“My anger is kindled against the shepherds, And I will punish the male goats; For the LORD of armies has visited His flock, the house of Judah, And will make them like His majestic horse in battle.

Zechariah 10:3 NASB

Discipleship class xxx

The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name. Exodus 15:3

The language of the bible is often literal and figurative. Being the ALMIGHTY who is unmatchable in power, it is difficult to imagine GOD going to war against anything or anyone. For to go to war would imply that He has enemies and opposition. HE DOESNT! (in the sense of them being a bother to Him!).

Where the enemies and opposition exist are in being arrayed against the establishment of His perfect will and Kingdom to the benefit of His chosen people and His chosen nation here on earth.

GOD from Gen 1 to Rev 22 is in the business of Recovery, Reconciliation and Establishment. Though He doesn’t actually require any man or help to prosecute this business, Yet He has chosen in His infinite wisdom to partner with and conscript men into His service for His eternal purposes.

Jesus has won the ultimate victory with His death, burial and resurrection. Full Stop! The War was won before it ever started by the lamb slain from the foundation of the world! Rev 13:8. Yet there are battles still raging around communities, around the lives of His chosen ones, around nations, around families and around kingdoms! What is required now are men who will yield themselves as platforms (horses) which GOD will groom and ride into triumphant procession in this end time march of the Kingdom.

God does not borrow vessels! He uses vessels He has formed and has anointed for purpose.

From our study of Zechariah 10:3, what are the key factors in being arrayed as a goodly horse for divine collaboration?

PRINCIPLES OF GROOMING & ARRAYMENT.

Principle 1: He Breaks you…

Horses naturally exists in the wild and must first be caught, broken and stabled before they become useful. An unbroken horse is an unreliable horse which cannot be ridden into battle. For it can throw down its rider at any moment to his great injury.

So also any man who would be used by GOD in His business must first be brought in from the wilderness of life by accepting the good news of the gospel and subsequently be taken through a process of self-denial and cross bearing which are designed to bring us to the place of brokenness – eschewing self. Luke 9:23

The Holy Spirit works through the trials and tribulations you face as a believer to bring forth the new man who is fit for divine use. The new man who is capable of saying “nevertheless, not my will but thine will be done“.
The end game of this breaking process is the establishment of trust! Which works both ways.

Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered. Hebrews 5:8

Principle 2: He Saddles you…

The evidence of brokenness/ownership of a horse is in its saddle.. Christ’s lordship must be established in the life of one whom He would deploy in His business of recovery & reconciliation.

Often-times with most of us believers, there is a time/experience gap between receiving Him as saviour and yielding to Him as our Lord. With many of us, this establishment of trust takes time. Perhaps too long in some cases. But GOD is deliberate and meticulous in His ways.

Once saddled, every argument of ownership is settled! He alone rides you! No one else is permitted to! Wether they be men, principalities, powers, demons and such. A truly yielded Christian cannot be demon possessed!

When a rider sits on a horse, There becomes a synchrony of rhythm as both horse and rider grow in understanding of each others mood, reflexes and non-verbal communication. It is a growing in intimacy and trust.

You may not necessarily see Christ sitting on you, but you will for certain feel His ‘burdens’ ‘yoke’ upon your heart. For every call of God is authenticated by burden. The difference between a broken believer and an unbroken believer is the gulf between Mathew 11:28 and Mathew 11:29

Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” John 21:20

Principle 3: He Blinkers you.

Blinkers are cloth cups used to restrict a horse’s field of vision. It has a dual benefit of improving the concentration and focus of a horse so that it can better focus on performing the task at hand.

Because a horse’s field of vision is quite broad, they can easily be beset by distractions and ‘stop to greet a man by the way’. Distractions can so easily bring them out of synchrony with their rider and their destination.

In keeping with Christs instructions to “let thine eye be single“, part of what the Holy Spirit will help establish in you as a disciple in the course of your dealings is to narrow your focus and concentration. To reduce distractions in your life and help you press after what Paul refers to as the mark of the high calling.

13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14

Principle 4: He ‘might’ apply the ‘Bit & Bridle’.



The bit and bridle are instruments that are attached to the mouth and head of a horse to “regulate” certain actions of the horse as related to its speed, and direction. They work together to reinforce the other control signals from the rider to the horse.

Bits in particular require the application of pressure which often inflict some degree of pain on the horse. The degree/sharpness of pain is often correlated with the horse’s speed of response and yieldedness to its given instructions. A stubborn horse will suffer more pains than an obedient horse.

The application of the ‘BIT’ is never compulsory but based on the degree of understanding and training between the horse and rider.

God IS NOT a sadist. He actually desires that you enjoy the process of your preparation and arrayment as a goodly horse. However because we still live in a fallen world and exists in a corrupt body which lives in active opposition to the new man in us, there is often that conflict in our early formation stages between what the new life requires and what the old man in us desires. The shepherd does not apply the rod to the sheep to cause harm, but rather to instill discipline and protect them from the consequences of trespass thereof. It is done out of LOVE.

Romans 7 is compulsory reading for any one who wants to understand this further. Like we learned in our last class, there are certain pains/pressure that cannot be alleviated by prayer or prophecy: only by yieldedness and obedience can we come into the place of rest in certain aspects of our walk with GOD.

One area the BIT will have to address is your mouth!! This has expansive consequences ranging across:-

  • regulation & moderation of your appetites.
  • regulation & moderation of your speech and words.
  • regulation and moderation of your prophetic operations.

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.
9 Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, Else they will not come near you.

Psalm 32:8-9

Principle 5: He Applies the Reins!.

Reins are primarily used for steering and directing a Horse. With the reins attached a rider can communicate the direction a horse should move toward, whilst also reinforcing its boundaries (in conjunction with the operations of the bit and bridle).

Adam had such great freedom and room to exercise dominion in the garden east of Eden. Yet GOD set only one boundary upon him. “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” ..Gen 2:17.

Christendom seems to have radically and rapidly swung from the extremely restrictive early Roman Catholic era (which sucked all the joy and life out of the faith) to the opposite extreme of the spectrum with Pentecostalism without boundaries (which is all about joy and life without pain nor sacrifice…a very carpe diem way)!
We have many Christian movements today that do not forbid anything! literally nothing is sacrosanct as long as it delivers the overarching target of ‘prosperity’.

As a disciple, know that the written word of GOD sets the tangible boundaries for your life. But there are also intangible boundaries which are tailor made and specific to you in your specific walk within a specific season. In these the Holy Spirit of GOD through His ‘promptings‘ ‘peace checks‘ ‘heart tugs‘ ‘still small voice’ and other numerous means will ‘remind you’ of the things not fit for you as a temple of the Living God. Things which men may not need teach you. 1 John 2:20

The Holy Spirit in very domestic! In the sense that He deals and trains us individually as we grow. No ones dealings can quite be the same as another. For some He may restrain them from dressing in particular ways, for others it may be the type of food they consume.

Universally though, the point of application of His reins are usually on our Hearts (our emotions and meditations), Our Mouths and Our minds. Reins have a direct correlation to our consecration and sanctification in and for Christ.

Principle 6: He fits you with Iron Hooves!.

The average impact of a horse kick has been measured somewhere between 2,000 pounds of force per sq inch. That is the equivalent of a car travelling 32kph hitting someone. It is hard and destructive to say the least.

In ancient times war horses were often conditioned to kick down barriers, gates and shields in a battle front.

GOD anoints those whom He calls into His service. This anointing of GOD often carries a dual element to it. It has constructive and destructive capacity. Jeremiah 1:10. God uses this anointing upon us to destroy the works of the devil in the course of delivering men our from under the power of satan unto the power of God. You must be willing to do damage to the factors and forces that keep men bound in bondage even as you dispossess the realms of darkness of their stolen treasures.

Never settle for a Christianity without the anointing upon your life!

Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.

Micah 4:13

CONCLUSION

Life isn’t just about you. God has deliberate reasons for not only creating you but bringing you forth in this season and in this time. He amongst other things grants us the eternal privilege of partnering with Him in His end time mission of Recovery, Reconciliation and the Establishment of His Kingdom as it pertains to your family, your lineage, your community, your nation and your generation. Yes you personally…

But you must go through His process!

How far along are you in this process? How ready are you to be used mightily of Him?