me through one year of sharing His heart, my testimony, and His love through these writings! I could not be more delighted! I want to give a major shout out to Holy Spirit who put the unction in me! I love you and thank you for dwelling in and using me for your glory!

ISSA WORD…

Now you know it’s not a refresh Her Course Blog without an exhortation of sorts! I was driving home from work at night and bolting out into the street was none other than a fox! I have not seen a fox in years, but me and Main St. saw one this particular night. Earlier that day, I was struggling with lust and toggling with whether to feed the lust in my heart or not. The struggle was real. God however created a way of escape and though it was a slow walk to it on my part, I took it, though not as successful as I wanted to. On the way to work I was listening to some sermons and repenting for the lust in my heart, rooted in fear and doubt. As I took in the Word to renew my mind, I started to feel better.

I listened to sermons all through my shift and it really encouraged me and set my heart back on where it needed to be. Now getting back to the fox… It ran in the road fast and sleek. If you blinked you could have missed it, it glided so fast; not like a scatter-brained squirrel, but with intention and focus and speed. Almost immediately I heard Holy Spirit say, “Watch out for the small foxes that spoil the vine.” That replayed in my head for the better part of the remaining 5 miles and Burger King trip I made to get home.

When I got home, I whipped out my Bible and computer to try to find this verse in the Word. My search led me to Song of Solomon 2:15 (let’s just note that my birthday is 2/15– interesting lol). It reads, “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.” Of course I looked in the footnotes for a cross reference and there were two notes. The first said “take” is interchangeable with “catch,” thus it would read, “Catch us the foxes, the little foxes…” The second note said “Ezekiel 13:4.” It reads, “O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts.” Hmmm… are you thinking like I am?

Being the low key nerd that I am, I looked up what are the behaviors of desert foxes. National Geographic’s website told me that desert foxes:

• Sleep in the day; nocturnal (so they come out at night)
• hunt, eat, and play at night (operate in darkness)
• dig
• live in underground dens
• go for long times without water

As I was trying to connect the dots, what was coming to me was, “Jerrica, watch out for the lies that were spoken to you by cunning people used by the evil one, little– powerless cunning people used by the evil one, that spoil the truth that God has given you: for the truth God gave you is fruitful and ripe.” God was addressing something He alluded to earlier that day for me, even earlier that week; destroy the lies that were spoken over you that cause you to doubt me and sin, and protect the in between(s). We have to catch every lie, every sin-sick behavior, every stinking thinking mindset, that will spoil or:

• diminish or destroy the value or quality of
• prevent someone from enjoying 
• harm the character of by being too lenient or indulgent
• rob (a person or a place) of goods or possessions by force or violence (google dictionary)

THE VINE! Jesus says in John 15:5, “I am the vine, and ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” Sis, we have to catch ANYTHING that would try to spoil the fruit Jesus Christ has been growing in and through us. Catch the lust! Don’t even feed it or let it grow! Starve it in its cage! It is trying to kill your connection with Jesus Christ!

Question for us to ponder: What are the “little foxes” in my life that threaten to spoil the fruit of Jesus Christ is growing in my life? The exhortation: Catch it, cage it, starve it to death. Sounds dark and heartless, well, so is the depths of hell and separation from Almighty God for eternity if repentance and swift obedience to the Word of God is not carried forth through us. Jesus loved us enough to send Holy Spirit to dwell in all who believe and accept Jesus Christ as Lord. Holy Spirit reveals and reminds us of truth, convicts us of sin, and guides us, the repentant, along the path of righteousness. That’s true love.

The sermon that encouraged my socks off was: Protect the In Between(s), which you can find here: https://refreshhercourse.blog/2019/11/05/protect-the-in-betweens-pt-2/

Lastly, Holy Spirit dropped one more nugget on me while listening to the sermon. That nugget was, “Mark the man.” I sought the reference in the work and found it in Psalm 37:37, “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.” I also found it in Philippians 3:17, “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.” I also found what Holy Spirit was relaying in, Philippians 4:9, “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” Find a Christ-following, people-loving, no-motive person who is living out the things of God and follow their example. Remember, lambs follow sheep until they learn The Shepherd’s voice for themselves.

Selah.

#celebrate #oneyear #catchthelittlefoxes