Vineyards are bountiful in nature, overflowing with fruitfulness, destined for potential, and bathed in value. The vast land and cascading hills drench the onlooker with a certain, unexplainable peace. There is something about a vineyard that induces a quiet and unrequited stillness.

Breathe deeply. Just be. There is peace to be found here.

“You must catch the troubling foxes, those sly little foxes that hinder our relationship. For they raid our budding vineyard of love to ruin what I’ve planted within you. Will you catch them and remove them for me? We will do it together.”
Song of Songs 2:15 TPT

Why do we Need to Preserve the Vineyard?

These foxes represent joy-stealers—those tiny, inconsequential things that if not dealt with immediately can cause major destruction. Foxes seek to ruin our vineyards because they are not out for our best. Their one role is destruction. Slowly, they gnaw away at the fruit of the vine. But we have the choice to not let them rob our joy and scavenge our vineyards.

In John 15, Jesus describes Himself as the True Vine. He instructs us to abide in Him, and He will abide in us. Together, we bear much fruit. But apart from Him, we can do nothing. The beauty of this passage is that Jesus describes unity. We are together in this. But we must abide. To abide means to remain stable or fixed. Jesus is searching for stability in His daughters. In James, we see how He views the unstable, un-abiding individual.

“Just make sure to ask empowered by confident faith without doubting that you will receive. For the ambivalent person believes one minute and doubts the next. Being undecided makes you become like the rough seas driven and tossed by the wind. You’re up one minute and tossed down the next. When you are half-hearted and wavering, it leaves you unstable. Can you really expect to receive anything from the Lord when you’re in that condition?” James 1:5-8 TPT

Don’t be discouraged by this truth. He didn’t charge us to live this out alone. He said, “We will do this together.” We are not alone in this endeavor. In fact, if we try to do this on our own, we won’t succeed. We need Him. We will preserve the vineyard together. We need Him to help us build a fence and catch those foxes.

Build a Fence

The first step in preserving the vineyard is building a fence. Some of us need to build a fence to protect and preserve the intimacy we have cultivated. Think about this. Is there anyone or anything climbing through the fence and trespassing on my vineyard? What has my time? What has my attention? It is time to create space and margin that is reserved exclusively for time with the Father. Crowd out the things of this world and engage in the spiritual disciplines. Be actively engaged in the Word. Live a life of consistent and fervent prayer. Invite His continual presence. Practice gratitude and thanksgiving. These may seem elementary, but they serve as building blocks of a strong and unwavering faith.

“Let joy be continual feast. Make your life a prayer. And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus. Never restrain or put out the fire of the Holy Spirit.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 TPT

Consistency in these disciplines will slowly build an impenetrable fence around your vineyard. Even while we actively construct a fence, some sly little foxes may make their way into the vineyard.

Catch the Foxes

Catching the foxes is an active engagement. If we want to catch the foxes, we can’t be passive. We can’t sit on the sidelines and expect the foxes not to plumage our vineyard. Now is the time to be on high alert, with sober minds. But sister, I will warn you, this step is introspective and requires great humility of us.

Let’s discuss some practical ways to catch the foxes:

Confession

First, we should practice regular confession. We often consider confession only in the large things, but I am learning how to engage in confession of the little moment-by-moment things. These small things, if not caught, can quickly become big things. Practice the prayer of David as you engage in confession: “Find any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:24 NIV

Take every thought captive

Next, we can catch the foxes by taking every thought captive. Foxes often begin as aimless thoughts that multiply, eventually spinning out of control. Be mindful: think about what you are thinking about. As each thought surfaces, simply consider, “Is this truth?”

Examine the heart

Then, grant God permission to examine your heart motives. Invite His tender gaze: “Search me O God and know my heart.” Psalm 139:23 NIV We can ask God to search, refine, and purify us.

Engage in forbearance

Finally, we should engage in forbearance. Forbearance forfeits our right to be right. Consider this call to unity: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:2 NIV It is time for us to forfeit our right to be right.

When attempted alone, these practices are seemingly impossible, but remember God promised, “We will do this together.” Invite Him to identify and catch the foxes with you.

Cultivating intimacy is only half the battle. Now it’s time for us to protect and preserve the vineyard at all costs! Our bountiful vineyards are being ravaged! Do you sense the urgency? It is time for us to intervene and declare, “Not on my watch!” Sister, let’s choose to be alert and sober minded, for those foxes are on the hunt, and they are coming for you and they are coming for me.

Let’s catch them together.

- Kierstin Almstrum, Soul Care + Connections Lead