From Sheep to Soldiers
by Alicia Renee on 06/15/10
Copyright © 2010 by Alicia Renee Sheppard All believers get to be sheep by default--even those of us who go astray. Psalms 100:3 says, "We are his people, the sheep of his pasture." Psalms 23 and Matthew 18 call us sheep too--all of us. The Bible also describes God's children as soldiers--sometimes. But unlike the sheep verses, the soldier analogy seems to only reference those children who choose to report for duty. Sheep are cute and have some wonderful characteristics, but when it's wartime, I want to be counted amongst those who show up for battle. For many right now, it is wartime, and I believe God is calling us to transition from being just a sheep, to soldiers also. Here are six critical distinctions. 1. Aimless vs. Directed. I think of sheep as sweet, but also a bit aimless. They don't readily have their own sense of direction. Some of us can be aimless when it comes to how to conduct our lives. We don't know how to walk in maturity once we step outside of church, away from the pastor's staff. But soldiers do. Paul says to Timothy, "What you have heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to [us]--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us," (2 Timothy 1:14). In other words, Paul is telling Timothy--I taught you some good stuff! So follow it even when I'm not around. It's our responsibility to continue in the godly direction we've learned, even when our teachers aren't in our ear and looking over our shoulders. Notice that the word "guard" is a soldier term, not a sheep term. That's because sheep can follow when the staff is in front of them, but soldiers can "keep the pattern" of godly teaching even when they're out of the teacher's presence. Too often we fail to keep the pattern when we're on our own. It's not that we suddenly get amnesia about God, but we start following our own opinions and other people's behavior, instead of truly following biblical teachings we've learned and being led by the Holy Spirit. If you want to be a good soldier, don't rely on mere opinions. Follow sound biblical teaching and keep the direction you've been taught. In wartime, God needs people who can guard the good deposit no matter who is around. 2. Unaware vs. Perceptive. A sheep may be caught unaware when a wolf appears, but a true soldier knows how to perceive evil in enough time to guard against it. Ephesians 6:12 says, "Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." In other words, soldiers have the ability to perceive evil spiritual undertones in normal-seeming earthly situations. For instance, two people may argue and let a petty issue separate them. A soldier, however, can perceive when it is the enemy, not man, who is attempting to divide and conquer. Because of this awareness, soldiers are quicker to make peace. They understand that there is a greater battle being fought, and when they operate in discernment, they can clothe themselves with spiritual armor to stand against evil. If you want to move from being a sheep to a soldier, don't let the enemy continue to do surprise attacks. Learn to discern the spiritual implications of earthly happenings. 3. Vulnerable vs. Armed. Sheep are prey. They are vulnerable animals. All they can do when trouble hits is baaa and run. Soldiers, on the other hand, are armed. They live under the command, "Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes," (Ephesians 6:10-11). Sheep-like people are vulnerable to their environments, easily overcome in the face of setbacks, disappointments, and hurt. But soldiers are able to stand in the face of such adversity and be dangerous against the devil's forces. The Ephesians 6 armor (salvation, truth, righteousness, readiness, peace, faith, and prayer) shields them. And soldiers aren't just covered with armor; they're also armed with a weapon--the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God (Eph 6: 17). If you want to be a soldier, get to know your weapon. Use it to distinguish what is godly from what is not godly (Hebrews 4:12), and to test the spirits (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21). Use it fuel your faith and claim authority over the enemy like Jesus did when Satan tempted him in the wilderness (Matthew 4:19). But you can only wield a sword if you know it, so get it in you! 4. Follower vs. Submitter. I think it's very endearing that sheep have a tendency to follow. Yet, they follow because they have to. Traveling in flocks with a shepherd helps keep them safe and well-fed, giving them great incentive to follow. But I wonder if they'd still follow if they weren't so vulnerable. For instance, you don't see lions following shepherds around--because they don't need to and don't feel threatened. But look at the story of the centurion in the Bible. The centurion was the soldier who came to Jesus and described himself as, "a man under authority, with soldiers under me," (Matthew 8:9). This soldier had a position of authority. He said, "I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes," (Matthew 8:9). He had power and leadership. Yet even though he had a position, he still was able to submit to the authority that was above him. Some of us act more like sheep. We follow when we need to. We have to keep our jobs so we follow our bosses. We want to be promoted. We need money. We want status. Our finances are suffering or our relationships are in jeopardy, so we follow our pastors' teaching, because we need it in order to hold on. But the minute we get our own titles, or the job we wanted, or the pay we wanted, or the relationship we wanted, we stop following. We have no more incentive. We use our empowerment to go in our own direction. That's a sheep tendency. Soldiers, on the other hand, continue to submit. It's submission because it's done willfully, not out of forced need. We have power of our own, but we choose to submit to the power that's over us, because we understand God's flow of authority. Can you imagine what would happen in battle if the centurions (who have authority over one hundred soldiers) suddenly stopped submitting to the head commander in the middle of battle and started going their own way? Do you think victory would come out of that sort of chaos? Likewise, soldiers in the kingdom continue to flow under authority even when they get their own power, freedom, positions, and blessings. 5. Flocking vs. Standing Apart. Sheep flock together. Though soldiers travel together as well, they also know when to avoid petty issues and not dwell amongst the crowd. Second Timothy 2:4 says, "No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer." So no matter what the crowd is doing, soldiers concern themselves with godliness, and remove themselves from carnality. The problem for a lot of people is they fail to perceive civilian affairs when they're in the midst of them! They know the obvious ones like, "sexual immorality, idolatry, witchcraft, drunkenness," but they often dwell right in the midst of subtle ones, like, "hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissentions, factions, and envy," (Galatians 5:20-21). And they especially fail to perceive these really popular civilian affairs--gossip and dissention. Many people don't admit to gossiping because they either feel entitled to what they're saying, or they don't feel their gossip is malicious. But gossip does not have to be untrue or malicious for it to be gossip. If what someone says has no edification value, or it promotes discord, it's gossip. Romans 14:19 says, "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and mutual edification." Any spirit that is not peace-loving, is not of God. Here's a great passage for distinguishing peace-loving soldiers from gossiping civilians who try to cloak their gossip under the guise of wisdom: "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere," (James 3:13-17). And if you have a valid complaint, gossip is not the biblical method with which to handle it. Good soldiers don't grumble (Philippians 2:14). They pray. After all, 1 Timothy 2:1-2 urges us to pray "for kings and all those in authority." When it's wartime, avoid civilian affairs, and crowds of people who are bent on gossip and carnality--even if they're deceptively wearing their Sunday best. If it's wartime, stick with the soldiers. 6. Scattering vs. Standing. Finally, sheep are timid, flighty creatures. Because of their weakness, they run in the face of adversity. Jesus says in Matthew 26:31, "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered." Scattering speaks of wandering away from the faith and turning to sin under pressure. In this specific passage, Jesus was foretelling Peter's sin because he knew that Peter was going to "fall away" once Jesus was captured (Matthew 26:31). And surely it happened. Some people base their faith on the success of others. As long as the person they look to is living right and going to church, they do the same. But the minute trouble hits that other person, they too fall away. Soldiers on the other hand keep the faith, even when other soldiers fall down, mess up, or encounter trials, because all along they knew their hope is in their ultimate Commander, the Lord. In times of trouble, instead of becoming disillusioned and running from God, soldiers can pick up their wounded and take a turn being the strong one. Second Timothy 2:3 says, "Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus." If you want to be a soldier, don't let your faith be scattered when a soldier falls--rather keep the faith and help your brother or sister up. Sheep aren't bad. There is much good to be said for the behavior of sheep and how they beautifully relate to us as God's people. But when we only operate as sheep and not soldiers, there's a maturity level that is lacking, and also a certain level of helpfulness in the kingdom that we fail to tap into. So though we are all sheep in the Lord's pasture, we should also develop and evolve into soldiers in God's army. I believe in change and application, so I encourage you to review any of the six points listed above and find the one(s) where you could afford to be even more soldier-like than sheep-like. Review the Scriptures presented there, and ask God to strengthen you in that area. I believe war has been waged, and God needs us to operate in maturity and authority at this time. Will you stand at attention? <3 AliciaSix Differences between Sheep and Soldiers
Entering the Draft
