An Army of Sheep

You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God,
declares the Sovereign Lord.
(Ezekiel 34:31 NIV)

Alexander the Great said, “I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.”

Alexander would have been terrified of the army of God because we are an army of sheep led by the most powerful lion in the universe, the Lion of Judah. When we become Christians, whether we like it or not, we are drafted into His army. No true Christian gets to sit on the sidelines and watch the action.

Fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12 NIV).

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:3 NKJV).

No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who enlisted Him as a soldier (2 Timothy 2:4 NKJV).

Some Christians make the decision to straggle along at the back of the pack, more camp followers than soldiers. Satan pays attention to all Christians, but it is the Christian marching into battle that makes him really sit up and take notice. He will occasionally lob a hand grenade into the path of the camp followers and assign a few lazy demons to cause trouble, but it is the other group that he keeps his laser-like focus on. The Christian who causes the greatest disruption in his dark kingdom is the one who takes the great commission seriously and reaches out to a dying world, preaching the cross of Christ and singing praises to the King of Kings.

Satan is a powerful enemy, but we don’t have to be intimidated or afraid because Christ has already won the war on our behalf. We may get weary on the march, we may get wounded in a skirmish, but we can never be overcome because we are held safely in the palm of our Lord’s hand. Our victory is assured.

The Bible tells us that our war is not with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:10-12 NKJV).

At the cross, Jesus disarmed those principalities and powers, and took back the keys of death from Satan.

Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it (Colossians 2:15 NKJV).

To march in God’s army, however, we need to put on the armor and take up the weapons He has provided for us, otherwise we will be a bunch of sitting ducks, easy to pick off. Paul based his description of God’s given armor on the armor of the soldiers of the Roman Empire. People saw these soldiers daily and would have clearly understood the analogy.

Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:13-17 NKJV).

Girdle of Truth - the girdle Roman soldiers wore was a thick, heavy, leather band that held the soldier’s sword and other weapons. Without Biblical truth as the basis of our lives, we are unprotected and completely open to the Enemy’s attacks. We also need the girdle to hold our Sword of the Spirit.

Breastplate of Righteousness – the Roman soldier’s breastplate protected his heart and other internal organs. The breastplate symbolizes our righteousness in Christ. It is His righteousness, purchased for us at the cross, that protects us. Faith and love also protect our hearts. 

But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:8 NKJV).

Shoes of the Gospel of Peace – the Roman soldier wore sandals with hobnails in the soles to keep him surefooted in battle and less prone to slip. To stand surefooted in the war, we need His shoes of peace. When the storms blow, His peace will keep us steady and upright.

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV).

Shield of Faith – this part of our armor is something we must take up. Unlike the previous three pieces of armor which we wear, this one requires effort. The Roman shield (scutum) was a large, rectangular shield about three and a half feet tall by three feet wide. The soldier could pretty much cover his whole body with it.

The description of faith is given in Hebrews, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1 NKJV). To take up the shield of faith is to actively trust God and His Word. In Roman times, the enemy would sometimes shoot arrows, dipped in flammable substances and lit on fire. Satan will try to send his “fiery darts” our way, but we can dowse them by faith.

Helmet of Salvation – Satan loves to attack the mind. You must let your mind be controlled by God’s Word. Satan cannot lead a believer astray who mind is stayed on God.

Sword of the Spirit - all the armor of God is defensive in nature, except the Sword of the Spirit. This is our only offensive weapon and is the only offensive weapon we need because it is the Word of God. Jesus gave us an example of the use of this weapon when He defeated Satan in the wilderness by wielding the Sword of the Spirit, the Word.

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV).

Keep your weapons and your armor at the ready all the time. And at the end of the age, when Christ returns, we will be part of his victorious heavenly army.

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19:11-16 NKJV).