Spiritual Warfare: Staying Close to the Good Shepherd

Posted on Oct 27, 2020 Topic : Prophecy
Posted by : Ron Rhodes

Whenever I teach on spiritual warfare, I tell people that the sheep who are the safest from predatory wolves are those who stay nearest the Shepherd. It’s true. The closer you stay to Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the safer you are from the powers of darkness.

Here is something to think about: While modern shepherds typically drive their sheep from behind, shepherds in Bible times led their sheep from the front. In the ancient Near East, a shepherd would often pick a branch off a tree and, as he walked, hold the branch behind him so that the sheep could follow closely and nibble on the morsels. This illustrates a profound truth for us: the sheep who stay nearest the shepherd are the best nourished. The same is true for us. Those of us who stay nearest to our divine Shepherd are the best nourished spiritually and are therefore best equipped to recognize and withstand the assaults of Satan (John 15:4-5; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 1 Peter 5:7-9). But straying away from Jesus—even temporarily being distracted away from Jesus—can make us easy prey!

Psalm 23:4 informs us that the Lord “our Shepherd” carries a “rod.” The shepherd’s rod in Bible times was a great oak club about two feet long. It had a round head in which the shepherd had pounded sharp bits of metal. The shepherd used the rod to protect the sheep from wild animals like wolves. A skillful shepherd not only swung the club to deter predatory animals, but he sometimes hurled it like a missile over the heads of his flock to scare off such animals from a distance. The lesson for us is obvious: Staying near the Good Shepherd is the single safest place for a sheep in an environment full of hungry wolves. He knows how to defeat them (Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8; Matthew 4:1-10). And they fear Him!

Scripture reveals the specific components necessary to surviving and thriving during spiritual warfare. These include:

an awareness of Satan’s tactics (Ephesians 6:11,16; 2 Corinthians 2:11),
avoiding sin and living righteously (Ephesians 4:27),
wearing God’s powerful spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:10-18),
maintaining our position “in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:14; Colossians 2:6; John 15:5; Philippians 4:13),
and daily walking in the power of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16; 1 John 4:4).

These are all important. But I can tell you from long experience that staying close to the Good Shepherd is foundational!

I suggest that a great way to begin each day is to pray:

“Lord, I am your sheep and You are my Shepherd. Please guide me and protect me today. Where you lead, I will follow. I surrender myself to you—mind, emotions, and will. I place myself entirely in your care. Thank you for being my Shepherd. In Jesus name, Amen.”

—Ron Rhodes

Author of Spiritual Warfare in the End Times