By nature, sheep have 3 strikes against them.
1. Sheep are Dumb – In other words, they are not the smartest animals in the world. As a result, they are constantly getting into terrible situations. People are the same way! People who are away from the Lord live lives that are often just plain dumb, Jer. 5:4! Unfortunately, even after a person is saved, there is still a definite lack of understanding among most of the Lord’s sheep.
2. Sheep are Directionless – If a sheep wanders off from the rest of the herd, it will have a hard, if not impossible time, finding its way back. They have no sense of direction. So it is with those outside the Lord, there is simply no sense of spiritual direction in their lives. They cannot find their way to the Lord by themselves.
3. Sheep are Defenseless – Lions have teeth and claws, bears have the same. Snakes have fangs, even the fowls of the air have some type of defensive mechanism. Not so with sheep. They have absolutely no means of protecting themselves from danger. If they are attacked, they are simply helpless! Again, people are the same way. There is no way that anyone can protect himself/herself against the attacks of the evil one. We need someone else to protect us.