LESSON 4 PART 1: THE FOUR FACES OF THE VISION: THE LION
Key Verse: “Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains” (1 Chron. 12:8 NKJV)
Key Scriptures:
Acts 4:31; 17:6
2 Timothy 1:7
Judges 6:5, 15
1 Samuel 17:35
Proverbs 28:1
1 Peter 5:8
Joshua 1:6-9; 3:5, 14-17; 6
Objective: In this lesson, we will explore the heart of the conqueror: what it is and how to possess it.
Introduction: God has called each and every one of us to live as more than a conqueror (Rom 8:37). We are meant to live lives of victory, courage, and boldness because of our position in Christ. When we comprehend this truth, nothing can stop us from becoming forceful, courageous men and women of faith.
The lion has always represented power. Jesus Himself is called the Lion of Judah, describing His might and omnipotence as Lord of all. When we surrender our lives to Him, we can begin to draw upon that power and be transformed into mighty people of valor.
I. What is the face of the Lion?
A. The Lion is an animal of ______________
- Our discovery of God’s vision began with a study of the ox (serving) and continued with a study of the man (relationships) and a study of the eagle (training). Now we come to the ultimate intention of God’s vision: Conquest. We could say, therefore, that this vision we have been studying begins with compassion and ends with conquest.
- Paul and Silas “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6 NJKV). They were not silent spectators in the Roman world. They were conquerors, men who shook nations and cities with the Gospel. These first missionaries were also mighty men of valor who had “the faces of lions”.
- Satan’s most powerful weapon against Christians is fear and intimidation. Paul told Timothy, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love and of a sound mind” ( 2 Tim. 1:7NKJV). God must deliver us from all fear so that we can conquer the “Goliaths” in our lives.
B. The Old Testament reveals numerous examples of men who were like lions in their faith.
- Joshua: After the forty years of training in the wilderness, Israel was poised to conquer the land of Canaan. Joshua took his people through the Jordan and conquered thirty one Kings en route to a powerful occupation of the Promised Land.
- Gideon: From a silent, frightened farmer, Gideon became a valiant warrior. He led three hundred men into battle against an army too large to count (Judge 6:5). His victory is an example of how one of the weakest and the least (v15) became an awesome deliverer of his people.
- David: As a teenager, he killed a lion and a bear (1 Sam. 17:35). Then he fearlessly took on the challenge of Goliath, the 9-foot giant of the Philistines. With no fear, he ran toward the mammoth man and killed him with one stone.
C. You need ________________ in your life!
- Proverbs 28:1 NIV says, “the righteous are as bold as a lion,” When you know that you are righteous, made clean and pure by the blood of Jesus, you will have no fear of Satan’s condemnation. This sense of confidence in your righteousness before God is the beginning of boldness.
- The early Church was “all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31NKJV). Boldness come from receiving the power of the Spirit. Timidity, fear, condemnation, and double-mindedness must all leave when you are filled with the Holy Spirit.
D. “Lions” are dreamers and ______________.
- Dreams, desire, and drive are the elements of the lion. Joshua dreamed of the Promised Land after first seeing it as one of the twelve spies. Forty years, his desire grew. Finally, his drive culminated in taking Israel across the Jordan and conquering the enemy’s territory.
- The “Lion” describes a heart that is fearless, bold, and powerfully moving forward to conquer. Satan knows that if you achieve this kind of spirit, you are a grave threat to him. He goes about like a “roaring lion” (1 Pet 5:8), and only believers who are “Lion -like” in the spirit are a threat to him.
II. There are four steps to spiritual conquest.
A. ____________________ is the first step (Josh 1:6-9).
- In this passage, Joshua had become the new leader of Israel. Moses had died, and now Joshua had to step up and lead. Everyone feels a sense of inadequacy when facing a new assignment. Can I do it? Will people follow me? Am I prepared for the challenge? These and other such questions run through our minds.
- Courage is not absence of fear, but the will to do what is right. For Joshua, the time was right and his destiny lay before him. All he had to do was to step courageously into his divine purpose.
- Similarly, as you stand before your “Jordan River,” you have to exercise courage in order to step up to conquest.
B. _______________ is the next step to conquest (Josh 3:5).
- Conquering the devil requires stepping up to another level of holiness and consecration. Joshua told the officers to consecrate themselves. This meant they had to disconnect from the world, fear, and the past. This is also what you have to do as you prepare yourself for major battle with the enemy.
- God instructed Joshua to have the priests carry the ark into the Jordan. This placed God’s holiness in the very front of the battle. Satan fears your commitment to purity, holiness, and consecration. He trembles when you bring it into battle.
- Israel even had to circumcise all their children because they had not obeyed the Lord in the covenant (Josh 5:2-7). Perhaps there are little areas of compromise and disobedience in your life that God is dealing with in order to bring you into conquest.
C. __________ comes next in step to conquest (Josh 3:14-17).
- The priests carried the Ark of the Covenant into Jordan River. This was the point of no return. The moment their feet touched the water the river dried up. God is waiting for you to make a commitment where there is no going back to safety.
- After crossing the river, Joshua chose twelve men to gather twelve stones from the Jordan riverbed and pile them on the shore of the promised land (Josh 4:2). This represents the power of a team of twelve to conquer any fortress and spiritual stronghold the enemy is holding.
- God is going to put you on a team of twelve for spiritual conquest. You and the other eleven members will have great success working together to accomplish spiritual objectives in freeing many people from Satan’s grip.
D. ____________ finally comes after taking the first three steps (Josh 6).
- Jericho was “tightly shut up” (v 1 NIV). Satan is holding thousands of people in his grip of death, but God has a strategy of pulling down those walls. We call this strategy “spiritual warfare.” It uses God’s weapons of praise, worship, and prayer to batter down the enemy’s gates.
- During this Level 2, you will begin to pray the prayer of three. You and two other people will “circle the walls of Jericho” every day for thirty days as you pray for the lost. Satan’s grip will be removed, the blinders will come off their eyes, and they will come into the kingdom of God.
- Prayer, fasting, and worship were the strategies Jesus used in spiritual conquest. With over five billion lost people on the planet, we need to get started! Are you ready to cross over to the other side of your Jordan?
Summary: The face of the lion in Ezekiel’s vision (Ezek 10:14) represents conquest. Christians are victors, both in this world and in the world to come. But we will never walk in the fullness of victory until we begin identifying with the lion and acting upon the boldness that the Holy Spirit gives.
To be a spiritual conqueror takes courage, consecration, and commitment. Courage propels us forward in the battle even when our hearts are afraid. Consecration keeps us from compromise and disobedience that would hinder our ability to conquer. Commitment causes us to walk into deep waters of faith, sure of God’s ability to bring us to the other side.
The “face of the ox” makes us servants. The “face of the man” bonds us to others in the body of Christ in healthy, life-affirming relationships. The “face of the eagle” teach us to soar to new realms in the Spirit as we submit ourselves to training. But the fourth face of the vision, the “face of the Lion,” represents our coming to maturity as a fearless, courageous, victorious child of God.
Questions and Discussion Points.
- Fear is one of the most crippling emotions in a person’s life. What are some fears you have had, and how did they hinder your spiritual walk? Has God delivered you from some of your fears? How did He do it? Do you still have areas of fear in which you need a touch from the Lord?
- Discuss this statement: Courage is not the absence of fear. How would you define courage? Who is the most courageous person you have ever known?
- Discuss how consecration is an attitude of the heart rather than a list of dos and don’ts.
- What role does commitment play in facing a spiritual challenge?
Assignment
Make a list of list your greatest spiritual victory and what you learnt from them. In what areas are you currently facing a spiritual battle? In what ways could you fight more effectively? (This assignment is confidential in nature, hand it over to your Pastor/Guide who will pray with you).
The Four Faces of the Vision: The Lion
Scripture Memory for Level 2 Week 4
“Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains” (1 Chron. 12:8 NKJV)
Monday: Acts 21:1-40___________________________________________________
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Tuesday: Acts 22:1-29 __________________________________________________
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Wednesday: Acts 23:1-35 _______________________________________________
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Thursday: Acts 24:1-27_________________________________________________
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Friday: Acts 25:1-27____________________________________________________
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Saturday: 26:1-32 ______________________________________________________
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Sunday: Acts 27:1-44 __________________________________________________
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Special Prayer Requests ________________________________________________
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