Beware, you Shepherds.

BEWARE, beware, you men, you shepherds. I have given you flocks to care for, but you do not own them. You do not own the sheep.

I AM The Shepherd, the Good Shepherd. These are My flocks, My sheep. As I said to Peter, "Feed My sheep – Feed My lambs." You do not tell Me how to care for your sheep – it is for Me to tell you how to care for My sheep.

You were commanded to care for the sheep, not control them. You are to comfort them, not rule them with a rod of iron. "Comfort" means to console, to tender, to guide gently, to encourage. It does not mean to dominate, to control, to dictate to, to smother.

You do not own My sheep. These flocks that I have given into your care, they are not yours to do with as you please. I have not given you permission, to shepherd them with a heavy hand. If I choose to move any of My flocks from one pasture to another, what is that to you? If I choose to give one or more sheep from your flock to that of another shepherd, what is that to you? Who owns the flock – the shepherd or the landowner? Remember that you too are My sheep, that you are numbered among My flock. But unlike the natural world, there is no order of rank, no pecking order in My flock, no dominant ram, no dominant ewe. In My flock, one sheep is equal to another, and every one is subject to the Head Shepherd.

Beware, beware, you shepherds, otherwise I will take your flocks – My sheep – away from you, and lead them to greener and safer pastures, where My Living Water is allowed to flow more freely. There, My sheep will be allowed to move as My Spirit leads, not as you lead. There, other shepherds shall feed them, nurture them, and lead them with a gentler hand. As for you, "You are men, and I AM your God."