One day, I was sitting in my biology class when my teacher began discussing heart attacks and how they occur. She explained that they commonly happen due to a build-up of plaque in the arteries, which narrows the pathway for blood to reach the heart, eventually blocking the blood completely from making its way back to the source. This prompted me to ask: What causes plaque to accumulate in the arteries? She told me that the most common cause arises from a poor diet and a lack of attention. She mentioned that many people view their diet as insignificant until it leads to a very significant problem, such as a heart attack.

Now you’re probably wondering why I’m going on about the science of the human body, but what my biology teacher said caused me to think of the verse in Songs of Solomon 2:15: “Take us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines: For our vines have tender grapes.” The word little is very important in this scripture. Just like my biology teacher said, it is those little habits that we believe to be insignificant and harmless that will eventually cut off the connection to our lifeline which is the vine. John 15:5 says, “I am the vine, 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.” Once we allow those little foxes to creep into our lives, they begin to discreetly chew away at the vine until the fruit and the vine are completely separated. I once heard a preacher say that the enemy is not after the fruit; he is after the connection between the fruit and the vine, the connection between us and Jesus Christ through salvation.

See, we live in a world where we humans have taken it upon ourselves to classify sin into big and small, forgetting that God does not use human reasoning in judgment. Because of this idea of classifying sin, we have gaslit ourselves to believe that God is okay with the small white lies that we told our friends last week, or the profane words that come out of the same mouths that we use to worship God, all in the name of anger. We have distorted our minds to think that God only looks at the heart, so our dressing and how we appear doesn’t matter even when it’s causing another person to stumble. We have gone so far that we are now confusing laziness and complacency for relaxation and enjoyment.

It has gotten to the point where even Christians are trying to tempt God and see how close we can get to the line without crossing it just so we can please our flesh. Or is it that we are trying to negotiate with God about what the line is between good and evil? Because to me, it is very clear. The bible says that “he that doeth righteousness is righteous” (1 John 3:7). There are no two ways about it. The idea of hyper-grace or that we cannot lose our salvation has caused Christians to believe that we can just behave anyhow and still hold that ticket into heaven. Many Christians are trying to find loopholes and shortcuts in this race, but if it is truly God that we’re after, we have no choice but to follow the path that is narrow and fixed. Many believers think that so long as we don’t commit any “big” sins that we’ll be ok, but it is in fact those little foxes that will inhibit many believers from entering the kingdom.

Like the build-up of plaque in the arteries, the continuous overlooking of these little foxes will cause an eventual complete disconnect between us and our source which if we are not careful, can and will cause us to lose our salvation. 2 Timothy 2:19 says “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” If we chose to bear the name of Jesus Christ, we must make that decision to avoid and do away from the little foxes that destroy the vine, that we may all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; holy and acceptable to Him.

Alive by the word.