The Sevenfold Spirit of God
Where does this concept come from?
Revelation 1:4-5 (NLT)
"This letter is from John to the seven churches in the province of Asia. Grace and peace from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from thesevenfold Spirit before his throne; and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the commander of all the rulers of the world. All praise to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us."
Revelation 3:1-2 (NLT)
"Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars: "I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive-but you are dead. Now wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is at the point of death. Your deeds are far from right in the sight of God."
Revelation 4:4-5 (NLT)
"Twenty-four thrones surrounded him, and twenty-four elders sat on them. They were all clothed in white and had gold crowns on their heads. And from the throne came flashes of lightning and the rumble of thunder. And in front of the throne were seven lampstands with burning flames. They are the seven spirits of God."
Revelation 5:6 (NLT)
"I looked and I saw a Lamb that had been killed but was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God that are sent out into every part of the earth."
What are the Seven Spirits?
My understanding for this seven-fold process of thinking comes from ….
Isaiah 11:1-2: "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots [this is Jesus, of course]: and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, [that is] the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel and Might, the Spirit of Knowledge and the Fear of the Lord;"
1. The Spirit of the Lord
2. The Spirit of Wisdom
3. The Spirit of Understanding
4. The Spirit of Counsel
5. The Spirit of Might
6. The Spirit of Knowledge
7. The Fear of the Lord
It's the Holy Spirit's mission - with our consent - to produce this "mind" in us, so that we can "live the truth" and the Gospel can be passed on to others.
I. Spirit of Truth
John 15:26 (NLT)
"But I will send you the Counselor-the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me."
John 16:13 (NLT)
"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. "
1 John 4:6 (NLT)
"But we belong to God; that is why those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has theSpirit of truth or the spirit of deception."
II. Spirit of Power
2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."
III. Spirit of Love
2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."
IV. Spirit of Self-Discipline
2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."
V. Spirit of Wisdom
Deuteronomy 34:9 (NLT)
"Now Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did everything just as the LORD had commanded Moses."
Proverbs 1:23 (NLT)
"Come here and listen to me! I'll pour out the spirit of wisdom upon you and make you wise."
VI. Spirit of Judgment
Isaiah 4:4 (NLT)
"The Lord will wash the moral filth from the women of Jerusalem. He will cleanse Jerusalem of its bloodstains by a spirit of judgment that burns like fire."
Isaiah 19:14 (NLT)
"The LORD has sent a spirit of foolishness on them, so all their suggestions are wrong. They cause the land of Egypt to stagger like a sick drunkard."
(This spirit was sent to punish the Egyptians, thus, it is of the Spirit of Judgment.)
Isaiah 29:10 (NLT)
"For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets and visionaries."
(This spirit was sent to punish the enemies of Jerusalem, thus, it is the Spirit of Judgment.)
VII. Spirit of Life
Revelation 11:11 (NLT)
"But after three and a half days, the spirit of life from God entered them, and they stood up! And terror struck all who were staring at them."
Zechariah 12:10 (NLT)
"Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on all the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died."
(Christ died to give us eternal life.)
What is the Effect of this Sevenfold Spirit in our Lives?
Galatians 5:22-23 (NLT)
"But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law."
Love - agape <0026>
The quality of warm regard for and interest in another, esteem, affection, regard, love
1) brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence
2) love feasts
Joy - chara <5479>
The experience of gladness, a person or thing that causes joy, joy
1) joy, gladness
1a) the joy received from you
1b) the cause or occasion of joy
1b1) of persons who are one's joy
Peace - eirene <1515>
State of concord, peace, harmony, state of well-being
1) a state of national tranquillity
1a) exemption from the rage and havoc of war
2) peace between individuals, i.e., harmony, concord
3) security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous)
4) of the Messiah's peace
4a) the way that leads to peace (salvation)
5) of Christianity, the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoever sort that is
6) the blessed state of devout and upright men after death
Patience - makrothumia <3115>
State of remaining tranquil while awaiting an outcome, patience, steadfastness, endurance, state of being able to bear up under provocation, forbearance
1) patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance
2) patience, forbearance, longsuffering, slowness in avenging wrongs
Kindness - chrestotes <5544>
Upright in one's relations with others, uprightness, the quality of being helpful or beneficial, goodness, kindness, generosity
1) moral goodness, integrity
2) benignity, kindness
Goodness - agathosune <0019>
Positive moral quality characterized especially by interest in the welfare of others, goodness, generosity
1) uprightness of heart and life, goodness, kindness
Faithfulness - pistis <4102>
That which evokes trust and faith, faithfulness, reliability, fidelity, commitment, assurance, oath, troth, proof, pledge, state of believing on the basis of the reliability of the one trusted, trust, confidence, faith, that which is believed, body of faith/belief/teaching
1) conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it
1a) relating to God
1a1) the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ
1b) relating to Christ
1b1) a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God
1c) the religious beliefs of Christians
1d) belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ, springing from faith in the same
2) fidelity, faithfulness
2a) the character of one who can be relied on
Meekness - prautes <4236>
The quality of not being overly impressed by a sense of one's self-importance, gentleness, humility, courtesy, considerateness, meekness
1) gentleness, mildness, meekness
Self-control - egkrateia <1466>
Restraint of one's emotions, impulses, or desires, self-control
1) self-control (the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, esp. his sensual appetites)
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.
