As many Christians live for God there will be interactions with people who declare they love God but do not have the actions that reflect this type of talk (Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:8). Throughout time and within the Bible certain people have animal-like tendencies that are not so good for true Christians to partake with when seeking to please God. Let’s take a look at these animals biblically and naturally to understand how these people work against the kingdom of God. Foxes naturally are cunning, eat small things and can only shake their prey until they die, camouflage themselves in their surroundings until they attack, vocalize with a whine, yelp, explosive call, combative call, growl, and bark, and are related to wolves. These are some of the reasons the Bible states that it is the little foxes that spoil the vine (Song of Solomon 2:15). Religious foxes have plans to use their craftiness to gain favor with people but are cowardly by doing it more in a small intimate setting because they know they cannot stand against truth in a bigger setting. When these foxes are not handled biblically they will not only rip off the fruit of a good vine to have for themselves but also ruin the growth of the branches by cutting it off from the vine (John 15:1,5). Some of the Pharisees went to Jesus and told Him that He needed to go away because Herod was determined to kill Him (Luke 13:31). Jesus responded by calling Herod a fox because he was sly, crafty, skulking and cowardly (Luke 13:32). Herod was determined to come against Jesus and the plan that God had for Him to complete. Possums are more known in the United States and Canada but there are some religious parallels with certain people that gather among religious groups. Possums are opportunistic to feed on whatever is vulnerable or available for them to partake of with little to no hassle (Jude 4,12-13). They are also solitary and nomadic animals who only thrive where they can hide, feed, live in darkness, and then leave when attention or light is directed to them (John 3:19; John 11:10; Ephesians 5:11; 1 John 1:6). When threatened they produce a foul-smelling fluid in their mouth leaving those around them with this stench if it is placed upon them (Proverbs 18:21; James 1:26). Snakes are very biblical animals yet dangerous in both the religious and natural aspects. Snakes use their mouth as their best weapon to inject venom, for those of the poisonous breeds, and kill their prey before consuming them (Matthew 12:34; James 3:10). Some snakes become dormant for a season after consuming prey. Each of these animals uses their mouths to accomplish their tasks of killing and eating. When applied in the religious aspect these people use their mouths to kill many things and people of God whether by compromising doctrine to permit sin, killing the reputation of holy people, or splitting a church (Ephesians 4:29; Psalm 141:3; Matthew 12:36-37). In every form these people much like the animals are not used to build things or have good reputations but more for their bad qualities of harm and selfishness. True Christians should expose these types of behavior with the Word of God to bring biblical repentance (Ephesians 5:11; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Timothy 4:2; 1 John 1:9). May Christians have discernment and wisdom in understanding these characteristics and know how to handle these types of people. For more information about Abundant Grace Church visit agcsparta.org.
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AuthorCaleb Andrews Archives
September 2024
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