44m 52s
Welcome to the first lesson of the School of the Gladiator! Let's get ready to knock down those walls that bind us. Training begins now!!!
Jeremiah 50:25-29
25 "The Lord has opened his arsenal
and brought out the weapons of his wrath,
for the Sovereign Lord Almighty has work to do
in the land of the Babylonians.
26 Come against her from afar.
Break open her granaries;
pile her up like heaps of grain.
Completely destroy her
and leave her no remnant.
27 Kill all her young bulls;
let them go down to the slaughter!
Woe to them! For their day has come,
the time for them to be punished.
28 Listen to the fugitives and refugees from Babylon
declaring in Zion
how the Lord our God has taken vengeance,
vengeance for his temple.29 “Summon archers against Babylon,
all those who draw the bow.
Encamp all around her;
let no one escape.
Repay her for her deeds;
do to her as she has done.
For she has defied the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel."
The Lord God has opened His arsenal and will bring forth His weapons of Wrath!
Jeremiah 51:20
20 “You are my war club,
my weapon for battle—
with you I shatter nations,
with you I destroy kingdoms"
God wants to fill you with Himself. All power is in you. Once you speak, you set and create the boundaries in your life.
Everyday…. put on
The Armor of God
Ephesians 6:10-18
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For 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. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
“Treasures in Heaven” keys of wisdom
Matthew 6:19-24
19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Fast
Matt 4:1-11
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Matthew 6:16-18
16 “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Acts 13:2
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
When you fast, you crucify the flesh and your spirit soars like a rocket. It takes time to be disciplined but, as you crucify your flesh, what happens is that things which have been hidden will start to get exposed. Not all are called into deliverance ministry, but all will come across this.
Main forms of Fast!!
Normal Fast: abstain from food, solid, or liquid (only water)
(Moses and Elijah took on this fast for 40 days. It was a supernatural sustaining.)
Exodus 34:28
28 Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.
Deuteronomy 9:9
9 When I went up on the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant that the Lord had made with you, I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water.
1 Kings 19:8
8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
Matthew 4:2
2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
Absolute Fast: Abstain from food and water
Acts 9:9
9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
Partial Fast (or Daniel fast)
Daniel 9:3
3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
Jesus and the New Testament church fasted:
Acts 13:2-3
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
That is us, as we should be. We too are called into the work, the service of Christ. We too are called to preach the gospel, to bring men and women into a saving relationship with Christ, we are not called to do social or political work, but to propagate the gospel and establish ministries and churches.
Their goal and our goal is the same:
1) Bring people to Jesus Christ
Acts 16:31
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved —you and your household.”
2) Deliver them from satan’s power:
Acts 26:18
18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
3) Cause the Holy Spirit to come on them and to establish them in the church:
Acts 19:6
6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
We are no different. We are Christ Jesus’ hands and feet to transfer the mantle that we carry.
Acts 13:3
3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.
We are called to be a witness (or martyrs) as one who testifies by act or word to the truth. We confirm and testify of Jesus Christ by the word, deed, life and, if necessary, even death. (We must be totally sold out; 7 manifestations)
Our obligation:
Matthew 4:19
19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
Be missionary minded; going to all nations for Jesus:
Matthew 28:19-20
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
We witness His life, death, and resurrection power of His Holy Spirit.
Bring conviction concerning sin:
Acts 2:41
41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
We will suffer:
2 Corinthians 11:23-29
23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
Stay separated:
Acts 2:40
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
Witness is prophetic…
Acts 2:17
17 “‘in the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
…and empowered:
Acts 1:8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Zachariah 4:6
6 So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.
Philippians 4:13
13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Heb. 11:1 (The #111 means power, as you have Faith)
11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
Psalm 31:24
24 Be strong and take heart,
all you who hope in the Lord.
Signs of Believers:
Mark 16:17-18
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
These signs [Greek semeion] done by the true disciples confirm that the gospel message is genuine; that God’s kingdom has to come to the earth in the full force of Heaven’s power. The living and risen Jesus is present with His people and works through us.
The Law of Expectation is you first must sow the seed, and then you can expect a harvest. Your talents are God’s gift to you, but what you do with them is your gift to God.
Lesson 1 Homework Assignment:
Prepare a place to pray and fast
Psalm 139
1 You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely.
5 You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand —
when I awake, I am still with you.19 If only you, God, would slay the wicked!
Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
20 They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,
and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
22 I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
What, if any, scriptures really speak to you?
Every Day:
Pray The Lord’s Prayer.
Read your Bible.
One Proverb a day and meditate on the word, allowing it to speak to your heart.
Take communion.
Set aside a time. I find this time in the early morning is the easiest before my day begins.
Matthew 9:15
15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.
Fast.
Crucify your flesh. It may take a little time but you can do it! Start out taking a half hour at lunch and using that time to hang out with the Lord.