Go Tell That Fox!

"The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee. And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected." Luke 13:31-32

It just tickles me to no end to read things about my Lord and Savior which shows that He was a real person.  The world likes to paint a caricature of a Jesus who is always smiling with open arms as people spit in His face. Yet Jesus told it like it was.

One of the first things that stands out in this text is the hypocrisy of religious people. The Pharisees come to Jesus under the guise of warning Him about Herod, so that He would not be killed. Yet, they wanted Jesus dead too and were conspiring to kill Him (Matthew 26:3-5; Matthew 21:45-46; Luke 19:47-48; Luke 22:2; John 11:47-53).  In fact, when Jesus later confronted them about this fact, they denied it, claiming He had a devil.  (John 7:19-45; John 8:37-59).

Isn't that just like religious folks?  They smile in your face, but all the time are plotting to stab you in the back. And when you call out their lying out, you're the one who is supposed to have a demon!

The Pharisees weren't concerned about protecting Jesus, they were just tired of having Him around. See, all of His preaching the truth was setting the bound Israelites free from the religious leaders' control, and of course they didn't like that. You will experience the same reaction from religious people if you preach the truth; they will do or say anything to get you from being around the people they bewitch.

Yet, their plotting against Jesus didn't work (and it never did). Jesus tells them what they can communicate back to that old "fox". Although Jesus directed the message to Herod, I have to believe He was also directing His response to the Pharisees as well, knowing their hearts.

The word for fox here is the Greek word alōpēx which references a sly or crafty man.  The prophet Ezekiel tells us a little more about the character of such persons:

"Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! O Israel, thy prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD. They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The LORD saith: and the LORD hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. 

Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken? Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord GOD. And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD. 

Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there was no peace; and one built up a wall, and, lo, others daubed it with untempered morter: Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it." Ezekiel 13:3-11

This is the condition of much of the Church today.  Everybody is trying to give their take on God, add their two cents about what they believe or have a "word from the Lord"...which would be wonderful if in fact they truly had a word from the Lord. Such is the way it should be. God doesn't just speak through those who are perceived as leaders. He uses and speaks through every vessel which belongs to Him.

Yet that is just the point, most of these vessels claiming to represent Him don't actually belong to Him. So all they can do is seduce you with lies and divination. As a result, the masses run after these hirelings, none the wiser, and loving to have it so because they do not want the truth (Jeremiah 5:31).

There is only one message for such foxes, "I am focused on doing the Father's business."

Notice that the Pharisees tried to move Jesus by getting Him to focus on His life in this world. This is how the devil will always try to destroy you. Yet Jesus' eyes were always on eternity.  People could threaten Him, insult Him, and seek to take His very life, but His eyes were on being perfected; on the resurrection. He would let nothing deter or distract Him from completing the work His Father had given Him.

We must learn from this example. The answer for every attack Satan launches against us is resurrected life. I am not merely talking the resurrection from the dead when these physical bodies pass.  I am speaking of walking in resurrected life now because the old man of sin has been crucified (Philippians 3:10).  Just as they did Jesus, the world will taunt you to come down from that cross, but we know to do so would be our death (Matthew 10:39).  Our victory over every tactic of the enemy is found through the cross.

Do you want to be perfected?  Then when Satan tries to threaten, attack, or distract you, you go remind that fox whose you are! Keep your eyes on things above and let the Father complete His work in and through you.

Proving Yourself to the World

I have seen some Christians seemingly list a number of disclaimers prior to attempting to speaking the Gospel.

I am not trying to judge...I love everyone... I hate the sin, but love the sinner...I am not trying to push my beliefs on anyone...I respect everyone's rights... 

Why take such pains to prove that you align with what the world considers a "Christian"?

Why go to such lengths to prove that you are "loving"?

Why the preface to prove that you are not "judging"?

Why feel the need to prove yourself to the world?

I don't recall any disciple of Christ ever taking this attitude, and I have to think it is because they just didn't care.

I am not saying that they didn't care about the people.  Clearly they cared about the people anytime they took the time to tell them the truth.  I am saying that they didn't care how people responded to the message.  Why?  Because they trusted the Holy Spirit.  The trusted the Holy Spirit to guide them in what to say (and how to say it) and they trusted the Holy Spirit to give understanding to those with ears to hear.  And they knew that many would not have ears to hear.

There is a difference between explaining things vs. feeling compelled to apologize for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The motive behind that is fear of rejection.  Yet, if you cut allegiances with the world now, then you won't care about their rejection.  In other words, you only feel rejected from those through whom you still seek acceptance.  Once you know you have been accepted in the Beloved, you will be whole and not require validation from others.

Some need to be reminded of the words of the Lord:

"Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee." Jeremiah 1:17-19

As the days grow more dark, we are sure to encounter fierce opposition.  In the days of Acts, people became so incensed at the Gospel that they would stone you to death.  Do we have any doubt regarding the level of hatred that people feel towards Christ today?  If you do not know, I assure you that it will become more apparent very shortly.

It is time to gird up your loins and proclaim the Good News with no regard for person.  The Gospel doesn't change, no matter to whom you are speaking; mother, brother, neighbor, stranger, president, king, pope, etc.  Pray to God to be able to speak His word will all boldness.

"Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus... 

And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, by stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness." Acts 4:13, 29-31

There is no way to show the world what a Christian is than to die to yourself and let the life of Christ manifest from within.  The lost (even in Church) don't need your impression of Christ or even the world's emulation of Christ; they need Christ.

That Which I Feared Most

"For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me." Job 3:25

We all know that we are to fear the Lord; not in terms of being afraid of Him, but in reverencing Him (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10).  We reverence God when we understand who He truly is, and it makes us walk circumspect before Him. We appreciate His might, power, sovereignty, omnipotence, and mercy; and this knowledge commands our respect.

yir'ah - Hebrew word meaning awesome or terrifying, fearing, revered, piety.

Yet, if the truth is to be known, there are often things that we fear more than God.  How do I know?  Because these are the things which rob us of our peace.  These are the things for which we compromise on the word of God.  It always comes down to us sacrificing that which is eternal for that which is temporal.

"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28

Jesus knew that we are prone to fear the temporal more than the eternal, which is why He gives us the warning above.  He knows that the things we fear most are usually that which deals with our lives in this world: loss of reputation, loss of finances, loss of health, loss of family, etc.

How many are serving God out of fear of some calamity; hoping and praying that God will keep it from you?  You can never truly serve God like that.  Let me repeat that.  If part of your serving God is based upon you avoiding some negative situation, then you have not yet learned Christ as you ought.

Some may ask, "What about Hell?  Shouldn't we serve God so that we won't go to Hell?"  While a recognition of your sinful state and the judgment due to sinners is certainly a part of us waking out of a delusion and coming to truth, the heart of true worshipers are not serving God because they are afraid to go to Hell.  Those who are serving God out of that type of fear actually really hate God deep down inside...no matter what they profess verbally.  Carlton Pearson put it best when discussing how he came to realize that he hated God:

"I resented God. If you fear God the way we are taught to fear Him, you'll serve Him, you'll believe in Him, you'll worship Him, but you probably will never really love Him."

God does not give us a spirit of fear, so then how can that type of fear be a factor in our serving Him (II Timothy 1:7)?  It isn't.

deilia - Greek word meaning timidity, fearfulness, cowardice.

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." I John 4:18

Love must be the foundation upon which we are reconciled with God or else we are in idolatry. Idols can not only be what we like, but what we fear.  And do you know what God does with idols? He smashes them to pieces.

If there is something we fear more than God, then He must remove that fear from our lives so that we may be perfected.  How does He remove that fear?  By making us face it.  I want you to understand that when the thing you have feared most comes upon you, it is not evidence that God has forsaken you.  He is smashing your idol to draw you closer to Him.

Look at Job.  God told Satan that Job was a righteous man, such that there was none other like him. And indeed, we see that Job was faithful in his service of the Lord, being a Godly example to his children and making sacrifices continually.  Yet, there was a motivation in his heart that was not quite right.  Part of his service to God was based in fear, so God let him face it (Job 3:25).

See, God knows our hearts, even when we lie to ourselves.  God didn't give Satan permission to inflict Job just because He wanted to prove Satan wrong.  God wanted to get rid of that fear in Job, and the only way for that to happen was for Job to go through it.  Yet remember, God was with Job the entire time and had limited Satan's actions against Job.

I experienced this firsthand almost two years ago when I was hospitalized for a blood infection.  I had been battling cancer for several years and my tumor had become infected.  My body was in septic shock, but I didn't want to go to the hospital. Why not?  I didn't want anyone to see my deformity. The tumor had broken through the skin and was - to put it lightly - an open, oozing, awful mess.  I didn't want to feel like a science experiment as people gawked at me and asked more or less, "Where is this God in whom you claimed to have faith? If your God has given you direction about what to do to treat this, then why would He do this to you? Are you sure you really heard God at all?"  That was another fear I had.  Maybe I hadn't heard from God at all and He was just going to let me die.  No, it was better that I not be around these doctors, who had only served in the past to try and chip away at my faith.  Please God, don't let me have to go to the hospital.

So you know what happened; God made me face these fears.  I was hospitalized and - just as I feared - a constant stream of doctors, technicians, specialists, nurses, interns and the like all came asking to see the tumor.  It was so difficult being laid bare before these people as they took turns examining me.  They would all look at me with the same incredulous expression and question again why I was not seeking chemo or radiation.  Time and time again, I explained that the Lord told me not to and they simply looked at me as if I had lost my mind.  I felt foolish initially, telling them about my faith in the Lord while sitting there with my body riddled with disease which seemed out of control.  Yet, at the end of it all, do you know what happened?  I survived.  I walked out of that hospital; maybe a little humbled, but I walked out nonetheless.  Going through that experience hadn't killed me, as I had imagined that it would.

That is the thing with fear.  It often seems so much bigger in our minds than it is in reality.  God wants us to trust Him completely, through any circumstance.  We can only do that when we face our fears; not try to use God to shield us from them.

Likewise, Job facing what he feared most didn't kill him either.  Yes, there was pain.  There was loss. There was sorrow.  There was suffering.  But God brought him through it all...and He will do the same for you.

God is a jealous God and He wants us to love Him completely and serve Him from a pure heart.  In order for this to happen, we may need to face those things which scare us the most.  He needs us to know that He is with us, even in the fiery trials.  Praise God that He cares enough for us not to leave us in fear, but to take us through these things so that we can be made stronger in Him.  Leaving us with those fears would be to leave us crippled.

When there is nothing we fear more than God, then we can have peace in any situation.  When there is nothing we fear more than God, then we can stand boldly and proclaim His word, no matter the response.  When there is nothing we fear more than God, then we can know that we are walking in His perfect love.

Additional Resources:

The Road to Hell

Fear Not

"Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice: for the LORD will do great things." Joel 2:21

If you watch the news lately, you will see plenty of reports which could incite fear.  From worldwide plagues to civil unrest, from violent crime to economic uncertainty, from terrorism to global warming, etc.  Satan is doing his best to instill fear in the masses.  The world wants you to operate in fear, because then you remain controllable.  This is why it is so critical that we take everything to the Lord in prayer.

Even those in the world can pick up the changes in the atmosphere and are feeling the need to make preparations.  The issue is that - in spite of the physical manifestations of trouble - the problem at its core is spiritual.  In order to endure the times which are coming, we must find our refuge in the Lord.  In all of this, we must remember in Whom our hope lies (Psalm 39:7; Psalm 62:5-8).

Some might look at these things and say, "Oh no, the end must be near!"  I say, "Rejoice!  The end must be near!"

How do you maintain peace in a whirlwind?  How do you remain steadfast when the very fabric of the world seems to be disintegrating around you?  You die now.  Of course, I am not speaking about suicide; I am talking about cold-blooded murder (Romans 6:6; Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5).

Don't be misguided like Peter was, presuming that you will be able to stand because you are not fully aware of what is in your own heart.  This is the time to pray for cleansing, purging, and strengthening so that He enables you to stand.  I can only imagine how Peter felt when the words of the Lord came true and he found himself cursing to deny Jesus Christ.  Yet, there was one command that Jesus later gave him to get him back on track, "Feed my sheep."

Our focus now must be on doing the will of the Father.  Many of us have spent a large portion of our lives living for ourselves - even if we called it living for God.  It is the mercy of God which has been longsuffering with us and given us the time to finally get our priorities in order.  Jesus let us know about these things to come precisely so that we could be prepared.

"And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."  Matthew 24:6-14

Even though Jesus told us that these things would be, many people will be unprepared.  There are those preaching a "Kingdom Now" with people trying to reclaim the world for Christ before He returns.  This will never happen and is not Scriptural.  There are those who have been taught that they will be long gone, having been whisked away in a Pre-tribulation Rapture.  Scripture does not support this idea either.  Still more are so focused on trying to obtain prosperity in the world that they have no idea of the times and seasons in which we live.  Let not such things be said of you.

"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares." Luke 21:34

"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." I Thessalonians 5:4

The truth is that the world will become increasingly more evil - to unimaginable heights - prior to Jesus' return.  Just as with Sodom and Gomorrah, the cry of the world's grievous sin is great and will have reached up to Heaven (Genesis Chapter 18).

What an everlasting shame it would be to read all of these warnings in Scripture, see all of these signs around us, and yet do nothing.  What lamenting there would be to know that God's mercy and grace gave you time, but you were unable to rouse yourself from a spiritual stupor.  I don't want to be one who knew the truth, but was unable to be transformed into the truth because I loved darkness more than light (John 3:19).

Jesus is coming back in judgment, yet it is only the sinners who have reason to fear.  Die to self now so that you can live eternally with the Father.  The Lord is prepared to do great things through those who are His - and that distinction soon will become undeniable (Daniel 11:32).

"The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" Isaiah 33:14